Along Odisha’s 482-kilometre-long coastline, rising sea-surface temperatures have pushed fish species to greater depths, rendering traditional shallow-water equipment ineffective and driving fishermen into debt with local traders and moneylenders. It was in this context of a compounding ecological and economic crisis that the Samudram Women’s Federation was founded in 1995. By 2010, it had grown to over 5,000 members across 160 self-help groups in 50 villages in Ganjam, Puri, and Kendrapada districts. Its model operates on two mutually reinforcing tracks: marine conservation and economic self-determination for fisherwomen. Samudram monitors and protects nesting sites of Olive Ridley Turtles, deploys artificial reef structures that also function as marine sanctuaries by deterring bottom-trawlers, cultivates seaweed for carbon sequestration and sale, and coordinates campaigns against industrial encroachment along the coast. It has built fish processing and procurement centres owned and operated by women, and trained members in value-added processing which includes fish-drying, pickling, and papad production. It has also created direct supply chains to wholesalers and exporters that cut out exploitative middlemen.
Most of Samudram’s members belong to the oppressed castes and have faced social exclusion alongside economic marginalisation. The federation addresses this through exchanges between fisherwomen, bankers, and elected officials. Through collective bargaining, members have gained both income and standing in community decision-making. Its advocacy has resulted in government bans on destructive fishing nets, budgetary provisions for compensation to fisherwomen cooperatives during fishing bans, and the inclusion of women as beneficiaries of social security schemes for fishing sector workers.
Note: Due to lack of an official website or organisation-produced resource, the information in this curatorial note for Samudran has been sourced from the UNDP Equator Initiative Prize’s case study on the organisation.
This resource is curated as part of Woman Farmer Project’s Resource Library.
The Woman Farmer Project is a multimedia storytelling initiative led by The Locavore in partnership with the Doc Society Climate Story Kitchen.
