Introduction
This report is a comprehensive farmer study, in Tapi district, where SEWA Federation’s member cooperative – The Tapi District Megha Adivasi Mahila Agriculture Producers’ Cooperative (Megha Mandali) – operates. The purpose of the report is to give Megha Mandali a bird’s eye view of the district, enabling them to streamline their activities, both from the supply and demand side.
This report provides an overview of Tapi district, its infrastructure, its agricultural practices and the status of its women. In doing so, it hopes to fill in the gaps in knowledge that will allow for a more streamlined and optimal business strategy for existing services, as well as mark out avenues worth exploring for new initiatives. Moreover, the fieldwork in the study has been conducted by leaders in the Megha Mandali co-operative. This works to both give them exposure, but also go some steps towards building more relationships and connections across
the villages of the district.
The report is structured in three parts. The first section deals with background information that puts this particular study in context. It includes brief overviews of both SEWA Federation and Megha Mandali, as well as a presentation of secondary research from other studies on the district, looking specifically at education, health and economic indicators in order to shed light on Tapi’s socio-economic dynamics. This section ends with a note on the methodology that recounts the manner in which this study was conceived, planned and carried out.
