Ahead of International Women's Day, DS Group, a multi-business corporation and one of the top Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) conglomerates, announced the launch of a new initiative titled #SaluteTheFarmHER to highlight the importance of female farmers in agriculture. With this, the Group takes a step toward receiving proper recognition.

The initiative is a continuation of the company's efforts in this area. DS Group's CSR initiatives have persistently worked towards improving the lives of 24,000 women farmers in 12 agrarian states through farm-based livelihood projects that incubate women cultivators, company owners, and trained farm laborers.

India has an agrarian economy, with agriculture and associated sector activities employing approximately 54.6 percent of the total workforce. While farming is commonly associated with men, according to the Niti Ayog, agriculture employs approximately 80 percent of rural women. Nonetheless, they are underappreciated. The Group highlighted the need to enlighten the audience, raise awareness, empower, and appreciate the contributions of the rural women labor.

Shradha Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Grapes spoke about the campaign, “Today, when all of us regularly turn to digital for all of our needs, wants, queries and much more, how something is represented in the online space has become all the more critical. The representation of female farmers, however, is severely lacking. And due recognition is quite necessary in order to garner opportunities for equitable growth. So, the #SaluteTheFarmHER is a small step in that direction with the hope of initiating larger change.”

 

Grapes conceptualized the execution, which began with the release of a film to bring this gap to the broader public's attention. It was discovered that when children were asked to draw a farmer, the majority of them drew a male. To counter this attitude, the Group plans to approach key media outlets, agricultural blogs, and stock footage portals with a minor change: incorporate photographs of both male and female farmers when covering pertinent news.

Corporate Social Responsibility is an inherent aspect of the Group's business objectives, guided by a clear set of values and built on a strong foundation of collective good. Through addressing economic, environmental, and social problems and challenges, the Group strives for the long-term well-being of stakeholder communities.