08/03/2026
Women Leading Change: Malayatoor Launches New Agro Enterprise and Honours 15 Women Farmers๐
The inauguration of Lake Star Agro Products at Malayatoor, alongside the honouring of 15 women farmers, marked a powerful celebration of resilience, enterprise and collective progressโจ
Lake Star Agro Products, led by six rural women, is one of the seventeen agro-based enterprise units supported by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). More than an income initiative, the unit represents shared courage, cooperation and confidence. Situated in Malayatoor, it enables women to move beyond traditional roles into leadership within the agricultural value chain, strengthening household incomes while promoting sustainable local productionโจ
The enterprise was inaugurated by Adv. Alphonsa David, Member, District Panchayath, Ernakulam in the presence of Dr. Niraj U. Joshi, Area Director, MSSRF Wayanad, and Dr. C. Thamban, Senior Fellow, MSSRF. David Wadakkanchery , Member, Grama Panchyath, presided over the function, with other dignitaries joining in solidarity and support for women-led developmentโจ
The celebration resonated with the International Womenโs Day 2026 theme, โGive to Gain.โ These women embody this spirit โ giving their labour and care to the land and gaining dignity, recognition and opportunity in return. This initiative demonstrates how investing in womenโs leadership generates lasting social and economic returnsโจ
Rooted in MSSRFโs commitment to being *pro-poor, pro-nature and pro-women*, and supported by the HDFC Bank Parivartan Programme, the Foundation has reached over 1,500 women farmers in and facilitated nearly 30 women-led enterprise units. Together, these efforts build pathways to secure and sustainable livelihoodsโจ
The day reaffirmed a simple truth: when are supported and celebrated, they strengthen not only their own futures but the very foundation of rural developmentโจ
