Socioeconomic, Communication, Psychological and Managerial Capacity Assessment of Women Farmer Groups in Ri Bhoi District of Meghalaya, India
Wangshitula Longchar
*
Agricultural Extension, School of Social Sciences, College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences, Umiam, CAU (Imphal), India.
Rajkumar Josmee Singh
Agricultural Extension, School of Social Sciences, College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences, Umiam, CAU (Imphal), India.
Loukham Devarani
Agricultural Extension, School of Social Sciences, College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences, Umiam, CAU (Imphal), India.
Ram Singh
Agricultural Economics, School of Social Sciences, College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences, Umiam, CAU (Imphal), India
Hemochandra L.
CAU, Imphal, Manipur, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The study examines how women’s roles and capacities influence nutrition-sensitive farming interventions across Thadnongiaw, Kdonghulu, and Liarkhla villages of Ribhoi District of Meghalaya, surveying 47 members organized into Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs) under a Farming System for Nutrition (FSN) approach. Using structured questionnaires and statistical analyses (frequency, percentage and K-mean clustering), the study assessed socio-economic profiles, communication and psychological traits and management skills of the 3 FIG groups. Participants were mostly middle-aged with junior school education and moderate farming experience and faced limited access to modern inputs, lower literacy, and dual domestic–agricultural workloads. Communication patterns showed medium extension engagement and mass-media use, yet most lacked proficiency in interpreting UAV-derived imagery and data, highlighting a need for targeted digital training. Managerial capacities varied demonstrating weak planning but medium-level control abilities. This indicated strengthening advanced planning and group-management practices. Interventions that strengthen women's capacities in these areas serve as both pathways for women's empowerment and nutrition-sensitive agricultural strategies, resulting in improvements in livelihoods and nutritional outcomes that reinforce one another.
Keywords: Farmer interest group, farming system for nutrition, lower literacy, group-management practices