Women’s Empowerment in Northeast India’s Piggery Sector: A WELI-Based Assessment
16
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56093/ijans.v96i8.177788Keywords:
Women’s empowerment; Piggery sector; Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI); Northeast India; Gender parityAbstract
The piggery sector in Northeast India is a key source of livelihood for rural households, especially among tribal communities where women participate extensively in pig-rearing activities. This study utilizes the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI) to evaluate gender relations and empowerment levels within piggery-based livelihood systems. The study was conducted in Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. A total of 360 pig farmers were selected using stratified random sampling from six districts. Data were collected through a customized WELI questionnaire, complemented by focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Empowerment was evaluated using the Three Domains of Empowerment (3DE) and Gender Parity Index (GPI). The overall WELI score was 0.95, with a 3DE score of 0.93 and GPI of 0.94. About 84.6% of women and 94.8% of men were classified as empowered, while 86.9% of households achieved gender parity. Women showed higher participation in routine piggery activities but faced constraints in credit access, asset ownership, and decision-making. Age had a significant positive effect on empowerment, whereas household size showed a negative association. Although women play a central role in piggery systems, structural barriers limit their full empowerment. Targeted interventions focusing on capacity building, financial inclusion, and value chain participation are essential to enhance gender-equitable livestock development.
Downloads
References
AG Horizon Pvt Ltd. 2024. AG Group analysis report on piggery: April 2024 edition [PDF]. AG Group. https://aggrp.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AG-Group-Analysis-Report- On-Piggery-April-2024-.pdf
Bharati, J., De, K., Paul, S., Kumar, S., Yadav, A. K., Doley, J., ... & Das, B. C. 2022. Mobilizing pig resources for capacity development and livelihood security. In Agriculture, Livestock Production and Aquaculture: Advances for Smallholder Farming Systems Volume 2 (pp. 219-242). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Bora, P., Mishra, P., Braman, U., & Das, P. 2023. An Assessment of Gender’s Extent of Participation in Pig rearing Activities of Assam. Indian Res. J. Ext. Edu. 23 (3), July- September, 2023
Borah, S., Talukdar, R., Soren, S., Gogoi, J., Barman, K. C., & RamTamuli, U. 2020. Participation of women in traditional pig farming in North bank plain zone of Assam. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 19(2), 378-382.
Bordoloi, P. 2021. Women in Agriculture: An Ecological and Socio-economic Study of Meghalaya, North East India. Biological Forum - An International Journal.13(4): 532- 536.
Colverson, K. E., Coble-Harris, L., Galie, A., Moore, E. V., Munoz, O., McKune, S. L., & Mo, R. 2020. Evolution of a gender tool: WEAI, WELI and livestock research. Global Food Security, 26, 100375.
Devi, S. J., Kar, P. and Doley, J. 2026. Smart Eyes in the Pigsty: How Technology is Changing Pig Farming. Vigyan Varta 7 (01): 61-64.
Galie, A., Teufel, N., Korir, L., Balteneck, I., Webb-Girard, A., Dominguez‐Salas, P and Yount, KM. 2019. The Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index. Social Indicator Research 142:799–825. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-1934-z
Galiè, A., Teufel, N., Korir, L., Baltenweck, I., Girard, A. W., Domínguez-Salas, P., & Yount, K. M. 2019. The women’s empowerment in livestock index. Social Indicators Research, 142(2), 799–825. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-1934-z
Goswami, R. 2014. Socio-economic problems of rural women entrepreneurs in Assam: From a sociological perspective. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 4(12), 1–4.
Kalyani K. S., Madhav M. S., Hema B., Reddy K. V., Bindu J. P. 2024. Tribal sub plan (TSP) activities of ICAR-CTRI for empowerment of tribal farm families. ICAR. Availableat:https://ctri.icar.gov.in/digital%20library/pdf/2024/Tribal%20Sub%20Plan% 20TSP%20activities%20of%20ICARCTRI%20for%20empowerment%20of%20tribal %20farm%20families.pdf.
Kar, P., Bishnoi, S., Das, P. J., Deb, R., Paul, S., Devi, S. J., & Gupta, V. K. 2024. Awareness and practices of pig farmers regarding suspected cases of African swine fever: A case study from Assam. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development Vol. 19(4), October-December, 1183-1188 DOI:10.5958/2231- 6736.2024.00240.9
Kar, P., Jana, C., Choudhury., Devi, S.J., & Gupta, V.K. 2026. Bridging Cultural Heritage and Modern Science in Pig Husbandry: Extension perspectives from a Rabha Tribal village of Assam. Food and Scientific Reports, 7(2): 21-24
Kulnu, A. S., Acharjee, S. A., & Humtsoe, R. N. 2024. Ethnoecological insights on wild fodder bioresources and their geospatial perspectives on sustainable piggery in Wokha and Zunheboto districts of Nagaland, India. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 71, 691–720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-023-01650-4
Kumari, V., & Kumari, M. 2018. Analysis of gender roles of Garo people of Meghalaya engaged in piggery. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 7(1S), 1945–1948.
Madhavan, M. M., Mohan, N. H., & Gupta, V. K. 2022. Uplifting the piggery sector in India: Role of EAS. Agricultural Extension in South Asia (AESA). https://aesanetwork.org/blog- 173-uplifting-the-piggery-sector-in-india-role-of-eas/
Madhavan, M.., Mohan, N. H., Islam, R., Barman, K., & Gupta, V. K. 2022. Good practices 54: Piggery Farmer Field School: Building the capacity of tribal women in pig farming. Agricultural Extension in South Asia (AESA). https://aesanetwork.org/good-practices- 54-piggery-farmer-field-school-building-the-capacity-of-tribal-women-in-pig-farming/
Mal, P., & Saikia, N. 2024. Empowering tribal women: A comparative analysis of matrilineal and patrilineal societies in India. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2360172. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2360172
Mehta S. and Bhattacharjee M. 2024. Sustainable pork production and processing: a step toward empowering tribal women in Northeast India. Front. Nutr. 11:1425020. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1425020
Mili, B., & Boro, P. 2024. Approaches for piggery development in the North-Eastern Region of India: A review. International Journal of Applied Research, 10(1), 111–113.
Puro, K., Deori, S., Khargharia, G., Katiyar, R., Das, S., Milton, A. A. P., & Ghatak, S. 2024. Interventions to Empowering Tribal Women through Self-Help Groups for Piggery Production in Rural Village of Meghalaya: Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Livestock Research, 14(12), 32-38.
Rabha, S., Sarma, N. K., Deka, R. J., & Medhi, T. 2025. Socio-economic profile of pig farmers belonging to the Rabha tribe of Assam. International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Social Development, 8(6S), 121–125. https://doi.org/10.33545/26180723.2025.v8.i6Sb.2068
Rajak, S. K., Bharati, J., Kumar, S., Bharti, R., & Preety, P. 2024b. Pig farming and business opportunities for financial benefit. In Good Practices and Principles in Pig Farming (pp. 171-188). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Rajak, S.K., Kumar, S., Bharati, J., Kumar, A., Sharnam, K.S. and Rani, D., 2024a. Pig production and livelihood security. In Good Practices and Principles in Pig Farming (pp. 57-76). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Singh, R. 2020. Role of women in livestock rearing in India. Pashudhan Praharee. Mar 8.
Taneja, V.K. 2013. Women and livestock. http://www.dailypost.in/comments/columnists/3034- women-and livestock.
Thomas, R., Singh, V., & Gupta, V. K. 2021. Current status and development prospects of India’s pig industry. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 91(4), 255–268. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijans.v91i4.114325
Vijayamba, R. 2024. Women’s ownership of livestock assets: Evidence from Karnataka. Review of Agrarian Studies, 14(1), 38–55. https://doi.org/10.25003/RAS.14.01.0005
Villano, R. A., Koomson, I., Thei, S., Taqiuddin, M., Prameswari, F., Fachry, A., & Burrow, H. 2025. Women’s empowerment in integrated cattle-farming systems in Indonesia. Applied Economics, 57(32), 4723-4738.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the articles published in The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences is vested with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which reserves the right to enter into any agreement with any organization in India or abroad, for reprography, photocopying, storage and dissemination of information. The Council has no objection to using the material, provided the information is not being utilized for commercial purposes and wherever the information is being used, proper credit is given to ICAR.
How to Cite
