The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation launched the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran
Pariyojana (MKSP-Programme for the Empowerment of Women Farmers) in
Vidarbha, following the visit of Prof. M. S. Swaminathan to this region, in 2006, in his
capacity as Chairman of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF). Vidarbha, the
hot spot of agrarian crisis, had an unenviable record of suicides by farmers. That the
crisis has accentuated the vulnerability of farmers in general, and the widows of the
farmers who had committed suicide in particular, became clear during the many
interactions the NCF members had with farmers. MSSRF initiated the MKSP in
Wardha and Yavatmal districts of the Vidarbha region in 2007 . 1 This report provides a
detailed account of this programme: Section 1 provides the objectives of the
programme, the basic characteristics of members and the area of operation; Section 2
provides the salient strategies of the programme; Section 3 discusses the major results;
and Section 4 provides the concluding observations with a focus on lessons learnt