Community engagement for inclusive rural transformation and gender equality (my experience)
Prof. (Mrs.) Vijaya Khader, Former Dean Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, born on 31st October 1946 in Avanigadda, Andhra Pradesh, has been actively engaged in creating awareness about nutrition, health, and livelihood security through multidimensional education for over 45 years. As a distinguished nutritionist has made very significant contributions in India through a variety of approaches including awareness programs, developing education materials, and community reach-out programs for the nutritional improvement of vulnerable groups of the population. The major focus of her efforts is to empower women and adult girls through viable technologies to increase household income and ensure thereby livelihood security.
The impact of research On Women Empowerment, Product Development, transfer of technology for livelihood security & prevention of malnutrition in different sectors of the population has benefited society at large.
Several technologies such as Sorghum Food Enterprise, Geriatric Foods, Malted Infant Foods, High Fiber Vermicelli, Preservation of Palmyra Palm Fruit, Mushroom cultivation, Value addition to Fruits and Red Palm Oil, Horse gram and Soya Products developed for socio-economic empowerment of rural families. Three fisher woman from Kerala earning Rs.3,000-15,000/m through fish vending, fish trade, and clam processing; two from Karnataka earning Rs.30,000-40,000/m through the dried fish market and fish vending to establish ice plant; one from Andhra Pradesh and one from Tamil Nadu earning Rs. 12,000-20,000/m through net making with the constant technical support from concerned fishery colleges.
The promotion of a malt-based small-scale food industry not only provides an opportunity for rural women to develop entrepreneurship and employment but also provides food and nutritional security. Processed horse gram flour and soybean flour were used to prepare low-cost products namely RAGINA and EPRF. Simple home-scale processing methods like germination, roasting, and puffing were used to improve the nutrient content. The studies on mushrooms revealed that spawn multiplication can be done by women as a cooperative venture and mushroom cultivation can be undertaken as an income-generating activity. Red palm Oil is beneficial to overcome Vitamin A deficiency, suggested to the State Govt. Effect of iron-enriched chewing gum consumed by anemic adolescent boys & girls helped to improve the Iron Nutritional Status. Increased household income of women who participated in the Dairy program in Kenya, revealed increased intake of Protective foods and Improved Nutritional Status of the family. Work on fisherwomen is Highlighted on the global website, http://genderaquafish.org.
Skill-oriented training programs for women resulted in 41 families establishing mushroom cultivation in Guntur, Prakasham, and Krishna Districts of Andhra Pradesh;10 families taken fruit and vegetable processing units ;3 families adopted the technology of dehulling jowar and preparing value-added products;10 self-help groups have been organized at Karnataka and Kerala are mainly involved in various income generating activities.
Iron Fortified Chewing Gum is very useful in improving the iron nutritional status of anemic women and children. Mrs. Laura Bush from the USA had a round table conference with Mrs. Khader on food processing, income-generating activities, and gender issues.
Presented a paper at Cairo (Musa Coast) on Combating malnutrition among vulnerable groups – SDG-2, end hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable agriculture with FAO support.
Developed Food Technology Website: at P.G. level with the financial support by Ministry of Human Resourse Developmenthttps://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/Home/ViewSubject?catid=15
Delivered three-minute Nutrition information in 18 programs through the Namaste Telangana channel.
Established the second college of Home Science at Bapatla under ICAR, and served as First Principal for 10 years. Written 4 University level textbooks, regularly used by students and faculty members of Foods & Nutrition, Dietetics, Food Science and Technology, receiving Royalty to date. Started Inter-faculty P.G. Program on Food Science & Technology at Hyderabad and U.G. Program, B.Tech. Food Science at Bapatla. Modified & revised the number of P.G. courses in Agriculture, Veterinary & Home Science. Prepared lecture modules on P.G. Food Technology for worldwide availability is very challenging.
Changes made in the faculty of Home Science to attain the status of professional program. E.C. Member of Women in Science and Engineering, Member of INWES a Canada-based international network. Convener (President) of the Indian Women Scientist Association.Full Member, Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World.
1984 - Housewives in the community at Bapatla, Andhrapradesh closed liquer shops when they have explained the ill effects of drinking on the family under supervision through NSS activities.
Vegetable women venders contributed supplementary income to help their families to improve livelihood security.She established the Center of Advanced Studies in Foods and Nutrition, only one in the country serving as a National Resource & Training Centre. She completed 22 independent research projects supported by national and international organizations focusing on empowering rural, farm, tribal, fisherwomen, and adolescent girls through social engineering and training programs to increase household income. She served member of the State Council for Foods & Nutrition.
Research advisory committee member NAARM; Consortium Adviser for NAIP on Sustainable Rural Livelihoods through Enhanced farming system, Member Indo U.S. Agricultural Knowledge Initiative project; High-Level Committee Member for Strengthening Teaching, Research, and Extension Activities of Rajendra Agricultural University, Bihar; Peer Review Team Member for Accreditation of Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur; Quinquennial Review Team Member of Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology, Ludhiana; PRT Member for the Accreditation of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Eminent Fellow Scholars Academic And Scientific Society; Member Asian Fisheries Society. Chairperson of the Task Force Committee on Biotechnology-based program for Women. Member Technical Expert Group for National Program on Climate Change and Human Health. The impact of research On Women Empowerment, Product Development, transfer of technology for livelihood security & prevention of malnutrition in different sectors of the population has benefited the society at large through constant intervention through education.
She received M.Sc. from S.V University with Mary Clark Memorial Scholarship, Ph.D. (CSIR Fellow), and Post-Doctoral (CSIR) Fellowship from CFTRI, Mysore. She established the Center of Advanced Studies in Foods and Nutrition, only one in the country serving as a National Resource & Training Centre. She completed 22 independent research projects supported by national and international organizations focusing on empowering rural, farm, tribal, fisherwomen, and adolescent girls through social engineering and training programs to increase household income. She served member of the State Council for Foods & Nutrition.
Changes made in the Faculty of Home Science to attain the status of professional program included revamping the U.G. program into 4-year degree program with specialization to provide entrepreneurship qualities and handson experience. Students are placed in related industries or institutes, facilitating employment opportunities. Rural Home Science Work Experience Program was introduced to develop human resources in the rural sector with a focus on women's empowerment by addressing community problems and constraints. Many short term skill oriented programs were offered to school dropouts, NGOs, A.P. Tribal welfare schools, and self-help groups. Received patents for two equipments a Low-Cost Ice Cream Freezer for village-level use and a Multi-Purpose Fresh Fish Vending and Display Table to reduce drudgery and ensure hygienic handling of fish, licensed the technology to a women entrepreneur twice.
She started inter faqcuilty P.G. Program in Food Science and Technology by leveraging the academic strengths of the faculties of Agriculture, Veterinary, and Home Science. Written four university-level textbooks that continue to earn royalties. Visited Michigan State University as an FAO Fellow for advanced studies in Food Science and Nutrition and examined educational systems at several universities in the USA and UK for potential collaborations. She also visited Egypt, the Netherlands, and Italy to study agriculture and extension activities beneficial to farmers. Participated in many international conferences as a lead speaker, panelist, and keynote speaker.
As a member of the Board of Management of A.N.G.R.A.U., she offered valuable advice to university authorities. Her work on fisherwomen is featured on the global website run by the Asian Fisheries Society. She chaired the Task Force Committee on Biotechnology-based programs for women. Principal Investigator for ICT-enabled higher education on producing e-Content for M.Sc. Food Technology funded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development after retirement. She served as a subject expert for the online review of Biotechnology Ignite Grant proposals for early-stage funding through BIG, BIRAC. She was a resource person in a Tutor briefing workshop on the ENACT professional course on nutrition education organized by FAO and a technical expert for the National Program on Climate Change and Human Health to strengthen climate-sensitive health areas like nutrition and food security. Member of the Global Forum on Food Security & Nutrition, a Fellow of the Society for Promotion of Oil Palm Research & Development, Co-Chair of Agro-food Processing & Rural Development, and an advisor to the Ladies Wing FTCCI. She developed brochures, flashcards, and flip cards in regional languages on health and nutrition.
Her efforts in promoting malt-based scale food industries provided rural women with opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment, as well as food and nutritional security. Played a key role in transferring technologies to clients through radio, TV programs, CDs, popular articles, print media, group discussions, and training programs.
Based on her work on mushrooms, the Commissioner of Horticulture issued a G.O. on unit cost Rs. 70,000 for oyster mushroom cultivation .Implemented from 1994. Served on a high-level committee to strengthen teaching, research, and extension activities at Rajendra Agricultural University, Bihar, PUSA, Samastipur. She demonstrated that horse gram commonly used for cattle feed, could be diversified for human consumption. Her work showed that amylase-rich supplementary foods preferred by mothers and Anganwadi workers significantly reduced Grade IV and Grade III malnutrition in preschool children. Introducing red palm oil helped overcome vitamin A deficiency. Her work on mushrooms, product development, technology transfer for livelihood security and reduced malnutrition in adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and preschool Children benefits society and reveals the pivotal role of education.
Prof. Vijaya Khader