ICAR - CIFRI

Overview

Publications

Social icons

CIFRI Awards

Recruitment

Intranet

CIFRI Corners'

Brainstorming Session on Women in Agriculture & Fisheriest

4^th December, 2025
Barrackpore,WB

ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI), Barrackpore, observed Women in Agriculture Day on 4 December 2025, in recognition of the critical yet often under-acknowledged role of women in agriculture and fisheries.

The programme was organized in alignment with the forthcoming International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and included a brainstorming session chaired by Dr. Archana Sinha, Head, Division of Aquatic Environmental Biotechnology. The event aimed to reflect on challenges faced by women in inland fisheries and to identify ways to strengthen their skills, leadership, and economic participation.Scientists, Technical officers and Women scholars participated actively, contributing discipline-specific insights. The session was coordinated by Dr. Anjana Ekka and Dr. Canciyal Johnson, under the guidance and support of Dr. B. K. Das, along with the presence of experts, including Dr. Mohammad Musleum Uddin, Professor, University of Chittagong, Dr. Armaan Ullah Muzaddadi, HoD, OWAPM Division, Dr. Srikanta Samanta, HoD, FRAI Division, Dr. Arun Pandit, In-charge PME Cell.

To facilitate focused discussions, participants were divided into five groups, each centered around a pillar of women’s empowerment, which includes economic empowerment, social empowerment, access to resources, skill development and resilience. Each group identified existing gaps such as limited market access, low decision-making representation, restricted access to technology, and climate vulnerability, while recommending actionable strategies including women-led value chains, leadership and digital literacy training, climate-smart practices, and structured capacity-building programmes.

The session concluded with a consensus to develop an institutional action framework for women in inland fisheries and initiate thematic programmes leading up to 2026, reinforcing the commitment of ICAR-CIFRI to enhancing visibility, skills, and livelihood resilience among women fish farmers.