Social impact and women empowerment through mussel farming in Kerala, India

Abstract

Mussel farming has gained popularity along the southwest coast of India with more than 3,000 women becoming owners of mussel farms. Vasanth Kripa and Vazhoor Gopalan Surendranathan show how training alone was not sufficient to motivate villagers to adopt a new technology; instead visual observations of the success of the technology are essential for removing the risk aversion attitude. Support from the government prompted women to form self-help groups. This led to group farming, which helped women overcome social inhibitions and prove their competence.