In rural Tamil Nadu, an initiative of Dalit women are turning wasteland into not just crops, but a movement against social exclusion in India.

Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, India, a group of Dalit women are taking significant steps to overcome caste-based discrimination by organizing themselves to farm previously unused land. Traditionally excluded from land ownership and agricultural leadership, these women have formed a collective, working together to convert wasteland into productive fields. Their initiative not only provides them with a source of income but also aims to foster dignity, respect, and reduced domestic violence within their community.

Despite ongoing challenges such as lack of access to essential services and persistent social exclusion, the women are determined to build a sustainable economic foundation for their village. Their broader goal is to dismantle the structures of caste-based exclusion, striving for equality and a better future for themselves and other marginalized communities in Tamil Nadu.

Dalit women in India fight caste discrimination with farming

On most farms in South India's Tamil Nadu state, a woman behind the wheel of a tractor is a rare sight. Rarer still, one from the historically oppressed Dalit caste. Here, a group of women from the landless caste is challenging society to transform their lives. While the dominant caste worked the fields, we Dalits felt the empty land was ours, so we harmed it. Every seed they sow is part of a self-organized initiative. In the beginning, it was frightening. I went door to door, sharing the idea. I trusted in our sisterhood. Some agreed to work, others refused. Still, I kept going. Converting wasteland is back-breaking work. And earnings come only after harvest. For communities of people who normally earn daily wages, taking that risk wasn't easy. There are 80 women in total. We send them out to work together in groups of 10. If there's grass or weed, we take them out. We share whatever work there is to do. The first green shoots have since turned into a harvest, but the women want to keep growing their movement. On the oppressor's land, workers harvested mangoes for a pittance while being insulted and mistreated. Sometimes children were even beaten for picking mangoes. Now, I have mangoes in my own garden. We no longer need to go there. Dalit villages were always left without proper water supply, sanitation, healthcare and education. But that's changed. In our Pallur village, all the essential services, the bank, ration shop, library are in dominant caste areas. In the Dalit colony, there's nothing. No temples, no childcare, not even water tanks. If we are equal, shouldn't we have the same? Caste discrimination and slavery hasn't ended. It's just hidden, but it still exists. As the women build a sustainable village with its own growing economic heart, adjusting to an oppressive society isn't the only goal. They hope to do away with the whole structure that keeps them systematically excluded from society's resources. Caste annihilation is the goal. But while working towards that goal, they must gain financial freedom and assets. That will bring them dignity and respect. The women experience less domestic violence. Their growth should be social, economical and political. These women are taking the steps that can open a path to a better future for their villages and others like them, all over Tamil Nadu.

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