Empowering women across gender and caste in a women’s dairy cooperative in India

Mulukanoor Women’s Dairy Cooperative (Mulukanoor Dairy) in India has been run by women for since 2002. From the beginning it created strategies to empower members, including mixing milk provided marginalized caste with from other castes; paying exclusively milk; providing technical training women; and seating together governance events. Caste norms are not observed these interactions. This article examines effectiveness of Dairy’s overcoming gender disadvantage through empirical research. We hypothesized that if members had become empowered over past 20 years we should be able see evidence this form women’s empowerment relation dairy decision-making at intra-household level. And divisions largely overcome observe collegial relationships among different castes, similar levels level regardless caste. Research was carried out four villages provisioning focus group discussions Dairy, men spouses members. In total 21 23 participated. FGDs were sex-and disaggregated. The introduction a new sorghum forage, CoFS-29, entry point start talking about norms. findings show remarkable transition industry elite non-marginalized women. have changed within safe space limited extent community. A norm instituted farmers. Women across experience considerable power income. However, remain primary decision-makers whether forage is grown. Men engage key chain actors. Knowledge on technologies passed only mostly between persons same gender. Over process knowledge transmission, networks increasingly masculinized. stronger who best make use technologies.