Emblems of empowerment| Sowing seeds of innovation and gender parity in Valley’s orchards
Sanna Masood, 35, leads a team of 300 people, who specialise in high-density plantation and work towards bringing innovation in the horticulture sector in the Valley. She has also been working to bring more women in the trade, which is largely dominated by men.
They say farming isn’t for women, more so, for city women. Breaking all such stereotypes, Sanna Masood, 35, a biotechnologist with a Masters in Business Administration, has been helping orchardists in remote areas of Kashmir adopt progressive farming and maximise their profits.
Currently serving as the chief executive officer and managing director of the post-harvest division of Farm2U, a leading cold storage chain in Kashmir, Sanna puts into use her knowledge of plant biotechnology and plant tissue culture to guide the farmers.
She also leads a team of 300 people, who specialise in high-density plantation and work towards bringing innovation in the horticulture sector, which is the Valley’s largest trade.
“I guide orchardists about fruits they can put in coldstores. Many of them are surprised when they see a young woman give tips on establishing high-density orchards. But for women farmers, my presence is reassuring,” says Sanna, who has been encouraging more women to take up horticulture and agriculture, a trade that has been largely dominated by men until now, in the Valley.
In 2013, she founded Seed Solutions, to help empower women in fields, but suffered a setback due to floods in the Valley. “We have started the project again and successfully trained three women in progressive farming. Their success is encouraging more women towards this field. But there is still a long way to go.”
The 35-year-old has also been part of several women’s initiatives in Kashmir, such as the launch of scooty scheme, Hunarmand, an embroidery cluster for more than 114 women, and Zainab scheme, flood rehabilitation for more 150 craftswomen. “Despite being part of a big group, I have continued to work in women’s initiatives, especially in rural Kashmir. My initiatives have helped hundreds of women and made them self-reliant in the field of agriculture and horticulture. “Under two schemes, Thimram and Vestaun, we have established women clusters in medicinal plants --70 women in Shangus Anantnag and 57 women farmers in four villages of Pulwama district-- to help them earn a livelihood.”
Daughter of renowned artist Masood Hussain, Sana grew up in the post locality of Jawaharnagar. “Though there were no farms or orchards where I grew up, my first tryst with plants was in the small garden in my house. Even as a child, I was fascinated with plants, seeds, flowers and anything that was close to nature.”
She credits her parents and sister for all her success. “My family has always stood by me. Sometimes, my parents used to accompany me when I had to go far-off places in the mountains to learn organic farming.”
