Abstract
Kudumbashree, launched by the Government of Kerala in 1998 for wiping out absolute poverty from the state through concerted community action under the leadership of Local Self Governments, is today one of the largest women empowering projects in India. This is a study on the perception of effectiveness of group functioning by the members of women self-help groups (SHGs) in goat farming, operating under Kudumbashree, in Thrissur district, Kerala. Majority of the respondents (76%) perceived the effectiveness of functioning of their groups as medium. The functioning of the group in terms of official procedures (mean score 1.96) was perceived most effective by the members followed by that of interpersonal relationship (mean score 1.93) and entrepreneurial activities (mean score 1.76).As for attitude towards group activity, majority of the respondents (64.67%) expressed high level of favourableness.Also, there was significant positive correlation between the members' perception of effectiveness of group functioning and their attitude towards group activity (b = 0.265). The findings of the study provide valuable feedback to the policy makers of the SHG strategy to improvise appropriate strategies for enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of WSHGs. The study suggests the imperative need for imparting entrepreneurial training to the respondents in goat farming along with provision of resources such as good quality breeds, grazing land, feed, market and veterinary care.
Highlights
Women Self-Help Group (SHG) movement has gathered momentum as a powerful instrument for socio-economic transformation of poor women in India
Kudumbashree is a multifaceted programme organized by Government of Kerala and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in cooperation with Panchayat Raj institutions through Community Based Organizations (CBOs) of poor women based on self-help strategy backed by thrift-linked credit
The members of women SHGs engaged in goat farming for at least one year, operating under www.veterinaryworld.org
Summary
Women Self-Help Group (SHG) movement has gathered momentum as a powerful instrument for socio-economic transformation of poor women in India. SHGs are small informal groups those enable women to come together, discuss and analyze their issues and problems and reap economic benefit out of mutual help, solidarity and joint responsibility (Anand, 2002). The group-based approach enables the members to accumulate capital by way of small savings and get access to formal credit facilities. Kudumbashree is a multifaceted programme organized by Government of Kerala and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in cooperation with Panchayat Raj institutions through Community Based Organizations (CBOs) of poor women based on self-help strategy backed by thrift-linked credit. Entrepreneurial ventures in goat farming are being embarked on by some SHGs under Kudumbashree
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