Abstract

The case ‘Wingreens – Empowering Women through Sustainable Livelihood’ is about the sustainable farming initiatives taken by Wingreens Farms Pvt Ltd. (Wingreens). The company was involved in the production of minimally processed food products and used raw material that was sustainably sourced and of high quality. The case dwells upon the need for the empowerment of women farmers in India and also focuses on the sustainable and inclusive business model of Wingreens that provided women with a sustainable means of livelihood. The case discusses the entrepreneurial journey of Anju Srivastava (Anju) in launching the Women’s Initiative Network. Anju faced numerous challenges in the initial stages of starting her company. The case also focuses on her efforts to convince women to come out and work as societal norms prevalent in the rural areas of India prevented women from working outside. Under the inclusive and sustainable business model of Wingreens, farmers were paid rent for their lands which were utilized for the production of herbs and high demand vegetables. These fetched higher returns than water intensive crops such as rice and wheat. Women were also provided training in food processing. Anju planned to make the company a model organization that would combine the qualities of social equality and environmental sustainability and at the same time develop new products for the customer.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate social entrepreneurship and its role in women empowerment
• Examine the importance of sustainability in social entrepreneurship and farming
• Analyze how women’s empowerment plays a vital role in the development of the society

Keywords

Social entrepreneurship; Sustainability; Women empowerment