Women empowerment through Pashu Sakhi initiatives in the livestock sector: A survey of Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh

Introduction

Women play a significant role in livestock production and management in rural India. Alongside household responsibilities, women commonly participate in feeding, cleaning, milking, animal care, and processing of livestock products. Despite this contribution, women may have limited access to technical information, veterinary services, productive assets, and institutional support. Improving access to training and extension services can therefore strengthen livestock productivity and women's contribution to household livelihoods. Community-based approaches that involve trained rural women can help reduce gaps in livestock extension and veterinary service delivery. The Pashu Sakhi model has been described as a women-centred livestock extension approach in which trained community members support livestock keepers with information, preventive animal healthcare, and linkage with formal veterinary services (Ponnusamy et al., 2017) [6] . More recent work has also described the Pashusakhi as a community animal-health worker who helps bridge service-delivery gaps in rural and remote areas (Kumar et al., 2025) [4] .

Self-help groups (SHGs) are another important mechanism for strengthening women's participation in rural economic activities. Evidence from Chhattisgarh indicates that SHG participation can be associated with improvements in different dimensions of empowerment, including leadership and income-related domains (Sahu and Ghosh, 2018) [7] . Narayanpur is a predominantly rural and tribal district of Chhattisgarh in which livestock rearing forms part of household livelihood strategies. According to the 20th Livestock Census (2019), Narayanpur had 78,041 buffaloes and 16,677 cattle (Department of Animal Husbandry, Chhattisgarh, 2019) [3] . The present study was undertaken to document the role of Pashu Sakhis in livestock extension and selected animal-health and livelihood activities in Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh. Increasing women's participation in the livestock sector is an important role of rural development. For this, the government is promoting self-help groups (SHGs) and women-centred livelihood programs. Out of which, the Pashu Sakhi program is being run at the village level under NRLM. Which helps in livestock extension work. Through this program, the livestock department is providing basic animal healthcare, www.extensionjournal.com vaccination, feeding management, and awareness of livestock schemes -related training to rural women. This program is not only improving livestock productivity but is also providing employment opportunities and socioeconomic strength to women. Narayanpur is tribal district of Chhattisgarh where livestock rearing is an important livelihood activity. However, studies regarding the impact of the pashu sakhi intiative on women empowerment in this region are limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the role of the Pashu Sakhi initiative in empowering rural women in the livestock sector of Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh.

Materials and Methods

A descriptive, village-level survey was conducted in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh. Information was compiled from 30 Pashu Sakhis regarding livestock populations in their respective villages, training and extension activities, vaccination, artificial insemination, participation in SHGs, and facilitation of government livestock-development schemes. The study was primarily descriptive; therefore, the reported service numbers should be interpreted as field-level observations rather than estimates of district-wide programme coverage.

Survey of Narayanpur District, Chhattisgarh

Narayanpur district is characterized by predominantly rural and tribal populations, with agriculture and livestock rearing forming important components of household livelihoods. The present survey covered 30 Pashu Sakhis and their respective villages. Livestock population data for cattle, buffaloes, goats, pigs, and poultry were compiled for the surveyed villages. The 20th Livestock Census provides the official district-level livestock estimates (Department of Animal Husbandry, Chhattisgarh, 2019) [3] . The village-level figures presented in Table 1 represent the data compiled for the villages covered by the present survey and should not be interpreted as the total livestock population of Narayanpur district.

The following livestock population data were compiled for 30 Pashu Sakhis from the villages covered by the survey, with reference to the 20 th Livestock Census. [6,4] .

Activities of Pashu Sakhi

After receiving training, Pashu Sakhis performed livestockrelated extension activities in their respective villages. These included disseminating information to livestock owners; coordinating with the Livestock Development Department and nearby veterinary hospitals; mobilizing farmers for veterinary camps; and facilitating access to vaccination, deworming, treatment, and artificial insemination services. They also helped communicate information about livestockdevelopment schemes and encouraged eligible households to participate in departmental programmes. Pashu Sakhis also participated in SHGs involved in poultry, dairy, goat farming, and other livelihood activities. Such collective activities can provide opportunities for savings, credit access, income generation, and improved participation of women in household and community decision-making (Sahu and Ghosh, 2018) [7] .

Results and Discussion

The [6,4] . The data collected from the 30 surveyed Pashu Sakhis also demonstrate their involvement in vaccination, artificial insemination, livestock-health awareness, and access to government schemes. Because the present study did not include a pre-intervention comparison group, householdlevel economic measurements, or statistical tests of empowerment, the findings should be interpreted as descriptive evidence of their extension role rather than as a quantified estimate of programme impact.

Livestock-Related Schemes of the Government of Chhattisgarh

Deworming

Vaccination

Vaccination is a major component of preventive veterinary healthcare and is essential for reducing the incidence and transmission of important infectious diseases. Effective vaccination programmes also contribute to animal welfare, livestock productivity, and protection of public health (Atmaca, 2015) [1] . In the surveyed villages, Pashu Sakhis played an important role in communicating vaccination schedules, mobilizing livestock owners, and facilitating participation in veterinary vaccination programmes. The field records included vaccination activities for cattle, buffaloes, goats, poultry, and pigs. The numbers presented in Table 3 represent reported service activities in the surveyed villages and should not be interpreted as vaccination coverage percentages.

Artificial Insemination

Artificial insemination (AI) is an important reproductive technology used to improve the genetic potential of livestock populations. Its effectiveness depends on factors such as heat detection, timing, semen quality, technician skill, nutrition, and herd management (Tola and Deresa, 2025) [9] . In the present survey, Pashu Sakhis helped mobilize livestock owners and coordinate access to AI services. Their role is therefore primarily facilitative and extension-oriented, linking farmers with trained veterinary or technical personnel.

Self-Help Groups (SHGs)

SHGs provide an institutional platform through which rural women can participate in collective economic activities, savings, credit, and livelihood development. In the surveyed villages, women were involved in livestock rearing, poultry, dairy, goat farming, agriculture-related work, and other livelihood activities. Previous research from Chhattisgarh has www.extensionjournal.com reported positive associations between SHG participation and several dimensions of rural women's empowerment, particularly leadership and income-related domains (Sahu and Ghosh, 2018) [7] . The participation of Pashu Sakhis in SHGs may therefore complement their livestock-extension role by connecting animal husbandry activities with broader livelihood opportunities. [6,4] . The study is descriptive and based on observations from 30 Pashu Sakhis; therefore, the findings should not be generalized to all villages of Narayanpur or interpreted as a direct measurement of economic impact. Future studies should include larger samples, baseline and follow-up assessments, household-level income and productivity indicators, and standardized measures of women's empowerment. Comparative studies across districts of Chhattisgarh could further assess the effectiveness, sustainability, and scalability of the Pashu Sakhi model.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe authors express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Reshma Dhruw, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, District Hospital, Narayanpur; Dr. Nisha Rawat, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Veterinary Hospital, Benoor, District Narayanpur; and Mr. Pareshwar Bhandari, Assistant Veterinary Field Officer (AVFO), District Hospital, Narayanpur, for their valuable support and contributions during the survey and preparation of this manuscript.

References

1. Atmaca HT. Vaccines and vaccination. In: Abubakar M, Saeed A, Kul O, editors. Role of biotechnology in improvement of livestock. 2015. p. 41-53. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-46789-3_3.
2. Bessell PR, Sargison ND, Mirende K, Dash R, Prasad S, Al-Riyami L, et al. The impact of anthelmintic drugs on weight gain of smallholder goats in subtropical regions. Prev Vet Med. 2018;159:72-81.
3. Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Chhattisgarh. 20th livestock census 2019: District-wise livestock population. Chhattisgarh, India; 2019.
4. Kumar T, Chander M, Rawat U, Prabex S. Pashusakhi model: A structural and functional perspective of community animal health workers in North-Eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. J Agric Ext Manag. 2025;26(2). doi:10.56093/JAEM.v26i2.7.
5. Panda AK, Sarkar A, Devi M, Moharana G. Empowering women for agricultural development in India. Int J Agric Ext Soc Dev. 2025;8(5):715-721.
6. Ponnusamy K, Chauhan AK, Meena S. Testing the effectiveness of Pasu Sakhi: An innovation for resource poor farm women in Rajasthan. Indian J Anim Sci. 2017;87(2). doi:10.56093/ijans.v87i2.67758.
7. Sahu BL, Ghosh S. Influence of SHGs on empowerment of rural poor in Chhattisgarh. J Agric Ext Manag. 2018;16(2):51-65.
8. Shrestha UT, Adhikari N, Kafle S, Shrestha N, Banjara MR, Steneroden K, et al. Effect of deworming on milk production in dairy cattle and buffaloes infected with gastrointestinal parasites in the Kavrepalanchowk district of central Nepal. Vet Rec Open. 2020;7(1):e000380.
9. Tola TE, Deresa AK. Artificial insemination in cattle: Efficiency, opportunities and challenges in selected districts of West Wallaga Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Vet Med Sci. 2025;11(6):e70604. doi:10.1002/vms3.70604.
10. Vinodhini RL, Vaijayanthi P. Self-help group and socioeconomic empowerment of women in rural India. Indian J Sci Technol. 2016;9(27):1-5. doi:10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i27/97629.
11. Roussel C, Drake J, Ariza JM. French national survey of dog and cat owners on the deworming behaviour and lifestyle of pets associated with the risk of endoparasites. Parasites Vectors. 2019;12:480.