EMPOWERING RURAL WOMEN ENTERPRISES THROUGH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
In India, 85% of the 64 million MSMEs encompass Own Account Enterprises (OAEs), with one-third operating in manufacturing. Approximately 17 million of these are manufacturing OAEs, including an estimated 3 million artisanal enterprises, housing nearly 7 million artisans across roughly 3,500 clusters. Among these artisans, 56% are female, with textiles representing 50% of the clusters. FMC’s extensive experience, spanning over 100 artisanal clusters, predominantly in textiles, highlights fundamental knowledge gaps in basic proportional drawing, color utilization, and contemporary market-aligned concept creation. The pandemic has accentuated a digital divide- favouring tech-savvy organized businesses while adversely impacting unorganized micro-enterprises, particularly artisanal communities. The lack of technology access and vernacular language-enabled digital tools further marginalizes these artisans, exacerbating their challenges in adapting to digitalization trends.