Climate Capacity Building for SEWA Cooperative Federation

CSTEP, in collaboration with the SEWA Cooperative Federation, is conducting a year-long climate capacity-building engagement to strengthen the ability of women-led cooperatives to understand and respond to climate risks across Gujarat. The project aims to build foundational climate knowledge, enhance sector-specific adaptation skills, and support evidence-based decision-making across the Federations’ agriculture, dairy, and handicrafts cooperatives. 

 

• Understand the need and capacity for climate literacy among SEWA teams and partner cooperatives. 

• Strengthen sectoral capacity to quantify climate risks on agriculture, dairy, and handicrafts. 

• Improve communication and data-informed evidence-generation practices for climate-proofing cooperatives.   

• Co-develop tools /modules / serious games to help SEWA track long-term climate adaptation benefits. 

 

Through bilingual training modules, participatory workshops, and field-based learning, the programme is equipping SEWA teams with the tools needed to integrate climate resilience into daily operations, enterprise planning, and community outreach. For the same purpose, five modules are being developed: 

1. Climate change: Understanding causes and effects across sectors
2. Pathways to climate action: Adaptation and mitigation strategies
3. Health and climate: Protecting women and sectoral livelihoods
4. Training of trainers: Refresher on climate communication and facilitation
5. Climate-resilient livelihood practices: Evidence-based decision making 

 

• Stronger climate literacy and technical capacity across SEWA Federation teams. 

• Improved ability to identify, communicate, and manage climate risks in cooperative value chains. 

• Structured tools for tracking knowledge gains and integrating adaptation practices. 

• A scalable training model for women’s collective enterprises across Gujarat and beyond. 

 

Field Notes from Ahmedabad: A Journey Through SEWA’s Grassroots Initiatives

Reimagining Research Through Women’s Climate Knowledge