Karnataka’s Bibi Fatima Women’s SHG Wins UNDP Equator Prize 2025 for Climate-Resilient Farming & Biodiversity Conservation.
Awards
A women-led initiative from Karnataka, the Bibi Fatima Self-Help Group (SHG), clinched the prestigious Equator Prize 2025 awarded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recognising its exemplary work in climate-resilient agriculture and biodiversity conservation in 30 villages.
- In a special virtual ceremony on 8 August 2025, coinciding with the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, UNDP announced the Bibi Fatima SHG among 10 global winners of the Equator Prize 2025. Chosen from over 700 entries spanning 103 countries, the group has been celebrated under the theme “Nature for Climate Action” for its outstanding women- and youth-led nature-based solutions.
- Founded in 2018 in Teertha village, Kundgol taluk of Dharwad district, Karnataka, the SHG began with just 15 women under the mentorship of Sahaja Samrudha. It now supports 5,000 farmers across 30 villages through innovative practices such as millet-based mixed cropping, climate-resilient farming, livestock rearing, and community seed banks.
Main Point :- (i) The group’s work integrates traditional knowledge with regenerative agriculture and renewable energy, contributing to biodiversity restoration, nutritional and food security, and empowerment of marginalised women and youth as agripreneurs. These efforts have significantly bolstered rural livelihoods and ecological resilience.
(ii) The award includes a cash prize of USD 10,000 (approximately â‚ą8.5 lakh), along with international recognition. This commendation places Bibi Fatima SHG alongside winners from Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, and Ecuador, reinforcing its global standing and influence.
(iii) This honour is often dubbed the “Nobel Prize for biodiversity”, and underscores the transformative potential of grassroots, women-led community action in addressing climate change, promoting sustainable agricultural systems, and preserving biodiversity.
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