Empowering Women through Indigenous Practices: A Pathway to Sustainable Development in Assam's Tea Industry

Abstract

This study examines the role of ethnic and local practices among womenfolk in Assam’s tea plantation communities and their contribution to sustainable development. It brings attention to the rich, yet often disregarded, knowledge systems possessed by these women particularly in the domains of old fashioned farming techniques, herbal medication, water conservation, and community based sacraments. These practices, rooted in generations of lived experience, embody viable approaches to ecological control and social interconnection. The paper emphasises that these women are not merely labourers but active custodians of ecological perception. Their deep connection with nature and community life equips them with strategies that promote resilience in the face of environmental and socioeconomic challenges. However, conventional development policies have often overlooked these contributions, leading to the undervaluation or loss of women's indigenous knowledge. This study advocates for the recognition and integration of these traditional practices into formal sustainability frameworks and development charters. It proposes a model that aligns gender empowerment with ecological stewardship. The argument put forth is that valuing and supporting women’s traditional knowledge systems can create more inclusive, equitable, and effective pathways to sustainable development. Ultimately, the paper calls for a paradigm shift that places women’s indigenous knowledge at the core not only as a means of preserving cultural heritage but also as a critical resource for achieving long term ecological balance, social justice, and economic sustainability in Assam’s tea growing regions. Viewed through this lens, women’s empowerment emerges as both a fundamental goal and a driving force in the broader pursuit of sustainable development.