Significant women population in the target villages of Bangalore Rural District belong to economically and socially disadvantaged households. Agriculture is their main occupation traditionally. Due to difficulties experienced by these households, on account of monsoon failures, increasing costs of agricultural inputs, etc, a large number of rural households are engaging themselves in diverse unskilled or semi-skilled or skilled vocations in the non-farm sector. Due to lack of access to Science and Technology infrastructure and facilities, they are unable to earn sufficient income to cope with ever-increasing cost of living, in the light of their proximity to a fast developing cosmopolitan city such as Bangalore. Under such situation, maximum impact is borne by the women, followed by children. This leads to lack of quality life in the entire family.
The Women Technology Park, a project funded by the Department of Science and Technology aims to build capacities in women from Bangalore peri-urban villages by providing livelihood and primary health care options. The main activity of the WTP in the current project is to train women SHG members in Vermicomposting, Nursery and propagation techniques, Semi-processing, value addition, homestead cultivation and entrepreneurial skills.