Anita Bhattacharjee

Social entrepreneur empowering rural Indian women through digital agriculture platform

Anita Bhattacharjee is a visionary social entrepreneur from India whose work through the platform SheSells has fundamentally transformed agricultural commerce for women in rural areas. Since its launch in 2021, her initiative has created direct market access for over 50,000 women farmers across 12 states, enabling them to sell their produce at fair prices without middlemen exploitation. By integrating blockchain technology and mobile apps, SheSells ensures transparent transactions while providing financial literacy training and cold storage solutions.

Bhattacharjee's approach addresses systemic gender inequalities in India's agriculture sector where 82% of women farmers lack land ownership yet contribute 60-80% of labor. Her platform not only increases incomes by 30-50% but also fosters cooperative networks through the Women Producer Groups. In 2023, she partnered with FAO and UN Women to scale the model to East Africa, demonstrating its global applicability. Recent innovations include AI-driven crop advisories and micro-insurance products tailored for women farmers.

Recipient of the 2022 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur award, Bhattacharjee's work intersects technology, gender equity and climate resilience - her zero-waste supply chain model reduces post-harvest losses by 40%. Her TEDx talk "Rethinking Rural Economies" has garnered over 2 million views, inspiring similar initiatives in Bangladesh and Nepal.