Sabita Parida began her career in development at Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) after receiving her undergraduate degree in agriculture. With PRADAN, she has helped rural women increase their farm incomes through the introduction of new production technologies in this role. Ms. Parida then began to pursue studies in policy development and gender, receiving a Ford Foundation scholarship to attend Brandeis University’s MA program in sustainable international development.

Since returning to India, Ms. Parida has managed Oxfam India’s smallholder agriculture and climate change program. She builds alliances with nongovernmental and civil society organizations to support advocacy on agriculture and women and land issues and to mobilize program stakeholders to create policy reforms benefiting female farmers. She also has implemented a campaign sensitizing the populace to the issue of women’s property rights through a variety of platforms such as street theater, radio, television, rallies, and conventions, with more than 160,000 people participating in five Indian states and in Delhi.