Published Paper Details:

The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, which has experienced a long history of serious agricultural problems, is changing toward a model for sustainable development -- specifically through the production of mulberry (Bombyx mori) and tasar (Antheraea mylitta) silks. The research contained in this document identifies gender-based labor models within both silk-producing regions of the Amravati and Nagpur divisions. This was accomplished using primary data gathered from the Central Silk Board (CSB) and the PLFS 2023 - 2024 surveys. Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA or OLS) and Chi-Square analyses were performed on these data to identify the manner in which labor is distributed into tasks and how those tasks influence larval survival. Data show that women are responsible for over seventy percent of all labor per unit of land area in the Amravati and Nagpur division and, therefore, most directly engaged in the high-precision "care" activities necessary to buffer the effects of extreme temperatures in the region. However, despite their significant contribution, women are often classified as unpaid family labor. In this paper, we assess the financial feasibility of developing an enterprise in Amravati and Nagpur, and find that there is a margin of safety of 89.03%. We also align our results with the policy outlined in the Maharashtra Integrated and Sustainable Textile Policy 2023 - 2028 and suggest that changes to state policies should be made to formally recognize the contributions of women in the silk industry.