📄 Abstract
Womens economic participation is a critical component of rural development and inclusive growth. However, rural women and adolescent girls continue to face constraints related to skill access, employment opportunities and market exposure. The present action research study examines the effectiveness of fusion jewellery making as a livelihood-oriented skill development intervention for rural women and adolescent girls in Angadh and Karodiya villages of Vadodara district, Gujarat. The study adopted an action project research design and involved 35 participants selected purposively. The intervention included need assessment, hands-on skill training in fusion jewellery, expert guidance, exposure to pricing, packaging and marketing strategies, and orientation towards digital marketing platforms. Data were collected through structured tools and analysed using frequency and percentage analysis. The findings revealed significant improvement in technical skills, self-confidence and entrepreneurial readiness among participants. A majority of the respondents expressed willingness to adopt jewellery making as a supplementary or primary source of income and demonstrated improved awareness of marketing and e-marketing platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram. The study concludes that fusion jewellery offers a low-cost, home-based and culturally relevant livelihood option for rural women and adolescent girls. Integrating skill development with market and digital literacy can strengthen rural womens participation in the rural economy and contribute to sustainable livelihood generation.
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📚 How to Cite:
Dr. Shivani Mehta, Ms. Dhruvi Shah , CREATIVE LIVELIHOODS AND RURAL ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION: FUSION JEWELLERY TRAINING AMONG RURAL WOMEN AND ADOLESCENT GIRLS , Volume 13 , Issue 12, December 2025, EPRA International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Economic Research (ARER) ,