Why I am passionate about Landesa’s mission:
Having worked extensively in the rural context, I understand the power of owning a piece of land, especially for a woman. It can help her assert herself as an individual and give her strength to combat various forms of violence and exclusion in her life.
ABOUT SHIPRA:
Shipra Deo is the Global Gender and Land Advisor at Landesa, where she leads efforts to strengthen women’s land rights and promote long-term social impact. Her work spans partnerships with governments, nonprofits, and community organisations in India and around the world. With over 20 years of experience, she brings a strategic, practical approach to strengthening women’s land rights and creating long-term social impact.
At Landesa, Shipra focuses on gender analysis of land laws and policies, supports gender-responsive land governance at national and state levels, and builds the capacity of teams to integrate gender and inclusion into their work. As a key member of Landesa’s Global Center for Women’s Land Rights, Shipra contributes to shaping the organization’s gender strategy and strengthening its inclusive culture.
Select Blogs
- Despite courts, the plot is against daughters: too few women inherit land in India, states are reluctant to implement laws. The Times of India, Feb 2022
- If we are not talking about a daughter’s right to inherit land, we are missing something foundational. AVPN, November 2021
- Inheritance of agricultural land by women: there is distance yet to travel. Live Law, October 2021
- The road to resilience in a post covid world: stronger land rights for women. Asian Venture Philanthropy Network. June 2021
- Why are Tribal Women in India still robed of their land rights. Thompson Reuters Foundation News, March 2021
- Rituals of marriage create untold suffering for millions of widows in India. The Future of Earth, Nov 2020
- We need to recognize women as independent individuals: review all land laws with a gender lens. The Times of India (edit page), April 2020
- The name game: how women get erased in rural India. Thompson Reuters Foundation, October 2020
- Daughter’s inheritance rights in Uttar Pradesh. Hindustan Times, August 2019
- Millions of Indian Farmers benefit from formalized land leasing laws. Thompson Reuters Foundation, October 2019
- Why Women Farmers Deserve a Right to Identity. Skoll Foundation, October 2019
- Marriage or Inheritance: Strange Choice Before Daughters of Uttar Pradesh. Land Portal, October 2019
- Rural Women: Celebrating the Culture of Courage. Women’s Advancement Deeply, October 2018
- Property rights are key to women’s empowerment reforms. The Hindu, June 2017
Books and Papers:
- Shipra Deo and Robert Mitchell. ‘Land and Violence in the Lives of Tribal Women’, 2025
- Shipra Deo. ‘This is not your home: Land Rights of Tribal Women in Jharkhand’. Landesa Research Paper. 2020.
- Shipra Deo. ‘Gender Inequality in Inheritance: The Case of Agricultural Land in India’, Landesa Research Paper. 2019.
- Shipra Deo and Ashok Khandelwal. ‘Women in Agriculture: Breaking the Grass Ceiling’, Aakar Publications, New Delhi. (Women-in-Agriculture-Breaking-the-Grass-Ceiling)
Podcasts:
|
|
Education:
- MA in Gender and Development
- M.Sc in Environmental Sciences
- B.Sc honors in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry
Languages:
Areas of Expertise:
Policy and Governance
- Supporting fair and equal land rights for women
- Reviewing laws and policies to make them more gender-responsive
- Helping governments and programs include gender consciousness in their work
Programs and Field Work
- Designing and managing programs that support women and communities
- Supporting development led by local communities
- Encouraging people’s participation in planning and decisions
Training and Support
- Leading trainings on gender and inclusion
- Building women’s confidence, leadership and collective strength
- Helping teams and groups do better on gender issues
|
