‘Agents of green transition’: Gujarat’s salt farmers signal a cleaner, fairer future for informal workers

JUST Stories is IHRB's series of features centred on the people, the perspectives, and the relationships at the heart of net-zero transitions. We are documenting examples of the most innovative and meaningful net zero partnerships that are advancing transitions at speed and for the benefit of those most affected.

Our second story dives into the story of informal workers in India who are working together with business, unions, and investors to transition away from fossil fuels - creating a greener, fairer future.

• Salt is one of the world’s most ubiquitous commodities. As the world’s third largest producer, India’s salt industry is a crucial part of the global supply chain – and 80% of India’s salt comes from Gujarat’s salt flats.
• This is the story of how, with the support of business, finance and unions, female salt farmers in Gujarat are harnessing solar power to decarbonise salt, break free from financial exploitation, and launch the country’s first female-run solar farm.  It shows how to unlock green skills in the world's informal economies.
• With the support of India’s largest union of informal sector workers, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), these workers have trained as solar technicians, learning the skills needed to replace polluting diesel-powered pumps used to farm salt with solar-powered equivalents. Outside the salt season, the solar panels are collected and turned into a temporary solar park, selling surplus green electricity into India’s grid.
• Replacing polluting diesel pumps with 7,000 solar pumps has led to a 30-33% rise in income for the salt farmers - growing to a remarkable 600% increase with additional income from the solar park.
• What started as local impact has the potential to be planetary. So far the pumps have reduced emissions by 18,900 tonnes of CO2 each year – the equivalent of taking over 4,000 cars off the road.