Markets that Empower

Farmers & Consumers

Mountain Products Workshop

FAO, Rome, 20-21 May 2015

Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation

www.grassrootsindia.com

The Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development

Foundation is a non-profit organization working in

the central and western Himalaya.

The primary aim of Grassroots is to initiate peoples

action at the grassroots for restoration of ecological

security in languishing river basins through holistic

mountain development programs, in order to

improve the quality of life.

Grassroots 2

Grassroots

The Problem

• Environmental degradation and Climate Change

has impacted adversely on sustainable mountain

farming systems

• Erosion of biodiversity impacts on culture and life

styles

• Which has affected traditional food security and

livelihoods

• Resulting in ecological and economic insecurity

• Leading to male migration & increasing numbers

of women headed households

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……..Problems

• Small scale nature of mountain

enterprises with premium products

versus large volumes

• Lack of formal employment

opportunities leading to vulnerable

employment

• Lack of adequate social protection

• Low pay & difficult working/living

conditions Grassroots

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Grassroots 5

Based on the vulnerability of communities,

Grassroots is focusing on the following

thematic areas in a holistic manner:

• Self Help Groups

• Producer Groups

• Guilds

• Vegetal Cover

• Hydrology

• Biodiversity

• FarmingSystems

• Biogas Units

• Solar Lights

• Infiltration Wells

• Rainwater Harvesting

• Toilets

Water & Sanitation

Renewable Energy

Livelihoods & Micro

Enterprises

Ecological Security

Forest

s

Reduces the

kinetic energy

of rainfal

Root systems

of mixed

forests

enablrecharge

of

subterannean

water

capillaries,

which mon

cultures are

unable to do

It is realised that human development is about much

more than rise or fall of national incomes.

It is about quality of life, the level of human well-

being and the access to basic social services.

The pressures on environmental and natural

resources and the repercussions of their degradation

on low income livelihoods have become a source of

increasing concern.

Innovative micro-enterprises are

necessary in order to address this

situation.

6 Grassroots

Entrepreneurship Development

• Needs to be defined within the

mountain context of a deep

relationship between Man & Nature

• Focus on the concept of Social Justice

• Social Enterprise and the creation of

Social Capital as compared to Private

Capital and Business as Usual

• Ecology, Economics & Equity

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……continued

• clear understanding of the feasibility

and objectives

• selection/organisation of communities

• initiation of pilots to cash the idea

• formation of a vertically integrated

organisation & capacity building of all

stakeholders both in terms of skill

enhancement/entrepreneurial

knowledge, branding and linkages

with business service provider/s.

Grassroots

8

Social Entrepreneurship

& Challenges for Change Makers

• Establishing Pro-Poor Fair Trade

Business

• SHGs are the keystone

• Not just for micro finance and micro

enterprises, but also for accelerating

other SDGs

• Institutional Structure at the

grassroots, viz., Producers Company

Grassroots

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Community Owned Enterprise

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UMANG – Producers Company

• Network of 1,300 women farmer

shareholders

• Formed into 200 SHGs in 100 Villages

• Annual turnover of $ 250,000

• Managed by local women trained as

development professionals

• Governed by Board of Governors

selected from the general body of

share holders Grassroots

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Grassroots

Off-Farm Livelihoods

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On-Farm Livelihoods Traditional Organic Farming is being consolidated through

Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) comprising of small farmer

groups pledging to adopt organic farming practices reinforced

though regular peer review processes

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Linking Markets for Traditional Crops

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Value Added Crops

Strawberries and

Chamomile Tea

have been

introduced as

new crops to add

value to the

farmers basket

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Technology & Value Chains

Introduction of vacuum packing has assisted in

marketing wild walnuts through the year. The

harvest of 2014 fetched walnut growers $ 20,000

for the produce directly. Post harvest technology

led to market realization of $ 40,000 leading to a

net profit of $ 20,000

This is a classic example of vertically

integrated producer groups working

on a value chain approach from B 2 C.

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Community Market Platform

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Umang also provides marketing

opportunities to other producer groups in

the IHR and Grassroots envisages a major

role in the Mountain Partnership for

collective global marketing – at least launch

a pilot marketing venture.

Potential exists but so do Problems

from design to quality control, inventory to

pricing and cost sharing.

Mountain Partnership

• A pilot marketing program ought to be launched

with selected producer-groups stretching from the

Andes to Himalaya, Central Asia and Alps.

• Geographical Indication – a way forward?

• The idea is to take a first baby steps for

establishing exclusive showrooms for mountain

products, through partnerships between current

players.

• Initiate web based marketing of mountain

products.

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Mountain Products Labelling

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Mountain Products Showrooms

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Challenges & Way Forward

• Formation of self reliant producer

organisations that would enable promotion

of pro-poor businesses

• Fostering Entrepreneurial Spirit with

adequate skills and knowledge for

managing Community Owned Enterprises

• Improving infrastructure and enabling an

environment that fosters growth of SMEs

• Business Service Providers critical for

sustaining

• Safe foods and certification processes-PGS

• Rain-fed agriculture and enabling

environment in terms of support prices for

millets etcErosion of gene pool

Grassroots 24

• Business Service Providers and its critical

role in forging market linkages

• Understanding trade barriers

• Leadership & Governance

• Marketing Channels that understand and

appreciate Fair Trade practices

• Building Networks - Mountain Label and

Mountain Products Show rooms

• Getting that exclusive space in the market!

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Grassroots

Thank You for your Time!

Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation

Post Bag # 3, Ranikhet 263 645, Almora District, Uttarakhand, India

apaul@grassrootsindia.com

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