India event (16th to the 22nd February 2008)
Eighty three participants arrived in Mumbai from their respective countries on February 15th and attended the programme’s opening sessions on the 16th and 17th. After that, participants were split into six teams , each one going to a different LEAD Fellow’s project.
Nagpur, Pench Tiger Reserve –Working with LEAD Fellow Mr. Brij Mohan S Rahore, the challenge presented to the executives was to develop alternatives for the improvement of non timber production aligned with conservation practices in partnership with SYM (Young for Freedom) a local NGO working with local communities settled along the borders of the Pench Tiger Reserve. The main aim was to develop livelihood alternatives and raise awareness around nature conservation issues. From a conservation perspective, the communities around the park are important since they help to maintain a buffer zone of forested area around the park. In order to promote the economic development of such communities, SYM and the Forestry Department have set up a partnership focusing on ways to increase income generation of such communities by setting up local enterprises to explore non timber forest products. The value added by participants to LEAD Fellow’s project was achieved by promoting a better stakeholders dialogue and engagement and also by making recommendations to improve value chain structure and the donation of Two Thousand Pounds to enhance productivity of non timber forest products.
In Madurai, executives worked with LEAD Fellow Mr Muthu Velayutham from Covenant Centre for Development (CCD). CCD has helped to set up the first cooperative of medicinal plants and products in India, GMLC (Gram Mooligai Company Ltd.) which is owned by the rural community of medicinal plans collectors and cultivators. GMCL’s primary objectives are to promote and maintain sustainable cultivation and utilization of medicinal plants besides turning back the benefits to rural communities who are engaged in the enterprise. The value added to LEAD Fellow’s project was the development of an organizational strategy and restructure of value chain of medicinal plants gatherers association. A community fund was recommended to be implemented with the Two Thousand Pounds donation made by the participants to the GMLC.
In Mumbai, participants worked with LEAD Fellow Shyam Asolekar and the challenge was to design a bankable schemes for a 24/7water provision scheme at village level.
In Pune the group of businessmen worked with LEAD Fellow Mr Baharat Kakade from BAIF and provided technical and financial advice to The Sankalpa Federation. Sankalpa is an unregistered group of more than 100 entrepreneur’s women working in small scale business producing goods like herbs and food products (mainly processed fruits and dairy). Its main objective is to train its members in entrepreneurship, help them in planning, producing and marketing their products, facilitate market needs and explore market outlets, monitor and guarantee quality of products. BAIF works close to Sankalpa Federation by training the women members for initiating these micro-enterprises and developing capacity in areas like management, quality control and assurance, access to market, trade and personal development, especially communication and professional development. The group provided valuable advice to BAIF and Sankalpa on how to increase its efficiency and improve their business model. Value was added to LEAD Fellow’s organisation by the development of a business strategy that would allow Sankalpa to become more economic efficient. This strategy will be applied as a framework to all women empowerment projects ran by BAIF in the 13 Indian states it operates.
In Lakswadeep the challenge was to identify and explore alternatives to add value to local tuna production. Working with LEAD Fellow Deepak Apte, value was added to local fishermen association by developing a business plan for tuna production and processing mainly by identifying organizational changes in value chain alternatives and setting up a marketing strategy supported by funding mechanisms and local stakeholder engagement. The two Thousand Pounds donation will help local fishermen improve access to market through better merchandising and selling their products.
In Goa, Mineral Foundation of Goa (MFG) has been working with women’s group looking into ways to promote women’s empowerment by fostering local enterprises and improving educational levels. These small scale enterprises, (a.k.a Self Help Groups – SHG) produce a wide range of products from handcrafts like coconut shells, candle stands, soap holders and paperweight to carved key chains, ear rings and brooches. The challenge presented to the participants was to improve self help group’s business model of handcrafts production to meet the demand generated by the growing tourism industry in Goa. Working with LEAD Fellows Mr. Mahesh Patil, Mr Parag Rangnekar and Mr Glenn Kalavampara, the team made a contribution to the project by identifying opportunities for the marketing of handcrafts and identifying constraints in the value chain and made recommendations for improvement of selling and marketing of SHG’s products.