case studies undp: aharam traditional crops producers' company, india

7/27/2019 Case studies UNDP: AHARAM TRADITIONAL CROPS PRODUCERS' COMPANY, India

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

India

AHARAM TRADITIONALCROP PRODUCERSCOMPANY

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence toThe Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph Corcoran

Managing Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa

Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Aharam Traditional Crop Producers Company, and in particular the guidance a

inputs o Utkarsh Ghate. All photo credits courtesy o Aharam Traditional Crop Producers Company. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbo

and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Aharam Traditional Crop Producers Company, India. Equator Initiative Case Study Ser

New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf


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PROJECT SUMMARYAharam Traditional Crops Producers Company workswith socially marginalized rural producers to conservebiodiversity in the semi-arid Ramnad Plains o Tamil Nadustate. The initiative uses a producer group model ocused onwomen and landless labourers to promote organic armingpractices that improve crop diversity and agro-biodiversity.The groups work has aimed at reducing dependence oncotton cultivation by increasing the commercial viability oarming small-scale crops and harvesting medicinal plants.The company is able to add value to these processes through

supply chain management and secondary processing,thereby guaranteeing a air price or organically-certiedcommodities bought in bulk directly rom producer groups.

As well as supplying training in organic arming practices,the initiative has encouraged the ormation o savingsand micro-credit sel-help groups, as well as supportingedgling micro-enterprises.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2006

FOUNDED: 2003

LOCATION: Tamil Nadu state, southern India

BENEFICIARIES: 15,000 rural small-scale producers

BIODIVERSITY: drylands and agrobiodiversity

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 6

Biodiversity Impacts 8

Socioeconomic Impacts 9

Policy Impacts 9

Sustainability 10

Replication 11

Partners 11

AHARAM TRADITIONAL CROPPRODUCERS COMPANYIndia


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Aharam Traditional Crops Producers Company was ounded in 2003y the Covenant Centre or Development (CCD), an NGO working

n Kariapatti, Tamil Nadu state, southern India. The area lies within

he semi-arid tract known as the Ramnad Plains, and is characterized

y severe droughts and rural-urban migration. CCD was ounded in

993 to promote rural community-based enterprise development,

with the majority o its work ocused on women. Aharam is one o

hree community-managed enterprises ounded by CCD to conront

he challenges o providing healthcare, sustainable energy, rural

velihoods, and ood security or the Ramnad Plains marginalized

nd landless poor. The aim o the Traditional Crops Producers

Company is to promote the marketing o small-scale arm produce

t a air price. To date, their work has benetted an estimated 15,000

ural producers. Enhanced incomes have motivated amilies to

onserve their agro-biodiversity, while the crops produced have

mproved the nutrition and health o urban consumers.

A marginalized and impoverished region

he Ramnad Plains, situated close to the city o Madurai, receive

nly 600 mm o rainall during the monsoon period (August-

November), while the rest o the year is hot and dry. The ecosystem

ype is characterized by sparse grassland and orest. Palmyra palm

rees (Borassus fabellier) and thorny Acacia bushes are common.

Mesquite (Prosopis julifora), grows wild as an invasive species. Its

igh water consumption and shade make it dicult or grasses to

row. In turn, this has reduced odder or livestock; its leaves are

lso unpalatable to cattle. The plains are home to a select variety o

wildlie species. Peacocks and crows are common, as are Common

Mynas, Little Green Bee-eaters, and sparrows, especially near human

abitations. Other bird species include vultures, Blue Jays, owls,

oves, warblers, and babblers. Mammals include mongooses, Asian

alm Civets, Black Nape Hares, jackals, and mouse deer, while reptiles

uch as Monitor Lizards, Rat snakes, Russells Pit Viper, and Checkered

nd Olive Keelback snakes are also ound.

While cotton is grown as a cash crop in the rain-ed resubsistence arming aces the challenges o low rainall and

irrigation in the dryland areas. An additional source o inc

during the summer months is derived rom livestock products: c

and goats are herded in the areas with sucient grassland. O

sources o income include medicinal plants and charcoal made

Mesquite trees. Approximately 80% o amilies own landholdin

two hectares or less, while 40% o amilies live below the nat

poverty line, earning less than USD 1/day. Many o these am

are socially as well as economically marginalized, while there

also high numbers o landless labourers. The plains are home to

nomadic Valayar people, who have traditionally been o low s

caste, extremely poor, and have lacked a political voice in I

Some o these communities have been displaced rom lan

development projects such as dams or power plants. Recent po

have aimed at helping the Valayar, however, providing them

subsidies or education and ood. Welare schemes or impro

access to water, sanitation, and electricity have also begun to r

them.

Tackling ood security and agricultural productivity

CCD identied various catalysts or their interventions in the re

Traditionally, diets had been well-balanced, with a diversied

o grains, pulses, beans, vegetables, oil, milk, poultry and mea

produced locally through organic arming methods. As arm p

have allen, however, 30% o armers have replaced nutritious

low-income subsistence crops such as millets sorghum,

millet, nger millet and greens with less nutritious, higher v

crops, such as sugarcane. Meanwhile, productivity has dec

by approximately 10-15% due to a reduction in organic input

armers depend more heavily on chemical inputs. The combina

o these cash crops and chemical ertilizer and pesticide use

impacted soil health, while micronutrient deciency and

scarcity have caused multiple health problems or the popula

Market ailures in cotton and other cash crops have urther har

local livelihoods.

Background and Context


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A ocus on empowering women producers

he Covenant Centre or Development was initially successul in

rganizing rural women into savings and micro-credit sel-help

roups. In total, 640 groups have been ormed, with 10,000 members

ltogether, rom 242 villages in the region. CCD provided loans at

nterest rates o 2% per month. Collective savings totaled around

s. 24 million (USD 535,000 at 2011 prices). Access to credit allowed

hese women to start micro-enterprises, with CCD also supplyingraining and support to these groups.

he micro-enterprise model was then used to encourage

ggregation o subsistence armers into producer groups, using

sustainable methods and organic arm inputs that conserve a

biodiversity, with Aharam Traditional Crops Producers Com

working in supply chain management and marketing. One o

early challenges Aharam conronted was breaking existing tra

monopolies and eliminating corruption in weighting and pri

which were barriers to small-scale armers entering these mar

Aharam also acilitates value addition and access to urban mar

Demand or welare measures such as savings, afordable credit

insurance has broadened Aharams scope o work, incorporadisaster resilience into their socio-economic goals. Finally, lin

producers to government credit schemes allows them to purc

high quality agricultural inputs, which increases producers y

and incomes.

Climate change has occurred faster and has been more damaging than expected. Tradition

crops and natural resource management techniques, coupled with appropriate modern tools, ar

sustainable means of combating these changes.

Utkarsh Ghate, Covenant Centre for Development


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6

Key Activities and Innovations

Aharams work ocuses on three key areas: aggregation o producer

roups and quality management; value addition; and providing

wholesale and retail market access. The two main sectors they have

worked in are agriculture (including mangoes, coconuts, and arm

rains) and healthcare (herbal medicines), although their work

with Tamil Nadu coastal communities has also involved producing

rtisanal goods or the tourist market.

The producer group model

roducer groups usually consist o 15-20 individual producers. These

producer groups are organized into clusters o ve or six, with 10-15

lusters making up a ederation. This aggregation allows or the bulkbuying o produce. Producer groups serve to regulate the quality

o their produce, as well as acting as collective credit, savings, and

nsurance groups. Using producer peer groups to ensure quality

management and organic quality certication has been an important

nnovation or Aharam. Producer group members check each others

gricultural inputs and methods o storage and transportation, to

ontrol or chemical use or contamination. The producer groups

hemselves also undertake peer reviews o neighbouring groups

operations. A local or regional committee keeps records o these

esults and issues certicates annually. This process, known as the

articipatory Guarantee System (PGS), is not unique, but has been

pioneered in India through Aharam. CCD was a ounder member

o the national body, PGS India, and has helped to promote thisechnique or ensuring organic quality standards through collective

uarantee. As it is also voluntary and low-cost, PGS is preerred

o third-party certication, which typically involves urban-based

ccredited inspection agencies that charge heavy ees.

Diversiying and improving crop yields

everal activities have ocused on increasing producer yields.

Aharam has encouraged collecting and cultivating a broad range

o seeds through community seed nurseries. Around 50 varieties o

teen crop species have been grown to date, encouraging ar

to diversiy their agricultural output. Women landless labo

have been given training in collecting up to 45 species o wild h

rom wastelands or allow arms during the dry season. Thes

processed into eight primary healthcare medicinal products or

Some common medicinal herbs that are collected include:

Alternatively, these herbs are bought in bulk rom the collectors

sold to prominent Indian pharmaceutical companies or sale in

or export overseas. These companies include Himalaya Drug

Ltd (Bangalore), Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd (Bangalore), Cavin

(Chennai), and Sami Labs (Bangalore).

Organic arming methods have been promoted through tra

sessions: specic methods have included multi-cropping, and

on-arm generation o odder, manure, and crop protection into reduce the costs o cultivation and generate higher armer pr

Seed multiplication

The Covenant Centre or Developments partnership with

International Crops Research Institute or the Semi-Arid-Tro

(ICRISAT) has enabled some armer groups to become seed produ

ICRISAT provided CCD with high-quality paddy and groundnut s

with a guarantee to buy back a portion o the seeds produce

turn, CCD gave trainings to Aharam armer groups in technique

Table 1: Medicinal plants and their common uses

Medicinal herbs Used for Eclipta alba Skin careOccimum sanctum Fever, coughs

Tribulus terestris Kidney stonesBoerhavia difusa Liver tonicEvolvulus alsinoides Immune system

Source: Covenant Centre or Development, 2011


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roducing high-quality seeds. These techniques include selecting

igger grains to replant, trimming branches to retain ewer seeds that

eceive more nutrition, and cutting of diseased seeds and branches.

A portion o the seeds produced are then sold back to ICRISAT, with

he balance being sold to local armers. These high-quality seeds

re highly protable, costing 30-50% more than the grains sold or

onsumption. The producer groups taking part in this scheme have

ow been certied as seed producers by the government, and are

lso able to purchase seeds rom local departments o agriculture,elling them back at a prot. This venture was reviewed by Access

ivelihoods Consulting (ALC) India in 2011, on behal o the Ford

oundation, and was recommended as viable or investment or

caling up.

Diversiying livelihoods; value-added processing

Coastal communities have been helped to develop artisanal

oods rom local resources, including coir, seashells, seaweed and

alm and banana bers. The Bhagawati coir trust ensures secured

velihoods or over 500 coir workers and 250 shell crat artisans in

Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari districts on the Tamil Nadu coast,

where communities were severely afected by the Indian Ocean

sunami in 2004. Coir yarn is developed using a traditional method,

n which green bers are soaked in salt water over time, and sold to

armers or tying tea plants in plantations, or used in making goods

or tourist markets.

Value addition has been enabled through Aharams mango

ulp actory. This initiative collectively purchases quality mango

ruits rom dryland orchards and extracts their pulp, which is

hen packaged and sold to urban companies at a higher price or

rocessing into juices. This allows the ruit to be stored or a longer

eriod o time as opposed to in its natural state, while guaranteeing

income or the producers during the lean season. It also remove

advantage o oreign commercial imported ruit, which is o hi

quality in terms o colour and size. Buyers pay in advance or

pulp, ensuring it can be supplied in time and in sucient qua

and quality.

Connecting rural producers and urban markets

Supply chain management has allowed producers to reach 2rural and urban consumers. Aharams grocery retail program

involves bulk purchasing o crop produce rom armers, ollowe

value addition by womens groups at Common Processing Cen

These nished products, including traditional varieties o m

spices, and pulses are then sold on to rural consumers at a air p

improving nutritional health.

The target population or Aharams work is approximately 10

small armers and landless labourers in the central drylands,

5,000 coastal amilies. The total population being helped by Ahar

work is thereore estimated at 75,000 (at an average amily siz

ve), o which around 35,000 are active producers. One qu

o these producers benet rom better market access, whileremainder benet indirectly rom higher prices or welare opt

Aharam also directly employs twenty-ve staf.

To date, seven ederations o producer groups have been cre

There are two mango and cotton armer ederations in Ramnad

coastal armers ederations in Nagapattinam district, and ederat

o artisans and coir workers rom Kanyakumari. The nal edera

is made up o womens medicinal plants gathering groups, a

represented on the Aharam governing board. Between them, t

ederations have taken on much o the administration o Ahara


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8

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTSThe biological diversity and ecological integrity o the drylands

have benetted primarily through the promotion o traditional

gricultural practices. Increased use o organic ertilizers and natural

pest control measures has limited the harmul efects o chemicals

on soil quality.

By adding value to traditional, nutritious crops, Aharam has been able

o increase their production compared to higher-value commercial

ash crops such as sugar cane. Millets, or instance, have been

processed into our, while womens groups and school children have

been encouraged to purchase this crop or its nutritional benets.

ears over diabetes in urban centres in particular have helped to

ncrease the demand and the price o millet. Other traditional crop

varieties have been promoted though seed nurseries, and have

ncreased the agricultural biodiversity within the region.

Organic arming: enhancing agrobiodiversity

Producer groups regulate the use o organic practices by small-

armers, who must meet quality standards to market their pro

at higher prices. Organic arming techniques include inter-crop

pest trap crops, and natural ertilizer use. Instead o using expe

inorganic ertilizers, armers have been educated on how to m

and use organic ertilizers rom the bird droppings and m

In addition, armers have been advised to use guinea bird

controlling pests in mango orchards, rather than armers spra

insecticides on the plants. Reduction in chemical inputs has allo

or more insect species and more birds to requent armed a

The lack o pesticide residue allows birds such as doves, pigeparakeets, warblers and babblers to eat grains, and bee-ea

drongos, mynas, and bluejays to eat insects and worms. Bee

are common in organic arming areas, as bees can pollinate an

honey rom crops such as pulses and oilseeds in the winter mo

i grown organically.

Medicinal plant gatherer groups have been given trainin

sustainable harvesting, ensuring that only mature medicinal p

are cut. This is a requirement to meet the good collection prac

certication or selling plants through the Gram Moolige Com

Ltd, CCDs medicinal plants community-based enterprise.

Marine and coastal conservation through CCDThe Covenant Centre or Development has also worked with

communities in areas o the coastal tract afected by the In

Ocean tsunami. Sand dune conservation and mangrove restor

work has been undertaken with coastal communities by Aran

partner NGO o CCD, in the area o Puducherry. Parts o sand d

have been planted with mangroves and other trees to pr

them rom erosion by the sea. Responsible shing codes have

introduced or Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari sher commun

Seasonal and site-specic shing restraints have allowed s


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tocks to regenerate. These stocks were impacted heavily in the

atermath o the tsunami, when charities donated large numbers o

shing boats to afected communities, leading to over-shing along

he coast.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

The social and economic benets rom Aharams work have been

extensive, varied, and sustained. They include greater ood securityand better nutrition, higher incomes, empowerment o women, and

ncreased resilience to disasters.

Aharams outreach has grown rapidly since its ormation. From

an initial 500 producers, the organization now has 15,000, with a

otal o 75,000 estimated beneciaries. These amilies live within

hree regions: Madurai, Kanyakumari, and Poompha. O these, an

estimated 70% are women, specically targeted through Aharams

work with womens sel-help groups and landless emale labourers.

This has signicantly empowered women within households, and

has improved their decision-making powers and social standing.

Approximately 30% o the beneciaries are considered indigenous,

ocated around Madurai; 90% o the target population lives in ruralareas.

ncreased household incomes; improved rural resilience

Livelihood security resulting rom advance payments or bulk

purchases, allied to constant demand, has guaranteed predictable

and consistent incomes or rural producers, reducing anxiety and

worry or beneciaries. Between 2003 and 2008, studies showed

hat daily incomes o Aharam producer groups members had

ncreased rom around Rs. 20 to over Rs. 50 (USD 0.44 to USD 1.12),

epresenting an increase o 150%. While up to hal o this increase

could be due to ination or the introduction o other income-

generating activities, Aharams interventions account or at least50% o this efect, through higher prices or processed agricultural

goods, representing a substantial increase in earning capacities

or producer households. Coastal artisans, meanwhile, now receive

approximately Rs. 50-70 (USD 1.12/1.56) in daily income or coir yarn

or shell crats they produce.

Disaster resilience has been increased through the provision o

welare tools such as savings, credit, and insurance mechanisms via

he Covenant Centre or Development. Prior to Aharams ounding,

nearly 45% o the armers in the plains owed debts in the range o

Rs. 10,000 to 25,000 (USD 220-USD 555) or up to two years o their

annual income. Private moneylenders trapped armers by charging

heavy interest rates o up to 8% per month, while ormal creditnstitutions such as banks are scarce (approximately one-quarter

o amilies have access to a ormal bank.) This indebtedness and

poverty multiplied the efects o requent droughts, pest attacks

and crop ailures. CCD provides low-interest loans through sel-help

groups at 25% o the market rate, or 2% monthly, thereby reducing

producers indebtedness, enhancing their savings capacity, and

educing vulnerability to risks such as poor harvests or droughts.

Finally, Aharams work has also reduced rural-urban migration, which

mposed signicant emotional burdens on amilies. High numbers o

men were previously orced to migrate to cities daily or seasona

nd work; higher rural incomes and entrepreneurial opportunit

the plains now allow more men to remain with their amilies.

POLICY IMPACTS

Aharams work has had little direct impact on policy at eithe

local or national level, although it has served as a successul exa

o a rural producers enterprise. This model is now recognizedvital rural development tool, on a par with cooperatives, whe

previously producer companies were seen as highly politicized

unpopular.

A key innovation o Aharams work has been its use o a Participa

Guarantee System through its producer groups to ensure

agricultural produce meets organic and quality standards. While

has not been reected in government policies, the organizatio

pioneered this concept as a orm o quality management or sm

scale rural processing. Being recognized by the International C

Research Institute or the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) has also ra

Aharams prole within India.

Aharam contributed to Indias National Biodiversity Strate

and Action Plan (NBSAP) planning process through sharin

experiences with biodiversity-riendly business development

strategy or conservation. They suggested organic arming, h

medicine, and community enterprises as strategies or developm

While these recommendations were not taken on board, the

o the Gram Moolige Company Ltd. has been recognized by In

National Biodiversity Authority.

Other national policies have acted as barriers to Aharams suc

however. Indias National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NRE

along with cheap ood ration programs, are believed to dam

rural entrepreneurship, by ensuring employment opportunitithe non-arm sector and leading to labour shortages or small-

arms. For instance, under NREGA, amilies in rural districts

been provided with employment in development projects suc

digging ponds and laying roads. Daily wages or these activitie

around Rs. 150 or men and Rs. 120 or women. This is two to t

times the increase in wages or Aharams producers noted in 20

Aharam TCPC has achieved a high degree o recognition ou

India, and has contributed to numerous knowledge-sha

processes on biodiversity conservation, medicinal herbs,

community-based enterprises. Aharam representatives

been included in regional consultations involving other In

voluntary organizations on the subject o empowering sproducer agencies. These discussions have been organized by

International Institute o Environment and Development (IIED)

the Dutch NGO Hivos, and have ocused on health and equity is

or small-scale producers. Aharam representatives also contrib

to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and were cited in

Indian Urban Resource Millennium Assessment by Naturalists s

initiated by the World Resources Institute. Finally, in 2006, Aha

TCPC was a winner o the UNDP Equator Prize, recognizing its ef

to reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity.

9


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Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYAharam Traditional Crop Producers Company is a revenue-

enerating enterprise. In ve years, its annual turnover increased

rom Rs. 1.3 million in 2004 to Rs. 12.5 million in 2008 (almost

USD 280,000 at 2011 prices.) Mango ruit and pulp is estimated to

ccount or around 60% o its annual sales, with other grocery retail

ccounting or 15%, cotton or 10%, seeds or 5%, and coir yarn 5%.

imultaneously, its beneciaries have been growing in number, and

t has accessed a growing number o markets. It has estimated that

ts local growth potential is still two to three times its present reach

n villages neighbouring its current producer groups.

he two main drivers or Aharams continued success are ensuringccess to urban markets, and tapping local markets or raw produce.

he value-addition stage is vital or increasing the viability o the

mall-scale producers: simply aggregating raw produce has not

een ound to be suciently protable.

Strategic interventions or sustained impact

artners support is vital or Aharams continued growth. The various

uyers o Aharams produce contribute around 30% o the companys

udget through advances or processed ruits, concessions or bulk

urchases, and investments in inrastructure, such as a actory

onstructed to process cotton. Buyback assurances also make

p a signicant in-kind contribution that motivates armers to

roduce high-quality goods. International donor agencies such as

Oxam, Ford Foundation, Tata Trust, and Christian Aid contribute

nother 30% in the orm o trainings and marketing expenses. The

armers themselves also contribute an estimated 30% in the orm

production, while CCDs support accounts or 10% o Aharams

udget.

Diversication is another key to sustainability, as it permits the

otation o limited working capital in community enterprises at

iferent times o the year. For instance, millet is grown during the


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1111

monsoon season, coir is harvested during the winter, as it absorbs

moisture and is thereore unworkable during the monsoon, and

mangoes are picked in the summer.

REPLICATION

he success o Aharams eco-enterprise model has motivated many

ural development donors to und its replication in other biodiversity

ch and poverty-stricken regions o India. CCD has been asked to

evelop the capacity o local community groups to implementmall-scale sustainable businesses along the lines o Aharams

roducer groups. These replication eforts have involved training

n community organization, technical skills, nancial linkages, and

market access, and have also consisted o visits to Aharams organic

roducer sites. One o these Ford Foundation-unded projects,

amudram Womens Federation o Orissa, was a UNDP Equator Prize

010 awardee.

PARTNERS

Donors such as the Ford Foundation, Miserere, Christian Aid, Ox

and Tata Trust have played a role in Aharams growth in Tamil N

Progressive industry buyers such as Nadukkara Agro Proces

Company, set up by the Kerala state government, have also b

undamental to growth in urban consumer markets. Nadukkara

Parle Agro have been the main buyers o mango pulp. Coir yarn

been sold to tea planter associations and traders.

Various service providers have helped Aharams work thro

the timely delivery o services such as transport and packag

Media outlets have promoted the organizations work at dife

times, while training agencies have helped to develop the ski

producers. Local traders have assisted through purchasing Aha

excess stock, or supplying raw materials when Aharam arm

produce was in shortage.

Table 1: Funding and replication sites

Funding organizaton States and Union Territories

Food and Agriculture Organizaon (FAO) Orissa

Ford Foundaon Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Lakshadweep, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Na

Tata Trust Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu

UNDP-implemented Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small

Grants Programme (SGP)Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uarakh

Leadership for Environment and Development India (LEAD) Nicobar IslandsOxfam All of the above locaons

ource: Covenant Centre or Development, 2011


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Equator Initiative

Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Tel: +1 646 781 4023

www.equatorinitiative.org

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNs global development network, advocating or change

onnecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati

o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.

2012 by Equator Initiative

All rights reserved

FURTHER REFERENCE

Covenant Centre or Development websiteccdgroups.org/index.php

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case studies undp: aharam traditional crops producers' company, india

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