konkan impact study_final

8/3/2019 Konkan Impact Study_Final

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Breaking Barriers

and Creating CapitalSustainable Development with Bamboo

in the Konkan Region, Maharashtra, India

I.V. Ramanuja Rao, Bhargavi Motukuri, Sanjeev Karpe

cibart


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2009

International Network for Bamboo and Rattan&

Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technology

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted inany form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recordingor any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from thepublisher.

The opinions expressed in this book are those of the authors and need not necessarilyrepresent those of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and the

Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource & Technology (CIBART). The presentation of materialsin this publication and in maps that appear herein does not imply the expression of anyopinion on the part of INBAR and CIBART concerning the legal status of any country orthe delineation of frontiers or boundaries.

This publication is based on information and data provided by the Konkan Bamboo andCane Development Centre (KONBAC).

International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)PO Box 100102-86, Beijing 100102, P. R. ChinaTel: +86-10-6470 6161; Fax: +86-10-6470 2166Email: [email protected]

Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource & Technology (CIBART)A-408, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024, IndiaTel: +91-11-2433 4801/02; Fax: +91-11-2433 4804

E-mail: [email protected]

ISBN: 81-86247-48-3


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Breaking Barriers

and Creating Capital

Sustainable Development with Bamboo

in the Konkan Region, Maharashtra, India

I.V. Ramanuja Rao

Bhargavi Motukuri

Sanjeev Karpe

cibart


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Acknowledgements

Mr Mohan Hodawdekar

Mr George Joel

Mr Vikas Bendke

Mr Manohar Sapre

Dr Sanjay DeshmukhDr Anand Tendulkar

Mr Shilpesh Gambhire

Mr R.S. Varma

Mr Vibhakar Kelkar

Mr Himanshu Tulpule

Mr Kanwarjit Nagi

Mr Milind Thakur

Mr Madan Samant

Ms Preetam Dhupkar

Mr Uday Varavadekar

Ms Shrutika Bhawkar

Mr Rahul Pendurkar

Mr Prashant Karane

Mr Rohan Desai

Mr Ketan Tendulkar

Mr Rajan Pawar

Mr Chandrakant Sahil

Mr Dilip Sawant

Mr Rajan Bobhate

Mr Rajesh MasurkarMs Aruna Telli

Mr Pravin Teli

Mr Mahesh Rane

Ms Snehalata Malvankar

Mr Subrato Sarkar

Mr Ulhas Talwar

Mr Shankar Ghare

Mr Sanjay Deb Barma

Mr Nilesh Dhuri

Mr Sudan Rudrapal

Mr Satesh Haldankar

Mr Sham Mestri

Mr Anand Dalvi

Mr Dipu Deb Barma

Mr Gajendra Sawant

The work on which this publication is based was made possibleby the following staff of KONBAC and several individuals from the community.

The considerable support of Mr Arun Kumar, Mr Oliver Frith andMs K. Rathna is gratefully acknowledged.


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Acronyms

ARS : Action Research Site

BPL : Below poverty line

CFC : Common Facility Centre

CIBART : Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technology

DC(H) : Development Commissioner (Handicrafts)

DRDA : District Rural Development AgencyDUDA : District Urban Development Agency

FWWB : Friends of Womens World Banking

IFAD : International Fund for Agricultural Development

INBAR : International Network for Bamboo and Rattan

INR : Indian Rupee

IIT : Indian Institute of Technology

ISO : International Organization for Standardization

JSS : Jan Shikshan Sansthan

KONBAC : Konkan Bamboo and Cane Development CentreKONIM : Konkan Nisarg Manch

MITCON : Maharashtra Industrial & Technical Development Organization

MTDC : Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation

MSME : Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises

NABARD : National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

NBM : National Bamboo Mission

NGO : Non-government organization

NID : National Institute of Design

NMBA : National Mission on Bamboo ApplicationsOBC : Other backward classes

PPP : Public-Private Partnerships

SC : Scheduled castes

ST : Scheduled tribes

SHGs : Self-help groups

TRIBAC : Tripura Bamboo and Cane Development Centre

UBFDB : Uttaranchal Bamboo and Fibre Development Board

UNDP : United Nations Development Programme

USD : United States Dollar

Currency exchange rate used in this document: USD 1 = INR 45


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Acknowledgements 3

Acronyms 4

Summary 7

I. Setting the Stage 11

II. Human and Social Capital Development 19

III. Natural Capital Development 29

IV. Furniture Enterprise Unit 35

V. Craft Enterprise Unit 41

VI. Packaging Enterprise Unit 47

VII. Construction Enterprise Unit 51

VIII. Sanitary Napkins Enterprise Unit 57

IX. Financial Capital Development 59

X. Taking Stock and the Way Ahead 63

contents


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7Breaking Barriers and Creating Capital

summAry

In 2003, an action research-based development programme using local bamboos forbenefitting poor rural communities in the Konkan Division in Maharashtra State, India,was set up by INBAR in partnership with CIBART. This publication describes how theinitiatives at the Konkan Action Research Site (ARS) first seeded and then nurturedgrowth. It analyses how the strategies have resulted in quantitatively and qualitatively

enhanced rural livelihoods, while addressing local, cross-cutting social and economicchallenges, such as dependence on rain-fed agriculture, male urban migration, casteprejudices and low market demand. The work done by KONBAC, CIBART and INBARresulted in the following key achievements:

Institutional ecosystem development: Starting with the establishment ofKONBAC, a dedicated NGO for this purpose, the supporting institutional ecosystemneeded for sustained and viable economic activity was incrementally built up withnursery linkages, a processing centre, a preservation unit, and enterprise units forcrafts, packaging, furniture, construction and sanitary pads. Resource and input

supply chains linking growers to processers, and value chains linking rural processersand rural enterprises to markets were developed. The Konkan ARS now links 130villages and 3,000 households.

Capacity development: Training programmes with different reach and depth weredeveloped. These ranged from short-term to long-term programmes for impartingbasic skills, skills upgrading and raising awareness. By 2008, with support from DRDAand other institutions, the ARS had trained 2,783 (2,638 women and 145 men)and with support from NBM, the ARS had raised awareness of an additional 3,200individuals. Significantly, with changing perceptions, the number of participants on

training courses has risen significantly over 2005, with increasing representationfrom across the caste system. Training and awareness programmes have also beenundertaken on bamboo propagation, management and its use.

Resource enhancement: Through the ARS programme, INBAR and local partnershave promoted development of bamboo plantations and homesteads, with closeto 50,000 bamboo plants and planting material made available by Social ForestryDepartment, Kudal, Sindhudurg district. In 2007, linkages were also established withone of the largest private nurseries in the state, Shailesh Nursery in Kohlapur district,to produce more than 150,000 plants per year. The technical knowledge needed to

produce bamboo plants was provided to the nursery. A total of 217,500 plants wereproduced between 2005 and 2008. KONBAC has also developed a bamboo supplychain, ensuring that bamboo farmers are able to supply raw materials directly to ARS


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8 Breaking Barriers and Creating Capital

work units and community enterprises at fair prices.

Accesstonewmarkets: The ARS has provided rural communities, who accountfor almost 90 percent of the population in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts andoften live below the poverty line, with opportunities to access high-value urban

markets in nearby Mumbai and Goa. This has been achieved through promotion ofoff-farm bamboo sectors, such as furniture-making, handicrafts and construction.Traditionally, ARS beneficiaries have depended heavily on rain-fed crops, such aspaddy. Horticulture crops like cashew and mango are easily affected by abnormalweather. These crops provide unstable returns and limited working opportunitiesthroughout the year. However, through the development of furniture, handicraftand construction units, the ARS has been able to generate commercial sales of USD308,000 over four years.

Removal of caste barriers: The ARS has played a major role in lowering local

caste barriers. Traditionally, bamboo artisanship was solely an occupation of theMahar caste which is classified by government as a scheduled caste. Furthermore,many members of the Mahar caste were dissuading their children from learningbamboo processing and weaving skills owing to the low caste association of bambooand declining income of traditional bamboo products due to emergence of lower-priced substitutes. The ARS programme has altered social perceptions of bambooby demonstrating its economic potential in new, high-value markets. Because ofthe interventions, large numbers of Mahar community, as well as members of othercastes such as Sutar (carpenters), Vani (traders) and Gabit (fisherfolk) are nowworking together in the local bamboo sector. In addit ion, some higher caste Marathaand Brahmin members are also engaging in the sector.

Empowermentofwomen: The ARS has empowered local women, who make uptwo-thirds of the working population due to male urban migration to the cities.1Over 467 women have been provided with opportunities to diversify into highervalue-added roles in furniture, mat-weaving, crafts, construction and sanitary padsproduction, while working in safer work environs. Significantly, these women areable to work from home, or as part of KONBAC work units, which enables themto earn a stable income, tend to children and take care of other farm work whileexpanding their social networks.

Employmentgenerationandenhancement:The Konkan ARS has generated over672 new rural livelihoods; 467 of them are for women and 205 are for men. All ofthem are KONBAC trainees. At least one member each from 3,000 households outof the 15,000 poor and socially backward bamboo artisan households has attendedan awareness raising or training workshop. Many of them have also increasedtheir individual incomes, given that bamboo product production and sale are theirtraditional livelihoods.

Incomegeneration:The average monthly income of women and men beneficiarieswas INR 3,000 (USD 66.70) if full-time, and INR 500-750 (USD 11.1016.70) if part-

1According to the 2001 census, 12.7 million women work in the region, with 89 percent relying on agriculture


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time, except in the furniture unit where the full-time income was INR 3,500 (USD77.80). A few full-time workers could earn INR 4,000 (USD 88.90). Many of themwere first-time earners.

Reduced male urbanmigration:By promoting higher-value bamboo industries

and the demonstration of a steady and growing market demand, the Konkan ARShas helped reduce urban migration among male youth which, due to the currentoption of only seasonal employment in agriculture, is very high. For example,through establishment of construction and furniture units, which have a majority ofmen, KONBAC has provided year-round employment to 189 men who might haveotherwise migrated.

Increased institutional linkages: In addition to direct impacts on the localcommunities, the ARS has played a prominent role in raising awareness amonggovernment, banks and private enterprise about the economic and poverty alleviation

potential of the bamboo sector. For example, government agencies such as NMBAand NBM now view the Konkan ARS as a centre for innovation and work intensivelywith KONBAC on a range of public training and commercial activities. Furthermore,the ARS has set up a PPP with the Lavasa Corporation, which is establishing Indiaslargest hill city, emphasizing on the use of eco-friendly methods and materials.Lavasa is employing local community members who had been t rained by KONBAC inbamboo-based construction and furniture work.

Through ten chapters, this publication narrates how the ARS programme has accomplishedthe above and improved the lives of the rural poor. In Chapter I, the local/regional context,the need for development intervention, and the logic for a bamboo-based approach areexplained. The majority of rural residents in the Konkan depend on a single, rain-fed,short agriculture season, and lack of year-round employment opportunities is a majorcause of poverty. This leads to seasonal migration of males. This poverty is compoundedby erratic monsoon seasons and unstable agricultural markets for traditional products. Incontrast, bamboo, which can be harvested throughout the year and is used in a numberof off-farm industries, of fers a vital alternative source of year-round income. Backgroundhistory on the institutional context and how and why the ARS institutional eco-systemwas established are explained. This will highlight the importance of developing a systemthat is driven by local demand and markets.

Chapter II covers the human and social capital development of the Konkan ARS. Theprogramme has incrementally changed social perceptions of bamboo as a low-costmaterial. To promote such changes, the ARS programme has relied significantly ontraining and capacity building courses for local beneficiaries. Finally, issues of genderand the empowerment of local women are addressed. Given that women comprise two-thirds of the districts resident population (since the men migrate out to the cities), thegeneration of employment and income-earning opportunities for women has played amajor role in the ARS programme.

In Chapter III, interventions in natural capital development are analysed. Konkan has rich

bamboo resources, with 14,000 ha of bamboo available in Sindhudurg district alone.However, before the ARS programme was established, this resource base was poorly


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managed and utilized. In this chapter, efforts made to improve bamboo stocks andbiodiversity, as well as bamboo supply chains and payment for farmers, are described.

Chapters IV-VIII examine in more detail the furniture, packaging, craft, constructionand sanitary napkin enterprise units established under the ARS. These units provide

community members with access to training and equipment. With the exception of thesanitary napkin unit, which is a pilot demonstration, all of these make commercial sales.Each chapter analyses how one of these units are helping to promote uptake of bamboo-based livelihoods and community enterprises.

In Chapter IX, financial capital development is assessed. At present, the Konkan ARShas made considerable progress in developing into a self-sustaining institutional system.Current financial needs and future solutions for these needs are reviewed.

The final Chapter X provides insights into potential future research and impacts of the

programme. For home micro-enterprises, of the men and women trained, 140 men and445 women got into business, which works out to a conversion rate of 96.6 percentfor men and 16.9 percent for women. A study to understand and mitigate/overcomepossible barriers to entrepreneurship by rural women might help in understanding theunderlying causes better and in equaling the ratios of success.

It is telling that Konkan women clearly prefer home micro-enterprises (of the 585 womenand men who set up business, 76.1% are women as compared to 23.9% of men).Women are thus not setting up enterprises to the same extent as men but prefer homebusinesses. This might be due to the logic of women+home+children, social or othercauses that needs further study.

Of the 672 new livelihoods generated, 12.9 percent are in urban KONBAC enterprise unitswhereas 87.1 percent are self-employed in household micro-enterprises in the villages.This means that one average urban job in the units in Kudal town is generating 6.7 ruraljobs in the villages. While the number of rural jobs in crafts was 93.5 percent comparedto 6.5 percent urban jobs, a surprising result was that the construction unit generated anearly equal benefit with 90.0 percent rural jobs to 9.1 percent urban jobs, which wasunexpected. It would be interesting to compare bamboo construction with conventionalconstruction methods in terms of rural benefit. The furniture unit generated a majorityof 66.2 percent rural jobs as compared to 33.8 percent urban jobs.

In comparison to employment, the overall rural-urban income distribution is morebalanced with 54.7 percent in rural areas and 45.3 percent in urban areas. Given thatthere are a much higher number of people employed in rural areas, the net earningsof a person working in rural areas is thus much lower than that of an urban employedperson.

The Konkan ARS, which is a partnership of INBAR, CIBART and KONBAC, is a showcasedevelopment model of how a sustainable and viable economic system using localbamboo and human resources can be developed. It is likely to have significant relevance

for development in other places where bamboo and poor rural people co-exist, in Indiaand abroad.


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I. settIng the stAge


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Target Region and Project Area

The Konkan Action Research Site (ARS), which was set up in 2004 by the InternationalNetwork for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), is centred in the Sindhudurg district of theKonkan division. Over time, the ARS has come to include parts of the neighbouring

Ratnagiri district too. More recently, activities have been extended to Kolhapur district ofPune division and the adjacent state of Goa.

Figure1:The Konkan Division, Maharashtra, India

The Konkan division is one of the six divisions in Maharashtra, India, comprising an area

of 30,746 sq. km and a population of about 25 million (2001). It lies between the ArabianSea and the Sahyadri mountain range of the Western Ghats, encompassing the narrowcoastal lowland, which is barely 60 km wide and 600 km long (Figure 1). Sindhudurgis mostly rural with roughly 90 percent of its 868,000 population living in rural areas;Ratnagiri comes a close second with 88 percent of people being rural. Kolhapur, whichabuts Sindhudurg, is relatively urbanized with 70 percent of its population living in ruralareas.

Despite being on the GoaMumbai axis comprising a key tourist centre and the commercialcapital of India, there is significant poverty in the Konkan division, with 51.2 percent in

Sindhudurg and 32.5 percent in Ratnagiri (Table 1) living below the poverty line. Animportant reason for this is that the Konkan division is predominantly rural and the


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economy is largely agro-based. Most cultivators are smallholders. Agriculture is heavilydependent on monsoon rains over four months (June-September), leaving the ruralpopulation vulnerable to fluctuating incomes. The area is rather dry in the hot summerthat precedes the rains with temperatures soaring up to 34C. During the succeedingautumn and light winter, temperatures go down to 17C. Therefore, about two-thirds of

the year are not conducive to agriculture. An estimated 160 days of seasonal employmentare available in the region with the paddy production and mango crop being harvestedonce annually.

Table1:Some key indicators

ParticularsOperational Districts2

Ratnagiri Sindhudurg Kolhapur

No. of Blocks 9 8 12

No. of villages 1,553 752 1,230

HDI 20003 0.44 0.6 0.64

Population as per 2001 census 1,696,777 868,825 3,523,162

No. of households 377,366 192,666 712,349

No. of families below poverty line 122,725 98,696 71,709

Geographical area (sq. km) 8,326 5,207 8,200

Forest area (sq. km) 67 910 1,400

Per capita income (value 2003-04) INR 14,064(USD 312.53)

INR 15,812(USD 351.40)

INR16,832(USD 374.00)

Owing to seasonal agricultural patterns,earning during the fallow season tosupplement income is important. Therefore,most men work as seasonal migrant labourin Mumbai and other industrial areas. Thisresults in leaving behind the women, whomake up about two-thirds of the labour

force in rural Konkan. These women workpredominantly as marginal labourers tosupplement family incomes. According tothe 2001 Census, of the 12.7 million womenworking in the rural areas of Konkan, 11.3million (89 percent) were employed inagriculture, with 41 percent as cultivatorsand 48 percent as agricultural labour. Asmall number of women work in householdindustries and other non-farm occupations.

2Data based on Planning Commission Report on 10th Five Year Plan and Census 2001

3Government of Maharashtra (2002) Human Development Report for Maharashtra 2002

Figure2: Kudal: KONBAC Headquarters


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Bamboo as an entry point for development

The region has fairly dense patches of bamboos such as Oxytenanthera stocksii, O.monostigma, Bambusa bambos andDendrocalamus strictus. Bamboo is available bothin forests and homesteads in the Konkan region. Growing bamboo in homesteads is a

tradition with nearly 60 percent of farmers having a minimum of 5 to 10 clumps of O.stocksii, which is the bamboo most in demand. This is largely used for roof ing of temporarysheds for storage on the farm, making utility items like baskets, and for handicrafts. Atpresent, B. bambos is grown in small quantity with limited uses, such as for fencingand vertical supports of temporary structures. The availability of bamboo offers manyopportunit ies to address rural poverty in the Konkan and surrounding regions.

Bamboo is a unique natural resource. It is woody, fast-growing and yields annually.Bamboo is a versatile material and has the advantage of creating large-scale employmentin rural areas. By nature, bamboo processing activities are labour-intensive. Bamboo lends

itself easily to processing. Unlike wood, it can be easily split and slivered with hand tools.Processing slivers into products such as incense sticks, mats and crafts is relatively simple.Bamboo has the ability to replace wood in many applications, ranging from furniture,flooring and housing to inf rastructure. Furthermore, bamboo is used as food (shoots andseeds) and for paper manufacture.

Bamboo has a strong relationship with rural communities, allowing them to participatein a larger proportion of value addition compared with other resources and industrialprocesses. As bamboo production includes multiple phases of management andprocessing, it provides livelihood options in various areas to a larger number of rural

workers. Benefits of bamboo can be capitalized upon to promote poverty alleviationthrough creating self or wage employment, increasing income and protecting theenvironment. The development of bamboo-based craft and industry requires relativelylow capital, raw material, tools and machinery investments in comparison with otherhandicraft activities. Because of this, it is possible to address economic, cultural, socialand ecological issues in bamboo development through sustainable approaches.

The handicrafts sector, which provides employment to 23 million in India, stands as thesecond largest source of employment after agriculture. A signif icant part of it is bamboo-based. Many of the bamboo crafts reflect the close, almost mystic, relationship of bamboo,

people and culture. Ingenious skills revolve around slivering, interlacing ( weaving ),stitching, splitting, layering, inserting, winding, stringing and pinning to create productsfor a thousand applications. Rural communities employ bamboo extensively for theirday-to-day uses like fencing, energy, housing and household utilitarian and agriculturalimplements.

In Konkan region, the traditional artisans mainly the Mahar community (Burud in otherregions) who are in Sindhudurg and surrounding districts are well versed in primaryprocessing of bamboo poles and producing interlaced ( woven ) articles. They constitutean estimated 15,000 bamboo artisan families in Konkan region. Most of them comprise

the marginalized social classes, namely the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes(ST),4 who make up about 2.5 to 13.3 percent of the population in the region 1.8


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percent and 0.9 percent in Ratnagiri, 5.1 percent and 0.5 percent in Sindhudurg, and26.4 percent and 13.0 percent in Kolhapur, respectively.

The traditional bamboo working communities of the Konkan region cater to the localmarket and produce a set of traditional utilitarian products which have not changed for

long. The widespread use of plastic material, which is cheaper, colourful and durable,had reduced the use of bamboo products and thereby their demand. A strong perceptionhad been built up that bamboo could not be converted into products that have adequatedemand and remunerative value in markets. As a result , the Mahars tradit ional bamboo-working community was forced to take up new occupations alongside their traditionaloccupation. Since working with bamboo is also an indicator of low caste, many Maharartisans have given up this profession altogether to be rid of the stigma attached to it.As neither the Mahar elders nor the children see any value in their traditional artisanknowledge and skills, bamboo artisanal skills are no longer being passed down to youngerMahar generations. Many have switched to working in farms as labourers. More than 90

percent of the Mahars do not own agricultural land and hence have to earn their food(received as part-payment for farm labour) and income from farm labour. However, farmlabour provides only a meagre income, from the seasonal employment of up to 160 daysper year, which is inadequate to provide for the entire year.

Figure3: Traditional bamboo weaving community members processing bamboo

4Scheduled Castes are indigenous Indian communities who were excluded from the caste system the social superstructure of

Hindu (even Indian) society. These communit ies, especially Scheduled castes, were relegated to menial labour with no possibilityof upward mobility, lacking opportunities for educational, social and economic growth. To remedy this, the Government ofIndia Act of 1935 prepared two lists (schedules) of these communities, and accorded preferential treatment for raising theirsocio-economic status. These lists, with modifications, were later appended to the Indian Constitution.


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Need for Development Intervention

Before INBARs intervention in Konkan, attempts had been made to develop the localbamboo sector. In 2000, a local NGO called Kokan Nisarga Manch (KONIM) was set up bya group of concerned professionals interested in the development of the Konkan region,

with a focus on local resources such as bamboo, kokam (Garcinia indica) and medicinalplants. With the support of the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, a survey ofavailable bamboo resources was undertaken. A book on investment opportunities inbamboo was published and circulated among leading industrialists interested in theregion. Despite these efforts, there were no investors in the bamboo sector. In the sameyear, KONIM approached the National Institute of Design (NID) to develop bamboo-based packaging for mangoes, a principal crop of the region. However, the prototype didnot meet with the technical and performance criteria of the mango industry.

In 2001-2002, INBAR undertook a consultancy supported by United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) for the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME),Government of India, on the potential for housing development using bamboo. One ofthe sites studied was the Konkan, and this gave INBAR its first introduction to the region.During discussions, farmers stated to the INBAR team that growing bamboo gave highereconomic returns than mango (an export item), coconut or rice. The other attraction ofbamboo to farmers was that it was a plant-once-and-forget resource, which did notneed constant attention to produce poles annually. Farmers did not even have to cut thebamboo since interested parties, mainly traders, would cut and transport the bamboothemselves. The farmers were thus eager to plant bamboo and asked INBAR to assist inmaking available planting material that they were ready to buy.

INBAR knew that the income generating and employment opportunities possible withbamboo in the region are considerable. On the one hand, there was the prevalence ofa traditional bamboo working community in the Konkan and their bamboo processingskills were strong; on the other hand, however, the bamboo community itself waswriting off its traditional profession and not passing down its bamboo-working skills tothe younger generations. There was another and possibly more serious challenge. The low caste association of bamboo was so strong in the minds of people that there wasdanger it could limit wider adoption of bamboo-based employment. Traditionally, thosenot belonging to the bamboo artisanal castes would not even want to be seen workingwith bamboo, since it was regarded as a product produced only by the scheduled casteMahar/Burud communities and therefore an identifier of such castes (which constituteabout 2.5 to 13.3 percent of the population in the project area).

Other challenges were to create forward linkages into the market, besides the backwardlinkages into the communities. In addition, the development of institutional supportfacilities such as vocational programmes, technical facilities and marketing support,which will help in furthering employment and income generation, was needed. Technologyupgrading and modernization to improve productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness wasanother imperative.

INBAR applied to the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) for fundingthat could be deployed to make a difference in the region, while generating strategies and


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knowledge that could be applied elsewhere. Coincidentally, in March 2004, INBAR wasinvited back to the region by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development(NABARD) to help initiate development activities in the region using bamboo as the mainresource.

Discussions were held with local NGOs, communities, government departments,technical institutions and banks. The findings that were presented to a stakeholder grouppointed out: (a) the strong low caste association of bamboo as the main obstacle tobamboo development; (b) limited supply of treated and graded bamboo in the market;(c) non-availability of trained workforce; (d) lack of processing facilities; (e) the needfor developing and designing new products that would cater to the market needs; and(f) lack of a supporting technically capable institutional set-up. Following discussions,INBAR agreed to support a project, provided there was corresponding investment fromother sources. This was agreed to and thus INBAR initiated the Konkan ARS with theaim of addressing these shortcomings. Initially, INBAR provided USD 10,000 as seed

funding for the ARS from IFAD grant funds to the Centre for Indian Bamboo Resourceand Technology (CIBART),5 INBARs partner in India.

In June 2004, CIBART established a non-profit NGO, the Konkan Bamboo and CaneDevelopment Centre (KONBAC) dedicated to bamboo and cane development in theKonkan region. In June 2004, a grant of USD 100,000 for a Common Facility Centre(CFC) was sanctioned to CIBART by the Office of the Development Commissioner forHandicrafts [DC(H)] of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. This was madepossible through the technical and policy support of INBAR. The CFC became operationalin January 2005. A one acre plot of land was leased for future development, with anemphasis on establishing infrastructure needed for concerted bamboo-based economicactivities.

KONBAC was established as a not-for-profit Section 25 company.6 The company formatwas chosen, as it allows for proportional ownership among different stakeholders,which can be changed over time. The structure allows for inputs from multiple actors,promoting institutional innovations. For example, part of the ownership can come fromthe community, while another part can come from professionals who bring technical,social and other expertise. The aim is to incrementally devolve ownership to thecommunity while retaining part of it with CIBART. Such devolution has been done inTripura Bamboo and Cane Development Centre (TRIBAC), which is another daughter

organization of CIBART. KONBAC, at present, is fully owned by CIBART, and devolutionwill be undertaken when the organization is free of debt. The aim is to transfer majorityownership to institutionalized community groups or federations of self-help groups(SHGs), since individual membership would bar the deriving of income in a Section 25company, as per the Indian Companies Act.

The role of KONBAC was to take forward the ARS programme in the Konkan divisionand utilize the available bamboo resources to help bamboo working communities derivegreater economic returns from bamboo, expand its use by others by trying to overcomethe caste and social prejudices, and generate employment and income through the

setting up of bamboo-based enterprises.

5CIBART is a national-level technical NGO and INBARs partner organization whose establishment was facilitated by INBAR

6Under Indian Companies Act, 1956.


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Building an Institutional Ecosystem to Support Development

To obtain economic success, several institutions and systems are needed to work intandem. The success of the Konkan ARS has happened because such a supportinginstitutional ecosystem was developed. An important aspect is the early focus on

institutional development, and policy support from INBAR and institutional support fromCIBART. It is noteworthy that while KONBAC is a local NGO at the district level, it hasinstitutional linkages to its parent body, CIBART, at the national level and through it toINBAR at the international level. This enables KONBAC to access technical and policysupport at different levels, as well as the other institutional and support systems beingput into place, and leverage the CIBART and INBAR brands and goodwill. For example,INBAR policy support enabled CIBART to secure approval from the DC(H) for about USD100,000 funding for a Common Facility Centre (CFC) for bamboo processing for thecommunities in the Konkan; the CFC was set up in Kudal and is being operated byKONBAC. INBAR and CIBART have also provided considerable in-kind support in terms

of making available the time and input of their staff including supporting their travel tothe Konkan ARS.

Thus, the INBAR intervention through ARS helped in setting up the basic institutionalsupport and leveraging some government-level support required to kick-start bamboo-based development in the Konkan region. Several product units were set up, whichas they grew, were physically separated into enterprise unit. An R&D and technologydevelopment centre is being set up to support the enterprise units. A social enterprise,NATIVE Konbac Bamboo Products Pvt. Ltd. has been set up to secure the needed socialinvestment and credit.


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II. humAn And socIAl

cApItAl development


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Bamboo offers diverse income generating and employment opportunities. In the Konkan,the main obstacle is the low caste association that bamboo has in the minds of people.In the past, this has limited the adoption of bamboo work by other communities, whowould not want to be seen working with a material that only low caste communitiesworked with. Overcoming the caste barrier and the association of caste with bamboo

was thus of paramount importance to the Konkan ARS programme if any developmentusing bamboo was to be possible at all. The silver lining was that there was no barrier toconsumption, as all castes bought and utilized bamboo products.

The strategy developed, initially informally and later formally articulated, was to firsttarget the bamboo-working castes and incrementally change their declining interestin bamboo. The second element in the strategy was to raise the profile of bambooby improving product designs and positioning bamboo products in high-end markets.The third element was to change the profile (and perceived status) of the productionprocess from being just a home-based handicraft to an industrialized craft production

system (which also ensures standardized quality products and helps increase economicreturns from the sector). Importantly, this strategy, along with the community trainingmethodology adopted, is replicable and has scalable implications for other projects thatmay have similar objectives and contexts.

Instilling Interest in Youth

KONBAC, with support from the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), begancommunity training programmes in early 2005. The community participants were selected

by DRDA based on an assessment by the governments extension officer and the villagedevelopment officer (Gram Sevak).

Initially, the people were not interested in bamboo and therefore unwilling to participatein bamboo training programmes. For the first four months, KONBAC was unable tofind anyone willing to be trained despite getting DRDA-sanctioned programmes to trainunemployed youth. DRDA was thus forced to sanction training courses for the elderlyto meet its training quotas. The result was that instead of training unemployed youthand young adults (18-35 years old) to work with bamboo for gainful employment asenvisaged, the average age of the init ial sets of t rainees in 2005 was around 60-75 years,

with 421 of the total 502 trainees aged above 50 (Figure 4).

The elders participated because of their traditional skills in bamboo product making,which they used as a source of livelihood all through the years. They were willing to learnabout improved designs and upgrading their skills, but were very reluctant to send theirchildren for training in bamboo processing since they did not see any future in it. Themarket for traditional bamboo products was on the decline with increasing competitionfrom imported products and plastics. Also, by the very act of working with bamboo, theirchildren would be identified by the society as belonging to a lower caste. Hence, ratherthan passing on their skills in bamboo weaving to their children and encouraging them

to participate in trainings, the older participating women asked KONBAC to help secureother jobs for their children. People belonging to other castes, even if poor, were simplynot interested in the training opportunit ies for similar social reasons.


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Faced with this situation, and rather than trying to bring the people to the training courses,KONBAC decided to take a trainer to the community and do production in public. Thereasoning was that this would enable not only older people (who were participating intraining courses), but also younger age groups (who were not participating) to see whatcould be done with bamboo: curiosity might prevail over established reluctance.

An expert trainer-artisan, sourced from Orissa, India, was brought in and a house leasedwithin a Mahar community hamlet. The trainer was asked to stay there for four monthsand make products in full view of the community. In time, the high quality and newdiversity of products being made started attracting people, some of whom wanted tolearn from him.

Figure4: Participation of older women in trainings

Initially, they were interested in individual processes and then whole products. The trainerwas asked to focus on the younger people and get them interested. While only a fewyouth came forward initially, the situation changed during Diwali, the Festival of Lights,when the trainer produced an elegantly crafted lantern. The new-design lantern wasproduced in larger numbers by the now-interested communities to meet the demandand sold at record prices of INR 150 (USD 3.30) per piece compared with the pricesof around INR 50 (USD 1.10) for a lantern of traditional design. This highlighted theprospect for higher remuneration from new, well-designed and well-produced bambooproducts, and the members of the community realized that their traditional craft still hada future. They understood that the consumers were tired of the usual range of products

and are interested in innovative designs even if they are higher priced.


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To further this nascent interest in the youth, KONBAC offered them the opportunity tobe trained in the CFC, making and marketing products that fetched good earnings. Theoriginal modality prescribed by the DC(H) to run the CFC as a processing centre withcharges paid by users for processing was widened, and it was positioned as a factoryin which people would have jobs . The combination of factory with jobs proved

very attractive to the rural youth since it added glamour and status to their lives. Theincreasing income benefits and rise in social status of those already employed had a

cascading effect, and with time, moreyouth started asking to be trainedin bamboo processing. Thus, from2006 onwards, the number of youthparticipating in training programmeshas shown a steady increase (Figure5).

A total of 2,783 people have beentrained on a range of products andapplications to date from crafts toconstruction with bamboo. Womenconstituted the large majority with2,638 trainees (Figure 6). Bamboooffered the possibility of working fromtheir home utilizing the spare timefrom household activities. Women inthe region were in need of viable off-

farm employment opportunities dueto rampant migration of men.

The demand for training also went up with a direct impact on DRDAs training portfolio.As previously mentioned, DRDA could not find enough trainees to fill the sanctionedtraining programmes for Sindhudurg district and was forced to take on older people tomeet government t raining targets.The approach and strategy ofKONBAC turned the situationaround, and DRDA was able to

focus on youth (18-35 years old)in the training programmes as perits mandate. In addition, from asituation where it was not ableto spend the allotted trainingfunds, DRDA was able to ensure100 percent funds utilization. Thedemand for the training is nowso high that DRDA is forced tocarry over some of the training

programmes to the followingyear.

Figure5: Age-wise classification of trainees

Figure6: Total number of women and men trained


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Figure7: Participation of young women in skill development training

Increasing InterestAfter KONBAC changed its strategy on training, the situation changed dramatically. Eachcourse attracted more than the stipulated number. Till December 2008, KONBAC hasconducted 127 training programmes involving 2,783 individuals and out of this, 1837 (66percent) were below the poverty line (Table 2). Of the 127 training courses conducted,the majority were short term lasting less than a week and the rest were medium to longterm courses lasting up to 1-3 months.

Table2: Training courses undertaken by KONBAC

Year Totalpartici-pants

2days

5days

6-8days

15days

20-21

days

30days

60days

90days

Total no.of

trainings

2005 502 17 2 1 2 2 24

2006 1202 1 38 9 2 1 2 53

2007 697 6 8 2 12 2 2 1 33

2008 382 7 4 5 1 0 17

Total 2783 7 70 4 25 7 4 7 3 127


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Community members were trained on making a range of products, including industrialcrafts, furniture, construction, mats (for construction), etc. and on resource regeneration.Majority of the training courses are in making industrial crafts and cases for packaging,where more trained people are needed due to the larger volumes of production. Coursesare also undertaken in furniture making and construction, which need fewer trained

people, being low in production volume though higher in value (Table 3).

Table3: Training courses offered and their duration

No of days Number oftrainees

Training course

2 days 20 Skill upgrading

5 days 17-35 Skill upgrading on craf ts, mango packaging

6-8 days 20 Skill upgrading on crafts, mango packaging

15 days 18-27 Training on bamboo craft, mango packaging, skillupgrading

20-21 days 20-22 Training on bamboo craft skill upgrading

30 days 15-20 Training on bamboo furniture making, bread (roti) basketmaking and construction

60 days 15-20 Training on bamboo construction, furniture making

90 days 18-20 Skill upgrading at an advanced level to a pool of artisans

The decline in the number of trainings and the number of people being trained in 2008(Table 2) despite the continuing demand from those interesting in undergoing training(and the continuing push from the government to undertake trainings) was due to theneed to balance this with the creation of employment opportunities in order to sustainthe interest of the youth and not get them disillusioned. While KONBAC could employsome in its enterprises, and some trainees started their own production units, a numberof trainees are still unemployed.

Overcoming Caste Barriers

Interestingly, the attraction of working in a factory, having a job and the growing status of bamboo has started attracting other castes, including the OBCs (OtherBackward Castes) such as Sutar (carpenters), Vani (traders) and Gabit (fisherfolk). Someindividuals from forward castes Maratha and Brahmin have also joined in (Figure 8).Various castes now work together, learning from each other and helping each other.This can be evidenced from the representation of members from various castes workingin KONBAC.


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Figure8: Caste representation of people working at KONBAC

Thus, KONBACs work is helping to break down traditional caste barriers, at least in

work and at the workplace, and thus contributing to building local social capital. Thishas been a breakthrough and is replicable in many developmental efforts in India, wherecaste-based affiliations in vocations are strong and can negatively affect developmentalefforts.

Building Local Capacity

The building of local trainer capacity has been another major impact of the ARSprogrammes capacity building initiatives. At the start of the programme in 2005,trainers were hired from the North-Eastern states, which have a rich culture of bamboo

craft and weaving. However, within three years, people trained locally had fine-tunedtheir skills and become expert trainers, thus replacing those sourced from outside theregion. This increase in local capacity has helped the programme upscale its trainingprogrammes considerably year on year (Table 4). Furthermore, the number and the rangeof agencies coming forward to sponsor training programmes in the Konkan region hasbeen increasing year on year due to the development of local trainers and the popularityof community training course (please see Chapter IX).

Table4:Number of trainers

Year Total trainers From outside Local

2005 8 8 0

2006 12 5 7

2007 12 2 10

2008 10 0 10

KONBAC has absorbed 84 trainees on full-time basis in various units that it operates. Inaddition, 672 trainees are working in their own household micro-enterprises on part-time, piece-rate basis. Others have separately cashed in on the growing recognition and

the brand image of KONBAC, with f ive setting up independent enterprises employing 3to 5 persons under them, with two furniture-making and three crafts-making enterprises.


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Earlier they were working in KONBAC units and were receiving a remuneration of INR2,500 (USD 55.60) per month and now they earn more than double this amount throughtheir independent enterprises.

Outreach

The growing demand for KONBACs training programmes has resulted in the expansionof its activities to new regions and communities. While initially in 2004-2005, the trainingprogrammes were concentrated in and around Kudal in 18 villages within a range of 8to 10 kilometres; by 2008 these had extended to over 130 villages at distances of 90-95 kilometres from Kudal (Figure 9). The more recent training programmes are beingattended by the government officers, farmers, SHG members, artisans and local electedrepresentatives.

With growing recognition of KONBAC as a technical resource centre, other agencies

are requesting it to organize specific training programmes for technical personnel. Aweek-long training programme was conducted for the National Bamboo Mission (NBM)field functionaries on plantation, preservation and utilization of bamboo, and nurserydevelopment and awareness-raising. NBM had also sent to KONBAC a group of farmersand artisans to be trained for a week on bamboo-based development opportunities.An International Enterprise Training Course was organized by INBAR and KONBACin February 2007 in the Konkan ARS for fourteen participants. KONBAC organized a Whole Culm Bamboo Construction training course in October 2007 for 10 participants,including six from East Timor and one from Italy. In 2008, with support from NBM,KONBAC organized 16 awareness programmes in 16 districts for two days, which were

attended by over 3,200 community members. The intent behind these programmes wasto make community members across the state of Maharashtra aware of the livelihoodopportunities possible with bamboo and to instil interest in them to see bamboo as aviable economic opportunity. The Konkan ARS is thus becoming a knowledge centre forbest practices on bamboo resource management and processing.

Support Received for Capacity Building

KONBAC has been regularly receiving training grants from a host of organizations since

the year 2005 (Table 10). It conducted 127 training programmes on skills upgrading inbamboo product development, awareness programmes on the potential of bamboo, andbamboo propagation and management. Revenue generated in 2005 was INR 235,755(USD 5,239), which increased to INR 1,786,876 (USD 39,708) in 2008 more than seventimes the revenue generated in the first year. Between 2005 and 2008, grants receivedfor trainings alone amounted to INR 3,793,480 (USD 84,300).

A progressive trend can be seen in terms of capacity building grants (Table 5). This reflectsthe confidence of various donors in the programme delivery mechanisms and outputs ofKONBAC. Of the total number of trainings, DRDA has sanctioned the maximum number

of training programmes, with 72 of them, totalling a grant value of INR 946,552 (USD21,000). In terms of value, NABARD is the second largest donor for trainings, followedby MITCON.


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In 2008, with NBMs grant support, KONBAC organized 16 awareness programmeswith financial support of INR 1,200,000 (USD 26,500) and four programmes for farmerson Plant Propagation and Management supported by NBM and four orientationprogrammes on bamboo for government officials. More recently, KONBAC has beenapproached by the private sector to provide training in promoting bamboo-related

activities.

Figure9: Regional expansion of training programmes undertaken


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Table5:Institutions support ing t raining programmes by KONBAC

Year Institutions Supporting TrainingFunds

supported

(INR)

2005 District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Govt. ofMaharashtra

Sawantwadi Municipal Council

175,755

60,000

2006 District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Govt. ofMaharashtra.

National Agriculture Bank for Development (NABARD) Maharashtra Industrial & Technical Development Organisation

(MITCON) Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) OBC Corporation Nagar Panchayat Kankanwali Jalswarajya

339,684

68,000 178,000

16,000 45,000 36,000 1,800

2007 District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Govt. ofMaharashtra

National Agriculture Bank for Development (NABARD) Maharashtra Industrial & Technical Development Organisation

(MITCON)

Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Department of Forest, Govt. of Maharashtra

Other Backward Class Corporation (OBC) National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA), DST,

Govt. of India Konkan Agriculture University, Dapoli, Ratnagiri District Urban Development Agency, (DUDA) Konkan Nisarg Manch, Kudal, Sindhudurg, Maharastra

Uttranchal Bamboo and Fibre Development Board,Uttaranchal

362,162

120,000 4,850

19,950 74,000

42,475 168,000

30,000 219,728 25,200

20,000

2008 National Agriculture Bank for Development (NABARD) Department of Social Forestry, Govt of Maharashtra Joint Forest Management Committee, Sindhudurg National Bamboo Mission, Maharastra State

District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Govt. ofMaharastra

Mineral Foundation, Goa Agnel Institute, Goa Uttranchal Bamboo and Fiber Development Board

Gomukh Trust Jalswarajya

114,950 50,000 105,000 ,284,500

68,951

37,080 64,500 31,395

30,000 500


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III. nAturAl cApItAl development


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Bamboo is common in the Konkan region, with the agro-climatic conditions of theKonkan area, especially the districts of Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, being ideally suited.The main species of bamboo found are Oxytenanthera stocksii, which is widely grownand used, and has the highest economic value. The poles (culms) have a small diameter(up to 5.5 cm) and grow to a medium height (up to 6 m). The poles are straight without

branches at the lower level. This is suitable for craft products and for scaffolding purpose.The second most abundant bamboo is Bambusa bambos, which mostly occurs in forests.It is sometimes grown as a protective fencing due to its thorny branches. This is a largebamboo up to 12 cm in diameter and up to 20 m tall but the culm is hard and oftencrooked. It is therefore not suitable for craft products. Other bamboos are Oxytenantheramonostigma and Dendrocalamus strictus; the latter is also small in diameter but lesspreferred in the region than O. stocksii.

A survey by FRI has established that over 14,000 ha of bamboo are available in Sindhudurgdistrict, some with dense clumps and others relatively scattered. KONBACs initiatives in

the region led to a further increase in demand from farmers for planting material of O.stocksii.

Figure10: Propagation of bamboo through culm cutting

The planting material of this species is normally in short supply since its seeds aresterile. The only option left with the farmer is to do rhizome plantation; this involvesthe digging up of clumps to extract the rhizomes: hence, the propagule is not only

expensive but also heavy. Given this situation, KONBAC organized a one-day workshopfor the farmers in the region on vegetative propagation by single node method in thefirst year of operation itself (Figure 10). In partnership with the social forestry department


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of the state government, KONBAC has helped produce large numbers of vegetativelypropagated planting material from culm cuttings. At KONBACs initiative, the NationalMission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA) provided INR 920,000 (USD 20,444) to theSocial Forestry Department to produce the planting material in numbers so that farmerscould get adequate planting material locally (Figure 11).

KONBAC tied up with Shailesh Nursery, which is one of the largest in the state, inMalkapur in Kholapur District in 2007 to produce over 150,000 plants per year. Theneeded technical knowledge was provided to the nursery for propagating O. stocksii.NMBA gave a grant to the nursery for the propagation of bamboos. In 2008, KONBACtied up with Hex Agromarine nursery, in Murud in Raigad district to produce Melocannabaccifera and Thyrsostachys oliveriin large numbers.

Most of the planting material is taken by the larger farmers who have land. Those belowthe poverty line (BPL) and scheduled caste (SC) families have little or no land. Wastelands

are an option, but these are mostly under the Forest Department, which sees cashewplanting as a better option due to the high returns (annual harvest is auctioned). Thisissue needs policy intervention if the poor are to benefit from income from growingbamboo. Other options for securing land for growing bamboo for the landless includepossible inter-plant ing in cashew growing areas and mined areas that need rehabilitation.Using such lands would also be environmentally beneficial besides offering economicadvantages to the target groups.

Figure11: Bamboo nursery development activities promoted by KONBAC


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After seeing the low-cost handicrafts from Tripura and other parts of North-EasternIndia, KONBAC has taken steps to introduce one of the fastest growing North-Easternspecies, which are best suited for crafts and furniture. In 2005, KONBAC procuredMelocanna baccifera seeds from the INBAR Action Research Site in Tripura and developeda nursery, which started supplying the planting material to farmers from 2007 onwards.

In 2007, KONBAC organized a workshop for farmers in the region on the techniquesof plantation of M. baccifera, its management and uses. Sample seeds were distributedto 283 farmers who also saw the rapid development of just two-year old M. bacciferaplants at the workshop. This prompted them to procure the plants for planting. In 2008,KONBAC introduced another species Thyrsostachys oliveri, which is wider and longerthan the species locally available in the Konkan and is well suited for furniture-making(Figure 12).

Figure12: Year-wise production of bamboo plants

Farmers in the region normally cut the bamboo in the second year of its growth. They

do not let it mature, as there is demand for premature bamboo for making crafts. Withthe newly diversified uses of bamboo and expansion beyond craft into products suchas furniture and construction uses with bamboo mature bamboo of 3-4 years of ageis needed. KONBAC has trained farmers to read the age from the condit ion of theculm. This has resulted in only mature bamboo culms, which fetch a higher price, beingharvested.

When the project started (2005), the price that a farmer would receive for a bamboo polewas INR 9.00 (USD 0.20), which was then sold in the market for INR 15.00 (USD 0.30).Presently, a farmer receives INR 30.00 (USD 0.70) per pole, which is sold in the market

for INR 40.00 (USD 0.90). The increase in the price is in part due to the strategic policyadopted by KONBAC, which ensures that the farmer gets a better return for their produce


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while also maintaining standards in harvesting bamboo (Figure 13). It is noteworthy thatover the past three years, there has been a doubling of the price difference between thebuying and selling price, which is indicative of higher demand and lower supply point ingto an opportunity that existing for growers.

The demand for bamboo by KONBAC is itself high. The number of poles purchased byKONBAC has been increasing year on year, with 22,200 poles procured in 2005 steadilyincreasing to 23,400 in 2007 and 24,000 in 2008. The CFC at KONBAC sources itsbamboo from bamboo growers, both farmers and homesteads, for its construction andfurniture-making activities. For mat production done at villages, the bamboo is sourced bythe communities themselves, either from homesteads or sometimes purchased from thelocal producers, with a pole of 20 feet costing up to INR 35.00 (USD 0.80) at present.

The CFC prefers to source its bamboo from bamboo growing farmers and homesteadsinstead of exploring the forest resources for the following reasons:

To encourage farmers to produce more bamboo and to help them understand thesignificance of its market potential

To ensure that the bamboo obtained is of the right age and quality Resources available in forests are dif ficult to access due to complicated policy and

legal regimes Transportation from forest areas is expensive.

About 90 percent of bamboo poles are procured from homestead farmers throughmiddlemen who have been trained in age-reading of bamboo by KONBAC. Approximately600 homestead farmers are presently supplying bamboo to KONBAC, the number offarmers supplying bamboo was at 150 in 2005. Earlier bamboos purchased were usedmainly in training and no or low value addit ion happened with respect to crafts. However,

with the similar number of poles, in 2008, high value addition is taking place throughproperly treated.

Figure13: Trend in bamboo poles purchases


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KONBAC is a recognized technical advisor on sourcing planting material in the region forgovernment institutions such as Social Forestry Department, Government of Maharashtra,Agricultural Department, Government of Maharashtra, Forest Department, Governmentof Goa, private nurseries and other agencies. They rely on KONBAC for technicalsupport on plantation development, and advice on planting material procurement and

propagation of different species.


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Iv. FurnIture enterprIse unIt


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The Konkan region has an abundance of Oxytenanthera stocksii, locally known asMannga, with which round pole bamboo furniture of high aesthetic value can be made.Bright prospects were seen for eco-friendly round pole furniture, which would put theskills of young carpenters in the region to enhanced use. Many of them belonging to thecarpenter community were reluctant to follow traditional career paths due to competit ion

from mechanized wood furniture and increased imports of low-cost furniture and plasticfurniture. Many were looking to migrate and find employment in sectors where theydid not have required skills. The Konkan ARS programme tapped their skills by orienting

23 of them through training in makinground pole furniture from bamboo.

After the init ial t raining of the carpenters,five models of furniture were designed,prototyped and test-marketed in Goaand Mumbai, which are the major

commercial markets of the region. Thepositive feedback from the market withimmediate orders required a productionunit for furniture making to be setup. Initially, the trained artisans wereencouraged to set up the furniture uniton their own, with KONBAC promising toprovide technical and marketing support,as well as assistance for accessing a bankloan. However, they were reluctant to

take the risk and try out a venture thatwas not known and understood at thatpoint of time. KONBAC then set upthe unit by itself in January 2006 andfollowed through on marketing, witha set of strategic sales in the regiongiving bamboo round-pole furniture,sold under the brand MANNGAEXOTIQUES good visibility. Key clientstargeted included the Shilpagram project

of the Tourism Department, the Jungleresort by the Forest Department, themost famous restaurant in the district,a leading restaurant in Goa, a localrestaurant in the area of operation, andwell-known persons such as ministers, judges and government officials. Thisled to increased acceptability of bambooproducts.

The furniture unit uses bamboo treatedin a pressure-vacuum treatment plant(provided by NMBA) to protect against

Dattaprasad Mestry, one of the carpenters,

says he is proud to be able to use his skills

to generate adequate income without moving

out of the locality . Mestry is a 26-year-old

secondary school graduate who hails from a

carpentry family. Driven by the lack of marketsfor his furniture products, he was hunting for

worthwhile employment for over a year. At a

time when he was on the verge of migrating and

willing to take up any job that would come his

way, one of KONBACs outreach programmes

made him aware of bamboo furniture

making. Soon he underwent training, which,

following excellent performance, resulted in

an apprenticeship at KONBACs furniture unit.

Following completion of his apprenticeship,Mestry started his career earning USD 33 (INR

1,500) per month. Because of his excellent

performance, he was chosen for a training

course on joinery, jigs and moulds at the

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He

now works as a senior artisan/trainer, earning

USD 89 (INR 4,000) a month, almost double

the average salary of local secondary high

school graduates (USD 49 = INR 2,200).


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termites and borers, which helps extend the life of the furniture. The increased lifespan alsochanged the perception of bamboo furniture among consumers and producers. Trainedartisans are given the treated bamboo in a kit form to make the needed components asper designs. Initially six artisans were hired on a full-time basis for the final assembly ofthe products with quality control; more were employed later.

Within a span of three years of setting up of the furniture enterprise unit, it was ableto generate revenue of INR 2.73 million (USD 60,764) (Table 6; Figure 14). However,expenses to train the carpenters, and design, prototype and test-market the furniturewere heavy; KONBAC incurred a net loss of INR 214,443 (USD 4,765) in 2005. Thefurniture unit also incurred expenses on setting up a pressure-vacuum treatment plant,with support from NMBA, and a complete facility to treat the bamboo for producingquality bamboo furniture. In 2008, owing to lack of availability of working capital toexpand the production to meet the huge demand, the furniture unit posted a net deficitof INR 1,226,831 (USD 27,263). However, KONBAC is positive about turning into further

growth by 2010.

Table6: Bamboo furniture unit

Name ofthe

projectYear

No ofpersons/artisansinvolveddirectly

Grantsreceivedby theproject

Revenuegenerated

Genderrepre-

sentation(male/female)

Attributes

Bamboo

FurnitureUnit

Jan

2006

6 (2006)

14 (2007)23 (2008)23 fulltime

and 45part-time

INR

120,000(USD2667)

2.734

millionINR(USD

60,764)

23 full-time

employeesare all men,45 part-

timeworkers areall women.

Eco-

friendly,employ-ment

generatingand

ergonomicin nature

Figure14: Income and expenses of the furniture unit


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Niche tourism markets have accepted the bamboo furniture produced by KONBAC andthe increase in demand has been steady. KONBACs bamboo furniture fetches betterprice than furniture products from regular commercial enterprises (mostly from the North-East) because of their better quality and finishing. For example, while a bamboo sofa setavailable in the market costs between INR 6,000-12,000 (USD 133-267), similar one

produced by KONBAC costs between INR 13,000-50,000 (USD 289-1111). The biggestmarket for the furniture is high-end resorts, hotels and government tourism departments,such as the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). The strategiclocation of Sindhudurg close to Goa, which is an international tourist destination, hascontributed significantly to expanding the market for bamboo furniture. Smart pricingpolicies adopted ensure that the artisans get the best remuneration possible for theirwork. Buyers accept the high prices because of the high quality and good finishing ofthe products.

Production of furniture does not take place only at the factory. The components needed

for making furniture such as bamboo nails, bamboo splits (locally called patties) andround bamboo sticks, which form essential inputs for furniture-making are producedby the communities at the household level entirely by women. Each of the 45 womenworkers regularly supplies these materials to KONBAC through part-time work and earnINR 500 (USD 11) per month. Final assembly is done partly by the community and thefurniture is brought back to the CFC for fine-finishing.

Limitations to the further development of the furniture unit are the lack of availabilityof working capital to expand the production to meet the demand. Despite a nearlythree-month backlog of orders with several buyers being turned away, there is limited

workforce to cater to the production owing to the lack of working capital. In addition, todevelop artisanal capability for furniture production, long-term training (of 6 months) isneeded. However, funds for such training are not available from government developmentagencies, which hamper the development of trained manpower, their employability,production capacity and hence, further growth in the sector.


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Box1: The stages of furniture production

Harvesting bamboo Transportation of culms Drilling holes for treatment

Chemical treatment of culms Cutting culms into kit form External node removal

Removal of culms skin Stacking culms in kit form Making joins

Joinery Tying with cane for aesthetic value Sanding

Finishing: spray painting Transportation Finished product


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v. crAFt enterprIse unIt


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The Konkan ARS programme developed a crafts enterprise unit, which has repositionedlocal craft products, creating access to new high-value markets. Before the ARSprogramme began, despite the development of numerous new product prototypes andgovernment-sponsored training courses, craft products from the Konkan region wereunable to compete with low-cost handicrafts from Tripura and other parts of North-East

India. In the North-East, artisans have access to bamboo species that are better suitedthan the Konkan ones for making bamboo craft products. In addition, these bambooresources are available at lower costs. Therefore, despite the long supply chain and hightransportation costs, North-Eastern products are still considerably cheaper than localKonkan alternatives. While steps have been taken to introduce the North-Eastern species,the availability of adequate raw material is still some way off .

Therefore, in January 2006, KONBAC developed a strategy that aimed to develop highvalue-added craft products, which no longer had to compete with cheaper North-Easternalternatives. Since cheaper North-Eastern products have a short lifespan, this strategy

also included quality control measures, with interlaced products made from graded andtreated bamboo. Training was offered to communities in making high-end mats, whichare now used to produce bread baskets, serving trays, coasters and other utilitarianproducts. More recently, mats produced in the Konkan ARS have been widely used asroofing and walling components for resorts and restaurants due to their high-quality.People who were trained under this programme were mostly women, both younger andolder, from traditional bamboo-weaving communities.

From 36 training programmes conducted on mat making, 13 villages have now developedclustered production enterprises on the model of self-help groups (SHGs). These mats are

supplied to bamboo-based acrylic sheets manufacturing units funded by NMBA. KONBAChas a buy-back arrangement with these groups. This arrangement provides directemployment to 260 household-based micro-enterprise women producers. In addit ion toskill upgrading training and market development, the artisans are provided with ongoinginputs on design, raw materials and tools. To ensure that communities get adequateincome, KONBAC also acts as a facilitator between the producer and consumer.

Initially, craft-making was promoted as a home-based activity. However, this approachproduced unexpected results, as younger women were uninterested in working fromhome while older women were. Following the strategy that worked with the CFC, a

separate unit ( factory ) was set up, with local women commuting to work. This hasattracted more women to participate in crafts training since working in a factoryincreased their social status. Another important reason was that the young women wereable to wear better clothes (since they are going out); in addition, they were able to leavethe confines of their home everyday.

A craft unit was set up in Kudal, employing 18 women on a full-time basis to principallymake mat products. The presence of craft production centre in Kudal led to greatervisibility, sales and publicity for the enterprise. The focus was to target bulk markets withproducts that can be made from bamboo mats, such as diaries, coasters, serving trays

and table mats. In addition, local markets for products such as flower vases and hairpinswere also targeted.


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The KONBACs crafts unit generated a revenue of INR 114,000 (USD 2,533) in the firstyear, as against the expenses of INR 111,950 (USD 2,487) incurred on this activity.Presently, the crafts unit employs 18 regular staff. The expenses related to the unit andits activities are well within the revenue generated from the sales of the products.

Table7:Details of the crafts unit

Nameof theproject

Year


Grantsreceived bythe project

(in INR)

Revenuegenerated

(in INR)

Genderrepresenta-

tion(male/female)

Attributes

Craftsand mat

makingunit.Activitiescover 9villages.

Jan2006

278 (260involved

in matsmaking(part-time)

and 18in breadbasket& craftsmaking)

Fundsreceived

fromvariousagencies

for training

INR114,000

(2006)INR675,570(2007)

INR1,103,740

(2008)Total INR

1,893,310Total USD

42,073

Femaledominated

Highquality

craft items,bamboomats and

breadbaskets

are madefor nichemarkets

Snehalata Mavlankar, is a 26-year-old secondary schoolgraduate, who belongs to the Mahar community. She ismarried with two children. The only bread earner in thefamily was the father-in-law, who earned a monthly incomeof INR 2,000 on which a family of six people had to subsist.Snehalata wanted to provide better education to her children,but the meagre income of the family was an issue. In searchof avenues that would help augment the household income,she participated in a training programme of KONBACconducted at Ambedkar Nagar in Kudal. After the trainingshe became an apprentice making mats. KONBAC noticedher dedication and potential and selected her for training onmaking mat designs, jigs and moulds for roti baskets at IITBombay. She is now a master trainer earning $67 (INR 3,000rupees) per month. She is a proud mother, able to educateher children and take care of her family as well.


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Figure15: Income and expenses of the crafts unit

Box2: Craft products produced at Konkan ARS

Bamboo processing tool kit Production with tool kits Bamboo splitting

Sliver production Weaving slivers Interlacing

Drying Plain coloured bamboo mats Coloured bamboo mat

Bamboo handbag Bamboo pencil stand Bamboo coasters


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Bread basket production

To face the stiff competition in the bamboo baskets segment from the products originatingfrom North-East India, a region known for intricate basketry, KONBAC worked with theIndian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, on the innovative idea of making specially

designed bread (roti) baskets with food-grade preservatives and non-toxic vegetabledyes. These rotibaskets, marketed by KONBAC under its brand Mannga Exotiques incosmopolitan markets, are of high quality and have an elegant appearance. They are 110mm in height and have an open mouth of 190 mm diameter. To standardize size andquality, moulds and jigs have been prepared by artisans trained in IIT Mumbai. These rotibaskets are sold to restaurants, hotels and resorts.

Box3: Bread basket production at Konkan ARS

Sliver Production Adjusting the base Base weaving

Checking base size

Bending the base Inter-weaving slivers with a jig & mould

Setting top ring sizePreparing a top ring with a mould Sun drying

Basket with natural dye finish


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vI. pAckAgIng enterprIse unIt


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One of the first products that the Konkan ARS focused on was the development ofbamboo-based packaging for mangoes. Sindhudurg and the nearby Ratnagiri districts areworld renowned for the Alphonso variety of mangoes. These mangoes are transportedwidely to different parts of the country, with wooden boxes traditionally used forpackaging. In the Konkan region alone, over 3 million packaging boxes are required

every year. The Alphonso mango is rather delicate, with durable packaging needed toreduce damage during transit.

The current practise of using wood for packing cases consumes huge volumes of timberleading to tree-felling on a large scale. In the Konkan region, increasing demand formango packaging is resulting in more trees being cut. Due to the scarcity of wood, thecost of packaging cases is increasing year on year. Since 2003, the price of packing boxeshas increased from INR 17.00 (USD 0.38) to Rs 30.00-35.00 (USD 0.68-0.78) per box inthe year 2006 and is increasing further with inf lation. For bulk purchases, the price maygo down to INR 20-25 (USD 0.40-0.55) per box. In addition to adverse environmental

effects, the poor also derive minimal benefit from wood packaging, as they neither ownforest land rights nor have the capital-intensive machinery needed for sawing wood.Therefore, replacement of wooden boxes, with boxes made from other low cost material,could have a number of large environmental and economic benefits for the rural poor.

One such opportunity is the usage of bamboo boxes for packaging. Bamboo is highlyrenewable; its cutting does not cause deforestation and its use in packaging promises toprovide much employment and income generating opportunities to the rural communityin this region. Earlier, t raditional bamboo packaging was widely used for fruits and otherproduce. But the shift in mode of transport and increase in trade to external markets

forced the farmers to shift from bamboo to wooden boxes, which are sturdier.

Given these factors, INBAR and KONBAC identified the development of durable bamboopackaging designs for mangoes as a priority activity. Since designs from NID and othersusing bamboo had not succeeded, INBAR sourced three types of bamboo packing casesfrom China. These were evaluated and one was chosen that had good structural design.The production was designed to take advantage of the CFC investment, as well asmaximize employment opportunit ies. Bamboos were sourced f rom villages, with splitt ingand bending being undertaken at the CFC. Bamboo required for bending was step-cut infour places, making the strip thinner at bending points. The long-term aim of this system

was to provide villages adjacent to mango orchards with pre-processed strips neededfor assembling packaging cases. Women groups in these villages, who would have beentrained earlier on, were to be equipped with a fixture and jigs, a small generator, and anelectric staple gun, thereby enabling them to produce cases of industry standard at thecrop source.

Bambusa bambos, which is considered as a bamboo with lesser or no use by the villagefarmer, was used for the prototyping, with 1,400 boxes produced in 2006. Initially, allcases were produced at the CFC, and supplied to selected mango growers. The costof production, INR 35.00 (USD 0.78) per box, was slightly higher compared with the

available wooden alternatives. However, costs can be reduced, if production is on largerscale. To make it attractive and wean away mango growers from wood packaging, the


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cases were sold at a discounted rate of Rs 25 per box. The launch of this particular designcaptured the attention of both print and electronic media.

Table8: Details of the packaging enterprise unit

Name ofthe project

Year


Grantssupport

Revenuegenerated

Genderrepresentation(male/female)

Attributes

Mangopackagingcases in

3 blocks of

Sindhudurgdistrict

May2006

14 (full-time)

NMBA

INR240,000

(USD

5,330)

All 14employedwere men,since it was

at prototypestage

High-qualitycases,eco-

friendly

The mango growers who used the bamboo packing cases accepted the design andexpressed interest in buying them again. KONBAC then got a subsidy from NMBA anddid a larger scale production in three blocks of Sindhudurg district, with 24,000 casesand all cases were sold to 140 mango growers in 2007.

Despite successful development of prototypes and CFC production lines for packaging,some issues still remain. The production process designed, which involved village groups

in assembling, has not been implemented and requires validation. In addition, themachine for step-cutting in the CFC does not work as required and needs re-tooling.Hence, bending is currently done using gas-torch, jigs and people.

However, the Government of Maharashtra is still committed to providing policy supportfor the development of bamboo and similar material for packaging, because of theconsiderable benefits to the environment, local employment and income generation andenterprise development.


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Box4: Bamboo packing case production process

Transportation ofHarvesting bamboo bamboo culms Drilling holes for treatment

Chemical treatment of culms Cutting culms into kit form Stapling slivers - step 1

Handing the cratesStapling slivers - step 2 Assembling to mango growers

Mangoes assembledPackaging in final stage in bamboo crates Finished product in transport


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vII. constructIon enterprIse unIt


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In October 2005, KONBAC began a construction enterprise unit to cash in on localmarket opportunit ies for resorts, restaurants and farm-houses that were in demand. Theestablishment of the unit fitted with KONBACs aim to increase livelihood opportunitiesfor poor rural households by changing the wider perception of bamboo as a low-end,cheap material. By targeting construction, KONBAC aimed to demonstrate the potential

of bamboo to be adopted for high-end purposes, while also creating considerableemployment opportunit ies for local rural communit ies. Construction offered a number ofadvantages for changing local perceptions of bamboo, as resorts, restaurants and farmhouses are highly visible products.

To cut the costs on bringing the larger diameter bamboos for construction fromelsewhere, KONBAC used the small-diameter bamboo, which is available plenty locallyand also adopting a technique of joining small bamboos together. Expenses reported byKONBAC towards making demonstration structures, conducting training programmes,developing various housing components, furniture and other fit tings were more than the

revenue generated by the construction unit. To meet the costs of the unit, KONBAC alsoborrowed funds from various sources. As of 2008, KONBAC posted a net deficit of INR3,267,490 (USD 72,610), but the deficit is on a downward trend. With increased visibilityon the quality work demonstrated by KONBAC in construction sector, there is a hugedemand presently. To date, the unit has built six commercial structures, generating salesrevenue of INR 11,053,462 (USD 245,633) and creating livelihood opportunities for over300 people. KONBAC has experience on new cost-cutting techniques and have testedthem in the field. As there is a growing market for bamboo-based construction, there isno difficulty in achieving a self-sustaining status.

Bamboo housing construction is an eco-friendly, high-end, low-to-medium volumeproduct, depending on the targeted end-use market, whether resorts and restaurants orlow-cost housing. It has a high employment generation potential, as a bamboo house isnot just one product but a composite product. The construction is a market in itself forvarious housing components, furniture and craft items that are made from bamboo.

KONBAC departed from the use of larger diameter bamboos for major constructions(as in Colombia and Ecuador) or flattened bamboos (called laths) for low-cost rural andimproved slum housing (such as in Manipu

konkan impact study_final

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