ORIENTATION WORKSHOP
The initiative Improving Livelihoods and Enhancing Resilience of the Rural Poor in the Hindu Kush Himalayas to Environmental and Socio-Economic Changes (AdaptHimal) is part of Regional Programme of ICIMOD on “Adaptation to Change’. It is based on the notion that mountains offer a unique context for development interventions where specific opportunities exist alongside serious challenges. The initiative is implemented in collaboration with IFAD. The main aims of the initiative is to support and improve impacts on rural poor and disadvantaged in mountain areas by an improved understanding on the extent and drivers of change, provide sufficient learnings from the pilots to contribute to designing effective programmes that help the mountain poor, and generate knowledge that provide evidences for refining policies and practices that strengthen adaptation to change by the mountain poor. An important component of the Initiative is the promotion of innovative livelihood strategies.ICIMOD has tied up with Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation (here after referred to as Grassroot) to implement “Diversification of Livelihood options by enhancing capacities of small producers (particularly women) and their organizations to benefit from market opportunities” in Meghalaya. To kick start the initiative, ICIMOD and Grassroot, along with Mahila Umang Producers Company Ltd., a collective of women’s Self Help Group (SHGs) and women producer groups, setup by Grassroot in 2001, visited Meghalaya from 22nd to 24th February, 2016, to conduct field visits and an Orientation Workshop for MBDA/LAMP, UGVS Project staff on importance of developing federations using business model, key concepts and framework, proposed Training of Trainers (TOT) plan.
EXPOSURE VISIT FOR FARMERS TO RANIKHET, UTTARAKHAND
An exposuure visit was organised to Ranikhet in Uttarakhand for 14 participants from Meghalaya - 3 Farmers from North Garo Hills, 5 Farmers from Ri Bhoi, and 6 MBDA staff ( one from North Garo Hills, 3 from Ri Bhoi). The workshop was held from the 19th of May -22nd of May 2016. Its purpose was to understand the importance of FPOs for collective Marketing, with the example of Umang, a registered company that is marketing jams , pickle, hand knitted goods and produce from the region which have been branded as Himkahdaya or produce of the Himalayas. For the farmers of Noth Garo Hills and Ri Bhoi, Grassroots identified 3 Products 1) Pineapple 2) Sticky Rice (Purple & Red variety) and 3) Wild honey as products that could be promoted and marketed under the value chain approach as per the year long pilot project planned with ICIMOD.
MARKET LINKAGE VISITS
In order to set up marketing linkages between farmers in the communities of Marngar and Resubelpara and the Delhi produce market, the Grassroots team visited Meghalaya from 12th – 16th June to interact with farmers producing pineapples, various forms of rice and other speciality produce in these areas. Capacity building workshops were held with the farmers to discuss logistics for building a supply chain of produce, understanding the concept of surplus, and organising together to aggregate and transport their produce to national markets.