For tribal communities, forests are more than a source of livelihood. They are an integral part of their daily lives. However, when the products of the forests are sold unprocessed, much of their value is often lost. Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY), is a scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India focused on improving the livelihood of tribal communities in India through value additions in Minor Forest-based Products (MFPs), thus enhancing the income of tribal communities. To achieve the mandate, the scheme entails providing skill training and capacity building through various Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).
EDII is working as the training and capacity building partner for 130 VDVKs in Meghalaya. In the last two months, EDII conducted 18 MFP Value Addition Trainings for 30 VDVKs, imparted more than 270 beneficiaries. The training programmes focused on trades such as mushroom cultivation, food processing, bamboo jewellery, bead jewellery and soap making. To help the participants enhance the product packaging and make their products market ready, sessions on branding and packaging were also covered in trainings.
The programmes are helping tribal communities transform their traditional practice of just raw materials collection into making value added products through processing and enterprise development.