Governance Reforms Could Unlock Green Jobs for India's Bamboo Artisans: Study

New Delhi, Jun 8 (KNN) Millions of bamboo artisans across India, many of whom are women and members of minority groups in impoverished rural areas, have the potential to increase their incomes through producing environmentally-friendly products.

A new study by Rachel Alexander, a distinguished consultant at the German Development Institute (GDI) within the framework of the European Union Switch Asia funded project, “Promote Bamboo MSME Clusters for Sustainable Development” outlines opportunities to bolster this traditional yet sustainable industry through government intervention.

The study, working with over 30,000 artisans across nine Indian states from 2018-2022, recommends four key governance strategies.

Supporting Producer Upgrading Interventions like promoting better resource utilisation, improving finishing techniques, enabling certification, and fostering innovation can help artisans produce higher-value products. Improving access to quality raw materials, equipment, finance, skilled labor and business services is also crucial.

While many artisans currently work in household units, the study recommends incentivising formation of producer groups. This can enable economies of scale, shared learning, increased bargaining power and community economic development.

Connecting artisans directly with buyers, supporting product upgrades, providing market intelligence, ensuring logistics, and marketing training can help tap into new markets. Building domestic demand through buyer education is also recommended.

More coordinated agency efforts, group formation support, direct artisan-buyer links, and streamlining access to government services can improve the ecosystem and value chains.

The artisans produce a wide range of bamboo items such as handicrafts, furniture, construction materials, fuel and consumables like food and medicine. With bamboo being a rapidly renewable resource, these products can serve as more eco-friendly alternatives to plastics, timber and metals.

However, the largely informal and fragmented nature of the sector has limited artisans' ability to upgrade production, access new markets and improve their livelihoods.

The study argues that such interventions can not only boost incomes and create green jobs in the bamboo sector, but also drive sustainable community development while catering to growing eco-conscious consumer markets globally.

With over 136 bamboo species found in India, concerted policy efforts are needed to unlock the potential of this versatile and renewable resource.

(KNN Bureau)