The CLRC-KALPAVRIKSH is “one-stop” shop for livelihoods support. Because primary & secondary stakeholders are the target market, there will be a focus on building their capacities. The natures of these services are discussed below:
CAPACITY BUILDING ON LIVELIHOOD:
At CLRC we take up training programs based on the annual training plan and calendar developed.
The capacity building services on livelihoods focuses on two distinct areas: conceptual methods of analyzing livelihoods and Methodological programs on livelihood management.
Conceptual programs
- Approaches to analysing livelihoods
- Livelihood planning
- Tools for data gathering and surveying
- Participatory rural analysis
- Sub-sector analysis
- Social mobilization
- Linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions and other organizations
- Social Marketing
Methodological Programs
There are watershed based livelihoods programmes in the districts: Agriculture, Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP), Animal Husbandry among others. Without listing all the various watershed based livelihoods, the technical programs would focus on the following aspects of these livelihoods:
- Production and procurement techniques
- Water harvesting
- Productivity enhancement
- Market linkages
- Watershed management
- Advanced concepts in natural resource management
There capacity building programs will be reflective of the market’s needs and will be revised as the CLRC evolves.
RESOURCES AND MODULE DEVELOPMENT:
The CLRC provides a library of knowledge and expertise on technical matters as they relate to livelihoods. This will be based on our in-depth research studies on livelihoods as well as the knowledge of resource persons.
Specific materials and modules on various aspects such as watershed development and others will be customized for the local context. The crop specific or activity specific lifecycle studies conducted will also be a source of secondary data for modules development. Case documentation of specific interventions and innovations will be carried out by the CLRC.
The CLRC will also create model demonstration sites to serve as best practice models that can be replicated. Primary & Secondary stakeholders will be able to observe and obtain “live” examples of practices and procedures.
BEST PRACTICE PROMOTION
At CLRC we conduct action research on livelihoods and disseminate such findings to promoting organizations through demonstration workshops. These model sites would further be used for exposure visits within the district.
SUPPORT OF CLUSTER LIVELIHOOD RESOURCE CENTRES
CLRC provides all the support required in terms of technical expertise and on field support required. The CLRC is a repository of knowledge at the district level and would also act independently depending on the local needs within the cluster.
FUTURE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
The institutional sustainability of the CLRC is dependent upon the products and services that the CLRC providein the long term. As the livelihood evolves in the districts, the topics and issues covered by the CLRC will have to evolve to meet the needs of primary and secondary stakeholders. The CLRC works closely with primary and secondary stakeholders to identify trends of the livelihoods in the district.
RELATIONSHIPS OF CLRC TO THE POOR
CLRC: Primary Stakeholder -Secondary Stakeholder
Note:
- Capacity building, Networking with agencies, Facilitating linkages, Livelihood studies
- Local based support to primary stakeholders
- Technical livelihood support to the poor
MARKET ANALYSIS
Description of the market
Kandhamal possess certain geographic traits that influence the livelihoods inherent in the district. Kandhamal, given its hilly landscape and dense forests, has many forest products based livelihoods. Also, traditional agriculture products like turmeric, leaf plate and Bajara are popular here. The hilly landscape has provided a good breeding ground for animal husbandry too. Most rural poor livelihoods are based on agriculture. But due to non availability of proper communication and Rural Hats the producers loose interest to produce and work only for self -consumption and not in large scale for business.
Clients
There are several governments, NGOs involved in working in livelihoods in Kandhamal. These organizations represent the client base which would require the quality services of the CLRC.
Target Market Segment Strategy
Market Needs
All of the programs whether they are government or NGO sponsored all intend to improve and strengthen the livelihoods sector. The strategies of the programs follow a similar kind of strategy in that they aim to build capacities of people at different levels to disseminate knowledge and information at the village level. However, the complete variety of programs being implemented by government organizations and NGOs has created weaknesses in the effectiveness of the programs in the following ways:
- Variation in the program timelines and implementation methods are several and often conflict at the implementation level. One of the reasons being lack of synergy in their efforts;
- Program executing organizations varied from NGOs to PIAs, hence there is not much of uniformity in designing or providing standardized inputs, and;
- All of these initiatives require availability of a large number of people with experience in the sector and specialization in respective themes. In the present situation it is very difficult to get quality people with such exposure and experience. Collectively these problems have created the need for a harmonized support mechanism to bring clarity and direction to improve their respective programs.
The need for the CLRC as demanded by the market can be summarized as follows:
- Institutionalizing capacity building has been a priority for programs like OTELP and ITDA.
- Many training centres like the CLRC being proposed are being promoted at the Local level;
- There is also a need for availability of information and material related to important themes at one place in order to bring synergy in implementation and for dissemination of information comprehensively;
- Institutions without systems and right kind of people would lead to chaos and dilution of values impacting the outcomes adversely. These institutions and social capital need back up support and fall back mechanisms that are not worked out within project frameworks. There is need for a professionally managed learning centre from which the District / local level training and resource centers can seek technical support and information to strengthen the initiatives in the field.
- With the agenda increasing day by day there is certainly a need for a good standard training institution for conducting training programs continuously.
Further, the various programs that are being managed by all the primary & secondary stakeholders tend to lead to overlap. By institutionalizing the capacity building into one centrally managed centre, this will lead to enhanced co-ordination and improved effectiveness of programs.
Market Trends
The nature of livelihoods in Kandhamal change relatively slowly. Because these are resource based livelihoods with low levels of capital investment, the livelihoods will not evolve to more varied or complex ones in the near term. In the long term, the CLRC will have periodic action reflection to ensure that the services being offered are demand driven and meet the ultimate needs of the primary stakeholders.
STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION
Strategy
The strategy of the CLRC is to emphasize its’ centrality as a centre of excellence in livelihoods in the districts. The way this strategy is communicated is critical to the CLRC’s success. The tactics that the CLRC use to deliver its message focuses on three areas:
- Technical expertise
As mentioned above, the CLRC needs to be viewed as a centre of excellence on livelihoods in the district. This will be the prime reason why clients will use the CLRC.
As a result, there is a heavy focus on marketing the CLRC as being a key knowledge centre for the major livelihoods in the district with linkages to key research and markets.
- Excellent training by expertise
The delivery of the training and capacity building services is facilitated through the well established infrastructure of the CLRC. This too is also leverages to the CLRC’s advantage as being an excellent delivery mechanism for capacity building among other things.
- Innovative and custom solutions
Being a centre of excellence also means that innovation and the latest in ideas and concepts are being pioneered or at the minimum discussed at the CLRC. This is a critical area that will have to be communicated strongly in the marketing message to attract a broad range of clients some of whom may have advanced farther along the livelihoods arena than others. This helps to develop the repository of knowledge and build the technical expertise. To implement the strategic tactics into actual programs, the CLRC developed the following programs:
- Advertising and promotion
Through print advertising, posters and brochures describing the CLRC and its services is distributed to target market clients. These creates the “buzz” that is needed to spark interest in the CLRC.
- Formation of a business development division:
A business development division will be responsible for tracking opportunities, client relations, identify capacity building needs of clientele based on supply-demand situation and fund raising. The division would be staffed with a manager and assistance and would rely on the assistance of state level liaison offices.
- Positioning of the CLRC
The CLRC would be a cornerstone of livelihoods programs in the districts. Through a strong partnership with GoO and NGOs, the CLRC would have a high profile to attract the targeted client base.
- Networking and collaborations
The recently established CLRC is a first step in establishing the collaboration and network among leading organizations in livelihoods. This group is unique in the district and the relationships developed here will be leveraged to generate interest in the CLRC.
MARKETING STRATEGY
Positioning Statements
As mentioned earlier, the CLRC would is positioned as being a cornerstone in the livelihoods sector. With our strong relationships with the GoOand other leading NGOs, we would be able to leverage these assets to promote and position the CLRC prominently. Further, as KALPAVRIKSH continues to evolve, the CLRC would help in providing the critical mass to the organization to achieve financial sustainability.
Pricing Strategy
The pricing strategy of the CLRC would follow among the same lines as the pricing strategy of KALPAVRIKSH. We would aim to cover operating costs through an even balance between donor grants and service fees.
Distribution Methods
The CLRC would be a one-stop shop for livelihoods support. It is planned to pilot the CLRC in kandhamal and extend support centres in regional areas depending on the market. There would be field visits as well that would be in the form of demonstration visits. The Centre also provide linkages to other organizations that provide support in complementary areas. These would be also being an extension of the distribution methods.
It is envisioned that the CLRC will also establish a collaborative relationship with CLRCs which will be a livelihood resource centre which provides livelihood support directly to the poor, the primary stakeholders. There will be a mutual exchange of information so that the capacity building programs that are developed on livelihoods are timely and relevant.
Marketing Programs
It is critically important to the CLRC’s success that the key stakeholders “buy” into the concept of a centre of excellence on livelihoods support. In order to communicate this message and achieve this commitment we shall administer two key marketing programs. One shall be a targeted print campaign that will include pamphlets and posters to generate the awareness of the CLRC. The second shall be a series of “kick-off” sessions to announce, in detail, the services of the CLRC and attract a varied client base.
Sales Strategy
In order for the CLRC to be a sustainable enterprise, it will require a varied and diversified client base so that it does not rely on just one client. Thus, the CLRCs also focus on surveying the needs of the major targeted clients and determining their capacity building needs. It intended that this will lead to contractual arrangements whereby the CLRC will manage their livelihood training programs.
MANAGEMENT
Organization Structure
There are three main groupings:
- Training and Workshops
This group would is responsible for managing the capacity building services through training programmes, workshops and seminars. A regular and continuous capacity building program will help to institutionalize livelihood concepts and sustainable practices. The management team would is responsible for developing a training schedule.
- Research, Materials and Module Development
The Research, Materials and Module development is responsible for conducting in depth research and various issues affecting the livelihoods sector. Their efforts would also lead to the development of new innovative ideas that would feed into the Training and Workshops group.
- Business Development
The Business Development group, as mentioned earlier, is responsible for establishing the contacts and developing relationships with stakeholders to produce opportunities for the CLRC. This group is like a pseudo-marketing division responsible for promoting the CLRC and developing the awareness among the clientele.
Management Team
An illustrative management in CLRC would have a team of four persons. The composition of this team is mentioned below.
- One Training Coordinator (Available)
- One Assistant Training Coordinator (Available)
- Accounts/Administration (Available)
- One Assistant Monitoring & Evaluation Officer (Available)
- Livelihood & Business Development Officer – (Available)
KALPAVRIKSH would ensure that the job designations and roles and responsibilities of the team members are well defined.
Responsibilities of Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
- Responsible for database and MIS management
- Responsible for Logistics, Accounts and Programme Support Activities
Livelihood & Development Officer
- Overall in charge of the CLRC
- Would deal with the o/o Project Partners
- Responsible for coordinating with the consortium of resource organizations, Project management unit.
- Responsible for the linkages with other NGOs and other departments and agencies and for strategic linkages with resource organizations
- Responsible for research studies on better technologies adoption
- Responsible for coordination with the CLRCs and support to CLRCs
