Value Chain Intervention
Empowering women-led businesses through collaboration and collectivization
The secret to giving women-led businesses a competitive edge is collaboration and collectivization. These value chains demand careful network development and reinforcement so that all parties involved can profit from one another.
A product often passes through numerous phases before it is delivered to the consumer, with value-adding activities carried out at each stage, such as logistics, processing, packaging, and marketing. As products progress through these stages, the participants who add value receive an ever-increasing percentage of economic worth. However, the rural participant who supplies raw materials receives the least economic value, despite bearing some of the greatest risks.
With 30 years of expertise, Udyogini has been working to bring about gender equality and poverty alleviation by utilizing value chains to make markets work for underprivileged women. By recognizing and rectifying potentials throughout the chain, Udyogini believes that a pro-poor and gender-sensitive value chain approach is an efficient way to overcome roadblocks in accessing domestic and export markets.
Udyogini's Approach
We ensure that value-adding processes are moved to rural areas and that rural participants contribute to multiple phases of the value chain, from production to end-to-end marketing.
Reducing Input Costs
Due to high input costs, producers cannot maximize their profits. Udyogini provides training on best practices and capacity building to help producers minimize input costs and increase efficiency.
Eliminating Middlemen
Intermediaries capture significant portions of profits between production and marketing. Udyogini encourages collectivization and bulk marketing with proper price negotiation, removing middlemen and reducing transportation costs.
Value Addition & Market Expansion
By promoting value addition of locally available products, Udyogini builds capacity for producers to gain maximum income benefit and capture markets beyond local areas while establishing backward and forward market linkages.
Impact Stories
Real stories of transformation through value chain intervention
The Struggle of Women to Establish a Honey Value Chain
A group of hardworking women from this densely forested and resource-rich village discovered significant potential in honey collection and processing. Through Udyogini's support, they transformed from selling raw honey to middlemen at poor rates to establishing a structured value chain for honey, tamarind, and mahua products.
Key Achievements
- Formed a group of 10 women for value addition and bulk marketing
- Secured government land for business setup through panchayat permission
- Purchased honey processing machine with Udyogini support
- Installed 3-phase electricity with government subsidy (₹1,80,000 total, ₹20,000 subsidy)
- Achieved annual turnover of ₹2,50,000 from honey, tamarind, and mahua
- Processed 150 kg of honey with plans for market expansion
- Women gained negotiation, financial management, and bulk marketing skills
- Developed leadership capacity to train other women in their community
An Initiative to Produce an Organic Product: Herbal Tea
In this remote village surrounded by forest, 85% of women engaged in traditional farming with minimal income. Udyogini introduced herbal farming with medicinal and aromatic plants in 2017, leading to the creation of Maa Sharda Group producing three types of organic herbal teas: tulsi green tea, rosemary green tea, and lemongrass green tea.
Key Achievements
- Trained 220+ households in herbal farming and sustainable practices
- Established Maa Sharda Group for herbal tea production in 2020
- Created three herbal tea product lines: tulsi, rosemary, and lemongrass
- Generated ₹7,000 profit in 2021 from initial production
- Expanded to ₹12,500 profit with improved quality and marketing
- Attracted 22 women to join the group since inception
- Women developed expertise in product formulation and value addition
- Implemented quality control and hygienic storage procedures
- Invested 50% of profits back into herbal tea production
- Improved market access through linkages with cooperatives and local markets
Transforming Lives Through Value Chains
Women Empowered
across multiple value chains
Annual Income
generated through group enterprises
Products Created
value-added products developed
Communities
villages directly impacted