Introduction

Grassroots Workforce Governance and Management (GWGM) project focuses on endogenous development, which is based on ‘TEA’ workforce (workers & supervisors) criteria for development and takes into account their physical, economical, social and cultural well-being. The importance of participatory tea workforce indigenous knowledge into development interventions has been broadly recognized. Therefore; priorities, needs and criteria for development may differ in each planting community and may not always be the same as those of the development personnel. Key concepts with endogenous development are: active participation in the development process; taking grassroots workforce culture values seriously; appreciating world-views; and finding a balance between local and external resources. Endogenous development leads to increased cultural developments, positive thinking and a self-sustaining local and regional development. However, many of these approaches experience difficulties in overcoming an implicit materialistic bias. IIPM-TBI-GWGM based endogenous development project as first-of-its kind in the country seeks to overcome this bias by making workforce view in livelihood strategies, as the starting point for development through participatory capacity building programs.

“Grassroots Sustainability in Plantation” is an inherently dynamic, indefinite and contested concept. “Sustainable development” must, therefore, be seen as an unending process – defined not by fixed goals or the specific means of achieving them, but by an approach to create change through continuous learning and adaptation. Tea Board of India sponsored IIPM – GWGM project constructs a framework for sustainable tea workforce development programs using both process – and – outcome – oriented criteria, and demonstrates its application. IIPM – Commodity Extension Management and HR – R&D group facilitates to organize communities around tea plantations to implement GWGM project. These principles allow the workforce and governing bodies to become the principal decision makers

These principles allow the workforce and governing bodies to become the principal decision makers on matters that are directly related to their livelihood and development work. Past experience has shown that a more decentralized and participatory approach can be more effective than a topdown management approach to sustainable plantation development.

Objective(s)

The objective of the capacity development program of the workforce in the Tea Sector is to enhance the quality of the work life and personal life of the workforce and also to enhance commitment to work and improve the total factor productivity (TFP) and overall development of the sector.

Scope

Around the globe development personnel are striving to implement sustainable development programs. Most of the efforts toward the identification of information to support sustainable development decision making have focused on developing measures of progress toward sustainability. The Pressure -State – Response and Endogenous Development framework has been proposed as a method for capturing perceptions of alternative. A systems approach in tea estates supports the identification of relationships among the indicators, learning about the behaviour of the system, and provides a common language for interdisciplinary communication for sustainable development.

The following group may identify a group of workforce for the workshop :

Voluntary Corporate and/or proprietary tea estate to provide its workforce for half a day for Capacity Building Programs based on their need

Randomly selected workforce from a group of estates
Enlighten Workforce group with Union Leaders
Supervisors of Tea garden / estates

Program Components

To optimize the success of problem solving through IIPM-TBI-GWGM project, the major criteria is in understating the grassroots problem and correctly solving the important issue. Thus, it is important that we take time under GWGM project on how to use the power of endogenous development in plantation sector for sustainability.

Capacity Building Groups

The main “target groups” are: a) the intended beneficiaries from tea estates; b) the estate workers, including the support staff and c) administrative staff of the estate.

The trainers must have practical experience. They include: the group promoters and technical estate managers, experienced planters and also successful groups (Eg. NGOs) academicians in the field of plantation. The small training group consisting of above experts could be very useful in developing, implementing and evaluating feasible capacity development programs.

The resource persons would be invited for the following felt-need based topics:

GWGM Programme Abstract for an Year

Number of meetings :

District Level Workshop once in a month at the garden level in case of large group or common place for a group of estates/gardens.
Zonal Workshop once a year for selected workforce and management staff.

No. of Participants : Expected participants for the program is minimum of 30 for District level workshop and 100 participants for zonal level workshops. IIPM provides financial assistance for organizing the training programs, which includes, tea & snacks, lunch and honorarium & related expenses for the resource person.

About the Institute

Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM), as the centre of excellence and the first of its kind national institute, was established at the initiative of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. It is co-promoted by the Commodity Boards of India viz., Coffee Board, Rubber Board, Tea Board, Spices Board and Plantation Industry Associations viz., ITA, UPASI. IIPM has been conceived as a world renowned academic institution focusing in the field of plantation & associated agri-business and commodity management education.

IIPM offers a range of competitive academic and industry oriented programs viz., PGDM on Agri-business and Plantation Management (ABPM), EPGDM on Commodity Business, DLP on Plantation Management through IGNOU, Study Abroad programs on ABPM, MDP for Corporate Managers and small & medium entrepreneurs. IIPM is planning to launch a Doctoral program – the Fellow Program in ABPM.

Implementing Agencies

IIPM in collaboration with Tea Board of India, UPASI, NPA, APK, APA, KPA, PAT, NWPA, WPA, KDPA, PGA, CTPA and all other South Indian Tea Associations, corporate companies implement the project for the overall benefit of grassroots workforce.

The major activities of the Centre for Grassroots Workforce Governance and Management will be to organize need based District and Zonal workshops for the workforce and supervisory staff.

GWGM Project Districts and Regions

For further information on GWGM project, please contact

Office of the Management Development Program (MDP)
Indian Institute of Plantation Management Bangalore

(An Autonomous Organization Promoted by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry-GOI)
Jnana Bharathi Campus, P.O. Malathalli, Bangalore – 560 056
Ph: 080 – 23212647 / 23211716, Fax: 080 – 23212775
E-mail: mdp.iipmb@gmail.com / www.iipmb.edu.in

The Director
Indian Institute of Plantation Management
Jnana Bharathi Campus, P.O. Malathalli
Banagalore 560056
Ph:080-23212773, Fax:23212775

E-Mail: directoriipm@vsnl.net directoriipm@vsnl.net

The Director (Tea Development)
Tea Board of India
No.14, BTM Sarani,
Kolakata 700 001
Ph:033-32922575

E-mail: boriah01@gmail.com