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.