Empowering poor producers
It is critical in our work that we help small-scale producers to have the skills, understanding and confidence to explore new or better market opportunities for themselves and their communities.
One way in which we do this is through Market Opportunity Groups, in order to empower small-scale producers to help them to make the most of their goods at market.
Market Opportunity Groups are comprised of producers, normally selected by their own communities through an election process.
The number of members varies but it could be around 10. In any case, it has to be a manageable number for education processes and for negotiations with other market actors and policy-makers.
Molina's story …
Molina is one of a family of 12, living with her parents in Faridpur, Bangladesh.
“It is Practical Action that showed me new light. I am very grateful and hope to do much better in the future. I want others to benefit from Practical Action, continuing to provide new ideas and opportunities.”
From an early age, Molina stitched dresses at home, which developed into a livelihood when she began stitching designs for her neighbours for a small fee. This gave Molina a monthly income of Tk. 1000.00 (approximately £7).
Although she had the desire to develop her dressmaking into a more profitable business, she did not have access to the necessary skills and training. However, her chance came when she heard of a local producer group.
As a member of the producer group, Molina learned about the cloth-based market: planning, investment, production, marketing and diversification. This gave her an idea of the skills that she would need to meet particular market demands. She subsequently joined a training course on advance fashion design, which opened new opportunities for her.
As a result, Molina has dramatically increased her production and now stitches designs on 15-20 saris and 30-40 dresses each month. This generates a monthly income of Tk 4,000-5,000 (approximately £ 28-35), which is helping to improve her family’s standard of living, health and access to education.
