Individual Assignment

Social Innovation, System and Design Thinking

Name – Sanket P. Wairagade Roll No. - 38

Subject – Social Innovation, System and Batch – PGPDM24
Design Thinking
Faculty – Bindu Ma’am Date – 23-03-2025
1. Background

I am currently involved in community development and livelihood creation for tribal and
forest-dwelling communities through my organization, Guard book Conservation Foundation
(GCF). The work location is Korchi taluka of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra state. My work
focuses on sustainable conservation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) while ensuring
economic empowerment and rights awareness among tribal self-help groups (SHG) women.
As part of my work, I aim to create sustainable livelihood models that integrate conservation
and commerce, reduce seasonal migration, and improve local governance.

Map1 – Location of Korchi in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra state (Source – Prepared by author)

2. The broad problem / challenge

The tribal and forest-dwelling communities are not aware of their legal rights under the Forest
Rights Act (FRA) and the Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). These laws
provide them with land rights and the right to self-government through Gram Sabhas. However,
due to poor connectivity, low literacy, and isolation from markets, many communities are
unaware of these laws and their rights. In addition, they lack sustainable livelihoods, especially
in NTFP-based industries, because:

• Limited market access and knowledge of value-addition

• Seasonal migration in search of employment opportunities

This assignment applies design thinking to address these issues and propose community-driven
solutions.

Photo 1 – Interaction with tribal SHG women of Bhimpur village, Korchi (Source – captured by author)

Photo 2 – Honey combs in the forest which is also part of NTFP (Source – captured by author)
Photo 3 – Mahua collection in the forest (Source – Captured by Author)

3. List of observations

The key observations from the interactions with forest-dwelling communities are as follows:

• The region has a diverse plant composition which, if managed and harvested in the
long term, has the potential to supply NTFPs including mahua, honey and bamboo
etc.
• The tribal community have limited knowledge about Forest Rights Act and Panchayat
Extension for Scheduled Tribes Act
• There is a high reliance on seasonal migration due to the lack of local livelihood
opportunities.
• Untapped potential in NTFP due to lack of value addition and direct market access
• Lack of awareness about storage, processing, value addition and marketing of NTFP
products.
• Lack of dedicated collection depot in the village.
• Lack of contact with the village
• Lack of modern management practices to enhance quality standards and produce
high-quality products.
• Inaccessible government schemes and lack of awareness about them
• There is a lack of tools and technology required for process and quality enhancement.
4. Empathy maps- at least two stakeholders with their POV
a) Empathy map 1 – Tribal and Forest Dependent communities

SAY THINK
• Forest is our home. • We have traditional knowledge about
• Our livelihood is depending on forest. forest which has helped us to conserve
• We would like better prices for our the forest for many years.
products in the market. • Human and animal conflict can happen
• We would like better livelihood
opportunities.
DO FEEL
• We collect forest products like honey, • We are proud of our forest and its
mahua flowers, and tendu leaves. resources.
• We use natural remedies for health • Sometimes climate change affects on
problems availability of NTFPs
• We sell products in local markets or to • Mining will also impact on forest
intermediaries resources.
• We practice subsistence farming and
animal husbandry
Table 1 - Empathy map 1 – Tribal and Forest Dependent communities

b) Empathy map 2 – Urban consumers on Tribals and forest products

SAY THINK
• We want to buy organic and sustainable • Are products like honey, jam, wine,
products candies safe for our health?
• Tribal culture is unique, and we want to • Are these products real or just some
learn more about them marketing gimmick?
• I want to visit and live and explore the • How can I trust that my money is going
forest and tribal culture to the right people?
• Sustainable organic products are
expensive
• Cheap products pose health risks
DO FEEL
• Usually shop from supermarkets and • Curious about tribal and forest-based
choose branded products products but lacking knowledge
• Occasionally visit fairs and exhibitions • Sceptical about authenticity and
but hesitate to buy products due to fairtrade claims
safety concerns • Guilty about contributing to
• Participate in sustainability and climate unsustainable consumption patterns
change discussions • Engaged in purchasing ethical products
• Conflict between convenience, price and
sustainability
Table 2 - Empathy map 1 – Urban consumers on Tribals and Forest products

5. Insights

Lack of understanding of FRA and PESA limits community agency and self-governance.
Therefore, it is very important to be aware of rights. Without economic security, villagers prefer
migration over administrative involvement. In addition, low literacy rates mean that
information dissemination must be oral, visual, and community-cantered.
6. List of ideas

The following ideas were proposed after interacting with women from tribal self-help groups
and other forest dwellers. Similar ideas were categorized into themes with the help of affinity
diagramming. I also went through surveys, random links to generate ideas.

Agriculture Based Government NTFP Based Ideas Miscellaneous

Idea Schemes
Flower Nursery PMFME Scheme Honey Processing Mahua Research
Centre
Beekeeping National Beekeeping Mahua Processing Bamboo Research
& Honey Mission Centre
Dragon Fruit Van Dhan Vikas Jamun Processing NTFP Research
Orchards Yojana Centre
Marigold Farming Tribal co-operative Tendu Processing Agro-eco Tourism
marketing
development
federation scheme
Mushroom Farming NABARD Homestays
Strawberry Farming
Goat Farming
Poultry Farm
Dairy Farm
Sandle Plantation
Drumstick
cultivation
Mango cultivation
Table 3 – List of Ideas (Source – Field Notes)

7. ID matrix/ Creative Matrix

High Difficulty Low Difficulty

High Impact Orchards Beekeeping
Sandle Plantation Poultry, Goat Rearing
Skill based opportunities Mahua processing
Low Impact Marketing Tribal Exposition
Flower farming
Jamun and Drumstick
collection and it’s marketing
Table 4 – Impact – Difficulty matrix (Source – Class notes)
8. Implementation plan

Following is the intervention plan:

PHASE ACTIVITIES TIMELINE

• Awareness and training
• Develop community-led
training modules with
local NGOs.
Phase 1 • Distribute audiovisual 0 to 3 months
materials in regional
languages.
• Organize workshops in
villages through Gram
Sabhas
• Strengthening
livelihoods
• Form and register NTFP
cooperative societies
• Install mobile processing 4 to 9 months
Phase 2 units for better product
value
• Partner with local
marketplaces and e-
commerce platforms for
direct sales
• Infrastructure
development
• Implement micro-
irrigation systems using
Phase 3 check dams and 9 to 18 months
rainwater harvesting
• Establishing rural
knowledge centres for
legal and business
training
• Increase intervention in
neighbouring villages

Table 5 – Intervention plan (Source – Class and Field notes)

9. Conclusion –

Using design thinking, I sought to identify core challenges, engage stakeholders, and propose
a phased implementation plan. This model uses legal empowerment and economic
development to reduce seasonal migration, increase tribal self-government, and create
sustainable livelihoods through NTFP value chains. The next step involves prototyping key
interventions in selected villages before scaling up the model.