Sustainable Livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers and ... · fairer terms of trade in the tea...

Sustainable Livelihood for Indian SmallTea Growers and workers

Traidcraft Exchange, UKCentre for Education and Communication, India

DFID CSCF Project CN 536

Report of External Final Evaluation

Liby T Johnson

March 2009

Table of Contents

Glossary

Basic Information

Executive Summary...........................................................................................................................3

Achievement Rating Scale.................................................................................................................6

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................11Partners.......................................................................................................................................11The Project...................................................................................................................................11Evaluation Of The Project............................................................................................................12

Project – Input Output Mapping........................................................................................................14

Findings of the Evaluation................................................................................................................16Relevance....................................................................................................................................16Equity...........................................................................................................................................19Efficiency.....................................................................................................................................20Effectiveness...............................................................................................................................22Impact..........................................................................................................................................25Sustainability................................................................................................................................26Assessment of Traidcraft's and CEC's strategy...........................................................................28

Key Factors......................................................................................................................................28

Attribution.........................................................................................................................................29

Conclusions......................................................................................................................................29Summary of benefits....................................................................................................................29Pointers for future........................................................................................................................30

Recommendations...........................................................................................................................30Strengthening tea growers' primary organisations......................................................................30Expansion and future-oriented actions........................................................................................32Strengthening work on rights and entitlements...........................................................................32

Profiles.............................................................................................................................................34

Appendices

Glossary

BLF Bought Leaf FactoryCEC Centre for Education and CommunicationCISTA Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers AssociationsCSCF Civil Society Challenge FundDFID Department for International DevelopmentEU European UnionFAO Food and Agriculture OrganisationMDG Millennium Development GoalsSHG Self Help GroupSTG Small Tea GrowerTBI Tea Board of IndiaTRA Tea Research AssociationUNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and DevelopmentUPASI-TRF United Planters Association of South India – Tea Research Foundation

Evaluation of the 'Sustainable Livelihoods for Indian Small Tea Growers and workers' Project 1

Basic Information

Project title Sustainable Livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers andworkers

Agency name Traidcraft Exchange

CSCF number CN 536

Country India

Name of localpartner(s) Centre for Education and Communication

Name of person whocompiled theevaluation report

Liby T Johnson

Period during whichthe evaluation wasundertaken

January to March 2009


Executive SummaryThis is the report of the external evaluation of the project “Sustainable Livelihood for Indian SmallTea Growers and workers” implemented jointly by Traidcracft UK and Centre for Education andCommunication (CEC) India.

The ProjectThe purpose of the STG project was to 'to empower small tea growers and tea workers to realisefairer terms of trade in the tea industry'. It was taken up among small tea growers in the States ofAssam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It expected to produce results in four key areas.

• Increasing awareness among small tea growers of sectoral and policy issues• Building organisations to represent small grower interests collectively• Enhancing capacities of small tea growers to improve business conditions• Effective advocacy and national and international levels to highlight STG interests

Evaluation ProcessThe evaluation was conducted during January to March 2009. It was done in a participatorymanner, involving representatives of all stakeholders in the Project. Steps carried out includeliterature review, field visits, interactions with STG societies, district/regional Associations,representatives of tea factories, Tea Board and Tea Research Association. The exercise was basedon the given evaluation framework which listed the set of issues that the evaluation was to look at.

Findings of the evaluationRelevanceThe STG project was designed by Traidcraft and CEC at a time when the serious crisis in theIndian tea industry had affected the livelihoods of a very substantial section – the smallholder teagrowers. Bereft of any collective voice and unaware of rights and entitlements, the 200,000 oddsmall tea growers in different parts of India were at the mercy of exploitive middlemen, deprivingthe growers their due share in the value of tea produced. It can be said, from looking at theachievements of the project that it was a relevant and timely intervention for the small tea growers.The STG project had planned to work with the workers in the small tea sector, but it was not ableto do much in this regard. There has, however, been indirect benefits to workers accruing from thegeneral improvements in the entire tea production system. The Project has contributed tofurthering the objectives of the DFID CSCF, by contributing to reduction in poverty and providinglasting benefits to the poor.

EquityThe STG project was designed to address the livelihoods related needs of the general populationof small tea growers. It had not envisaged working specifically on issues of equity. By improvingthe overall livelihoods standards of grower families, the project has had a positive impact on thelives of women. In many places like Kerala, it was reported that the wage differentials betweenmale and female workers in small holder tea gardens have come down as a result of the increasedprices obtained by the growers. The general improvement in income earnings will also lead toimprovements in the lives of children and elderly people in the families. The project has alsodemonstrated that women's own producer organisations can perform as well or even better thanmen's organisations.

EfficiencyThe project was implemented in an efficient manner, with both the partner organisations playingpro-active and mutually complementary roles. Involvement of project beneficiaries – the small teagrowers – at all stages of the project is a noteworthy point. There were no delays or cost overrunsaffecting implementation. The project seems to have made efficient use of resources available, toachieve most of the targets it set out for. Better staffing at the State level, particularly for technical


capacity building of the growers could have helped achieve better results.

EffectivenessThe project has contributed in a very substantial way to improving the overall conditions of thesmall tea grower sector. It has created an organisational system – right from the village to thenational level – to represent the interests of small tea growers with stakeholders at different levels.The project has enabled small tea growers to achieve better returns for their tea leaf. The Projectmay also have helped in bringing about small but meaningful attitudinal shifts among the officials ofthe Tea Board responsible for implementation of schemes meant for small growers. At least asmall sample of tea factories have responded positively to the quality improvement at the greenleaf stage that the Project has been able to bring about.

ImpactImpact of the STG project has to be gauged on two aspects:

• Re-structuring the traditional confines of Indian tea industry to claim the due space for smalltea growers

• Livelihoods of the small tea growersOn the former, it can be said that the STG project has already made an impact, by bringing to thepolicy agenda, needs and demands of the STG segment. On the latter, the Project has made avery strong beginning, to help small tea growers improve the security and sustainability of theirlivelihoods. It is too early to assess impact on this front.

The Project has benefited 16,134 small tea growers organised into 306 STG Societies in theStates of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam. Of these, the Project worked directly with213 STG Societies with 11,434 members. The Project supported 93 Societies in Assam with 4700members indirectly, through the State level Association of small tea growers.

Increase in price of green leaf for growersBefore formation of Societies Rs.4 to Rs.6 per kilogramPrice obtained from STG Societies Rs.10 to Rs.15 per kilogram

SustainabilityThe STG project results have inherent qualities that make them sustainable in the long run. Policylevel work is being carried out by representatives of the tea growers. The institutional structure forthis to continue has been put in place. Organisations that provide small growers with direct benefitshave already taken root and have the experience to continue serving their members. This willcontinue even in the absence of external support. Both the policy level and village level processesalso have high potential for replicability in different contexts.

There is however, need for external support to ensure that the results achieved in the project donot stagnate at their current levels. Given the highly volatile nature of the tea industry, stagnation –of ideas and results – at the village level can lead to these organisations becoming obsolete to itsmembers. As experiences in other commodity sectors like milk and fish have shown, theorganisational development process for effective and sustainable producer organisations takelonger than three years. Developments in the tea industry as a whole, particularly support providedby the Government of India to the large plantation sector to revive its production potential will leadto a more competitive market situation, particularly for the small tea growers.

ConclusionThe purpose of the STG project was 'to empower small tea growers and tea workers to realisefairer terms of trade in the tea industry'. The project has achieved this purpose with regard to smalltea growers. As explained in the report, it could not take up issues related to tea workers. TheProject has come a long way in achieving its goal, 'to improve the livelihood of workers and smalltea growers in India'. The tea-based livelihoods of the small tea growers has got strengthened as a


result of the contributions made by the Project. The Project has contributed to benefits to allstakeholders.

• To be small tea grower, better prices for their leaf and a sustainable organisational systemto obtain more benefits

• To the Bought Leaf Factories, mechanism to obtain better quality green leaf• To the Tea Board of India, strong ground level organisational system to implement its

schemes for small tea growers• To CEC and Traidcracft, stronger mutual relationship and deeper understanding of the tea

industry and its issues, particularly those related to livelihoods of the small tea growers

RecommendationsThe STG project's experience provides a number of lessons and pointers for future action. It will beworthwhile for CEC and Traidcraft to consider these action points. The recommendations emergingfrom the study and analysis done during the evaluation are classified under three broad groups.

Strengthening tea growers' primary organisationsThe village level STG Society is the most significant element of the STG project – in terms ofbenefits to small tea growers during the past three years and for the future. CEC and Traidcraftneed to put in place a mechanism by which these organisations can be strengthened to continuethe good work and prepare them to meet different challenges in the future. Specific steps to betaken in this regard are:s

• Streamlining functioning of STG Societies• Helping STG Societies develop a bouquet of services for members• Member Education• Creating technical capacity building services at the district level• Increasing awareness about quality issues

Expansion and future-oriented actionsHaving a tea factory of their own was the one desire that growers met during the evaluationexercise articulated the most. Across the four States, this is one common thread that could befound. While the demand itself is not unreasonable, there is great amount of work to be done toensure that such a step will provide the desired results. There is also the need for increasingcapacities of STG Societies and growers to manage the volatility of the tea market, prone to strongcyclical trends.

Strengthening work on rights and entitlementsThe business element of work with small tea growers is only one part of the issue. Equallyimportant is the need to ensure that small growers continue to have access to their rights andentitlements. There is need to define entitlements by the growers themselves and get theauthorities to accept demands. CISTA is presently in a very advantageous position in this regard. Itis the only representative body of small tea growers with a very broad membership base.Strengthening CISTA and making it capable for meeting the future challenges is very important.


Achievement Rating Scale

Parameter Rating Log-frame Indicators Baseline for indicators Progress against theindicators

Comments on changesover the whole project

period, includingunintended impacts

Purpose: To empower small teagrowers and tea workers to realisefairer terms of trade in the teaindustry.

2The purpose ofthe project haslargely beenachieved, despitea fewshortcomings

STG are organised

100% increase in price of greenleaf

25% increase in income of teagrowers

15% increase in income of teaworkers

Reduction in wage differentialbetween men and women

Policies of Government of Indiafavouring STG

Institutional mechanisms inplace for STG to get fairer price

Very few organisations

Rs.3 per kg

Rs.1000 per month

Rs.300 per month

Rs.50 per day wagesfor women, Rs.70 formen

Limited policy optionsfavouring STG

None

306 STG Societies withmore than 16000membersMore than 100% increase

Incomes increased bymore than 25%

Not verified

Not verified

XIth Plan provides STGspecific policies

STG Societies in place

For the first time, smalltea growers have gottogether to organisecollective organisations,to meet the challengesthey face. Collectiveefforts at selling greenleaves through theirvillage level societieshave helped the growersincrease incomes fromtea cultivation. Averageprice realisation forgreen leaves have goneup from the very lowlevels in 2005, by morethan six or seven times,by 2008.

Collective efforts byhigher-levelorganisations of smalltea growers havesucceeded in getting theGovernment of India toframe policies favouringthe STG sector.





Output 1: A better understanding ofthe tea industry - both nationally andinternationally - for all stakeholdersconcerned with small tea growers andworkers

1This output hasfully beenachieved, veryfew shortcomings

The supply chains for Indian teamapped out.

Key issues identified andstakeholders understand them

Project activities fine-tunedbased on inputs

None

None

Research studies carriedout

Knowledge disseminationto the grower level

Project revised

Research work carriedout under the projectwork has enabled betterunderstanding of the teasector. The knowledgegenerated by the projecthas been passed down tothe individual grower levelthrough the network oforganisations that havecome up.

Output 2 : Increased understanding ofthe policy barriers which negativelyimpact on tea growers and workers bykey stakeholders, and enhancedcapacity to influence change

2This output haslargely beenachieved,despite a fewshortcomings

Contribution of small teagrowers and workers to actionplans

Engagement of the STG sectorwith government and privatesector

No involvement at startof the project

Little or no engagementat start of the project

STG sector representedin the Tea Board

Effective engagementwith private sector at theproducer level

The Confederation ofIndia Small Tea Growers'Association (CISTA)established with supportfrom the project has beenmade a permanentspecial invitee to the TeaBoard of India. This hasenabled the STG sectorto bring its voice to beheard at the mostimportant policy forum inthe country.

Output 3 : Enhanced capacity of teasmall tea growers, workers, and thecivil society organisations that supportthem - e.g. panchayats, trade unionsand NGOs - to demand fairer workingconditions and prices


25% of STG covered undervillage level primary societies in4 states

4 State level associations ofSTG formed

1 National association of STGformed

Very few STGs areorganized

No association in 3States

No association

Less than 10% STGsorganised

Active associations in all4 states

National Associationformed and active

Village levelorganisations of STGhave been in the fore-front of addressing thevery fundamentalchallenges faced by smallgrowers – better terms ingreen leaf trade. The





Working relationships betweenSTG societies and BLF tobenefit STG

Increased capacity of variousgroups (NGOs, trade union etc.)to support STG societies andassociations

STG Associations engage withpolicy related issues

25% of tea workers in Nilgirisjoin trade unions

Exploitative agentmediated relationship

Capacities limited onlivelihoods related work

None

75% of the STG societiesformed have developedrelationship with BLF

Not verified

CISTA active on policyrelated issues

Not verified

project has contributeddirectly to this, throughmobilisation and capacitybuilding of growers andtheir representativeleaders.

Regional and/or Districtlevel associations ofgrowers have taken upactive role in lobbyingwith local governmentagencies for effective andtimely implementation ofpolicies and schemes.

CISTA, as the nationalforum of small teagrowers, has played anactive role in lobbying atthe national level, and isengaged in advocacy formore policy changes.

Output 4 : More effective advocacy onissues affecting the tea industry in thenational and international arena(through the Indian Government, UKgovernment, EU, FAO and UNCTAD)


Draft of policies submitted toGovernments

At least 2 major Trade Unionsincrease involvement in the teasector, and vis-a-vis STG

Partnership agreementsbetween STG and BLF inNilgiris

None

None

None

Policy suggestionssubmitted to Government

Not verified

32 STG societies enteredinto agreements with BLFin Nilgiris

CISTA has been activelylobbying with theGovernment of India forbringing about furtherpolicy changes in favourof the small tea sector.

The project has beenengaged in internationaladvocacy on several





Legislative measures adoptedto protect STG interests None

Suggestions made toGovernment

issues related to the teasector that have mostimplications for the smalltea growers

Output 5 : Enhanced capacity of smalltea growers to market their teathrough alternatives channels


Feasibility study of experimentalbusiness project

Business plan developed

Experimental project initiated in5 villages in Nilgiris

Trading company established

Value-addition infrastructure putin place

None

None

None

None

None

Preliminary studyundertaken

STG Societies havedeveloped own plans

Leaf trade started by 160societies in 4 StatesNot done

Not done

The village level societieshave worked out areasonable relationshipwith BLF ensuring betterprices for green leaf.

Discussions have beenheld at various levels totake the effort forward.Detailed businessplanning has not beendone yet.

The mobilisation stagehas helped the projectunderstand issues better.It could now considermoving to the next phaseof considering a properbusiness plan

Output 6 : Improved businessperformance of small tea growers andbought leaf factories e.g. better yields,better quality, better businessmanagement etc.


Yields increased by 15%

Quality of green leaf plucked bySTG improved

Quality of made tea from BLFimproved

Not available

Not available

Not available

Not verified

Improvement reported

Not verified

Small tea growers havereported increase inincomes by more than100% in most cases,between 2005 and 2008.Yields from the holdingshave reported increased,as a result of the various





Better management ofbusinesses by STG societies100% increase in price of greenleaf

25% increase in income of teagrowers

15% increase in income of teaworkers

Reduction in wage differentialbetween men and women

Not available

Rs.3 per kg

Rs.1500 per month

Rs.300 per month

Rs.50 per day wages forwomen

About 140 societies in 4StatesMore than 100% increase

Incomes increased bymore than 25%

Not verified

Not verified

technical capacitybuilding facilitated by theproject and input servicesprovided by the STGSocieties.

Many BLF reportedimprovements in thequality of green leavessupplied by STGsocieties.

Activities/ Inputs

a. Appropriateness (quality): b. Sufficiency (quantity): c. Efficiency (timeliness):

Overall Assessment

2The activitiestaken up wereappropriate,sufficient and efficient,despite a fewshortcomings

The activities undertakenby the project were in linewith the objective to beachieved and have led tothe expected outputs.Some activities may havebeen a bit ambitious andas it turned out, could notbe completed. All theactivities were completedwithin the planned time-frame


IntroductionThe project “Sustainable Livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers and workers” was supported bythe Department for International Development of United Kingdom under the Civil Society ChallengeFund and has been implemented by the Centre for Education and Communication (CEC), Indiaand Traidcraft UK.

Partners

CECCentre for Education and Communication, New Delhi has been working in India since 1982, on awide range of issues affecting labour. It is a resource centre to research, campaign and support onkey concepts, ideas, and policies that enhances the dignity and power of labour by engaging withworkers and workers' organisations, particularly, trade union organisations. The objectives of CECare:

• to understand critically the changes in world of labour, particularly, in the context ofglobalisation

• to contribute positively to the dignity of labour, in defending labour rights and democraticrights

• to evolve, towards this end, appropriate strategies at national and international levels, incollaboration with all trade unions and labour organisations not registered as trade unions,labour support organisations, peoples' movements and other stakeholders.

TraidcraftTraidcraft Exchange is the United Kingdom based development charity specialising in making tradework for the poor. Established in 1986, it works to enable poor producers in Africa and Asia to growtheir businesses, find markets, and effectively engage in trade. It takes a three-pronged approachto making trade work for the poor:

• Trade – Identifying problems that prevent the poor benefiting from trade and working toovercome these. Linking of producers and buyers to work together, helping producersunderstand the demands of different markets and what they need to do to access themform part of this

• Support – Identifying the services that small businesses need to enable them to tradeeffectively, and building the capacity of local service providers to provide these services onan affordable basis form the core of this element

• Influence - Lobbying, advocacy and campaign for trade policies that help rather than hurtthe poor, helping small producers understand the rules that restrict how they trade andencouraging them to speak up for their rights form part of the third element

The ProjectThe two partner organisations had worked since the year 2000, addressing the fallouts of the crisisthat gripped the Indian tea industry from 1997 onwards. The small tea growers (STG) contributemore than a quarter of the total tea produced in India. For a number of reasons, historical andpolitical, the policies of the Government of India have always favoured the large plantation sector.Several attempts were made by small tea growers in different parts of the country, particularly inWest Bengal and Assam, to organise themselves and present a collective voice before theauthorities. Such attempts had at best localised results. A need was felt to attempt organising smalltea growers on a wider scale, achieve national level collective voice and at the same time enablegrowers at the local level to improve their businesses.

The project titled “Sustainable Livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers and workers” (STG project)was designed in this background.


Aims Of The ProjectGoal of the STG project was “to improve the livelihood of smallholder tea growers and workers inIndia”

Purpose of the Project was “to empower smallholder tea growers and tea workers to realise fairerterms of trade in the tea industry”

Expected ResultsThe STG project aimed to achieve the following results.

• A better understanding of the tea industry - both nationally within India and internationally -for all stakeholders concerned with smallholder tea growers and workers

• Increased understanding of policy barriers, which negatively impact on tea growers andworkers by key stakeholders, and enhanced capacity to influence change

• Enhanced capacity of tea smallholders, workers, and the civil society organisations thatsupport them to demand fairer working conditions and prices

• More effective advocacy on issues affecting the tea industry as a whole in the national andinternational arena – through the Indian government, UK government, EU, FAO andUNCTAD

• Enhanced capacity of smallholder tea growers to market their tea through alternativechannels

• Improved business performance of smallholder tea growers and bought leaf factories, e.g.better yields, better quality, better business management, etc.

The detailed logframe of the project is given in Appendix 1.

Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were the four States in India with the highestconcentration of small tea growers, and they formed the geographic focus of the Project. CEC wasresponsible for the day-to-day implementation of activities. Traidcraft provided support in strategicissues, advocacy, training in business and marketing skills and used its Consultant with experienceof the Tea Industry to build and sustain relationships with the Tea Board and the industry.

Implementation of the STG project was coordinated by a dedicated team with Delhi as itsheadquarters. Field team in the four States carried out mobilisation of small tea growers at thevillages and formation of STG societies, coordination with regional/district associations where theyexisted, formation of associations and liaison with local offices of Government/ Tea Board.

Evaluation Of The ProjectCEC commissioned an externally conducted final evaluation of the STG project. The purpose ofthe evaluation was to:

• Identify the impact of the Project and ways that this can be sustained • Record and share lessons • Account to local stakeholders and funders for the project’s achievements • Continuously improve project design and management and the guidance available to future

CSCF grant-holders• Ensure that funds are used effectively and efficiently to deliver results• Enable DFID to monitor and evaluate the performance of the CSCF as a whole, making

sure the overall CSCF project portfolio is contributing to the reduction of poverty anddemonstrating, for public accountability purposes, that the fund is an effective use of money

The Terms of Reference for the evaluation is given in Appendix 2. The evaluation was carried outwithin the ambit of broad key questions detailed in the ToR. These were grouped under thefollowing main heads:

• Relevance• Equity


• Efficiency• Effectiveness• Impact• Sustainability

The focus of the evaluation was to be guided by the specific objectives and indicators that hadbeen outlined in the project logframe.

MethodologyThe evaluation was taken up in a participatory manner, incorporating perspectives from a variety ofstakeholders. It was carried out in three phases.

Desk Phase – during which available written information on the STG project was studied andanalysed and the exact methodology for the exercise was finalised. Questions in the evaluationframework were used to create the “Evaluation Enquiry Framework”(EEF) with the steps to addresseach of the questions listed in detail. Stakeholders who would respond to questions were identified inthe EEF (given in Appendix 3). The draft EEF was circulated among the evaluation group, comprisingof representatives of the three partner organisations. Based on inputs from the group, the frameworkwas finalised. The data collection instruments to be used during the field phase were developed.These too, were circulated to the evaluation group for feedback and comments (given in Appendix 4).

Field Phase – during which the evaluator travelled across the four States, meeting withrepresentatives of all stakeholders involved in the project process. In the field visits conducted overtwo phases – first in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in January 2009 and the second in West Bengal andAssam in February 2009, the evaluator met with 23 STG societies in five districts of the four States.Other stakeholders interacted with include, six regional/district associations in the four States, office-bearers and Executive Committee members of CISTA, representatives of tea factories with whomthe STG societies have established linkages and officials of the Tea Board and Tea ResearchAssociation. A day-long interaction was conducted at New Delhi with personnel of the project fromCEC and Traidcraft. Details of stakeholders interacted with is given in Appendix 5.

Synthesis Phase – Information collected during the desk and field phases were synthesised toprepare the report of the evaluation. A first draft of the report was shared among the evaluation groupand feedback sought. Incorporating the comments, the report was finalised in March 2009. Apresentation was made at the National Dissemination workshop at Coonoor in March 2009.

The evaluation exercise began on January 10th 2009. Field work was carried out between January18 to 22 in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and between February 16 and 22 in West Bengal and Assam. Theinteraction with project personnel at New Delhi was held on February 4th.

LimitationsThe evaluation exercise worked with certain limitations. The field visits covered about 10% of theSTG Societies formed by the Project. Based on the experience with these societies, the evaluationhas arrived at its conclusions. There is the danger that some exceptional experiences, good and bad,may have got left out due to the sampling. Views and comments of all tea industry stakeholderscould not be obtained; notable among those left out is UPASI in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Interactionswith officials with the Tea Board covered only some of the policy issues, rather than a detaileddiscussion of the entire range that was desired. This limitation has partly been overcome byreference to available policy related literature. The findings and recommendations will need to beseen in this context.


Project – Input Output MappingThe table below bird's-eye view of the STG project. Activities taken up, inputs used for them andoutputs of the activities are listed in the table. The list is organised in line with the activities plannedand presented in the project log-frame.

Table – Project Inputs and Outputs

Time Inputs Activities OutputsPreparatory research and identification of policy interventions

2006-07 • CEC execution• Traidcraft support Baseline survey Collation of baseline

information

2006-07 • CEC execution• Traidcraft support

Four researchstudies

Four research reportspublished anddisseminated

Jul-2007

• CEC Execution• Traidcraft participation• Other resource persons

participation

ResearchConsultationworkshop

Priority areas for policyinterventions identified

Formation of Organisations of Small tea growers

Throughout projectperiod

• CEC Execution• Support of existing

regional association

Village levelmeetings onformation of STGSocieties

STG Societies formed


• CEC Execution• Support of existing STG

societies

Exposure visit forvillages

Small tea growersunderstand working ofsocieties


• CEC facilitation• STG Society execution

Registration of STGsocieties

Legal status for thesocieties

2006-07 and 2007-08• CEC Execution• Participation of STG

societies

Meetings of societyrepresentatives

Formation of RegionalAssociations

2007-08• CEC facilitation• Participation of STG

representatives

Discussions onformation of Nationalbody

Bye-laws of CISTAfinalised

Dec-2007

• CEC facilitation• Traidcraft support• CISTA members

execution

Registration ofCISTA

National body of STGsector formed

Capacity Building of small tea growers

2007-08 • CEC execution• Participation of STG

Inter-state exposurevisits for STG

Understanding ofsituation in differentareas formed


• CEC execution• Traidcraft facilitation• Participation of STG

Organisational andbusiness trainingprogrammes

Organisational andbusiness skills of STGbuilt

Throughout project • CEC facilitation Technical training Tea growing related


Time Inputs Activities Outputs

period• TRA, UPASI resource

support• Participation of STG

programmes technical skills built


• CEC facilitation• STG participation Monitoring meetings

Progress of activitiesreviewed and plansmade

Periodic• CEC facilitation• Traidcraft support• STG participation

Meetings with TeaBoard

Increased knowledge ofpolicy leveldevelopments

Access to financialsupport from Tea Board

Nov-2008 • CEC execution• STG participation

Exposure visit toNDDB Anand

Gained understandingof the working of amulti-tier producers'organisation

Nov-2008 • CEC execution• CISTA participation

Exploratory visits toother tea-growingStates

Gained first-handunderstanding ofcontext in other States

Steps taken to expandcoverage of CISTA

Jan-2009 • CEC execution• Traidcraft support

Publication ofnewsletter (Tea Talk)

Medium for informationsharing created

Periodic• CEC facilitation• Traidcraft support• CISTA execution

Meetings of CISTA

Strengthened CISTAsystems

Agenda for policyinterventions at thenational levelsharpened

National Workshop

Dec-2007• CEC facilitation• Traidcraft support• STG participation

National Workshop

Wider understanding ofSTG sectoral issues

Brought togetherGovernment and STG

CISTA launchedNational Advocacy

Feb-2008• CEC facilitation• Traidcraft support• CISTA execution

Demands placedbefore Minister

Demands of STGsector clearly put forth

Sep-2008• CEC facilitation• Traidcraft support • CISTA execution

Meeting with TeaBoard Chairman

Demands of STGsector clearly put forth

International Advocacy


Time Inputs Activities Outputs

Throughout projectperiod • Traidcraft facilitation

Advocacy on tearelated issues –MRL, SupplyManagement,Traceability etc.

Increased awarenessabout Indian STGissues in theinternational platforms

Experimental Business Initiative

Apr-2008 • CEC facilitation• Traidcraft support

Training on businesslinkages

Societies increaseconfidence to establishown green-leaf trade


• CEC facilitation• STG society

execution

Linkages betweenSociety and BLFformed

Growers gain betterterms of trade for greenleaf supply


• CEC facilitation• STG Society

execution

Administrativesystems in STGSocieties set up

Better functioning ofSTG societies

Information Dissemination

Mar-2009• CEC execution• Traidcraft support• STG participation

NationalDisseminationworkshop

Experiences of projectshared and analysed

Findings of externalevaluation discussed

Findings of the EvaluationThe findings of the evaluation of the project are presented in this section. They are arrangedaccording to the six broad areas from the framework of the evaluation. Specific questions underthe six broad areas have been answered.

RelevanceThe STG project was designed by Traidcraft and CEC at a time when the serious crisis in theIndian tea industry had affected the livelihoods of a very substantial section – the smallholder teagrowers. Bereft of any collective voice and unaware of rights and entitlements, the 200,000 oddsmall tea growers in different parts of India were at the mercy of exploitive middlemen, deprivingthe growers their due share in the value of tea produced.

It can be said, from looking at the achievements of the project that it was a relevant and timelyintervention for the small tea growers. The STG project had planned to work with the workers inthe small tea sector, but it was not able to do much in this regard. There has, however, beenindirect benefits to workers accruing from the general improvements in the entire tea productionsystem. The Project has contributed to furthering the objectives of the DFID CSCF, by contributingto reduction in poverty and providing lasting benefits to the poor.

Effectiveness of project design and methodologyThe project design could be seen as based on four inter-related, broad areas of intervention:

• Increasing awareness among small tea growers of sectoral and policy issues• Building organisations to represent small grower interests collectively• Enhancing capacities to improve business conditions• Effective advocacy and national and international levels to highlight STG interests


The methodology for achieving the objectives were in line with these broad principles. It involvedconducting research, mobilising growers, conducting capacity building programmes, taking uppolicy level advocacy at the national level and market related advocacy at the international level,and experimenting business approaches.

One aspect of the project design that was found inadequate was the link between organisingcollectives of growers, and these collectives developing their business. With a bit moregroundwork, the Project could have envisaged strengthening business functions of the collectivesrather than keeping it aside as a pilot initiative. Had the focus in the design on organising growersbeen extended to look at how these organisations would function, many of the difficulties facedduring implementation – re-inventing the wheel on setting up systems for producer cooperativetype organisations, village level STG Societies struggling for working capital or trying to find theright mix of services to members etc. – could have been avoided.

Another aspect of the project design that did not turn out in the desired manner was the focus onworkers. It was expected that the project interventions would lead to direct and tangible benefits toworkers in the STG segment of the tea industry. The three years of time the project had was notsufficient to achieve both development of the tea growers and the workers alike. Projectimplementation realised this soon enough and decided to focus attention at the level of the grower,reserving the attention on workers for a later stage. This decision of the project management iscommendable. Had the project focussed on both growers and workers at the same time it wouldnot have been able to achieve the results it eventually did. Both grower and worker issues being ofequal importance, lack of focus on any one, at this initial phase would have led to dissipation ofresults, to the benefit of none.

Overall, it can be said that the project design and methodology was effective in contributing tosuccessful achievement of the objectives of the project.

Synergies or duplication with other interventionsThere were a few other interventions that addressed similar issues related to the STG sector. TheTenth Five Year Plan of the Government of India (2002-07) had several schemes for the benefit ofthe sector. The Tea Board of India had assigned the task of forming self-help groups of small teagrowers to Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Farm Science Centres – network of agricultural extension bodiesset up by the Government of India). The project supplemented this effort, and went a step ahead. Itdemonstrated the conceptual shortcoming in the self-help group (SHG) approach being applied toa commodity production context, where the need is probably to focus on co-operative principles toencourage better production, value-addition and distribution of surplus.

The STG project has supplemented the efforts of the Government to enlarge the scope of supportfor the STG sector as envisaged in the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012).

There have been several non-governmental efforts at organising small tea growers, alongcooperative lines, in Assam and Kerala. Some of them were too small in scale, limited to a fewvillages. Some other efforts withered away in the face of manipulative politics and corruption.Some of these experiences have affected progress of the project, by creating apprehensions in themind of small growers about the relevance and worth of joining such initiatives. Peter of theWayanad District STG Association narrates the experience of such a failed venture, theTEACOPS. “Leaders of TEACOPS had collected money from growers towards share capital inthe cooperative. Everything worked well for a few months. Then they started defaulting onpayment for green leaves. Growers realised that they had lost their contribution to share capitaland had to go back to supplying leaves to the agents. When we started talking about setting upSTG societies, very few growers were even willing to listen to us”.


Contribution to rights awarenessThe STG project has contributed to greater awareness and understanding among the growersabout a wide range of issues. The global market conditions and its effect on price of green leavesis quite well understood by members of the STG Societies with whom interactions were held. Mostimportantly, growers are now aware of their entitlements, assured by the Government of India inthe Eleventh Five Year Plan. Growers are now aware of the procedures involved in accessing theschemes. The STG Societies play a very important role in supporting growers to completeformalities required.

Relevance to DFID prioritiesThe STG project objectives, activities and results achieved are very relevant to the priorities ofDFID – both the Civil Society Challenge Fund priorities and the India Country Assistance Planobjectives.

The overriding objective of the CSCF is to contribute to the reduction of poverty and to providelasting benefits to the poor. The project has addressed some of the root causes of poverty amongthe smallholder tea growers. It has also helped empower the growers by creating increasedawareness of issues and providing organisational alternatives for collective work. The project hasalso helped the STG segment forge a wide range of partnerships to advance its interests – withgovernment, business and civil society.

The STG project also addressed the three objectives of the India Country Assistance Plan.• Objective 1 - More integrated approaches to tackling poverty in four states• Objective 2 - Improving the enabling environment for sustainable and equitable economic growth• Objective 3 - Improving the access of poor people to better quality services

It has demonstrated an integrated approach to tackling poverty; it is in the process of creating anenabling environment for sustainable and equitable growth; it has improved the access poorpeople has to better quality services. These have been achieved through large-scale mobilisationof small tea growers, most of whom belong to the poorer sections of society, their organisationstaking up business development allowing growers to gain a higher value for their produce anddeveloping their capacities, inter alia, in more sustainable production practices.

Relevance to needs of the stakeholdersThe STG project has addressed some of the most critical problems faced by its stakeholders. Itbecame clear during the evaluation from the articulation of the respondents on how they havebenefited from the project.

Small Tea Growers – The project has helped them address the most critical issue – low price forgreen leaves. By facilitating the formation of village-level STG Societies, the project has helpedthem escape from the exploitative clutches of the leaf agent. They now get the full price paid fortheir leaf by the factory, their daily leaf supply is weighed properly and many societies also providetechnical services and inputs, helping improve productivity and reduce costs. Manoharan,President of the STG Society in Arottuparai in Gudalur in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu said,“without this project, we would never have gained from the increase in price of tea experiencedduring 2008. The agents would have kept most of the increase to themselves and filled us withstories of how depressed the market for India tea is. This project has helped us expand ourhorizons, gave us access to the information we needed; gave us the confidence to link directly withthe factory. We are glad that we are part of the project now.”

Similar thoughts were echoed by most of the growers met during the evaluation exercise.The project has addressed the needs of several other stakeholders. For Bought Leaf Factories(BLF) with interest in producing good quality tea, the project has helped address a critical qualityissue – that of quality of green leaf at the garden end. Benjamin, Manager of the Highfield Tea


Factory in Coonoor had this to say: “the society has helped in improving quality of green leafsupplied by the growers. There is a constant pressure on the grower to pluck two leaves and a budand not resort to indiscriminate plucking. If we were to put pressure on the growers, they would notrespond. Now that the society itself is telling them to do so, they abide by the instruction. For us,this is very good. Good green leaf helps us produce better made tea, and fetch better prices at theauction. Growers are realising that better prices for our made tea means better prices for theirgreen leaf. This would not have been possible without the society.”

The STG project has helped the Tea Board of India find a good medium to actualise its policypromises. The multi-tiered network of organisations facilitated by the project provides the rightplatform for the Board to get the schemes on ground. So much so, that Chairman of the Boardwants CEC and Traidcraft to take responsibility to manage the entire gamut of STG relatedschemes.

Quality of problem analysis and project logical frameworkThe problem analysis that contributed to the project design had captured most of the key issuesrelevant to the situation of the stakeholders. However, the mixing of issues faced by growers andworkers without sufficient prioritising at the analysis stage did lead to design and methodologicaldifficulties. This aspect has already been discussed above. The project log-frame too has suffereddue to this.

Changes in external context and its implications to the projectTwo developments in the external context influenced the project.

• Price of Indian tea shot up in 2008, due to supply constraints from other markets, leading tohigher prices for green leaf supplied by growers. As a result, interest of small growers in theSociety reduced, as they were able to obtain better prices in the open market itself. Theincreased prices also led to drop in quality of green leaf, as growers resorted toindiscriminate plucking, to take advantage of the high prices. This development was alsoused by a number of STG Societies to firm up their relationships with BLFs. BLFs were inneed of leaf and this made them come to a negotiating table far more easily than in times ofsurplus production.

• The Government of India announced a slew of measures to support the small tea growersegment, particularly collective organisations of growers as part of the Eleventh Five YearPlan. The subsidies and other support are available to growers only through collectiveorganisations like STG Societies. This condition of the Government has evoked the interestof growers in Societies.

EquityThe STG project was designed to address the livelihoods related needs of the general populationof small tea growers. It had not envisaged working specifically on issues of equity. By improvingthe overall livelihoods standards of grower families, the project has had a positive impact on thelives of women. In many places like Kerala, it was reported that the wage differentials betweenmale and female workers in small holder tea gardens have come down as a result of the increasedprices obtained by the growers. The general improvement in income earnings will also lead toimprovements in the lives of children and elderly people in the families. The project has alsodemonstrated that women's own producer organisations can perform as well or even better thanmen's organisations.

Promotion of gender equalityThe Project did not directly address the issue of gender equality. It had set to address the wagedifferential that existed between male and female workers in tea gardens, particularly those owned


by small tea growers. Not much could be done in this regard, as most of the project efforts werefocussed at improving the conditions of the growers themselves. While this could be pointed out asa shortcoming of the project, it needs to be kept in mind that without addressing the larger issue ofreturns to farmers, it is no worthwhile to work directly on issues of workers.

An important issue that affects participation of women in the STG Societies is the absence of landdocuments in their names. As per the definitions used by the Tea Board, the person in whosename the plot of land on which tea is grown is the grower and hence eligible for membership ofSTG Societies. As a result of this condition, women have not been able to obtain membership orassume leadership roles in the process. There are few exceptions to this; noteworthy is the case ofthe women's groups in Idukki in Kerala.

The Valakode Vanitha Small Tea Growers Society in Elappara village in Idukki district of Kerala isa unique organisation. It is the only tea growers Society in Kerala, and only the second in India, tobe run entirely by women. 32 women are members of the Society, formed in November 2006,facilitated by the Project. The Society started leaf trade in 2007 after establishing linkage with theAVT Tea Factory in Pasuppara. 27 members of the Society had land rights in their own names andhence could obtain registration with the Tea Board. It took tremendous efforts from the part ofGracy George and Subhashini, two women from the village, to organise all the women and formthe Society. With very few women owning land, they had to gather members spread over a largearea, bye-passing village boundaries. The Society was the first in the area to start leaf trade and itwas following them that the male dominated societies in the area started building linkages with teafactories.

Impact on children, youth and elderlyThere were no specific activities taken up by the project to address issues related to children,youth and the elderly. As a result of the success of the project in improving the general conditionsof small tea growers, it can be said that it has had a positive impact on the lives of children andelderly persons in the families of small tea growers. In many places, the youth of the families areemerging as second line leadership in STG societies. This is a very positive development, and theproject can take credit for facilitating the general improvement that has motivated young people tolook at tea farming in a positive light.

In the Kafeucha Society in Dibrugarh district of Assam, the young people who once formed thesecond line have already assumed the role of leadership by replacing the original leaders. Theyounger persons have been able to instil a new sense of direction in the Society and this bodeswell for the future. Similarly, in Selvapuram in Nilgiris district, it is the younger population that hastaken the lead to establish and run the Society in the village.

In Karakkorai village in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu it was reported that small tea grower familieswere forced to withdraw their children from good schools and instead send to government runschools due to the severe financial crisis faced by the families. As a result of the improved situationafter formation of the STG Society in the village, many families were able to send their childrenback to the English-medium schools that offered better education.

Addressing needs of excluded groupsThe project did not address specific issues of people with special needs or those normallyexcluded from development processes.

EfficiencyThe project was implemented in an efficient manner, with both the partner organisations playingpro-active and mutually complementary roles. Involvement of project beneficiaries – the small teagrowers – at all stages of the project is a noteworthy point. There were no delays or cost overrunsaffecting implementation. The project seems to have made efficient use of resources available, to


achieve most of the targets it set out for. Better staffing at the State level, particularly for technicalcapacity building of the growers could have helped achieve better results.

Project Management and Implementation roles of partnersThe two partners involved shared the responsibilities in the project based on their corecompetencies and experience. CEC was responsible for execution of all activities in the four Statesand policy related work at the national level. Traidcraft was responsible for advocacy at theinternational level. Traidcraft also provided specialised support in conducting business skilldevelopment training for STG societies. It also took part in periodic review and monitoring ofprogress made by the project.

The project benefited greatly from the services of the Traidcraft Consultant who has had manyyears of direct experience in the tea sector. This enabled the project to grasp global and localissues well and respond effectively. It also facilitated effective capacity building of STG leaders whoassumed responsibilities in CISTA, the national level apex organisation of small tea growers.

CEC's experience in lobbying and advocacy, particularly with the Government of India too came inhandy for the project. This helped the project fast-track its plans for a national level association byfacilitating the establishment of CISTA. The Confederation started off well, taking advantage of therelative strengths of the two partners. This contributed to the overall success of the project.

One area where the project did not have sufficient competence was in facilitating primary levelproducers' organisations. In fact, the project design had not envisaged this at the scale it actuallyhappened. As a result, the project had to follow a trial-and-error method, making a few mistakes onthe way, some of which have already been pointed out in the section dealing with effectiveness ofproject design.

Efficiency in the use of resourcesThe project made efficient use of the resources available to it. The budget allocation has beenutilised in the best possible manner. Personnel deployed, both by CEC and Traidcraft haveperformed their functions well. The nature of personnel deployment in the project could have beenbetter. As it turned out during implementation, the amount of work to be done with STG Societieswas much more than envisaged. The Project had only one person in each of the four States tocarry out all the functions – mobilisation, capacity building of STG Societies and growers, liaisonwith Tea Board and other local resources etc. In States like West Bengal, the Field Officer receivedsupport from the District Associations in carrying out these functions, but in Kerala and Tamil Nadusuch support was not available. The Field Officer in Assam left mid-way through the project andthis left a huge vacuum at the field level. CEC was unable to find a suitable replacement. TheProject was able to achieve its results, despite these shortcomings.

The Project made excellent use of locally available resources in the States to build capacities ofthe growers. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the UPASI Tea Research Foundation's expertise was madeuse of. In West Bengal, the Tea Research Association's local office was found to be an ablepartner. These partnerships were however limited by commitment and availability constraints fromthe other organisations' part. Both UPASI and TRA are institutions set up to serve the largeplantation segment and their commitment to the STG segment is limited. The STG project madegood use of what was available, but overall this was not sufficient. The project should have its ownresources for technical capacity building.

Lessons for future M&EThe Project had a well-designed and properly used monitoring system. It involved reporting ofprogress on a monthly basis from the field offices to the central office in New Delhi. Quarterlyreview meetings were held in New Delhi where all project personnel from CEC and representativesfrom Traidcracft participated. The CEC Project Manager would visit the field offices on a regular


basis and this too formed an important part of the monitoring process.

A review meeting with all STG Societies in the respective State was conducted once in all the fourStates.

For future interventions, it would be useful to think of conducting the periodic review meetings atdifferent places turn by turn, rather than have all of them in one place. This will help staff membersto see each others' work and learn from it. Such a project could also gain from extending themonitoring to include representatives from the STG Societies on a regular basis. State-level orDistrict-level review meetings, attended by representatives of all Societies within the area couldserve as a good platform for assessing progress, sharing experiences and information as well asbuilding a collective sense that goes beyond just one Society.

Involvement of beneficiariesThe STG project idea owes its origin to suggestions made by small tea growers when theyapproached CEC and Traidcraft with the request to support initiatives that would take a holisticview of the tea industry and the small tea grower sector. Small tea growers have been involved atall stages of implementation. CEC and Traidcraft largely played the role of facilitators in theprocess. The initiative to establish village level Societies, higher level Associations and the nationallevel Confederation have come from the growers. The STG project could not have taken placewithout the whole-hearted participation of the beneficiary groups – the small tea growers.

Risk managementThe STG project has been able to manage the external environment quite well. The initial riskanalysis had clarified the assumptions made in formulating the project and fortunately for theproject, none of them were proven wrong.

EffectivenessThe project has contributed in a very substantial way to improving the overall conditions of thesmall tea grower sector. It has created an organisational system – right from the village to thenational level – to represent the interests of small tea growers with stakeholders at different levels.The project has enabled small tea growers to achieve better returns for their tea leaf.

The Project may also have helped in bringing about small but meaningful attitudinal shifts amongthe officials of the Tea Board responsible for implementation of schemes meant for small growers.At least a small sample of tea factories have responded positively to the quality improvement at thegreen leaf stage that the Project has been able to bring about.

What has been doneThe table in the input output mapping section of the report provides details of all activities that havebeen taken up under the STG project.

What has been achievedThe table below summarizes the outputs that the STG project planned to achieve and the actualachievements made.


Table – Project Outputs – Planned vs. Achievements

Output planned AchievementResearch studies on key issuesaffecting the small tea growers

Four research studies completed and published:• Agricultural practices in small tea growers' garden,

regional variations and alternative technologies inprocessing

• Functioning, coordination and efficacy of Self HelpGroups, Associations, Cooperatives and NGOs withSmall Tea Growers

• Cost of production, pricing of green leaf and therelationship of Small Tea Growers (STGs) with Bought-Leaf Factories (BLFs) and Auction Centres

• Existing Policies on Small Tea Growers In India

Small tea growers engage withrelevant stakeholders to bringabout policy changes to benefitthe sector

National association of small tea growers – the Confederation ofIndian Small Tea Growers (CISTA) formed to engage in policylevel dialogue with the Government of India and the Tea Board ofIndia

Chairperson CISTA made permanent special invitee to the TeaBoard, allowing small tea growers direct presence in the policymaking forum

Charter of Demands presented to Minister of Commerce in theGovernment of India and Chairman of the Tea Board of India

60 STG Societies in four States obtain financial assistance forsociety level business activities from the Tea Board of India

Formation of village levelsocieties of small tea growers

306 primary level STG Societies functioning in six districts of fourStates of India

• 37 in Tamil Nadu• 100 in Kerala• 45 in West Bengal• 124 in Assam

with membership of 16134 small tea growers.Four State level Associations ofSTG formed

State level Associations formed in Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Project chose to work with the existing State Associations inWest Bengal and Assam

Formation of NationalAssociation

Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associationsestablished with membership from four State Associations

Membership expanded to include STG from four new States –Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh

Initiate experimental project inmanufacture and marketing totea in five villages of Nilgiris

160 STG Societies in four States develop business plans forcollective leaf trade

100% increase in priceobtained by small growers forgreen leaf

Growers obtain average price of Rs.7 per kg in 2006, Rs.8 per in2007 and Rs.11 per kg in 2008.


Changes in performance and behaviourThe STG project has led to substantial changes in the behaviour of several stakeholders.

At the level of small tea growers, in general:• They have started working collectively with each other• They have become more aware and conscious of the quality issues and practice better

plucking practices• Take more interest in the agronomic and husbandry practices in tea cultivation• Many growers are willing to assume leadership roles in their village and higher level

organisations

The Sree Lakshmi Narayana Small Tea Growers Association in Karakkorai village of Nilgiris districtin Tamil Nadu is a good example of how things have changed with support of the project.

Established in November 2006 with 37 members,the Society started leaf trade in December 2007.In the initial days very few members supplied leaf through the society, choosing to deal with thetraditional leaf agents. Very soon, as they saw how those who traded leaf through the society werebenefiting, the others also joined in. The society had a clear system of weighing, gradation andpayment. The leaf agent on the other hand would cheat the growers on weighing and grading.Payment was seldom made on time. The society changed the rules of the game, in favour of thegrowers. It had established linkage with the Akshaya Tea Factory. As demand for membershipgrew, the Society started putting strict quality stipulations for the leaf supplied by members. Theclassic norm of 'two leaves and a bud' was made compulsory. Training programmes wereorganised for members as well as workers in member gardens. Growers who tried to dilute qualityby supplying bigger leaf were discouraged. Eventually, members realised that better quality leafwas also fetching them higher prices. In November 2008, when most growers in neighbouringvillages obtained Rs.15 per kg of leaf, members of Karakkorai earned Rs.18 per kg, a premium of20% for adhering to good quality norms. By January 2009, the membership of the society hadgrown to 113 and it was already making a presence felt in other areas. It had obtained supportfrom the Tea Board to purchase a vehicle to collect leaf from members' gardens and take it to thefactory. Leaf sheds were built to facilitate proper collection and weighing of leaf. On its own accord,the Society also started a rice supply system for members. This was in response to the very highprice people had to pay to buy rice in the market. The society now buys rice in bulk quantities;members can buy it from the society, payment for which is adjusted against money due againstgreen leaf supplied. The next step for the Society is to supply fertilizers and pesticides – the mostcritical inputs in tea cultivation.

Many Bought Leaf Factories are now more interested to deal with Societies of small growers, asthey realise the potential for production of better quality tea through the tie-ups. Officials of the TeaBoard in regional and field offices have come to grudgingly acknowledge the role of STG Societies.In many places they are now listening to the demands made by Society leaders.

What has not been achievedThere is lack of direct evidence to suggest that the STG project has contributed to improving theconditions of workers in the tea gardens. The increased incomes accruing to growers is likely toget shared with workers, in view of the overall improvement in the situation, but this could not besubstantiated. The Project may also not have met its target of reducing wage differentials betweenmale and female workers in the tea sector. It has also not achieved its target of strengthening tradeunions in the tea sector to take up the issues of small tea growers and expand the coverage ofunionisation among workers.


ImpactImpact of the STG project has to be gauged on two aspects:

• Re-structuring the traditional confines of Indian tea industry to claim the due space for smalltea growers

• Livelihoods of the small tea growersOn the former, it can be said that the STG project has already made an impact, by bringing to thepolicy agenda, needs and demands of the STG segment. On the latter, the Project has made avery strong beginning, to help small tea growers improve the security and sustainability of theirlivelihoods. It is too early to assess impact on this front.

Impact of the STG project – NumbersThe Project has benefited 16,134 small tea growers organised into 306 STG Societies in theStates of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam. Of these, the Project worked directly with213 STG Societies with 11,434 members. The Project supported 93 Societies in Assam with 4700members indirectly, through the State level Association of small tea growers. State-wise coverageof Societies and growers with whom the Project worked directly is given in the table below.

Table – Direct Benefit from the STG project Kerala Tamil Nadu West Bengal Assam Total

No. of STG Societies 100 37 45 31 213

Growers benefiting 3,145 3,865 2,466 1,958 11,434Societies getting support fromGovernment schemes 23 23 6 8 60

Societies gaining from higher leafprices 75 32 26 27 160

Increase in price of green leaf for growersBefore formation of Societies Rs.4 to Rs.6 per kilogramPrice obtained from STG Societies Rs.10 to Rs.15 per kilogram

Broader consequences of the projectThe STG project has made lasting contributions to addressing the serious inequities within theIndian tea industry. The large plantations, estate factories and buyers have enjoyed unrivalledsupremacy for a very long time. The small tea grower segment is relatively a new entrant into theindustry and it could never find its rightful place, despite several attempts in the past. Policyadvocacy done by the project has led to meaningful changes in the system. The nationalassociation of small growers, CISTA, that the project facilitated, is now recognised as therepresentative voice of the segment and has been given a prominent place in the tea industrypolicy making forum.

Efforts made by the STG project and CISTA have also helped draw attention to the conditions ofsmall tea growers in other States, than the four in which the Project focussed its attention. Smallgrowers from Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh have come forward to joinCISTA and this could lead to positive impact on the livelihoods of the growers in these States.

The STG project has also done work at the international level to address difficulties in the globaltea supply chain.


Contribution to CSCF objectives and core areasThe STG project results and impact can be seen as contributing to the objectives of the DFID CivilSociety Challenge Fund. It has addressed some of the root causes of poverty among thesmallholder tea growers. It has also helped empower the growers by creating increased awarenessof issues and providing organisational alternatives for collective work. The project has also helpedthe STG segment forge a wide range of partnerships to advance its interests – with government,business and civil society.

The Project has contributed to the following core CSCF areas.• Building capacity of Southern civil society to engage in local decision-making processes• Building capacity of Southern civil society to engage in national decision making processes• Global advocacy• Raising awareness of entitlements and rights• Innovative service delivery

Contribution to MDGThe STG project results and impact has contributed to the Millennium Development Goals in asmall way.

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger – by addressing livelihoods issues of small teagrowers many of whom belong to poor sections of the society

• Ensure environmental sustainability – by bringing about ecologically qualitative changes inthe way tea cultivation is done by a large number of small tea growers in India

Impact on end beneficiariesThe STG project results have already benefited the small tea growers in many ways. Better returnsfor their produce, organisational base for managing further growth, increased awareness of rightsand entitlements, enhanced capabilities to manage tea cultivation and changes in the tea industryas a whole are the areas where the end beneficiaries have gained. Whether these gains will growto have overall impact on their lives will depend on how they are followed up. The foundation for asustainable process has been established and if followed up properly, it would lead to substantialpositive impact on the lives of the small tea growers.

L Nanja, 70 years of age, is a resident of Sholur village in Nilgiris and is a member of the SriHriyodaya STG Association in the village. He has a tea garden in 0.75 acres of land. He ownsanother small plot on which he grows vegetables. He has been a member of the Society since itsinception in 2004. He supplies about 500 kilograms of leaf to the society, on average a month. TheSociety in Sholur was established in 2004, but became active after it came into contact with theproject. The project had helped the Society build linkage with the Highfield Tea Factory in Coonoorfor supply of leaf. The project also supported capacity building programmes for members of theSociety. In 2007, Nanja earned about Rs.42,000 from his tea garden. In 2008, his income hadgone up to more than Rs.72,000. A part of the increase was due to the increase in tea pricesoverall. But Nanja believes that he has been able to earn more because the society has functionedproperly. He narrated the case of farmers like him, who were not members of the Society. Theirearning in 2008 was only about half of his. Not only has he gained a higher price from being in theSociety, he also gets fertilizers at a much lower cost. He does not have to arrange cash now to buyfertilizers, as the Society supplies it to him and adjusts the payment from his due for leaf supply.

SustainabilityThe STG project results have inherent qualities that make them sustainable in the long run. Policylevel work is being carried out by representatives of the tea growers. The institutional structure forthis to continue has been put in place. Organisations that provide small growers with direct benefitshave already taken root and have the experience to continue serving their members. This willcontinue even in the absence of external support. Both the policy level and village level processes


also have high potential for replicability in different contexts. There is however, need for external support to ensure that the results achieved in the project donot stagnate at their current levels. Given the highly volatile nature of the tea industry, stagnation –of ideas and results – at the village level can lead to these organisations becoming obsolete to itsmembers. As experiences in other commodity sectors like milk and fish have shown, theorganisational development process for effective and sustainable producer organisations takelonger than three years. Developments in the tea industry as a whole, particularly support providedby the Government of India to the large plantation sector to revive its production potential will leadto a more competitive market situation, particularly for the small tea growers.

Potential for continuation of resultsThe results achieved by the STG project are likely to continue beyond the project duration. Policylevel processes that have been started will continue its own course. With CISTA being made a partof the Tea Board, the representation of small tea growers will be an ongoing affair at the highestpolicy making body in the tea industry. Satyajit Bordoloi, President of CISTA has this to say. “CISTA is now accepted as the voice of small tea growers. With CISTA this sector has reached thenational stage. CISTA will continue to function, even if CEC is not there to support it. CISTAbelongs to the growers and it will continue to be so.”

While the spirit behind the statement is acknowledged, one cannot be blind to issues that has thepotential to affect the future of CISTA. The current leadership of CISTA is made up of persons whohave been in the forefront of the struggle for the rights of small tea growers for a long time. TheAssociation of Small Tea Growers in Assam was formed in 1987, while several regional associationin West Bengal have been active late 1990s. As a result of these movements, leaders from thesetwo States have assumed leadership roles in CISTA as well. The representatives from Tamil Naduand Kerala in CISTA do not have the same exposure to policy level issues that their counterpartsfrom the the other two States. This imbalance could be a matter of concern. CISTA has to remainthe representative of small tea growers in all of India, not just of those from a few States. Similarly,there has to be safeguards against one or a few persons' interests taking precedence over therest. These are issues commonly seen in representative organisations and many a promisingstarts have gone asunder due to self-interest driven leadership struggles.

Village level organisations have the potential to continue to serve the interests of its memberswithout any external assistance. The momentum for this to happen has already been generated.This may not be case with 100% of the village level Societies, for those established in the recentmonths, will need more inputs before they can stabilise their operations. Societies that have beenin existence since 2007 or before and those that have completed at least one year in leaf trade willfind the going much easier.

However, for more qualitative improvements to happen and for consolidating the gains madeduring this project, it will be necessary to have follow up action taken up by the partnerorganisations. The challenge before the partner organisations is to ensure that the village levelorganisations are made capable of meeting challenges of the future. Given the highly volatilenature of the commodity market, these organisations need to be made capable of responding tocontextual changes to continue to be relevant to its members. More about this is discussed underthe recommendations section.

Another element of sustainability has to do with the developments in the tea industry as a whole.Over the past two decades or so, the STG segment has grown, reducing steadily the contributionof the large plantation segment to total tea production in the country. Current official estimates putthe share of STG segment at about 23%in the total tea production in India. If unofficial figures areto be believed the actual share would be about 30%. The 'high' enjoyed by the Indian tea market in2008 as a result of the drought in Kenya has motivated more and more small and marginalfarmers, particularly in West Bengal and Assam, to shift to tea, replacing cash crops like jute and


potato, or even staple crops like rice. The actual extent of this shift is not estimated, but anecdotalevidence obtained during the evaluation visits suggested a 15 to 20% increase in number of teagrowers in the villages visited in Uttar Dinajpur and Dibrugarh districts. This growth poses severalchallenges. STG Societies in the villages have already seen an increase in demands formembership even if green leaf supply by many of the growers is three or four years away. In theevent of a fall in tea prices, the response of individual growers would become very important for theSocieties' survival. If the society membership consists of a substantial proportion of 'inactive' newgrowers, the dynamics will not be predictable. There is need to consider this aspect well.

In Assam, it was reported that, several large plantations have opted for large-scale re-planting intheir gardens, taking advantage of a scheme of the Government of India. This had led to drop inproduction. Once the newly planted bushes achieve their full production potential, over the nextfive or six years, there will be another churning in the market. Whether this is a phenomenonlimited to Assam is not clear, but the Rs.48 billion Special Purpose Tea Fund set up by theGovernment in 2007 will help the large plantation segment across the country to revive its saggingfortunes. The stress on quality of tea currently prioritised by the industry will get even morepronounced with the estimated increase in production of green leaf making the market morecompetitive for small tea growers.

ReplicabilityThe STG project has potential for replication in several ways. The organisational model adopted bythe project is commonly applicable to most commodity sectors in most parts of the world, whereverprimary producers are deprived of fair value for their produce through exploitative trade practices.

The strategy adopted by the STG project for achieving high rate of success in policy advocacy alsoholds replicable lessons. The goodwill that the partner organisations enjoyed in policy circles wasquickly complemented by genuine representation of the target-group. And once the representativesof tea growers gained the confidence to deal with the issues themselves, an organisationalplatform was facilitated for them, and the partner organisations retreated to a facilitating role in thebackground. Such a strategy ensured that the demands for policy changes came from genuinerepresentatives of the target group themselves and not from interested third parties. At the sametime the target group leaders had built enough capabilities to engage in effective policy dialogue.

Assessment of Traidcraft's and CEC's strategyThe most significant aspect of the strategy for the STG project can be seen in the handling of thepolicy advocacy work, as explained in the preceding section. It is also noteworthy that the Projectaltered its approach when it was needed. So, rather than create new State level Associations inAssam and West Bengal, it chose to work with existing ones. The decision to not work with tradeunions was also a reasonable one, as there could be conflicts of interests between growers andworkers, and the project could ill-afford such a situation.

Where the Project did not adapt its strategy sufficiently was in helping the process of primarySocieties function properly. Primary level Societies have been functioning in several villages ofAssam for many years; in fact the first Society was established in 1994. Some of these Societieshave established excellent management processes, that should have been learnt from. It is notclear why the project did not choose to adapt the experiences of Assam in initiating the work inother States.

Key FactorsThe table below presents a summary of key factors that supported or hindered the project'sachievements.


Nature of factors Supporting factors Hindering factorsExternal to theproject

• Positive attitude of the Governmenttowards demands of small teagrowers

• Favourably inclined person asMinister of Commerce

• Acceptance of Traidcraft and CECand their credibility with the widerworld

• Leadership struggles amongSTG leaders and personalityrelated issues

• Poor attitude towards qualityconcerns, particularly among amajority of Bought Leaf Factories

• Increased price of tea in 2008,leading growers to adoptindiscriminate practices

Project design andmethodology

• Flexibility in responding tocontextual demands

• Commitment and capacities of theproject team

• Commitment of leaders of villagelevel societies and regionalassociations

• Inadequate strategies forbuilding organisational systemsat the village level

AttributionClose look at the achievements of the STG project reveals that credit for most of the achievementscan be attributed to the project itself. It can be said that the project design and implementation tookadvantage of the opportunities and also took steps to address the challenges. Covering almost16,100 growers across India, obtaining price increases of more than 250% and building a strongfoundation for further growth to take place are clear result areas that the Project has achieved.Similarly, the Project has only itself to blame for some of the weaknesses in implementation,particularly in two areas: inadequate preparations to support the STG Societies to take up theirbusinesses and inadequate staffing at the field level, vis-à-vis the need for managerial andtechnical expertise to support implementation.

ConclusionsThe purpose of the STG project was 'to empower small tea growers and tea workers to realisefairer terms of trade in the tea industry'. The project has achieved this purpose with regard to smalltea growers. As explained in the report, it could not take up issues related to tea workers. TheProject has come a long way in achieving its goal, 'to improve the livelihood of workers and smalltea growers in India'. The tea-based livelihoods of the small tea growers has got strengthened as aresult of the contributions made by the Project.

Summary of benefitsThe STG project has made substantial contribution to all the stakeholders involved. The magnitudeof change varies between stakeholders, but in each case the results of the project has led tomeaningful benefits.

Benefits to small tea growers• The project has helped about 16,100 small tea growers in five districts of four States gain

better returns for their produce• The 306 STG Societies that the project helped establish or strengthen help its member-

growers with better prices for produce, lower costs for inputs and better productivity throughimproved skills

• The network of organisations facilitated by the project – village level Societies,Regional/District and State Associations and the national level Confederation of IndianSmall Tea Grower Associations (CISTA) provide a strong institutional framework to helpsmall tea growers address issues and face challenges


Benefits to Bought Leaf Factories• The collectivisation of small tea growers at the primary level helps quality conscious tea

factories to obtain better quality green leaf from the growers

Benefits to the Tea Board of India• The strong network of organisations helps in proper and effective implementation of its

schemes for the STG segment• Presence of CISTA as a permanent invitee member of the Tea Board provides the board

with direct access to issues faced by the STG segment

Benefits to CEC• The STG project helped CEC diversify its programmatic focus by implementing a large

programme not addressed at labour issues, but closely linked• Helped CEC continue its work in the tea sector that started in 1997, and make meaningful

contribution to the sector• Helped CEC build a stronger relationship with Traidcraft• Helped build credibility with the Tea Board

Benefits to Traidcraft• The STG project helped Traidcraft build a strong relationship with CEC• Helped Traidcraft gain deeper knowledge of issues related to the STG segment• Gave first hand knowledge of running a large programme in one of its priority areas, tea• Helped build credibility with the Tea Board and the tea industry

Pointers for futureThe success of the STG project invests in the partner organisations the responsibility to ensurethat the gains are not squandered away. As indicated earlier in the report, there are several areasthat the partners need to work further on to ensure continued gains for the small tea growers. Theorganisational structure that the Project has helped build needs further hand-holding and guidance.Policy level gains made during this phase will continue to occur, with CISTA already finding itsinstitutional space, but more capacity building is needed to expand its horizons and widen thespace within which to operate.

RecommendationsThe STG project's experience provides a number of lessons and pointers for future action. It will beworthwhile for CEC and Traidcraft to consider these action points. The recommendations emergingfrom the study and analysis done during the evaluation can be classified into three broad groups:

• Strengthening tea growers' primary organisations• Expansion and future-oriented actions• Strengthening work on rights and entitlements

Strengthening tea growers' primary organisationsThe village level STG Society is the most significant element of the STG project – in terms ofbenefits to small tea growers during the past three years and for the future. CEC and Traidcraftneed to put in place a mechanism by which these organisations can be strengthened to continuethe good work and prepare them to meet different challenges in the future.


Streamlining functioning of STG SocietiesThere is the need to help the STG Societies develop suitable and adequate governance andadministrative systems to streamline their regular functioning. Key issues in this regard are:

• Separating governance and administrative functions within Society management – definingclear roles for the Governance structures and supporting them to create administrativemechanisms and personnel to carry out day-to-day functions. The present system ofvolunteers from among Society leadership carrying out accounting and administrativefunctions will not be sustainable

• Creating provision for working capital – STG Societies need to have access to sources ofworking capital, in order to manage their functions properly. Given the complex marketconditions it is important that the Societies stand their own feet as regards financialcapacities are concerned.

Helping STG Societies develop a bouquet of services for membersThe STG Societies need to develop into proper producer cooperative type of entities, providingmembers with the range of inputs and services required to run their tea-based livelihoods. At themoment most Societies provide only green leaf trade as the only service. Several Societies,particularly in Assam and West Bengal, that had started functioning before the start of the STGproject, have already expanded their range of services. Typically, a producer cooperative type oforganisation will have the following services.

• Produce marketing – linking up with tea factories for supply of green leaf (already beingdone)

• Input supply - fertilizers, pesticides, tools, equipments (being done partially by some)• Credit – for working capital, meeting lean season demands and asset up-gradation (being

done by a handful of Societies, mostly in Assam)• Technical services – technical training for growers and workers, periodic garden-specific

inputs etc. (not done by the Societies)• Liaison services – linking up with external agencies to obtain entitlements or privileges; for

e.g. application for benefits from Tea Board (not done by Societies)

It is important that Society members and leaders are exposed to the possibilities of what producercooperatives can achieve. Having a wider range of services will ensure that even when green leafprices are down, members will value the Society for the other services. It is important to convincegrowers that a rupee saved on cost of production is equivalent to a rupee gained extra on greenleaf sale.

Member EducationThe cornerstone of grassroots level collective organisations is the level of consciousness of themembers. There is a strong need to address this issue in the case of STG Societies. Growersneed to be members of collectives not just for immediate gains; they need to understand the long-term benefits of membership. A large part of this has to happen from experience, but it is possibleto design and execute member education programmes to achieve this.

Creating technical capacity building services at the district levelOne of the critical services required by growers is technical inputs – guidance on agronomic andhusbandry practices. The STG project had relied completely on the periodic support provided byUPASI or TRA. This was found to be inadequate.

There is need to develop technical support services exclusively for small tea growers. All existingresearch is done for large plantation gardens, conditions of which are vastly different from that ofsmall grower gardens. It may not be viable to consider parallel research infrastructure, but the


provision of trained and experienced persons at a regional or district level will help in adapting thework done by UPASI-TRF and TRA to suit small grower needs.

Increasing awareness about quality issuesQuality has become the key word in the tea industry today. A distinct advantage that small growersenjoy over large plantations is their lower overheads, making it possible for them to produce greenleaf at a lower cost. However, if the STG segment does not get serious about quality issues, thecost advantage will be lost completely.

Work on quality needs to be done at two levels. The first is to increase awareness among smallgrowers on quality issues. This is a function that the STG Societies can fulfil, if properly supportedwith technical and logistical assistance. Small steps like organising exposure visits of growers totea factories can help in bringing in quality consciousness. The second is to lobby with theauthorities to ensure that Bought Leaf Factories are forced to accept minimum quality standards.

Expansion and future-oriented actionsHaving a tea factory of their own was the one desire that growers met during the evaluationexercise articulated the most. Across the four States, this is one common thread that could befound. While the demand itself is not unreasonable, there is great amount of work to be done toensure that such a step will provide the desired results.

Planning for STG owned black tea manufacturing and marketing systemsIt is important that the desire to have own processing facilities is given a more concrete shape. Theidea needs to be developed into a proper business plan and piloted on ground. The institutionalstructure for such an intervention is not clear as yet. It is unlikely that a tea factory can beestablished by any one STG Society alone, however large its membership base is. This calls forcollaboration amongst several Societies and hence the need for a higher level coordinationmechanism. Whether the Anand-pattern Milk Cooperative model is the best suited in this regard isnot clear. Much more thought needs to be put in this regard. If the processing and marketing facilityis to be managed by a higher level entity than the STG Society, there is no such entity in existenceat the moment. Most of the regional/district Associations are not properly representative of grower/Society interests and hence will not be able to do justice to the task at hand. Whether a parallelmechanism needs to be developed has to be thought of.

Increasing capacities of STG Societies and growers to manage cyclical marketsWhether or not own processing infrastructure is established, it is important to build capabilities ofthe institutions and growers to foresee, prepare and tide over trade cycles in the tea business. STGSocieties or higher level entities need to be prepared for eventual, inevitable glut scenarios, wherereturns are likely to be very low. Such situations can have serious implications on the livelihoods ofthe marginal tea grower. Developing sound savings instruments that members can subscribe to,putting in place adequate insurance coverage and helping members diversify their livelihoods baseare options that need to be considered.

Strengthening work on rights and entitlementsThe business element of work with small tea growers is only one part of the issue. Equallyimportant is the need to ensure that small growers continue to have access to their rights andentitlements. There is need to define entitlements by the growers themselves and get theauthorities to accept demands. CISTA is presently in a very advantageous position in this regard. Itis the only representative body of small tea growers with a very broad membership base.Strengthening CISTA and making it capable for meeting the future challenges is very important.


Developing leadership potential of STG leadersFor CISTA to continue to be relevant to the small growers, it is necessary that the leadership poolis expanded. More and more people need to be prepared to take on higher leadership positions. Itis easy to have people aspire for leadership; the challenge is to have them become leaders torepresent a cause and not just for the perks of the position. There is need to develop strategies inthis regard.

Helping CISTA initiate stronger democratic processesThe expansion of leadership pool should make CISTA a more vibrant and relevant organisation. Atthe same time, there is need to ensure that organisational processes within CISTA are built entirelyon democratic principles. There is need to ensure that norms of membership are adhered to, dutiesof office-bearers properly fulfilled, rights of the Governing Council and the General Body clearlydemarcated on paper and in practice and that elections take place regularly and normally. Thecommitment shown by the CISTA leadership during the tenure of the STG project will need tocontinue beyond.


ProfilesThis section contains brief profiles of some of the Small Tea Grower Societies visited during theevaluation. These have been prepared on the basis of interactions with Society leaders andmembers during the visit.

Sri Lakshmi Narayana Small Tea Growers AssociationKarakkorai, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu

Started in November 2006Membership 37 in December 2006

113 in December 2008Green leaf price Rs.6.50 in December 2006

Rs.18 in November 2008

The crisis in the tea industry had affected the small tea growers of Karakkorai village very badly.Many families had gone under huge debts. Children who were studying in private schools thatprovided better educational facilities were withdrawn and admitted to free government schools.With the price of green leaf touching a low of Rs.2 per kilogram, there was little hope in the village,more than half of whose population was dependent entirely on tea for their livelihoods.

The STG Project made contacts with the village in 2006. The Field Officer of the Project visited thevillage and talked to the growers about organising a Society. The Society, he said, will help thegrowers sell their leaf directly to the tea factory, bypassing the leaf agent. A few growers cameforward to experiment, they had little to lose anyway. The STG Society in the village was formed inNovember 2006, with 37 members. They negotiated with the Akshaya Tea Factory who agreed topurchase the leaf collected by the Society. In the early days, leaf collection would average about400 kilograms a day. “On the first day of leaf trade, we carried four bags of green leaf in the Projectvehicle as we could not get any other transport arranged” reminisces R Vishwanathan, currentSecretary of the Society . It gradually increased to 1500 kilograms. Members started feeling adefinite improvement in returns. In December 2006, they obtained a price of Rs.6.50 per kilogramof green leaf. This started going up gradually, and so did the membership of the Society.

Karakkorai is situated off the main road and public transport facilities are limited. The Societyneeded a vehicle of its own. Member gardens were spread over a large area and it was notpossible for members to bring the leaf to any one common place. There had to arrangements forcollecting leaf from different locations. The leaf also had to be transported to the Factory. Theleaders of the Society got together and pooled in their own funds and purchases a used pick-upvan. “We knew we had to take a risk with our own money. There was none available from othersources. Somehow we believed that this will be a good investment. And it worked out. From the


Members of the Executive Committee of Karakkorai STG Society in their office

service charge collected from members we were able to repay the loan taken for buying thevehicle”, says R Ravishankar.

Linkage with the STG Project helped the Society get access to schemes of the Tea Board of India.By December 2008, the Society had got support for purchase of a new vehicle, putting up leafcollection sheds, purchase weighing machines and leaf carrying bags. By December 2008, theSociety membership had grown to 113 growers. Daily leaf trade has risen to more than 3000kilograms a day, going up to five or six thousand kilograms during flush periods. The Society hasbuilt a meaningful relationship with the Tea Factory who also appreciates the better quality of leaf itis able to supply. B Madhan, President of the Society says “We have made it compulsory thatmembers should bring only good quality leaf, adhering to the principle of 'two leaves and a bud'.We have maintained a high level of fine quality leaves and this had helped us get higher prices. InNovember 2008, our leaf fetched an average price of Rs.18 per kilogram, when other growers gotonly Rs.15 or less”.

Says B Nataraj, a member, “without the Society we would not have made any progress. The leafagent would have taken away a good share of what was due to us. Now, because of the Society,even growers who are not members have gained, as the leaf agent is forced to pay prices close towhat the Society is paying. Earlier, he would pay what he wanted to. The Society has ensured thatgrowers leaf is weighed correctly; the agent would cheat on the weight and this meant additionallosses for the grower. The overall benefit from the Society is not just the price”.

The Society plans to take up supply of inputs like fertilizers and pesticides to its members. It hasalready started supplying rice, when it was found that many members were finding it difficult toobtain good quality rice at reasonable prices. It now purchases rice in bulk, uses the vehicle totransport it to the village and members can buy required quantities on credit. Payment is adjustedagainst their dues for green leaf.

The Small Tea Growers of Karakkorai are a happier lot today. The STG Society has opened theprospects of a better future. Children who were forced to leave good schools are now back there.

Arottuparai Small Tea Growers AssociationArottuparai, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu

Started in August 2007Membership 56 in August 2007

153 in December 2008Green leaf price Rs.6 in October 2007

Rs.13.50 in November 2008


Karakkorai Society members in a discussion with Muruga Periyar, Field Officer of the STG Project

Arottuparai village is located in a relatively remote corner of Nilgiris district. Nestled in a beautifulvalley, the village is home to migrant farmers from all over the region. There are families who havemigrated from Kerala, other parts of Tamil Nadu and some from Sri Lanka as well. Diversity is thekey here – of language, religion, cultures. Livelihoods though, is one common binding factor. Mostare farmers, mainly of cash crops. Tea is the most preferred crop, others being Coffee, Ginger andPepper.

The STG Society is a new common interest for the farmers. A neighbouring village, Dharmagiri,was the first to have a Society in the area, with support from the STG Project. The farmers ofArottuparai got together and formed one of their own when they found that having a Society meanta lot of good things. Says Manoharan, President of the Society, “For one, we get a better pricetoday. And correct weight for the leaf. Above all, the Society pays the grower on time. The leafagent would never do it, he will always have an excuse to postpone payment. And even when hepaid it would be, we now know, a pittance”.

Average price obtained by the growers have gone up from Rs.6 per kilogram in October 2007 toRs.13.50 in November 2008. Veeran, a member of the Society says, “Without this Society wewould never have got such prices. Look at those growers who are not members, even they aregetting a good price. When I got Rs.13.50, my neighbour who is not a member got Rs.11. The leafagent is scared that he will not have any business from our village, so he is trying match our price”.At one point in time there were six of seven leaf agents doing brisk business in the village, now thatnumber has come down to just one.


Leaders and members of the Arottuparai Society in front of the Society office

Day's leaf collection piled up before sending to the Tea Factory

Green leaf brought in by member being weighed at the Society office

The Society has been supplying leaf to the Woodbridge Tea Factory situated about 30 kilometresaway. There are no other factories closer and this is a real challenge Manoharan and his friendsare facing. The Manjusree Tea Estate factory owned by the Birla Group nearby closed down twoyears ago. Now green leaf from the Estate is finding its way to Bought Leaf Factories in the area,creating pressure on small tea growers. The BLF are spoilt for choice, leaf agents are having afield day, Societies such as Arottuparai are having to fight a tough battle.

“Sooner or later, the sooner the better, we have not have our own Tea Factory. There are six STGSocieties in our Panchayat and if we pool our resources together we will be able to put up our ownfactory. That is our dream and we want to fulfil it soon”, says Manoharan.

Haripal Small Tea Growers Self Help GroupHaripal, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal

Started in March 2008Membership 36 in December 2008Green leaf price Rs.7 in September 2007

Rs.13.50 in September 2008

Gauranga Sarkar of Haripal village is one of the first farmers in Rajganj area of Jalpaiguri district ofWest Bengal to start tea cultivation. This was about twenty years ago. Today, there are more than300 small tea growers in Haripal village. When a Small Tea Growers Society started functioning inthe neighbouring Johuri village, Sarkar and three other growers from Haripal joined as members.They soon realised it was very beneficial. However, the distance from Johuri was a limiting factorwhich meant more growers from Haripal could not join the Society. Finally, after more than a year'sefforts, about 30 growers from Haripal joined together to form their own Society, in March 2008.

In the first season of functioning, the Haripal STG Society helped members sell about 200,000kilograms of green leaf, at an average price of Rs.11.12 per kilogram. The turnover of the Societyin the first season thus crossed Rs.2 million, which is no mean achievement. Growers earned amaximum of Rs.13.50 per kilogram of leaf in September 2008, while the least they earned wasRs.8.76 in the month of October. “Had the Society not been there, we would not have receivedeven half of this. The agent would have cheated us on weight, and there would be no question ofgetting the payment on time. With the Society we can rest assured that we will get the right pricefor the right weight at the right time”, says Mohammed Jamiruddhin, a small tea grower who ismember of the Society. The Society has an arrangement with the Mag Tea Factory for supplyinggreen leaf.

With support from the STG Project, the Society had arranged training programme for members on


Members of Haripal Society with Gauranga Sarkar (centre)

proper tea growing practices. “Most of our members shifted to tea only in the last five or sevenyears. They are not aware of the correct practices in growing tea. Before the Society, we did nothave any idea as to how to obtain technical information. With support of CEC, we contacted theSiliguri office of Tea Research Association and arranged for a training programme. Dr. Baishyafrom TRA came to our village for a workshop. He also visited a few gardens and showed us theproblems with the way we were growing tea. Our members are now aware of quality issues andtake care of their gardens scientifically”, says Nishikant Biswas, President of the Society.

With the newly gained technical knowledge, the members now take care of their gardens properly.Pruning of tea bushes is being done regularly now. Earlier, growers would prune their bushes veryrarely, but now the correct schedule for pruning is being followed.

At present the Society has 36 members. “We want to expand the membership and have at least 50members by middle of next year, so that we can become eligible for support from the Tea Board.We also want to start providing members with fertilizers and other inputs,so that members can getthese at lower prices. We have to find ways to raise the working capital needed, but with supportfrom the STG project and Tea Board we hope to do this”, says Nishikant.

Garudharia Small Tea Growers Self Help GroupGarudharia, Dibrugarh, Assam

Started in March 2007Membership 23 in March 2007

70 in February 2009Green leaf price Rs.6 in October 2007

Rs.11.50 in November 2008

Bharat Changmai belongs to Garudharia. Some years ago, he shifted residence from the village toBorbaruah town, about six kilometres away, to have better school facilities for his children. InBorbaruah, he came across many small tea growers who were supplying green leaf directly to theTea Factory. Bharat realised that these growers were getting much higher prices for their green leafthan what the leaf agents were paying growers in Garudharia. He himself was being cheated bythe agent and Bharat wanted to do something about this. He discussed this with other growers ofthe village and they approached the All Assam Small Tea Growers Association (AASTGA). ThisAssociation has been functioning as a Trade Union of small growers since 1987 and they guidedBharat and his friends to meet the Field Officer of the CEC STG Project.The Garudharia STG Society was formed in March 2007 with 23 members. By December 2008,the membership had increased to 30. In 2007, the Society supplied about 60,000 kilograms of


Tea garden of Nishikanta Biswas after pruning

green leaf to the Green Assam Tea Factory at an average price of Rs.7 per kg. In 2008, thequantity increased to 80,000 kilograms and the average price to Rs.12 per kilogram.

“Most growers were not convinced about the idea of a Society when we started functioning. Evenafter we showed that Society members were getting a better price than other growers, there wasnot much interest. With the limited membership, we were also finding it difficult to fulfil thecommitments made to the Tea Factory. They expected us to supply at least 100,000 kilograms in2008, but we could only supply 80,000 kilograms. Then all of a sudden, at the end of the season(in January 2009) we received 40 new applications for membership. We were surprised by this, butare very happy. We hope to do about 200,000 kilograms of leaf trade in 2009 and this will help usbuild a strong relationship with the factory”, says Ramlal Pradhan, President of the Society.

The reason for lack of interest also became clear soon. Most of the growers were indebted to theleaf agents and even if they wanted to join the Society they could not, as they had commitments tosupply leaf to the agents. Rajkumar, a newly joined members says “I have been wanting to jointhe Society from its start, but I had taken advance from the agent and had to give him the leaf.Then I saw that he was really cheating me. When the Society started giving its members the priceannounced by the Tea Factory we also came to know about the right price. When I asked theagent about it, he said he was supplying leaf to another factory and there the price was less. Healso said that the quality of leaf I was giving was poor and hence the lower price. When I talked togrowers who were part of the Society I realised that all this was a lie. Then I decided that comewhat may, in 2009 I will join the Society and sell my leaf there only. So I refused to take anyadvance from the agent, even when he came after me offering it. I faced some problems due tothis, but I think I will be better off as a Society member, so it is alright”.

The interest of growers like Rajkumar has encouraged Bharat and other leaders to strengthen thefunctioning of the Society further. With membership crossing the 50 mark , they have now becomeeligible to approach the Tea Board for support. They also want to raise working capital to start inputsupply. “We want to be able to give advances to our members, to help them meet their cashneeds. We also want to set up a tea factory of our own. As a Society we need to take care of allthe needs of the members, this will be possible only if we become stronger”, says BharatChangmai.


Bharat (sitting, third from left) with other leaders and members of the Society

Appendices

1. Logical Framework of the Project

2. Terms of Reference for the evaluation

3. Evaluation Enquiry Framework

4. Check-lists & Questionnaires used

5. List of respondents


Appendix 1

Logical Framework of the project - Sustainable Livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers and workers

Measurable Indicators Means ofVerification

Important assumptions

Goal:To improve the livelihood ofworkers and small tea growers inIndia.

Increased income and standard of living for tea workers andsmall tea growers. Increase in average household income fromRs. 1500 - Rs. 2500 per month, to Rs. 1250 - Rs. 3125 per month

Increased income and standard of living for Marginal teagrowers (Under 5 acres) who are more than 70% of the totalsmall tea growers in India

Improvement in the quality of living of small tea growers andworkers (including a reduction in the number of poverty relatedsuicides and starvation related deaths in the project area - thereshould be no poverty related suicides in project areas). Education& health not a priority at present. Smallholder associationencouraging education of children, alternative livelihoods, betterhealth care. Reports from Association will give us informationon these issues as well.

Improved social security systems in place - policy statements,crop insurance, easier credit, household savings - enabled by theSmall tea growers' Societies and Associations.

Village records.State records.

There continues to be a gooddomestic market for tea inIndia.



Purpose:To empower small tea growers andtea workers to realise fairer termsof trade in the tea industry.

Small tea growers are organised to have a voice within the teaindustry.

100% increase in prices received by small tea growers - from Rs.3 per kg of green leaf (as recorded in 2002 while designing theproject) to Rs. 6 per kg of green leaf by the end of the project.This year the price was just Rs. 2/- per kg)

Tea workers wages recorded and show an increase.

25% increase in income of smallholder tea growers (Rs.1000 permonth to Rs. 1250 per month)

25% increase in income for tea workers (Rs.300 per month toRs.345 per month)

Gender differentials in wages reduced by 50%.(Rs. 50 per day toRs. 65 per day for women workers)

The Government of India evolves or starts working on policiesthat address the needs of small tea growers and tea workers. TheSTG Associations make submissions to Tea Board, Ministry ofCommerce for policies to protect their interests which do notexist.

Institutional mechanisms (e.g. instituting price sharing formulas,establising partnerships with BLFs) are developed to enablesmallholder tea growers to get fairer prices for their produce.STG Societies and Apex bodies work with Bought LeafFactories, Banks, and other relevant bodies for support onproduction of quality tea, credit, crop insurance - all of which aredifficult to access or do not exist.

Project Reports.Trade Union Reports.Baseline Study.Impact AssessmentStudy.

Small tea growers arewilling to come together andfind solutions to theirproblems.Small tea growers'Associations are able toengage effectively with tradeunions in the tea Industry.



Outputs:A better understanding of the teaindustry - both nationally andinternationally - for allstakeholders concerned with smalltea growers and workers.

The domestic and international supply chains for Indian tea areclearly mapped out.

The key issues in the tea industry in India have been identified.Some of the issues identified include poor quality standards,high pesticide residues, lack of protective policies for smallholders, invisibility in supply chains, lack of market options,weak relationship with Bought Leaf Factories, etc.

All stakeholders understand the issues affecting the teasector.The key stakeholders are the small growers, tea workers,trade unions, plantations, and Tea Board at the supply end,brokers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, domestic &international buyers, and institutions regulatory the industry atthe market end.

The research findings inform the progress and activities of theproject. The project activities will be further fine-tuned once theresearch activities have been completed.

Research Report forthe Tea Industry inIndia.Research Report forthe Tea Industry inthe EU (Focus onUK).DisseminationWorkshop ReportProject Plans.

Key stakeholders are willingto engage and support theresearch exercise sharingexperiences and issuesfaced.Issues identified are thosethat can be resolved withinthe limits of this project.

Increased understanding of thepolicy barriers which negativelyimpact on tea growers and workersby key stakeholders, and enhancedcapacity to influence change.

Small tea growers and tea workers contribute to the developmentaction plans that demonstrate a better understanding of the policybarriers which negatively impact them. Participatory processeswill be enabled to ensure that strategies and action plans areguided by the small growers and tea workers, and thesmallholder association once it is formed.

Small tea growers and tea workers contribute to the developmentaction plans that demonstrate increased confidence to deal withpolicy barriers.

Participatoryworkshops reportswith Smallholdersand Trade UnionsPlan of action ofSmall tea growersand Trade UnionsProject ReportsImpact AssessmentReports

The smallholder associationis strong enough to engageeffectively with relevantstakeholdersTrade Union politicalaffiliations do not negativelyaffect the policies of thetrade unions in the tea sector



Small tea growers and tea workers begin to engage with relevantstakeholders (government and private sector) to deal with issuesidentified. The primary stakeholders will be the bought leaffactories, other factories (for fair business links), andgovernment institutions.

Enhanced capacity of tea small teagrowers, workers, and the civilsociety organisations that supportthem - eg panchayats, trade unionsand NGOs - to demand fairerworking conditions and prices.

25 % of Small Tea Growers are organized into Primary STGSocieties are formed at village level in all four states

4 Small Tea Growers' Associations formed in Tamil Nadu, WestBengal, Assam and Kerala.

1 National Small Tea Growers Association formed.

Constitutions for each Primary STG Societies and Apex Bodiesdeveloped in Nilgiris and Kerala. In Assam and West Bengalexisting linkage between society and Associations will bestrengthened.

Improved working relationships between smallholders andBLFs. Smallholders have very little negotiating position with theBLFs, hence have to agree to whatever price is paid since greenleaves need to be in the factories within a limited number ofhours. it is possible to negotiate a fair partnership between BLFsand smallholders. At least one business link (based on mutual &fair negotiation process will be tried out - to set an example forother smallholders and BLFs in the Nilgiri region.

Increased capacity of local NGOs, trade unions, etc to supportPrimary STG Societies and Small Tea GrowersAssociations.While NGOs have been involved in supportingsocial needs of these groups, there is very little capacity on thelivelihood front - need to understand the supply chain, the tea

Project Reports.Trade Union Reports.Baseline Study.Impact AssessmentReport.Action plan.Constitution ofSmallholderAssociations.Annual reports ofSmallholderAssociations.

The small tea growers'associations are strongenough to engage effectivelywith relevant stakeholders.Project able to make abusiness case to factoriesowners to developrelationships withsmallholders on mutuallyagreeable conditions.



industry, the different stakeholders, and ways in whichsmallholders can negotiate their way through to avail of asustainable livelihood.

Small Tea Growers Associations are satisfied with the supportfrom local NGOs, trade unions, etc. Trade unions now workingwith tea workers around their issues, taking interest in issues ofsmall growers and supporting the Small Tea GrowersAssociation with policy matters.

Strategies developed by Small Tea Growers Associations toengage in policy issues on behalf of their members with clearaction plans. Smallholders agree on one formula of price sharingat the national level

Increase in the number of tea workers that are union members (atleast 25% in the Nilgiris region). None are organised at themoment.

More effective advocacy on issuesaffecting the tea industry in thenational and international arena(through the Indian Government,UK government, EU, FAO andUNCTAD).

Submission of draft policies to the Government of India andother key decision makers.

At least 2 major Trade Unions increase their involvement in thetea sector, with a focus on tea workers in small grower gardens

At least 2 major Trade unions develop policies for lobbying thekey stakeholders on issues effecting the tea industry.

Partnership agreements between smallholder growers and BLFsdeveloped in the Nilgiris region.

The Government of India, State Governments, the Tea Board andtrading organisations develop improved relevant legislative and

Project Reports.Policy briefings.Baseline Study.Impact AssessmentReport.

Policy makers are willing toengage with smallholderassociations and projectpartners to look at the policyissues affecting smallholdersand tea workers.



policy instruments to safeguard the interests of smallholder teagrowers and workers, since at the moment there is no policylevel protection for smallgrowers like the Plantation Labour Actfor small growers and workers in small grower gardens.

Enhanced capacity of small teagrowers to market their teathrough alternative channels.

Feasibility study undertaken for experimental business project.

Business plan developed for experimental project based on theresults of the feasibility report.

Experimental project initiated in five villages to link smallholder tea growers to the manufacture and marketing of teainitiated in the Nilgiris region.

Trading company established

Infrastructure for value-addition developed as part of theexperimental project (e.g. for product development)This project is an attempt to demonstrate alternate supply chainsthat recognise small growers or strengthening existing supplychains (fairer terms of trade)

Feasibility studyBusiness PlanProject Report

The market study indicatesthat tea is a viable livelihoodoption for smallholders.We are able to raise therequired resources to makethe experiment a success.

Improved business performance ofsmall tea growers and bought leaffactories e.g. better yields, betterquality, better businessmanagement etc.

Increased yields by at least 15%.

Improved quality of tea leaves - among the reasons why smallgrowers get low prices is because of low quality of agriculturalpractices and quality of plucking (besides lack of negotiationpower).

Improved processing of tea leaves - through encouragement ofbetter relationships with BLFs

Improved quality of black tea from BLFs - The above twoindicators will lead to better quality tea, which will lead to better

Project Report.Impact AssessmentReports.

The market study indicatesthat tea is a viable livelihoodoption for smallholders.Other supply chain playerse.g. bought leaf factories arewilling to engage in theproject.Business provide the dataneed for measuringindicators.



prices for green leaf.

Better business management by Small Growers Associations -small growers have few business skills. If they work as businesspeople, then they can be more conscious of alternate ways ofincreasing their income.

100% increas in prices received by smallholder teagrowers.When this project was being developed with the smallgrowers in the Nilgiris, the price for green leaf was just Rs. 3 perkg. It is important that prices stabilise at least Rs. 6 per kg for adecent household income.Records of tea workers wages recorded.

25% increase in income of smallholder tea growers

25% increase in income for tea workers.

Gender differentials in wages reduced by 50%. As indicated in the proposal, women pluckers get just Rs. 50 perday while men can command Rs. 70. We need to work with teaworkers and small growers to change this practice and reduce thegender differentials in wage. The work here will need to be doneat the Association level and not just individual small growers.The market needs to change for wages to change.

Activities:



1. Preparatory research to enablea better understanding of thesituation.This will include:- the impact of declining tea priceson the smallholder tea growersand workers,- the legislative and policyframework,- mapping the tea industry value-chain,- good practice by small holdersacross the world etc.

Indian Consultant (research), Indian Consultant per diem, ProjectTeam's per diem, Domestic flights

Research Report Documentation ofCase Studies

We are able to get inputsfrom the key stakeholders inthe tea industry in India.

2. Identify potential policyinterventions.Further research will look atpotential policy interventions at aninternational level.

Traidcraft Exchange Policy Expert (preparatory work and reportwriting), UK Consultant (international research), UK Consultantper diem, Traidcraft Exchange Policy Expert per diem

DisseminationReport

The issues that are identifiedas priority are those that canbe addressed (some shortterm wins are possible toincrease confidence).

3. Formation of Primary STGSocieties and Small Tea GrowerAssociations in Tamil Nadu,-Assam, West Bengal, Kerala.These Associations will buildcollective voice of smallholder teagrowers across the country.

Set-up and Programme support to regional Assocations, Projectstaff per diems , Local Transportation costs, Regional Meetings

Workshop Reports.Framework forTraining Modules.Self Evaluation byParticipants ofTraining Workshops.

Smallholders in otherregions of India (besides theNilgiris where work hasalready been initiated) arewilling to come together tobe part of the network,Leadership within theregional associations can besustained to make theprocess sustainable.



4. Capacity building of small teagrowersThis will empower small teagrowers in civil society and helpthem to realise fairer terms oftrade in the tea industry. Thecapacity bulding support will helpthem to:- increase their understanding ofissues in the tea sector,- get involved in advocacy andlobbying,- develop a collective voice,- upgrade skills for improvedplucking practices, access tocredit, use of pesticides/fertiliser,negotiating prices with factories,- develop collective marketingstrategies etc.

Participants per diems, Project staff per diems, Newsletter forSmallholders


Smallholders understand theneed for change, and arewilling change businesspractices as a consequenceof training.

5. National Workshop on small teagrowers.The workshop has 3 aims:- to disseminate research findingsand increase undertsanding of themain issues affectingsmallholders,- to identify and plan policyinterventions, - to establish a nationalSmallholder Association and aProject Steering Group.

Participants per diems, Participants travel Project staff per diems, Venue hire, Honorarium for Resourcepersons, Travel for resource persons


Stakeholders are willing toengage on addressing theissues that arise.Appropriate representativescan be found for the ProjectSteering group and nationalAssociation.



6. National AdvocacyThis will include:- identifying and prioritising areasfor action,- evolving a national consensus onfair and transparent tea tradepractices,- annual workshop with keystakeholders to review strategy,- submissions to policy-makers.

Communication and campaign material, Project staff per diems,Legal Assistance

Project Reports.Impact assessmentreport.

Some immediate issues areidentified and agreed onbeing addressed during theproject period.Stakeholders are open toseeking help in addressingissues that they are unable todeal with on their own.

7. International AdvocacyThis will target the EU in order toraise awareness of issues in thetea industry. Some possible areasof intervention include:- global demand and supplymanagement (DFID),- strategies to reduce oversupplyof tea in world markets,- EU commodity paper.

Traidcraft Exchange policy expert, Travel within in UK/EU,Material for campaign purposes, International flight

Project Reports.Impact assessmentreport.Policy DocumentsPrepared.

Policy makers see the teacrisis as a priority and makechanges accordingly.



8. Experimental business initiativein Tamil Nadu regionThis will explore alternativeenterprise activities within thedomestic market. Options include:- a collective enterprise to collectand pack tea run by smallholders,- opportunities for social labellingin the domestic market,- capacity building of smallholdersand tea workers for enterprisedevelopment.

Indian Business Consultants costs, Indian Business Consultantsper diems, Internal flights, Revolving Fund for BusinessOpportunities, Indian Technical Consultant costs, Internalflights, Project staff per diems, Business Training for Core Teamof Business Initiative, Capacity Building for Bought LeafFactories on Fairer Trade Practices, Traidcraft Market AdvisorTime, Overseas Flight, Campaign with Consumers (campaignmaterial, use of audio-visual media), Update of Website

Business Plan.Business AssessmentReport.

The feasibility studyprovides viable domesticmarket opportunities for thesmallholders.We are able to get otherplayers along the supplychain to support the businessinitiatives of thesmallholders.

9. National disseminationworkshopThis will consolidate anddisseminate the outcomes of theproject. And identify gaps forfurther action.

Participants per diems, Travel for Participants, Project staff perdiems, Venue hire, Honorarium for Resource Persons, Travel forResource Persons

Monitoring PlanDocumentImpact assessmentdocumentProject CompletionReport

Key stakeholders are willingto engage and take projectactivties forward.

Appendix 2

Sustainable Livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers and workers

(Jointly undertaken by Centre for Education and Communication, New Delhi and Traidcraft, U.K)

Final Evaluation

Terms of reference

Work assignment: To conduct the final external evaluation of the Sustainable livelihood forIndian Small Tea Growers and workers Project, including an evaluation of the project’s outputs,impacts and lessons learned and recommendations.

Project Locations: Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala

1. Background

The project “Sustainable livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers and workers” is supported byCivil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) of DFID.

DFID supports a wide range of civil society organizations (CSOs), both in the UK and in thedeveloping world, in their role of helping poor and excluded people to get their voice heard anddemand access to better services. As well as these ‘rights based’ activities, DFID also supportsinnovative service delivery projects that provide lasting benefits. In countries where the state isunable or unwilling, DFID also supports civil society to deliver basic services.

The Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) is one of DFID’s main central channels of support forUK based CSO projects. It is a DFID requirement that all projects are subject to regularreporting and monitoring and final evaluation. Each project has a statement of Purpose and anumber of Outputs (intended results) agreed by DFID. These are set out in the project’s LogicalFramework (log frame), together with specific and measurable indicators of achievement.Annual Reporting records progress against these indicators and where necessary recordsagreed changes to update the log frame as project implementation progresses. A CSCFproject’s Goal should show the wider development changes the project will contribute to. At thehighest level, this could be the Millennium Development Goals.

A CSCF project’s Purpose-level objective should be focused on changes in the empowermentof the poor and their capacity to demand their rights, and/or changes in the access to andquality of services.

By the end of the project, results may not be exactly as planned. However, there will still besome impact and change, both intended and unintended, positive and in some cases negative.This information needs to be recorded in the final evaluation.

The purpose of the final evaluation is to:

• Identify the impact of the project and ways that this can be sustained • Record and share lessons • Account to local stakeholders and funders for the project’s achievements

• Continuously improve project design and management and the guidanceavailable to future CSCF grant-holders

• Ensure that funds are used effectively and efficiently to deliver results• Enable DFID to monitor and evaluate the performance of the CSCF as a

whole, making sure the overall CSCF project portfolio is contributing to thereduction of poverty and demonstrating, for public accountability purposes, thatthe fund is an effective use of money.

2. PROJECT APPROACH Goal: To improve the livelihood of smallholder tea growers and workers in India.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to empower smallholder tea growers and tea workers torealize fairer terms of trade in the tea industry

Expected Outputs:

• A better understanding of the tea industry - both nationally within India and internationally -for all stakeholders concerned with smallholder tea growers and workers

• Increased understanding of policy barriers, which negatively impact on tea growers andworkers by key stakeholders, and enhanced capacity to influence change

• Enhanced capacity of tea smallholders, workers, and the civil society organizations thatsupport them to demand fairer working conditions and prices

• More effective advocacy on issues affecting the tea industry as a whole in the national andinternational arena – through the Indian government, UK government, EU, FAO andUNCTAD

• Enhanced capacity of smallholder tea growers to market their tea through alternativechannels

• Improved business performance of smallholder tea growers and bought leaf factories, e.g.better yields, better quality, better business management, etc

Brief outline of Accomplishment:

The project has facilitated Small Tea Growers to form 305 STGs societies (Kerala-100, TamilNadu-36, West Bengal-45, Assam-124) covering approximately 20000 Small Tea Growerswhich are linked with Tea Board of India, UPASI, TRA and Tea Factories. (UPASI-UnitedPlanters’Association of South India, TRA-Tea Research Association).Community mobilization,facilitating trainings on producers’ society management, business development and networkingfor technical trainings are the other major activities for the Societies. The project hasalsofacilitated the state level Associations to form Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers’association (CISTA) to lobby, coordinate with Government and engage in advocacy andcampaigning to address the issues of STGs at state and national level.

Scope and focus

The work to be evaluated comprises the Project: “Sustainable livelihood for Indian Small TeaGrowers and workers” Lead partner Centre for Education and Communication (CEC) andTraidcraft Exchange, should also be included in the evaluation.

The evaluation focus will be guided by the specific objectives and indicators outlined in theproject logframe and evaluation framework.

The broad key questions to be answered against the logframe include:

Relevance

How effective was the design and methodology of the project?

How did the design of the project take other interventions into account? Were there synergies orduplications?

How relevant was this project? Details of the project’s significance with respect to specificneeds and its relevance to country poverty reduction priorities

• To what extent has the project contributed to rights awareness, whose rightsand what impact has there been?

• How well did the project relate to the country’s poverty reduction plans andDFID’s country assistance plan?

How relevant was the project to the different stakeholders’ requirements and objectives and tocountry needs? What was the quality of the problem analysis and the project’s logicalframework? Have the problems originally identified changed? How flexible was the project tochanges in circumstances?

What else has changed (external context)? – eg What has been happening in India / state /sector? What impact has this had on our work / future work in this area? What else hassupported / hindered our work in this area?

Equity: Discussion of social differentiation (e.g. by gender, ethnicity, socio-economic group,disability, etc) and the extent to which the project had a positive impact on the moredisadvantaged groups.

• How did the project actively promote gender equality? • What was the impact of the project on children, youth and the elderly? • If the project involved work with children, how were child protection issues

addressed? • How were the needs of excluded groups, including people with disabilities

and people living with HIV/AIDS addressed within the project?

Efficiency

How successful were the roles that Traidcraft and CEC played as project management andimplementing partner? How did this relationship develop over time? How could it be improved?

Have we worked with the right partners / target groups? Are there other partners / target groupsthat Traidcraft and CEC should be increasing / decreasing contact with? Are there new partners/ target groups that Traidcraft and CEC should work with?

How far funding, personnel, regulatory, administrative, time, other resources and procedurescontributed to or hindered the achievement of results.

Have the resources been allocated in the most strategic way? Were the activities of theexpected quality?

What are the learnings for undertaking monitoring and evaluation of a similar project in thefuture?

How well did the financial systems work?How were the beneficiaries involved, how effective was this and what have been the benefits ofor difficulties with this involvement?Were the risks properly identified and well managed?

Effectiveness Assessment of how far the intended outputs and results were achieved inrelation to targets set in the original logical framework.

What has been done by Traidcraft Exchange and CEC? How effective and appropriate was theproject approach?

What have been achieved (expected, unexpected, successes)? How effective was the project?Which objectives have been most useful and successful?

What changes have been brought about in performance / behaviour of participatingorganisations and end beneficiaries?

What is the scope or magnitude of the change achieved?

What has not been achieved (failures, disappointments, missed opportunities, challenges) andwhy? With hindsight, how would the implementers have changed it?

ImpactDetails of the broader economic, social, and political consequences of the project and how itcontributed to the overall objectives of the CSCF (poverty reduction, empowerment,partnership).

What, if any, impact has the project had so far on the end beneficiaries?

On the basis of results to date, what impact can realistically be expected? • What was the project’s overall impact and how did this compare with what

was expected?• Which of the following Millennium Development Goals did the project

contribute to? Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Achieve universal primary education

Promote gender equality and empower women

Reduce child mortality

Improve Maternal Health

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Ensure environmental sustainability

Develop a global partnership for development

None of the above

• Which of the following core CSCF areas did the project contribute to?Building capacity of Southern civil society to engage in local decision-making processes

Building capacity of Southern civil society to engage in national decisionmaking processes

Global advocacy

Raising awareness of entitlements and rights

Innovative service delivery

Service delivery in difficult environments

• Did the project address the intended target group and what was the actualcoverage?

• Who were the direct and indirect/wider beneficiaries of the project?• What difference has been made to the lives of those involved in the project?

Sustainability

Potential for the continuation of the impact achieved and of the delivery mechanisms followingthe withdrawal of external support

How committed are participating organisations to continue utilising new skills, knowledge,techniques acquired during the project?

How sustainable is this project? How sustainable is the change? What are the prospects for thebenefits of the project being sustained after the funding stops? Did this match the intentions?How could it have been made more sustainable? (eg were whole groups or individuals affected,did the project affect power structures / attitudes / behaviours and practices) Can this bereplicated? Why / why not?What are the implications for ongoing work in this area?How has/could collaboration, networking and influencing of opinion support sustainability?

Replicability: How replicable is the process that introduced the changes/had impact? Referespecially to innovative aspects which are replicable.

• What aspects of the project are replicable elsewhere?• Under what circumstances and/or in what contexts would the project be

replicable?

Lessons Learned: Key lessons learned throughout the period of the project, which can beutilized to guide future strategies, projects or agencies working in development. It is useful todivide these into project, sector and broader developmental lessons.

• Were there any significant changes in the project design or the projectcontext? What were the reasons for these and can any useful lessons be learnedfrom this for application elsewhere?

• How did the project engage with poor and marginalized groups and supporttheir empowerment most effectively?

• For whom could these lessons have relevance? • How do the lessons relate to any innovative aspects of the project that were

highlighted in the project proposal? • How has the design of the project been amended as a result of lessons

learned during implementation?Information, Dissemination and Networking: Detail the mechanisms used for disseminationto outside project stakeholders.

• Have lessons been shared during the life of the project – with whom, and towhat effect?

• How has the project contributed to building support for development in the UK(only mandatory for projects starting after March 2009)

Recommendations: Recommendations for improvements based on observations during theevaluation process (e.g. for sustainability, future project design and management)

OverallWhat has been learnt about how to work effectively and efficiently to achieve lasting change inthis area of work?

How should this learning affect ongoing work / future work in this area?Further questions in the framework refer to:More detailed data analysis against the logframeEvaluation of Traidcraft Exchange’s and CEC’s strategy for organising tea growers andproviding them training in business skills

Evaluation Process and Methodology

The evaluation will be conducted in a participatory manner to bring multiple perspectives fromkey stakeholders in assessing the achievement of the project aim and specific objectives.

It is envisaged the Methodology will include:

Desk Phase

• Planning meeting to develop guiding questions, elaborate and focus methodology andpropose a workplan

• A desk review of existing documents and limitations• An analysis of existing quantitative data and questionnaires which can part answer some of

the indicators of the logical framework• Identification of issues and questions still to be answered and review of methodologyField Phase

• Interviews, focus group discussions where possible with a small selection of tea growers i.emembers of SHGs, office bearers of tea grower associations and CISTA, staff of CEC andTraidcraft Exchange

• Interacting with individuals/ organisations who are not directly part of this project but relevantto the Tea sector such as Regional offices of the Tea Board and owners of Bought leafFactory.

Synthesis Phase

• Presentation of Preliminary findings to project partners.• The findings of the evaluation will be elaborated into a draft evaluation report, which is

structured as per the Contents Page for Evaluation Report document.• The draft report will be assessed by an evaluation group according to quality standards, and

feedback will be provided to the consultant• On the basis of comments received the consultant will revise and deliver the final evaluation

report• Main findings presented at a dissemination workshop with participating organizations,

partners and key Traidcraft Exchange and CEC staff

Key deliverables

Desk Phase:

Methodology design/key questions and timeline for approval

Feedback to the evaluation group on initial analysis from literature review and data analysis toidentify initial findings, key gaps, review sampling criteria etc

Field Phase:

Written feedback on preliminary findings and conclusions to the evaluation group

Synthesis Phase

The consultant will provide a written Evaluation report using the format provided (see separateattachment: ) which will be initially submitted to Traidcraft and CEC for comment and review.Any changes necessary will be made by the consultant. Traidcraft and CEC are interested topreserve the objectivity of the consultant but reserves the right to ensure the Evaluation report isof the quality expected.

Preliminary findings will be discussed and reviewed. The consultant will present final findings inFebruary in a dissemination workshop, where project partners and participating organisationswill be present.

Evaluation Group

The evaluation group comprises J John, Dillip Kar, (from CEC) Ram Bajekal and Neeti Malhotra(from Traidcraft Exchange). Other people who could also be consulted are Maveen Pereira andMichelle White from Traidcraft Exchange. This group’s main functions are:

• To ensure that the consultant has access to and has consulted all relevant informationsources and documents

• To validate the Evaluation Framework, Questions and Methodology• To discuss and comment on reports delivered by the consultant• To assist in feedback of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations

Reporting Structure

For day to day queries and logistical support the consultant will contact Dillip Kar at CEC whowill coordinate any support necessary. He will be responsible for informing stakeholders of anyinterviews or focus groups, and for providing the contacts of people to be interviewed, dates ofvisit and itinerary.

Support on the content and methodology of the evaluation, as well as delivery of the reportshould be with Ram Bajekal and Neeti Malhotra

Ram Bajekal, supported by Neeti Malhotra, will also be responsible for assessing the qualityof the report against

• Meeting the requirements of the Terms of Reference, Evaluation Framework and Contentspage for Evaluation Report

• Reliability of data and referencing• Coherent analysis of the data and credible findings as per the data provided• Useful recommendations• Valid conclusions• Clear reporting, including concise executive summary

For Data collection:

1. Field Officers of CEC (who will not be used for further data collection to ensureobjectivity of the impact assessment)

Key contacts to use in the evaluation

Traidcraft Staff

• Traidcraft Consultant: Ram Bajekal• India Country Director: Neeti Malhotra

Other people who may be consulted: • South Asia Programme Manager: Maveen Pereira• Business Consultant: Michelle White

CEC staff

• Project Manager: Dillip Kar• CEC Director: J John

Office bearers of CISTA

A sample of CISTA office bearers that were part of the project should be interviewed, and asample of five small tea growers from each state (i.e. Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and TamilNadu) should be selected as case studies.

(Contact details are given in annexure)

Information provided to the evaluator

• Desk report consisting of literature review and consolidation of existing data:o Pre course questionnaireso Progress of activities and outputs

Quarterly updates and mid term reportField Visit reportsActivity evaluationsReports from workshops

o Resources planned, committed, disbursed• Original project proposal and log frame• Names and addresses of potential informants

Timescales

The evaluation will commence: by 10th January, 09

Field Phase completed by: 14th February, 09

Draft preliminary findings presented: 16th February, 09

First Draft Evaluation report completed by: 19th February, 09

The final Evaluation report completed by: 26th February, 09

Presentation in Dissemination workshop: 2nd week of March, 09.

Profile of the Consultant:

The consultant must have an

• Understanding and experience with Tea sector or Cooperatives • Experience in monitoring and evaluation• Experience in project management• Interpersonal skills and ability to talk to people in different backgrounds and roles• Ability and experience of using interactive, participatory techniques in monitoring and

evaluation• Analytical skills and ability to synthesise and summarise• Evidence of good report writing• Good written English

Copy of a previous evaluation report should be submitted to assess ability to analyse andpresent findings, and to demonstrate methodologies used.

Budget

The consultancy cost may be Rs.1, 20,000/-excluding expenses. The consultant should developa budget for completing the evaluation exercise, by clearly allocating expenses and daily rate.

Annexure I – Contact details of project partners

Name Organisation Contact details Email

MaveenPereira Traidcraft

Kingsway, Gateshead, Tyne& Wear,NE 11 ONE, United Kingdom.

Tel no.:- (+ 44)191 4976 527Website : www.traidcraft.org

[email protected]

Ram BajekalTraidcraft

Website:

www.traidcraft.org

Tel no: +91 98843 62845

[email protected]

NeetiMalhotra Traidcraft Tel no: +91 981001 2596 [email protected]

Dillip Kar CECMob: 9818113127

[email protected]

[email protected]

J John CEC 09868164009

[email protected]

Annexure II – Contact details of CISTA members

Sl.No.Name of the

Officebearer

Address

Assam

1CheniramKhanikar

Vill: Udaipur

P.O: Tingkhong, Dist: Dibrugarh, Assam

Pin: 786611, Phone no: 9435474391, 0374-2917463

2 Karuna MahantaVill: Balisatra

P.O: Kuwaritol, Dist: Nagaon, Assam

Pin: 782137, Phone no: 9435317173, 03672-276611

3Satyajit Bordoloi

6th lane, Manik Bhawan

Ganak Patty,P.O: Sivasagar, Dist: Sivasagar, Assam

Pin: 785640, Phone no: 94354-87677, 94350-57102, 98548-83516.E-mail: [email protected]

4 Bijit BasumataryVill: Kakrighola,C/O- Swmkwr rubber and tea garden

P.O: Nayekgon,Dist: Kokrajhar, Assam,Pin: 783376, Phoneno: 9435128562

5 Dinesh SharmaLachit nagar, Dumduma

P.O: Rupai saiding,Dist: Tinsukia, Assam

Pin: 786153, Phone no: 9435140771

West Bengal

1 Rajat Rai Karjee,Raj Bari Para, Opp. Sports Complex,

P.O. Raikatpara, Jalpaiguri – 735101

2Bijoy GopalChakraborty

20, College Para, P.O Jalpaiguri Dist

West Bengal, Pin-735101,

Telefax-03561222258, Mob-094340-16795,

E-Mail:[email protected]

3Mr.DebasisPaul

Desbandhupara,

At/po- Islampur, Uttar Dinajpur district,

West Bengal, pin-733202, ph-0943419475

4 Biplab Saha Vill & p.o-Berubari,Jalpaiguri-735101,West Bengal

5 Idrish AlamMalingachh,P.O-Ramganj,Uttar Dinajpur,Pin-733207,WestBengal

TamilNadu

1

Hari Prasad Srimadurai small tea growers association

R 6/283 Gurukripa,Killurfarm,Athipally

Post-Gudalur-643212, Nilgiris, Tamilnadu

04262-226254, 09443931378

2 A.M. Joghee 2/239 Anikorai

Annikorai village and post-Ooty block,Nilgiis, Tamilnadu

3T. Dhoddai

6/226 Addakorai

Sholur village and post

Ooty block,Nilgiris, Tamilnadu

4

S.S. Richard Gandhi Nagar,

Choondi post O valley, Gudalur

Nilgiris, Tamilnadu

5

T. J. Jacob Tharpagiri

Dharmagiri post

O valley, Gudalur,Nilgiris, Tamilnadu

Kerala

1 K.C.Krishnadas Karuthandan (H)

Karadippara P.O ,Kerala,Tel- 9947307501

2

P.V.Narayanan Poongattu (H)

Chulliyode P.O

Wayanad District, Kerala,Tel-9447385969

3 Anil Kumar Thazheputhenvettil (H)

Vythiri P.O Kerala,Tel- 9447356871

4Alex Kozhimala

Kozhimala (H)

Mundakayam P.O,

Idduki District

Kerala,Tel-9447054251

5S.A.Rahiman

Safia Manzil

Kaller Pathuvall,Pambanar P.O,

Idduki District,

Kerala, pin-685537 Tel-04869232727

Contact details of STG Project staff of CEC

3. Outputs from the Evaluation

NameDesignation Address Contact Details

Dillip kumarKar

ProgramManager

Dillip Kumar Kar

FF-20,Alpha-1Commercial Complex

Greater Noida,U.P

Mob-9818113127

E- mail- [email protected]

[email protected]

Dr.AnilKumar

ProgramOfficer(Monitoring& Documentation)

FF-20, Alpha-1Commercial Complex

Greater Noida,U.P

Mob-09999407973

E-mail- [email protected]

MurugaPeriyar

V.Rajnagam

Field Officer(Nilgiris)TamilNadu.

Accountant

Muruga Periyar

Field Officer - Nilgiris

Centre For Educationand Communication

45 Devalok, Carolinaroad, Coonoor. 643102

Mob: 098487870570

Tel-04232206205(o)

Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

DhrubNarayanMukherjee

Field Officer

(West Bengal)

Dhrub NarayanMukherjee

C/o Bibhashalai,college para (SibMandir),P.O. Kadamtala,Siliguri – 734011

Dist-Darjeeling

West Bengal

Mob: 09733472851

E-mail: [email protected]

K.Narayanan

Field Officer(Kerala)

Kaliyodath House,ChannanakollyNeervaram, P.O, Via-PanamaramWayanad District,

Mob-09446566256

Email:[email protected]

The evaluator(s) will produce a report (no more than 30 pages plus appendices, in Microsoft Wordusing Arial font 12). The report should include: a. Basic Information (1 A4 page maximum)

• Project title • Agency name • CSCF number • Country • Name of local partner(s) • Name of person who compiled the evaluation report, including summary of

role/contribution of others in the team • Period during which the evaluation was undertaken

b. Executive Summary (1 A4 page maximum) c. Achievement Rating Scale (5 A4 pages maximum - see template at Annex A)Achievement Rating Scale1 = fully achieved, very few or no shortcomings2 = largely achieved, despite a few shortcomings3 = only partially achieved, benefits and shortcomings finely balanced4 = very limited achievement, extensive shortcomings5 = not achieved

AchievementRating forwhole projectperiod

LogframeIndicators

Baseline forindicators

Progressagainst theindicators

Comments onchanges overthe wholeproject period,includingunintendedimpacts

Purpose (state below,then rate and comment)

Outputs (list the mainoutputs below, rateagainst each, then givean overall rating): 1., 2.,3. etc.

Activities/ Inputsa. Appropriateness(quality): b. Sufficiency(quantity): c. Efficiency(timeliness): Overall Assessment

Appendix 3Evaluation of Sustainable Livelihood for Small Tea Growers and Workers projectEvaluation Enquiry Framework

Key Question to be answered Detailing the key questions Stakeholder to respond Instrument to useRelevance

Effectiveness of design and methodologyCheck with results achievement, askquestions on what people felt aboutthe way the project was carried out

CEC, Tx, STG

Meeting with CEC staff

Interviews with sampleSTG

Interview with TxSynergies and duplication with otherinterventions Ask staff of CEC CEC Meeting with CEC staff

Significance of the project

Contribution to rights awareness Interactions with STGs; also CEC CEC, STG



Relation to DFID plans Understanding DFID plans Literature studyRelevance of the project

To stakeholders' requirements Interactions with STGs; also CEC CEC, STG



Country needs Overall understanding to tea sectorand STG Key informants

Literature study

Select interviews

Quality of problem analysis and log-frame Interactions with STGs; also CEC andTx CEC, Tx, STG



Interview with Tx

Key Question to be answered Detailing the key questions Stakeholder to respond Instrument to use

Changes in the external contextOverall context understanding; Howflexible was the project to changes incircumstances?

Key informantsLiterature study

Select interviewsEquity

Impact of the project on more disadvantagedgroups How has the project impacted women? CEC, Tx, STG



Interview with TxEfficiency

Success of project management roles of CECand Tx Feedback on project management CEC, Tx


Interview with Tx

Interview with CEC topmanagement

Lessons from working together of CEC and Tx Feedback on what CEC and Tx haslearnt CEC, Tx


Interview with Tx

Interview with CEC topmanagement

Was the partner/target-group base the right one? Is the question relevant/necessary atall?

Efficiency in the use of resources Could the resources have been used inbetter ways?

Assessment based oninputsfrom interactions

Lessons for M&E

Did project management team/fieldteams get timely and relevantinformation and feedback

How well was the project monitored?What was right/what went wrong?

CEC, Tx

Interactions during fieldvisits


Interview with Tx


Working of financial systems

Funds available when needed?

Adequate planning on fund utilisationdone?

Quality of accounting information andreporting

CEC, Tx

Interactions during fieldvisits


Interaction with CECfinance team

Interview with TxBeneficiary involvement

How well were risks managedWhat were the risks involved?

How were they managed?CEC, Tx, STG Assessment based on

inputs from interctions

EffectivenessWhat was done? List of activities Project documents

What has been achieved?Results of the project; check if thereare achievements not documentedelsewhere

CEC, Tx, STG, STGSocieties CISTA leaders Interviews, interactions

What changes in the performance ofstakeholders?

Are STG doing things differently?

Is CEC doing anything differently?

CEC, Tx, STG, STGSocieties CISTA leaders

Assessment based oninputs from interactions

Magnitude of change achieved? What would be, if there was noproject?



What has not been achieved?

What else could have been done; whyit has not/could not be achieved;Withhindsight, how would theimplementers have changed it?



Impact


Broader consequences of the project Has the project led to changeselsewhere?

CEC, Tx, CISTA leaders,Tea Board, Others

Meeting with CEC staffInterview with TxInteractions with CISTAleadersMeeting with Tea Board/Others

Impact on end-beneficiaries, so far

What do the numbers say?

What does the organisational set upoffer?


Meeting with CEC staffInterview with TxInteractions with CISTAleaders

Impact – Actuals vs. Expected Have things worked out differently? Overall assessmentContribution to MDG Overall assessmentContribution to CSCF goals Overall assessmentActual coverage of target groups Project documents, CEC Meeting with CEC staff

Difference to lives of those involved What would be, if there was noproject? STG Interviews with sample

STGSustainability

Potential for continuation of impact

What does the STG socieities feelabout what they have achieved so far?

What does the CISTA leadership feelabout their role and future

What is CEC and Tx assessment of theresults

STG, CISTA leaders,CEC, Tx

Meeting with CEC staffInterview with Tx Interview with sampleSTGInteractions with CISTAleaders

Commitment to utilising new skills, knowledgeand techniques gained


How sustainable is the change? Gauge from field level responses;what does CEC think Overall assessment

Could the changes have been made moresustainable?

Gauge from field level responses;what does CEC think Overall assessment

Implications for ongoing work in the area Design of future projects and work inthe area CEC, Tx

Meeting with CEC staffInterview with TxInterview with CEC topmanagement

Scope for and nature of replciability What is the experience elsewhere;What does CEC think CEC Overall assessment

OverallKey lessons learnt to guide future work

Project specificMaking an overall assessment basedon project experiences and stakeholderresponses

Overall assessment

SectoralBroader development lessons

Sharing of project lessons What kind of dissemination has takenplace so far CEC, Tx Meeting with CEC staff

Interview with Tx

Appendix 4

Check list for information collectionSTG Society

Village name:

Name of SocietyDate of formationNumber of membersExtent of landholding of members

TotalUnder tea

Source of livelihoods (No. Of members)Only tea

OthersDate of starting leaf tradeNo. of agents involvedNo. of BLF suppliedAverage price for green leaf

Issues to understand

• Changes in tea leaf trade• Quality issues at the production level• Contributions made by the project• Future plans of the Society• Key challenges

Check-list for responses from CEC

Context• In hindsight, what are the areas that the project design should have provided more attention

to?• How did the project incorporate these elements based on lessons learnt on the way?

• What other interventions were there in the locations that supplemented or hindered CEC'swork? How were these factors contended with?

• What developments in the larger world, since the project started, have affected the projectmost?

• What steps were taken to take advantage of positive developments?• What steps were taken to block effects of adverse developments?

Methodology• Could the project have been done in a different way?

• Were there problems that the project did not prioritise properly?• Were some problems given more than due weightage?

• Are there areas of project management that could have been handled better?

• What advantages did the project enjoy from CEC and Traidcraft working together?

Monitoring• What were the issues related to flow of information between Project Management and the

field offices?• Could project monitoring have been done better?

Results• What would be the most significant achievements of the project, from the CEC point of

view?

• What has CEC learnt new from the project?

• Has this project led CEC to do new things/ do things differently?

• The project proposal details several indicators to measure effect of the project on women. Towhat extent have they been realised?

• Has the project had impact in areas not originally envisaged?Sustainability

• What more needs to be done to sustain the results achieved in the project?

Dissemination• What activities have already been done for dissemination of project results?

Questions for Traidcraft

Context• In hindsight, what are the areas that the project design should have provided more attention

to?• How did the project incorporate these elements based on lessons learnt on the way?

• What developments in the larger world, since the project started, have affected the projectmost?

• What steps were taken to take advantage of positive developments?• What steps were taken to block effects of adverse developments?

Methodology• Could the project have been done in a different way?

• Were there problems that the project did not prioritise properly?• Were some problems given more than due weightage?

• Are there areas of project management that could have been handled better?

• What advantages did the project enjoy from CEC and Traidcraft working together?

Monitoring• What were the issues related to flow of information between Project Management and the

field offices?• Could project monitoring have been done better?

Results• What would be the most significant achievements of the project, from the Tx point of view?

• What has Tx learnt new from the project?

• Has this project led Tx to do new things/ do things differently?

Sustainability• What more needs to be done to sustain the results achieved in the project?

Dissemination• What activities have already been done for dissemination of project results?

Appendix 5Evaluation of the 'Sustainable Livelihood for Indian Small Tea Growers and workers' projectList of Respondents

Small Tea Growers Societies/ Self help groups (23 in five districts)District Village Name of the Society

Nilgiris Bandhumai Bandhumai STG SocietyKarakkorai Sree Lakshmi Narayana STG SocietySholoor Srihriyodaya STG SocietyArattuparai Arattuparai STG SocietySelvapuram Selvapuram STG SocietyKaiyyunni Kaiyunni STG Society

Wayanad Chellankodu Vaduvanchal STG SocietyKaradippara Karadippara STG SocietyThalapuzha Thalapuzha Small Tea Producers SocietyKuttimoola Kuttimoola Small Tea Producers Society

Jalpaiguri Haripal Haripal STG SocietyChaulhati Chaulhati STG SocietyJohuri Johuri STG SocietyBhotpati Jai Jalpesh STG SocietySanyasihat Pragati STG Society

Uttar Dinajpur Rameshpur Rameshpur STG SocietyJagtagaon Jagtagaon STG Society

Dibrugarh Fulampur Nayan Jyoti STG SocietyNotun Bochapathar Milan Jyoti STG SocietyAlimur Rup Kunwar STG SocietyGarudharia Garudhari STG SocietySihumara Sihumara STG SocietyUdaipur Kafeucha STG Society

Regional/District AssociationsDistrict Association

Wayanad Wayanad District STG Association, ChulliyodeNorth Wayanad District STG Association, Thalapuzha

Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri District Small Tea Growers' Association, JalpaiguriUttar Dinajpur Uttar Dinajpur District Small Tea Growers' Welfare Association,

IslampurDibrugarh All Assam Small Tea Growers Association, Dibrugarh district

CommitteeAASTGA, Borbaruah regional committee

CISTA Office bearers and Executive Committee membersDistrict Association

Nilgiris A M Joghee, General SecretaryHari Prasad, Treasurer

Wayanad K C Krishnadas, MemberJalpaiguri Bijoy Gopal Chakaravarthy, Vice President

Rajat Karjee, MemberBiplab Saha, Member

Uttar Dinajpur Debasish Paul, SecretaryAssam Satyajit Bordoloi, President

Tea Factories

District Factory TypeNilgiris Highfield, Conoor Estate

Woodbridge, Gudalur BLFJalpaiguri Danguajhar, Jalpaiguri EstateDibrugarh MAFCOTea, Alimur BLF

Tea Board and other agencies

Agency Person PositionTea Board R D Nazeem Executive Director, CoonoorTea Board S Mandal Development Officer, JalpaiguriTea Research Association S Baishya Advisory Officer, Siliguri

Project Personnel

CEC

J John Executive DirectorDillip Kumar Kar Program ManagerAnil Kumar Programme Officer Muruga Periyar Field Officer, Tamil NaduK Narayanan Field Officer, KeralaDhrub Narayan Mukherjee Field Officer, West Bengal

Traidcraft

Neeti Malhotra Country DirectorRam Bajekal Consultant

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