About us

Regional Centre for Development Cooperation (RCDC) was registered as a development support organization in 1993 in Orissa with a mandate to restore community rights over local natural resources. Since it believed that faulty management of natural resources is the cause of major development related problems, it started working towards developing the skills of the local communities on sustainable management of natural resources, especially forests. The organization operates through its four centres, two centres each for thematic and geographical. Each centre has a Director, whose collective is called the Board of Director, bound with policy and respective executive functions.

Work Context

In October 2004, Centre for Forestry and Governance grew up to work exclusively on forest and governance issues as a thematic centre of RCDC. Policy advocacy on forestry issues including NTFP in central Indian States including Orissa. NTFP marketing and sustainable management in the districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Nuapada.RCDC is working since 1993 and in these districts since mid 2003.

The Centre for Forestry and Governance works with the following objectives;

Development Objectives :

• More legal space for the forest protecting and managing communities to exercise their rights over forest i.e. to decide over the use of forest produces; to use the resources raised from forestry for meeting their own development needs; to settle conflicts emerging out of forest conservation and management; and to establish their own forest conservation and management model.

• More legal and operative space for Gram panchayats to function as units of self-governance especially in the areas of a) deciding their needs and priorities; b) raising resources to meet their needs and priorities; c) exercising control over local natural resources, physical infrastructure, local institutions etc and d) resolving conflicts at their own level.

Immediate Objectives :

• To enhance access of various stakeholders to information and documents on forestry and governance (The Centre would create an extensive database of forestry and decentralized governance through research and documentation and operate as a resource centre as well as a clearinghouse of information at the regional level).
• To create conducive environment for regular dialogue among various stakeholders at local, state and regional level on different issues and for developing appropriate policies, laws, rules and other operative frameworks for addressing different issues in forestry and decentralized governance (The centre would undertake regular policy research, prepare advocacy documents, circulate widely among different stakeholders and create scope for debates and discussion).
• To increase the access of primary collectors/producers of NTFP and MAP to fair trade.
• To develop institutional capacity for building up socio-legal and technical skills within the Centre.

The other Centres are; Centre for Water for Life, Centre for Community Development, Bolangir and Centre for Community Development, Nabarangpur.

The Centre for Water for Life plays a catalytic role for civil society action on different issues pertaining to water for ensuring enough water for all life forms. There should be enough water for everybody to meet their basic requirements as well as the basic development needs like health, food security, sustainable livelihoods, and other economic social and cultural developments. CWL works on the following areas; Drinking Water & Sanitation, River Basin, Peoples’ Water Management, Water and Livelihood, Water Education, and Documentation and Communication.

The Centre for Community Development, Bolangir, works towards organizing poor and vulnerable communities at village level and federating them at panchayat, block and district level around various issues, developing the skill on enterprise and local resource management of the poor for improved livelihood conditions and coping with disasters like drought, promoting appropriate technologies accessible, affordable and manageable by small holding farmers for improved agricultural productivity, developing community skills for community based planning and management of local natural resources.

The Centre for Community Development, Nabarangpur, works towards building the capacities of the PRIs in the districts, facilitating community based resource management, food and livelihood security through community based resource management and improved governance, strengthening of district forestry forum, promotion of micro finance and micro enterprises.

Organisation has presence in 237 villages in 6 districts, and the CFG Centre is present in 195 in four districts. The Centre has been working in Kalahandi and Nuapada (74 villages), Rayagada (65), Koraput (56) districts since 2003 and 2006. The Centre’s activity is focused on policy advocacy on forestry issues including NTFP in central Indian States including Orissa, and NTFP marketing and sustainable management in the districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Nuapada.

The overall funding of the Centre comes from a number of donors;

• On NTFP Marketing and Sustainable Management support comes from Ford Foundation and also from European Commission in different areas.
• On forestland rights and conflicts, we are getting a support from BD, Brussels to work in two districts of Orissa.
• On NTFP Regional Policy Dialogue Process, we get a support from Misereor/KZE.
• On Medicinal Plants research, we get a support from NTFP Exchange Programme.

The current NTFP livelihood initiative started in May 2003 with support from the Ford Foundation.

NATURE OF LIVELIHOODS INTERVENTION

With whom - The primary NTFP collectors SHGs and forest protecting communities, and forest dwelling groups in KBK region.
How long - Since about 4 years (Work based on Livelihood initiated in 2003 with the support of Ford)

What are the interventions?

The livelihood intervention has been mostly NTFP oriented where our focus has been on; Sustainable harvesting, market access, capacity building, value addition and retail trading, related policy research and advocacy etc. The steps followed are;

Step I  -   Identification of 18 NTFP rich cluster in KBK districts for intervention.

Step II  -  Potential survey and production survey held in 18 clusters.
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Step III -  Produces identified for market linkage—Kalmegh, Neem, Harida, amala Tamarind, Dhatiki, Mohua.

Step IV -  Haat bazaar survey done continuously in 15 cluster and 25 hats.

Step V -  All India Market study made in 25 market like Delhi, Saharanpur, Kanpur, Katani, Raipur, Nagpur, Nasik, Ahamedabad, 
              Mumbai, Hyderabad,Tutucorin,Chennai , Thissur, Cochin, Vijay wada and Calcutta and initiated business relation ship.
 
Step VI - Capacity building of Communities, G. P. and PRI bodies, CBO on NTFP management, trade, institution building and sustainable
              harvesting practice of 22 forest produce, excluding – Sal, bamboo and kendu leaves.

Step VII - Made value chain analysis of given products and identified buyers product wise.

Step VIII - Regular price monitoring of NTFP in 15markets including 4national market.

Step IX - Facilitate preparation of cooperative Business plan.

STEP X - Market linkage on the basis of business plan with assured income and activity.
       
Specific activites :

Credit - Rs16.35 lakhs as revolving fund to 3 cooperatives to facilitate the trade.

Training - Training module to suit totally a typical type volatile trade in NTFP on institution Trade, NTFP management- harvesting practice developed and regular training imparted to the SHGs, VSS, and PRI etc to face challenge in the sector and develop an alternative frame work on the sector.r.

Producers’ organization - 18 primary collectors cooperative formed 3 district level cooperatives in Process .

Capacity building :

Cooperatives and Forest Protection Groups :

• Managing institutions and programme.
• Value addition, processing and storage
• Controlling business and local trade related activities
• Conservation and sustainable harvesting.
• Assisting cooperative sustaining enterprise
• Business plan, execution and Trade linkage.
  

Panchayatiraj Institutions :

• Implementing NTFP rules and regulation
• Record keeping
• Building data base

Brand building - The BANAJA brand already in market with assured quality established its good will in Koraput, Raygada, Kalahandi market. Besides, it has been able to capture a sizeable market in Bhubaneswar.

Retail trading - Three Sales outlets selling value added products of the cooperatives.

Traders’ interface - Regular interface between cooperatives, local NGOs and prospective buyers.

Corporate tie-up - The corporate tie up with leading Sal fat manufacturer like Hanuman Vitamins/Minor, has already been made and on value added product of tree borne oil seed negotiation in process with several corporate buyers.
Other manufacturers like Dabar, Zandu, Natural Remedies.

New types interventions :

Common Facility Centre :

VISIBLE OUTPUTS :

What did it lead to? :

Number of producers directly covered - 250 SHGs and 35 forest protecting community in 150 villages in the KBK region and another 200 village to be cover under programme in the same area,

Number of women directly benefited - 3270

Number of producers directly covered - 250 SHGs and 35 forest dependent/protecting communities in 150 villages in the KBK region.