Industree Foundation and NSRLM have signed an MoU to integrate 30,000 women farmers in Nagaland into the bamboo value chain.
DIMAPUR — In a major step towards promoting regenerative, women-led livelihoods, Industree Foundation, a non-profit organisation working at the intersection of equity, climate and gender, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) in Kohima on July 11.
According to an official update, the MoU marks a significant milestone in Industree Foundation's mission and reflects the government's commitment to promoting environmentally sustainable, women-led enterprises.
Under the partnership, NSRLM and Industree Foundation, serving as the technical and knowledge partner, will integrate 30,000 smallholder women farmers in Nagaland into the bamboo value chain and establish women-led collective enterprises based on bamboo.
The initiative forms part of the Bamboo Sub-Sector Initiative under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development. It aims to empower one million rural women across the country over the next four to five years through bamboo cultivation and improved market linkages.
The collaboration combines Industree Foundation's ecosystem-led approach with NSRLM's institutional network to strengthen climate-resilient, income-generating livelihood systems for rural women in Nagaland.
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The MoU was signed by Moa Sangtam, Joint Secretary, Rural Development and Mission Director, NSRLM, in the presence of Additional Mission Director Theose Thongtsar, COO M Rollan Lotha, State Programme Manager (Farm) Dr. Sokishumo Kithan, Industree Foundation CEO Neju George Abraham, and Senior Manager (Project Operations) Remya Devan.
Speaking on the partnership, Abraham said bamboo is deeply embedded in Nagaland's culture and daily life, while the state's rich diversity of bamboo species offers immense commercial potential.
He said the partnership would focus on developing certified bamboo plantations, enabling carbon credit accreditation, strengthening processing capabilities through the establishment of processing units, developing value-added products, and connecting producers with high-value domestic and international markets.
"Nagaland's unique bamboo resources have the potential to create new opportunities, strengthen India's bamboo sector and take Indian bamboo to global markets," he said.
Industree Foundation has been supporting smallholder farmers, most of them women, to cultivate bamboo on fallow and underutilised land, helping improve household incomes while addressing climate challenges.
According to the foundation, bamboo cultivation begins generating steady income from the fourth year of harvest and continues to yield for more than 40 years, providing long-term financial security. The organisation also promotes traceable seed-to-market supply chains to meet both domestic and global demand.
Industree Foundation has previously signed similar MoUs with State Rural Livelihood Missions in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and Tripura to expand bamboo-based livelihoods among small and marginal women farmers.