Industree Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) to integrate 30,000 smallholder women farmers into the bamboo value chain, marking a significant step towards expanding regenerative, women-led livelihoods in Nagaland. The collaboration, formalised in Kohima, forms part of the Bamboo Sub-Sector Initiative under the DAY-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development, which aims to empower one million rural women through bamboo-based enterprises over the next four to five years.
Under the partnership, NSRLM and Industree Foundation will promote bamboo cultivation on fallow and underutilised land, establish women-led collective enterprises, strengthen processing infrastructure, develop new bamboo products and improve access to domestic and international markets. Speaking on the occasion, Industree Foundation CEO Neju George Abraham said Nagaland’s rich bamboo diversity offers immense commercial potential and added that the initiative will also focus on certified plantations, carbon credit accreditation and building a traceable seed-to-market supply chain.
The MoU was signed by Shri Moa Sangtam, Joint Secretary, Rural Development and Mission Director, NSRLM, in the presence of Additional Mission Director ShriTheoseThongtsar, COO Shri M RollanLotha, SPM Farm Dr. SokishumoKithan, and Industree Foundation representatives including RemyaDevan. The foundation said bamboo cultivation can provide women farmers with stable incomes from the fourth year of harvest, with productivity extending beyond four decades, ensuring long-term livelihood security.
In Kohima, the initiative is expected to stimulate investment in the state’s bamboo ecosystem by encouraging value-added manufacturing, local processing units and women-led enterprises. Improved market linkages and globally recognised certification standards could enhance the competitiveness of Nagaland’s bamboo products, create employment opportunities and position Kohima as an emerging hub for sustainable bamboo-based businesses and green rural entrepreneurship.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, Industree Foundation has undertaken similar bamboo livelihood partnerships with State Rural Livelihood Missions in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and Tripura. The organisation also recently secured India’s first FSC® Forest Management certification covering 6,671 women bamboo farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra, opening new export opportunities through responsibly sourced and traceable bamboo products.
