From Forest Resources to Markets: A Case Study of Rural Livelihoods, Collective Action and Sustainable Value Chains in Odisha, India

Abstract:

This paper examines the first-year experience of BhaMa Foundation and MSE Bazaar in developing market-linked livelihood opportunities for rural and tribal micro-enterprises in India. The case emerged from a 2024 visit to Gochha in Nayagarh district, Odisha, where women producing salleaf plates requested a machine to reduce physical labour. The eventual delivery of the machine exposed a wider problem: a production asset can address one constraint without resolving market access, information, quality or bargaining power. The paper therefore examines an emerging model that combines skills, quality practices, aggregation, market information and buyer access, with particular attention to the Sal Seed and Mango Kernel value chains. Operational figures are drawn from the organisation’s internal records, reported as audited by a local chartered accountant, while the qualitative account is based on field observations and interviews. The case does not constitute an impact evaluation. Its contribution is to identify mechanisms through which production capability and market connectivity may jointly support rural livelihoods.

Keywords:

Agribusiness; Market access; Rural livelihoods; Social entrepreneurship; Sustainable value chains; Tribal enterprises

Citation: Manorama Choudhury and Rabi Narayan Subudhi (2026). From Forest Resources to Markets: A Case Study of Rural Livelihoods, Collective Action and Sustainable Value Chains in Odisha, India. Horizon J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Res. 8 (S), 170–183. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2026.v8.nS.id1406.p170