the context

Channapatna, a taluka of Bangalore Rural district, is located approximately 60 km from Bangalore City on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. For the last several decades, the lac-ware industry has been a traditional occupation and the means of livelihood for the majority of male adults in Channapatna town; and for a few surrounding villages.

The past few years have seen a steady decline in the lac-ware industry caused by various factors that include a lack of investment in the industry, lack of initiative and skill to introduce new products/designs, poor quality products & raw material, etc leading to a decline in demand of products and therefore static markets and low returns for the artisans. A critical impact of this slump has been on the employment and livelihood patterns of those working in the industry.

The absence of new designs coupled with the utilisation of unseasoned wood, irregular power supply among several other factors has ensured that majority of the manufacturers in fact engage in price cutting to such an extent that is no longer competitive but detrimental to their own business. Consequently, there has been a shrinking of markets to include only tourists and passers-by which in turn has limited the skill level of artisans; Despite the fact that most of them have worked in the industry for the last 20-25 years, there is a reluctance and resistance to new designs and techniques.

MAYA ORGANIC & the Lac-ware sector

It is against this context of the industry's decline that MAYA ORGANIC began work with the lac-ware industry in Channapatna. Taking advantage of the existing knowledge and skills of the artisans, MAYA ORGANIC seeks to address the issues faced by them within a systems perspective, viewing the interrelatedness of various factors, rather than addressing the issues in an isolated manner.

Having spent time to understand more closely the issues faced by workers and markets and based on its earlier experience of providing vocational training for young girls in lac-ware, MAYA ORGANIC has over the last 20 months initiated processes to organise artisans into collectives. There are presently 60 such artisans working in groups of 10-12, to execute orders provided by MAYA ORGANIC.

Simultaneously, MAYA ORGANIC has initiated efforts to create a niche market for a new brand of wooden educational toys called Moogli Toys . Marketing over 50 such toys for the 0-5 yrs age group, this brand has begun to develop a visible market presence due to its strong emphasis on safety, quality and the use of natural vegetable dyes. While marketing has been strong in Bangalore City, inroads have also been made in export markets. Participation in exhibitions and fairs in other states and outside the country (the most recent and current being the Barcelona Forum 2004, promoted by UNESCO) has also been an effective channel in establishing a market presence. Through a process of test marketing and initial market responses, it has been clearly found that there is a large market for good quality wooden toys, despite the proliferation of plastic substitutes for children's toys and educational materials.

MAYA ORGANIC also serves as a viable channel for interested and committed designers to utilise this platform to effectively showcase their skills, while actively contributing to addressing livelihood issues of the working poor. Simultaneously, MAYA ORGANIC has also begun interacting with other stakeholders including the Government and other financial institutions to utilise the existing infrastructure and resources for widening the scope of this sector.