10.12.25

Strengthening Tribal Women-Led Forest Economies: ISB–BIPP Signs MoU with FarMart

The Indian School of Business (ISB), through its research institute, the Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FarMart Service Private Limited. This three-year collaboration aims to strengthen market linkages, supply chains, and institutional frameworks that support tribal women-led, and women-participated, forest-based producer companies.

Under this partnership, ISB–BIPP and FarMart will focus on the following areas:

• Strengthening supply chains and market linkages for SFPs by supporting Producer Companies in aggregation, quality assurance, and fair pricing.
• Facilitating transparent procurement and timely payments, and improving access to working capital wherever possible.
• Building capacities through training programmes and workshops on quality standards, grading, packaging, and sustainable harvesting practices.
• Improving institutional mechanisms that promote transparent trade and efficient value-chain operations.
• Advancing research and knowledge sharing through reports, case studies, and mapping of SFP distribution to guide planning and market preparedness.
• Co-developing sustainability and impact measurement frameworks to strengthen ecological and community outcomes.

ISB–BIPP will lead research, documentation, mapping of forest produce availability, and coordination with Producer Companies supported under its Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE) programme. FarMart will serve as the primary market linkage and supply-chain partner, helping Producer Companies reach more buyers through its business networks, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC—a government-backed digital network connecting sellers and buyers), and other channels. FarMart will also ensure quality control, traceability, and alignment with buyer requirements.

This collaboration represents a significant step towards strengthening the economic agency of tribal women, enhancing their leadership within forest-based enterprises, and promoting sustainable, community-driven livelihoods.