Sunrise in Pangi: Women Leading Change through Forest Enterprise

18.12.25

The Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE) works to strengthen forest-based livelihoods through a people, planet, and profits approach. In 2024, we applied this approach in Pangi Valley, Himachal Pradesh—a remote, high-altitude forested region—to support the formation of a women-led, forest-based Producer Company (PC).

This report documents that year-long effort, which culminated in January 2025 with the registration of Pir Panjal Jungle Producer Company (PPJPC) Limited, the first women-led, forest-based PC in Pangi Valley. It describes how approximately 250 women organised into 19 producer groups, which were then federated into the PC.

The report focuses on the processes involved in building collective institutions around seasonal forest products, formalising the PC, and navigating the practical and institutional challenges of working in a geographically constrained setting.

It is intended for policymakers, practitioners, and development partners interested in forest-based livelihoods and women-led enterprise models in forested and tribal regions.