Tamul Plates Social Impact Report: 2014 Baseline

Tamul Plates

Social Impact Report:

2014 Baseline

2

Executive Summary

• Leaf plate producers are highly dependent onTamul Plates, with income fromTamulPlates-relatedactivitiesconstitutingtheprimarysourceofincomeforavastmajorityofhouseholdsacrosstheLowerandUpperAssamGroups.Ontheotherhand,over75percentof affiliateunitownersand rawmaterial collectors acrossrespondent groups view income fromTamul Plates as complementary to othersourcesofincome.

• ThereissignificantvariabilityinmonthlyincomesamongTamulPlatebeneficiaries.While affiliate unit owners across both respondent groups earn more than Rs.10,000amonth,rawmaterialcollectorsearnlessthan50percentofthat.

• Households spend roughly 50 percent of their totalmonthly expenses on foodalone.Expenditureonschoolforchildrenandmiscellaneous(unplanned)expensesformthenexttwobiggestcategories.Savingsconstituteaverysmallcomponentoftotalexpenseforhouseholdsat6–7percent.

• Asset ownership among beneficiaries is largely consistent across the respondentgroups.Basicutilityassetssuchasfurniture,andproductiveassetssuchasmobilephoneshavehighownershipofover85percent.However,lifestyleassets’ownershipvaries,withsocialprestigeitemssuchasbellmetalutensilshavinggreaterownership(48percentofhouseholds)intheLowerAssamGroup,andentertainmentitems,suchastelevisions,beingmorepopular(55percentofhouseholds)intheUpperAssamGroup.

• Housingqualityofbeneficiariesis largelydeterminedbylocation.Tamulfactoryworkersliveinsemi-urbanareasofBarpetaandthereforehavealargepercentagestayinginpermanenthouses(44percentinLowerAssamGroupand50percentinUpperAssamGroup),whencomparedtootherbeneficiaries.Acrossallbeneficiaries,betterqualitymaterialisgenerallyusedforpillars(concrete)androofs(tin),whilebasicmaterialsuchasbambooisusedforwalls,owingtolocalclimaticconditions.

• Schoolenrolmentisencouragingamongthebeneficiaries,exceedingthenationalaverageforbothboysandgirls.However,onlyasmallpercentageofthesechildren(30percentinLowerAssamGroupand17percentinUpperAssamGroup)attendprivateschool.

Tamul Plates Social Impact Report: 2014 Baseline 3

TamulPlatesMarketingPrivateLimited(TamulPlates)isaproducers’initiative,generatinglivelihoodsinruralpartsofNortheastIndiabyproducingandmarketingbiodegradablearecanutleafdinnerware.TamulPlatesempowersvillage-levelentrepreneurswith technological support todevelophigh-qualitydisposableplates, and ensures strongmarket access for sustainable incomes.Over the last four years,TamulPlateshaspromotedmore than100entrepreneursand therebygenerated livelihoods formorethan500people.

RecognizingthestrongworkbeingdonebyTamulPlatesintheregion,UpayaSocialVentures(Upaya)decidedinNovember2013toextendfinancialandtechnicalsupportforfurtheremploymentopportunitiesforruralyouthintheNortheast.

ObjectiveWithastrongcommitmenttoevidence-backedimpactmeasurement,Upaya,incollaborationwithTamulPlates,developedthisSocialPerformancereporttodocumenttheeconomicandsocialbackgroundofthe company’sbeneficiaries.This reportprovides a snapshotof socialmetrics for95ofTamulPlates’beneficiaries, serving as thebaseline for reporting their progress out of poverty over time.Amidline(check-in)surveywillbeconductedafter12monthsforthesamegroupofbeneficiariestomeasurethechangesinincomelevelsandquality-of-lifeindicators.

Thefindingsof this reportarepivotal forUpayaandTamulPlates to informstrategies forcontinuedimpact on themost vulnerable communities,while also serving as a valuable resource for readers tobetterunderstandthecharacteristicsofthepopulationUpaya’sprogramsarecommittedtoservingandtheconditionsinwhichtheycurrentlylive.Upaya’smissionistosupportthecreationofdignifiedjobsinordertouplift“ultrapoor”communities.

Scope The report is based on household surveys conducted between July 2014 and September 2014 of 95beneficiaries across ten districts ofNortheast India, spanning the states of Assam,West Bengal, andMeghalaya. Beneficiaries were evaluated across key social and economic metrics, including income,education,assets,andexpenditure.

Background & Context

TamulPlatesoriginatedinAssam,astrategicallyplacedstateinNortheasternIndia.ThenameAssamisderivedfromtheword“asama,”meaningpeerless,orunrivalled,inthenow-extinct‘Ahom’language.Thestate’sphysicalbeautydoesjusticetoitsname,boastingmajesticHimalayas,thegreatriversystemsoftheBrahmaputraandBarak,andtheone-hornedrhinoceros.Unfortunately,thisnaturalrichnessisinstarkcontrasttothesocialandeconomicissuesthatplaguethestate.

Introduction

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Assam’seconomysawweakgrowthbetween2002and2012,withGrossStateDomesticProduct(GSDP)growingby5.8percent,farbehindthenationalaverageof8.37percent.Productivityisalsoexceptionallylow,withtheagriculturesectorcontributingameagre21.3percenttothestate’sGSDP5despiteemployingroughly75percentoftheworkforce.

Employmentopportunitiesareinadequateandinaccessible.Unemploymentisextremelyprevalent,withtheruralmaleunemploymentrate(4.3percent)6registeringasthehighestinthecountry,andruralyouthunemployment(16.2percent)asthesecond-highest.Alternativestoagriculturalemploymentarefocusedinmajorcities, fuellingaprominenturban/ruraleconomicdivide,with86percentofthestate’spoorlivinginruralareas.

Thislaggardeconomicgrowthandskeweddevelopmenttrendsarecreatingadangeroussocio-culturaldivisioninAssam,whichthreatenstodevolveintorisingcrime,heightenedsuiciderates,andseparatistmovements. Recognizing these issues, the founders of Tamul Plates decided to promote non-farmemployment opportunities for rural youth, ensuring steady incomes from credible alternatives toagriculturalemployment.

Overview of Tamul PlatesTamulPlatesoriginatedasalivelihoodprogrammeunderDhriiti,anon-profitbasedinBarpeta,Assam,whichpromotedarecanutleafplate-makinginthepoorestdistrictsofAssam:Baksa,Bongaigon,Barpeta,andChirang(collectivelyreferredtoas‘LowerAssam’).

Dhritii’smodelleveragedgrantfundingtoprovideindirectcreditsupportandtechnicalknowledgetolow-incomehouseholds,helpingthefirstfewvillage-levelentrepreneursforleafplatemanufacturingintheregion.Asperprogramdesign,beneficiariesrecruitedduringthisperiodwerefromextremelypoorhouseholds.

Over time, the organization’s founders recognized that a for-profit model would enable sustainableoperations,andsoestablishedTamulPlatesinAugust2009.Thismovebroughtthreesignificantchangesinorganizationstrategy.First,agreaterfocusoncreatingastrongend-marketthroughcoordinatedmarketingof the disposable arecanut tableware. Second, simultaneous expansion of manufacturing operations,encouraging village-level entrepreneurs in other districts ofAssam such asTinsukia, Lakhimpur, andCachar (commonly referred to as ‘UpperAssam’7), and expanding todistricts in other states such asMeghalaya(WestGaroHillsandRibhoiMeghalayadistricts)andWestBengal(Jalpaiguridistrict).Third,atransitionfromindirectcreditsupportforhouseholdstofacilitatingloansthroughestablishedbanks.Thisshiftresultedinenrolmentoflessindigenthouseholdsgiventheneedforarelativelyhigherappetiteforrisk.

Thesestepsnotonlystreamlinedoperationsfromabusinessperspective,butalsoenabledTamulPlatesto create abigger geographical impact.Byprovidingmanufacturing technology andmarket linkages,TamulPlateshassupported100villagelevelentrepreneursacrossthreestatesintheregionandcreatedalternativeemploymentformorethan500households.

5 InternationalJournalofModernEngineeringResearch(IJMER),“ProspectofbioenergysubstitutioninteaindustriesofNorthEastIndia”,Vol.3,Issue.3,May-June.2013,pp-1272-1278.Availableat:http://www.ijmer.com/papers/Vol3_Issue3/AC3312731278.pdf.LastaccessedDecember17,2014.

6HindustanTimes,“Hardtimes:YoungandunemployedinIndia,”February9,2014.Avaialbleat:http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/unemployment-rate-for-youngsters-sees-marginal-rise/article1-1181982.aspx.LastaccessedDecember17,2014.

7UpperAssamisconsideredtobethemostproductiveregioninthestate,boastinganabundanceofnaturalresourceslikeoilandgas,aswellasafledgingteaplantationeconomy.


Tamul Plates is committed to having impact beyond livelihood generation by encouraging adoptionof environmentally friendly tableware. Products manufactured by Tamul Plates are 100 percentbiodegradable,reducingpotentialCO2productionupondiscardby6kilogramsperkilogramofproduct(theamountofCO2producedupondestructionofThermacolandStyrofoam).

Assessment methodology and scope

TamulPlatesandUpayajointlyconductedtheSocialPerformanceSurveyandproducedthisreportinordertoassessthesocio-economicbackgroundofbeneficiaryhouseholdsacrossvariousmetrics.Thisisabaselinereportintendedtoachievetwoprimaryobjectives:toensureTamulPlatesisreachingouttothetargetedbeneficiarygroups,andtoserveasabasetomeasurefutureimpactthroughperiodicsurveys.Weintendtotrackthesesocialmetricsofbeneficiaryhouseholdsregularlytoassesstheimprovementinincomeandqualityoflife.

Data collection

Data cited in this report is primary information sourced through detailed surveys of beneficiaryhouseholds associated withTamul Plates and collected using the “Social PerformanceMeasurementSchedule“developedbyUpaya.Thequestionnairewasdesignedtocapturearangeofsocio-economicandsituationalparametersatthehouseholdlevel,includingdemographics,incomeandemployment,familyexpenditure,housingstatusandaccesstoamenities,andownershipofassets,suchaslandandlivestock.

In addition to the survey, in-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with respondents fromvariousbeneficiarygroups.Thesequalitative interviewswereextremelyhelpful inprovidinganecdotalevidenceandinsightintothelivesofthesamplegroup,thechallengestheyface,andtheroleTamulPlatesplaysintheirlives.TheseinterviewsarefeaturedasprofilesinAppendixA.

SurveyingforthisreportwasundertakenbetweenJuly2014andSeptember2014.Surveyorsinterviewed95respondentsfrom92householdscovering10districtsinthestatesofAssam,Meghalaya,andWestBengal.

Classification of respondents

Across the analysis presented in forthcoming sections, respondents have been classified based ontwo defining characteristics: the role each respondent plays withinTamul Plates’ operations and theorganizationstructuretherespondentwasinitiatedinto.

EachrespondentplaysoneoffourjobroleswithinTamulPlates’operations:affiliateunitowner,leafplateproducer,Tamulfactoryworker,andrawmaterialcollector/agent.

1. Affiliate unit owners arevillage-level entrepreneurswhoownsmallproductionunits at thevillageleveltomanufacturearecanutleaftablewaremarketedbyTamulPlates.

2. Leaf plate producers areworkersemployedinindividualvillageproductionunitstohandlethecleaninganddryingofleavesandtooperatetheplate-makingmachines.

3. Tamul factory workers areindividualsemployedattheTamulPlatescentralproductionfacility

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ofleafplates,basedinBarpeta.4. Raw material collectors or agents areindividualsandagentssupplyingrawmaterial,suchas

arecanutleafsheaths,toproductionunits.Eachrespondentwasinitiatedintoeitheranon-profitorganizationstructureorafor-profitorganizationstructure.

• ‘Lower Assam Group’ referstoearlyemployeeswhojoinedwhilemanufacturingfunctionedasanon-profitoperationunderthenameofDhritii.ThesehouseholdsbelongtothepoorerdistrictsofAssam,commonlyreferredtoasLowerAssam.

• ‘Upper Assam Group’ refers toneweremployeesbrought inafter the shift to the for-profitmodelandestablishmentofthecompanyknownasTamulPlates.ThesehouseholdstendtobelesspoorthanthoseintheLowerAssamgroup,andarelocatedinthreestates-Assam(Tinsukia,Lakhimpur,andCachardistricts;commonlyreferredtoas‘UpperAssam’),Meghalaya(WestGaroHills andRibhoiMeghalayadistricts), andWestBengal (Jalpaiguridistrict). It shouldbenoted that theclassificationof“UpperAssam” isnotgeographicallyandadministrativelyrepresentativeasitclubsdistrictsfromotherstates.

Respondent Category Upper Assam Group Lower Assam Group Total

Affiliate Unit Owner 3 14 17

Leaf Plate Producer 4 13 32 45

Leaf Collector or Agent 4 29 33

Grand Total 20 75 95

Fig 1.1 Categories of respondents for the survey

It is important to note that LowerAssamGroup households have already experienced improvementinqualityoflifeandimprovementinincomesgiventheirlongertenureofworkingwithTamulPlates.UpperAssamGrouphouseholds,ontheotherhand,arerelativelynewrecruits,sothisassessmentmaynotyetreflectbenefitsfromTamulPlateemployment.WhilethisreportwillnotbeabletoassesstheprogressmadebytheLowerAssamGroupthroughTamulPlates initiatives todate, itwillestablishabaselineassessmentforallbeneficiariesincurrenttime.Subsequentsocialperformancereportswilltrackallhouseholds’progressandimprovementsintheirqualityoflifeasaresultoftheirworkwithTamulPlates.Acknowledgingthefundamentaldifferenceinenrolmentofeachofthesebeneficiarygroups,wewillrefrainfromcomparingindicatorsacrossthesetwogroups.

4LeafplateproducersherereferstoworkersintheTamulfactoryaswellasthoseemployedatthevariousvillagelevelaffiliateunits.Forthepurposesofthisreportwesurveyed13workersoftheTamulFactoryand32workersworkingatthevillagelevelaffiliateunit.


Thekeyfindingsofthisassessmentarepresentedbyrespondenttype;dividedintoLowerAssamGroup(LAG)andUpperAssamGroup(UAG).

Lower Assam Group

This section covers the performance of Lower AssamGroup households. 75 beneficiaries from fourdistrictswere surveyed as part of this group on various socio-economic indicators like income, assetownership, household expenditure patterns, education for children under 17, and access to services.Theseindicatorsareindicativeofthequalityoflifeenjoyedbythesehouseholds.

Education

55%

27%

77%

65%

0%

33%

50% 43%

55%

29%

62% 69%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Other Backward Castes General

Lite

racy

Rat

e

Literacy Rates Among LAG Beneficiaries

Male Female Group Average

Fig 2.1 Literacy rate among Lower Assam beneficiaries based on caste classification

BeneficiariesintheLowerAssamGroupexhibitskewedliteracylevelsforboththeScheduledTribes(ST)andtheScheduledCaste(SC).ThegroupaverageliteracyratefortheSC/STsismuchlowerthantheGeneralandOtherBackwardCastes(OBC)categories.Thegroup’saverageliteracyrateof29percent5issignificantlylowerthanthestateaverageliteracyrateamongSTs,whichis80.5percent.Similarly,whilethestateaverageforSCsis83percent,thegroupaveragestandsat55percent.Femaleliteracyrateisloweroverallthanthemaleliteracyrateamongallcastegroups,withtheexceptionofST.

Progress out of Poverty™

TheProgress out of Poverty™ Index (PPI) is an easy-to-use povertymeasure developed byGrameen

5 National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, “Rural Development Statistics: Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes,” 2011-12. Available at:http://www.nird.org.in/Rural%20Development%20Statistics%202011-12/data/sec-10.pdf. Last, accessed on January 16, 2015.

Demographics of the Lower Assam Group

By gender:Male-60Female-15

By caste:General-21

ScheduledCaste-11ScheduledTribe-14

OtherBackwardCaste-29

Findings

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Foundationthatallowsorganizations toassessandtrackchanges inpoverty ratesamongbeneficiariesovertime.

ThePPIScorecardcomprises10questions thatcoverawidevarietyofhouseholdparameters suchasprimary income source, number of children, and asset ownership (e.g., TV, almirah/dressing table,bicycle).ScoresassociatedwitheachresponsedeterminetheaggregatePPIscoreforahousehold,whichrangesfrom0(mostlikelytobebelowpovertyline)to100(leastlikelytobebelowpovertyline).

ItisimportanttonotethatthePPIscoreisnotanindicationofactualpovertylevelbutisthelikelihoodofahouseholdtofallbelowthepovertyline.

22%

32%

23% 28%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Affiliate Unit Owners Leaf Plate Producers Tamul Factory Worker Raw Material Collector/Agent

Per

cent

age

Lik

elih

ood

Likelihood of LAG Beneficiaries Falling Under $1.25-a-Day Ultra Poverty Threshold

Fig. 2.2 Poverty likelihood for Tamul Plates beneficiaries based on PPI scores

Fig.2.2representsthelikelihoodofbeneficiariesinfourdifferentTamulbeneficiarygroupsfallingbelowthe$1.25-a-daypovertyline[2005PPP]6.Overall,thesamplegroupshowsalowlikelihoodoffallingbelowthepovertyline.Householdsthatworkasleafplateproducersforvillage-levelaffiliateunitshavethehighest likelihoodamong those surveyedof fallingbelow the$1.25-a-day threshold.Village-levelaffiliateunitownershavethelowestprobabilityoffallingbelowthepovertythreshold.

Income and productivity

IncomeisperhapsthemostimportantmetrictomeasurethequalityoflifeinruralAssam.Amajorityofhouseholdsintheareaundertakeagriculturalactivitiestomeetdomesticfoodconsumption;theyeitherownlandorworkforothers.Thisconsumptionissupplementedbycash-basedincomesourcestoprovidedisposableincome,whichinturndeterminestheuptakeofservices,suchasqualityhealthcare,education,andpurchaseofproductive,utility,orlifestyleassets.

Followingthisunderstandingofincomegenerationintheregion,incomecanbedistinguishedbasedonprimarysourceandsecondarysource.Primarysourcereferstothedominantactivitybringingincometothehousehold,whilesecondarysourcereferstoallsupplementaryactivityundertaken.

This sectiondifferentiates the sources of incomedata for the three categories ofTamulPlates-related

6 The PPI Lookup Table for India can be found at http://www.progressoutofpoverty.org/country/india


employment: affiliate unit owners, leaf plate producers (includingTamul Factory workers), and rawmaterialcollectors.

Affiliate unit owners

21%

29% 14%

36%

Primary Source of Income

Affiliate Unit Owner

Cultivator

Self Employed in Agriculture

Other 79%

7% 14%

Secondary Source of Income


Other

No Work

Fig. 2.3 Primary and secondary income sources for affiliate unit owners

Amongtheaffiliateunitowners,79percentindicatedthatoperatingthevillageproductionunitistheirsecondary source of income. Only 21 percent of the beneficiaries in this category reported incomefromTamul Plates as their primary income source. For amajority of these households, agriculturalwork—eitherontheirownfarmsorothers’farms(cultivator)—remainstheprimaryincomesourceandoccupation.Therefore,itcanbeinferredthatforthesebeneficiaries,expenditureinsettingupandoperatingtheaffiliateunitisseenasaninvestmentactivity,andanyincomefromtheseunitscomplementsothertraditionalandmorecentralincomesources.

Leaf plate producers

77%

13%

3%

7%


Leaf Plate Producer

Manual Labour

Other

Cultivator

20%

3%

20%

3%

54%


Leaf Plate Producer

Manual Labour

Other

Cultivator

No Work

Fig. 2.4 Primary and secondary income sources for Leaf Plate Producers

For77percentof the leafplateproducers, incomefromworkingat theaffiliateunitorTamulPlatesfactoryconstitutestheirprimarysourceofincome.Incomparisontomanuallabourwork,theincomefromTamulsourcesisnotonlyfixedbutalsopredictable.Also,itispertinenttonotethatmorethanhalf (54percent) of the beneficiaries reportedhavingno secondary income source.This implies thatbeneficiarieseitherdonotneedasecondaryincomesourceorthatemploymentintheformofleafplateproductionisthebestand/oronlyoptionavailabletothem.Inbothofthesecases,thedatapointstoleafplateproducers’highlevelofdependencyonincomefromTamulsources.

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Raw material collectors

10%

35%

10%

22%

23%


!"#$"%&'"()$*&

+$%,-.",)*&

/0%1&234%)506&-#&78*-9$%,$*0&

:";&!",0*-"%&+)%%09,)*&

<,=0*&

3%

77%

10%

10%


!"#$%&'(#)*"+%,-%./0,12#320"%

456%753"0,5#%8)##"13)0%

93:"0%

;)%<)0=%

Fig. 2.5 Primary and secondary income sources for raw material collectors

RawmaterialcollectorstendnottorelyonincomefromTamulPlatesastheirprimaryincomesource.Asinthecaseofaffiliateunitowners,mostbeneficiaries(77percent)identifiedTamul-relatedincomeassupplementaltoincomefromtraditionalsources.Theseasonalavailabilityofarecanutleavesisoneofthereasonsforthistrend;beneficiariescanengageinthisactivityfull-timeonlyduringcertainpartsoftheyear.Evenwhenavailable,gatheringtheleavesandsupplyingthemtotheproductionunitsdoesnotconsumetoomuchtime,allowinghouseholdstocontinuewithotherfull-timework.

11246

5026

4601

3410

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000


Leaf Plate Producer

Tamul Factory Worker

Raw Material Collector/Agent

Income (in Rs.)

Average Monthly LAG Household Income

Fig. 2.6 Average monthly household income for Lower Assam Tamul households

Onaverage,thevillage-levelaffiliateunitownershavethehighestmonthlyhouseholdincome(Rs.11,246)amongallthebeneficiarycategories.IncomefromTamulsourcesissupplementaryfortheaffiliateunitowners,andassuchistreatedasaninvestmentopportunitytoshoreuptheircash-basedincomesources.FortheleafplateproducersandTamulfactoryworkers,whorelymoreheavilyontheirTamulincomesource,theaveragemonthlyhouseholdincomeisRs.4,600-5,000.

Household expenditure

Themostimportantexpenseforhouseholdsisfood.Householdslivingatsubsistencelevelsofincomespend40-50percentoftheirincomeonfood.Manystudieshavenotedthatwithanincreaseinincome,thepercentageshareoffoodexpensedecreasesduetoincreasedspendingonservicessuchashealthandeducation.7Inmonetaryterms,householdsfromthesurveyedgrouptendtospendclosetoRs.4,126onfoodeverymonth.

7 For more, refer to Economic Research Service/USDA “Growth and Equity Effects of Agricultural Marketing Efficiency Gains in India / ERR-89: Household Income and Expenditure Patterns,” December 2009. Available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/428179/err89e_1_.pdf. Last accessed December 20, 2014.


Food 54%

Festivals/Cinemas 7%

School Fees 8%

Savings 7%

Medicines 7%

Loan Repayments 3%

Miscellaneous 14%

LAG Household Average Monthly Expenditures

Fig. 2.7 Breakdown of household monthly expenditure

Withrespondents intheLowerAssamGroupallocating54percentof their totalmonthlyhouseholdspendingonfood,thereisaclearneedtoimprovethefood-to-non-foodexpenditureratio.Thiswouldmean ahigher allocation for expenses towards school fees (education),medicines (health), andothermiscellaneousexpenditure.TamulPlatesaimstoofferthemanincreaseindisposableincome,andasaresult,anincreaseintheirshareofnon-foodexpenditureasaproportionoftotalhouseholdexpenditure.Therespondentsinthisgroupreportalowlevelofhouseholdsavings.LowerAssamGrouphouseholdsaresavingonly7percentoftotalexpenditureonaverage,whichtranslatestoRs.540everymonth.Thislowlevelofsavingsisprevalentacrossthegroup,withnearly40percentofhouseholdsnothavinganyformofsavingsatall.Thesefiguresemphasizethattheincomebeingearnedisthebareminimumneededfor thehouseholds to survive.There is acriticalneed toboost incomeand increasefinancial securitywithintheregionthroughsavings.

Asset ownership

Householdassetscanbebroadlycategorizedintothreetypes:

• Utility assets: These assets are the most basic necessities for all households, signifying aminimumlevelofqualityoflife.Examplesincludebeds,chairs,andwaterpurifiers.

• Productive assets: Theseassetscanbeusedforproductivepurposestoderiveeconomicbenefits.Examplesincludemobilephones,handlooms,two-wheelers,andtractors.

• Lifestyle assets: Theseassetsaretypicallypurchasedeitherasstatussymbolsorasluxuryitems,andtendtobethemostexpensiveamongallassets.Examplesincluderadios,televisions,andexpensivemetalutensils.

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100% 96%

5% 13%

32% 33%

87% 89%

8% 9%

25%

7%

27%

3% 3%

16% 24%

35% 31%

48%

12%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Bed

Cha

ir

Wat

er D

rum

Wat

er P

urifi

er

Coo

k St

ove

Alm

irah/

Dre

ssin

g U

nit

Mob

ile

Bic

ycle

Sew

ing

Mac

hine

2 W

heel

er

Han

dloo

m

Inve

rter

Plou

gh

Trac

tor

Cas

sero

le/T

herm

os

Rad

io

DT

H

Silk

Clo

thes

Tele

visi

on

Bel

l Met

al U

tens

ils

3/4

Whe

eler

Utility Productive Lifestyle O

wne

rshi

p of

Hou

seho

ld A

sset

s (in

%)

LAG Household Asset Ownership by Asset Type

Fig. 2.8 Distribution of household assets based on asset type

InterestingtrendsinthedistributionofhouseholdassetsarerepresentedinFigure2.8,includingthefol-lowingobservations.

• UtilityassetsarethemostpopularassettypefortheLowerAssamGroup.Itemsofeverydayuselikebedsandchairshavenear-universalownership.However,itisinterestingtonotethattwolow-costutilityassets—waterdrumandwaterpurifier—havethesmallestownershippercentagesinthecategory.Thiscanbeattributedtotheabundanceofpotablewaterintheregionthatrequiresnostorageorpurification.

• Cookstovesasautilityassetdonotseemtohavehighacceptanceinthisregion.Householdstendtopreferthetraditionalfirewoodcookstoves.Thisisprimarilyduetothehighcostofcleanfuelsourcesandaproximitytoforeststhatprovidesanabundanceoffirewood.

• Amongproductiveassets,inexpensiveassetssuchasmobilesandbicycleshavemorethan85percentownership.However,themoreexpensiveproductiveassetssuchasinverters,tractors,andtwo-wheelerarelesscommon.

• Expectedly,lifestyleassetshavethelowestpercentageofownershipamongthesurveyedgroup.Medium-costassetsliketelevisions,bellmetalutensils,andsilkclothesareamongthefewassetswithhighownership,astheyareseenasastatussymbolsinthisarea.

• Thereisnegligibleownershipofhigh-costlifestyleassetssuchasthree-orfour-wheelers.

Overall, the cost of the asset is the primary factor that determines their purchase in the surveyedhouseholds.Low-andmedium-costassetslikechairs,beds,mobiles,bicycles,andTVsaresomeofthemostpopularassetsamongthesehouseholds.

Landholding patterns

Agriculture is an important economicactivity inAssam,providingemployment tonearly75percentof thepopulation.However, the sector isnotadequatelyproductive,characterizedby lowyield levelsresultinginlackofself-sufficiency.Sinceapproximately40percentoftherespondentsintheLowerAssamGroupreportedagriculturalsourcestobeeitheraprimaryorsecondarysourceofincome,itisusefultolookattheseactivitiesmoreclosely.

Basedonthelandholdingpatterns,asgleanedfromthedata,itispossibletocategorizethesehouseholdsintofourcategories:


• Landless: These households own no land and work on larger farms as laborers to earn asubsistenceliving.Suchhouseholdstendtofallunderthe$1.25-a-daypovertyline.

• Small and marginal farmer: Thesefarmersholduptotwoacresofland.Theirholdingsarecharacterizedbylowagriculturaloutputandminimalmarketablesurplus.8

• Medium farmer: Thesefarmersownbetweentwoandfiveacresofland.Theyusethislandnotjusttofeedtheirfamiliesbutalsotogrowvegetablesandfruitsthatcanbesoldlocally.

• Large farmer: Thesefarmersownmorethanfiveacresoflandandareabletouseeconomiesofscalewithmachineryandfertilizers.Theseinputsalsoallowthemtoincreaseoutput,improveoverallproductivitylevels,andproducegreatermarketablesurplusfromtheirland.

OfthetotalsurveyedbeneficiariesintheLowerAssamGroup,32percentarelandlessand39percentaresmallandmarginalfarmers.Thesehouseholdstypicallyworkascultivators(orlaborers)onothers’farmstoearnlivelihoods,asthelandtheyown(ifany)doesnotproduceanymarketablesurplustoprovidethemwithanadditionalsourceofincome.Largefarmersareanextremelysmallproportion(9percent)ofthetotalhouseholdssurveyedinthisgroup.Itisforthesebeneficiariesthatfarmingcanbeconsideredaremunerativeeconomicactivity.

Landless 32%

Small and Marginal Farmer

39%

Medium Farmer 20%

Large Farmer 9%

LAG Landholding Status

Fig. 2.9 Landholding patterns based on land-size classification

Housing and access to amenities

Electricity

77% 78% 85%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Lower Assam Group State Average National Average

Per

cent

of

Hou

seho

lds

LAG Household Electrification

Fig. 2.10 Electrification rate for Lower Assam Group

77percentofLowerAssamGrouphouseholdshaveaccesstoelectricity,inlinewiththestateaverageofruralelectrificationof78percent.9

8 Marketable surplus is the portion of a harvest that a farmer can sell on the market to earn a profit. With this profit she can reinvest into farming operations by purchasing more land or better farming equipment.

9 Assam Directorate of Economics and Statistics, “Economic Survey, Assam,” 2011-12. Available at: http://ecostatassam.nic.in/ads_economic%20survey.pdf. Last accessed December 17, 2014.

14

Itisimportanttocaveatthatelectrificationonlyrepresentsaccesstoanelectricalconnectionandnotaregular supply;blackoutsandbrownoutsaremajorproblems inAssam.According2011GovernmentofIndiaestimates,27percentofthestate’senergyrequirementremainsunmet.10Thisunmetdemandresultsinconstantpowercuts,requiringTamulPlatestocontinuepoweringoperationswithcookinggas/liquefiedpetroleumgasinsteadofelectrifiedmachines,whichwouldcontributetolowercostsandmoreeco-friendlymanufacturing.

Water

61% 63%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Lower Assam Group State Average

Per

cent

of

Hou

seho

lds

LAG Safe Drinking Water Access

Fig. 2.11 Access to safe drinking water

WitheasyaccesstoandavailabilityofwateracrossAssam,itisnosurprisethat61percentofhouseholdsreportedaccesstosafedrinkingwater.53percentofthehouseholdshadaccesstoprivatehandpumpsortaps,and100percentofhouseholdsreportedthattraveltothenearestsourcewouldtakefewerthan15minutes.

Sanitation

Accesstosanitationismeasuredbythequalityoffacilitiesavailabletodifferenthouseholds.‘Improvedsanitationfacilities’aredefinedasthosethathygienicallyseparatehumanexcretafromhumancontact,includingflushtoilets(withsewerconnection),pitlatrineswithslab,compostingtoilets,andventilatedimproved pit latrines. ‘Basic sanitation facilities’ include other facilities, including open pits, publictoilets,andhangingtoilets.

21% 25%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Lower Assam Group National Average

Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

LAG Access to Improved Sanitation

Fig. 2.12 Access to improved sanitation facilities

10 Deb Chattopadhyay, 2012,. Electrification in Remote Villages of Assam (India): Issues and Case Studies, University of Brisbane. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/2967588/Rural_Electrification_in _India_-_Economic_Modelling_of_Renewable_and_Grid_Connection_Options. Last accessed December 17,2014


AccordingtoWorldBankestimates,11only25percentoftheruralhouseholdsinIndiahaveaccesstoimprovedsanitationfacilities,resultinginthemajorityofthepopulationusingbasicsanitationfacilities,orinmanycasesresortingtoopendefecation.IntheLowerAssamGroup,thepercentageofhouseholdswithimprovedsanitationisevenlower,at21percent.

Adoptionofbettersanitationfacilitiesislargelydependentontheincomesofthehouseholdsinagivenarea,aswellas thegeographicalandculturalcontextof their locations.AsFigure2.13makesclear,agreaterproportionofimprovedsanitationfacilitiesareusedbytheaffiliateunitowners,ascomparedtotheleafcollectorsandaffiliateunitworkers,adiscrepancylargelydrivenbyhigherincomes.TheexceptiontothisistheTamulfactoryworkers,whodespitelowerincomesrefrainfromopendefecation,astheyarebasedwithinthesemi-urbanlimitsofBarpeta.

36%

10% 13%

56%

43% 86%

48%

44%

21% 3%

39%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Affiliate Unit Owner Leaf Collector/Agent Worker at Affiliate Unit Worker at Tamul Factory

Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

LAG Access to Sanitation by Role

Bricks Pit Open

Fig. 2.13 Sanitation facilities available for households

Housing structure and quality

Housingqualityandstructuresareindicativeofthelong-termfinancialsecurityofahousehold.Increasedhousingquality isoftenahighpriorityoftheruralpoor,buthighcostsmeanthat improvementsareundertakenoveralongperiodoftime.Thequalityofhousingisusuallyalaggingindicatorrelativetochangeinincome.

36% 45%

52%

11%

21% 10% 9%

44%

43% 45% 39% 44%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

LAG Household Type

Kutcha Pucca Semi Pucca

Fig. 2.14 Distribution of housing type

WithintheLowerAssamGroup,thetrendholdstrue,with21percentofaffiliateunitownershavingpucca12houses,nearlydoubletherateofleafcollectorsandaffiliateunitworkers.Meanwhile,44percentofTamulfactoryworkershavepuccahousesduetotheirlocationwithinthelimitsofBarpeta.Where11 The World Bank, “Improved sanitation facilities (% of population with access).” Available at: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.ACSN/countries/1W-IN?display=graph. Last accessed December 18, 2014.

12 Pucca houses are structures whose walls and roofs are both made of building materials such as cement, concrete, kiln burnt bricks, tiles, or tin/corrugate sheets.

16

puccahousesarelesscommon,kutcha13housesincrease,withsemi-pucca14remaininglargelyconsistentacrossrespondentcategories.

14% 3%

14%

14% 4%

22%

71% 83%

96% 78%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Affiliate Unit Owner Leaf Collector/Agent Worker at Affiliate Unit Worker at Tamul Factory P

erce

ntag

e of

Hou

seho

lds

LAG Roof Material by Role

Cement Straw/Thatch Tin Corrugat

Fig. 2.15 Type of roof material used

Theinfluenceofincomelevelsonhousingcontinuestobeanimportantcharacteristicwhenassessingroofquality.Assamispronetoextremelyhighrainfall,forcinghouseholdstoadoptstrongmaterial,suchastinandcementwherepossible.Whilecorrugatedtinsheetsarebyfarthemostcommonmaterial,beingusedbyover70percentofhouseholdssurveyedacrossrespondenttype,14percentofaffiliateunitownershavecementroofs.Thisdesiretoadoptstrongerroofmaterial,asincomeincreases,willbeaninterestingareatotrackinfuturereports.

79% 86% 91%

44%

21% 10% 4%

33%

22% 3% 4%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

LAG Wall Material by Role

Bamboo Bricks Cement Cement over Bamboo/Iqra

Fig. 2.16 Type of wall material used

AssessmentofwallandpillarmaterialsmakesitclearthatTamulfactoryworkersprioritizepermanentbuildingmaterials given their locationwithinBarpeta. 89 percent of these respondents use concretepillars,and55percentuseeitherbrickorcementforwalls.Thisisinstarkcontrasttootherrespondents,whohadpillarsmadefromconcrete,wood,orbamboo,andwallsmadelargelywithlocallyabundantbamboo.Becauseofitshighfibrecontentanddurability,bambooispreferredasawallmaterialamongbyhouseholdswhereheavyrainfallsandfloodsarelikelytooccur.

13 According to the National Sample Service Organization (NSSO), kutcha house refers to the kind of building structure that is non-permanent in nature. It is a structure whose walls and roofs are both made of non-pucca materials such as un-burnt bricks, bamboo, mud, grass, leaves, and reeds.

14 Semi-pucca houses are those that use at least one pucca material in the construction of either the roof or the wall. These are the most commonly found housing structures in villages of India.


29% 24% 30%

11%

64% 55% 48% 89%

7% 21% 22%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

LAG Pillar Material by Role

Bamboo Concrete Post Wood

Fig. 2.17 Type of pillar material used

Nutrition security

TheLowerAssamGroupbeneficiaries,despitecomingfromthesomeofthepoorestdistrictsinnortheasternIndia,haveawell-balanceddiet.Morethan75percentofhouseholdsreportedeatingnon-vegetarianfoodmorethanthreetimesinamonth,whileallhouseholdsconsumedatleastonekindofpulse.Stapleslikepotato, tomato,andonionarepartofallhouseholds’meals,alongwithseasonalvegetables likeokra,jackfruit,yam,andleafygreens.Householdspredominantlyconsumericeandwheatastheirpreferredchoiceoffoodgrains.Consumptionofmilkandmilkproductsisratherlow,withlowcattleownershipandhighmarketratesforthesegoods.Withtheinclusionofpulses,grains,seasonal/leafyvegetables,andhighfrequencyofmeat/fishconsumption,thesehouseholdshavenutritiousdietaryhabits.

School-going patterns

It isauniversallyacceptedtruththateducationis themost important lever foreconomic,social,andpoliticaltransformation.Awell-roundededucationisapowerfulcatalystthatempowerschildrenwithknowledgeandskills,enablingthemtopushtheirfamiliesoutoftheviciouscircleoflow-payingjobsandlowstandardsofliving.

91%

100%

84%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Girls

Boys

State Average

LAG Under 17 Children Attending School

Fig. 2.18 School enrolment rates for children under 17 years old

Theaspirationof theLowerAssamGrouptobreakoutof theclutchesofpoverty isevident.Amongbeneficiaries,95percentofchildrenunder17yearsoldareenrolledinschools,farexceedingthestateaverageof84percent.Itisalsoextremelyencouragingtoseetheminimalgenderbias,with91percentenrolmentrateforgirls,comparedwith10percentforboys.

18

70%

30%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Government School

Private School

LAG School Type

Government School Private School

Fig. 2.19 Type of school attended by children younger than 17 years

Also, it isnoteworthythat30percentof thechildrenfromthesurveyedgroupattendprivateschool,whichdemonstratesthebeneficiaries’commitmenttotheirchildren’sfuture.Privateschoolsarebelievedtoofferahigherqualityofeducationintheregionthanpublicschools.SurveyedhouseholdsregularlystressedtheneedtoearmarkincomefromTamul-relatedworkforexclusiveuseonprivateschoolfees,academicbooks,andextra-curricularactivitiesfortheirchildren.

Lower Assam Group Conclusions

• LeafplateproducersandrawmaterialcollectorswithPPIscoresof32percentand28percentrespectively are themost likely among Lower AssamGroup beneficiaries to fall below thepovertyline.

• TamulPlates-relatedactivities are theprimary sourceof income for77percentof leafplateproducers,highlightingtheirheavyrelianceonTamulPlates.However,over75percentofaffiliateunitownersandrawmaterialcollectorstreatincomefromTamulPlatesascomplementarytoothersourcesofincome.

• 95percentofchildrenofschool-goingagearecurrentlyenrolledinschool,higherthanthestateaverageof84percent.30percentofthesechildrenattendprivateschool.

• Foodconstitutesthehighestpercentageofhouseholdexpense,at54percent.Meanwhile,onlyameagre7percentofmonthlyexpenseoutlaygoestowardssavings.

• Less than 20 percent of beneficiaries living outside Barpeta reside in permanent housingstructures(pucca),owingtotheuseofinferiormaterialssuchasbambooandtin.However,44percentofTamulfactoryworkersliveinpermanentstructuresowingtotheirlocationwithinBarpeta.

• With 77 percent of houses electrified, and 61 percent of respondents having access to safedrinkingwater,accesstoutilitiesamongtheLowerAssamGroupismoreorlessinlinewiththestateaverage.


Upper Assam Group

Education

General Other Backward Castes Scheduled Castes Scheduled Tribes State Average

Fig. 3.1 Literacy rate among Upper Assam beneficiaries

Educationalattainmentasreflectedbytheliteracyrateforthevariouscastegroupsshowswidedisparities.While 100 percent of the men in the general population are literate,15 the corresponding rate forScheduledTribes(ST)isabysmallylowat38percent.ForScheduledCaste(SC)itstandsat50percent(asseeninFigure3.1).Theliteracyrateforthesetwocastegroupsisalsolowerthanthestateaverageof65percent.16ItappearsthatrespondentsinthegeneralandOBCcategorieshaveahigherlevelofeducationalattainmentthantheothergroupsandthestateaverage.

Progress out of Poverty™ (PPI)

16%

36%

11%

28%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Af#iliate Unit Owner Leaf Plate Producer Tamul Factory Worker Raw Material Collector/Agent

Per

cent

age

Lik

elih

ood

Likelihood of UAG Beneficiaries Falling Under $1.25 a Day Ultra Poverty Threshold

Fig. 3.2 Poverty likelihood for Tamul beneficiaries based on PPI Score

DatapresentedinFigure3.2showsthepovertylikelihoodforvariousbeneficiarygroupsbasedonthe$1.25-a-day-per-person(2005PPP)povertyline.Amongthosesurveyed,theleafplateproducershavethe highest likelihood (36 percent) of falling below the poverty threshold, followed by rawmaterialcollectors(28percent).Theaffiliateunitownershaveamongthelowestprobabilityoffallingbelowthepovertythreshold.

15 For the respondent group with only one woman beneficiary, a gender analysis of educational attainment doesn’t hold too much value. Literacy rates in this section correspond to male literacy rates.

16 According to national census data, overall literacy rate in Assam for the year 2011 stands at 65 percent, while male literacy rate is much higher at 75 percent.

Demographics of the Upper Assam Group

By gender:Male-19Female-1

By caste:General-3

ScheduledCaste-2ScheduledTribe-8

OtherBackwardCaste-7

20

Income and productivity

Affiliate unit owners

50%

25%

25%


Cultivator


Other

100%

0%



Other Income sources

Fig. 3.3. Primary and secondary income sources for affiliate unit owners

Figure3.3showsthatincomefromTamulactivitiescomprisessecondaryincomeforaffiliateunitowners,with primary income for 75 percent of respondents coming from agricultural activities.TheUpperAssamGroup,givenitsrelativelystrongeconomicsituation,viewsthevillage-levelproductionunitasanopportunitytoinvestanddiversifytheirincomesourcesforgreatereconomicstability.

Leaf plate producers

IncomefromTamuliscrucialforthiscategoryofemployees;itservesastheprimaryincomesourcefor55percentofhouseholds.Figure3.4illustrateshow64percentofthebeneficiariesreporteddoingnootherworktocomplementtheirexistingincomesources,demonstratingextremelyhighdependencyonTamul-relatedincome.Tamuliscreatingfinanciallysecurealternativestoagriculturalemployment;thestrongneedforsuchalternativeshasdrivenhighenrolment.

36%

55%

9%


Manual Labour

Leaf Plate Producer

Private Service

27%

9% 64%


Leaf Plate Producer

Cultivator

No Work

Fig. 3.4 Primary and secondary income for leaf plate producers

Raw material collectors

Forrawmaterialcollectors,collectingarecanut leaf sheathsandsupplyingthemtoTamulproductionunitsprovidesasupplementaryincomesource.Leafcollectionisnotadailyactivityandrequiresonlylimited time,providingampleopportunity for individuals topursueother income sources.However,incomefromsupplyofrawmaterialscruciallyboostsdisposableincomeforbeneficiaries,allowingthemtoincreaseconsumptionofserviceslikeeducationandhealthcare.


20%

40%

20%

20%


Manual Labour

Cultivator


Raw Material Collector

80%

20%


Raw Material Collector

No Work

Fig. 3.5 Primary and secondary income for raw material collectors

Tamul-related income is often considered a secondary source due to the fact that the village-levelproductionunitsandTamul’sownfactoryinBarpetadonotoperateyear-round.Productionstoppagesareduetotheseasonalityofrawmaterials,lackofworkingcapital,andinsecurityinastrife-tornregion.

10733

6563

5850

4850

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000


Leaf Plate Producer

Tamul Factory Worker

Raw Material Collector/Agent

Income (in Rs.)

Average Monthly UAG Household Income

Fig 3.6 Average monthly household income for Upper Assam Tamul households

Onaverage,thevillage-levelaffiliateunitownerhasthehighestmonthlyhouseholdincome(Rs.10,733)amongallthebeneficiarycategories.FortheleafplateproducersandTamulfactoryworkers,whorelymoreheavilyontheirTamulincomesource,theaveragemonthlyhouseholdincomeisRs.5,800–6,600(asillustratedinFigure3.6).

Household expenditure

Food 48%

Entertainment/Festivals, 6%

School Fees, 15%

Savings, 6%

Medicines, 6%

Loan Repayments, 11%

Miscellaneous, 8%

UAG Household Average Monthly Expenditures

Fig. 3.7 Breakdown of household monthly expenditure

22

FoodaccountedforthelargestportionoftheUpperAssamhouseholds’totalmonthlyexpenditure,at48percent.17Inmonetaryterms,householdsspendclosetoRs.3,800eachmonthonfoodalone,inlinewiththenationalaverageforafamilyoffive.18

Itisencouragingtosee15percentofexpendituregoingtowardsschoolfeesandtuitions,demonstratingafocusonensuringqualitylearningforchildreninthesehouseholds.

Overall, households exhibit high consumption patterns: food, miscellaneous activities, festivals, andentertainment amount to 62 percent of the total household expenditure. Concurrently, savings areextremelylow,withonly6percentofexpensesaccountedforassavings—lessthan10percentoftheexpenditureonfood.

Assets holding pattern

Asset ownership patterns demonstrate a strong relationship between income and type of asset. Low-incomehouseholdshavehigherownershipoflow-andmedium-costutilityandproductiveassets.19Withanincreaseinincome,itislikelythathouseholdswouldswitchfrompurchasingutilityassetstomedium-andhigh-costlifestyleandproductiveassets.

100%

85%

25% 20%

35% 45%

80%

55%

5% 10%

20%

5%

20%

0% 10% 10%

35%

15%

55%

25%

10%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Bed

Cha

ir

Wat

er D

rum

Wat

er P

urifi

er

Coo

k St

ove

Alm

irah/

Dre

ssin

g U

nit

Mob

ile

Bic

ycle

Sew

ing

Mac

hine

2 W

heel

er

Han

dloo

m

Inve

rter

Plou

gh

Trac

tor

Cas

sero

le/T

herm

os

Rad

io

DT

H

Silk

Clo

thes

Tele

visi

on

Bel

l Met

al U

tens

ils

3/4

Whe

eler

Utility Productive Lifestyle

Ow

ners

hip

of H

ouse

hold

Ass

ets

(in %

)

Household Asset Ownership by Asset Type

Fig. 3.8 - Distribution of household assets based on asset type

ThereareafewtrendsinassetownershipworthnotingfromthedatapresentedinFigure3.8:

• Utilityassetsarethemostcommonformofassetsownedbyhouseholdsinthisgroup.Theseincludelow-costassetslikechairsandbeds,andmedium-costassetssuchasalmirah/dressingunits.

• Householdsshowverylowownershipofhigh-costproductiveandlifestyleassetslikeinvertors,ploughs,tractors,orthree-andfour-wheelers.

• Mobilesandbicyclesareamongthemostinexpensiveproductiveassets.Theyalsohaveextremelyhighownershippatterns.

• ThemostpopularlifestyleassetsforthisgroupofbeneficiariesaretelevisionsandDTHs(cableboxes)sinceinmostcasestheyaretheonlyformofentertainmentavailableinthesevillages.

17 For this group of beneficiaries, the presence of one household (affiliate unit owner) was driving up the average household expenses, including the expense on food and school, and can be seen as an outlier. Therefore, for the purposes of calculating household expenses, that household was removed from the data set.

18 Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation National Sample Survey Office, “Key Indicators of Household Consumer Expenditure in India,” 2011-12. Available at: http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/key%20indicators%20of%20household%20consumer%20expenditure%202011-12.pdf. Last accessed January 30, 2015.

19 We use the same classification of assets — utility, productive, and lifestyle — as explained in Section 5.4.


Overall,itcanbeinferredthatcostandtheutilityoftheassetsaretwocriticalfeaturesofanassettheseconsideredbythesehouseholdswhenmakingthedecisiontopurchase.

Landholding patterns

Landless 25%

Small and Marginal Farmer

40%

Medium Farmer 20%

Large Farmer

15%

UAG Landholding Status

Fig. 3.9 Landholding patterns based on land-size classification

Landholding patterns among beneficiaries of theUpper AssamGroup reveal that 40 percent of thehouseholdsownlandoflessthantwoacres,while25percentarelandless.Thesebeneficiaries’farmingactivityislargelyforsubsistence,resultinginloweconomicbenefittothehouseholds.

Theremaining35percentofthemediumandlargefarmersintheUpperAssamGroupuseirrigationtechniquesontheirland.Thisissignificantlyhigherthanthestateaverageof4.9percent,butbelowthenationalaverageof48.3percent.20

Housing and access to basic amenities

Electrification

95%

78% 85%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Upper Assam Group State Average National Average

Per

cent

of

Hou

seho

lds

UAG Household Electrification

Fig. 3.10 Electrification rate for Upper Assam households

TheUpperAssamGrouponanaveragereporteda95percentelectrificationrate,significantlyhigherthanboththestateaverageof78percentandthenationalaverageof85percent,basedon2010estimates.21

20 India Spend, “How UP Beats Maharashtra, Gujarat In Agriculture Productivity,” August 20, 2012. Available at: http://www.indiaspend.com/sectors/how-up-beats-maharashtra-gujarat-in-agriculture-productivity. Last accessed March 11, 2015.

21 Assam Directorate of Economics and Statistics, “Economic Survey, Assam,” 2011-12. Available at: http://ecostatassam.nic.in/ads_economic%20survey.pdf. Last accessed December 17, 2014

24

Itisimportanttocaveatthatelectrificationonlyrepresentsaccesstoanelectricalconnection,andnottheregularityofsupply;blackoutsandbrownoutsaremajorproblemsinAssam(asdiscussedinsection3.5).

Water

70% 63%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Upper Assam Group State Average

Per

cen

t of

Hou

seh

old

s

UAG Safe Drinking Water Access

Fig. 3.11 Access to safe drinking water

Due tohigh groundwater levels (thepresenceof variouswaterbodies andhighprecipitation rate), alargepercentageofhouseholdsinAssamhaveaccesstosafedrinkingwater.2270percentofhouseholdssurveyedinUpperAssamGrouphaveaccesstosafedrinkingwater,higherthanthestateaverageof63percent.23For anoverwhelmingmajorityofhouseholds in this group (97percent), thenearestwatersourcescanbereachedinfewerthan15minutes.

Sanitation

35%

48%

17%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Improved Sanitation Facilities Basic Sanitation Facilities Open Defecation

Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

UAG Access to Improved Sanitation

Fig. 3.12 Sanitation facilities available for Upper Assam Group

Figure3.12shows48percentofUpperAssamgrouphouseholdsusebasicsanitationfacilitiesthroughsemi-permanentstructures, suchasopenandbrickpits,while17percentof thehouseholdssurveyedresortedtoopendefecation.35percentofhouseholdshaveaccesstoimprovedtoiletsthatdisposehumanwastehygienically.Thisnumber,thoughsignificantlyhigherthanthenationalaverageof25percent,isstillalarminglylowandonethatshouldincreasewithheightenedincomes.

22 Includes private handpump, public handpump and private tap

23 Indian Ministry of Finance, “Economic Survey, Statistical Appendix,” 2012-13. Available at: http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2012-13/estat1.pdf. Last accessed March 11, 2015.


Housing structure and quality

67% 50%

22% 25%

33%

67% 50%

50%

11% 25%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

UAG Household Type

Kutcha Pucca Semi Pucca Fig. 3. 13 Distribution of house type

HouseholdsinUpperAssamGroupexhibitanon-lineartrendinhousingtypeandquality.Thesurveyresultsrevealthat45percentofthebeneficiariesliveinpuccahouses,whiletheremaining55percentliveineitherkutchaorsemi-puccahouses.Ashousingconstructionandimprovementisalong-termexpenseandactivity,beneficiariesmaybelieve inmakingbuildingchanges inapiecemeal fashion rather thanchangingwholesalefromakutchahousetoapuccapermanenthouse.

0% 11%

25%

100% 100% 89%

75%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

UAG Roof Material by Role

Straw/Thatch Tin Corrugat

Fig. 3.14 Distribution of roof material used by Upper Assam beneficiaries

Nearlyallhouseholds fromthe fourbeneficiarycategories,with the small exceptionof11percentofworkersataffiliateunitsand25percentofTamulfactoryworkers,choosecorrugatedtin,presumablytoprovideprotectionagainsttheharshweatherofAssam.Withincessantrainsandfrequentflooding,tinservesaseffectiveprotection,especiallywhencomparedtothealternativeofthatch/straw.

26

67%

100%

33% 50%

33%

33% 50%

33%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

UAG Wall Material by Role

Bamboo Bricks Cement Cement over Bamboo/Iqra

Fig. 3.15 Distribution of wall materials used by beneficiaries

Constructionof thesehouses reliesheavilyon locally available rawmaterials such asbamboo,wood,andiqra.Thesematerials,thoughusuallyviewedasinferior,provideincredibledurabilityinthefaceofrains,flooding,andevenearthquakes.Thisexplainswhyavastmajorityofhouseholdsacrossbeneficiarycategories currentlyusebamboo aswallmaterial. In50percent of the leaf collectors’ houses and75percentofTamulfactoryworkers’houses,pillarsareconstructedofconcrete,emphasizingtheneedforasolidframe.Thisneedforaruggedstructurewilllikelyleadtoalargepercentageofhouseholdsswitchingtobuildingwithcementandconcreteasincomesrise.

33% 25%

11% 25%

33%

33% 50%

44% 75%

33% 25%

11%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Per

cent

age

of H

ouse

hold

s

UAG Pillar Material by Role

Bamboo Cement Concrete Post Wood

Fig. 3.16 Pillar materials used by beneficiaries

Nutrition security

TheuniquegeographywhereTamulPlatesoperatesensuresthatbeneficiarieshaveaccesstobalanced,nutritious diets. Households grow various grains in their fields for domestic consumption. Closeproximitytofreshwatersourcesprovidesabundanceoffishandothernon-vegetarianfood.Infact,85percentofthehouseholdsinterviewedmentionedthattheyeatnon-vegetarianfoodatleastonceeveryweek.Of the households surveyed,more than 95 percent reported eating at least one type of pulseregularly.Consumptionpatternsintermsofbothqualityandfrequencyareextremelyhigh,especiallywhencomparedtootherstatesinIndia.Theserespondentsdietsarewellbalancedwiththepresenceofcarbohydrates(fromfoodgrains),protein(frommeat/fishandpulses),andvitaminandminerals(fromvegetablesandfruits).


However,theregionisseverelychallengedinaccessandaffordabilityofdairyproductslikemilk,paneer(cottagecheese),ghee(clarifiedbutter),andkhoya(condensedmilk).Only67percentofthehouseholdsinterviewedreportedconsumingdairyeitherneveroronlyoneortwotimesinamonth.

School going patterns for children

91%

89%

84%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Girls

Boys

State Average

UAG Under 17 Children Attending School

Fig. 3. 17 School enrolment rates for children under 17 years old

Thesurveyedhouseholdsinclude20school-agedchildrenof5-17yearsold,18ofwhomwereattendingschool(grossenrolmentrate of90percent).24Forboystheenrolmentrateis89percent,whereasforgirlstheenrolmentis91percent.Thesenumbersareallabovethestateaverage,againemphasizingtheimportanceofeducationforthebeneficiarygroup.25

83%

17%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Government School

Private School

UAG School Type

Fig. 3.18 Type of School attended by children less than 17 years old

Surprisingly, government schools still form the overwhelmingmajority, with 83 percent of childrenreportedattendingthem.Asignificantlysmallerpercentage(17percent)ofchildrenofbeneficiariesinthisgroupattendprivateschools.

24 Gross enrolment rate is the percentage of children of official school age who are enrolled in school compared to the total population of children of school-going age.

25 Gross enrollment rate (GER) in Assam for children between 5 and 10 years old is 106 percent, whereas for children 11-14 years old the GER is 83 percent. The gross enrollment ratio can be greater than 100 percent as a result of grade repetition and entry at ages younger or older than the typical age at that grade level.

28

Conclusion

• Leafplateproducersandrawmaterialcollectors,withPPIscoresof36percentand28percentrespectively, are themost likely amongUpper AssamGroup beneficiaries to fall below thepovertyline.

• TamulPlates-relatedactivities are theprimary sourceof income for55percentof leafplateproducers, highlighting a heavy reliance onTamulPlates.However, 100percent of affiliateunit owners and80percent of rawmaterial collectors treat income fromTamulPlates as acomplementtoothersourcesofincome.

• 91percentofboysand89percentofgirlsofschool-goingagearecurrentlyenrolledinschool,higherthanthestateaverageof84percent.Ofthese,only17percentattendprivateschool.

• Foodconstitutesthehighestpercentageofhouseholdexpenditure,at48percent.Bycontrast,only6percentofhouseholdexpenseoutlaygoestowardssavingseachmonth.

• With95percentofhouseselectrifiedand70percenthavingaccesstosafedrinkingwater,theaccesstoutilitiesamongtheUpperAssamGroupishigherthanthestateaverage.

• Permanent(pucca)housingisreasonablyhighamongUpperAssamGroupbeneficiaries,with33percentofaffiliateunitowners,67percentofaffiliateunitworkers,and50percentofTamulfactoryworkers living in suchhouses.However, noneof the leaf collectors surveyed live inpermanenthouses,insteadusinginferiorbuildingmaterialssuchasbambooandtin.


Dwijen Das (Age 48) Patla Village, Assam - Affiliate Unit Owner

Q: How did you get started making Tamul Leaf Plates?

Dwijen:“Threeyearsago,Isetupan[affiliateproductionunit]withtwomachinesatmyhomehereinPatla.LastyearIaddedathirdmachine.Nowthewholefamilyishelpingtomakeplatesinadditiontoourworkonthefarm.”

Q: How has working with Tamul Plates helped you most?

Dwijen:“MywifeKanchanhelpsbycleaninganddryingtheleaves.Afewyearsagoshedevelopedkidneystonesthatrequiredsurgery.Wewereabletousethemoneyearnedfromtheleafproductiontopaythemedicalbillswithoutanylongtermshockstothefamily,andshehassincereturnedtofullhealth.”

Q: How else have you spent the extra money earned making plates?

Dwijen:“Ihavebuiltasturdierhousewithaconcretefoundationandpillars.Ihavealsoexpandeditfromtwotofourroomssothefamilyhasmorespace.”

Q: What comes next?

Dwijen:“Myson(Dwijen’sson)Jituparnahasdreamsofexpandingtheunitandemployingdaylaborersfromthevillage.”

Q: What does this work mean to you?

Dwijen:“I’mhappytofulfilltheneedsofmychildren.Idon’tthinkaboutmyself.Mysonhastakenonalotofresponsibilities.Forexample,heplantedacropofpotatoesthisyearthat’sexpectedtobringinagoodprofit.Ialsohaveasavingsaccountforeachofmychildrenandput300rupeesawayintoeachofthemeverymonth.”

EMPLOYEE PROFILES

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Subanti Das, Relative of Pranjit Das, (Age 50)Chamuagati Village, Assam - Leaf Plate Producers

Q: How did you get started working with Tamul Plates?

Subanti: “My relativeowns a leafproductionunit andhashired six employees tohelpout.My jobis towash leavesbefore theyarepressed intoplatesandsometimeshelpwithpackagingandrunningmachines.”

Q: Do you like this job?

Subanti:“IammakingalotmorewithTamulthanIcouldwithagovernment-scheduledjob.Thisjobisclosetomyhome.”

Q: What do you like about your job?

Subanti:“Thebestpartofthisjobis,it’snotinthehotsun.It’sintheshadeandeasytodo.Itfitsineasilywithmyhousework.Icanearnmoneyathomeandnotbeonthefarm.IfIneedanadvanceonmysalary,Icaneasilygetalittle.ImakealotmorewithTamulthanIcouldwithagovernment-scheduledjob.”

Q: What do you spend your income on?

Subanti:“,Idonotgivemysalarytomyhusbandbutratherdecidehowtospendit,onmyown.Ioftenpayforhouseholdgoodsandmychildren’sschoolexpenses.”

Q: Are you saving up for anything right now?

Subanti:“IhavesavedupRs.1000fortheHolifestivaltobuyfoodformyrelativestocelebrate.”


Arup Pathak, (age 31)Barpeta, Assam -Technical manager for Tamul Plates

Q: How did you get started working with Tamul Plates?

Arup:“Istartedasafieldcoordinator,visitingnearbyvillagestorecruitemployeesandoverseethefactory.NowIdoresearchanddevelopmentfornewproducts,suchasourleafdryers.Ispenttwoyearsrefiningthecurrentdryer.Wehadtothrowawayfourofthemuntilwegotitright.Ireallybelieveintrialanderroruntilyougetthere."

Q: Can you tell us about the leaf dryer?

Arup:“TheleafdryerIcreatedenablesthecompanytocontinueproducingplatesduringthemonsoonseason,whenArecanutleavesaresaturatedinwaterandgomoldyifstackedwet.ThedrierenablesTamulPlatestoexpandproductionandemploymentyear-round.”

Q: Do you enjoy working with your brother?

Arup:“Iamveryexcitedaboutthis.Myelderbrotheristheproductionmanager.Iamhisboss,butit’sareasonablyflatorganization.Ijoinedthecompanyfirst,andweworkinseparateareas,sothere’snorealcompetition.”

Q: What are your goals for the future?

Arup:"Mygoalhasalwaysbeentodosomethingthatwillsetmeapart.IfeelthatmyworkatTamuldoesthat.Iwantourbusinesstogrow—forexample,wecouldusebamboofiberstomakeproducts,wearealreadytestingthis.Iwalkaroundwithdesignsinmyheadfornewmachines.”

Q: What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to your job?

Arup:"IguessmybiggesttalentswouldbethatIhavefocusandperseverance.Idon'tgiveup.MybiggestflawisthatIcannotspeakEnglish.Ihavestudieditsomuch,andeveryoneatTamulteasesmeandtriestogetmetospeakit,butIjusthaveablockorsomething."

"TheonethingpeopleshouldknowaboutmeisthatIamdependable."

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Ajit Das and Chandra Shil (ages 48) Barangabari Village, Assam - leaf collectors

Q: How do you know each other?

Ajit:“Weareboth48yearsold.Wegrewupinthesamevillage,wenttothesameschool,marriedtwosisters,andhavebeenbestfriendsallourlives.Nowweworktogether,too,inarecanutleafcollection.”Q: How do you spend your salary from Tamul Plates?

Ajit:'Theincomeweearngoestonecessaryhouseholdneedslikefood,education,andhealthcosts.”Q: What does the future of your work with Tamul Plates look like?

Chandra:“Weareagents,goingfromhousetohousebuyingleavesthattheresidentshavecollected.We’retryingtocollectmoreleavesandgetmoreyouthinvolved.”Ajit:"Theyoungpeoplearejustsittingaround,sotheymightaswelldosomethingtomakeincome.Wehavehiredsixteenagerssofar.”Q: How many households do you collect from?

Ajit:“Icollectfrom39households,andChandracollectsfrom35households.”Q: What are your dreams for the future?

Ajit:"Wewantmoreincomeandmoreemployees.Wewanttomarryoffourchildren—butifoursonsordaughterswanttogotouniversity,wewillsupportthem.Welookforwardtobeingoldtogether.”


Padumi Pathak (Age 43)Barpeta, Assam - Leaf Dryer Operator

Q: What is your job here?

Padumi:“Ioperatetheleafdryerwiththreeotherwomen.”

Q: What do you enjoy about working at the Tamul Plates factory?

Padumi:“Ilikemyjobbecauseoftheincome.Icanspenditonthehousehold—dal,rice,andsomefish,andonthechildren,fortheirclothesandeducation.”

Q: Do other women in your neighborhood work?

Padumi:“No,nobodyelse inmyvillagestepsoutof thehouse.Theydoweavingor livestockcareathome.BeforeIfoundthisjobIwasbored.”

Q: How do you feel about working outside the home?

Padumi:"WhenIwanttocomparemyselftootherwomen,IfeelproudthatIamgoingoutofthehouseanddoingthiswork."

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Tanjit Pathak (Age 22)Barpeta Assam - Leaf Plate Producer

Q: How long have you worked with Tamul and what is your job?

Tanjit:“Ihaveworkedhereforfouryears,sinceIwas18,andIrunthemachines.”

Q: Tell us about your typical day here

Tanjit:“Icometoworkat6amtobeginheatingthemachines.Theyarereadytostartby6:45,andweworkuntil2pmwithabreakforlunch.At2pm,Icountmyplatesandcleanupfortheday.”

Q: Where do you live? Do you have a wife?

Tanjit:“I liveclosetoherewithmyparentsandsisters.Mydadcooksinahotel,andIworkheretosupportthefamily.”

Q: What do you spend your money on?

Tanjit:“Igiveabout60percenttomyfamilyandtherestIspendonclothes,festivals,andmymobilephone.”

Q: What do you want for your future?

Tanjit:“IhavetwofriendsincollegebutIdon’twanttogotothere.Thisjobprovidesenoughtosupportmyfamily,soI’mhappyjusttocontinuehere.”

Q: What is your favorite part about your job?

Tanjit:“IjustreturnedfromatriptoBhutan,whichwasthefirsttimeIhaveleftAssam.IwentwithSantanu,theFactoryManager,toinstalltheirfirstaffiliateproductionunitandtostayforoneweektotrainthenewowners.”

Q: Wow, what was that experience like?

Tanjit:“Ireallylikedit.Iwanttotravelmoreanddomoretrainingslikethat.”

About UpayaUpayaSocialVentures(alsoreferredtoas“Upaya”)isbuildingbusinessesthatcreatejobsandimprovethequalityoflifeforthe“ultrapoor.”WedothisbyprovidingseedfundingandbusinessdevelopmentsupporttopromisingentrepreneursthatcancreatehundredsofjobsinIndia’smostimpoverishedcommunities.Asthesesmallbusinessesgrow,theywillgeneratesustainable,well-payingjobsforfamilieslivinginextremepoverty.AsofMarch2015,thisworkhasresultedinsixfinanciallyhealthy,scalablebusinessesthathavecreatednear1,200jobsinlocalcommunities.Formoreinformation,pleasevisitwww.upayasv.org.

Written by: Jyotsna Taparia and Vickram Saigal, Upaya Social VenturesCopyediting: Katherine GustafsonLayout: Alexandra Albu and Steve SchwartzPhotographer: Laurel Curran. All Photos are property of Upaya Social Ventures.

Special thanks to Arindam Dasgupta, Debaleena Ray, Sachi Shenoy, Aparna Arora, and Sreejith Nedumpully

About Tamul PlatesTamulPlatesproducesandmarketshigh-quality,all-naturaldisposableplatesandbowlsmadefromarecanut(palm)treeleavesundertheTambulLeafPlatesbrand.ThecompanyproducesdinnerwarethroughanetworkofaffiliatesacrossthetribalregionsofNortheastIndia,ensuringthateachaffiliatehastheskillsandmachineryneededtoproducesuperior-qualityarecanutproducts.Thecompanyisworkingtogeneratemaximumvalueforboththeruralproducerandurbancustomerthroughproductionandmarketingofhighqualityproductsinanecologicallysustainablemanner.FormoreinformationonTamulPlates,pleasevisitwww.tpmc.co.in.

Tamul Plates Social Impact Report: 2014 Baseline

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