Imagining possibilities: A step towards future community enterprises
Climate-responsive and gender-sensitive enterprises need to cater to emerging needs and address context-specific issues and concerns. This means that textbook methods and the conventional rules of business may not work well for them. Instead, they need to follow the traditional best practices of the communities in which they are working in order to fit in with the local context, environment and culture.
The most important part of developing a business model from the perspective of climate change and gender is imagining the scope of the business from the perspective of everyday life, emerging contexts and behavioural patterns of the community and being able to connect these perspectives to an economically viable business model. There are a few ways of doing this. For example:
- Look at what local resources are available and think about how they could be used for a variety of activities that could be done by different people or groups within the community. For example, depending on the number and variety of plants that are locally available, you could build a business on the total or near total biomass use of the plants — that is, use every part (or almost every part) of the plant for different purposes.
A total biomass use model based on coconut palm: Every part of the plant provides opportunities for a climate-responsive local business that could be led by women. Coconut is beneficial for stopping land erosion, and so it could be a viable plantation and reforestation solution for coastal areas. It is also a traditional raw material used by local (coastal or inland) communities (both coastal and inland) for their daily needs.
2. Look into what locally grown raw materials are used for preparing food and explore how to provide a wider variety of options for both local consumption and for preserving/processing and selling in local and distant markets.
Business possibilities based on local food systems: A simple staple local food like taro offers wonderful opportunities for home-based, small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) that can address local food security and resilience and create opportunities for value addition and growth of gender-sensitive enterprises.
Case study
Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad
Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad (known informally as Lijjat) is a low-margin, high-value business in India that provides employment to thousands of women. It is an excellent example of a home-based, aggregated enterprise.
Adapted from Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijat Papad. (2023, 11 October). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shri_Mahila_Griha_Udyog_Lijjat_Papad
Licence: Open source
3 Look into local crafting skills and how they could be used or adapted to add value and create better products for more return. Think about how the skills could be changed to meet local everyday requirements that the craft has never been used for.
4 Observe the local community’s behaviour and imagine a business model that could be built on the behavioural patterns.
The case studies discussed above are only ideas for you to consider. To create a successful community business model you will have to take the following steps:
- Understand the intersection of gender inequality and climate change. They are intertwined issues that disproportionately impact women and marginalised communities.
- Incorporate gender equality into all aspects of the enterprise. This includes hiring practices, training and development, decision-making, and monitoring and evaluation. Social enterprises should strive to create a workplace culture that is inclusive.
- Design climate-resilient solutions that meet the needs of women and marginalised communities. This may include providing access to clean energy, sustainable agriculture practices and disaster risk reduction measures. Many gender-sensitive solutions to climate change have been developed by women and girls. Social enterprises should promote these solutions.
- Use data and evidence to track progress. Social enterprises should collect data on their gender and climate impacts to track their progress and identify areas for improvement.
- Advocate for policies that support gender equality and climate action. This will help to create an environment where social enterprises can thrive and have a greater impact.
- Be innovative and creative in your approach to gender equality and climate action. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to them.
- Collaborate with other organisations that are working on gender equality and climate change — for example, other social enterprises, NGOs, government agencies and private sector companies.
- Share your knowledge and experience with others by, for example, writing blog posts, giving presentations or participating in conferences.