Often, the livelihood strategies and activities of poor people are diverse and complex. Agriculture and other natural resource-based activities play an important role for rural households, but they may also diversify into other activities, some of which are linked to agriculture and the natural resources sector, others which are not. Their strategies may vary and depend on the contexts specific to the households. For example, it may include subsistence production or production for the market, participation in labour markets or labouring in the home. Poor people in the urban context also often depend upon multiple diverse livelihood activities involving different employment (labouring) and self-employment activities. Livelihood strategies can be viewed from the perspective of an individual or that of a household. Poor people usually employ a mix of different ‘strategies’, especially when resources are pooled to some extent. A relatively unified ‘household’ will obviously be able to employ a wider range of strategies than an individual acting alone
NAMCO firmly believes that if poor people can be helped to acquire certain skills, they would be able to diversify their livelihoods from being dependent only on agriculture. The diversification reduces their risks and vulnerabilities and builds their resilience. Secondly NAMCO is of the view that collectivization of poor people, be it women SHGs or their federations or FPOs would only strengthen the poor with improved skills and capacities, enhanced bargaining power and the higher confidence emanating from solidarity. NAMCO has implemented a series of projects for nearly three decades towards strengthening the livelihoods of its communities.
• Promotion of SHGs and their Federations: NAMCO has been involved in the promotion of women SHGs ever since the concept evolved in the late ‘90s. NAMCO partnered with the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women and nurtured a number of women SHGs in the district of Nagapattinam. In the initial years, the focus has been largely on enabling access to financial services. NAMCO facilitated such linkages with HDFC Bank for a few years. Later on, NAMCO identified other opportunities for such linkages including Opportunity Microfinance India (OMI), TdH, Netherlands, Swarnapragati Housing Microfinance Ltd, and NABFINS etc. To date, NAMCO has facilitated linkages to the tune of about Rs. 300 million cumulatively. A vast majority of these linkages has been used for strengthening the livelihoods of the people.
• Surabi SHG Federation: During 2014 – 16, NAMCO partnered with CARE India, an international development organization and implemented a project entitled “Banking on Change”. This project aimed at strengthening the SHGs and federating them as a strong, vibrant and financially sustainable people institution. In 2014, NAMCO promoted and registered the ‘Surabi SHG Federation’ under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. NAMCO has invested heavily in building the skills and capabilities of the SHGs and their federation, which resulted in improving their access to credit and other financial services, while also leveraging support for promotion of livelihoods.
• NAMCO Suyambu Farmers Producer Company Ltd: Farmers Producer Company (FPO) is new legal form of aggregation of rural farmers and producers under the companies act. This gives many advantages to the members over the normal SHG federation. NAMCO has partnered with NABARD and promoted an all-women FPO in Nagapattinam district, which is first of its kind in the district and one among the few in the entire state. More than 600 women members are first aggregated into different producer groups based on their existing livelihoods, who are all further aggregated into a FPO. The FPO is formally registered in 2020 and is all set to move forward with multiple activities for promotion and strengthening of livelihoods of its members in the coming years.
• Internet Saathi Project: This is an innovative project implemented by NAMCO in 2017 in partnership with Voice Foundation. The project was sponsored by the Tata Trust. NAMCO extended training on digital literacy covering aspects such as understanding internet and using it for improving livelihoods. Through the project, NAMCO reached out to more than 40000 women in Nagapattinam district. This helped reducing the digital divide between the urban and rural youth and enabled them to seek livelihood opportunities.
• Skill Development Programs: Poor people often lack skills to diversify their livelihoods. Without such opportunity, they remain unskilled and dependent only on unskilled labour in agriculture or other sectors. NAMCO believed in facilitating access to opportunities for skill development for the poor. Towards this, NAMCO has implemented a number of projects. These include;
o Sedusamudram Corporation Projects: From 2006 to 2015, NAMCO partnered with the Sedusamudram Corporation and implemented a number of skill training programs on coconut thatches making, coir products making, tailoring etc. NAMCO has trained about 1000 women members through this partnership.
o Micro Enterprises Development Program of NABARD: NAMCO partnered with NABARD and implemented the Micro Enterprises Development Program (MEDP) of NABARD. NAMCO has offered a number of skill training programs including beautician, coir making, goat rearing, dairy, embroidery, artificial jewellery making, mushroom cultivation, organic farm inputs production etc. More than 1200 women were trained under this partnership. The projects were implemented during 2012 to 2021.
o ICDS, Government of Tamil Nadu: The CDPO (Child Development Project Officer) of ICDS, Tamil Nadu sponsored a project for NAMCO for implementing a skill training project. NAMCO trained 60 adolescent girls on tailoring, who are from Thalainayiru block of Nagapattinam district. The project was implemented in 2014.
o FVTRS sponsored Project: NAMCO trained about 120 girls from Nagapattinam district in three trades – tailoring, coir products making and nursing assistant. The project was implemented in 2006 in partnership with FVTRS (Functional Vocational Training and Research Society), a Banglore based not-for-profit.
o CAPART Funded Project: NAMCO partnered with CAPART, a Government of India entity and implemented a project during 2006 – 08 for training youth on vocational skills under the aegis of SGSY program. During these two years, NAMCO mobilized more than 2000 youth in Nagapattinam district and trained them on various skills such as computer literacy, tailoring, cement blocks production, coir products making, palm leaves making etc.
o Nehru Yuva Kendra sponsored Project: NAMCO, in partnership with Nehru Yuva Kendra implemented skill training programs during 2005 to 2010, through which it has covered more than 500 youth. The project helped in imparting a number of entrepreneurship and job oriented skills to the youth.
o Other sponsors: One Percentage Fund, Rome supported NAMCO to help 40 disabled women to earn additional income through goat rearing. They were provided with 20 goats each. In another project, NAMCO received support from WICCC, Canada to train 10 PLHAs on waste cloth bundling skills. IED, Dharmapuri extended support to NAMCO for training 20 youth from the Scheduled Caste on inland fishing skills.
• Climate Change Adaptation Projects: The impact of climate change has a greater bearing on the livelihoods of the poor people. NAMCO has been implementing a number of projects that are closely linked to its livelihoods and environmental programs. They include water conservation projects, tree planting, training on organic farming, vermin-compost production, introduction of solar home lighting solutions etc.
Presently NAMCO is implementing a project in partnership with GIZ, India on introduction of Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) appliances for livelihoods. The focus is largely on solar energy based applications in sectors such as agriculture, small scale dairying, fisheries, and salt production and non-farm enterprises