Built a community-centred scale-up framework for 300,000+ farmers, artisans, and micro-enterprises across five northeastern states for UNDP.

Multi-State Livelihood & Enterprise Framework — Northeast India

Built a community-centred scale-up framework for 300,000+ farmers, artisans, and micro-enterprises across five northeastern states for UNDP.

Context

Five northeastern states with diverse socioeconomic ecosystems, strong community networks, and significant but underdeveloped potential across agriculture, handicrafts, and micro-enterprise. UNDP-led scale-up initiative targeting 300,000+ farmers, artisans, and micro-enterprises.

Challenge

Designing a holistic, multi-state framework capable of balancing short-term impact with long-term sustainability — while ensuring equitable reach to marginalised groups including women and indigenous communities across a highly diverse regional ecosystem.

Socion's Role

Research and proposal design for a long-term scale-up framework.

Approach

Behavioural Diagnostics

Behavioural diagnostics to understand how local actors adapt to shifting economic conditions and market dynamics

Social Capital Mapping

Social capital assessment mapping community networks and cultural practices as potential drivers of collective economic participation

Sectoral Analysis

Sectoral analysis identifying agriculture, handicrafts, and micro-enterprise as the primary pillars for tailored, sustainable interventions

"Key Insight

Economic resilience in the region is grounded in its social fabric. Aligning skill development and enterprise support with cultural heritage produces more self-sustaining outcomes than externally imposed models.