Project Overview

The Unnati–Sustainable Natural Rubber Initiative was implemented by the Solidaridad Regional Expertise Centre in the Kottayam and Idukki districts of Kerala, India. The project aimed to strengthen the livelihoods of smallholder rubber farmers by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and introducing digital innovations to improve productivity and market access.

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Project Objectives

The initiative focused on supporting 5,000 rubber farmers by:

• Building capacity for sustainable rubber cultivation
• Enhancing productivity and income through better agricultural practices
• Introducing digital tools to improve supply chain efficiency, with outreach to 25,000 farmers
• Strengthening the role of rubber producer societies and local entrepreneurs to improve rubber processing infrastructure
• Addressing waste and effluent management practices in processing centres
• Exploring opportunities for crop diversification and resilient livelihoods

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Athena’s Role

As an evaluation partner, Athena conducted the endline study for Phase I of the initiative. The study assessed:

• The extent to which the project achieved its intended outcomes
• The adoption of sustainable rubber cultivation and diversification practices
• The role and effectiveness of smokehouse entrepreneurs
• Value chain participation by individual and MSME actors
• Practices around waste management in RPS centres
• Lessons and innovations that could inform the design of Phase II

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Impact

The project directly supported 2,000 rubber farmers and reached an additional 25,000 through digital tools. Ten entrepreneurs were engaged to improve smokehouse infrastructure for rubber sheet production. The evaluation findings provided Solidaridad with a comprehensive understanding of the initiative’s performance and offered insights to inform the next phase of scaling and system strengthening in the natural rubber sector.