Who we are & what we do !

OECEED: a Foundation with difference
The primary aim of OECEED is to work on its findings generated after a prolonged experience while working practically in the concerned area and dealing with the issues at grass root level, up to policy reforms, especially after signing of WTO agreement by the Government of India. OECEED formulated a strategy to generate Mass Scale Self Employment opportunities, to provide alternative mode for grass-root economic development in Eco-friendly ways, which are of vital significance to rural people belongs to the Western Himalayan Region.
Communicating the difference in approach for sustainable development, the logo of OECEED is itself a symbolic impression.
As per the belief of the institution, the Geo-physical conditions of Himalayan Region are very much important in context of Environment conservation, not only for the people living in but for the whole Asia –Pacific Region. The need of economic development is very important for the conservation of the area. There is a need to develop the economy in a different way which can conserve the environment and suits to the human and Geo-physical resources available in the area. The model and Practices developed in plains should not be forced for implementation in the hilly region but it is happening and creating an everlasting drastic adverse effect on the economy, environment and social net.
It is needed to focus on bridging critical gaps in local infrastructure and other development requirements in above context that are not being adequately met through existing inflows. Providing professional support to local bodies for planning, implementation and monitoring their plans. Improve the performance and delivery of critical functions assigned to Panchayats, and counter possible efficiency and equity losses on account of inadequate local capacity.
Sustainable Mountain Livelihood and OECEED
Sustainable Livelihoods concerned with local aspects of environmental sustainability and community well being, in other words with community-based, equitable and sustainable management of natural resources, the generation of local wealth and the empowerment of local communities for their own social and cultural well-being.
OECEED is established to help in developing environmental, economic and social policies in favour of sustainable livelihoods in different contexts and environments, based on the real life experience of local communities, and accommodate their socio-cultural and ecological diversity. With the aims to develop, achieve, support and demonstrate context-specific solutions to local environmental and livelihood problems and, to draw appropriate lessons for policy.
Work through
concerned conservation and development professionals, community elders) ,non-governmental organisations ready to be involved in developing policy advice for the Union ,on the basis of lessons learned from the field The network links with other existing sustainable livelihood support providers,Govt.Agencies or International agencies viz,UNDP, UNEP , DFID and various bilateral /multilateral institutions.
A network of field sites where local communities are experiencing hard to generate sustainable livelihood practices or initiatives. But they are suitable to promote the opportunity segments identified by the OECEED.
Strategy
The work in the field begins with identifying and contacting local communities that strive to meet their livelihood needs or like to participate for their own economic growth or generating surplus,in environmentally friendly ways. They will be invited to join the OECEED network. OECEED will help them to identify, understand and successfully tackle their key problems and opportunities. To this end, communities need to be well informed and aware about the thematic area including environmental, social, cultural, economic, phenomena that affect their life slowly in a professional manner in project mode. Once the framework is successfully implemented, it will be easy to empower collectively identified individuals to plan and manage resources in order to improve mountain livelihoods in a sustainable manner.
The second step of the approach is the capacity building as per the need of the project. Capacity building in terms of HRD & Infrastructure support.
The third step is to take action in commercial terms to go in product promotion, collective marketing management under one brand, arrangement of appropriate level of publicity mode, arrangement of appropriate processing infrastructure with various degrees of external support,
The forth step is to go in establishing marketing linkages, assuring sustainability strategy, profit distribution system, quality control with all forward linkages.
Broad Thematic Areas
In terms of "content," sustainable livelihoods is concerned with both environmental influences on human life and human influences on the environment. Moreover on the quality of the relationship in between. It involve matters of international and national relevance in particular. It is immediate need of finding local solutions to local environmental and survival problems.
OECEED is intended to promote the following two broad thematic areas up to the establishment of a network of Micro-Enterprises in the both opportunity segments suits to the people, ecology & environment of Western Himalayas.
Bio-Mass Products Processing & Marketing
A time-bound, systematic intervention under Incubation mode is needed to explore the opportunities exist in Bio-Mass Products Processing & Marketing segment of opportunity area through a professional intervention by the Non-State Actor , to start from systematic implementation of time-bound project to promote a Micro-Enterprises by organizing Herbs Collectors/Cultivators belongs to a particular potential districts.
Community Eco tourism
Community based Eco tourism: Appropriate local and national policies can result in strong community investment projects in Community Eco tourism. A time-bound, systematic intervention under Incubation mode is needed to explore the opportunities exist
Campfire in Zimbabwe, the wildlife management project in Pakistan, and the growing number of examples from East Africa and other regions. In Indian context the example of promoting Eco-tourism without the participation of local communities is there. It is needed to convert it in Community Eco-Tourism is the matter of policy reform, on other hand, implement a viable & sustainable visible model of Community Eco-Tourism through a professional intervention by the Non-State Actor ready to work on both dimension simultaneously.
Other points
Some of the other points are particularly important for sustainable livelihoods practice and policy reformation.
Eco-agriculture & Horticulture
Renewable energy
Sustainable community investment funding
Local communities can be involved sustainable, community-based investment funding. To provide a powerful alternative to the individually oriented micro-credit systems through Non-State Actor
Sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity
Watershed management
Local communities in Western Himalayas depends on the variety of ecosystem and livelihood, their watershed basins provide, including forests and grazing lands, Argo-ecosystems for crop, irrigation and water supply, environment for life and natural disaster protection.
Business Incubator
Entrepreneurship promotion, Networks and collaboration, competitiveness, Understanding the Roles: Public-Private, Buy-In, Access to resources, Technologies, Outreach, Review: Monitoring and Evaluation.
A shared office-space facility, that provides its incubatees with a strategic, value-adding intervention system through mentoring, business assistance and monitoring. Thus new venture development process is facilitated, while simultaneously making ventures aware of major risks and minimizing the cost of potential failures” with implementing to maintain sustainability & viability..
What we propose different
Beside above ensuring direct intervention on viable & sustainable basis at grass-root level for marketing, finance, legal, technology and team building.
“Various incubators have different focus areas as a value addition- some focus on high quality physical infrastructure, some on technology support, some have higher strength in providing academic and research inputs and so on. At OECEED we are focusing on holistic support as well as soft-skill support like enhancing business competencies, access to business network and facilitation for finance, with all backward & forward linkages”.

Thought of the day: Star News, yesterday: All about Sensitivity

At Ananat Nag (J&K), one unconscious leopard was brutally killed by Mob & while answering a question in Loksabha, The nation has seen frustration of Pranob.
Both are the living example of the level of sensitivity, responsibility, human values and understanding the basic issues, we are extremely and speedily loosing in our society as well as individual level.
Refereeing to the first news Star Channel described it as a result of increased confrontation between human and animal world due to decreasing territorial limits for wild animals and the problem of the Department of Forest to deal with the situation.
Day before we started not to complaining about the system but what about the machinery, which must be supportive to the system but some time, seems to act as the system. In most of the socio-economic problem, we forget to observe the systemic fault seems to fail in eradicating root cause of the problem, why it is so? No body seems interested to bother about because absence of the will to bear such Herculean task and using the available time for fulfilling self interest, while being in power.
Animals are always innocent and the man is the intruder. We have to learn that the earth is not only for human being, the Mother Nature is the creator of all life forms. We have to be sensitive towards nature and to learn to regard it as the all features of the nature are supportive to us.
The growing incidents of confrontation having the root cause at behavioral pattern generated by less awareness and education about the matter especially in those area where the animals are most vulnerable. It is a clear failure of our socialization mechanism.
On other hand it must be understand that all socio-psycho problems can not be dealt with the Government machinery only.
While starting OECEED’s work in the year 2000, after signing of WTO agreement after perceiving its effect on the underprivileged of the rural hilly society of western Himalayas, we started talking about the price hike assumptions with each and every person come in to our contact including administrators and policy makers. It was the time when every body responds with a strange feeling and as we are talking something irrelevant.
It was the time of visionary leadership of Honorable Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji, who positively responded and given time to hear the matter through a delegation send by us. The delegation presented the Concept Base of OECEED and demanded to act speedily on the reforms needed in cooperative sector to strengthen grass root economy in collective manner. He was kind enough to assure the delegation and after some time National Cooperative Act was reformed as per the real need although the transfer of real benefits out of the reforms is still awaited according to formulation.
Honorable Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the highest example of showing sensitivity about the peoples issue represented by a small organization like us.
On other hand Praob Da is become angry and rude while answering about the price hike of pulses, as the issue was very much sensitive to the poor, what to eat and how to eat? Although,he is a good administrator and human being.
All the above matters are related to the sensitivity and human values, we inherent or inculcated to us.
We appeal to everybody concerned, please ensure that we can live and live with clean water, air and affordable food available to us.
It is a sad day too, as the Chairman of the Delegation, met with the Prime Minister, Shri Bansi Das Mahant is passes away. He was then the President of the District Cooperative Union, Kullu (H.P), only by the virtue of his experience and sensitivity, he allowed us to work with DCU on the issue. We express our gratitude and deep feelings on this great loss.