NABFOUNDATION and NABARD have joined hands with Looms of Ladakh

The project with Looms of Ladakh Women Cooperative (LLWC) gave NABFOUNDATION an opportunity to understand the significance of Pashmina in Ladakh and the livelihood options revolving around it. NABFOUNDATION derives its core philosophy of development from its parent organization “NABARD” and its experience of four decades in the sector of agriculture and rural development. In the 3rd Year of its establishment, NABFOUNDATION has projected itself as an entity to take up the project in the most challenging and remote areas of the country and serve the most neglected and deserving sections of the society. Since its establishment, NABFOUNDATION has ventured into projects like the promotion of Producer Organizations, WASH, Skill Development, Capacity Building, Livelihoods, etc. through convergence and collaborations with the entities having synergy with our vision. For an outsider, someone not exposed to Ladakh, the image that comes to mind is that of a clear blue sky, snow-capped mountains, meandering roads, beautiful lakes, Monasteries, and barren landscapes but never the Pashmina and Yak Wool. One used to relate Pashmina, only with Kashmir and not even 1 percent with Ladakh. And why somebody will link Pashmina to Ladakh when more than 95 percent of raw Pashmina is supplied outside Ladakh to different textile clusters. There is a lack of adequate processing and value addition facilities for Pashmina in Ladakh. Hence, the traditional Ladakhi Art of spinning and weaving Pashmina is dying due to migration and reluctance on the part of the younger generation to take it forward. This project with Looms of Ladakh Women Cooperative (LLWC) gave us an opportunity to understand the significance of Pashmina in Ladakh and the livelihood options revolving around it. Under this project, NABFOUNDATION with the support of NABARD aims to help in establishing a complete value chain of Pashmina and other wool in Ladakh. During our field visit to Ladakh in April 2021, we found that LLWC is working very closely with the local women artisans to revive the dying art of spinning and weaving in Pashmina. And the effort is not limited to only spinning and weaving, but equal stress is also being given to dyeing, designing, tailoring, branding, marketing, etc. The members put in their heart and soul to craft each and every apparel and these are sold through a retail outlet of Looms of Ladakh located in Leh and a small portion of sales do also happen through social media outreach/marketing. LLWC is owned and managed by its members and is currently putting stress on improving the skills of the members so that they can design modern and contemporary apparels that attract customers. NABFOUNDATION with the support of NABARD is helping LLWC in mobilizing more members, improving the skills of members through professional training and capacity building, providing necessary human resource support, and construction of Work Studio & Training Centre in Chushul, Branding, and Marketing, etc. Through training and capacity building of members, NABFOUNDATION will be helping Looms of Ladakh in developing a cadre of A-Grade Spinners, Weavers, Industrial Tailors, Natural Dyeing Experts, and Apparel Designers within LLWC. These professionals will help in meeting the goal of completing the pashmina value chain. The Changra Goat from which the Pashmina is collected is predominantly reared in the Changthang Region and the producer groups of Changthang are the prime source of the finest Pashmina. Chushul acts as the hub for the members of villages of this Region. The women members of Chushul have a concrete work shed, wherein they spin, weave and stitch the apparel. The concrete workshed affects their knees and health due to cold temperatures in the severe winters. To provide a warm and comfortable workspace to the members, a Passive Solar Heated Work Studio-cum-Training Centre is being built by NABFOUNDATION. The Centre will facilitate the members of LLWC in and around Chushul and improve their productivity. The Centre will also act as a Nodal Training Centre for the members. The professional trainers, faculties, and experts will be visiting this Centre to train the members in various disciplines of the textile industry. Chushul is also symbolic as the Pastoralist Changspa tribe halts in Chushul near the water bodies for a fortnight during their transhumance each year. The proposed center in Chushul near a flowing stream also has the potential to host the nomads and engage in the exchange of knowledge through various means without disrupting their way of life. The whole Team of NABFOUNDATION is very optimistic and confident that the project will play a crucial role in strengthening and broad-basing pashmina and other wool value chains in Ladakh.

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NABFOUNDATION and NABARD have joined hands with Looms of Ladakh

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