Introducing Jovaki Agro Food

In this post, we’re going to talk about a startup from Udaipur, Jovaki Agro Food India Private Limited (Jovaki).

But before that, you’re going to need some context. Specifically, you need to know what Minor Forest Produce (MFP) means.

The law (specifically, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006) defines MFP as all non-timber forest produce of plant origin. Put simply, it includes everything we get from plants in a forest other than their wood itself. These include bamboo, brushwood, stumps, canes, cocoons, honey, waxes, Lac, tendu leaves, medicinal plants and herbs, and roots among others.

As per The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), a national-level organization that helps tribal people in India develop their socio-economic status:

“An estimated 100 million people derive their source of livelihood directly from the collection and marketing of MFPs. The MFP economy is fragile but supports close to 275 million people in rural India – a significant part of which comprises the tribal population.

MFPs provide essential nutrition to people living in forested areas and are used for household purposes, thus forming an important part of their non-cash income. For many tribal communities who practice agriculture, MFPs are also a source of cash income, especially during slack seasons.”

This is what Jovaki focuses on. It is developing a value chain for custard apples, jamun fruit and other MFP to process and market forest produce for tribals in the Aravalis. They have set up processing units in villages to empower tribal women, collecting minor forest produce, who were otherwise left to the mercy of unpredictable markets.

Its founder Rajesh Kumar Oza’s journey is a powerful story of one man’s vision to transform an entire community. Rajesh is from Beda village, Pali district, in the Aravali region. His tale of resilience, innovation, and unwavering commitment to making a difference proves that when we sow seeds of hope, we reap the fruits of lasting change. His vision is to connect 1 lakh tribal women from Rajasthan, and remote parts of India to make India’s largest non-timber forest-based brand.

Here is his story in his own words:

Back in 2016, during a visit to my hometown, I witnessed something which reminded me of my childhood days back in my village. I saw tribal women, who walked many kilometres with heavy baskets of fresh Sitaphal (Custard Apple), trying to sell their fruits on the roadside.

These women carried the weight of their families and hopes on their backs. But often, they couldn’t sell all the fruits, and the unsold ones would rot by the roadside because of their highly perishable nature.

They would then have no choice but to go back home empty-handed or with very little money, with the pain of their hard work going to waste evident in their eyes.

Turning Neglect into Opportunity

I could see the gap and understood the pain of these tribal women; I got the idea to sell forest produce i.e. wild fruits and vegetables in an organized manner and presented this idea to the local agriculture university and forest department. The idea was simple – to create a value chain for the underutilized forest produce and, in the process, to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the tribals, unlocking the potential of forest produce while leveraging technology and promoting forest conservation all at the same time!

I found support for the idea from Maharana Pratap Agriculture University – Udaipur and the forest department. And so, I started this business with very little capital.

The Journey – Face to face with reality

With support from the Forest Department, I travelled deeper into the tribal areas of Udaipur and interacted with the community to understand their life, culture and livelihood. It was visible that the tribal community lived a very marginal life with very less or no agricultural land. They were highly dependent on the forest for daily resources and livelihood including wild fruits and vegetables. Neither did they have any organized market, supply chain, or storage nor did they have much knowledge about quality or processing! Because of this almost 40% of produce got wasted and the middlemen used to get the lion’s share of profit.

For the tribal communities, these fruit-bearing trees were not of much value, merely a seasonal source of income, which they used to cut down for cooking, leading to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and the displacement of tribal communities. These people, who had always lived in harmony with nature, now faced an existential threat. I realized the urgent need to promote sustainable practices among them to preserve their way of life and the forests they depended on.

Jovaki – Birth of a Revolution

Jovaki was founded in 2017 with the core purpose of preserving traditional forest produce and while doing so, supporting the tribal communities who have been living there for hundreds of years. I partnered with them to create a sustainable value chain for forest produce, especially wild fruits like Sitaphal and Jamun.

Training – Learning new skills

Initially, Jovaki’s journey started with extensive field visits, interacting with and mobilizing tribal women.

The next step was the formation of women SHGs.

After the formation of SHGs, the next and the most critical step was the skill training of tribal women. In 2018, with support from the agriculture university and forest department, a series of skill training programs were started which continued for the next two years. The training took place in batches and covered topics like – plucking, grading, sorting, storage and processing of fruits and vegetables. Though the community had collected the fruits for centuries, because of a lack of knowledge of plucking and storage, fruits were rotting really fast. As a part of this training, they were taught about the right time to pluck and were provided with fruit-cutting scissors and crates for proper storage.

The impact was immediate.

With this scientific way of plucking and storing, the quality of fruits improved. With a vision to set up an organized value chain for these forest products, Jovaki established processing units in the village itself – It gave a very positive message to the community that the Jovaki is not here for one season, it is here to stay and to work with the community for the long-term.

The confidence of the community in Jovaki and its team increased and gradually positive changes started to surface. The trees which were making losses now started giving double income – one from collection and another from processing! The tribal women had better
bargaining power – they were now empowered with knowledge and skills. The tribal community understood the value of forests, trees and the ecosystem. With the training and expert guidance, the yield and quality improved; Jovaki offered a better price for the improved quality fruits, and the tribal women were both delighted and encouraged to follow the new learnings – a win-win situation for all – the community, the ecosystem and Jovaki!

Tribalveda – A nostalgic brand

Now it was time to take things to the next level, creating a platform for non-timber forest produce and most importantly making this produce available yearlong for end users to improve their quality of life. With a very clear vision, I launched the brand “Tribalveda” an amalgamation of Forest produce and Ayurveda.

The tribal communities of India are a storehouse of knowledge on traditional herbs and forest produce. And Ayurveda is our Vedic treatise on medicines and medicinal practices. Tribalveda combines the two and brings a unique value proposition. Jamun fruit, which has many health benefits, is usually only available for a very limited time. Tribalveda created more than 11 unique and first of its kind Jamun products making them available round the year. It now sells these products directly to consumers through its website and other online platforms.

Why did we decide to support them?

As you can see, Jovaki has the potential to improve the lives of many Indians who are currently living on the margins. By selling their produce at better prices, tribal communities have gained year-round livelihood opportunities within their villages, strengthening their bargaining power.

India’s tribal people, often referred to as the original inhabitants of this land, have been neglected and left behind in the Indian growth story. We think Jovaki can bring real change to their lives. Currently, they support over 5,000 tribal women across 48 villages in the Aravali region of Rajasthan and we hope that this number will only increase with our support. This is us doing our little bit to make India’s growth story more inclusive and fair.

This initiative has also contributed to improved forestation and a reduced carbon footprint. During the processing of wild fruits, 25% of the seeds are returned for replantation, ensuring the regeneration of forest resources for future generations while further lowering carbon emissions.

All of this resonates with us deeply and aligns with our key goals at Rainmatter.