7 Alleviating poverty through craft production

Where then does this leave handicrafts as a livelihood option for alleviating poverty?

DFID encourages the use of the sustainable livelihood framework for analysis and planning of development interventions. The following section discusses sustainable livelihoods in order to place the commentary on the specific subject of handicrafts and e-commerce linkages to handicrafts in context.

Three interviews with craft producers from HEED Handicrafts (Bangladesh) and ASHA Handicrafts (India).[1]

7.1 Kalachand Pal, 38, potter

HEED Handicrafts, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Kalachand Pal, 38, is a male potter from Madhumpura, Patuyakhali, 300km from Dhaka. His father and grandfather were both potters before him. He is married with one son (11) and produces pots for both the local market, and for HEED Handicrafts for export.

Capital

Capital	Description
Human	· He attended Primary School to class 7. · He has traditional skills as a potter making ceramic pots. · He says he is in good health.
Physical	· His village (Madhumpura) has electricity and water from a tubewell (though there is now a big problem and national scandal in Bangladesh with water contaminated by arsenic). He says it is a good place to live. · His father owns the plot of land for their house – but no land for a paddy field. Kalachand will inherit this with his two brothers on his father’s death. · He owns a manual potters wheel, bought 15 years ago (worth c 5,000 Takka c £60)
Financial	· He has savings (enough to sustain his family for one year) · He owns a cow (worth 10,000 Takka: c£125) for producing milk; plus with his brother owns 100 rain trees (kri), whose wood is used for building. · He has a workshop which can accommodate up to 100 workers (if he has many orders to fulfil)
Social	He has many customers for his pots: a wholesale buyer, individuals and HEED Handicrafts.

Vulnerability context

Shock	Occasional sickness.
Trend	Inheritance between brothers means that the family plot will be jointly owned after his father’s death.
Seasonal	Bangladesh suffers from seasonal flooding.
Seasonal	His local buyers are dependent on good harvests to create cash to buy his pots. So if the harvest is poor, as it has been for the last two years, his local sales are reduced.

Policies, Institutions and Processes

Culture	Corruption/bribery is widespread
Structure	Communications with Dhaka are difficult. Telephone system is poor and unreliable; post cannot be trusted.

Livelihood Strategies

	He is not dependent on just one buyer or market, so is confident he will also be able to sell his pots.
	He can take on additional part-time workers to cope with seasonal orders; and to cope with sudden larger orders from HEED Handicrafts
	He wants to make samples from his own designs (eg vases and decorative items) for both local and export markets
	He has not taught his son to be a potter. He wants his son to get a degree, so he can become a doctor or professional. He wants his son to have a better job than him.

Livelihood Outcomes

Good harvest this year, so he is selling a good number of pots.

7.2

Saleh Khatung, 40, spinner

HEED Handicrafts, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Saleh Khatung works as a spinner for HEED Handicrafts in their workshop in Dhaka. She has two daughters, aged 20 and 14, who are both working. Her husband is a weaver too, and works for HEED, though this is dependent on orders.