Aadhimalai

Keystone Foundation and Aadhimalai Producer Company jointly support green micro-enterprises led by women in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), with funding from the Chapple Family Foundation. These social enterprises operate at the intersection of ecological stewardship, cultural continuity, and economic empowerment. Currently, the Enterprise Hub supports the following initiatives: Yazh Enterprises, Thalir, Melseemai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company, Bake n Take, Bee Corner, the Pillur Seed Bank, and an Indigenous Plants Nursery based in Bikkapathy Mund, a Toda village near Ooty in the Nilgiris. With the exception of Bee Corner and. Kaadukaappan, all of these enterprises are exclusively women-led.

The Hub’s central aim is to build a network of community-rooted, sustainably managed enterprises that contribute to the economic resilience of indigenous groups in the region. These enterprises embed sustainable harvesting practices, responsible consumption, biodiversity conservation, and waste management into their models. Their goals are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those focused on reducing inequality and promoting the well-being of marginalised communities.

The first phase of the Enterprise Hub included three pilot projects that introduced vertical integration strategies and enterprise-specific training for women. These included the establishment of indigenous plant nurseries to promote sustainable landscaping, a seed bank for crop sovereignty, and a waste upcycling initiative for sanitation workers. Each pilot drew on Keystone’s networks of women’s self-help groups, barefoot ecologists, community media fellows, and women climate educators. Through this work, Keystone envisions the formation of a Women’s Resource Centre within the People-Nature Center in Kotagiri to promote long-term sustainable livelihood strategies.

All supported enterprises have reported positive outcomes in supplementing their primary income streams within the first year of operations. The Enterprise Hub provides ongoing capacity-building support focused on understanding market needs and responding to them effectively. Training and infrastructure support have also been directed toward quality control, inventory management, increasing production capacity, and improving consistency in output.

The Enterprise Hub’s support formally began in October 2024, with initial assessments conducted at each site to understand existing operations and identify key areas for intervention. Status reports on raw material collection—especially where forest-based produce is involved—and production processes were compiled, and primary challenges were mapped. Since then, Keystone and Aadhimalai have provided regular support, enabling these enterprises to steadily expand and sustain their activities.