Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) and NEWSforNature co-hosted an event that played a pivotal role in mobilising resources, fostering partnerships, and scaling sustainable solutions for a resilient future. The primary objective was to build networks that promote investment in nature. By bringing together corporate funders, chambers of commerce, civil society organizations (CSOs), and government departments, the conclave helped bridge economic, social, and ecological divides. It facilitated collaborative initiatives focused on nature-based solutions and provided CSOs with valuable fundraising opportunities. The initiative was especially designed to benefit communities—particularly women and youth—by enhancing livelihood opportunities and promoting inclusive development.

To strengthen the market competitiveness of community-based agri-enterprises, Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), in collaboration with Nature Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS), conducted a targeted training on Marketing and Branding of agri-food products on February 7, 2025. The session, held in the Indian Sundarbans, brought together approximately 25 participants, including women-led SHGs, grassroots agri-entrepreneurs, and Badabon harvest (FPO) members.

The training was led by Dr. Ramesh Mittal, Senior Advisor at CRB and former Senior Director at NIAM, the training focused on building core marketing skills – identifying consumer needs, market segmentation, brand positioning, pricing, packaging, and promotion. Participants learned to craft authentic, local, and sustainable brand narratives, with hands-on discussions on products like turmeric, moong, honey, fish, and rice.

Key components included creating a brand identity, applying storytelling techniques for customer engagement, and ensuring visual consistency across digital and physical channels. The training also introduced tools for budgeting, evaluating customer behaviour patterns, and building promotional plans tailored for regional and ethical markets.

This initiative reflects CRB’s ongoing commitment to inclusive rural development and sustainable value chains, empowering small producers to access new markets. The partnership with NEWS ensured the training was grounded in Sundarbans local realities and needs.

On February 7, 2025, Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), in partnership with Nature Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS), conducted an intensive training programme on Agricultural Marketing aimed at enhancing the market-readiness of grassroots producer groups. The session was led by Dr. Ramesh Mittal, Senior Advisor at CRB and former Senior Director at the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), and was attended by approximately 32 participants, including representatives from women-led SHGs, Badabon Harvest (FPOs), and local agri-entrepreneurs from the Sundarbans region.

The training offered a structured understanding of the agricultural marketing system—from planning and production to value addition, packaging, branding, and distribution. Through interactive discussions and real-life examples, the session highlighted market-led production planning, quality standards and grading, and how value-added products can secure higher price income for smallholders. 

Special emphasis was placed on integrating the SEE (Social, Environmental, Economic) framework into agricultural value chains, with actionable insights on post-harvest management, cold chain logistics, and sustainable market linkages. Participants explored practical cases involving commodities like turmeric, moong, honey, and fish, drawing inspiration to adopt innovative and balanced approaches. 

The session, as a part of Centre for Responsible Business (CRB’s) India and Sustainability Standards 2024, aimed to develop a strong narrative that promotes a comprehensive concept of mangrove stewardship at the national level, going beyond just increasing mangrove cover through plantations. Some of the objectives of the session were:

• Emphasise the importance of nurturing and promoting mangrove stewardship among local communities to ensure long-term ecological sustainability beyond mangrove plantation.
• Advocate for the mobilisation of resources through the right channels to support mangrove stewardship and related livelihood initiatives, with particular emphasis on women’s empowerment.
• Initiate a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform on the transformative bottom-up model (pursued by NEWS) coalescing the triple objectives of healthy mangroves, thriving coastal communities and resilient value chains.
• Use the platform to raise awareness about the positive outcomes nature based solutions using a value chain approach, involving all key stakeholders in the region.