Webinar: Mineral Springs – from Closed Estate to Thriving Cooperative
Upcoming event
Mineral Springs Cooperative member
Event description
What happens whena tea plantation shuts down? For the communities who have lived and worked there for generations, the answer is often uncertainty, poverty and displacement.
But does it have to end this way?
Join us for a perspective-shifting webinar exploring the cooperative Mineral Springs in Darjeeling, India. Established by former tea workers with the support of a local NGO – DLR Prerna – and a tea company – Tea Promoters India, the Mineral Springs cooperative has survived and thrived for decades. It now produces exquisite, organic tea alongside a diversity of other crops, with decision-making in the hands of the cooperative members themselves.
We’ll hear directly from Roshan Rai and Sailesh Sharma of DLR Prerna, who will share the story of Mineral Springs, its successes, its setbacks and the lessons it offers to other struggling tea communities.
This is the fifth in THIRST’s series of FREE webinars on Alternative Approaches in the tea sector. For informatoin on other upcoming webinars and links to recordings of past webinars follow this link.
Date and time
Ticket price
Free
Why is this subject important?
The wellbeing of people who grow and pluck tea is a high priority for consumers, investors and other stakeholders. Plantations (or estates) can provide structure, oversight and stability. But there are both social and commercial challenges for plantations and many are closing down. This webinar explores a living example of an alternative model to the plantation .
What will this webinar cover?
The origins of the Mineral Springs cooperative – collaboration between an NGO and a tea company – and the opportunties and challenges that have brought it to the present day.
How will attending this event benefit me / my organisation?
You will gain in-depth insights into a real-world case study of a well-functioning cooperative.
About the speakers
Roshan P. Rai is a development practioner with DLR Prerna, Darjeeling-based NGO. He works on issues of environment and social equity in the Darjeeling Himalaya. Sailesh Sharma, also part of DLR Prerna, has an extensive background in the Darjeeling tea sector.
This webinar tackles the following root causes of human rights breaches in the tea industry
Power dynamics.
Attitudes towards plantation workers.
Lack of Transparency.
Competition over Collaboration.
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