In tea plantations, the cultivation, maintenance, and harvesting of tea require significant human labor. Workers are involved in various tasks of planting, pruning, plucking leaves, and processing them. Their expertise and efficiency directly impact the quality and quantity of the tea produced. Due to the labor-intensive nature of tea farming, maintaining a healthy, well-nourished workforce is crucial for the plantation's productivity and sustainability.
So focusing on workforce nutrition is not just a matter of social responsibility but is also crucial for productivity and sustainability. We had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Pichino Chaudhry, a veteran with over 24 years of experience, who shared his insights on the initiatives and challenges in promoting better nutrition and overall well-being for tea plantation workers.
Workers in tea gardens frequently struggle with limited resources, making it difficult to maintain a balanced diet. Common health issues like anemia, diarrhea, and dysentery are prevalent due to poor dietary practices and a lack of awareness about healthy eating. Addressing these challenges requires both immediate health interventions and long-term educational/awareness initiatives.
Recognizing the need for improved nutrition among tea workers and their families, Amalgamated Plantations Private Limited (APPL) joined forces with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to implement the Healthy Diets for Tea Communities Programme. This initiative targeted 12 of APPL's tea estates in India and aimed to create a lasting impact by combining supply-side interventions with community engagement activities.
Initiatives By Amalgamated Plantations Private Limited in India to implement workforce nutrition :
Sustainable Nutrition Education
This initiative is aimed to promote healthy behaviors among workers by focusing on four key areas : Consuming a balanced diet, Including fortified foods, Eating seasonal and local fruits and vegetables, and Maintaining good hygiene practices like handwashing, proper defecation. To achieve these goals, the program went beyond simply providing information. Engaging activities such as street plays, cooking demonstrations and competitions, fostered community participation and knowledge sharing. Additionally, home counseling sessions and interactive "nutrition-games" provided targeted support for vulnerable groups like pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children.
One of key strategies of the initiative have also been promoting seasonal and locally available foods. This approach ensures workers consume fresh, nutritious produce that fits within their budgets. For example, workers are encouraged to eat watermelon in the month of May, instead of the out-of-season, apples or cauliflower. Additionally, the consumption of locally bred chickens is promoted over broilers bred and raised specifically for meat production, which is often less nutritious and more expensive too.
Teaching workers about maintaining their own kitchen gardens has also been a significant part of the education efforts, providing them with fresh, pesticide-free, easily accessible produce. These activities not only inform workers about the importance of good nutrition but also help them develop a strong foundation of knowledge that will have a lasting positive impact on their health.
Health Interventions
In addition to the Healthy Diets for Tea Communities Programme, APPL champions employee health through Nutrition Health Checks, a crucial element of its Workforce Nutrition strategy. Regular health check-ups are crucial for identifying and addressing common health issues among tea garden workers, with a primary focus on anemia, viral fevers, and diarrhea. Interventions include providing iron and folic acid supplements, deworming tablets, and other necessary medications. Ensuring that workers not only receive these supplements but also take them properly is essential, often requiring supervised administration and follow-ups.
Inspired by the successful initiatives of tea companies like APPL in India, GAIN is exploring ways to expand similar programs. These programs would focus on reducing anemia and improving compliance with IFA tablets among women, alongside ongoing efforts to raise awareness and increase access to healthier diets. This comprehensive approach would empower tea estate management to better care for their employees, address a critical public health concern, and ultimately boost worker productivity.
Holistic Health and Wellness Programs
Beyond nutrition, APPL focuses on holistic health and wellness programs. These include cooking demonstrations, domestic violence awareness sessions, and community health worker initiatives. By addressing broader social and health issues, these programs aim to create a more supportive and healthy environment for workers.
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) play a vital role in advancing workforce nutrition. These collaborations bring expertise and resources that might otherwise be unavailable. For example, partnerships with organizations like VisionSpring for vision screenings and local health departments for tuberculosis and cancer screenings have significantly enhanced the ability to provide quality healthcare to workers.
The Healthy Diets for Tea Communities Programme of APPL for instance served as a valuable learning experience. A critical takeaway from these initiatives is the importance of simple, practical solutions that resonate with the local context. Programs that encourage seasonal eating, home gardening, and the consumption of traditional foods and nutritious food products have shown promising results. Additionally, ongoing education and capacity building for workers and their families are necessary to ensure the sustainability of these efforts.
Future directions include expanding these initiatives to more tea gardens and potentially other sectors. Technology can be leveraged for improved monitoring and evaluation, and stronger policies to support workforce nutrition at a national level can be advocated. The involvement of youth and the broader community is also crucial in driving long-term change.
Improving workforce nutrition in tea gardens is a complex but vital endeavor. By focusing on a collaborative and sustainable approach that prioritizes education, health interventions, and leveraging public-private partnerships with solutions that resonate with the local context, significant strides can be made in enhancing the health and productivity of tea garden workers. Ultimately, these efforts not only benefit the workers but also contribute to the overall sustainability and success of the tea industry.
