DEVELOPING STONE CRAFT SECTOR IN GB (PAKISTAN) Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Moses. Background As in other mountain areas, people in GB have also developed a rich variety of heritage crafts. Until the recent past, people made and used hand made tools and technology for almost all of their needs. Long winters also created conditions for craft development. In the mountain areas of Europe, the process of industrialization started with craft making. Many of today’s famous brands, such as Rado watches and Gucci shoes, have their origin in humble craft making in mountain areas of Switzerland and Italy. They developed their heritage crafts through modernization and marketization. GB has an opportunity to upgrade its key crafts, particularly those that have the potential to absorb a large number of school dropouts, through formal skills training and market creation. Rupani Foundation (RF) will implement this project in partnership with relevant public and NGO partners, and communities. Why Stone craft? Stone craft is part of the living heritage of people in GB. It uses one of the most abundant resources and has most economic value. Stone masonry contributes to improved living conditions, and is an ideal substitute for carbon intensive construction material, such as Portland Cement, which is transported in hundreds of thousands of tons to these remote mountain areas, using imported and subsidized diesel. Surrounded by rock, people shaped stones to build homes and terraces but also made precision milling wheels, jewelry and other artifacts. Stone craft, particularly skills associated with quarrying, breaking and dressing of construction stone as well as masonry, employs large numbers of male youth, and it is a growing segment in the construction sector, which consumes 80% of development funds in GB. Market demand for construction stone has gone up by 50% in the last three years, and the price of various categories of dress stones ranges from Rs 300 to Rs 900 in Gilgit Town. Stone construction has many environmental and health benefits and it is an ideal low carbon industry. It is also an ideal trade for school dropouts. The craft has not evolved and developed, so there are many opportunities to upgrade skills and technology and increase efficiency and value-added through a value chain development approach. Project Purpose To support and promote stone craft through formal training, technology-transfer and market development. Project Outcomes: 1. Research based knowledge created on key heritage crafts in GB, identifying those that have the most economic, social and environmental value 2. A critical mass of youth, including women trained in stone craft skills, and existing craftsmen provided opportunities to upgrade their level of training and income through flexible training 3. Status of the stone craft raised through awareness, technology and market access, and self-employment opportunities for youth created Outputs and activities For outcome 1: ➢ Surveying and developing an inventory of heritage crafts of GB ➢ Identifying those crafts that offer the highest value ➢ Addressing skills, technology and market gaps For outcome 2: ➢ About 800 young men trained in stone craft, from quarrying to dressing of construction stone ➢ About 200 women trained in bead making and other stone products ➢ About 200 existing craftsmen given additional theoretical and practical training and developed as master crafts persons For outcome 3: ➢ Tools, production and value addition processes improved through better linkages with local and down country training centers and industry ➢ Associational activities promoted among crafts persons, including formation of guilds and crafts organizations for better access to knowledge and advocacy for sector development ➢ Production, productivity and value added increased in existing and new products through innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship Implementation Working in partnership with key agencies in research, planning, training and extension sectors, the project will support the stone craft sector in GB through new and innovative ways of skills training, technology transfer and market creation. RF will be the lead implementing agency, but key responsibilities will be outsourced to other specialist agencies. The project will be implemented through community organizations and private sector. Impact ➢ The project will contribute to better living conditions and reduce the use of concrete in buildings, thus indirectly reduce carbon footprint ➢ In economic terms, the project will lead to instant job creation, given the high demand for construction stone ➢ The project will target school dropouts, thus contribute to securing a better life for uneducated youth ➢ The project will create new women for women to enter this high value industry, and find gainful employment in this male dominated trade. ➢ Introducing new technical innovations will increase efficiency, benefiting both crafts persons and consumers of stone products ➢ Marketization of stone craft will lead to other value added stone products that can be exported.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 14:12:43 +0000
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