The tribal community of Sapniduari village in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh was used to braving scorching heat and pothole-filled roads to reach the nearest market in Sidhi town, which was 18 km away, where they were certain of facing inclement and exploitative traders. Despite knowing about the exploitation of traders, community members had to still frequent the market for getting essential supplies and to sell their produces.

“I used to travel every week to the market to buy groceries and other household items. Every market visit was heavy on the pocket because of the high cost that will have to be coughed up for the purchases and the loss of wage for that day”, lamented Mr. Nilesh Singh from Sapniduari. Families of this remote tribal village had to rely on the market in Sidhi just because they didn’t have any other alternative. “Until last year we had no market, no roads, and no proper transportation,” said Mr. Ramlal a local farmer.

This was not an isolated case in the region. “We were not the only community that didn’t have any market in the reachable limits. Communities of the neighboring villages Khatrikhadi, Chiwalaha, Pawai, and Kothar also had to travel several miles to Sidhi”, said Ms. Ramkali Baiga, the president of Kranti women Self Help Group of Sapniduari.

Samaritan Social Service Society (SSSS) had started Saksham project in fifteen villages of Sidhi district in 2021 to strengthen local farming systems by identifying and propagating locally viable solutions, including local market. Saksham, a Misereor-supported project, had organized local farming communities into dozens of community-based organisations that vigorously worked to enhance local self-reliance. Collective action of communities always followed a detailed micro-planning that communities completed in a meticulous and participatory manner. “In one meeting of our farmers club, we identified and prioritized our development challenges. The principal problem that we identified for our collective action was starting a local market”, said Mr. Pappu a member of the farmer group in Sapniduary. Saksham project had raised farmers groups in all intervention villages as platforms for strengthening community solidarity and to help communities launch collective action.

“Saksham team had placed before us the possibility of setting up a haat baazar (weekly market) and informed us about the benefits of such people-led markets. The entire community discussed the possibility of setting up a haat baazar and everyone was unanimous on starting the haat baazar”, said Mr. Shivraj, the president of the farmers club. The community then decided to submit a formal application to Ms. Shobha Yadav, the Sarpanch (village head).

Women and men farmers clubs of Sapniduary launched a sensitization campaign in the village to inform the community about the necessity to have a consensus for starting a haat baazar. Community prepared a memorandum with signatures of the villagers and submitted it to the village head demanding to start the haat baazar in the village bounds. “After I received the application from the community, I informed the block-level officials including Tehsildar (Revenue Officer) about the community demand for haat baazar. I also requested them to grant the necessary legal permissions so that the market could be started soon”, Ms. Shobha Yadav, the Sarpanch said.

While the administrative clearance was still being pursued by the Sarpanch, the community identified a 2.5-acre communal land at the three-way junction near the village as the designated place for the haat baazar. The Sarpanch held a meeting with the group members and decided to hold weekly markets on Thursdays from 1 pm to 7 pm. Soon, to the cheers of the community, the approval from the administrative officials arrived thus clearing the last hurdles for the haat baazar. On 17 November 2022, the haat baazar of Sapniduary was officially inaugurated in the presence of local administrative officials and a large number of locals.

The haat baazar on its first day witnessed 30 locals setting up shops mostly of farm produces and grocery. Ever since, the number of shops zoomed to 170 and the haat baazar has started attracting vendors and buyers from neighboring villages. The haat baazar turned out to be an expression of entrepreneurship of the locals as well. “I have been selling groceries in this market since its beginning. I earn in the range of ₹800 – ₹1000 per market”, said Mr. Hiralal, a vendor from neighboring Kothar village.

“Now we get all provisions from our own haat baazar. We do not have travel long distances to Sidhi for purchasing the essentials for our households. Apart from the savings, the haat baazar has given business opportunities to us. Our Thursdays have become so much lively ever since haat baazar was started”, said Mr. Akhilesh Sahu from Sapniduari.