Baseline Survey and SWOT

WomenArt focuses on enhancing artisans' and  subsequently the craft clusters' capabilities in skill development, enterprise formation, market access, and long-term financial sustainability. A comprehensive diagnostic study of 5 Cluster was conducted during March–April 2025 to evaluate the developmental status of the crafts and their artisan ecosystem.

The diagnostic framework is designed to generate a comprehensive understanding of the developmental landscape within WomenArt artisan clusters. It supports the program in systematically capturing socio-economic, institutional, and cultural variables that influence the clusters' viability and performance. Through this structured analysis, it identifies both strengths and areas requiring intervention, enabling targeted planning. Furthermore, the framework fosters alignment among stakeholders—including artisans, donors, policy agencies, and field teams—by providing a common, evidence-based reference point for decision-making, progress tracking, and collaborative strategy development. It also serves as a baseline to design, revise, and evaluate cluster-specific roadmaps, while ensuring that interventions remain contextually grounded and community-driven.

Key objectives include - 

1. Providing a structured, evidence-based evaluation of the socio-economic, institutional, and cultural landscape of WomenArt clusters.

2. Identifying priority gaps, risks, and opportunities for targeted intervention.

3. Generating cluster-specific strategic recommendations for strengthening artisan livelihoods and enterprises.

4. Serving as a common reference for stakeholders (artisans, donors, policy bodies, and facilitators) to align development actions.

The methodology follows a mixed-methods approach integrating qualitative, quantitative, and participatory tools, ensuring rigor, inclusiveness, and contextual sensitivity. It comprises the following six components:

1. Desk Research and Secondary Analysis

This involves reviewing existing academic publications, evaluation reports, government policy documents, and credible online sources relevant to handicraft practices and rural livelihoods. These resources help build historical context and inform the analytical framing of the diagnostic, including understanding previous interventions, systemic challenges, and regional craft evolution.

2. Field Visits and Observational Study

On-site visits to cluster villages allow for direct observation of artisan practices, tools used, product range, workspaces, and household conditions. Through photographs, video recordings, and spatial analysis, these visits provide important visual documentation that helps assess physical infrastructure, workflow, ergonomics, and the socio-economic setting in which artisans operate.

3. Participatory Consultations and Interviews

This step includes semi-structured interviews and facilitated group discussions with a wide spectrum of stakeholders including artisans, master craftspersons, producer group leaders, SHG members, NGOs, and government functionaries. These interactions uncover deep qualitative insights into community challenges, aspirations, leadership dynamics, and lived realities, forming the backbone of grounded planning.

4. Thematic Framework and Indicator Development

Based on desk reviews and field insights, a thematic framework tailored to each cluster’s context is developed. This framework spans nine dimensions crucial to holistic artisan enterprise development. Each theme includes indicators selected for their clarity, relevance, and ability to guide actionable decisions.

5. Scoring and Analysis

Each indicator within the thematic framework is scored on a scale of 1 to 10, based on criteria such as availability, functionality, depth of engagement, and visible outcomes. Scoring categories are:

• 1–3: Critical Need for Intervention

• 4–6: Moderate Progress, Needs Strengthening

• 7–10: Strong Foundation, Scope for Scaling

This scoring helps quantify field insights and allows for cluster comparisons and longitudinal monitoring.

6. Validation and Stakeholder Feedback

After the initial scoring and analysis, results are shared with community stakeholders and facilitators to validate interpretations. Through follow-up consultations and triangulation with field photos, voice recordings, and expert observations, this process ensures the final results are accurate, context-sensitive, and endorsed by the community.

Each thematic area is designed to capture a distinct dimension of cluster performance through a nuanced set of indicators - 

T1: Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods – This area assesses the extent of income diversity, financial security, access to savings and credit, and the proportion of household income dependent on craft activities. It also explores market integration and the level of commercialization within the artisan ecosystem.

T2: Cultural Preservation and Heritage – Evaluates the extent to which traditional knowledge, rituals, motifs, and techniques are preserved and practiced. It considers how heritage is transmitted across generations and whether community identity is being reinforced or diluted over time.

T3: Capacity Building and Skill Development – Measures the accessibility, frequency, and effectiveness of training programs. It also looks at the capacity of artisans to innovate, learn new skills, and transfer knowledge within peer groups and families.

T4: Design, Innovation, and Product Development – Focuses on the cluster’s ability to create new products, diversify the portfolio, adapt to contemporary markets, and invest in packaging and prototyping. This dimension is central to enhancing aesthetic value and market competitiveness.

T5: Youth and Community Engagement – Assesses the involvement of younger generations in the craft, their aspirations, and the level of community participation in collective decision-making through SHGs or producer groups. It also gauges leadership emergence within the artisan base.

T6: Health, Sustainability, and Working Conditions – Examines access to health services, ergonomic workspace design, sanitation facilities, and the awareness and practices related to well-being and safety at work. It also includes the sustainability of materials and processes.

T7: Digital Inclusion and Advocacy – Measures mobile and internet penetration, use of digital platforms for learning and selling, digital financial transactions, and social media engagement. This area captures the degree of integration into digital economies.

T8: Education and Knowledge Systems – Evaluates literacy levels, educational infrastructure, and the extent to which both formal and informal knowledge systems support artisan identity and development.

T9: Climate Resilience and Environmental Impact – Reviews the use of natural materials, waste management practices, and community awareness of climate risk. It also includes strategies for adaptation and resource conservation.

Each thematic area comprises 3–5 context-specific indicators that are designed in collaboration with stakeholders to reflect the realities of the cluster’s geography, craft tradition, and socio-cultural fabric.

The framework is applicable across diverse clusters within the WomenArt initiative. It is adaptable to various craft forms and socio-cultural contexts, and is designed to assess both tangible and intangible aspects of artisan livelihoods. Application of the framework helps in identifying cluster-specific development priorities and provides the foundation for cluster-level strategy design.

Scoring is based on field observations, evidence from interviews, and desk research. Each score is accompanied by a brief explanation and used to develop:

1. Visual dashboards

2. Cluster profiles summarizing strengths and gaps

3. Strategic briefs for donors and program teams

Each cluster's diagnostic is paired with a SWOT analysis, synthesizing strengths (internal assets), weaknesses (internal gaps), opportunities (external enablers), and threats (external risks) to inform realistic and targeted strategies.