Digital marketing platforms
Developing digital marketing platforms to allow cooperatives to expand value chains for green products.
Women displaying their compressed Sal leaf plates (Photo: FECOFUN)
The Milijuli Tilakanya Dunatapari Udhyami Firm in Nepal is a women-led enterprise managed by Our Rajkot Multipurpose Cooperative (ORMC). The firm has been developing Sal leaf plates, a green product made from compressed plates that are a sustainable substitute for non-renewable plastic plates.
With support from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), the enterprise has tripled production to 108,000 plates annually, earning 155,640 Nepalese rupees in 2024, and replacing single-use plastic plates used in hotels and government offices, and at events.
Forest and Farm Facility activities
Based in Dangisharan rural municipality, the Milijuli enterprise has benefited from two FFF direct beneficiary grants in addition to financial support from ORMC in 2023–2024 to purchase equipment. Direct FFF support allowed the group to get business incubation training, purchase machinery upgrades, make packaging improvements, conduct market assessments and procure tailored skills training in Sal leaf plate production. Strong partnerships with local government further reinforced their growth.
FFF also provided grant support to an apex organisation, the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) to develop digital visibility and market linkages by developing the FECOFUN Bazaar online marketplace. This digital marketplace showcases handicrafts, non-timber forest products and green enterprises to buyers across Nepal, and helps forest and farm producer organisations (FFPOs) – especially women-led businesses – secure fair prices and build brand identity without the need for intermediaries. Sal leaf plates produced by the Milijuli Tilakanya Dunatapari Udhyami Firm are one product marketed on the platform.
In addition, FFF support to a second apex organisation, the National Farmers Group Federation (NFGF) allowed NFGF to develop an online marketplace presence using Krishipath, a mobile app designed for agricultural marketing and trade. As well as providing farmers with weather forecasts, production advice, pest management information and access to inputs, this digitised platform bridges service gaps in remote areas and integrates thousands of farmers into transparent digital markets. Again, Sal leaf plates are available on this platform.
Significance of impact
This shift has elevated 21 women into roles as entrepreneurs and leaders. The change is significant because it has upgraded a traditional cultural craft into a competitive, eco-friendly enterprise. This has enabled women to access new markets, strengthen income security and increase their decision-making power.
Conclusion
Funding FFPOs like the Milijuli Tilakanya Dunatapari Udhyami Firm and ORMC to develop successful enterprises demonstrates how FFF-supported business incubation empowers them to innovate, grow and compete, creating environmentally sustainable enterprises, expanding digital market access, and opening new economic opportunities for women and smallholder farmers.
Further reading
Turning leaves into livelihoods in Nepal, Forest and Farm Facility (2025)