Under-the-Tree Workshops and Management Training in India

Photo: Speaking to women in rural India to understand their challenges and needs, as part of an "under-the-tree" workshop

Over the past few months, our teams in India have been holding a series of “Under-the-Tree Workshops” with farmers, farm workers and their children in rural communities connected to global agri-food supply chains. These informal, open discussions create a safe space for people to share what would help them live healthier, happier lives. The insights gathered feed directly into the design of programme activities for the next phases of our programming.

Building on extensive experience, this approach is now a standardised methodology for The Centre in India’s agricultural sector, having been tried, tested and proven effective across multiple communities. It reflects our commitment to grounding interventions in lived realities while delivering measurable, long-term impact.

Following these community sessions, we bring company and supplier management into Joint Action Planning Workshops. In these practical, empathy-driven sessions, we:

• Share workers’ lived realities

• Guide management through exercises to “step into their shoes”

• Co-create business-aligned, sustainable action plans

• Link actions to long-term structures rather than one-off fixes

Our CEO recently joined the India team to deliver one such workshop. One manager reflected:

“The Joint Action Planning Workshop facilitated by The Centre was a very powerful way to bring the insights of workers from the field into the boardroom. This helped the management team to look beyond commercials and start looking at human rights due dilogence in a more holistic way.” 

By standardising and refining this methodology, The Centre delivers tested, scalable and sustainable solutions for agricultural supply chains. This approach increases management awareness, results in concrete action plans integrated into business systems, and drives positive, lasting change for workers and their families.

Please contact us to find out more.