Floral crafts for improved livelihood and women empowerment

Crafting in floriculture has been gaining impetus with the rapidly growing flora industry in India. Value addition in form of floral craft increases the economic value and consumer appeal of floricultural commodities and serving as a linkage between growers and consumers, it directly emphasizes the utility of flowers and a necessity for marketing of flowers. Thus, forms of crafting in floriculture like art of cut floral arrangements, bouquet making, loose flower arrangements, hair adornments, dry flower articles, potpourris, etc. are gaining momentum and popularising in our country. There is a vast opportunity in value added floriculture trade through crafting at entrepreneurial level for rural and urban people specially women besides growing and selling flowers. Crafting in floriculture is one such strategy that is also a logical extension of many farm businesses and can exploit underutilized farm resources for increased returns. Women at small scale can set up small enterprises where floral crafting in the form of bouquets, garlands, veni, flower arrangements in containers, dry flower making, etc. that has high potential for earning and improving livelihood.