Street plays remain popular in India as a way to share important information with the community. The STDF project leveraged this traditional entertainment medium to tackle food safety concerns in the spice value chain and raise awareness about good agricultural and hygiene practices. 

Difficulties to meet international food safety standards in the spice value chain affects quality and safety, and has resulted in rejections from markets in the EU, Australia and Japan. It also prevents some of the poorest and most vulnerable households from benefiting from trade.

Stakeholders requested STDF support to address food safety challenges such as aflatoxins, salmonella, and pesticide residues in three seed spices (cumin, fennel and coriander) and black pepper. The project – implemented by the Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – is showing the potential of traditional street plays to promote the use of good practices by marginalized small-scale farmers, many of whom are women.

Street plays for spice farmers 

"Come and look with your eyes, listen with your ears and sing along!" an actor shouts, drawing in a crowd on the streets of Negam to watch a street performance.

The Spices Board, in collaboration with the regional cultural centre in Madhya Pradesh, developed an interactive street play to break down complex food safety and quality issues for small-scale farmers.

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A group of talented actors take centre stage, engaging with audiences in the village. They are playing the roles of a farmer, a field and a spice seed, demonstrating good farming practices, skills and farming inputs needed to produce healthy crops.

Engaging dialogue is intertwined with catchy songs that farmers and community members can quickly learn, and interactive games to support recall. The plays have been conducted in eight villages across four Indian States, reaching some 1,500 individuals (540 of which were women).

Farmers are becoming more confident in meeting good agriculture and hygiene practices, and improving safety management systems. 
 

"People enjoy the storytelling and human element of interacting with actors. When the farmers encounter an issue in the field, they can easily recall and implement the lessons learned during a performance to fix it."

Ashish Jaiswal, export promotions officer.

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Looking ahead

By leveraging the art of storytelling, small-scale farmers are embracing new practices that are yielding tangible results. From reduced microbiological contamination to cleaner products, the impact is evident. This not only ensures better quality spices but also fosters safer trade practices, laying the groundwork for sustainable growth and enhanced consumer trust in India’s spice industry.

Visit the STDF website to learn more about the project. 

Watch the street plays on the Spices Board social media channels (Instagram and Facebook).