DESIGN FOR THE TASTE-MAKERS

System oriented social innovation for improving the living condition of salt pan labourers

The Indian social construct is a complex structure comprising various social, cultural, societal, regional, and political elements that are interconnected to each other. The social construct which was primarily occupation-based is still effective in certain areas and occupations of India. One of these occupations is of salt pan laborer. Food being one of the most important necessities for survival, there needs no second thought to understand the importance of Salt. Just like other food industries, the salt manufacturing industry too is moving towards complete automation with minimal human intervention.

The project aims to understand the ecosystem in and around the production of salt, use design thinking to flourish the living condition of the labourers working in these salt fields, improve their working conditions to care about their physical parts in the self-involved work culture of producing salt, understanding the socio-economic and cultural condition prevailing in it and build a self-sustainable model for the people involved in the ecosystem enabling a well-deserved return on their efforts. Using the Co-design approach and participatory design approach as tools, NGOs working in the area, the community leaders, and the laborers working in the salt fields were involved in bringing design interventions.

The target of this project is to not only make the profession of salt pan labor a respectful one but also to make this profession recognizable. This would ensure cultural sustainability and justifiable remuneration pertaining to the physical and mental efforts invested in the process of producing salt looking at the psycho-social, economic, and work environment conditions.