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Showing posts with label Community Participation. Show all posts
Community Participation key to Natural Resource Management
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"Participating community contribute towards development of a self empowered society. Resultant of this development creates a informed, highly responsible and active denizens leadership."
This post highlights such an experience of a village in the Tribal belt of Gujarat state.
The Achhala village is located 15 km away from district head quarters Godhra. The village is located inside forest area since the settlements in Achhala are done under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The powerful sections of the FRA concern the community right to manage, protect and conserve forests which is evident when we observe the village. The dense and big teak trees and the greenery of the place say it all.
For their livelihood and income generation the people in Achhala solely depend on Agriculture and Animal husbandry based activities. Majority of families (about 79 %) is under Below Poverty Line (BPL). There is no other alternatives available within the village hence in non cropping season they had to migrate to urban areas to make their ends meet. But the major issue in the village is scarcity of water for drinking as well as for life saving irrigation of their valuable crops; especially in the hamlets which are comparatively new settlement which don’t have these established facilities.
Gujarat State Watershed Management Agency (GSWMA) under Integrated Watershed Management Program (IWMP) took up watershed development initiatives in the village in year 2009-10. The village is covered under IWMP-5 project of Batch-1, Panchmahals Districts. The project is purely community oriented and local people have a clear say in their resource management, utilization and its conservation. The project is Planned, managed, executed and operated through community based institution (Village Watershed Committee).
Community and Participation.
The solution for water problem came across as an outcome of PRA Exercise (Participatory Rural Appraisal) conducted by the Watershed Development Team (WDT) during the initial stage of project planning. The people proposed to construct a Community well which can be useful for both drinking and irrigation. The WDT finalized the activity under Entry point Activity and works were started after the approval of Gram Sabha constructed and completed within months at a cost of RS. 3 Lakhs.That construction activity directly generated benefits through employment for local people. In total 1146 Mandays were generated and in which the BPL households got benefits directly.Currently, the community well is main drinking source and water in the well is sufficiently available round the year for household usage. Above all these the villagers were able to do the second crop (Rabi) in that year where they cropped Wheat and Maize. 15 farmers took benefit of irrigation that covered an area of 10 ha. They were able to produce total 100Qtl. Maize and 50Qtl. Wheat out of that season. The monetary benefits counted round about 1.59 Lakhs. With the availability of water in summer the farmers able to do vegetable farming, which is more profitable. Ladyfinger and Beans are major crops cultivated. The details about farmers and their Rabi season crop production is given below.
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The way ahead….
Furthermore the IWMP project has incorporated a plan of providing more assistance to the farmers in its Net Planning through convergence strategy of amount worth Rs.5 Lakhs with Bac ward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), through which facility for lift irrigation will be provided.
This entire episode shows that the necessity of community participation and unity in addressing the issues related to them and solving it with the resources available around them for better tomorrow.
Contributors : Kiran KP, Technical Expert Panchmahals and DWDU, Panchmahals
Empowerment of Rural Youth through IWMP leading to Sustainability
Motivation of Youth by DWDU
The approach of Integrated Watershed Management Programme(IWMP) is completely based upon Participatory module, which includes Community Participation, Village Institutions, Enhancements of Productivity, Sustainable use of natural resource and Equity in distribution of benefits.
Livelihood approach under IWMP too focuses on sustainable rural livelihoods development through scientific and integrated watershed development approach so as to preserve the natural resources as well as enhance the socio-economic condition of the rural people especially those who are jobless and asset less people. Ecological Balance is the prime focus of IWMP and maintaining the Socio-Ecological phenomenon is the utmost important of the current era. Day by Day trees and other plants are being cut down by the human being and it had led to serious challenges against the nature. Obviously, IWMP understands these vagaries of nature and therefore is involved extensively in ecological restoration along with social strengthening.
Taking Inspiration from this programme, under District Watershed Development Unit, Amreli (DWDU, Amreli) a SHG of Youth has been formed named; "Navrang Yuvak Swaysahay Juth". This SHG works in SALADI Village, under LILIYA Taluka.
STUDY AREA: SALADI VILLAGE, LILIYA TALUKA, AMRELI.
SHG FORMATION
During the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) activity in Saladi Village, several Youth of the village enquired about IWMP and DWDU works. After that they showed interest in forming a SHG of their own interest, with DWDU facilitation. A total of Eighteen(18) young man formed a SHG which was named as ; "Navrang Yuvak Swaysahay Juth". Registration No: 20/9CG-December-2011. It was decided at the very first meeting of the group that a monthly sum amount of Rs.50 will be taken from all the members for SHG savings
ACTIVITY CHOSEN
Village Saladi is mainly an agriculture based income generation village with people engaged in various kinds of agricultural, animal husbandry activities along with afforestation activity was also needed, as procured from PRA and survey done by DWDU. Also, the youth of the village were nature lover and they took keen interest in Plantation and Gardening.
TRAINING
For any activity to be carried out successfully, there needs to be a proper training session to be conducted, so that a better knowledge could be gained for the people involved in that particular activity. A training cum exposure visit was being conducted for the NAVRANG YOUTH SHG on 17/12/12 for which they visited the "Hill Nursery" in Chavand, under Lathi taluka. The SHG was well trained with Nursery raising technique as well as concept of Green House.
Training of the Rural Youth
The training also emphasized on certain factors in nursery raising like
- Site Selection
- Soil Selection
- Plastic Bag for Sapling
- Plant type
- Fencing etc..
WORK OUT
After proper training of the youth, the group started to work out on the nursery raising. First of all a proper safe site was chosen where there should be availability of electricity, water, as well as safety could be maintained. They hired a nearby land on rent in the village itself (80x120 feet) the land was already fenced from three sides so the SHG needed only one side to fence the nursery plot. After that soil from nearby pond was brought according to nursery requirement. The SHG worked day night harder to bring out the nursery in good shape.
Within six months the results were seen clearly as plants were now being grown on large basis.
MARKETING
The SHG till date has sold out many plants locally in the village, and the neighboring villages. The local people from the nearby villages and Taluka are now being aware of the nursery. The SHG is working hard to get in touch with more and more people, to sell out there products. Till now a total plants of value Rs.1500/ had been successfully sold out by this NAVRANG SHG,who once were unemployed and idle.
Contributor: Nischal Chudasama and DWDU, Amreli