Food Security and Agro-economic Development: Jharkhand State
- European Union/Welthungerhilfe Project
The state of Jharkhand is newly formed bifurcating the state of Bihar. Illiteracy, high infant and maternal mortality rates are some of the marked features of the state. Though rich in valuable mineral and natural resources, the Jharkhand area has always remained miserably poor since the outsiders have always reaped the benefits out of the mineral and natural resources. The simple tribals have always been exploited as unskilled labours. Agriculture is the chief occupation of people living there. Many possess land but the yield is not sufficient. Most of the land is rocky and uncultivable. Lack of irrigation facilities is also another reason for poor agriculture. Moreover then cost of agriculture has
increased manifold with its growing dependence on market for purchase of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and hybrid seeds. Therefore agriculture is no longer a viable economic option here, neither does it ensure food security. Women play a significant role in agricultural
activities but their contribution has also remained invisible and unrecognised. Women have always been exploited and discriminated. They have always remained the poorest among the poor and marginalised. At Jharkhand too women share the same plight. The project plans at agro-based economic development of the area for 300 families in 10 villages at Patamda block of Jharkhand and ensure food security for them through increase of agricultural yield by bringing additional land under cultivation through land reclamation, introducing multi-cropping pattern replacing the mono crop system, arranging irrigation through construction of irrigation boxes, tank desiltation, encourage the villagers to reduce excessive dependence on chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and use good quality seeds for better production, grow new
type of vegetables. Since 2005 this project is being supported under European Union/Welthungerhilfe funding.
Some of the salient features of the project are:-
Training on Sustainable Agriculture: Every year, two week-long residential training (one on Sustainable Agriculture, and, the other on animal resource management) are being organised attended by 50 participants. It is unique in the sense that mostly women participate. Dr. P B Panda, former additional Agriculture Director of Govt. of West Bengal who is a senior agro-scientist is the dean of faculty for this training. Other faculty members include several scientists from Agriculture University of the Jharkhand State and officers of the Block Development Office of the local government. Held at a spacious centre at Ghatsila, so far 16 such trainings have been organised for about 800 marginal farmers.
A Hand Book on Sustainable Agriculture has been prepared based on the discussions at the training. A description of this book is given elsewhere in this report. |
|
| Seed Distribution: Good quality seeds (which are of high yield variety - but not hybreed) of vegetables like ladies finger, beans, tomato, cauliflower, chilly etc were distributed. So far the yield is concerned it has shown mixed result and varied from village to village. Different vegetables have different impact. Statistics show that many families have cultivated new vegetables, never grown before. Supply of good quality seeds has definitely enabled some families to bring additional land under cultivation. 296 families have received the seeds. |
|
| Compost Pits: 210 families have constructed Compost pits to get organic fertiliser for agriculture. This will surely reduce to some extent their dependence on chemcials. People have voluntarily come forward to dig their own pits. |
|
| Irrigation Facilities: Irrigation box construction and tank desiltation work was promoted for providing additional irrigation facilites. 60 tanks were identified and de-silted. 300 Irrigation Boxes (small percolation tanks) have been newly excavated in the region . These are providing benefit to the villagers for irrigation for sustaining a crop and in some cases help them to go for a second cropping. |
|
| Land Reclamation: 410 Acres of so far unused land taken up for levelling to make cultivable for further use. Grains cultivated in these additional land helped people increase the overall production. Babui grass cultivation was taken up at the land earlier left uncultivated. This grass is used for rope making and bring good profit. |
|
| Grain Storage Beans: The women members of the families have been encouraged to save grains together. The community Grain Storage effort has received very good response from the Women's Committees because when there is food scarcity, women suffer the most. They provide food to all the hungry family members, themselves going unfed. 100 families, the small and marginal farmers, from the 10 villages are now savings grains for future use in 25 large sized 50 quintal capacity "Community Storage Bins". They can borrow grains from there when the family stock ends. This supplement the food security effort of the community. |
|
Animal Resource: In Jharkhand one of the stress area is providing animal resource support. Under programme cows, goat, pigs are provided on cost sharing basis Wherein the beneficiaries provide half the cost involved. So far the following are provided: cows: 100 milching cows provided to 50 families goats: 160 goats provided to 80 familie pigs: 140 pigs provided to 70 families chickens: 23 families have been provided with support for chicken rearing. fish: 22 families received fishlings.
a) Day Care Centres : 10 centres have been set up at 10 villages for pre-school kids. These centers function like crèches for children of women agro-labourers who have little opportunity to look after their children. These centers have female caretakers known as Sahayikas who look after these children, imparting some basic education through non-formal method. At the end of this year, total number of children coming regularly to 10 centres is 191. (78 boys and 113 girls).
b) Eco-clubs for youth founded: Eco clubs to enhance the environment consciouness among youth below the age of 14 years have been formed at the village level. These youth groups meet regularly and are planning to take some concrete steps in near future. The youth meet in the evening hours and speak on issues of concern. They are already planted saplings in and around their village and are planning to bring out wall magazines soon. During this reporting quarter, 89 boys and 61 girls (total 150) were covered through the 10 Eco-Clubs. About 30 Eco-Club members were taken on an exposure visit to Jubilee Park in Jamshedpur on19th March 2006 .
|
|
| Day Care Centres: 10 centres have been set up at 10 villages for pre-school kids. These centers function like crèches for children of women agro-labourers who have little opportunity to look after their children. These centers have female caretakers known as Sahayikas who look after these children, imparting some basic education through non-formal method. At the end of this year, total number of children coming regularly to 10 centres is 191. (78 boys and 113 girls). |
|
| Rural Eco-clubs: Eco clubs to enhance the environment consciouness among teen-agers below the age of 14 years have been formed at the village level. These teen-ager groups meet regularly and are plan some concrete steps on environment sustenace. 89 boys and 61 girls (total 150) are covered through the 10 Eco-Clubs. About 30 Eco-Club members were taken on an exposure visit to Jubilee Park in Jamshedpur on19th March 2006 . Another exposure trip for these rural groups was organised in 2007 end to visit Purlia town museum, botanical park etc. |
|
| Bio-Product Collection and Sales Outlet: A Bio-shop named "Ghatsila Bipani" has been started at Ghatsila. The aim of the shop would be a dual function of collection of various non-artificial items from the village as well as urban set -up and sale of those. This would not only boost marketing opportunities for the village women but also bolster the cause of going back to nature. For the start-up indigenous handicrafts by women, cotton t-shirts and books n social issues have been displayed. Gradually pickles, hand-made food items, spices etc. from the villages are to be brought in and stored. |
|
| Rural market: With support from Swadhina team 2 rural markets have started in the villages of Hurumbil and Geruala . These markets are functional on Wednesdays and Fridays respectively. Opening of these markets have opened a flood-gate of marketing opportunities for the local growers. These markets have attracted a huge turnout- increasing the potential for local level marketing. Swadhina Women's Committee members also put up their own stall- selling non-hybrid seeds, having scope for animal health check-up and promoting environment issues. |
|
Food Security and Agro-economic Development: West Bengal
- Third World Association- European Patent Office, Germany Project
In Midnapore, Swadhina activities presently cover 5 villages at Garbeta block. The villages are inhabited exclusively by the tribal population. Being mostly landless, a large section of the population work as agricultural labourer. Some have received land from the government but the cost of agriculture being too high most of these land remain uncultivated. Thus the need for the area is to motivate the villagers to opt for low cost alternative and sustainable farming through promotion of an Agro Service Centre, which will guide the villagers.
Land & Demonstration Centre: Local Panchayat has provided a plot of 3 acres of land to Swadhina in the Garbeta area. Presently an agro based demonstration field has been developed here. The seeds plants planted here include Beans, Tomato, Pumpkin etc. Plans are there to develop a Women's Training Centre, which will include facilities for demonstration on agricultural and animal husbandry exposure. A tin roofed house has been already
constructed there and a small percolation tank excavated. Sincere appreciation goes to Swadhina worker Rina Achaya whose ceaseless organisational effort in the villages bore this fruit. |
|
| Seed Support: For Midnapore area, Swadhina provided good quality seeds of different types of vegetables for offering to the villagers at a subsidised rate. Swadhina also tries to maintain good relationship with the local Agriculture department to procure seeds whenever those are distributed. |
|
Food Security and Agro-economic Development: Tamil Nadu
TWA: Third World Association, Germany
In Tamil Nadu, Swadhina activities are carried out among the fishing communities living by the sea shore. Here the chief occupation is fishing. The necessary nutritious vegetables are not available in the area. Whatever little vegetables available in the local market, are very expensive. Therefore Swadhina thrust in this area is promotion of kitchen garden.
Seed Distribution: Promotion of kitchen garden in their respective families of the beneficiaries is the thrust here. Beneficiaries are given a kit of different vegetable seeds, and,the results are very encouraging.
Economic upliftment of people living below poverty line, especially in the rural areas, is an essential component of Swadhina development interactions. Well planned projects are being implemented in all our five states of operation. We share some of the highlights here. |
|
|
