An ally in eliminating poverty in India: The Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project The Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project (MPRLP) is pioneering a new approach to rural development that is raising hundreds of thousands of farmers and landless labourers out of poverty. The MPRLP, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), shows just how much can be done to transform the lives of the poor when development projects align with government policies and work within the framework of existing village, district and state institutions.
In the tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh, some of the poorest in India, a little of the right help _ knowledge, training, microcredit _ channelled through a Gram Sabha (a village assembly and electoral body) is transforming lives. The rural landless are taking up new kinds of jobs. Farm labourers are setting up successful microenterprises. But, above all, poor people are thinking differently about poverty. Poor people touched by the project are beginning to believe that they are not powerless; but that they can become self-reliant and change their destiny _ and they are acting on that belief.
Where we work Tribal districts of Barwani, Dhar, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Mandla, Dindori, Anuppur, Shadol and Sheopur How we work at state, district and village level The Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project is registered by the Madhya Pradesh Society for Rural Livelihood Promotion under the Madhya Pradesh Societies Act and led by the Minister for Panchayat and Rural Development. Phase 1 June 2004-June 2007 ₤16.49 million (Rs 114.9 crore), 822 villages Phase 2 July 2007- July 2012 ₤45 million (Rs 357 crore), 2,905 villages Department for International Development (DFID) UK and MPRLP The UK and India share a unique history and work together as allies in the fight against global poverty. The Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Programme is one of three major programmes in the UK Department for International Development's rural livelihoods portfolio in India.
Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project (MPRLP) in brief Our approach n Focusing Gram Sabhas on resource and livelihoods issues n Strategic development of poverty pockets n Building entrepreneurship n Discouraging distress migration n Mobilising the rural poor
Empowered Committee Chair: Chief Secretary
Forum Steering Group Convene Secretary: Project Coordinator
State Project Management Unit (Panchayat & RD Dept.)
Madhya Pradesh Society for Rural Livelihoods Promotion Chair: Minister (Panchayat & RD) Executive Committee Chair: Principal Secretary (Panchayat & RD)
Rural Livelihoods Forum Project Management Committee Collector. CEO, dept heads Zila Panchayat CEO: District Co-ordintator District Project Support Unit Project Facilitation Team Multi-disciplinary teams Gram Sabha and Village Development Committee (Gram Kosh account)
Area Based Committees i.e. watershed and joint forest management committees
Affinity Based Groups i.e. SHGs, user groups
Working with age-old Panchayati Raj institutions in new ways In the 1990s the Government of India constitutionalised Panchayati Raj, a decentralised form of Government in which each village is responsible for its own affairs. Gram Panchayat, or village assemblies, are grouped into village clusters; these are grouped into districts, and the districts into the State Panchayat. MPRLP is part of an anti-poverty initiative that works with Panchayati Raj institutions in new ways. Working with Gram Panchayat All villagers over the age of 18 are part of a village Gram Sabha, which elects a Gram Panchayat council to make decisions about social, cultural and economic issues affecting the village. Every villager has a right to voice an opinion. The Gram Sabhas bring villagers, civil society organisations, government agencies and groups under one governance umbrella to plan, mobilise, execute and monitor programmes for the community.
Unearthing leadership skills Lilabai is a farm labourer. She took part in a Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project (MPRLP) leadership development and training programme for women in tribal districts. Lilabai now has the confidence to speak out. She realizes that she has both a role and a responsibility in village development and says "The Gram Sabha cannot take any decision without seeking our opinion”. Basanti Bai, another tribal woman who took part in the MPRLP training programme, says "We are not so weak. We manage our home well from dawn to dusk and work hard. When we can do this, why cannot we do so for our village?"
Promoting transparency MPRLP channels untied funds to the Gram Kosh (village fund), in the same manner as the Government channels tied funds. The village assembly directs the distribution of funds according to village priorities. The process is transparent. Gram Kosh accounts are displayed on school walls or other prominent places in all MPRLP villages. It's a simple but effective mechanism for making sure everyone in the village can see how funds are used and helping villagers understand that money is available to everyone _ especially the very poor.
No room for bribery Bir Singh of Bamori village had bitter experiences of trying to get a loan from banks. So he was surprised when the Gram Sabha gave him a loan very easily, “I saved my time and money”. Janved and Chronji, members of the Kankari Devi and Jai Bajrang MPRLP livelihood groups said that there is no room for any bribery or recommendation. Every decision is made transparently. When Dinesh of the Maharaja Chatrasal Livelihoods Group of Gothra village was granted a loan, he said “It was unbelievable for us that we would get a loan at the rate of interest of our choice and so easily. We never thought that we would have freedom to purchase seeds.”
Fostering microenterprises New approaches to microfinance contribute to government anti-poverty efforts. MPRLP funds channelled through Gram Kosh help tens of thousands of microfinance clients and self-help groups to launch microenterprises. A helping hand to start a village manufacturing enterprise Ram Bai is an active member of the Durga Aajeevika Group, which manufactures traditional dona-pattals _ plates made of dry leaves _ for celebrations and festivals. Though members have been making donapattals for generations, the Durga Aajeevika Group has recently expanded and now runs a successful microenterprise. Through Gram Sabha, the group obtained money to buy a machine to make donapattals and, with the help of MPRLP, are reaching markets throughout the district and beyond.
Strengthening the resource base Poor rural people, especially poor tribal people, are very dependent on their environment _ land, water and forests. MPRLP helps communities manage these resources in ways that make sure the resources can be used sustainably to generate jobs and incomes. Community forest management Poor people have always taken wood, leaves and plants from forests for food, fuel, medicines and other uses. But, as populations increase, forests are becoming more
and more degraded. To prevent this, MPRLP promotes community forest management. Planning through Panchayat at village and district levels means that communities share benefits and resolve conflicts. Government policies giving Gram Sabhas ownership of the rights to non-wood forest products have opened doors for rural people to make a sustainable living from forest resources. MPRLP helps them learn how to process plants and herbs to add value, market the products, get fair prices and set up microenterprises. The Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council of India has identified at least 45 medicinal herbs and plants that could be grown on degraded forest land by self help groups.
Lac cultivation sustains forests and launches microenterprises Lac cultivation not only allows rural communities to make a living but also changes their attitudes. People organise themselves into self-help groups and cooperate to conserve natural resources. MPRLP has helped to revive lac farming. Lac is a resinous secretion of insects. Thousands of these tiny insects colonize branches of host trees and secrete the resin. The coated branches are cut, harvested and made into seedlac which is a raw material much in demand for making varnish, cosmetics and dyes.
Community watershed management Community watershed management can help fill empty pockets and empty stomachs. In remote tribal areas where land is degraded MPRLP shows communities how to conserve water and soil. Villagers learn how to develop their watersheds sustainably by installing percolation tanks, digging trenches to retain water and harvesting water from their roofs. The Government of India is now adopting these approaches in their own £1.9 billion watershed programme. Part of watershed management is helping farmers to grow the right crops for the type of land and amount of water available. MPRLP links watershed committees and Gram Sabhas so that farmers can get loans for seeds of suitable crops and fertilisers, find out who to talk to about appropriate agricultural practices and irrigation, and how to process and market their produce.
Roses and ginger Small farmers in tribal pockets are keenly interested in growing cash crops. Until MPRLP showed him how to grow and sell roses, Samandar Singh made very little from his small piece of land. Now, roses run his life and floriculture is spreading in Panchakwasa village, in the Badnawar cluster of Dhar district. "I did not have any idea that cultivation of roses would benefit me and enrich my income so rapidly. Now I want roses in every field”, he says. “I used to cultivate roses and marigolds in my field but never took it seriously until the MPRLP team came to me and suggested to grow roses.” He says that, if the trend continues, the Badnawar cluster will have a new identity as the 'Rose Region'. Similarly, Mohan Singh says he knew the benefits of ginger cultivation but could not take it up until, through MPRLP, he learned how to grow it and was able to borrow money to buy seed.
A little help transforms lives The multidisciplinary project teams that fill in the gaps in skills and knowledge and link villages with districts and the state are key to the success of the MPRLP. Their approach goes beyond microenterprises and resource management to seek out all opportunities to transform the lives of the rural poor and stem the exodus to cities. One of the avenues MPRLP is taking is to track demand for semi-skilled workers in growing industries and train rural people to take up these jobs. Stemming distress migration from rural poverty pockets In Dindori, MPRLP worked with Kureli village and through village level planning was able to access the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and ensure villagers had access to work in their own village. The land development project provided regular work and income, making migration a thing of the past.
Contact: Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project 3rd Floor, Beej Bhawan, Arera Hills, Bhopal-462 011, India Telephone : +91-(0)755-2766812, 814, 815 Fax : +91-(0)755-2766818 E-mail: mprlp@mprlp.in Website: www.mprlp.in