annual report 2007
Note : Some of the states have stroke applied to them. Retain them even after changing their colour.
delhi bihar gujarat
madhya pradesh
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programme areas of AKRSP (India) Gujarat
Bharuch, Surat, Narmada and Tapi districts are some of the poorest areas in the state of Gujarat. A very poor tribal community lives on undulating and degraded land that was once heavily forested. Junagadh district on coastal Kathiawar peninsula faces a problem of salinity due to overexploitation of groundwater. Surendranagar district is one of the most drought-prone districts of Gujarat. Most of the villages in this district face an acute scarcity of water. madhya P radesh
Khandwa, Burhanpur and Barwani districts in southwestern Madhya Pradesh are home to marginalised tribal populations who live in poverty despite the rich natural resource base.
A Community based Technology Learning Centre in progress. With six of the 13 trainers at the Computer Centres being women, enrollment of rural women is steadily increasing and is now 405 of a total of 1270 trainees.
CONTENTS
annual report 2007
foreword
04
the year gone by
06
statistical abstract
10
FIELD IMPLEMENTATION
Organising for social and economic empowerment
12
Accessing drinking water and fuel
18
Enhancing agricultural incomes: A holistic approach
22
Building skills and supporting entrepreneurship
32
Promoting off-farm livelihood interventions
36
NEW INITIATIVES
Computerji‌ get connected to the world
41
Community radio
44
Addressing water quality
46
Exploring new horizons
48
Learning and Outreach
50
Financial summary
54
About AKRSP (India)
55
ANNEXURES
62
our partners addresses
foreword This year His Highness the Aga Khan’s Imamat celebrated its 50th anniversary. AKRSP (India), as a part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), continued to realise the social conscience of Islam through institutional action. The year 2007 has been a year of change. Responding to the changing needs of the rural communities, especially rural youth, AKRSP (India) star ted the Community-based Technology Learning Centres (CTLCs) to train villagers on the use of computers as well as access information about government schemes, markets and job oppor tunities. The second major change for AKRSP (India) is the decision to work in Bihar as a par t of an AKDN initiative. Numerous visits were made during the year and a plan for star ting field work in 2008 was finalised. The third major change was the scaling up of earlier initiatives, such as boribandhs for water har vesting, vegetable cultivation, decentralised drinking water systems and hor ticulture. There were also major changes in the policy environment as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information (RTI) became known at village level. All these new changes would not have been possible without the continuous suppor t of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), our donors and the government agencies in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge our debt to all of them.
AKRSP (India) deeply mourns the death of Naran Bhadreshia.
This year we lost a valuable colleague, Naran Bhadreshia, who was working as a Community Organiser in Sayla. Naran died of a hear t attack on July 11, 2007. A committed field worker, Naren joined us in 1995. He worked first at Junagadh and then moved to Sayla in 2002. He worked tirelessly towards the social and economic empowerment of village women and will be remembered by the villagers and staff of AKRSP (India). Since AKRSP (India) is a structured, reasonably well-resourced organisation, Naranbhai’s family did get some financial compensation to carr y on their lives. However, there are many field workers in the NGO sector who do have this security. As this sector expands, this is an area of concern for the donors who suppor t these NGO field workers.
Apoor va Oza Chief Executive Officer
His Highness the Aga Khan became Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on July 11, 1957 at the age of 20, succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan. He is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter. Imamat is a Muslim institution dating back to the time of the Holy Prophet. It is a term used historically to refer to the leadership of the spiritual and temporal successors to Prophet Muhammad. In Imami Shi’a Islam, Imamat is the divinely designated position of hereditary, religious authority held by Imams from the progeny of Prophet Muhammad. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan’s Imamat completed 50 years on July 11, 2007. Over the past 50 years, he has devoted his life to the upliftment and progress of the Ismaili Jamat and humanity at large. It was during his visit to India during the silver jubilee celebrations of his Imamat in 1982-83, that the idea of setting up AKRSP (India) was conceived. In the Shia tradition of Islam, it is the mandate of the Imam of the time to safeguard the individual’s right to personal intellectual search and to give practical expression to the ethical vision of society that the Islamic message inspires. Each Imam in his time ensures the resonance of the faith and its diverse traditions with the needs of the changing world. The Imam’s life and endeavors reflect the religious and ethical principles of the faith. The Imam’s role is to guide his murids to observe and practice these principles in their lives. Guided by the ethical principles of Islam, the Imam establishes institutions and provides leadership and direction according to the exigencies of time and place. The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a contemporary endeavor of the Ismaili Imamat to realise the social conscience of Islam through institutional action. The Ismailis living in some twenty-five countries, mainly in South, West and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as in North America and Western Europe, are celebrating this epochal milestone as their Imam’s Golden Jubilee, thus maintaining a cherished tradition. The Golden Jubilee is a celebration initiated by the Jamat, commemorating the milestones of 50 years of His Highness the Aga Khan’s Imamat.
the year gone by
The 22nd year of AKRSP (India) was a year of learning and sharing, both for the organisation and for the rural communities working closely with it. Having completed six years of the ten-yearSCALE (Sustainable Community-based Approaches to Livelihood Enhancement) project, the organization worked to scale up its activities and reach out to a larger section of the society through its outreach activities. The year 2007 has been a year of new initiatives for AKRSP (India) as it moved beyond Natural Resource Management (NRM) - based livelihood interventions. AKRSP (India) has added the following to its menu of options to address the changing needs of rural communities. • Responding to the needs of rural youth to look beyond traditional farming as an option, AKRSP (India) trained 1,269 villagers through its 13 Computerji centres on the basics of computers in Gujarati and Hindi. These centres also provided information on government schemes, education, job opportunities and agricultural prices to people in 215 villages. In Netrang, tribal youth were trained in driving, tailoring and other income-generating skills. • AKRSP (India) started the Nirmala Water Testing Laboratory at the Sayla Training Centre (now called the Dr. Kamla Chowdhry Community Learning and Training Centre), the first of its kind by an NGO to help address the water quality problems of rural Gujarat. This ISO 9001:2000 certified laboratory is now recognised by the State Government to test the quality of drinking water in Surendranagar district. • Tribal dialects are a key component of tribal culture and recognition of these dialects give a boost to their feeling of self-worth. Tribal women in remote villages are, even now, not comfortable in Gujarati. Recognising this, and learning from the success of the radio programme in Kutch managed by the NGO, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS), AKRSP (India) initiated a weekly community radio programme ‘Kay Tuman Khabar Hay’ in the local Vasava dialect. Till date, 26 episodes have been aired, and eight tribal youth have been trained as radio reporters. • AKRSP (India) initiated efforts to expand its work to the state of Bihar as a part of an Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) initiative to start work in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. AKRSP (India)’s work in Kutch district came to a close by April as it completed its projects on drinking water. Two villages, where AKRSP (India) worked with Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (India), received the ‘Nirmal Gram Award’ from the Government of Gujarat.
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Empowering communities The field staff made special efforts to work with the poorest by promoting alternative and skill-based livelihoods. Around 468 new Village Organizations (VOs) and 292 Self Help Groups (SHGs) were formed in Gujarat and 167 VOs and 87 SHGs were formed in Madhya Pradesh. Apex institutions maintained their separate identity and moved forward to take over AKRSP (India)’s role of development in the member villages. Searching for livelihood options for the poorest, especially landless and widows, were challenging because most of them neither possess assets like land nor possess skills or resources. Actions undertaken include: • Capacity building of member village institutions • Agriculture input supply • Liaisoning • Micro-plan preparation • Audits and accounts maintenance of village institutions
Women continued to be active members of the village institutions.
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Progress in Madhya Pradesh This was the third year since AKRSP (India) started working in Madhya Pradesh. The work initiated in the Dedtalai block and Pandhana block of Khandwa district was expanded to three new clusters, namely Niwali, Rajpura and Ichhapur of Barwani and Sehore districts. Community institutions are reaching an important stage of their operations by laying down the foundations for increasing the capacity of the village organizations and women self help groups, enabling them to take increased responsibility for various low cost interventions in remote rain-fed areas, such as collective input supply activities, renovating individual wells for irrigation and giving small loans for group wells.
Existing irrigation facilities were repaired and strengthened in Madhya Pradesh.
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Coping with natural disasters In the recent past, Gujarat has seen many natural disasters. The year 2007 saw floods (affecting villages in Surat as well as Junagadh) as well as an earthquake in few villages of Junagadh district.
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Outreach Besides the radio programme, the training centres expanded their work substantially. An external study to assess AKRSP (India)’s Training and Capacity Building Unit was taken up and its findings are being adopted.
The Tribal Livelihood Resource Centre at Netrang has become a training hub in the region.
As a part of the AKRSP (India) Services, a total of 202 trainings were conducted during the year and 3733 people were trained.
Major policy changes The policy environment underwent major changes at the national and state level. The Right to Information Act (RTI) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) were implemented, while the Forest Act was also passed during the year. On the ground, change is slow, though the Madhya Pradesh government has been innovative and supports NGOs to take up watershed work using the NREGA funding. In Gujarat, the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) Act has been passed and now the challenge is to implement this.
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Statistic al Overview: 2007 Details
Unit
Achievement in 2007 Cumulative till 2007
1. coverage Villages Covered (years 2002 to 2007)
Nos
120
856
Households Covered (years 2002 to 2007)
Nos
11,229
84,229
Village Institutions functioning
Nos
635
2,240
Women’s village institutions functioning
Nos
423
1,248
Total Membership in Village Institutions
Nos
7,970
51,205
Membership of women in village institutions
Nos
5,165
25,928
2. enhancing agricultural productivity and income a) Private Land Development Soil and water conservation
Hac.
1,533
37,728
Farm Forestry
‘000 Saplings
245
9,045
Agro Forestry (Horticulture)
‘000 Saplings
45
2,145
Group Wells (Homestead Land Development)
Nos
39
186
b) Water Management (Surface Irrigation & Groundwater Recharge) Canal Irrigation
Nos
18
31
Lift Irrigation (pumps & motors)
Nos
85
148
Check Dams and Irrigation Tanks
Nos
169
955
Water use efficiency devices
Nos
1,064
8,038
c) Micro finance and Agriculture Marketing Savings / Credit disbursed
Agricultural inputs supply Agricultural equipment supply
‘000 Rs.
8,993 / 15,164
83,803 / 26,338
hhs
1,277
6,397
hhs
615
1,841
3. common land development and management Wasteland Development / Fodder Development
Hac.
35
6,183
Joint Forest Management
Villages
75
75
4. enhancing income from off farm activities a) Micro Enterprise Development (including organic compost) hhs
297
2,378
b) Animal Husbandry Milch Cattle
hhs
69
1,418
Goatery / Goat Milk Producers
hhs
40 / 142
75 / NA
5. non farm livelihood Skill based
Nos
200
NA
Trade/Product based
Nos
89
NA
6. drudgery reduction Alternative Energy (Biogas Plants/Solar Cooker/Wind mill)
Nos
946
12,287
Roof Rain Water Harvesting Structures
Nos
1,157
6,392
Drinking Water Schemes
Nos
2
91
Hand Pumps Installed / Repaired
Nos
74
1,334
Percolation cum Drinking Well
Nos
2
168
7. outreach Training, Workshops & Exposure by AKRSP (I) Services
Nos
207
415
Research Studies Initiated for dissemination
Nos
34
74
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The Dagadkot Minor Irrigation Project was initiated in Madhya Pradesh this year
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ORGANISING FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
In the newly-formed SHGs, the importance of conducting regular meetings was given special focus.
AKRSP (India)’s development interventions rely on a variety of institutional models which in turn depends on the specific context. The approaches to promoting village institutions have changed with the changing needs of villagers and the portfolio of activities taken up to address these needs. This is seen in the mix of institutions promoted. • Small Self Help Groups (SHGs). • Separate groups for women and the marginalised. • Natural Resource Management-based organisations with the mandate of governing the commons. • Village organisations covering whole village to supra-village federations spanning multiple villages. • AKRSP (India) also works with existing village institutions; the gram panchayat and its sub-committees (especially the pani samiti for drinking water) and traditional tribal panchayats.
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Most of these village institutions (VIs) are not formally registered. Those who have formal linkages with government agencies (canal, lift irrigation cooperatives) or manage large amount of funds (federations) are registered under the Cooperative Act or the Societies Registrations Act. The SHGs, even though not registered, are recognised by the banks and are eligible to get loans.
DURING THE YEAR This year, 635 new village institutions were promoted (the highest in any year so far) in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, of which 423 (65 per cent) were women’s groups. Overall, AKRSP (India) now works with 2,240 village institutions, of which 1,248 (55 per cent) have women as primary members. Forming federal groups About a third (654) of the total groups is linked to the federations and mahila manchs. Ten new federal bodies were formed during this year. There are now a total of 22 federations and mahila manchs. Five of them run agricultural input supply shops while eight of them have their own independent offices. With the support from government agencies, these bodies own substantial assets like tractors (for giving on rent to members) and tankers for water supply. Functionally, the federations facilitated by AKRSP (India) have focussed on the following broad types of activities: • Market mediation and supply chain management: Forward and backward linkage in farming sector – small groups acting in concert for economies of scale for agricultural inputs and outputs.
Sharing information about the project helps create a feeling of ownership among the community.
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Existing water users associations were revived in the Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited (SSNL) command areas.
• Capacity building of the member groups for better institutional governance – financial management, transparency, accountability, audit and improving economic efficiencies. • Engagement with some social issues and issues of identity of the community. This is a key issue for women’s groups and groups of marginalised communities like the Siddis. • Linking and accessing resources from the Government agencies and banks which are located at the block level. In general, small CBOs tend to depend heavily on AKRSP (India) while federating has helped promote autonomy and self-reliance. Working with panchayats In the Netrang programme area, AKRSP (India) is building capacities of 13 women sarpanchs in order to make them effective leaders and is actively engaged with 93 pani samities for drinking water interventions. In Madhya Pradesh, the team worked with 16 panchayats to prepare detailed watershed plans to be implemented with National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (NREGA) funds in Barwani. Panchayats have shown interest in the Computerji project and some of them have offered the panchayat premises and computers for training the village youth. Organising the marginalised/primitive tribal groups In Junagadh, while the Siddi federation expanded its scope of activities, by opening a grocery shop to ensure that poor people got access to quality goods, efforts were made to form new groups with the Kotwalia community in Mandvi block. The
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Harijan women’s groups took an active role in forming the women’s federation in Malia block and scaled up their drinking water interventions. Creating mass awareness AKRSP (India) in collaboration with village institution leaders and local theatre groups, organised plays, cycle rallies, film shows, pad yatra (walk-through), and women’s day celebrations to spread awareness on issues that ranged from the Right to Information Act in Dediapada to the importance of savings in Sayla. A total of 238 such events were held and 32,600 people participated in them. Addressing exploitative social practices A huge degree of indebtness is incurred because of the money spent on marriages, deaths and child birth ceremonies. There are also customs which affect women’s dignity. Village institutions and mahila manchs have taken up campaigns to reduce costs and stop customary practices in the Gujarat programme area.
promoting sAVINGS AND CREDIT ACTIVITIES In Surendranagar and Bharuch, the performance of the SHGs needed special attention from the team so that they could focus on savings and credit activities and bank linkages. This year, the Credit Service Agent (CSA) model was given special focus. A CSA is a village level person who is responsible for conducting regular meetings of the SHGs and for monitoring the groups’ record maintenance. They also prepare documents for forward and backward linkages, solve problems, collect data and act as an interface between the organisation and the Self Help Groups. So, far, 23 CSAs have been appointed.
In Madhya Pradesh, Self Help Groups managed to save Rs 1.1 million in 2007.
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This year, 654 village institutions were operational in the AKRSP (India) programme areas.
Promotion of individual savings A total amount of Rs 19 million was saved during the year by 885 self help groups. In addition to the regular monthly savings, Rs 1 million was saved by villagers as a safeguard in case the crop fails after initial sowing. Linkages with the banking system The total loan amount disbursed during the year was Rs 14.1 million through bank linkages, revolving funds and rotation of savings. The support from the regional banks, nationalised banks and the opening of the Development Credit Bank at Dediapada gave a fresh impetus to the SHGs. Bank lending was Rs 4 million this year.
Changing Lives Slowly but Surely Little is known about the lives of tribal widows. Cultural and social norms along with poverty make them a highly vulnerable group. Lack of information and inability to deal with the government system prevent them from accessing government schemes. The Mahila Jagruti Mandal at Mandvi has taken up an initiative for the widows since 2005. It has formed a social security forum for these widows. These committee members identify widows, visit them personally and then conduct meetings with them on the 15th of each month. Initially, the women were reluctant but slowly they started participating actively in the meetings. These interactions helped in increasing their awareness and 15 of them filled forms to avail the pension scheme for widows. This government scheme requires the widow to provide a copy of the ration card as a proof and many women did not have one. So the committee members took a lead and approached the revenue officer (talati). Initially, he was hesitant to help them but on the request of the block-level revenue officer (mamlatdar), accepted the bank documents of the savings accounts opened by the widows. After continuous persistence, the committee was successful in enabling seven widows access the government pension scheme.
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In areas like Madhya Pradesh, where a bulk of the rural population is outside the reach of mainstream financial institutions, revolving fund is an appropriate system of rural finance. Revolving funds are normally given to economically active but poor households to increase their capital assets. At the end of 2007, a total amount of Rs 5.7 million was disbursed benefiting 260 households. promoting local NGOs
samudayik vikas sansthan AKRSP (India) has been working in Umarpada taluka of Surat district since 1984 and has groomed many local people as development workers. As a result of this, the local people became capable enough to take on bigger roles and responsibilities. They formed a proactive group with a strong urge to work for the development of their own region. Hence, AKRSP (India) decided to support local tribal youth, who wanted to work in the remote areas of Umarpada, in forming a local NGO named Samudayik Vikas Sansthan (SAVI). The organisation has four selected people who have the commitment and desire to work for the society. SAVI was formed in 2003 and was registered under the Societies Registration Act and the Bombay Trust Act in 2005. SAVI mainly works on natural resource management, health and microfinance. In 2007, SAVI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Gujarat under the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme. The results of the survey done by the government had shown that the health indicators of 12 villages of Umarpada taluka were very low. So SAVI was assigned the role of a field NGO and made responsible for capacity building, advocacy and awareness creation of the local population on maternal and child health. SAVI is now supported by NABARD for promotion of Self-Help Groups. After four years of support from AKRSP (India), SAVI has now acquired its independent identity in the block and district.
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Accessing drinking Water and Fuel
Walking long distances and then waiting in a long queue for getting drinking water is very normal for a woman in rural Gujarat.
Lack of access to drinking water and fuel make life very difficult for women in Gujarat. They have to walk long distances to fetch water and cook in smokefilled kitchens. In an attempt to address these issues, AKRSP (India) works for better access to drinking water and providing alternate fuel options to women in collaboration with panchayats, women’s groups and state agencies.
Access to potable Drinking water In addition to the problem of access, poor quality of water also leads to health problems. AKRSP (India) works towards developing community-managed decentralised drinking water interventions. This year the major focus was on providing potable drinking water on a daily basis to the people living in the environmentally challenged areas of our programme. This endeavour was supported by Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO) and Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) in addition to the European Commission (EC).
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AKRSP (India) helped build 1,148 Roof Rain Water Harvesting Systems (RRWHS) in its programme areas. In Surendranagar, 141 RRWHS were constructed. Work was initiated for RRWHS in 179 households and village water supply scheme for 15 villages under the Swajaldhara scheme. In Chotila, two drinking water schemes consisting of overhead tanks, pumping machinery, pump house, distribution network, sand post and deepening of sources have been implemented. Around 322 households have benefited from this. In Netrang programme area, RRWHS structures were constructed at five primary schools in Sagbara taluka. They have been constructed through the women’s groups in Sagbara, Dediapara, Umarpada, Mandvi and Valiya and Jagadiya clusters. Swajaldhara program was implemented in 15 villages of Sagbara from 15th June, 2007. At Junagadh, 698 Decentralised Drinking Water Storage Systems (DDWSS) have been constructed in 24 villages. About 850 samples from DDWSS in 8 villages have been collected and analysed for chemical and bacteriological impurities. Based on the test reports, training modules were developed for better handling and monitoring of water. Drinking water is a major issue in Madhya Pradesh also. In 2007, 29 hand pumps were repaired by AKRSP (India). Also, three local youths were trained in hand pump repairing so that the hand pumps could be repaired at the village level only and these men could make it their source of livelihood.
promoting Alternate Energy Biogas plants have emerged as a very effective means to fulfil the energy needs of the rural community. Considering that biogas plants reduce drudgery and improve health, this is becoming increasingly popular among the women.
AKRSP (India) facilitated the setting up of 114 biogas plants in tribal Gujarat and brought smiles on many faces.
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This year, villages that have a demand of minimum 10 biogas plants were taken up at the Netrang programme area. Around 304 biogas plants were constructed in 63 villages, out of which 190 plants were constructed along with the toilet. Also, 136 biogas units were repaired in 24 villages. The National Diary Development Board (NDDB) stated collecting milk from Junagadh district last year. This had made livestock rearing highly popular and so animal waste is easily available. Hence, 97 biogas plants which were defunct since the last five years, have been repaired. Also, 65 new biogas plants have been constructed. In Madhya Pradesh, the focus was more on creating awareness about the alternate energy programme. As a result, 35 biogas plants were constructed and one was repaired. Also, 467 smokeless chulhas were constructed.
Experimenting with Biogas Rajeshbhai Kathariya of Harmadiya Gir village is physically challenged. He runs a flour mill to earn his livelihood. As the machine ran on diesel, the cost of production was very high. Looking for an alternative, Rajeshbhai decided to run his machine on biogas. So, he started running his machine with diesel first and then switched over to biogas. This experiment increased his profit margin by 60 per cent. Rajeshbhai has become famous in his neighbourhood for this innovation. Setting up of biogas plants in Madhya Pradesh is another example of AKRSP (India) taking its learnings from Gujarat to the new areas.
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People, especially the ones engaged in production of jaggery, come to him for advice so that they, too, can bring down their production costs.
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Solar Cookers In an effort to promote the use of renewable energy sources, solar cookers are promoted by AKRSP (India). In Junagadh, 259 solar cookers were distributed during the year. Around 367 solar cookers of the regular box type were provided in Netrang programme area.
Women in Junagadh discovered the joy of cooking in solar cookers, away from the smoke of their kitchen.
Solar Home Lighting Systems The solar home lighting systems are being promoted in Junagadh. Around 15 households have purchased the home lighting and water heating systems.
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ENHANCING AGRICULTURAL INCOMES: a holistic approach
At the Netrang programme area, regular visits to the fields by the staff ensured a better crop production for the farmers.
Agriculture is the main source of income and employment in the all the areas where AKRSP (India) works. Around 85 per cent of the farmers with whom AKRSP (India) works practice rain-fed agriculture. However, even those with irrigation depend on wells which are unreliable in low rainfall years. In regions like Junagadh, in the quest for increasing irrigation, excessive groundwater has been drawn; causing salinity ingress along the coast and declining groundwater levels in other blocks. The challenge is to increase incomes without undermining the natural resource base. While all the programme areas in Gujarat have had a good year in terms of rainfall, the programme areas in Madhya Pradesh have not been as fortunate. AKRSP (India)’s approach to increasing incomes and reducing risk for the farmers it works with, has been largely through improving the irrigation facilities and linking them with the stakeholders.
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Over the years, AKRSP (India) has learnt that increasing agricultural income requires a combination of interventions and many government initiatives fail because they focus only on a single factor, such as land development or access to technology. Reducing the cost of production as well as the risk of damage is sometimes as important as increasing productivity.
akrsp (india)’s approach to agricultural income enhancement Increasing Agricultural Incomes and Reducing Risk
Rain-fed Farmers
watershed approach
access to irrigation
access to technology, crop protection
Irrigated Farmers
timely, affordable credit
use of good quality inputs
access to markets
promoting pim, groundwater recharge
integrated land & water development through the watershed approach The watershed approach involves a comprehensive approach of treating private and common lands within a watershed boundary – AKRSP (India) largely focuses on smaller watershed areas of 5-700 hectares. AKRSP (India), with support from government agencies has taken up Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) interventions over 1,435 hectares of land this year. In Gujarat, SWC work was largely done in Netrang and Surendranagar programme areas and a total of 1,083 hectare was treated which benefited 1,487 farmers covering 77 villages. AKRSP (India) supported deep ploughing intervention for 28 poor villagers with no capacity to invest in their highly undulating plots (38 hectares overall) in four villages of Chotila taluka at Surendranagar district. A few farmers cultivated their land for the first time and the impact was substantial. At Madhya Pradesh, 352 hectare area in 50 villages was treated through soil conservation measures.
Prosperity through Conservation Somabhai Vasava is a farmer in the Netrang programme area. Somabhai owns 4 hectares of land and has seven members in his family. Every year, he used to migrate to the neighbouring town in search of livelihood as the crop yield was not enough for his family’s sustenance. He then joined the Soil and Water Conservation project of AKRSP (India). Now, soil erosion has stopped completely and the yield of crops has also increased substantially. This year, he earned around Rs. 14,000 from agriculture compared to Rs. 4,300 in 2005 and has stopped migrating.
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AKRSP (India) has been striving to bring water to the farmer’s field through various irrigation techniques.
Enjoying the Fruits of their Labour Residents of Bharada village in the Netrang Programme area have been protecting 180 hectares of forest land under the Joint Forest Management Act for the last ten years. They have formed groups of 10 villagers who take turns in protecting the forest. This year, the villagers got permission to clear 50 hectares of the forestland, a process that generated fuel wood for them. Hence, 72 members got 5 quintals of fuel wood each. In addition, the Gram Vikas Mandal kept aside 75.63 quintals of fuel wood as common fund. The villagers also got the permission to harvest their share of bamboo trees. They harvested 3,700 bamboo trees and 74 members got 50 bamboos each. Bharada village got to enjoy the fruits of their labour after a long time.
access to irrigation In the tribal and rain-fed regions of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, most farmers do not have access to state-supported canals and lift irrigation schemes. They also do not have the money to dig their own wells. AKRSP (India) promotes group wells (with 6-7 neighbouring farmers) in both these regions, providing some subsidy (or, in most cases, helping them access government subsidy) and a package of agricultural options (horticulture, vegetable cultivation and fodder).
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The Benefits of Stability Naval Singh, Jawan Singh, Gorelal and Phul Singh are residents of Astariya village in Madhya Pradesh. Their fields are adjacent to each other and cover a total area of 11 acres. Every year during the monsoon, they tilled their land and during the months of September-October, they migrated to the neighbouring state of Maharashtra in search of livelihood. One of them used to stay back to take care of the cattle. At the end of the season, they used to save Rs 3,500 per person. On hearing about the concept of a group well through the local staff of AKRSP (India), they decided to build one in their fields. With help from AKRSP (India) they built the well and last year deepened it by 10 feet. Now, the four farmers have stopped migrating and work in their own fields instead. They have started growing vegetables and wheat in their fields and have stopped buying fodder for their cattle. They have also learnt to prepare vermicompost and hence have started saving on the cost of chemical fertilisers. Life is much better for them today. Their children go to the local school and the family takes part in all the social gatherings. Migration is a nightmare they have left far behind.
Water Harvesting For Support Irrigation and Groundwater Recharge A wide range of interventions have been implemented, both for individual and groups of farmers to provide direct irrigation as well as recharging the wells during the kharif and rabi seasons. A total of 46 check dams, five percolation tanks, 115 farm ponds, 88 earthen water harvesting structures, 484 low-cost (but highly effective!) boribandhs and gabion structures were constructed during 2007 by village communities. Managing the Meghal River Basin The river Meghal flows through south-west Saurashtra in Junagadh. Work is on in the Meghal river basin to ensure better groundwater management. In 2007, the river basin treatment work was scaled up in 52 villages. Five check dams were constructed in four villages benefiting 97 households. A stretch of 5 km was taken up for river widening and deepening work. It helped in increasing the storage capacity by 1.30 MCFt. It benefited 255 recharge wells and 262 households. A total of 50 boribandhs (sand bag check dams) were constructed in 22 villages for agriculture support and ground water recharging. Encouraged by the results, more and more farmers are expressing interest in constructing boribandhs. Coping with drought in Surendranagar In 2007, special focus was given to poor farmers, especially poor women landowners for development and management of water resources. Developing farm ponds was the major intervention as it is cheaper than the other water harvesting structures. Along with increased recharge, it also provides support irrigation. During excess rainfall, they also help in preventing water logging. Around 83 farm ponds have been constructed in the area in 2007 and have benefited 25 women, among others. akrsp (India) annual report 2 0 0 7
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“You Don’t Get a Better Option Than This” “I have 6.85 hectares of land in which I grow groundnut. Every year, at the end of the monsoon, I used to fall short of two rounds of irrigation due to unavailability of water. This had a negative impact on the quality of the crop and its market price. At the end of the season, I used to produce 18 tonnes of groundnut. Last year, I constructed a boribandh and have started saving the water that otherwise flowed away. Now, I have enough water for the additional two rounds of irrigation. This year, I produced 24 tonnes of groundnut and even the quality was much better. I earned an extra profit of Rs 45,000. Now, I motivate other farmers to construct boribandhs. For every rupee that you spend in constructing a boribandh, you save 7,000 litres of water. You can’t get a more cost-effective option than this.” Jivanbhai Valjibhai Bhanwadiya, Maliya.
Participatory Irrigation Management (pim) The fundamental principle of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) is that the irrigation system can be best managed by transferring management of canal irrigation system to the farmers. Hence, there was a need to change the existing systems. AKRSP (India) plays the role of a catalyst in this process of change.
pim in madhya pradesh PIM was initiated this year in Madhya Pradesh by AKRSP (India) in two small, but significant projects: Dagadkot village in Khandwa district and Guradi in Sehore district. Dagadkot had a dam that was built by the state irrigation department in 1981. Even though the village is located at the head reach of the main canal, water supply as well as equity in water distribution was poor due to the lack of proper operations and maintenance. In 2007, AKRSP (India) intervened in the village to initiate the process of participatory irrigation management. A visible and noticeable difference was seen as 168.96 hectares were irrigated and farmers at the tail-end accessed irrigation for the first time.
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Participatory Irrigation Management was initiated at Dagadkot and Guradi in Madhya Pradesh.
Guradi is a minor irrigation tank situated in Ichhawar block of Sehore district. The villagers of Guradi and Samapura villages were the beneficiaries of this tank which was constructed by the state irrigation department in 1985. Since the last one decade, the supply of water has been poor due to seepage and other maintenancerelated problems. AKRSP (India) intervened in the village in September, 2007 and formed the first Canal Users Group. Today, 55 farmers are members of the group and have contributed Rs 100 each as the share capital. Together, they have removed the silt deposits in the canal. The success in these two pilot project reaffirmed AKRSP (India)’s belief that farmers anywhere, if organised and empowered to manage their systems, will be able improve irrigation utilisation substantially and maintain the system.
pim in gujarat In Gujarat the key activity this year, was rapport building and capacity building of the government officials and Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited (SSNL) in 66 villages. Joint inspections by irrigation officials and farmers were carried out to evaluate the status of the canal network. In the older PIM societies, repair work of the canals was done and recovery charges collected from 2,061 farmers.
ENHANCING LIVELIHOODS through IMPROVED TECHNOLOGIES AND agricultural inputs In order to make the agricultural interventions more effective and cover a wider geographical area, the Extension Volunteer (EV) model has been made stronger. Now, different volunteers have been selected for different activities, thus making better monitoring and timelier coverage possible. EVs conduct trainings and workshops related to agriculture in coordination with the farmers. This year, 46 EVs were associated with AKRSP (India) with 18 of them being women.
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Pre-monsoon 2006
Char
Diwasa
Pre-monsoon 2007
Diwasa
Sa
Behaviour of salinity during pre-monsoon seasons of 2006 and 2007 in Netravati watershed area
System of Rice Intensification (SRI) In 2007, the major extension thrust in the tribal areas of Netrang was in the promotion of System of Rice Intensification (SRI), an approach of agronomic practices which was found to increase productivity of rice substantially with less water and no additional inputs. By the end of 2007, a total of 700 farmers from 45 villages adopted this system of rice cultivation. To motivate more and more farmers to adopt SRI, a yatra was organised in Dediapada cluster in Bharuch district. The three-day event involved more than 700 villagers and the yatra moved through 16 villages. SRI is now being promoted among the Kotwalia tribal community as well.
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This year, 43,870 grafts and 2,44,150 saplings were distributed in the Netrang programme area.
Horticulture and Wadi project The horticulture and wadi project is being implemented in two programme areas. In Surendranagar, the project named ‘Drip-based Integrated Organic Horticulture Plantation’, popularly known as wadi, was supported by Asian Development BankJapan Fund for Poverty Reduction (ADB-JFPR), through the Government of Gujarat. This project completed its third and final year in 2007. This year, 224 farmers benefited from this project. A total of 22,370 grafts were given to the beneficiaries. Apart from this, the existing plantations were regularly monitored and the farmers were supported for maintenance. At Netrang, the focus was more on increasing the survival rate of the grafts, fencing and installation of drip irrigation systems in the existing plantations. The survival rate of the grafts is 80 per cent in Mandvi taluka and 70 per cent in the whole programme area. Experiments with saline resistant crops AKRSP (India) has taken a 0.9 hectare field on lease at a village named Arena in Junagadh district. This field is being used to conduct experiments on growing salinity-resistant crops that can be later grown all over the district. The content of Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) is 6000 ppm (particles per million). In 2007, 11 different experiments have been conducted on the farm and the results from fodder crops (elephant grass) and cotton crop have been encouraging. Reducing dependence oN chemical fertilisers The practice of making vermicompost is popular in the all the four programme areas of AKRSP (India). In Netrang programme area, 560 new vermicompost beds were developed in 39 villages. Unlike previous years, this time the beds have been made from the grants of the Tribal Sub-plan at a cost of Rs 1,600 each. These are pucca beds with iron grills. This has led to 10 times more production of compost. In Madhya Pradesh, 191 farmers in 11 villages started making vermicompost while akrsp (India) annual report 2 0 0 7
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In Veraval, a private entrepreneur, promoted by AKRSP (India) sells water efficiency devices to farmers.
in Surendranagar, 60 new farmers have stated making vermicompost during the year. In Junagadh, 11 farmers are producing vermicompost as it brings down their input cost substantially Agricultural input supply and marketing In Madhya Pradesh, farmers used to borrow money from the local money lenders to buy seeds and fertilisers. To add to their woes, the local trader also cheated them on the quality of the seeds. This year, farmers have collectively procured seeds worth Rs. 1.1 million through the village institutions. Out of this, 30 per cent of the cost has been collected in cash from the farmers while the remaining amount has been given on loan. This has benefited 833 households in 29 villages. Multi commodity Exchange In 2007, AKRSP (India) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NABARD for a short-term project of linking the farmers to the multi-commodity exchange in collaboration with a private company named Multi Commodity Exchange of India. Under this project, 67 farmers were selected and divided into groups of 3-4 members each to form the basic training unit. All these farmers are the members of the farmers’ federation at Chotila and the federation acts as the interface between the farmers and the company. The farmers were mainly involved in hedging of prices. Accessing agricultural tools and equipment Last year, two farmers’ federations and one women’s federation had set up agricultural tools and equipment libraries with a grant from the Government of Gujarat under the ADB-JFPR. This project was implemented in the predominantly tribal districts of Bharuch and Narmada. Popularly known as the ‘tractor project’; it now covers 40 villages. This has also led to reclamation of private wasteland. Moreover, monopoly of the well-to-do farmers was abolished as the hourly rates of the tractor in the open market reduced by half. Water efficiency devices Efficiency of water use has improved by installation of 617 drip sets and 447 sprinklers
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for irrigation benefiting 1064 households. In Junagadh, two entrepreneurs have set up shops at Mangrol and Maliya with financial assistance from AKRSP (India). They are now self reliant and do not need the support of AKRSP (India) any more. Based on this experience, AKRSP (India) promoted one entrepreneur in Veraval block. In addition to this, 734 sets of sprinklers were distributed among the farmers by the entrepreneurs and assemblers with the help of funds received from Gujarat Green Revolution Company (GGRC). Ten farmers were provided support to construct storage tanks with drips in Malia so that they can use their drip more efficiently and reduce their fuel costs. Now they can store water in the tank and use the drip as and when required. Organic farming Organic farming is becoming increasingly popular with the farmers in Surendranagar. As the manure used for organic farming can be produced by the farmer himself, the cost of buying fertilisers from the market is saved. This also helps in maintaining the soil fertility and long-term agricultural sustainability. Secondly, the market price of organic products is high and so they end up earning more profit for their produce. Currently, 90 farmers are certified organic farmers, 154 are in the process of acquiring the certificate while 217 farmers have joined the organic farming movement. In an attempt to link the organic farmers with the mainstream organic movement in the cities, 13 farmers from 10 villages participated in the Organic Food Festival at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. There they earned 20 per cent more profit on their products. Six of them were awarded by Shrishti Innovations, an Ahmedabad based NGO, for their contribution in expansion of organic farming.
Group wire fencing has helped farmers protect their crops from wild animals.
Reducing Human Wildlife Conflict
group wire fencing This year, one group wire fencing was undertaken around 7 hectares of land in Virpur village benefiting five farmers. Due to this intervention in Chitravad village last year, 22 farmers were able to cultivate groundnut in 80 per cent of the total land. Earlier, they hardly cultivated 50 per cent of their land because of threats of wild animals.
crop protection tower Farmers construct towers for crop protection. This year, 62 farmers constructed towers that were different from the previous ones as they did not use wood and hence reduced the pressure on the forest.
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building skills and supporting entrepreneurs
AKRSP (India) believes that empowering rural women goes a long way in empowering rural India.
For the landless and marginal farmers, agriculture alone does not provide adequate income. In rain-fed agriculture regions, agriculture labour also does not pay. The traditional strategy adopted is migration; migration to urban areas for nonskilled labour or seasonal migration to irrigated areas for farm operations. AKRSP (India), over the last five years, have been supporting interventions in the Netrang programme area to enhance incomes of such poor households. In Surendranagar, Junagadh and Khandwa, a few interventions have been piloted last year.
Selecting the Poorest A rigorous selection process was followed to ensure that only the poorest are benefited. The final beneficiaries were selected after cross checking their economic background through field visits and information supplied by the other villagers. After selection, meetings were held to orient beneficiaries to new ideas and develop their confidence.
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The non-farm income generating interventions can be broadly divided into the following groups: • Individual activities • Group activities.
encouraging Individual Activities Training in Sand painting A 15-day long training programme was conducted for training women in sand painting at Junagadh These women then exhibited their products at various places following which they started receiving orders. Last year, three women started commercial production of sand paintings. Training in vocational skills With Surat engaging hundreds of workers for polishing diamonds, there is a tremendous influx of population from the Netrang programme area into Surat. Untrained and unskilled, these workers find it very difficult to find a job there. Hence, in 2007, AKRSP (India) trained 53 people in diamond polishing. About 70 per cent of these people have now got jobs. Around 27 people were trained in driving cars and two people were trained in tailoring so that they can cater to the needs of the local population and earn livelihood. Forty per cent of these people have already found employment.
An entrepreneur has set up a shop in Junagadh that sells and repairs solar lamps.
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Moving Beyond Traditions Bhinsinghbhai Kotwaliya is a resident of Navi Jamuni village in Bharuch district. As his surname suggests, Bhinsinghbhai is a member of the primitive Kotwaliya tribe and earned his livelihood by making bamboo products. However, with income from this business being low, he and his family used to migrate to the nearest sugar factory. Migration took its toll on his quality of life and his children were unable to attend school. In the year 2004, Bhinsinghbhai came in contact with the local AKRSP (India) staff and joined the savings and credit group. He was also trained in running a shop. In 2006, Bhinsinghbhai opened a small provision store in his village with financial support from AKRSP (India). Today, he has opened his second shop and has bought a television set, a bicycle and an electric fan. A confident man, Bhinsinghbhai can today give his opinion about any issue that concerns the development of his village.
supporting Group Activities Agricultural Inputs shop The Kshar Niyantran Sangh is a 14-member federation at Junagadh. The sangh opened a shop selling cattle feed, decentralised drinking water system accessories, cotton oil and many such allied products. The availability of these low-priced good quality products reduced the time and travel costs of the local villagers. AKRSP (India) lent only technical support for this business venture. No support in terms of finances was given to the federation. Grocery shop at Junagadh The Adivasi Siddi Sangh is a federation of women belonging to the Siddi community. The Siddis are a tribal community listed by the government under the Primitive Tribal Groups (PTG). They are directly dependent on the Gir forest for fuel wood and fodder to sustain their livelihoods. Since the last six years, AKRSP (India) has been mobilising this community to explore options which will reduce their dependence on the Gir forest. This year, the Sangh set up the Siddi Sahiyar Utthan Kendra which runs a grocery store. Around 85 beneficiaries buy goods from the kendra in bulk and sell it to individual households. This benefits the customers also as they save on their time and money. Shopping Complex at Sagbara The Navjeevan Jagruti Mahila Manch is a federation of the village institutions at Sagbara. This year, the federation constructed a shopping complex under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) grant. The shopping complex named ‘Mahila Swasahay Juth Bazaar Haat’ consists of six shops which houses: • A Community-based Technology Learning Centre • A stationary and cutlery store • A cloth centre • An agricultural input store • A provision store and • A restaurant
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The Juth Bazaar is performing reasonably well in spite of its members not having any formal training in running businesses and the average level of education being fifth standard pass.
The Siddi women have taken up production of organic compost in a big way and plan to start collective farming soon.
Organic Compost In Junagadh, two Siddi women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) with 27 members produces organic compost. This year, the group produced 115 tonnes of organic compost and earned a profit of Rs. 69,000. Training in handicrafts using coir Around 43 women from nine villages in Junagadh district participated in a monthlong training programme where they were taught to make lamps, purses, doormats and torans from coir. They have formed a group named Ekta Yuvti Mandal. They exhibited their products at various exhibitions and fairs. Currently, the Ekta Yuvti Mandal has 22 members.
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Promoting Off-Farm Livelihood Interventions
Animal husbandry has become very popular in Surendrangar district.
The focus of AKRSP (India)’s development strategy is to provide opportunities to the poorest to enhance their livelihoods. As most of these people do not own land (or very less land) off-farm income generating activities like animal husbandry are promoted as a sustainable livelihood option. In Gujarat, where the cooperative milk movement has ensured that even remote villages have access to a milk market, ownership and management of milch cattle ensures a steady income to cattle owners. In tribal areas, fodder is available for the poor from the common lands. In Madhya Pradesh, the area where AKRSP (India) works has no access to a milk market. Hence, goat rearing, for which the local market is adequate, is promoted. Efforts are made to ensure that women get priority for asset ownership.
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promoting Animal Husbandry In Gujarat, AKRSP (India) helped village organisations purchase and insure good quality milch cattle (usually through a government part loan, part grant scheme), provided training on animal care and helped people get access to animal health services where feasible. In Madhya Pradesh, goats are purchased on loan, training is provided and support is given for animal health. This intervention alone has 449 beneficiaries out of which 426 families are still engaged in animal husbandry. In Surendranagar, AKRSP (India) supported the formation of two milk co-operative societies while in Junagadh the Siddi women’s federation has provided loans to the members to procure buffaloes. This year, 19 awareness camps on animal rearing were conducted. Of the total 992 participants, 70 per cent were women. During these camps, the villagers clarified their doubts and misconceptions. In 2007, a survey was done to evaluate the status of cattle and the level of understanding of important issues of the cattle owners in Dediapada and Sagbara clusters of Netrang programme area. The key finding of the survey was that respondents lacked access to the government services for animal insemination which has a negative impact on milk production capacity and the lactating cycle of the cattle. Based on these findings, 17 animal husbandry para workers were trained with the support of an NGO named Bharatiya Agro-Industries Foundation (BAIF) which specialises in animal husbandry.
Goatery has proven to be a highly successful livelihood intervention in Madhya Pradesh.
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On the Road to Prosperity AKRSP (India) started working in Gangapur village at Dediapada block in 1995. By the year 2007, there were four women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Gangapur. This year, 32 women belonging to two SHGs received grant for practising animal husbandry under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY). The SHGs then approached a dairy in Bharuch named Doodh Dhara for selling the milk at the price of Rs 12 per litre. After some time, they approached another bigger dairy in Surat, Sumul Dairy, who offered them Rs 17 per litre. However, there were some problems during the negotiations and Sumul retracted its offer. But the women did not give up. They started sending the milk to Sumul at their own expense. Today, Sumul sends its own vehicle to collect the milk. The women have voluntarily made a rule that anybody who is caught adulterating milk with water will have to pay a fine of Rs 500 to the SHG. But not a single woman has been fined till date. Today, the women sell 140 litres of milk everyday and in the year 2007, earned a net profit of Rs 100,000.
The cheese plant at Surendranagar is paying special attention to the marketing of its products in Gujarat and beyond.
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Cheese plant at Surendranagar Continuing with its activities, the Panchal Mahila Cheese Utpadak Seva Sangh redesigned its entire production and marketing strategy this year .The cheese plant collects milk from nine villages and both goat and cow milk are collected from the producers. The cheese plant produces cream, butter, clarified butter or ghee, cheese and butter milk. There has been some progress in marketing the goat milk cheese produced at Sayla. While currently the raw cheese is sold to the local market in Ahmedabad, efforts were made link it to the high value goat milk cheese market in
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Mumbai. With support from a Mumbai-based company, AKRSP (India) also set up a stall at the Food Fest at World Trade Centre, Mumbai. The processed cheese has also been sent to chefs of big hotels in Mumbai. The by-products like cream and butter are being sold to candy and toffee makers. The clarified butter or ghee was sold at the Organic Food Festival in Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad from December 1st to 4th, 2007. The cheese plant received numerous orders after that.
Developing a Feeling of Ownership Velabhai Rabari is the president of the Goat Milk Producers Society at Morwad village. Earlier, the milk producers used to get Rs 7 per litre in the market. But now, the mandal pays Rs 10.50 per litre. Encouraged by the increased price, Velabhai has bought six more goats. Usually, the villagers make khoya (an exotic milk product used to make sweets) during the monsoons as it fetched a higher price in the market. But this monsoon Velabhai did not make khoya but sold the milk to the mandal so that the dairy keeps functioning even during this lean season.
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new initiatives
The Computerji Centre at Dediapada attracts women of all age groups who have shown keen interest in learning computers and accessing information.
The year 2007 saw AKRSP (India) take some fresh start in new areas, both thematic and geographic. And all these initiatives had one common link. They all addressed the gaps that AKRSP (India)’s current programmes could not address. The organisation explored the hitherto unexplored territory of information technology and gave the tribal community a new voice through its community radio initiative. New geographical areas were explored in Bihar and a water testing laboratory was set up at Sayla to address the problem of water quality.
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C o m p u t e r j i …. G e t C o n n e c t e d to t h e wo r l d
background
from CTLC to computerji
In today’s world when technology has invaded every corner of the world, the power to access information has become very important. Recognising this potential, AKRSP (India) started implementing the project – Computerji- Jode Duniya Se (Connecting the world through computers) in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The project is supported by Microsoft and the European Commission and is part of the Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) program.
It took three months for the first centre to be inaugurated as that time was spent in identification of centre locations, recruitment of staff, procurement of hardware and developing communication strategies and materials. Out of the locations finalised for the 13 centres, two are in the Mahila Manch premises, six are in the premises of CBOs while the remaining five are in premises taken on lease by AKRSP (India).
community-based technology learning centre (CTLC) The Community-based Technology Learning Centre (CTLC) project commenced from January, 2007. A CTLC centre is typically a large premise having 6-7 computers with a full-time IT trainer and a community coordinator, who besides informing villagers about the project, shares information on government schemes thereby helping the CTLC centre evolve into an information resource centre. The key objectives behind setting up of the Community-based Technology Learning Centres were to empower underprivileged and marginalised communities by provision of technological skills and access to computers, to build their capacities and make a positive impact in their lives. The second objective of CTLC was to enable trained individuals and community members to realise their potential by providing the necessary technical and programmatic support post training to utilise and apply their newly-acquired skills to enhance their quality of life and opportunities. Thirdly, the project aimed at becoming sustainable and therefore replicable by making the communities stakeholders in their own development using a participatory and resource sharing approach to implement the programme.
A total of 24 staff was recruited for this project which included IT trainers and Community Coordinators. After recruitment, the team attended a seven-day training course on Microsoft curriculum during which they also rechristened the project as Computerji… Jode Duniya Se and decided to use it as the brand name.
process followed The implementation of the Computerji project threw many challenges for AKRSP (India). Firstly, recruiting trained people for teaching in the villages was a challenge. Many academic institutes were approached for this purpose but not many students were ready to go and teach in the remote rural areas. Fortunately, many IT trainers belonging to rural areas and working in urban areas found it interesting to work in their own regions. The second challenge was in finding pucca structures to house the training centres. However, after much searching the project could get proper classrooms. There was also a lack of awareness about information and communication technology among the villagers. Hence, in the initial stages of the program, intensive awareness and mobilisation activities were conducted. The various village level forums like village meetings and pad yatras were used to create awareness about these classes. But the most effective medium of communication were the IT Weeks that were celebrated in the areas. As a part of this, a small truck was decorated with posters and a computer. It then went to the villages and demonstrated the benefits of a computer in front of the people. This continued for three consecutive days.
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The first Computerji centre was inaugurated at Pandhana in Madhya Pradesh on 7th March by AKRSP (India) chairman Nasser Munjee.
achievements The Computerji centres (CTLCs) have trained 1270 persons on the Microsoft curriculum. Of these, 865 trainees were males and 405 were females, with most of them being in the 15-30 years age group. Around 84 students have got jobs and 215 villages have been covered through this project. The placement services taken up by the Computerji centres have helped more than 200 educated youths get jobs. Also, not all the villages are a part of AKRSP (India)’s programme area. Around 70 non-AKRSP (India) villages have benefited from this program. This has been largely due to the fact that the course fee is very affordable and the class timings are convenient for the students.
information accessed through computerji centres The Computerji centres are in the process of evolving into information resource centres. As a result of the intense community mobilisation activities, people have started using the computers to access information about their rights, government schemes and to explore employment opportunities. s 25 The corresponding figure explains the usage ine pattern del gui in detail. RTI
7
2 re 2
ultu
ic Agr
3
al 1
anim
agriculture 22%ent 8 ym plo
animal husbandry 13%
em
n atio
health 15%
ers
oth
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guidelines / forms of government schemes 25% others 3%
classification of users at computerji centres
status of trainees at computerji centres - december 2007
15
lth
hea
employment opportunities 8% education 7%
7
uc RTI / forestedrights 7%
discovering the power of information This project is not only about imparting technical know-how to the rural people. It is also about accessing information and then using that information for improving lives. Hence, the Computerji Centres have become a hub of information gathering wherein people find out how to fill in application forms for various government schemes like the Gujarat Government’s Manav Kalyan Yojna. Another interesting outcome of these technology centres has been that people have now started becoming more aware of their Right to Information and have started demanding information about basic services like power supply, services of the Primary Health Centre (PHC) staff and the visits of the postmen. Apart from agriculture-related information and government schemes, the computer centres also disseminate information related to jobs, admission forms, health and animal husbandry. One of the centres also sends regular SMSs to candidates informing them of job opportunities. Today, the centres have become nodal agencies for information dissemination which uses IT as a tool for community empowerment.
linkages with institutions In order to make sure that appropriate and technically sound information is given through the Computerji Centres, AKRSP (India) has tied up with various institutions and government departments like District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), National Information Centre (NIC) and health department. Linkages with agricultural universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras have helped in disseminating information on seeds, pesticides, crop care and medium-range weather forecasts. Dr. Reddy’s Foundation, CAP Foundation and Multi Commodities Exchange provided support to enable the farmers to sell their produce at the correct market price.
revenue model Community contribution is one of the key components of the Computerji project. Two things were kept in mind while deciding the course fee. One was that the amount should be affordable for the villagers and secondly, the fee should cover the cost of running the centres. In the year 2006-07, the total income generated was Rs 8,90,000. This amount covered 90 per cent of the operational costs of running the centres during the period.
Ray of Hope Deepmala Gandhi was just another girl in her village who was sitting at home after completing her graduation. The fact that she was unemployed was making her sad and depressed. One day, she was on her way to her friend’s house when she saw the Computerji centre at Netrang. Curious to know more about it, Deepmala entered the centre and talked to the IT trainer and the students sitting there. Encouraged by what she saw and heard, Deepmala decided to enrol herself for the three-monthlong Computer Fundamental Course. After few months, the manager of the Netrang branch of Baroda Gujarat Grameen Bank came to the Computerji centre looking for candidates for the post of a data entry operator. The IT trainer recommended Deepmala, who cleared the interview and got the job.
Deepmala busy working in her office
A delighted Deepmala credited her success to Computerji and said, “Computerji brought back my lost confidence. It came like a ray of hope in my life.” Today, she is a Data Entry Operator at the bank and earns a monthly salary of Rs 2,500. The bank manager is very happy with her performance and hopes to recruit many more trainees from the Computerji centre. akrsp (India) annual report 2 0 0 7
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C OMMUNIT Y R A DIO
background
process followed
The influence of audio visual media in India has been increasing in recent years. Especially in rural areas with low literacy rates, the audience base of radio and television have being showing an increasing trend. In areas where AKRSP (India) works, however, the economic status of the communities has made radio a more popular medium of communication than television. Hence, it was decided to start a radio for the community, by the community and of the community.
Before the radio programmes were initiated, a workshop of NGOs and experts who have vast experience in this field was organized. Many experts like Sanjay Dave from Charkha, Preeti Soni from Kutch Mahila Vikas Sansthan, Nimmi Chauhan from Drishti, Namrata Bali from SEWA and Sanjay Gupta attended the workshop.
rationale The rationale behind this initiative was that the tribal community has a distinct dialect, and any programme, which addresses issues in a community specific language, will find a larger audience, especially women. Also, the radio programme helped in preserving the rich cultural heritage of this community through programmes that draw heavily from tribal folklore. Listening to programmes in one’s own language and the voices of one’s own community members helps in creating a feeling of pride for one’s culture. This also has an impact on the self esteem of the community.
This page: The audience of the community radio programme sent their feedback through post cards. Facing page, Left: Radio, being a low-cost medium of communication, even tribal children could afford to carry their own radio sets. Facing page, Right: The community radio programme proved to be a great way to showcase the tribal culture.
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After that a feasibility study was undertaken in 19 villages to find out more about the target audience. The study revealed some very interesting facts. About 99 per cent of the households owning a radio set listened to it. Most of them preferred to listen to radio at home, while only 9.61 per cent respondents reported listening to radio either in the field or at other work places. As many as 46 per cent respondents preferred listening to music, while 45 per cent preferred information-related programmes. After this, a team of reporters comprising of Vasava youths was recruited and a radio coordinator was appointed to lead the team. In June, a workshop was conducted with the community members to inculcate a feeling of ownership for the radio. The federation leaders were highly enthusiastic about the radio and pledged to give it their full support. The idea was subsequently shared with the Netrang field team who gladly agreed to support the initiative.
kay tuman khabar hay
learnings from afar
The programme ‘Kay Tuman Khabar Hay’ was launched on February 24, 2007 and the programme was aired every Saturday at 7.20 pm from All India Radio Ahmedabad and Vadodara stations and every Thursday at 6.30 pm from Vadodara FM station.
The radio team went for exposure visits to Deccan Development Society, Hyderabad, Namma Dhwani (MYRADA, Bangalore), and Ooty Radio Station. All these organisations have done some commendable work in this area and during the visit, various aspects of community radio were discussed which helped the team appreciate the value of their work.
However, as AIR Ahmedabad-Vadodara was airing the programmes, it changed the timing of the show because of the Cricket World Cup of 2007. Hence, Saturday’s programme was rescheduled at 9.15 am. The programmes were regularly reviewed and an in-depth study was carried out by a group of communication students. The study showed that the audiences were proud to have a programme in their language. However, most people were not able to hear the programme due to change in timings during the World Cup. The radio team took this as a lesson learnt and decided to be more careful about it in the future.
the road ahead The radio team has successfully aired 26 episodes till September. Now, the team plans to expand its coverage area and hence new MoUs will be signed with Vadodara FM and Surat FM for broadcast. With a year’s experience and the newly-discovered confidence, the radio team is eager to explore its full potential while the community has embraced its mouthpiece with open arms.
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A DDRE S S IN G WATER QUA LIT Y
Sayla is part of the drought-prone Surendranagar district, which is central to the semi-arid regions of Saurashtra and North Gujarat. The major constraint in improving the quality of life in this area is uncertainty of rainfall. All the major sources of livelihood, i.e., agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry are largely dependent on rainfall. Hence, communities often migrate in search of work and livelihood opportunities. In many villages of this region, availability of adequate drinking water is a severe problem. This limited availability further affects water quality.
the setting up of the laboratory The Nirmala Water Testing Laboratory was set up at Sayla so that drinking water samples from the surrounding villages can be collected and tested on a regular basis. The water quality testing reports are issued in Gujarati to enable better understanding and interpretation of the results. This enables the community to identify the remedial measures provided at this regional laboratory.
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The laboratory has been set up with the technical support of Gujarat Jalseva Training Institute (GJTI). The capital cost of setting up of the laboratory was provided by the European Commission while operational costs are met through the revenue generated. There are two full time staff in the laboratory. This year, the laboratory was given the ISO 9001:2000 certificate. AKRSP (India) has entered into an agreement with PRAVAH for analysing 400 water samples collected from Roof Rain Water Harvesting Systems (RRWHS) all over Saurashtra. A similar agreement was signed with Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell for analysing 479 water samples. A Government Resolution (GR) was passed in 2007 that made it mandatory for all government water samples to be checked in the laboratory at Sayla.
setting standards The laboratory currently tests water on the basis of ten parameters set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The Nirmala Water Testing Laboratory has been set up as per the government norms and is equipped with all the scientific instruments, chemicals and glassware. The laboratory has qualified and trained staff and is also certified by the Government of Gujarat.
Till date, 720 samples have been tested for chemical and 192 samples have been tested for bacteriological analysis. Out of this, 102 samples for chemical and 21 samples of bacteriological analysis were undertaken in 39 AKRSP (India) villages.
The laboratory collects and tests pre and postmonsoon water samples from all drinking water sources and storage systems from 651 villages of Surendranagar.
Facing page: The Nirmala Water Testing Laboratory conducts both chemical and bacteriological analysis of water samples. This page: Creating awareness about the issues of water quality amongst women is a key emphasis area at Sayla.
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E X PLORIN G NEW HORI ZON S
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) proposes to expand its interventions to the state of Bihar in India under its flagship programme of AKRSP (India). This will have an overall area development approach, covering aspects of rural livelihoods, health, education and development of civil society. The programme will leverage the core competence of AKDN of working with the ultrapoor and marginalized while contributing directly to the priority development issues of the government in Bihar.
why bihar Bihar ranks at the bottom of the major Indian states in terms of human development (along with Assam). It boasts of a rich and glorious history and was bifurcated in the year 2000 in an attempt to improve governance. The social stratification, in the form of caste hierarchies, is well entrenched in the state but democracy has ensured a shift of power to representatives of the numerically superior backward castes in the last two decades.
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development programmes in bihar The approach of AKRSP (India) in Bihar has to be looked at two levels. The long-term development programme will be an integrated area development approach, covering aspects of rural livelihoods, health, education and development of civil society. The short-term one-year initiative is aimed at piloting a few activities, gauging the response of the communities and thus arriving at the broad programmatic contours for the long-term programme in Bihar.
initiatives in 2007
operational strategy
An Appraisal Mission was conducted in Bihar in May, 2007 to set out the broad direction for the programme in the state. The mission – consisting of specialists from diverse sectors like livelihoods, health, education and civil society – held extensive discussions with the local government, nongovernment organizations and the local community. Field assessments in selected areas of Muzaffarpur and Samastipur districts, along with peri-urban areas of Patna, helped to develop an understanding on the key development issues and identify key elements of the future AKDN approach in the state.
The first year of project implementation in Bihar is being funded by the Aga Khan Foundation and Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT). As mentioned earlier, the year 2008 has been ear-marked as a year for piloting a few activities, gauge the response of the community to those activities, perform some feasibility studies in areas that are appearing to have potential for intervention and in the process increase the understanding about the region. This would then pave the way for the larger proposal of an integrated area development programme.
A household exploratory study was conducted in Dholi and Sakra blocks of Muzaffarpur and Pusa and Tajpur of Samastipur districts to rapidly assess the current development status in the potential programme areas based on active participation of the local community and institutions.
The broad thematic areas that show a potential are livelihoods – agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, microfinance, skill enhancement and migration, education – primary level and computer based learning and health – sanitation practices and information dissemination. It has been decided that AKRSP (India) will set up an office at Pusa to start with and initiate work in the districts of Muzzafarpur and Samastipur. Bihar will mean a new challenge for AKRSP (India); floods instead of drought, large instead of small villages, multi-sector instead of Natural Resource Management alone. AKRSP (India) is slowly gearing up for this change.
This page: AKRSP (India)’s long-term programme in Bihar will cover all aspects of rural development. Facing page: Extensive meetings with the community people helped the AKRSP (India) team identify the key issues in Bihar.
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learning and outreach
Over the last two decades, there has been much learning for AKRSP (India) and the rural communities it works with. To ensure that these lessons are shared with others (villagers, NGOs, government, bankers and donors); AKRSP (India) has developed strategies for ‘reaching out’.
There is a limitation to the reach of any NGO through the direct implementation strategy; hence, AKRSP (India) has adopted the following approaches to scale up its learnings: • Capacity building of other stakeholders • Documentation and dissemination of improved practices by communities • Undertaking research and sharing the findings • Policy influence through dialogue, NGO networking and collaborative projects with the government • Promoting interface organisations
CAPACITY BUILDING OF OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
akrsp (india) services As an endeavour to share its learning with a wider audience, AKRSP (India) set up a unit for training and capacity building called AKRSP (India) Services in 1998. To provide better services, the Community Training and Learning Centre at Sayla and the Tribal Livelihood Resource Centre at Netrang were set up with financial assistance from the European Commission in 2005. This infrastructure has increased AKRSP (India)’s capacity to provide training. This year, there were 202 trainings, exposure visits, workshops and presentations at the training centres. Participants from 129 NGOs, 43 CBOs, 17 government departments and seven academic institutions have benefited from these.
Feedback from trainees During the internal assessment of the AKRSP (India) services, the District Development Manager of NABARD said, “The training programme has done magic. My bank managers now ask the tribal women to sit on chairs in their cabins. This centre is the Mecca of training.” Another participant from a NGO said, “Most training establishments set up by NGOs are too uncomfortable and the rest are so posh that the villagers are afraid of even stepping on the floor.”
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An internal assessment of AKRSP (India) Services was carried out by Arvind Chittewale and Madhu Chougaonkar. The main objective behind it was to assess the quality of the trainings conducted and its impact on the participants. The results helped the services unit to identify its weaknesses and work on them. This year, 47 man days of services were given by AKRSP (India) staff for consultation to various organisations. Two staff members had gone to Aga Khan Foundation, Mozambique, to give technical guidance for their Water Resource Development programme. The other organisations that had sought AKRSP (India)’s services were NABARD, Protsahan, WASMO, IRMA, EDI , CARE INDIA and so on. The Tribal Livelihood Resource Centre has received an order to conduct trainings for the capacity building of the stakeholders of partner NGOs under the IndoGerman project. It has also started conducting trainings on Village Development Action Plan for Bharuch district.
DOCUMENTATIng AND DISSEMINATIng IMPROVED PRACTICES AKRSP (India) in association with its communication partner Charkha, organised a discussion on the Union Budget of 2007. The aim was to demystify the budget for the rural people. After the budget was presented in the Parliament, the rural people expressed their views and shared them with economists and development professionals. The entire process was made into a short film and shared with individuals and organisations that can use it to influence policy decisions. In an effort to sensitise mainstream journalists about the rural development issues, two Vikas Goshtis were organised in association with Charkha. Vikas Goshtis are informal gathering of journalists and development professionals where discussions are held on development issues which often result in extensive coverage in print and electronic media. This year, AKRSP (India) conducted one Vikas Goshti on the Computerji… Jode Duniya Se programme and another one on the bamboo-based livelihood trainings conducted for the Kotwaliya community at Netrang programme area. The community radio programme was also started in the Netrang programme area this year.
UNDERTAKING RESEARCH AND SHARING THE FINDINGS AKRSP (India) organised a workshop to present and discuss a plan for conducting a study on “Sustainability of Village Institutions in Natural Resource Management by NGOs in India”. The workshop was designed to facilitate the exchange of views
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among the different partners and to familiarise the experts with the diversity of visions and perspectives that the partners have on the question of sustainability and on the role of the NGO in this context. Academic experts, development workers, NGO representatives and the AKRSP (India) research team participated in the workshop. This year, the following research projects were undertaken by AKRSP (India): • Irrigation and Water Resources by Apoorva Oza and was published in the India Infrastructure Report-2007 • Rural Household Cash Flows: The Mota Sakhpar Case by Aziz Sunderji • From Micro-Finance to Livelihood Finance: Narratives of Tribal Women Managing Livelihood under AKRSP (India) by Jyotirmayee Acharya • Sustainability of Village Institutions Promoted by NGOs: Case Study on the Gram Vikas Mandal Promoted by AKRSP (India), Netrang, South Gujarat, Forestry & Livelihoods by Geevan C P and Satyasiba Bedamatta • Impact of High Incidence of Kidney Stone: A Study of Coastal Villages in Junagadh, Gujarat, by Rajnarayan Indu and Alka Rawal • Strengthening Community Involvement in the management of Canal Irrigation Systems – The Gujarat Experience by Sachin Oza and Umesh Desai. (Paper presented in the Conference on Irrigation Management – Policies and Practices organised by the Department of Water Resources, Government of Orissa). • Gender and Participation in Low-cost Irrigation Schemes: A case of AKRSP (India)’s Interventions in Tribal Gujarat by Jyotirmayee Acharya This year the Research and Monitoring team of AKRSP (India) reviewed the progress of the project implementation strategies and its impact on enhancing the community’s livelihoods under the Rajiv Gandhi Mission for Watershed Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh. The report was submitted to the concerned district officials and helped them formulate strategies for the sustainability of the project. AKRSP (India) collaborated with various national and international academic institutions and invited students to conduct research on the development issues faced by the organisations. This year, 25 studies were conducted by 30 students from 17 institutes. Under this arrangement, the students get a first-hand feel of the rural development issues while AKRSP (India) gets an insight into the outcomes of its own efforts and formulate new strategies based on the findings.
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POLICY INFLUENCE THROUGH DIALOGUE AND COLLABORATIon
hariyali project One of the major focuses of the year 2007 was to impart training to residents of 57 new villages of Mangrol and Umarpada talukas of Netrang programme area under the Hariyali project. This year, 79 trainings on account management, watershed management, agriculture, vermicompost and Self Help Groups were conducted. A total of 3,532 participants from 49 villages participated in the trainings on integrated watershed management interventions under the Hariyali project.
PROMOTING INTERFACE ORGANISATIONS To address the issue of increasing salinity of land and water resources in coastal areas, AKRSP (India) in partnership with other NGOs conceived the idea of an interface institution called the Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell (CSPC)1. This collaboration of NGOs, experts, the State Government and Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) has helped take up the issue of coastal salinity at a higher level of activity and policy, so as to make a significant difference to the lives of people living in the coastal regions of the State. CSPC has now been registered as an independent body under the Companies Act.
Villages affected by Salinity Ingress in Gujarat.
In 2007, CSPC implemented small pilot programmes to assess viability of various technological options like farm pond model, aquaculture in saline areas, salinity tolerant horticulture crops and dew harvesting systems and planning and implementation of drinking water related programmes. Further, CSPC developed a detailed data base of 1,200 salinity-affected villages across coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch. This detailed data base will help develop an understanding of the status of salinity, its impact on livelihood and has become a useful baseline for planning areaspecific interventions. Working in close collaboration with civil society institutions and government departments, CSPC also stared implementing a model for participatory irrigation management in command areas of salinity ingress prevention structures.
1. The Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell is a joint initiative of the Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the Government of Gujarat, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) and the Ambuja Cement Foundation.
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financial summary
AKRSP (India) continued to implement the 10-year (2002-2011) Sustainable Community-based Approaches to Livelihood Enhancement (SCALE) project co-financed by the European Commission, operational in Gujarat and southwest Madhya Pradesh. It also received support from the State and Central Governments, the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the Ford Foundation,CARE,Micro soft,Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) for various projects. AKRSP (India) expenditure for 2007 was Rs 178.51 million, out of which programme expenditure was Rs 149.41 million, operational expenditure was Rs 23.77 million and capital expenditure was Rs 5.33 million. Break up of Expenditure of Rs. 178.51 million
Operational 13% Capital 3%
Programme 84%
The European Commission contributed Rs 98.39 million. Communities contributed a substantial Rs 31.08 million (17 per cent of the total expenditure), reflecting strong partnership and involvement. Government funding was Rs 19.04 million. Government support for AKRSP (India)’s programmes has increased significantly over the past four years. Other donors including Micorsoft, CARE, Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Ford Foundation contributed Rs 23.38 million. AKRSP (India) corpus contribution was Rs 6.62 million.
Sources of Funds for Rs. 178.51 million
Others 13% Government 11%
Communities 17% AKRSP (India) 4% European Commission 55%
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about AKRSP (india)
His Highness the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili community,
founded AKRSP (India) in 1984. It is a part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), whose agencies work on all aspects of development – social, economic and cultural. While each agency pursues its own mandate, all of them work together within the overarching framework of the AKDN so that their different pursuits can interact and reinforce one another. The common goal is to help the poor achieve a level of self-reliance whereby they are able to plan their own livelihoods and help those even more needy than themselves. A central feature of the AKDN’s approach to development is to design and implement strategies in which its different agencies participate in particular settings. To pursue their mandates, AKDN institutions rely on the energy, dedication and skill of volunteers as well as remunerated professionals. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) is a non-denominational, nongovernment development organisation. AKRSP (India) works as a catalyst for the betterment of rural communities by providing direct support to local communities to promote activities and develop models for sustainable natural resource use and development of human resources. AKRSP (India) began field operations in 1985 and has since become one of the larger grassroots NGOs in India. It has innovated and pioneered several efforts in areas such as participatory irrigation management, joint forest management, rain water harvesting, watershed development, preventing salinity ingress and alternative energy to empower rural women and marginalised communities. AKRSP (India) is active in over 800 villages in four environmentally challenged and economically vulnerable regions of Gujarat: the tribal block of Bharuch – Narmada – Surat – Tapi, coastal salinity-affected Junagadh and the droughtprone Surendranagar. It has been three years since the organisation ventured into the remote and poor districts of Khandwa, Khargone and Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh. In 2007, AKRSP (India) conducted studies and sought approvals to initiate work in Bihar.
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT In 2007, the Indian corporate sector (agri-retail, banking) has expanded rapidly into rural areas. Searching for qualified human resources, they also recruit people from the same pool (agricultural colleges, social science and rural management institutes) as NGOs. The government agencies funded by multilateral and bilateral donors are also expanding. Both these developments have led to new challenges for NGOs for recruitment and retention of professionally qualified staff. About 40 staff left AKRSP (India) while 69 new staff was recruited. Many of the new recruitments (27) were for the new Microsoft supported project. akrsp (India) annual report 2 0 0 7
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Capacity building In 2007, 59 per cent of the 224 staff went through structured trainings. The capacity building activities can be classified into three broad categories: 1. In-house training 2. Visits to other NGOs 3. Sending staff for external training programmes. The intensity of training covered a wide range, from a two-day in-house training to a 45-day programme at Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) for middle management staff. Also 176 staff members attended in-house trainings on various topics.
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS To streamline institutional systems, the focus was more on ensuring regular and smooth flow of programmatic information between different locations and offices of AKRSP (India). Similarly, the SCALA software for tracking financial transactions was also made fully operational this year. All the accounts staffs was trained to use this software. Also, an internal auditor has been appointed to make the financial transactions more accountable and transparent. This year, a new software was introduced for the salary disbursement of staff. Connectivity and increased computerisation helped increase efficiency within AKRSP (India). To ensure that there is transparency about AKRSP (India)’s work and the support it receives from the donors and the government, the procurement procedures of the organisation were made easy to understand for the staff in the form of booklets and CDs in Gujarati and Hindi.
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ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AKRSP (India) employs 224 people. They are stationed at the central office at Ahmedabad and 24 field offices in Netrang, Gadu, Sayla and Madhya Pradesh. They are mainly development professionals with a small complement of support staff. AKRSP (India) has three regional offices in Gujarat at Netrang (Bharuch), Gadu (Junagadh) and Sayla (Surendranagar) where it has established campuses and one office at Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh in a rented space. These are known as Spear Head Teams (SHTs). Each SHT is responsible for a few clusters. The SHTs play an integral role in evolving the regional strategies. Spear Head Teams are led by Area Managers (AMs). There are four Regional Support Officers (RSOs) responsible for each SHT and provide support from the Central Office. The organisation implements its programmes through field professionals designated as Community Organisers (COs), Programme Assistants (PAs) and Development Organisers (DOs). They work in field teams known as clusters. AKRSP (India) has 18 such field teams (14 in Gujarat and four in MP). COs organise communities in various village institutions and PAs provide technical inputs. These teams are lead by Cluster Managers and Programme Specialists (PSs) provide technical inputs on specialised issues. For the Microsoft project, which in many ways is different from the Natural Resource Management interventions, a separate structure has been set up which is integrated at the field level. The IT coordinator and Project Manager supervise the project and interface with Aga Khan Foundation (India) and Microsoft. Each SHT has a Field Coordinator who interfaces between the project staff and cluster managers and supervises the project at the field level. At each Computerji Centre (CTLC), there is an IT trainer and a community coordinator. The IT trainer acts as the technical resource person while the community coordinator shares the project with the community and also focuses on making Computerji Centres into Information Resource Centres. Outreach activities have a separate staffing structure. AKRSP (India) Services, the training and capacity unit, has six full-time staff at the two training centres and at Ahmedabad. The Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell, a unit promoted in collaboration with SRTT, has three full-time staff. In addition, there is a fulltime communication officer at Ahmedabad and a radio programme specialist in Netrang.
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Development work from the central office at Ahmedabad is carried out by Development Associates (DAs), who work as ‘thematic leaders’ responsible for different sectoral and sub-sectoral activities. The central office also hosts a Research and Monitoring Unit led by a Manager. A Chief Executive Officer (CEO), appointed for a fixed tenure, heads the organisation. This year, AKRSP (India) also initiated efforts to start work in Bihar in 2008. With this, there has arisen a need to develop a decentralised organisational structure. The process of changing the structure has already been initiated. Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) and Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) have agreed to fund the expansion process this year and this will be one of the key focus areas for AKRSP (India) in the coming years.
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organisational structure communities other NGOs
donors
government agencies
cluster offices media and communication institutions
cluster managers
community organisors programme assistants IT trainers
academic institutes
other networks
private sector
spearhead teams area managers
finance & administration programme specialists CTLC coordinators
organisation support team finance administration HRD functional & logistics
development support team programmatic support R & M, communication liaison resource mobilisation RSO
outreach
Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell, Nirmala Water Testing Laboratory - Sayla, Community Radio, Communication and Documentation Unit. AKRSP(I) services: Tribal Livelihood Resource Centre - Netrang, Dr Kamla Chowdhury Community Training and Learning centre - Sayla,
central office
chief executive officer
board of directors chairperson
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
staff list
Nasser M Munjee Naushad I Padamsee Madhu Sarin Ela Bhatt David Nygaard Deep Joshi Anwar Ali B Rayani Apoorva Oza
Chairperson Director Director Director Director Director Director Chief Executive Officer
Central Office
Gadu
CEO
SHT programme staff
Mangrol cluster staff
Apoorva Oza
Mahendra Patel Kiritkumar Jesani Manojitsinh Gohil Rekha Aghera*
Audit Committee Nasser M Munjee Anwar Ali B.Rayani Bhupinder Gupta Alok Krishna
Chairperson Member Member Member Secretary
Kalusinh Mori Amitanshu Choudhary* Ketankumar Joshi Kirit Fuletra Lakhman Dodiya Mansukh Olakia Prabhatsinh Mori Ramesh Vasia Sudha Rathod Vejanand Jogal Yunus M Bhata
Personnel Committee Deep Joshi Naushad I. Padamsee Apoorva Oza C. G. Koshy
Chairperson Member Member Member Secretary
Programme staff Aadal Arasi* Alka Mehta Ashok D Patel* Ashok Gupta Dharmistha Chauhan* J P Tripathi Kumar Ujjwal M S Vahora N Subramanian Genesa Nandini Arora Shiji Abraham Umesh Desai
Research & monitoring unit Jyotirmayee Acharya Shailja Kishore
Admin & accounts Auditors Statutory Auditors Internal Auditors
M/s Haribhakti & Co. M/s B Munjal & Co.
Alok Krishna Amit Shah Ashok Vyas C G Koshy Dhaval Shah Manhar Gurjar* Sunil Balolkar
Support staff C H Nair Dhulsinh Chauhan Jija Thomas Leela Nair Madhubhai Patel Mita Ranjuwala Parbatsinh Pawar Rashmikant Limbachia Safiya Yusuf Sajjan Sinh Silvy John Swapna Pramod Vijaysinh Rathod
Admin & accounts Shailesh Barot Rafiq Ghumara Praful Damodara
Support staff Bakul Joshi Shantilal Bamania Vazirkhan Pathan
Maliya cluster staff Pankaj Joshi Bhayabhai Patat Gatur Solanki Kalpesh Mehta Manisha Multani Rahulkumar M Rami Sarang Daki Shailesh Dungarani*
Veraval cluster staff Deepak Jargela Govind Chavda Nakkum Vajesinh
Talala cluster staff Ajit Jadav Ashwin Joshi Chandrakant Bhorania Imran Balim Pradip Parmar
* These staff members left the organisation in 2007.
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CTLC staff Jitendra Bhatt Mahipat Kumar Punita Oza Ravji Chavda Sangita Sagar Shakil Mansuri Suraj Bamaniya Vijay Kamani
Coastal Salinity Cell Programme staff Sujit Kumar Vishnu Patel
Admin & accounts Rupesh Shah
Sayla
Netrang
Madhya Pradesh
SHT programme staff
Chotila 2 cluster staff
SHT programme staff
Sagbara cluster staff
SHT programme staff
Pankaj Dave Ashish Patel Chhaya Singh Mansukh Gadhia
Dashrath Waland Bhagwan Patel Dheeru Vala Durlabh Kamariya Harsukh Kaneria Mahesh Patel Mansukh Virugama Meram Dangar Pravin Rohit Surekha Patel
Raman Patel Bharat Patel Dinesh Patel Dr Prakash Panchbhai Hasmukh Patel Hitenkumar Maheta* Jitendra Prajapati Jivraj Sutaria Kesharilal Malav Madhu Chaudhari* Natwarsinh Gohil Pradhumn Jagtap Smita Gamit* Thakarsi Davra
Sajan Prajapati Chaman Jitiya Chandan Patalya Dalsukh Vasava Navinchandra Vankar Rasik Chaudhari Suresh Patel
Krishna Mohan Sinha Balakrishnan M* Jayesh Mundhava Manov Maity Ramesh Makwana Ramkrishna Mahajan
Netrang cluster staff
Govind Singh Goutam Surendra Sharma
Cheese plant staff Ambrish Dubey Jayram Rabari Prasoon Raghuvanshi* Sandeep Dubey Sanjay Chavda* Soma Dhoriya Sudhirkumar Prajapati*
Water-testing lab Hardik Takoliya
Training centre staff Goha L Faga
Admin & accounts Hasmukh J Vadasarya Rahim Sonawalla* Sreeniwas Madhavan Usha Srivastava
Support staff Devji Koshiya Pola Ghanghal Shivram Gondaliya
Sayla cluster staff Vitthal Kakaniya Jigna Makwana Lavji Parmar Naran Bhadreshiya(Died) Naren Metaliya Vinod Vasava
Kamlapur cluster staff Natwar Virani Arti Joshi Hemu Dodiya Mahesh Boricha Prabhulal Koringa
CTLC staff Ramesh Nadoda Ajaykumar D Prajapati Anita Kotadiya Jayashri S.Parmar Shailesh Kamariya Vimal Dave
Training centre staff Dinesh Chabadia Kuttikandathil Jacob* Mahendra B.Patel Narendrasinh Yadav
Admin & accounts Bhadreshkumar Patel* Charul Panchal Chetan Nandha Prabhakarsinh Zala Vinay Trivedi
Support staff Afzalkhan Pathan Naran Patel Pragji Makwana
Mandvi cluster staff
Keshu Kothariya Amrut Babaria Mahendra Patel* Suresh Patel Tribhuvan Mehta
Dhaneshwar Pandya Aruna Patel Govindh Gadhe Ishwar Chaudhri Jaimati Desai Kishor Kamani Lalit Koradia Ramesh Shaparia Sanjay Vasava
Drinking water unit
Dediapada cluster staff
Naresh Mataliya Natwar Khawadiya Shailesh Mehta
Rajesh Patel Anila Vasava Kanji Taviyad Kanu Patel Meena Solanki Nitin Satariya Tulsi Kharadi
Chotila 1 cluster staff
Archana Singh* Dinesh Padvi* Harji Solanki Mahesh Gadhia* Naseem Mansuri* Neeta Patel Nitin Babariya*
Naswadi cluster staff Bhupendra Jani Bindya Patel* Kantilal Makwana Nitesh Rathod Ramesh Taviyad Shilpa Prajapati*
Rajpipla Cluster staff Parsottam Vankar Pravin Jadav Shilpa Prajapati Suresh M Chaudhrari
SAVI Mula Patel
CTLC staff Jairam Rabari Daxa Chaudhary Pallavi Soni Paresh Vasava Parul Chaudhary Praful Tadvi Rajesh Patel Rana Makwana Salim Kadiwala Smita Patel
Admin & accounts
Pandhana cluster staff Lata Chouhan Anil Khare Aparna Payal Sashi kumar Sharma Suman Sinha Vikas Shukla
Dedtalai cluster staff Kiran Patel Alok Subhash Chowksey Manish Bhavsar Pradeep Tiwari Rajesh Mangrolia* Ranjana Gangrade Sheikh Moharram* Sunayana Ingle Vikram Pandey
Rajpur cluster staff Giriraj Shah Geeta Tomar* Nilesh Sharma Raosaheb Parmar Trushar Gadhavi*
Khalwa cluster staff Nishant Agrawal Chandrarekha Malviya Gurprit Kaur Bhatia Sanjeev Tiwari
Niwali cluster staff Rishi Raj* Naim Khan Mansuri*
Ichavar Shadma Khan Sujithmon K.R
CTLC Staff Kamal Kishor Bhalray Naveen Singh Takur
akrsp (India) annual report 2 0 0 7
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partners in our endeavour
partners - fiNancial support
Research partners
Aga Khan Foundation (under the EC co-financed SCALE project)
Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA)
Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihood Project Ford Foundation Sir Ratan Tata Trust
Gujarat Institute of Development Research (GIDR) Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal (IIFM) International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
Development Support Centre (DSC)
Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO)
Towards Action And Learning, Bhopal (TAAL)
Asian Development Bank-Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction (ADB-JFPR)
Centre for Environmental and Social Concerns (CESC)
Irrigation Department, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh Gujarat Water Supply and Sanitation Board (GWSSB) Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC) Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), Gujarat Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), New Delhi Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Madhya Pradesh
Geneva International Academic Network (GIAN)
Communication partner Charkha
Networks Aga Khan Development Network
Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL)
Sajjata Sangh
Microsoft Corporation
Pravah
CARE INDIA
Mahila Swaraj Abhiyan
NABARD
Charkha Working Group for Women and Land Ownership
62: a n n e x u r e
addresses
central office Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)
bharuch-narmada-surat-tapi office Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)
9-10 th Floors, Corporate House, Opp. Dinesh Hall, Off Ashram Road, Ahmedabad 380 009. Phone: 079-6631 2451/61, 2754 1678 Fax: +91-79-6631 2471 Email: mail@akrspi.org
Movi Road, Netrang 393 130 Dist. Bharuch Phone: 02643-282 127, Fax: +91-2643-283 331 Email: netrang@akrspi.org
junagadh office Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) Sherbaug Khera Road, Gadu 362 225 Dist. Junagadh Phone: 02870-285 118/19, fax: +91-2870-285 118 Email: gadu@akrspi.org
surendranagar office Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) Near Shree Raj Shobhag Ashram, Sayla 363 430 Dist. Surendranagar Telefax: 02755-280 668 Email: sayla@akrspi.org
madhya pradesh office Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) HIG-7, Scholar Den School Road, Dindayalpuram Colony, Khandwa 450 001, Madhya Pradesh. Phone: 0733-224 9292 Email: mp@akrspi.org
annexure
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Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) has been working in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh focussing mainly on Natural Resource Management (NRM). To address the issues of acute rural poverty in India and not limit its operations to two states only, AKRSP (India) decided to initiate work in Bihar and initial feasibility studies were done in 2007. To address the changing needs of the rural community, AKRSP (India) has set up 13 centres for computer training and information dissemination. Around 70 per cent of the diseases in rural Gujarat are due to poor water quality. A water testing laboratory has been set up in Sayla to address this problem. Tribal communities are losing their cultural heritage. Hence, a radio programme in the tribal Vasava dialect provided a platform to showcase their unique language and culture. The process of change has just begun. AKRSP (India) is now on the verge of changing itself to address the changing needs while retaining the old values and principles.
Š AKRSP (India). March 2008 Design: Solution One DesignWorks . 079_26623770 | Photographs: Media Matrix and AKRSP (India) staff | Printing: Patel Printing Press Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad .