A compilation of Ecologically Sensible Good Practices
Imprints of Ecological Footprints ‌. A compilation of Ecologically Sensible Good Practices Aug 2016 Authors: MV Rama Chandrudu Beneta Mahanta Waseem Mohammad Anitha Reddy V MB Vali Saab Editors: K Suresh MV Rama Chandrudu Visuals:Cheriyal Nakashi Artists Family - Shri D Vaikuntam and his family members Mrs. D Vanaja (wife); D Vinay and D Rakesh (sons). Design and Layout : Ankush Copy Left : These case studies could be used for non-commercial use, with proper acknowledgement. Supported by : Indian Foundation for Humanistic Development, Bengaluru Produced by : WASSAN (Watershed Support Services and Activities Network) Produced for Leaders For Nature Program. This program is collectively organized by CII; Hivos; IUCN; Wild Life Trust of India. IFHD is anchoring the Leaders for Nature Program. Published by: IFHD, Bengaluru
Acknowledgements I am very happy to present "Imprints of Ecological Footprints ‌. A compilation of Ecologically Sensible Good Practices". I take this opportunity to thank all organizations and individuals who contributed to the process of documenting these good practices. They were kind to frankly share with us their experiences, thoughts, challenges and achievements. They also shared relevant data to substantiate any critical point from their experiences. Some of them even prepared the first drafts of these case studies. They also revised them, based on our feedback. All the organizations/ individuals happily gave consent for publishing these case studies and using them for learning purposes under "Leaders for Nature" program of IFHD, IUCN, CII, Hivos and Wild Life Trust of India. The entire process of producing this compilation was an enriching and fruitful experience. It is also a humbling experience for us to learn several lessons from these interactions and visits to several villages/ sites. We genuinely believe that this compilation truly enriches the learning processes of "Leaders for Nature" program. The Writeshop was one of the important events of this process. We got guidance and feedback on the '0' drafts from the participants of the writeshop. This was useful in refining the initial drafts. The participants of writeshop also made important suggestions on the presentation and utility of these case studies. From their busy schedules, they spared few days for refining these case studies, which is a very kind gesture. I thank everyone who participated in the writeshop. Their inputs are invaluable. I thank Ms. Aruna Rangachar Pohl, IFHD for having faith in WASSAN and entrusting us the responsibility of compiling these case studies. She is an active team member at all critical stages of the project and guided us on choice of case studies, structure/ framework, presentation, etc. The partnership with IFHD is really cherished by all of us, at WASSAN.
I also thank the family of artists of Cheriyal - Shri D Vaikuntam, Mrs D Vanaja, Mr D Vinay and D Rakesh, who visualized these experiences in their own unique style. My team -MB Vali, Anitha Vustela, Waseem Mohammad, Benita Mahanta, Radhashree who spent considerable time on this agenda. I also thank K Suresh for providing editorial inputs and support at various stages of this process. MV Rama Chandrudu WASSAN Aug 2016
Foreword It is almost three decades back, the threats to "Our Common Future" were formally identified and deliberations started gaining more steam and support from governments too‌ (Our Common Future,Gro Harlem Brundtland, 1987). Climate Change and its implications were also slowly getting recognized during this period. The need for "producing more with less" was also part of this thinking process, as a means to address the challenges of the future. Over a period of time, the world witnessed more economic distress, unemployment, political turmoil and ecological disasters across different countries and regions of world. Those early predictions seemed to be less threatening than the current reality. The global gloom got predictable companions - unscrupulous industrial growth, irresponsible urbanization, careless global politics, dishonest governments, self-centric citizenship, which tried to glorify the current trends as achievements and inevitable solutions. In the middle of such despair and misery, there is a hope. "Imprints of Ecological Footprints - A Compilation of Ecologically Sensible Good Practices" is a compendium of good practices that brings the efforts made by relentless civil society organizations, citizens and community based organizations, to change the direction of this trend. These experiences bring cheer and hope in the lives of thousands of rural, tribal and urban citizens in India, who are part of these experiences. They were able to take a different path that is less travelled and troublesome. There were several challenges, at each step and milestone. But they continued their journey and proved that "producing more with less" is possible. They also ensured that the ecological and environmentally sustainable processes are feasible for improving economic standards and quality of life of poor communities. These case studies give a hope and confidence that we can face the cruel world and transform the same into a comfortable place for all - including endangered species, poor and marginalized communities. While Corporate Social Responsibility is gaining more support
from governments, corporate agencies and development agencies, these experiences provide guidance and help them to think about alternatives. These experiences help the willing and discerning development agencies and investors in social change, to transcend the mundane "photo stories" of majority of current CSR interventions. They provide an array of options, strategies and ideas that proved themselves in different parts of the country. I thank all the organizations and agencies who shared their stories - highs and lows of it, with us frankly and completely. I thank them for providing leadership on the chosen theme - promoting biodiversity; conservation and governance of natural resources; promoting ecologically sensitive production processes; enhancing livelihoods by developing environmentally harmonious economic models and several others. These experiences are invaluable and are certainly useful for provoking thoughts in the minds of participants of "Leaders for Nature" programs, which are jointly organized by IFHD, IUCN, CII, Wild Life Trust of India, HIVOS and other like-minded organizations. I thank WASSAN for producing this compilation of case studies and supporting us in this endeavor.
Aruna Rangachar Pohl IFHD, Bengaluru Aug 2016
18 A Click Away from Ecological and Economic Sense‌
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aralakshmi, a homemaker in Dindigal town, Tamilnadu, is very quality conscious. She discovered that the vegetables available in the new shop around the street corner are fresh, tasty and also healthy. The vendor informed her that these vegetables are cultivated without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Though the vegetables were little expensive, she purchased brinjals, bitter gourds and tomatoes from this shop. Her family liked the curries made with these "organic" vegetables. Since then she did not hesitate to buy the vegetables from the street corner shop. She is a convert now‌ Murugesan always wanted to get new products to his customers. This is one of the ways to attract customers to his supermarket in Madurai, Tamilnadu. He recently purchased a smart phone. By chance he found an app that helps in buying nutritious organic vegetables, fresh from the garden. One can place an order on the app or on the web page. They accept bulk orders and organic vegetables are delivered at the A Click Away from Ecological and Economic Sense‌
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supermarket. There is a growing stream of customers who are health conscious and regularly visit his supermarket for these vegetables. Murugesan regularly orders for organic vegetables, on this app and web site. Varalakshmi and Murugesan are not aware that they are part of an emerging value chain and a new system to bring cheer to people like them. Yes… Sellers think that consumers for organic products are difficult to spot. Interestingly, consumers of organic products also think that markets for organic products are difficult to identify. While producers and consumers of organic products are eager to find one another, there are limited experiences that bridge this gap. "SAAL" is precisely doing this… You are just a click away from an exciting new world of health… where age old traditional agricultural practices are finding support from modern apps and web sites. Click to enter into a new world where ecological balance and economic growth share the same platform… Sustainable Agro Alliance (SAAL) is a modern arrangement for improving profits and benefits to everyone in the value chain of organic vegetables, including consumers like you and me…. The alliance has members at all stages of value chain- farmers at field as producers; agripreneurs as providers of extension services and necessary inputs; KVKs and NGOs as providers of necessary training and technical advice; software company as providers of an virtual platform (for connecting all actors) and project management services; supermarkets and street corner shops as providers of marketing services and ultimately consumers who are served by this entire arrangement. Farmers who are the producers are 202
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usually neglected in ruthless agriculture markets, and have the last word in this business. SAAL was established to fill in the important gap in the value chain of organic products, mainly vegetables. The bias is overtly towards small and marginal farmers, who are engaged in production. SAAL roped in the important actors at all key stages of value chain and provided them the necessary support. There are few hundred small and marginal farmers who are motivated to cultivate organic vegetables. As the mainstream agriculture is based on high external inputs, these farmers have to find out suitable alternatives for improving soil fertility, pest management, water management and improving yields. Each cluster of farmers has an agripreneur to support them on these matters. Several young farmers, particularly women are encouraged to provide these extension services to farmers. Thamarai and Jeyanthi are such young agripreneurs from Talaipatti village, Dindigal district. These women participated in training programs organized by SAAL on various aspects of crop production and marketing support. Thamarai and Jeyanthi motivate farmers to take up organic vegetable cultivation.They offer advisory services to the farmers as per the crop situation. They support farmers in adopting appropriate agronomical practices such as seed treatment with Azospirillum, Rhizobium, Phosphobacteria, Pseudomonas and Trichoderma.This helps minimise soil borne diseases. Other agronomical practices that these agripreneurs promote are: border crops, trap crops, yellow card traps and solar light traps. Thamarai narrates, "Border crops around the plots act as wind barriers, pest and moisture controllers. These border crops give shade to the plants and protect them from excessive heat and help retaining 204
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moisture in the soils. As a result, the water requirement for the main crop is reduced, thus saving precious water… These crops also promote biodiversity at the plot level… These border crops create a local micro climate that is best suited for the crops…" Each agripreneur implements these practices in her/ his plot, before advising other farmers. A small plot of the agripreneur is used as experimentation ground and for demonstration. This plot gives confidence to the farmers who would like to adopt these practices. The arrangement also has women Self Help Groups which make a variety of agriculture inputs such as Panchagavya, fish amino acid and egg lime mix for soil enrichment; indigenous organic pest repellents; organic manures prepared with local material. Soil fertility improvement and pest management inputs prepared with local material are relatively cheap and attract the farmers. While earning money, these SHGs play an important role in the production system also. Jeyanthi recalls the initial meetings with farmers in her village, "Though farmers are incurring high costs in conventional agriculture for chemical pesticides and fertilizers, they are not eager to change. They were also apprehensive about the simple practices like using yellow card and growing border crops that help in pest management. With constant persuasion some farmers agreed to take up these "new" practices in small plots as a pilot. The results from these plots were encouraging and the farmers were convinced about these practices and inputs... They also realized that while there are cost savings the yields are not compromised …Now several farmers have completely shifted to organic method of agriculture… They also buy these inputs from me, which is a good source of income to me…." As an agripreneur, she could supply inputs such as biofertilizers (Azospirillum, Phosphobacteria and Potash mobilising A Click Away from Ecological and Economic Sense…
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bacteria), biofungicides (Trichoderma viride, Pseudomonas flourocens and Bacillus subtilis). She also advises them on various agronomical practices that reduce costs. As an important link in the value chain, Jeyanthi keeps track of all inputs used in the fields and practices of the farmers. These are recorded in the specially designed web page through GPS and GIS applications. The data bases are generated for each season and these are available in Dash Boards. This provides an important basis for marketing strategies. The quantum and variety of organic vegetables that could be produced in each season are estimated precisely. Based on this, SAAL negotiates with the potential buyers (shops, super markets, bulk purchasers). Jeyanthi helps the farmers to engage in collective marketing. Through SAAL web page she links these farmers with markets. The advice and guidance helps the farmers to get better price. These are presented on the web site (Dash Boards) for everyone to see. The web page also provides an opportunity for producers (farmers) and markets to interface with each other. Regular buyers could register themselves in the web page and get priority in the sales. The model plot in Arul Anadar College campus, Karumathur, Madurai is an important part of this process. This model plot demonstrates good practices on soil fertility improvement, water management, pest management and new approaches in vegetable production. Students of the college work on this plot and directly gain the experience of producing vegetables by following organic methods. This plot has specially demonstrated the methods of improving carbon content of the soils, which is fundamental requirement for better crop production. Soil samples from the fields of farmers are tested here and scientific advice is provided for improving the same. Based on the soil test report, the farmers agree to A Click Away from Ecological and Economic Sense‌
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apply more organic manures and reduce/ rationalize chemical fertilizers. Reputed resource organizations like MS Swaminathan Research Foundation are also part of this alliance and provide knowledge inputs to the farmers and model plot. Marketing wing of SAAL procures the vegetables as per the demands of the potential buyers and markets. Huge capital is required for procurement, grading and marketing. The turn-over of SAAL is Rs 7,71,340/- during the last 16 months. SAAL is operating in 194 villages with 1583 farmers, 25 agripreneurs and organic vegetables are sold through 32 retailers. As these arrangements are able to reduce cost of cultivation and improve access to markets, more and more farmers are joining this alliance. Agripreneurs are able to motivate farmers and offer technical and extension service. The service charges of these agripreneurs are included in the price of vegetables and the agriculture inputs, thus making it a self-sustaining model. Consumers and markets are confident of the quality of the products and willing to pay premium price. SAAL is able to bring several actors on to a single platform and provide them space. This is a win-win situation for everyone. There are some invisible processes and results of this production chain - crores of micro-organisms are multiplying in the soils of small and marginal farmers; plot level biodiversity in the form of trees and bushes is increasing; water resources are being conserved; ecological balance is being restored by the reduced application of chemical fertilisers/ pesticides‌. MV Rama Chandrudu, WASSAN As narrated by Jaya Balan, SAAL A Click Away from Ecological and Economic Sense‌
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19 It is money, Honey… "I think I make more money from honey than from agricultural crops…." is what Ram Avatar Tyagi has to say on his income sources. While I continue to ask more questions, he interrupts me and asks me to listen to the buzz of the bees…. He tells me, "The bees are making honey now….. Can you hear the sound?" The buzz of the bees is sound of music to him…. If the bees are not buzzing it means they are not able to collect nectar or engage in pollination… Silence is not golden here… The landscape of mustard crop in the cool winter provides a perfect backdrop for an engaging conversation with a young farmer-entrepreneur, who is confident about his work. He is from Gepura village, Joura Block, Morena District of Chambal region, MP. He has four brothers and all of them are engaged in honey production. The family also has 11 bighas of land and cultivates mustard, wheat and berseem (fodder crop). The bees have a profound impact on the personality of Ram Avatar Tyagi. He observed the life of bees closely and is deeply influenced by their culture. "The bees are always busy," he says. The social structure of bee community is fascinating to him. They are disciplined and perfect in It is money, Honey…
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performing the allocated tasks. A hive has Queen Bee, drone bees and worker bees... The Queen bee constantly lays eggs and increases the bee population. There is only one queen bee in each beehive and its life span is two to four years. There may be 5 to 15 drone bees in each hive. But only one gets to mate with the queen bee and dies immediately after mating, "Its purpose is over." Worker bees are always busy - collecting pollen and nectar, storing them in the beehive, cleaning and protecting the hive, maintaining the temperature, nursing the young bees. Each beehive may have about 40,000 to 70,000 worker bees. Each bee can cover a range of three kilometres and return to its hive. They are good indicators of the weather. The bees can sense the rain well in advance and return to the hive and remain silent. This is a perfect indicator of impending rain for the nearby observant farmers!!! For the 20 year old Ram Avatar Tyagi, the two months training program at Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram in the year 2000 was the turning point. In this he learnt about the life of bees and various techniques of apiculture. He returned home with 10 boxes of beehives. In 2016, he has 1000 boxes and is one of the largest individual honey producers in the Chambal region. "Each box has a life of three years after which you have to replace it," he tells me. He happily invests on these boxes, whenever needed. All his brothers also learned the art of bee culture. All male members of this joint family are engaged in various aspects of honey production. They earn about Rs 5 to 10 lakh per year through 9-12 tons of honey. Chambal region in Madhya Pradesh is notorious for the dacoits. But this region is also famous for crops like mustard and berseem. No external 212
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inputs (chemical fertilizers and pesticides) are used for cultivating mustard, which is an added advantage. Berseem crop gives a very special kind of honey, which is not available elsewhere. The climate and crops in the Chambal region are perfectly suitable for producing honey. Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram realized this advantage and started promoting honey production through training and extension services since 1999. Ram Avatar Tyagi was a young farmer who attended a training program in 2000. The Ashram trained 210 farmers out of which 52 farmers are actively engaged in honey production. While producing honey and living with bees, Ram Avatar Tyagi learned several aspects of climate, ecological aspects of agriculture, cropping systems and practices in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. He also learned how to deal with markets, while selling honey. While bees are dependent on crops/ plants for their survival (collecting nectar, which is their food), they also provide an important service by helping in pollination. This would result in better yield. Ram Avatar Tyagi observed that with the honey bee boxes, the yield of mustard crop would be 10 to 20% higher. These days he is doing business with pomegranate farmers in Nagpur (Maharashtra). Due to excessive use of chemical pesticides the bee population and consequently the yield of pomegranates has reduced in these orchards. These farmers buy a bee box from Ram Avatar Tyagi and keep it in their orchards. They found that the yield of the fruits increased significantly. "This is due to the bees," Ram Avatar Tyagi says with a smile. Bees are very sensitive to climate. High or low temperatures, heavy winds and rains could kill these sensitive bees. After harvesting mustard, 214
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berseem and wheat crops in Chambal and when the temperatures soar high, it is time to move the bees to cooler places. During the months of November to January mustard is cultivated, which provides nectar and pollen to the bees. In February, Dhania (coriander) provides the necessary food. From March to May, the farmers in Chambal cultivate Berseem, which is also excellent food provider to the bees. As temperatures soar high in June and July, the bee boxes are transported to Uttar Pradesh, where Bajra, Tilli and Malla crops are available for the bees. After this they return to Chambal and to forest locations, where wild flowers and trees provide the nectar until October. In a year, the bee boxes are taken to distant places for at least two months. For this, Ram Avatar Tyagi conducts a preliminary survey and finalizes appropriate locations for his 1000 boxes. As each location can accommodate only 400 boxes for optimum production, he needs to identify three locations. He generally goes to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh (Sivapuri) and Rajasthan depending upon the crops, water availability and climate. The local farmers who host these boxes realized the importance of the bees in improving their crop yields and eagerly look forward to these guests, each year. When there is crisis (high temperature, fewer crops, water scarcity) Ram Avatar Tyagi feeds the bees with sugar syrup and keeps water close to the boxes. He had bought 50 quintals of sugar for keeping his bees alive, in one of the tough years. He spends about Rs 1 Lakh each year for transportation and any payments to the farmers who permit to keep the beehives in their fields. His four workers and family members work together during this migration event. Depending on the honey available, Ram Avatar Tyagi harvests/ collects honey at least three times in a month. He has all necessary tools and skills for harvesting honey. He informs Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram about the quantum of honey available and inquires if they can procure it. 216
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Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram established a processing unit with the support of KVIC at Joura. They also have capital for procuring the honey and necessary skills for processing it. Over a period of time, they developed their own brand "Chambal Natural Honey", which is unique in several ways. If the Ashram could procure the honey, Ram Avatar Tyagi will supply to them. Otherwise, he supplies to other buyers from Punjab. There are also other branded companies such as Kashmeera; Shakti; Brij Health Care, etc, which procure honey. Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram helps the honey collectors to get good price in the market each year and ensures that these companies do not exploit the farmers. Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram fixes the minimum price of honey for procurement and procures about 30% of honey produced by Ram Avatar Tyagi. During 2014-15, the procurement price for honey was Rs 140/ kg. Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram plays a silent but critical role in this entire process. The training programs, providing access to boxes and other equipment, quality control, procurement and processing related support are important support to this eco-enterprise. Praful Srivastava, the person looking after honey related matters at Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram, is constantly exploring ways and means of innovating the production process and helps the farmers in getting better deal in the markets. The Ashram could establish a level playing field to the honey collectors by stabilizing the prices and protects them from exploitation by markets. There are several opportunities for development agencies to play such critical role by improving their own capacities and competencies. For better performance they need higher capital for procurement, processing, storing and marketing. If armed with such capacities, they can 218
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provide better support to farmers in this enterprise that plays an important role in ecological security of the planet. Ultimately it is not just about money. It is about life on the planet itself. Praful Srivastava concludes, "No bees, No Life."
MV Rama Chandrudu, WASSAN Based on interactions and field visits to: Ram Avtar Tyagi, Bee Keeper; Praful Srivastava, Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram
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About Cheriyal Paintings Shri D Vaikuntam and his family members Mrs. D Vanaja (wife); D Vinay and D Rakesh (sons) are keeping the tradition of Cheriyal Paintings of Telangana state, for generations. All members of the family are engaged in protecting and conserving this rare art form, that is not likely to survive for long. This is the only family in the country that is still engaged in this traditional art form. The Cheriyal Art has a unique character - red color background; vivid presentation of figures (men, women, animals, flowers, plants and others) with unique strokes and style. This art form belongs to "nakashi" form of paintings in India. But Cheriyal paintings contextualized this nakashi format to local Telangana and improvised it, with their unique styles. Apart from paintings and scrolls, Cheriyal Masks are also very attractive and unique with their bright colors and large eyes. D Vaikuntam received several awards from Central/ State governments, for his unique contribution to Cheriyal Art. D Vaikuntam and his family members agreed to present the key messages of these case studies. They spent time with us to understand the essence of each case study and presented it in their own style. These pictures further enriched the experiences, which are already exemplary in several ways. WASSAN thanks the family of artists of Cheriyal for their support in visualising these case studies. Pictures of some of the paintings/ scrolls and masks could be seen on this blog: http://vaikuntamnakash.blogspot.in/
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"…..In the middle of such despair and misery, there is a hope. "Imprints of Ecological Footprints - A Compilation of Ecologically Sensible Good Practices" is a compendium of good practices that brings the efforts made by relentless civil society organizations, citizens and community based organizations, to change the direction of the trend. These experiences brought cheer and hope in the lives of thousands of rural, tribal and urban citizens in India, who are part of these experiences. They took a different path that is less travelled and troublesome. There were several challenges, at each step and milestone. But they continued their journey and proved that "producing more with less" is possible. They also ensured that the ecological and environmentally sustainable processes are feasible for improving economic standards and quality of life of poor communities…"Aruna Rangachar Pohl, IFHD, Bangaluru. "……these experiences are invaluable and are certainly useful for provoking thoughts in the minds of participants of "Leaders for Nature" programs, which is organized by IFHD, IUCN, CII, Wild Life Trust of India, HIVOS and other likeminded organizations.The entire process of producing this compilation was an enriching and fruitful experience. It is a humbling experience for us to learn lessons from the interactions and visits to their villages/ sites. We genuinely believe that this compilation truly enriches the learning processes of "Leaders for Nature" program" - MV Rama Chandrudu, WASSAN