Challenges of Rural Development and Opportunities for providing Sustainable

Livelihood: BAIFs Approah

N.G Hegde
International Forum on Frontier Technology for the 21
st
Century and Potential
Collaboration with Kasetsart University, ang!o!, Thailand" #ay $%&$1, 2%%2"
Ba!ground
'ith the increasing (o(ulation, demand for basic needs has been stee(ly rising during
the (ast five decades in most of the develo(ing countries" The growing (o(ulations
need food, clothing, shelter, fuel and fodder for their livestoc!" In India, over )%&*%+
of the (eo(le are living in rural areas who neither have ade,uate land holdings nor
alternate service o((ortunities to (roduce or (rocure these commodities" In the
absence of ade,uate em(loyment o((ortunities, the rural (eo(le are unable to
generate enough wages to sustain their livelihood" -s a result, .%+ families, who earn
less than /s"11,%%% (er annum are classified as (oor" -(art from lower income, rural
(eo(le also suffer from shortage of clean drin!ing water, (oor health care and
illiteracy which adversely affect the ,uality of life" Presently, about 20+ of the
villages do not have assured source of drin!ing water for about .&0 months during the
year and about *%&*0+ of the water does not meet the standard (rescribed by '12"
Poor ,uality drin!ing water is adversely affecting the health and diarrhea is an
im(ortant cause of infant mortality"
Traditional Indian communities being male dominated, women have been su((ressed
till recently" 'hile the average literacy rate in rural areas is around 0%&)0+, it is as
low as 2%&20+ among women in bac!ward areas" 3ducation of girls was felt to be
unnecessary in the (ast and this has seriously affected their ,uality of life" Illiteracy
has also su((ressed their develo(ment due to lac! of communication with the outside
world" They are slow in ado(ting new (ractices, which are essential with the
changing times" -(art from lac! of communication, social taboo has also hindered
their (rogress" 4everal vested interests, both local and outsiders have e5(loited this
situation" The rich landlords did not want any infrastructure develo(ment, which
would benefit the (oor, because of the fear that they would not get chea( labour to
wor! on their farms" The local moneylenders did not want alternate financial
institutions to (rovide chea(er credit needed by the (oor" The traditional healers
canvassed against modern medicine under the garb of religion and divine (ower"
Thus, the (oor continued to live in the clutches of the (owerful, acce(ting it as their
destiny" They avoided confrontation and (referred to live a voiceless and su((ressed
life" Tolerating the worst and ho(ing for better days has been their way of life" It is a
vicious cycle and develo(ment (rogrammes to address their livelihood im(rovement
and food security can hel( them to come out of this cycle"

"roblems of Livelihood
In India, although the contribution of agriculture to the 6ross 7ational Product 867P9
is around $0+, in the absence of em(loyment o((ortunities in industrial and service
sectors, over :0+ of the rural income is generated from agriculture, who s(end
about *0+ & :%+ of their earnings on food" -griculture is the ma;or source of
livelihood but most of the illiterate farmers have not been successful in cultivating
their land economically" They have been treating agriculture as a family tradition,
following age old (ractices and ado(ted new changes only after observing the success
of their neighbours" 2ver 12&10+ of the rural families are landless and among the
land holders, )<+ are marginal farmers with less than 1 ha holding 81*+ of the total
land9 and about 21+ are small farmers with 1&2 ha holdings 8$.+ of the land9" Thus
about <%+ families own less than 01+ lands, with a (er ca(ita holding of %"1< ha"
2ut of the 1.* million ha agricultural lands, about )% million ha are located in arid
=ones, which are mostly owned by the (oor families" -s the chances of cro( failure
on these lands is very high, the farmers generally do not invest in e5ternal in(uts li!e
im(roved seeds, fertilisers and (lant (rotection measures and end u( with (oor cro(
yields, even during normal years"
-(art from (rivate holdings, (astures and common lands owned by the government
and community are also being used in many ways, (articularly for fuel and fodder
collection" The 6overnment has reserved about 1%+ of the total land in each village
for livestoc! gra=ing" The ownershi( of this land is with the >illage Panchayat 8?ocal
6overnment9 and all the members of the community have free access" The Panchayat
has no control over the use while the community does not consider it to be their
res(onsibility to manage the (asture" This has resulted in over&e5(loitation and
denudation of the (astures" The same situation (revailed on village woodlots and
community forests" Thus, in s(ite of land scarcity, over 0%+ of the total land are
either idle or under&utilised" 4uch wastelands, unable to retain the rainwater are
(romoting soil erosion, flooding of rivers and silting of tan! beds" They are also
hosting a wide range of (ests and diseases" #anagement of these wastelands to
im(rove the (roductivity can revive the su((ly of fodder and fuel, facilitate the
(ercolation of rainwater and im(rove agricultural (roduction"
'ater is a critical in(ut for human consum(tion as well as for cro( (roduction but
grossly neglected by the community" #a;or sources of water su((ly are rainfall,
la!es, rivers, snowy mountains and underground storage" 35ce(t wells and small
tan!s, the other sources of water are collectively owned by the community" 1owever,
the (owerful lobbies and vested interests have been ta!ing advantage of these water
resources for their own benefits, while the (oor have no means of utilising their share"
This has been accelerating the economic imbalance between the small and large
landholders"
/ainfall is the main source of water for agricultural (roduction in India" 1owever, in
the absence of ade,uate soil and water conservation (ractices, it is estimated that over
)0+ rainwater runs off, flooding the rivers" -bout 2:+ of the total cro((ing area in
the country are under irrigation, where farmers have a tendency to use e5cessive
water" In the absence of ade,uate training and demonstration, they believe that e5cess
water can enhance their cro( yields" #oreover, as the water charges are fi5ed on the
basis of the area covered under irrigation instead of on the ,uantity of water su((lied,
farmers do not want to restrict the use of water" -s a result of (oor soil and water
conservation measures, the average yield of food cro(s in India is only 1"< tons@ha as
com(ared to ."% tons@ha in China" Aue to e5cessive use of water for irrigation, over
<"%% million ha fertile lands have turned into sodic and saline wastelands, thereby
(osing a serious threat not only to food security and em(loyment generation but also
to community health, biodiversity and the environment"
Forests have been (roviding many direct and indirect benefits to rural communities"
-s against the recommended $$+ of the total geogra(hical area to be (laced under
forest cover, only 22+ land is under the Forest Ae(artment in India" 2ut of this area,
over 0%+ land is devoid of vegetation due to over&e5(loitation and biotic (ressure"
-s a result, the e5istence of over :% million tribals, who were de(endent on forest
(roducts for livelihood has been threatened" Ill&effects of deforestation are evident in
the form of shortage of fodder, fuel, timber, non&wood forest (roducts and medicinal
herbs" The indirect losses in the form of soil erosion, dee(ening of ground water table
and reduction in green cover are far more serious" Aeforestation has been directly
su((ressing agricultural (roduction, which is yet to be realised by a ma;or section of
the rural society" ?i!e community wastelands, the forests are under the ownershi( of
the 6overnment but these (recious resources cannot be (rotected unless the local
communities come forward to conserve it"

?ivestoc! is an im(ortant source of su((lementary income" #i5ed farming has been
serving as an insurance against natural calamities, while su((orting food security and
nutrient recycling" India has over 0%% million livestoc!, which include cattle,
buffaloes, shee( and goats" -mong them, cattle and buffaloes are (o(ular for mil!
(roduction" -s mil! is an im(ortant (art of the Indian diet and bulloc! (ower is
essential for farming and rural trans(ortation, rural families maintain 2&$ animals but
over *%+ of them are uneconomical due to low genetic base and (oor management"
The average mil! yield of cows in India is <:* !g@lactation as com(ared to .2$$ !g in
3uro(e" This is because out of the 1%% million cattle, over <%+ are indigenous which
yield less than 20% !g mil! (er lactation, while about 1%+ of the crossbred yield
about 2%%% B $%%% !g mil! (er lactation" The (oor and landless (refer to maintain
shee( or goats and let them loose for gra=ing on community (astures" 4uch animals
are a liability"
Poor (roductivity of the land and livestoc! and inefficient use of forests are the causes
of seasonal em(loyment in villages" 4mall farmers have wor! only for 1%%&12% days
for growing one cro( in a year, which is not ade,uate to sustain their livelihood"
1ence, they have to struggle to earn additional wages by wor!ing in irrigated areas or
migrate to urban areas" The migration (attern varies with the region, o((ortunities
and socio&economic status of the families" The (oorest families, (articularly the
landless and marginal holders owning (oor ,uality land tend to migrate with the entire
family" #any tribal families migrate to cities as construction wor!ers and return at the
onset of the rains" 4uch migrations severely affect the ,uality of life, due to (oor
health, lac! of education and social (ressures leading to erosion of moral values"
-fter inde(endence, (overty alleviation was the ma;or agenda of the 6overnment of
India" Thus various community develo(ment (rogrammes were initiated to build the
ca(abilities of the (oor" These (rogrammes (rovided s!ill oriented training to build
the ca(abilities and su((lied critical agricultural in(uts either free or at subsided cost"
1owever, most of these (rogrammes did not succeed due to lac! of (eo(leCs
(artici(ation" They were sus(icious about the relevance of the (rogramme and also
lost confidence in the (rogramme due to fre,uent failures" 4ubse,uently, they lost
confidence in themselves and also lost initiatives to wor! hard" This situation can be
termed as mental (overty or (sychological (overty" Thus it is necessary to fight
mental (overty through motivation, awareness and ca(acity building before initiating
any livelihood activities"
BAIFs Approah
-IF Aevelo(ment /esearch Foundation 8formerly registered as the haratiya -gro
Industries Foundation9 is a voluntary organisation, established in 1<)*, as a Public
Charitable Trust" Considering the challenges in rural areas, -IF has set its mission
to create o((ortunities of gainful self&em(loyment for the rural families, es(ecially
disadvantaged sections, ensuring sustainable livelihood, enriched environment,
im(roved ,uality of life and good human values" This is being achieved through
develo(ment research, effective use of local resources, e5tension of a((ro(riate
technologies and u(gradation of s!ills and ca(abilities with community (artici(ation"
-IF is a non&(olitical, secular and (rofessionally managed organisation, (resently
o(erating in 12,%%% villages in India"
Famil# as a $nit for Development: -IF considers (oor rural family as a basic unit
for develo(ment" This (rovides an o((ortunity to identify the target families who
re,uire different ty(es of su((ort to come out of (overty" 6enerally most of the
community develo(ment (rogrammes consider village as an unit of develo(ment
where the well to do and influential sections of the society dominate over the (oor and
e5(loit the benefit to the ma5imum e5tent" Thus such develo(ment (ro;ects may often
create a wider ga( between the rich and (oor with in the community"
Fous on %ualit# of Life: The overall goal of -IF is to ensure better ,uality of life,
through (romotion of various develo(ment activities related to livelihood, health,
literacy and moral develo(ment" 4tarvation being the most serious form of (overty,
livelihood (rogramme was considered as a (riority but it was soon realised that good
health and education are basic needs even for ta!ing u( livelihood activities" 'ith
generation of income, good moral values are also essential for ha((iness" 35cess
money, without strong moral education has been distracting the youth towards
un(roductive and unethical activities" 1ence, -IF is em(hasising on blending
livelihood (rogramme with education, health care and moral develo(ment activities"
The essential com(onents of moral develo(ment are & willingness to ta!e (art in
community develo(ment, non&violence, de&addiction from alcohol, drugs, narcotics
and gambling, res(ect for women and concern for environmental (rotection" These
com(onents are generally acce(table to the community, irres(ective of their religious
and ethnic bac!grounds, which have brought about a significant change in the attitude
of the target communities"
Assured Livelihood: 'hile (romoting various develo(ment (rogrammes, the
(rimary goal is to hel( the target family to come out of (overty, with in a shortest
(eriod" The dairy develo(ment (rogramme has a gestation (eriod of $&. years, till the
newly born calf comes into mil! (roduction" In land based develo(ment (rogrammes
the gestation (eriod may vary from 2 to ) years, de(ending on the ty(e of farming
systems (racticed by the farmers" In case of arable cro( (roduction, the gestation
(eriod is short due to short rotation cro(s while the fruit and tree cro(s ta!e 0&) years
to generate income" 'hile (romoting these income generation activities there are two
critical factors which affect the success of the (rogrammes" Firstly the (rogramme
should be well (lanned to generate substantial income to enable the (artici(ating
families to come out (overty" 6enerally small farmers having (oor ,uality land and
livestoc! may not be able to earn substantial income with only one intervention"
1ence multi&disci(linary (rogrammes have the advantage" 4imilarly, small
interventions such as !itchen garden, vermi&com(osting, homestead horticulture in
isolation will not hel( the (oor" These interventions can be hel(ful as a (art of an
integrated (rogramme"
The other im(ortant as(ect is to (rovide su((ort during the gestation (eriod" #any of
the (oor who do not have any resources even to (rocure their daily ration, are li!ely to
neglect their develo(ment wor!, if no su((ort is available in the form of assistance or
wages to ensure their food security" 1ence different short term income generation
activities need to be designed till the income starts generating from the ma;or
interventions"
&omen 'mpo(erment: Involvement of women in all the develo(ment (rogrammes
right from the stage of (ro;ect (lanning is essential" -lthough women re(resent 0%+
of the (o(ulation, they also have the ma;or res(onsibility of grooming children and
(rocuring the basic needs re,uired for food, fuel and fodder securities" -ctive
(artici(ation of women in develo(ment (rogrammes will hel( to identify their
(roblems and reduce their drudgery"
'nvironmental "rotetion: In all the develo(ment (rogrammes conservation of the
natural resources and (rotection of the environment are essentially built in, as these
are critical for sustainable develo(ment" This is (articularly im(ortant, while dealing
with the (oor as their (rimary ob;ective is to earn their livelihood and the
develo(ment organisations have the obligation to carefully design the (rogramme to
ensure environmental (rotection with income generation activities"
Blending Development (ith Researh and )raining: For effective im(lementation
of various develo(ment (rogrammes, the develo(ment (rogrammes are su((orted by
a((lied research and training activities" It is realised that any develo(ment (rogramme
without research bac! u( is outdated and any research (rogramme without
develo(ment and e5tension outlets is academic" Training of the field functionaries
and farmers is essential for effective transferring of technologies from laboratories to
the field"
"eoples Organisations: To sustain the benefits of various (ro;ects (articularly after
the com(letion of the (ro;ect, -IF has develo(ed a strategy to (romote grassroot
level Peo(leCs 2rganisations, right at the initiation of the (ro;ects" 4everal ty(es of
local Peo(leCs 2rganisations such 4elf 1el( 6rou(s 84169, >illage ?evel Planning
Committees, Users 6rou(s of various goods and services, 7etwor!s and Federations
of 416s and >illage ?evel 2rganisations, (rocessing and mar!eting coo(eratives are
some of the organisations (romoted in the field" These organisations are hel(ful in
motivating the members of the community, (articularly the bac!ward and shy
members to sustain their interest and ta!e active involvement in various develo(ment
initiatives" These organisations are also effective in (rocuring necessary agricultural
in(uts, disseminating technology, organising (ost&harvest handling, (rocessing and
mar!eting the (roduce" 4ubse,uently they wor! closely with the Panchayat /a;
Institutions to (artici(ate in various states s(onsored develo(ment activities as well as
to ensure the welfare of their community"

*+ana $than , Our -e( Approah
2ver the long field e5(erience, -IF has realised that the develo(ment organisations
a((roach the rural communities with s(ecific activities, which benefit only a few
sections of the community, while the others are left out, due to lac! of resources or
s!ills" In this (rocess, it is often the (oor who are left out of these develo(ment
(rogrammes" Therefore to overcome this situation, the new a((roach B !nown as
DEana Uthan -((roachC has been develo(ed" Under this a((roach, the 35tension
'or!ers interact with the local community with an o(en mind and to bring them
together to identify the local (roblems" The community is then encouraged to interact
closely and identify the members into $&. economic categories based on their income
and the access to various resources" Then the local grou(s identify the resources and
the o((ortunities for the individual families belonging to different categories with an
ob;ectives of bringing all the sections above (overty" In this (rocess while the
marginally (oor get smaller su((ort through 1 or 2 develo(ment intervention, to come
out of (overty, the (oorest families having limited resources are given o((ortunity to
(artici(ate in multi(le activities" Thus the (oor have sco(e to earn their income from
several sources and the chances of failure are low" This a((roach is hel(ful to
maintain trans(arency of the (rogramme and (romotes harmony among the members
of different economic categories"
The Eana Uthan -((roach also (oses a challenge to the develo(ment agencies to find
suitable solutions to the (roblems of the landless and resource (oor families" This
calls for the search of suitable off&farm (roduction and service activities to be
underta!en by the (oor, (articularly the landless" 4ome of the im(ortant off&farm
activities are (ottery, smithy, car(entry, te5tile and services such as automobile hire
and re(airs, electrical wiring and re(airs, masonry, (roduction of (re&casted
materials, civil construction, consumer stores, etc" 'hile the off&farm activities have
serious limitation due to (oor infrastructure for in(ut su((ly and mar!eting, the
success of most of the on&farm activities are de(endent on the (roductivity and
management of the natural resources"
Presently, all the im(ortant natural resources li!e land, water, forest vegetation and
livestoc!, which are critical in(uts for (roviding gainful self&em(loyment and
generation of 67P are under&utilised" These resources which are the basic assets for
(roviding sustainable livelihood are (roving to be liabilities" Therefore, the strategy
for sustainable develo(ment is to im(rove the (roductivity of the natural resources
and develo( the ca(abilities of the local communities to ma!e o(timum use of these
resources for their livelihood" 3fficient management of the natural resources can
generate secondary resources, which in turn can (rovide additional em(loyment
o((ortunities" 'ith this bac!ground, -IF has develo(ed a multi&disci(linary
(rogramme for sustainable management of natural resources, which include livestoc!
develo(ment, watershed develo(ment, agroforestry and (romotion of (ost&(roduction
and non&farm activities" These activities have good (otential to (rovide em(loyment
o((ortunities even to the landless, small landholders and women, while conserving
environment and biodiversity"
"rogramme Impat
Dair# Development: -IF initiated livestoc! develo(ment (rogramme through the
u(gradation of local cattle and buffaloes for mil! (roduction as most of the rural
families including the landless maintain livestoc! most of the rural families benefited
from this (rogramme" Indeed the (oor are more de(endent on the livestoc! than the
rich as they do not have ade,uate land and water resources to engage in agricultural
develo(ment activities"
/ealising the drawbac! of the local cattle with res(ect to (roductive and re(roductive
inefficiencies, -IF has ta!en u( the crossbreeding of such low (roductive, non&
descri(t cattle" The (rogramme also covers the buffaloe im(rovement by breeding
non&descri(t with im(roved breeds" Under this (rogramme a cluster of 1%&10 villages
will be headed by a trained technician who will (rovide breeding services to cows and
buffaloes at the door ste(s of the farmers, using fro=en semen of su(erior sires"
#otivation, awareness about the benefits, delivery of various services, regular follow
u(, technical guidance, timely health care, su((ly of critical in(uts have been hel(ful
to the farmers to ta!e full advantage of this (rogramme"
Crossbred calves born at the door ste(s of the rural families come to mil! (roduction
at the age of 2:&$2 months and yield about 20%%&2*%% !g mil! (er lactation 8$%%
days9" This (rogramme encourages the farmers to stall feed their valuable animals and
reduce the herd si=e by selling un&(roductive animals" - crossbred cow is able to
contribute a net income of /s"0%%% (er year a(art from other benefits such as su((ly
of mil! for home consum(tion, (articularly for children, dung for biogas and manure
and efficient use of various agricultural by&(roducts as feed" The (rogramme (rovides
an e5cellent o((ortunity for the em(owerment of women and im(rove the eco&system
by reversing the unhealthy trends of stray gra=ing, inbreeding and s(read of diseases"
- family with three crossbred cows is able to remain out of (overty and lead a
sustainable livelihood"
Presently, -IFCs (rogramme is s(read over .%%%% villages through 1.%% cattle
develo(ment centres in 12 states" -tleast 2 la!h female crossbred cattle and buffaloe
calves are born every year and the value of the mil! (roduced from this (rogramme is
over /s" 1)0% crores (er annum" Presently at least 0 la!h families have ta!en
advantage of this (rogramme to come our of (overty" This (rogramme has the
(otential to e5(end throughout the country, as mil! is a sta(le food for the growing
(o(ulation in the country"
Development of Communit# "astures: In drought (rone regions of /a;asthan,
where rainfall is erratic, farmers are more de(endent on livestoc! than on agriculture
for their survival" In such areas the community (astures have been heavily degraded
due to uncontrolled gra=ing" 'ith the degradation of community lands, the other
(roblems such as soil erosion, deforestation and de(letion of ground water have been
accelerated further affecting the natural resources" Therefore -IF decided to ta!e u(
community (asture develo(ment on a (ilot basis in hilwara district of /a;asthan"
Initially the wor! was underta!en at village Kavlas by identifying 1% ha of (asture
land out of 2%% ha belonging to a tem(le trust" The villagers were reluctant as there
was a fear of land that the land brought under such develo(ment will not be available
for their use" Fortunately, as -IF was already o(erating a cattle develo(ment centre
in the village, the villagers had full faith in the organisation and were willing to ta!e
(art in this e5(eriment"
The (ro;ect was initiated with the formation of a (asture committee ta!ing one
re(resentative from each of the 1% communities" The ma;or activities (ro(osed were
to dig trench cum mould for establishing live hedges, contour bunding, gully
(lugging, sowing of seeds of forage of legumes and grass s(ecies to enrich the
,uality of forage" 2ver the ne5t $ years, the villagers (artici(ated in (rotection,
collection of seeds, harvesting grass and trimming of the trees grown in the (asture"
The villagers were e5tremely ha((y to realise that with the investment of /s"1%,%%%
(er ha they were able to generate out(ut worth /s")%%%&*%%% ever year in the form of
fodder and fuelwood" ?oo!ing to the success, additional areas was brought under
the community (asture develo(ment not only in Kavlas but also in 10 different
villages in the /a;asthan" -(art from the (roduction of forage there were several
other benefits such as recharging the ground water, reduction in soil erosion resulting
in im(roved agricultural (roduction in the neighboring areas, rehabilitation of wild
animals li!e blue bulls in the (asture which were damaging agricultural cro(s" There
was good harmony established among various sections of the society and there was a
direct benefit on the (roductivity of livestoc! in this villages" ?oo!ing to this success
the 6overnment of India has now (rovided additional su((ort to e5(and this
(rogramme in about 2%% villages"
&ater Resoure Development: Aevelo(ment of water resources and wastelands are
other im(ortant activities, having good (otential for su((orting the livelihood"
1owever, with watershed develo(ment alone (articularly the small farmers owning
(oor ,uality land, cannot ta!e advantage as they do not have the ca(acity to invest in
land develo(ment and critical agricultural in(uts" 1ence they do not ta!e active (art
in such (rogrammes" Therefore the strategy ado(ted is to combine watershed
management with develo(ment of low (roductive agricultural lands and wastelands
owned by the wea!er sections of the society" -s there is a close lin! between (oor
,uality land and (overty, -IF has been ta!ing u( the develo(ment of (rivate lands
on (riority to ensure ade,uate income generation for the (oor, before e5(ecting them
to (artici(ate in community land develo(ment" 4uch a ste( has hel(ed to motivate the
community to conserve the community (astures and forests in the future"
In all the watershed develo(ment (rogrammes, involvement of the community right
from the stage of (lanning has been a critical factor, for the success" #obilising the
community through entry (oint activities and establishing effective communication
through 416s and village level (lanning committees, (artici(ation of the community
in resource identification and develo(ment have been the im(ortant elements of the
(rogramme" 'ith watershed develo(ment, introduction of the im(roved agricultural
(ractices such as use of certified seeds, (romotion of timely tillage o(erations,
integrated (est management, su((ly of micro& credit to (rocure in(uts, setting u( of
grain ban! to meet the emergency needs of the (oor etc" have (layed a very
significant role in building the confidence of the community and sustain their interest"
-ctive involvement of the local community in watershed develo(ment has also hel(ed
in ta((ing their traditional wisdom and come out with several innovations" In 4outh
Karnata!a, where the soil is sandy and the annual rainfall is only *0% mm, traditional
a((roach of contour bunding was not feasible and construction of (ercolation tan!s
could benefit only a few farmers having their land on lower (ortion of the grid"
1ence the farmers come u( with the idea of digging 1&2 farm (onds (er hectare to
retain rainwater in their own fields" Thus in a cluster of .&0 villages near #ainahalli
in 1assan Aistrict, $0% farm (onds were dug and interconnected to ca(ture the
sur(lus water coming out from the (onds located on higher elevations" The si=e of
the (ond varied from )5)5$ m to 1%51%5$ m and costed about /s" $,%%%&.,%%% only
in the form of labour" 4uch (onds could retain water u(to Aecember&Eanuary and this
water could be used for watering fruit and vegetable cro(s, during the Kharif and /abi
seasons" 2ther ma;or benefits were (revention of soil erosion, which resulted in
im(roved soil (roductivity, recharging of the o(en wells and borewells, and revival of
the old revulets" The yield of coconut (lantation in the surrounding had also
increased significantly"
'ith effective recharging of ground water, farmers gained their confidence and
brought their barren lands under fruit and (lantation cro(s" It was estimated that over
the four years the ground water table had increased by $"*< m and 1*0 ha were
brought under irrigation" Two e(hemeral streams have started flowing throughout the
year" The (roblem of drin!ing water has been com(letely solved" -(art from
increased agricultural (roduction, the community has gained confidence in their
ca(abilities, which has hel(ed them to ta!e active (art in other develo(ment
(rogrammes (romoted by the Panchayati /a; Institutions and other community
develo(ment (rogrammes"
Introduction of cattle develo(ment in the watershed has also (layed a very significant
role in im(roving the economic viability of the (rogramme" It has been observed that
most (rominent and immediate benefit of watershed develo(ment is conservation of
soil and water, resulting in increased grass (roduction on field bunds, borders and on
all the available cultivated and non&cultivated lands" The advantage of this grass
out(ut can be harnessed only when the farmers own valuable livestoc! which can
res(ond suitably through higher mil! (roduction" 4uch #ultidisci(linary activities
have hel(ed in ta!ing best advantage of the watershed develo(ment (rogrammes"
)ree Based Farming: 'hile (romoting land develo(ment (rogrammes along with
watershed develo(ment, tree based farming has several advantages" Tree are
hardy, ca(able of withstanding harsh weather conditions and to (rovide income
for a long (eriod" 1owever, cro( selection is de(endent on the soil (roductivity
and moisture su((ly" #ost of the small farmers (refer fruit cro(s, as they can
earn regular income, although there is high demand for labour"
Promotion of tree based farming on (rivate wastelands for food security and income
generation is a ma;or (rogramme of -IF" This (rogramme to (romote agri&horti&
forestry for food and fodder security and marginal lands also covers women
em(owerment, community health, drin!ing water su((ly, hygiene and sanitation and
ca(acity building" The (oor families (artici(ating in this (rogramme establish drought
tolerant fruit cro(s such as mango, cashew, tamarind, custard a((le, ber, etc" on their
marginal or wastelands covering %". to 1"% ha" The inters(ace is used for cultivating
arable cro(s, which they have been growing earlier and the field bunds and borders
are used to establish hardy shrubs and trees useful for fodder, fuel, timber and herbal
medicines"
This (rogramme for rehabilitation of (oor tribal families on their own degraded lands,
(o(ularly !nown as F'adiG 82rchard Aevelo(ment9 has hel(ed over 20%%% families
to conserve and im(rove the (roductivity of the natural resources while im(roving
their agricultural (roduction" The green coverage of the land through fruit trees
enabled them to earn regular income without destroying the vegetation" 3fficient field
bunding (romoted soil and water conservation and active (resence of the farmers in
the field hel(ed them to enhance their cro( yields by 0%&1%%+ as com(ared to their
normal yields" There were o((ortunities for them to meet their basic needs such as
fodder, fuel, timber and medicinal herbs without de(ending on the community lands
and forests" This not only saved their time but also enhanced their dignity and status
in the society"
'ater resource develo(ment is one of the !ey activities, of the wadi (rogramme
which was re,uired to nurture the fruit trees" 'hile develo(ing the water resources
for establishing the fruit trees, the basic re,uirement of water for human and livestoc!
consum(tion was also met and critical (roblems of securing safe drin!ing water was
solved" -ssured source of (otable water hel(ed in drudgery reduction" -s (oor
,uality of the water was an im(ortant cause of illness in rural areas, with the
introduction of 'adi (rogramme, ma;or health (roblems could be solved" Further
su((ort was also given through training of local Aais 8#id&wives9 and 1ealth
'or!ers and 7etwor!ing of the local DhagatsC and Traditional 1ealers to ta!e (art in
the community health care (rogramme"
'ith the organisation of women 4elf 1el( 6rou(s 8416Cs9 micro&credit could be
availed to meet their consum(tive and (roduction needs" Through several on&farm as
well as off&farm activities many families could enhance their income" 4ome of the
im(ortant activities underta!en by the 416s of tribal women were establishmen of
fruit and forest necessaries vegetable cultivation, food (rocessing and collection and
(rocessing of minor forest (roduce" Houth from landless and small land holding
families were selected for training in various em(loyment oriented s!ills such as
car(entry, masonry, smithy, (rocessing of fruits and vegetable and mar!eting" -(art
from develo(ing the wastelands for food (roduction and generation of cash income,
the (ro;ect has also hel(ed the farmers to build their ca(acity through various training
and awareness activities, which have contributed to the success of the (rogramme"
'hile underta!ing the 'adi develo(ment the members of the 416s and local
communities had ta!en very !een interest and came u( with various innovative
methods to solve their (roblems encountered in the field from time to time" 4ome of
the innovative features of this (rogramme were I
1olistic Programme -((roach
Central Core Conce(t along with fle5ible elements tailor Bmade to the needs and
resources
Fle5ibility in (rogramme design
Aynamic and res(onsive to emerging needs
4trong mar!et sense
4(ace for community initiates
Araws u(on healthy traditions from the local culture
In;ects !nowledge and s!ills with demystification
3m(hasis on develo(ing a cadre of community level technicians
F7ot mass (roduction but (roduction by the massesG"
Aevelo(ing leadershi( and ca(acities of self management
#icrofinance integrated as community ban!ing a((roach
Promoting (eo(leCs institutions"
- family (artici(ating in this (rogramme with %". ha land is able to earn a net income
of /s"2%,%%% (er year after 0&) years, once the trees start bearing fruits" Auring this
gestation (eriod those families generate income from various sources such as
cultivation of food and vegetable cro(s, raising of fruit and forestry (lants,
vermicom(osting, mushroom (roduction, (roduction and (rocessing of herbal
medicines, and establishment of micro&entre(rises" 4ustaining their livelihood during
the gestation (eriod is very critical for the success of the 'adi Programme" -(art
from the monetary gains, there has been a greater im(act on the ,uality of life by way
of drudgery reduction for women, education for their children, control of migration,
non&consum(tion of alcohol and develo(ment of hard wor!ing culture" -fter
establishing their orchards, these families have started ta!ing u( dairy husbandry to
earn su((lementary income while increasing their earnings the local grou(s also
decided to (rotect their forests" 'ith (lenty of trees grown on their field bunds, they
did not have to de(end on the forests for meeting these needs" 1ence they could
easily conserve their forest resources" ?oo!ing to the success of the 'adi owners,
many families in the surrounding have initiated horticultural develo(ment on their
own"
The beneficiaries of (ro;ect which was first initiated in >ansda Tehsil of >alsad
district in 1<:2 have established their fruit (rocessing co&o(erative at ?acha!adi
village and their turn over during the last year was around /s"1 crore, from the sale
of mango (ul( and (ic!les, (rocessing vegetables and cashewnut" The society
decided to set u( an 3nglish #edium 4chool in their village cluster and a (art of the
(rofit earned from their fruit (rocessing unit was diverted to o(erate the school" They
have also started wee!ly ba=aars in various villages to boost their sales and encourage
the local families to (artici(ate in trading" This has created greater awareness among
the members of the community and reduced e5(loitation by outsiders" #any of the
'adi owners have (artici(ated in the local elections to occu(y im(ortation (ositions
on the local Panchayat /a; and Coo(erative Institutions" The (rogramme has
ade,uately em(owered them to sustain their livelihood and social develo(ment"
?oo!ing to the success of this (ro;ect, similar (rogrammes have been re(licated in
other tribal areas by both by -IF and other (ro;ect im(lementing agencies" This
(rogramme has an e5cellent (otential to re(licate throughout the country, (articularly
in hilly regions"