ANNUAL REPORT 2012 THIS IS AN INDICATIVE MAP /ARTIST’S REPRESENTATION - NOT TO SCALE PROGRAMME AREAS OF AKRSP (INDIA) GUJARAT BHARUCH, SURAT, NARMADA, TAPI, NAVSARI and DANG 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. Primitive Tribal Groups, largely landless, eke out a livelihood through labour and bamboo work. JUNAGADH and PORBANDAR districts face problems of groundwater depletion and salinity ingress on the coast and over-exploitation of the Gir Forest. Multi-caste and multi-religious communities are struggling to maintain their livelihoods. SURENDRANAGAR and RAJKOT districts are amongst the most drought-prone districts of Gujarat. Most of the villages in these districts face an acute scarcity of water. MADHYA PRADESH KHANDWA, BARWANI, BURHANPUR and KHARGONE districts in Madhya Pradesh are home to marginalized tribal populations who live in poverty despite the rich natural resource base. BIHAR MUZAFFARPUR and SAMASTIPUR districts in fl ood-prone Bihar are low in Human Development Indices (HDI), have very low literacy rates and migration to the urban areas is key source of livelihood. CONTENTS ANNUAL REPORT 2012 STATISTICAL ABSTRACT INNOVATIONS THROUGH THE AGES 07 STATE REPORTS FIELD IMPLEMENTATION 13 Empowering Communities 15 Enhancing Livelihoods - On Farm 20 Enhancing Livelihoods - Off Farm 23 Providing Access To Education 25 Reducing Drudgery And Improving Health 30 Working With The Poorest 33 Reaching Out 37 Financial Summary 38 About AKRSP (India) ANNEXURES BOARD OF DIRECTORS STAFF LIST OUR PARTNERS ADDRESSES Dairy development can be a key livelihood option for the Siddi community living in the periphery of the Gir forest AKRSPI(India) ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 12 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS STATISTICAL OVERVIEW: 2012 The year 2012 was the last year for AKRSP(I) to receive funding from the 11 year (10 year project with a year’s Details Achievement in Cumulative till extension) Sustainable Community based Approaches to Livelihood Enhancement (SCALE) project under which 2012 2012 the European Commission funded the core costs in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. 1. COVERAGE We are thankful to the wide range of donors who supported us, both fi nancially and technically, in this period of Villages 167 1544 transition Households 16247 137840 Village Institution/Women’s Village Institutions 969/545 5268/3084 • The European Commission for supporting us so generously for all these years; and their continued support in Bihar Members/Women Members 4345/5627 92187/51666 • The Sir Ratan Tata Trust for its support in coastal Gujarat; and institutional support and ownership for the 2. ENHANCING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND INCOME Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell (CSPC) a) Private Land Developement • The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust for its support in Madhya Pradesh as well as support for AKRSP(I)’s future Soil and Water Conservation (in Ha.) 1585 46018.81 • The Axis Foundation for its willingness to support the expansion into the poorest district of Gujarat; Dangs • Microsoft for its continued support for our work in Bihar and elsewhere Farm Forestry (hhs) 1671 15760 • The Araghyam Foundation for its support for the innovative concept of water-testing laboratories in Bihar Agro Forestry/Horticulture (no. of orchards) 485 14298 • The Government of Gujarat’s fi nancial support for work in irrigation, alternate energy, drinking water, sanitation Group wells (Homestead Land Development) 15 555 and tribal development (especially for primitive tribal groups) as well as endorsing AKRSP(I) as a training b) Water Management agency and seeking its opinion on policy issues • The Government of Madhya Pradesh for its substantial trust and support for watershed work through Canal Irrigation Societies (in No.) 57 123 MNREGA and IWMP programmes and its acceptance of the many ideas we propose Lift Irrigation Devices (in No.) 159 875 • The Government of Bihar’s fi nancial support for work with mahadalits Check Dams and Irrigation Tanks (in No.) 67 1313 • The Government of India, through its many initiatives, and fl agship programmes and consultations with civil Water Use Effi ciency Devices (in Ha.) 797.9 10835.84 society • CIDA and Marshall Foundation for the work in education, and DFID for health in Bihar c) Microfi nance and Agricultural Marketing • BMT for its support for an out-of-the box village drainage initiative in Gujarat Savings (Rs. in millions) 10.69 55.19 • NABARD, for its support for horticulture, Self-Help Group promotion and SRI in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh Credit (Rs. in millions) 15.94 76.94 and Bihar Agri Input Supply (no of hh) 8778 38432 In addition, let me thank our various NGO partners, consultants and the Aga Khan Development Network, without Agri equipment (no. of hh) 789 5442 whom we would have not got so far. 3. COMMON LAND DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT Joint Forest Management (no. of villages) 56 56 Last, but not the least, are the rural communities who bear with our ideas, and our presence, with patience and 4. ENHANCING INCOME AND NON AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES provide encouragement and motivation for our work. Dairy (no. of hh) 46 3298 Goat Rearing (no. of hh) 186 568 Skill - Based (no. of hh) 2889 4230 Product - Based (no. of hh) 63 440 5. DRUDGERY REDUCTION Alternative Energy ( Biogas Plants/Solar Devices/Windmills) (in No.) 1102 15935 Roof Rain Water Harvesting Structures 229 10005 Apoorva Oza Drinking Water Supply Schemes 21 180 Chief Executive Offi cer Hand Pumps Installed/ Repaired 294 3595 Percolation cum drinking water wells 0 233 6. EDUCATION Children in 3-6 age group 1737 6325 Children in 6-11 age group 3094 12517 7. ACCESS TO COMPUTERS Number of people trained 1852 22775 Number of youth placed 519 2055 01 02 AKRSPI(India) ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 12 AKRSP (INDIA)'S DEVELOPMENT APPROACH INNOVATIONS THROUGH THE AGES Alternate The major contribution of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) (a much better word than NGOs) is the innovation and creativity Energy they have brought to the rural development sector. Many of these innovations then eventually get adopted by all stake holders. Savings and Research and Unlike the world of science and corporates, CSOs do not patent their innovations. In fact the beauty of these organizations is Communication L RESORCES • R Credit Groups URA EDU that they proactively share these innovations freely, and generously, to all interested. Unfortunately, this generosity prevents their AT CI N ODS • POLICY NG worth from being recognized. In India, where the space for fl exible, small and innovative CSO’s is shrinking, let us remind ourselves G IHO IN D IN EL FL R of the innovations, many of which have now become mainstream, where AKRSP (India) was a major contributor. These include V IV NEW TEC U U Training R L G HN EN D innovations in process, approaches, technologies and partnerships. E E SIN O Non-Farm Centres S L ES LO C G N B E E Livelihoods A C G • R O C Y N A C Y The fi rst decade C I • A A • • • ORGANISING P The fi rst 10 years of AKRSP (India) - 1985 – 1995 were full of experiments and innovations as there were no precedents to T S A C solving many of the problems faced by rural India. Many experiments failed (fodder farms etc.) but many more succeeded laying U PEOPLE FOR S I T the foundation of much of our work and in a few cases, the work done by rural development agencies in Gujarat and India. This COLLECTIVE ACTION Y G Agriculture Non-formal was a period of great creativity throughout the development sector in India, and hence many innovations were not of AKRSP N B I • • • Education U (India) alone, but were in collaboration with other NGO’s and evolved parallelly. So this chapter should be read as documentation T I L O ADDRESSING of innovations by civil society, where AKRSP (India) played a major role, but defi nitely not the only role. D M I RURAL INEQUITIES N O G R (CASTE, CLASS, GENDER) P • Forestry • Education PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) The beauty of most new and path-breaking ideas is that Water Resource after they are shared; most people fi nd them very obvious. Skill Bulding Management Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), and its evolution into PRA is an & Placement Soil and Water approach which facilitates rural, illiterate communities to share Conservation the tremendous knowledge they have in a form which does not require literacy. Robert Chambers and Gordan Conway brought RRA to AKRSP, but AKRSP (India) modifi ed it to a AKRSP (India)’s development approach has two main goals. They are, organising people for collective action, and addressing rural more participatory approach by involving the community inequities. Keeping these goals in mind, it undertakes the following interventions and activities: in the analysis and planning from the information they had articulated. The fi rst PRA’s by AKRSP (India) took place in Lathodara and Arena villages in Junagadh, Gujarat. In 1988, Non-formal Education Alternate Energy Agriculture Water Resource simultaneously, MYRADA and DDS in the south were also • Early Childhood • Biogas • Organic Farming Management evolving RRA into Participatory Learning Approaches (PLA) Development • Windmills • Promotion of • Lift Irrigation etc. Many innovations evolved: wealth ranking, topical PRA Centers(ECD) • Solar Lighting Systems Biopesticides and • Small & Large Water etc. An International workshop on PRA at Kabripathar village • Learning Support Organic compost Harvesting Structures in tribal Gujarat in 1990 brought together many practioners, Centers (LSC) Savings and Credit • Horticulture • Micro Irrigation Systems and much new learning. Now PRA is a part of the way most • Family Literacy Groups • Creeper vegetable • Group wells outsiders understand a rural community and is a mandatory • Seasonal Hostels • Self Help Groups cultivation • Participatory part of most participatory government programmes.