i Livelihood Augmentation in Rainfed Areas A Strategy Handbook for the Practitioner Volume I Strategies Based on Natural Resource Management Astad Pastakia & Sachin Oza Development Support Centre Ahmedabad i Livelihood Augmentation in Rainfed Areas: A Strategy Handbook for the Practitioner Volume I: Strategies Based on Natural Resource Management Astad Pastakia and Sachin Oza Published in 2011 by Development Support Centre, Ahmedabad Copyright © Development Support Centre (DSC) This work has been produced for an educational purpose, therefore information contained in this book may be reproduced with the acknowledgement to DSC. However, the book may not be circulated in any other form, binding or cover. Credits Project Coordinator : Virendra Vaghani Editorial Assistance : Rohini Patel, Tapan Patel Case Study Contributors : Seva Mandir, Udaipur AKRSP(I), Ahmedabad ASA, Bhopal JBF, Jodhpur BAIF, Pune Sadguru Foundation, Dahod SURE, Barmer Timbaktu Collective, C.K.Palli, Ananthpur PRADAN, Dholpur Cover Photograph : AKRSP (I) Inside Photographs : DSC, AKRSP(I), contributing NGOs and others Design : Himanshu Kikani, aalekhan.com Production Coordinator : Paresh Dave Pagesetting : Mahesh Nandvana Peer Review : Dr. Suhas P. Wani, Principal Scientist, ICRISAT, Mr.Bharat Kakde BAIF Pune, Mr K. Sridhar, APMAS, Mr Sanjeev Kumar and Mr Ambuj Kishore. ARAVALI, D. Narendranath, PRADAN Advisory Panel : Dr. Sudarshan Iyengar, Apoorva Oza, Dr. R. Parthasarthy, Suneel Padale, Dr. Indira Hirway Copy editing : Sudha Shankar, Word-by-Word This document has been produced with support from the Aga Khan Foundation through the European Union funded Sustainable Community Based Approaches to Livelihood Enhancement (SCALE) Programme. The views expressed herein are those of Development Support Centre (DSC) and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the Aga Khan Foundation or the European Union. ii iii Navigation Chart Volume-I Volume-II Volume-III Volume-IV NRM Market ICT Social Capital Interventions Interventions Interventions Development Part-1 Untapped Potential of Rainfed Areas - Common Introduction Part-2 NRM Based Strategies NRM Strategies (Chapter 1) Integrated strategies: Specialised strategies: Basic Micro-watershed Problem lands development (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) Principles Strategies for Distress Livestock based Hotspots (Chapter 7) strategies (Chapter 6) And Ethical NRM to LA (Chapter 5) Values (Chapter 2) Strategies that Promote Farmers’ Innovations & Creativity (Chapter 8) Social Capital for NRM Interventions (Chapter 9) Part-3 Best Practices Micro- Distress Problem Livestock based Farm Watershed hotspots: Lands: strategies: Productivity: Development: Cases Case 2 Cases 7, 9 Cases 3, 5, 6 Cases 1, 2, 6 4, 8 ii iii Foreword Removal of poverty and hunger is the first of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the United Nations. About 400 million rural poor reside in about 200 poorest districts of the country that constitute rainfed areas. If one looks at the overall agricultural pattern across the country, almost 85 million ha, that is, about 60% of the 142 million ha of cultivable land is under rainfed conditions. These make a significant contribution to the production of pulses, oil seeds and cereals in the country. Public investment in irrigation has steadily declined. In addition, even if the entire irrigation potential of the country is developed, 50% of the arable land is likely to remain rainfed. There is, therefore, an urgent need to give attention to improving the agricultural productivity and diversifying the economy of these areas. The government, research institutes, NGOs and the private sector, each in its own manner, has made efforts to enhance the livelihood opportunities for rural communities in rainfed areas. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh announced a mega assistance plan of Rs 25,000 crores in 2007 to boost agricultural productivity. A National Rainfed Area Authority has also been set up to specifically look into the issues of enhancing rural livelihoods in rainfed areas. The efforts of luminaries such as Shri P.R. Mishra of Sukhomajri Project in Haryana and Shri Anna Hazare in Ralegaon Siddhi, Maharashtra, are well known. Development Support Centre (DSC) initiated in 1994 by the late Shri Anil Shah, has made a critical contribution in capacity building, research and influencing policies related to participatory natural resource management. The organization was involved in developing the first watershed guidelines brought out by Mr. B.N. Yugandhar, and continues to look at issues related to the effective implementation of the watershed programme. Some of the studies such as ‘Longitudinal Study in Sixteen Drought Prone Watershed and Non-watershed Villages of Gujarat’, ‘Drinking Water Security in Watershed Villages’ and ‘Cost-benefit Analysis of Watershed Development: An Exploratory Study in Gujarat’ have led to policy changes at the state and national levels and better practices at the ground level. One of the most important contributions of Anilbhai was the formulation of principles for development and management of natural resources in a sustainable manner or ‘Bopal Declarations’ as they are popularly known. These have been mentioned in the Planning Commission’s ‘Approach Paper for Rainfed Areas’ and also in the new watershed guidelines of April 2008, as guiding principles for implementing the programme. The iv v new guidelines give due recognition to the need for improving rural livelihoods through participatory watershed development, with the focus on integrated farming systems for enhancing income, productivity and livelihood security in a sustainable manner. As an organization involved in capacity building of practitioners, and also working as an implementing agency, DSC realizes that there is no dearth of literature on watershed management. There are many how-to-do manuals such as how to construct a check- dam or how to mobilize people to form Self Help Groups, etc. However, there are few that focus on broadening the horizon of the practitioner, by providing alternative options that could be tried out in different conditions. Whereas plenty of literature is available on the technical aspects of watershed development and other livelihood strategies, not much has been written on the institutional aspects, entrepreneurial strategies or the role of ICT. Besides, there are many rainfed areas such as flat lands or coastal lands where the typical watershed approach cannot be applied and, therefore, intervention strategies for these areas also need to be developed. A need, therefore, was felt for a strategy handbook that would focus on livelihood augmentation in rainfed areas, which would draw upon the experiences of field implementation, and cull out the principles and strategies to help a practitioner adapt these in his/her context. Given the breadth of the subject, the authors found it practical to present the material in four volumes. Dr. Astad Pastakia, a doctorate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and author of Locked Horns – Conflicts and their Resolution in Community-based Natural Resource Management, agreed to anchor the project. Mr. Sachin Oza, Executive Director, DSC and a practitioner for 20 years, has co-authored the volumes with Dr. Pastakia. They were ably assisted by Mr. Virendra Vaghani, who has coordinated the entire project. The development of these handbooks has not been easy and it has taken well over two years to bring them out in the current form. I am grateful to Aga Khan Foundation and the European Commission for having shown great patience and trust and for extending support to DSC in this endeavour. Needless to say, these volumes would not have been possible without the inputs of several organizations that have been toiling night and day to enhance the livelihoods of the poor. I am sure, that these volumes will make a significant contribution and add tremendous value to the existing literature on livelihood. Vijay Mahajan Chairman, Development Support Centre iv v Preface With the Green Revolution areas showing signs of fatigue, and public investments in rainfed regions not yielding the desired results, Indian agriculture once again finds itself at the crossroads. The crisis of productivity in agriculture is linked to an impending crisis of food security, reminiscent of the PL-480 days, prior to the Green Revolution. Whereas agricultural growth rates have stagnated, the population is growing at exponential rates. The per capita production of food grains dropped from an all-time high of 207 kg/ person/yr in 1995 to 186 kg/person/yr in 2007. The per capita availability of agricultural land has declined from 0.48 ha in 1951 to 0.16 ha in 1991 and is likely to decline further to 0.08 ha by 2035. Looking at the magnitude of the problem and heeding the advice of the Planning Commission, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, announced in 2007 a mega assistance plan of Rs 25,000 crores to state governments to boost agricultural productivity. However, whether these investments will produce the desired results will depend on how and where these resources are deployed. It is our contention that a vast untapped potential exists in rainfed areas of the country. this has also been corroborated by a recent comprehensive assessment made by a team of international agricultural scientists (Wani, Rockstrom and Oweis, 2009). The keys to unlock this potential are also available, as demonstrated by the efforts of numerous non-governmental and governmental