SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE MONOGRAPHS 9 At Loggerheads or Towards Sustainability? Changing Rural Livelihood Systems and Natural Resource Management G.K. Karanth V. Ramaswamy Institute for Social and Economic Change Bangalore SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE MONOGRAPH SERIES Number 9 April 2005 ISBN 81-7791-108-2 Series Editor: G. K. KARANTH © 2005, Copyright Reserved The Institute for Social and Economic Change Bangalore Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) is engaged in interdisciplinary research in analytical and applied areas of social sciences, encompassing diverse aspects of change and development. ISEC works with central, state and local governments as well as international agencies by undertaking systematic studies of resource potential, identifying factors influencing growth and examining measures for reducing poverty. The thrust areas of research include state and local economic policies, issues relating to sociological and demographic transition, environmental issues and fiscal, administrative and political decentralisation and governance. It pursues fruitful contacts with other institutions and scholars devoted to social science research through collaborative research programmes, seminars, etc. The Social and Economic Change Monograph Series provide an opportunity for ISEC faculty, visting fellows and PhD scholars to disseminate their ideas and research work. Monographs in the series present empirical analyses and generally deal with wider issues of public policy at a sectoral, regional or national level. Publication of this Monograph has been made possible through the generous support of Sir Ratan Tata Deferred Endowment Fund, The Swiss National Science Foundation and The Swiss Agency for Development Co-operation. FOREWORD During 1994 and 2002 a team of scholars from Switzerland and India, all from different research and development institutions got together to carry out research on the theme of Rural Livelihood Systems. The research itself was fi- nanced by the Swiss National Science Foundation within its framework of a longer- term initiative to stimulate South-North Research and Teaching Collaboration. According to this framework, research process on Rural Livelihood Systems (hence- forth RLS) had to share and exchange the results with a number of similar interna- tional research projects with focus on Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The RLS Project had, as partners, scholars from Institute for Rural Management, Anand (Gujarat), SAMPARK, a Bangalore based NGO, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore and from the Swiss side the Post-Graduate Course on Develop- ing Countries (NADEL), Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Each research institution carried out the research on inter-related themes at different locations in different parts of India. The team from ISEC carried out research, in two phases in a few villages of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka States. This Monograph brings together the findings of research, mainly focus- ing on Karnataka village. It is in this village that the team of researchers re-exam- ined a few hypotheses pertaining to changing livelihood systems, management of natural resources and emerging rural leadership. I am very happy that Dr. G. K. Karanth and Dr. V. Ramaswamy have brought these findings together in the form of a Monograph for wider dissemination. I am also happy that besides Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development Co-operation supported the publication of this Monograph. As in all our other publications, I look forward to a good and critical acclaim for this work also. April 19, 2005 Gopal K. Kadekodi Bangalore Director, ISEC CONTENTS List of Tables List of Pictures List of Map List of Illustration List of Graph Acknowledgement Chapter I Introduction 1 Chapter II Kodipalli’s Natural Resource Base 9 A. The Tank and Its Physical Features B. Land and Pattern of Landownership C. Pastures and Forest Chapter III Milestones of Transition 38 Chapter IV Examples of Transition 45 A. Disbanding the Mande B. Damming the Tank C. From Marey to Market Chapter V Leadership and Village Governance: From Participation to 99 Contracts Chapter VI Conclusions: At Loggerhead or Towards Sustainability? 113 1. Features of a Livelihood System in Transition 2. Nature of Dependence on External Resources 3. Extent of Market Integration 4. Changing Leadership 5. Consequences for Livelihood System and Natural Resources Management References 122 List of Tables Table 1. Caste, Households, Population and Landownership 21 Table 2: Irrigation Scenario 25 Table 3: Caste and Land under Tank Irrigation 26 Table 4: Area Under Ragi (In percentages) 28 Table 5: Changes in Animal Husbandry (2001) 53 Table 6: Incidence of Sharecropping and Leasing lands (2001) 89 Table 7: Extent of Common Resources in India 111 List of Pictures/Maps/Graphs/Illustrations Picture 1: Kodipalli Tank When Nearly Full (1998) 3 Picture 2. A Stone Inscription at the Malera Kunte in Murampalli, 12 adjoining Kodipalli. Picture 3: Kodipalli’s Neeruganti at Work 15 Picture 4: Village Cattle on their Way to the Forest 46 Picture 5: The Procession to Mark the Festival of Teppotsava 55 Picture 6: Pressing for a Livelihood in the Market: Kodipalli’s 67 Washerman in Gownipalli List of Map Map 1 : Land Use in Kodipalli 31 List of Illustration Illustration 1: An Artist’s Perception of Marey-Centred Farming System 59 List of Graph Graph 1: Landownership and Incidence of Tenancy 91 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In a research that had many experiments, inter-institutional collaborations and that which spanned over nearly ten years, we have benefited by a large number of people and institutions. Foremost, we are grateful to the people of the two villages and their hamlets in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka: Chinnaramannagaru Palli and Kodipalli. They gave us warm hospitality, and time, besides participating in our research. While at work in these villages we had the goodwill and support of two leading NGOs: MYRADA and RORES. It was our good fortune that we were able to interact with personnel from these organisations who gave us free flowing constructive criticisms, suggestions and ideas. We thank P S Reddy, Dhananjay, Satyappa, Venkatalakshmamma, Bhagyamma, Usha and Malathi, Jangal, Naidu, and Ramesh. To Ms. Veena Krishnamurthy we owe a debt of gratitude both for her sustained interest in our study and useful training in PRA techniques. As representatives of one of the sponsoring institution, friends from the Bangalore field office of Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) gave us the requisite support. We fondly recall the association of R Suresh, Martin Sommers, Charles Geiger, Chitra Suresh, N Jagannath with our research. Their visits to the field sites refueled our energies and interests. We are thankful also to all the partners in the research collaboration: IRMA (Anand), SAMPARK (Banga- lore) and NADEL (Zurich). Professor G S Aurora who led the research during the first phase of the study, continued to guide us besides taking part in the research feedback exercises in Kodipalli. To him and to Mrs. Ira Aurora we remain thankful. Ruedi Baumgartner and Ruedi Hogger gave us not mere an opportunity to work with them and a wider team of scholars, but also warm friendship and chal- lenging ideas. To them and other friends at NADEL and Swiss National Science Foundation were remain indebted: Ralf Koppel, Monika and Ruedi Haeberli. In ISEC we were privileged to have the support of Directors P V Shenoi, M Govinda Rao and G K Kadekodi and Registrars S N Sangita, M Nageshwara Rao, and M Venkata Reddy. A Krishnappa, K Narasimhaiha, Lakshminarayana, Ramesh and V Hanumaiah ably supported the team of research. We fail in our words to fully express our gratitude to Meera Murthy for her role in this research. Not only did she give us secretarial help but also took part in the research as a field worker. B Akila and Veena Markande helped us in finalising the manuscript with the editorial help from V S Parthasarathy. To them all we remain indebted. We thank Sage Publications India Ltd., for their kind permission to use Illustration 1 and Pictures 1,2,5 and 6 from Baumgartner, Ruedi and Ruedi Hogger (2004). Earlier reporting of our findings and papers based on the research were presented in several workshops and seminars. Professors Abdul Aziz, N Jayaram and R Indira gave very useful comments. To the members of our families we remain thankful for bearing with us: Rajalakshmi Karanth, Puja, Prarthana, Amaravathi Ramaswamy and Sushma. Bangalore G K Karanth 19 April 2005 V. Ramaswamy Introduction 1 Chapter I: Introduction Prelude In a study carried out during 1994-95, three conclusions among others were arrived at. First that rural livelihood systems (as they are emerging) depend increasingly on external resources. This weakens the necessity for the local management of village-based natural resource and contributes to the unsustainability of natural resource base. Second, the on- going integration of village communities into an enlarged market economy does not further the more sustainable management of natural resources without an appropriate policy framework. Third, effective village leadership in the past was perceived as the capability to organise people and to pool resources. With emerging patterns of leadership, the sustainable management of resources has lost priority in favour of tapping efficiently the external resources from governmental or non-governmental sources. The study was carried out in Chinnaramannagaru Palli (C.R. Palli) of Kadri Taluk, Ananthapur district in Andhra Pradesh.1 The findings of the study were presented to an audience of multi-disciplinary background during which it was suggested that these conclusions could be validated in different field settings. Since such a validation was found possible within the scope of the research project , it was decided to undertake such a study. The result was an attempt to repeat the study with some variations, in the village Kodipalli of Srinivasapur Taluk, Kolar District of Karnataka State. Kolar district of Karnataka was chosen to be the region for this present study for several reasons.