Report on
Sustainable Community-based Approaches to Livelihoods Enhancement (SCALE) Programme
Sajjata Sangh
Project Leader: Natu Macwana
Gujarat, India
Report prepared for – Aga Khan Foundation, New Delhi
Period January – December 2008
C/O Development Support Centre
Near Government Tube Well
Bopal, Ahmedabad: 380 058
Phone: + 91-2717-235994, 235995,
E-mail:
Executive Summary
Project Goal
To contribute to rural poverty reduction through innovative community based approaches to natural resource management and livelihood enhancement that are suitable for wider adoption by government and others.
Progress
The year 2008 has witnessed Sajjata Sangh leading the initiative in striving to adopt and strengthen innovative models of farmer-centric agriculture extension through radio and need-oriented training programmes and piloting price-risk management and risk-mitigating options to the farmers to ensure their greater well being. The broadcast of a series of weekly episodes on Radio titled “Sajjata No Sang…Lave Kheti Ma Rang” continues to scale new heights of popularity.. The conclusion of the fourth quarter of 2008 witnessed successively broadcast of 100th episode of radio programme launching a pilot project on spoken web named Avaj Otalo. DSC and IBM both signed a formal agreement on 3rd of November 2008. The pilot project will be executed from the last week of December – 2008 to February - 2009
Based on the proposal submitted by Sajjata Sangh to the Agriculture insurance Company (AIC), crop-specific customized rainfall insurance products were designed for Groundnut crop in three talukas in Amreli and Junagadh each, and for cotton crop in three talukas in Amreli, one taluka each in Surendranagar and Narmada. The main feature of the products designed was the cover for losses on account of excess rainfall cover, apart from deficit volume and distribution cover. The total farmers mobilized to benefit from insurance cover in the current year 2008 Jamnagar and three talukas in Amreli (Dhari, Kahmabha and Rajula) is 350 covering 427 acres of land.
Sajjata Sangh has started to extend partnership with Agriculture Universities and Government of Gujarat to organize capacity building programmes. The Universities have also shown keen interest in hosting training programmes and their faculty has shown interest in participating as resource persons for training sessions. The Anand Agriculture University has for the first time co-sponsored the workshop on wheat production organised on 4-5 November, 2008 at Sardar Smruti Kendra, Anand Agriculture University, Anand. The workshop provided a platform to facilitate bi-lateral discussion with progressive farmers and resource persons.
A two-day congregation on cotton was organised by Sajjata Sangh on April 9 and 10, 2008 at Chotila (Surendranagar) in collaboration with Eight Saurastra based partner organisations The objective of this meet was to bring together the multi-stakeholders- farmers, NGOs, Companies dealing with input supply, market, value addition and insurance, Agriculture research and extension agencies
of the Cotton farming on one platform so as to help address the problems right from timely and adequate agri-input availability to exploring the possibility of better markets for the crop. At the conclusion of the meet, an action plan was formulated involving concerned stakeholders.
Sajjata Sangh organised a crop-specific workshops for the progressive farmers on groundnut with the objective of knowledge dissemination of improved agricultural practices focusing particularly on seed-variety and seed treatment, optimum fertilizer application, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and diseases.
Research Study on "Assessing the existing market and potential of Floriculture business in Gujarat.”. has been conducted during this year. A workshop on the based of recommendation of the research study was organised on 23rd-24th December, 2008 at Navsari Agriculture University.
We have initiated linkages of the Sajjata Sangh partners and farmers with National Spot Exchange to have access to national markets which will provide them a facility to get better returns at the time of bumper harvesting and also to prevent exploitation of the farmers by unscrupulous intermediaries.
Result I: INCREASED AWARENESS AND ADOPTION OF APPROACHES THROUGH DISSEMINATION OF BEST PRACTICES
1.1 Translation of the English booklet on the process of formation of Producer Company to be undertaken in Hindi.
Sajjata Sangh undertook the exercise of undertaking the translation of the English and Hindi booklet. Publication of English copy of the brochure ‘Producer Company’ is finished. Main objective the exercise is to disseminate among NGOs and other development agencies the procedure of formation and benefits of Producer Company in Gujarat and other states. The draft copy of the translated work with design was sent to AKF for comments. As it requires changes to be made in translation and design, the publication will be completed in first quarter of the work plan 2009.of the brochure ‘producer company’ in Hindi is completed and design as per the suggestion of AKF is under process and will be completed in the first quarter of the work plan 2009.
1.2 Development of Radio programme:
The broadcast of a series of weekly episodes on Radio titled “Sajjata No Sang…Lave Kheti Ma Rang” that was formally launched on November 23, 2006 continues to scale new heights of popularity. The duration of the programme is 15 minutes and is broadcast from Ahmedabad-Vadodara and Rajkot Stations in the “Kheduth Mandal” section at 7:20 PM on every Thursday.
The development of Radio Programme has focused on the promotion of improved agricultural practices amongst farmers, with particular focus on the needs and priorities of small and marginal farmers in drought prone regions of the state. In this endeavor, Sajjata Sangh has broadcast 50 consecutive weekly episodes in the current financial year. The total episodes broadcast till December 30, 2008 stands at 100 episodes.
Golden Jubilee Episode: A special Shrota Mandal Sammelan was organized at Village-Ranavada, Taulka-Sirohi, Dist-Banaskantha to commemorate the airing of 50th episode of our Radio Programme. The function was attended by about 300 farmers from 5 districts and renowned Media personalities, Radio artists, Agricultural and animal husbandry experts.
Celebration of broadcast of 75th episode:
A Shrota Sammelan was organised at MGLI, Ahmedabad on June 21, 2008 to mark the broadcast of 75th episode of our Radio Programme. Mr S.R. Chaudhary Director, Agriculture, GoG, Gandhinagar inaugurated and presided over the event. The message of Honorable Minister of Agriculture, GoG, was also communicated to the participants. There were around 150 participants comprising about 120 listeners covering 35 talukas from 15 districts, apart from Sajjata Sangh member NGOs' representatives and the artists involved in production of our programme. There was presentation by the listeners about their experience and benefits accrued to them from the programme so far. Also, the topics to be covered in the current Kharif season were also identified. The highlight of the event was a live performance by all the 9 artists involved in the production of our programme. The performance was based on the 75th episode to be broadcast.
Shrota Sammelan for Kharif
The fourth shrota sammelan was organized to review issues, best practices followed during Kharif crops. Main objective of this Sammelan was also to orient the listeners about the newly introduced technology for information dissemination i.e. ‘Avaj Otla’. 45 Listeners from Four district Surendranagar, Banaskantha, Bhavnagar and Rajkot had participated.
Significance, operation and process for VoiceSites was explained. During the workshop Dr. Parasara has addressed the issues related to seeds, weed control, pest control and livestock development etc.
Following are the success stories collected during the Sammellan.
Conducting impact assessment studies and documenting the process of producing and airing demand-driven Radio Programme.
While celebrating 100th episode of the programme in the end of the December, 2008, Sajjata Sangh needed to assess the impact of the ambitious radio programme. The Study was conducted between November and December 2008. 100 respondents from 10 districts were interviewed.
The focus of the Radio programmes was on promotion of improved agricultural practices amongst farmers – with a particular focus on needs and priorities of small and marginal farmers in drought prone regions of the state. Main Objective of the impact assessment study was to find out whether the programmes have been able to achieve this.
The draft Interim Report on the Impact Assessment of Radio Programme “Sajjatano Sang Lave Khetima Rang” was made available by the Agency – Black and White. The main findings are:
- The programme have helped the 99% of the respondents in identifying which seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to be used, to take agriculture as a business, take a decision on which crops to grow. The other ways in which the programme has been helpful is increase in agriculture production (98%), got new information in last season (97%), decreased cost (97%), risk reduction on basis of weather information (94%), experiments to do new things (68%), Wrong belief or information got corrected (58%) and those who initiated new things after listening to the programme (52%).
b. 99% of the respondents have reported some or the other change that they have incorporated in their cropping methods. Out of the 27 practices asked in all of them there is a marked difference in their before-after practices.
1.3 Development of crop-specific CDs covering improved package of practice in the entire crop cycle:
While planning for crop specific CDs it was felt that the various episodes for a particular crop would be combined and consolidated in one CD. However it was found that while doing this process the link between episodes was lost and therefore though the content were relevant, a new script and design needed to be developed. Looking at this, the sangh has decided to do in the following year.
1.4 Development of crop-specific training material for farmers. Booklets would be developed for major Kharif crops-Cotton and Groundnut.
Booklets on wheat and floriculture have been documented and circulated to farmers in the crop specific workshops. Since Development Support Centre has developed various booklets such as cumin, ground nut, cotton, maize, castor, mustard, paddy, wheat etc. These booklets are being used as training materials during crop specific workshops. As DSC has developed and published ten types of booklets for major Kharif crops, Sajjata Sangh had not planned to develop the same.
Result II: TRAINING AND EXPOSURE VISITS FOR ALL SAJJATA SANGH PARTNERS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING
2.1.3 Training on diversified agricultural crops like floriculture and spices. (Training based on findings of research study).
On the based on recommendations made in research study on 'the Existing Market and Potential of Floriculture Business in Gujarat’, a workshop on floriculture had organized at Sardar Smruti Kendra, Navsari Agriculture University, Navsari on 23rd -24th December, 2008.
Main objectives of the workshop were:
1. To address issues of farmers who cultivate rose, sevanti, paras, merrhajari etc.
2. To promote farmers for cut flowers like Dutch rose and gerbera.
3. To make aware to experienced farmers by greenhouse and polyhouse technology for flori-bussiness.
4. To make aware about market potentials of different flowers in different places.
Total 32 farmers had been motivated by six partner organizations. Floriculture Experts from Agriculture University, Navsari, Anand and Junagadh have imparted knowledge to the farmers. Exposure visits to greenhouse and polyhouse encouraged farmers to adopt the technology. About three farmers from Dahod have taken much interest to cultivate Dutch rose and gerbera in Greenhouse. Workshop also provided the information related importance and scope of different flower crops for small farmers, farming of loose flowers and cut flower in scientific way, farming of flowers in green house and poly house, aftercare of flowers, value addition etc.
2.1.4 Rainfall Insurance:
Based on the proposal submitted by Sajjata Sangh to AIC, crop-specific customized rainfall insurance products designed for Groundnut crop in three talukas in Amreli and Junagadh each, and for cotton crop in three talukas in Amreli, one taluka each in Surendranagar and Narmada.
The main features of the products designed was that the cover for losses on account of excess rainfall cover, apart from deficit volume and distribution cover, was incorporated, which was an improvement over the product initially promoted in Jamnagar district in the year 2006 and 2007.
The rainfall insurance products being offered by private companies like IFFCO-Tokio and ICCI Lombard were also studied. For this, a visit to SEWA, Ahmedabad was undertaken to learn about their experiences of promoting rainfall insurance in collaboration with private insurance companies in Gujarat. After the comparative analysis of these products, the product of AIC was considered to be suitable and customized to our requirements.
The total farmers mobilized to benefit from insurance cover in the current year 2008 in Jamnagar and three talukas in Amreli (Dhari, Kahmabha and Rajula) is 350 covering 427 acres of land.
2.1.5 Crop-specific workshop of Progressive Farmers:
Crop-specific workshop on Groundnut
As part of the drive of Sajjata Sangh to bridge the gap between Research Scientists and the innovative farmers to facilitate the bi-directional flow of information between them, Sajjata Sangh organized a crop-specific workshop on Groundnut in collaboration with Junagadh Agriculture University at Junagadh. The total number of participants were 25 including 21 farmers and NGO staffs and 4 renowned scientists.
The main points of discussion in the workshop were pertaining to seed-variety and seed-treatment, Integrated pest management, optimum fertilizer application and enhancing water use-efficiency.
Crop specific workshop on wheat
A crop specific workshop on wheat was organised on 4-5 November, 2008 at Sardar Smruti Kendra, Anand Agriculture University, Anand. A concept note and invitation letter was prepared and circulated among partner organizations and asked the suggestions and questions from the farmers to be addressed in workshop related to wheat farming. The workshop was co- sponsored by Anand Agriculture University under RKVY scheme. The workshop provided a platform to facilitate bi-lateral discussion with progressive farmers and resource persons. Mr. R. G. Bhalara, District Development Officer, Anand, R. B. Patel, Joint Director, Agriculture, Dr. P. P. Patel, Director of Education and Extension and Sachin oza have remained present in the workshop to motivate the farmers. About 58 farmers, representatives from six partner organization from six districts had participated in the workshop. Farmers have made aware about Seed selection, seed treatment, land preparation, sowing, weed control, pest and disease management, Bio fertilizer organic farming and micro nutrient management.