For the past two years with rainfall at one-third of its normal levels, Mangava, a village with 330 families, has produced less than a quarter of what residents needed to sustain themselves. This year their production more than tripled. Mangava has made this dramatic improvement in food security possible through a watershed management project run by Akhil Bharatiya Samaj Sewa Sansthan (ABSSS).
ABSSS’s founding principles are well-described by the phrase ‘Antya ka Uday’ or the advancement of the most disadvantaged members of society. Since its humble beginnings in 1978 with three non-formal schools for tribal children, ABSSS now has programs on rural land rights, education and health, natural resource management (water and land conservation), gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The organization now reaches 4,000 families in 60 villages across the district of Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh.
For ABSSS, empowerment starts with a connection to the land. In the Manikpur region, the past few years have been marked by rainfall scant in comparison to normal precipitation patterns. The rainfall has affected agricultural output and dozens have died from hunger. Food scarcity has also prompted migration. With increasing concerns about climate change and access to water, ABSSS has focused on natural resource management.
Two and half years ago, ABSSS started the watershed project with contributions from farmers and non-governmental organizations in more than 20 villages. Since the hilly Chitrakoot area has low vegetation and thin top soil, even a small amount of rain can cause flash floods which wash away the fertile topsoil. In its watershed project, ABSSS creates land structures such as contour bunds that decrease the speed of the water on mountain slopes during rainfall. Foothill ponds are also formed to collect and correspondingly conserve water. Watershed projects increase soil moisture levels, decrease soil erosion and benefit local water bodies. In the past two and a half years, ABSSS has created five watersheds with more than 100 ponds, dams, wells, and stone gullies.
ABSSS has integrated these watershed projects with many other aspects of village life. There are 12 ABSSS staff members who operate 18 Chingari Sanghtans groups, 39 women’s self-help groups (SHG), six farmers clubs, and 20 water conservation groups. Chingari Sanghtans groups help raise awareness and facilitate farmer’s empowerment. ABSSS trains group members in filling-out petition forms and accessing information about government schemes. They also organize public hearing camps where government officials are invited to hear villagers’ issues and find solutions. ABSSS also invites media members to highlight these issues. Women in SHG groups focus on facilitating the saving and loan activities for livelihoods of women. The SHGs collect a monthly amount from members and give loans to members in need. Farmers groups also help ABSSS implement better farming techniques in the village.
Villages in the Manikpur area have average education infrastructure. Every village has a primary school; however, poor facilities and low attendance rates of the teachers result in insufficient education of village children. ABSSS organizes meetings of the parents and teachers to encourage parents to send their children to school.
ABSSS has various publications to promote transparency and dissemination of best practices. Their website is regularly updated with news from the field including reports from surveys and social audits. Monthly paper publications include “Gaon ki ore” in Hindi and “Dharti ka dard” on land entitlement. “Kanooni Saksharta” provides information on key legal provisions which are relevant for the marginalised community. ”Right to Information” provides information on the Right to Information act and how to use it. Lastly, “Kol Itihas ki gaurav gatha” explores the history of the Kol Tribe.
Need for Project:
For the last two years, the Chitrakoot region has received only one-third of normal rainfall totals. Inadequate rainfall affects agricultural output and correspondingly dozens have die from hunger and food scarcity.
In response, ABSSS has redoubled its efforts on watershed management projects. ABSSS staff and volunteers are mobilizing villagers and providing technical inputs to recharge ground wells and aquifers. Together, they have spearheaded 5 watersheds with more than 100 water bodies in villages. Simultaneously, ABSSS has launched an awareness program to encourage villagers to participate in and benefit from watershed.
As a result productivity has tripled and migration of the farmers has dropped. ABSSS plans to replicate best practices from the pilot project to the entire area, encompassing more than 20 villages. This includes connecting more villagers to the watershed projects to foster better use of the water bodies and other structures in watershed.
As an August 2010 Indicorps Fellow, you will further ABSSS efforts to mobilize villagers to better use watersheds to ensure food security in the region. Initially, you should involve yourself in the current efforts of ABSSS to raise awareness in villagers. You will visit villages where past watershed projects have been beneficial, attend meetings of community organizations, help coordinate events, and provide support to the on-going projects where necessary.
As you reach out to new villages and communities, you should document the best methods for disseminating information. Are new audiences responsive to past success stories? What are some creative methods for awareness campaigns? You should feel free to experiment and reach out to local villagers for helpful feedback. You may locate and attempt to obtain additional resources from government schemes or other NGOs doing watershed projects. You will review literature on watershed management techniques and other similar programs to provide technical and operational support to the ABSSS team. Similarly, it will be important to engage local elders and get their feedback to help guide the process.
As the project progresses, you will document best practices and share them with your team to improve strategies. You will present your findings to the organization and establish best practices to ensure continuity after your departure.
Target Community:
The people of the region are predominantly from tribal communities. Farming and labor in rock quarries are the two main occupations of the area. Most villagers have small land holdings of one to two acres. Erratic rain has caused a substantial drop in agricultural production. Thus, migration is high, as over 50 percent of the population moves to cities in search of work. Rice, sesame, wheat, gram and mustard are major crops of the area.
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Objectives:
• To support ongoing watershed management efforts
• To mobilize community members to collect and harvest water for personal and agricultural use
Challenges:
• Creating long-term solutions in times of climate uncertainty
• Drawing upon local knowledge and ensuring local participation despite urgency of creating solutions
Team-Based Model:
Each project is designed as a three-way partnership between you, Indicorps, and a partner organization. Each grassroots partner organization – in this case ABSSS – will be hosting two to four Fellows. Consequently, the August 2010 Fellowship will have both an individual and a team component.
As a team of Indicorps Fellows, your focus is to empower village communities through awareness programs. Team members will share best practices in mobilizing communities in water and basic informational rights.
You will be provided accommodation at the ABSSS office in Manikpur district. Simple vegetarian food will be provided. You will be expected to do your own laundry and chores, and assist with team responsibilities. Internet and international calling facilities are available in town and at the ABSSS office (limited bandwidth). Manikpur is well connected to other major towns with train and bus routes. For travel to villages, you will use local transportation such as trains, buses and jeeps or you will travel tandem with staff on motorcycles.
The language spoken at ABSSS is Hindi. For this project, a basic knowledge of Hindi is required. If you do not have basic knowledge of Hindi, you can still apply if you commit to learning the language before the start of your Fellowship year.
Please explain the qualifications that make you a strong candidate for this project - be sure to elaborate on any experiences in water management and/or environmental advocacy.
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It is often difficult to see how individual actions contribute to larger societal problems (for example, how an individual's electricity consumption affects climate change). It is even harder to convince others to consider the impact of their everyday actions. How have you helped an individual to change their behavior for the benefit of a larger cause?
3.
Describe a time when you worked toward a goal knowing that you may not see it realized. How did you sustain your motivation in this situation? How did you detach yourself from the results and focus on the process?
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