Development CornerShift from Microfinance toDevelopment finance 25

Community in ActionCommunity Based Disaster Preparedness committee in action

13

Practitioner’s DiaryTank Based Watershed Development

Programme - Punganur Experiences 9

MattersDevelopment November 2008

Kalanjiam Movement

Feature

MattersDevelopment Vol. II Issue 11 November 2008

Centre for Development CommunicationDHAN Foundation18, Pillaiyar Koil Street, S.S. Colony

Madurai - 625 016. Tamil Nadu, INDIA

Tel.: +91-452-4353983, 2610794, 2610805

Email: dhanfoundation_tn@airtelmail.in

Website: http://www.dhan.org

From the Editors’ Desk

Contents

Movement is focusing not only on releasing poor women from the clutches of poverty; it also focuses on building their value based characters and behaviors. Ensuring the legitimate space for women in all levels of society, mainstreaming women to occupy leadership capacities in all such platforms are the core objectives of Kalanjiam movement.

Dear Readers!

This November issue of Development Matters, Shanthi Madhuresan

brings you an elaborate account of decade's experience of Kalanjiam

Movement with an inclusive approach of regional level celebrations

across the nation. Janakiraman writes about Panchayat Parliament.

Kiran Kumar narrates his tank based watershed development

experience in Punganur. Muralikrishanan details the community

based disaster preparedness committee during Nisha cyclone. N.

Venkatesan writes about how Vayalagam plant clinics helps

sustaining the productivity of tankfed agriculture. Heritage walk is

organized by DHAN Foundation to explore the heritage/historical

importance of little known tourism sites in and around Madurai. This

month the visit was to Keelekuilkudi.

Alok Kumar Dubey analyses how microfinance should evolve into

development finance. Ramkumar updates us about the education

programme of DHAN Foundation, in this issue he lets us know about

the children's day celebration in the two schools. Mahanthesh puts

light on how turfing to tank bund plays an important role in

strengthening and reducing erosion of soil from the tank bund. As

usual, we look forward for your continued support by contributing

articles, comments, critiques, feedback and encouragement to enrich

the quality of subsequent issues of this magazine.

Happy reading!

1. 1

2. Micro politics for direct democracy – Panchayat Parliament 7

3. Tank Based Watershed Development Programme

- Punganur Experience 9

4. Community Based Disaster Preparedness committee in action 13

5. Vayalagam Plant Clinics - Sustaining Efforts to Enhance

Productivity of Tankfed Agriculture 16

6. Heritage Walk to Keelakuilkudi 23

7. Shift from Microfinance to Development finance 25

8. Turfing through direct seeds sowing

(Stylosanthes Hamata) 26

9. Children’s day celebration in DHAN Schools 28

A decade of Kalanjiam Movement

1

Feature

*N. Shanthi Maduresan, Programme Leader, Kalanjiam Movement, DHAN Foundation, Madurai

Growth phase:

Kalanjiam movement is a people’sorganization, promoted by DHANFoundation for creating socio-economic development among thelives of poor and vulnerablecommunity. The Kalanjiam era hasbeen started when “AlaguKalanjiam” got promoted in the yearof 1989 at Alagapuri village ofMadurai district. The small groupshave gained the momentum anddeveloped as a movement in the yearof 1998. Apart from Tamil Nadu, atpresent Kalanjiam movement haskept its visibility in the states ofAndhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,Puducherry, Rajasthan, Orissa,Madhya Pradesh, Assam,Jharkhand, and Maharashtra. Nowit has grown as a giant institutioncovered with more than four lakhsfamilies. All over India, more than4.9 lakhs poor women are enrolledwith 20496 Kalanjiam self helpgroups. Kalanjiam movement hasachieved a record by promoting 140registered people’s federations ofKalanjiam self help groups (SHGs)exclusively working for povertyreduction.

Pioneering Leadership:

Movement is focusing not onlyon releasing poor women from theclutches of poverty; it also focuseson building their value basedcharacters and behaviors. Ensuringthe legitimate space for women inall levels of society, mainstreamingwomen to occupy leadership

capacities in all such platforms arethe core objectives of Kalanjiammovement. It is interested to guideand direct for enabling people to runtheir institutions based on the needson their own. Kalanjiam movementhas promoted more than 50thousand leaders in various levelswith ideal values and leadershipcharacters. The public service,which has been taken up by group,cluster and federation leaders in theirlocal villages have gained greaterappreciation by the local community.The role of Kalanjiam leaders inresolving local conflicts havesignificantly recognized by thesociety and makes proud toKalanjiam movement.

Savings is the boon for poor

Kalanjiam self help groups arepromoted to destroy the evil ofpoverty among poor women

families. Kalanjiam movement isrestlessly severing to just improvethe economic status ofdisadvantaged families. Towards thisprocess at this point of time, itmobilized about Rs.125.22 crores assaving alone. Out of the savingamount 27.39 crores is kept ascommon fund. It is working with192 braches of 29 nationalizedcommercial and rural banks all overIndia. At present it mobilized Rs.279crores as loan from these bankingsources for uplifting lives ofKalanjiam members. Apart from this,the federations of Kalanjiam aremobilized about Rs. 24 crores ascredits directly from apex financialinstitutions for serving the creditneeds of their members.

Remarkable achievement of

community bank

The Kalanjiam DevelopmentFinance Services (KDFS), promoted

A decade of Kalanjiam Movement

N. Shanthi Maduresan*

2

by Kalanjiam movement is servingthe groups and its members for thosethe formal banking credits areinaccessible on time. It providesneeded credit service to groups inthe initial stages. KDFS, whichprovides easy and immediate creditfacility to its members, is promotedby Kalanjiam groups for Kalanjiammembers. With the support of Bankof India, Canara Bank, CorporationBank and Vijaya Bank it has providedRs. 606 crores as loan to 18,355groups. It is significant to note thatout of the loan amount, as of nowRs.100.5 crores is standing ascurrent outstanding.

Mutuals is the gift to community:

Kalanjiam institutions are jointlypromoted “Kalanjiam - People’sMutual” under Indian trust act inthe year of 2003 for providing socialsecurity to the Kalanjiam membersapart from savings and creditservices. People’s Mutual isimplementing various insuranceproducts and services incollaboration with different socialsecurity programs of governmentand Life Insurance Corporation. Italso educates the importance andnature of mutuality to the Kalanjiammembers also provides effectiveguidance on different social securityschemes to the grassrootscommunity.

Till March, 2008 along with 10different insurance agencies it hasprovided social security to 4,24,000members in Kalanjiam, Vayalagamand rainfed farming programs. Itprovided its direct services to1,10,000 members. It is remarkableto note that, in total people’s mutualhas provided security coverage to5,34,000 members and ensured theirlives from disasters.

Livelihood for development:

To uplift the economic condition,ensure better livelihood of Kalanjiammembers, based on the native skillsof community, the state and districtlevel livelihood opportunitiesKalanjiam movement has promotedlivelihood and economic activitiesthrough primary producers groups(PPGs) and primary marketinggroups (PMGs). These PPGs andPMGs are serving effectively to theKalanjiam members. At presentmarketing of more than 10 productssuch as agricultural produces,medicinal herbs, charcoal andfortified fishes, produced byKalanjiam members were taken upin an experimental basis. So far ithas made business for more thanRs.9.37 crores from members’products. The profit earned fromthese businesses were shared withpeople and it also used for

development initiatives of KalanjiamThozilagam.

“SUHAM” provides health:

Health related expenses are theprimary drainage of income amongpoor families. Various new diseasesare spreading due to environmentalpollution and wrong habits,accidents, malnutrition, etc., becauseof increasing trend in disease spread;poor people are forced to getmedication through exploitativecredit sources. To relieve Kalanjiammembers from this vicious situationand provide quality medicaltreatment at affordable cost,Kalanjiam movement has promoted“Suham Hospital” with the supportof DHAN Foundation. In March,2007 first Suham hospital has beenpromoted in Theni asexperimentation. The same model isreplicated in Madurai with thesupport of federation in Maduraidistricts. Kalanjiam movement isproud to satisfy the dream of poorKalanjiam members for qualitymedication. Apart from thisKalanjiam movement has initiatedfirst aid centers in ten taluks of otherbackward districts. These centersare providing preliminary medicaltreatments and special attention toanemic disorders.

More than 15 thousand membershave got benefited from this healthinitiative. More than 40 medicalcamps were conducted in remoterural areas and in slum areas. Undermedical insurance scheme, about12,000 members have covered inMadurai and Theni districts. Apartfrom this initiative, malaria controlproject in Madhya Pradesh andOrissa, AIDS / HIV preventionproject in Maduai and Salemdistricts of Tamilnadu and healthprogram for adolescent girls, RCHand anaemia prevention in Tamil

3

Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradeshare executed. The anaemiaprevention and first aid project isimplemented in collaboration withhealth department of Tamil Nadu.With the support of Sir. DowrabajiTata rust (SDTT) Kalanjiammovement is working for providingsafety drinking water to the membersin 20 federations.

Training to field functionaries:

DHAN People Academy (DPA),which is running with the supportand guidance of Kalanjiammovement, is keeping excellence inproviding training programs tocluster, federation and movementfunctionaries and to Kalanjiamleaders. As of now about 2,500people functionaries and more than1000 Kalanjiam leaders were trainedby People Academy. DHAN Peopleacademy is involving in conductingpeople’s seminars and trainingmaterials development with thesupport of Kalanjiam movement.Now region-wise eight resourcecenters were promoted. Theseresource centers will be providingtailor made, basic trainings to peoplefunctionaries and leaders at theirlevel.

Unique programs of movement:

Beyond economic development,Kalanjiam movement is workingtowards to inculcate value based,ethical and good characters withsocial consciousness amongKalanjiam members in rural andurban areas. To give back thebenefits, attained by Kalanjiamprogram to others movement isimplementing “Kalanjiam Jothi”program. Through this programKalanjiam members are donatingRs.11 per year to the movement.Using this donation, new federationshave promoted and administrative

expenses were met with this money.Thalaivasal (South) of Salem andThoppampatti of Dindigulfederations were promoted withKalanjiam Jothi fund. In the comingyears with this Jothi fund, furthermore people’s federations will bepromoted for the cause.

“Kalanjiam Pidi arisi (handful ofrice)” program is initiated byKalanjiam movement for supportingpoorest of the poor and support lesspeople. Our Kalanjiam members willsave a handful of rice every daywhen they are cooking. In the endof year the collected rice will bedistributed to the needy people. The“Kalanjiam Jothi prayer” program isexecuted in every village in full moonday and festival times together withall Kalanjiam members for communalharmony and peace. With this Jothiprayer, each and every Kalanjiammember prays to the almighty forcommunal sovereignty and equality.

“Kalanjia Dhanam” is a programwhich aimed to cover left out poorin Kalanjiam movement. In thisprogram one Kalanjiam group willpromote one new group; one clusterwill promote one new cluster andone federation will promote one newfederation. This program is runningwith good sprit. “Kalanjia Volunteersof Power” is another program,where the Kalanjiam members withleadership characters to involve in

common development activities andgeneral social services are groupedand movement is guiding them topromote as development caters.Apart from these programs, toinspire good values among Kalanjiammembers’ movement is running selfcontrol program, united prayers,Kalanjiam opinion poll, Kalanjiamawards and collective marriageprograms in different parts of ruraland urban areas.

Training for capacity development:

Conducting transparent auditprocesses in every Kalanjiam groupsand federations are amazed byseveral organizations in India. Theseaudits were conducted bygovernment authorized chartedaccountants for ensuring qualityaccounts procedures in Kalanjiamoperations. Presently to stabilize anddevelop each and every Kalanjiamgroups and federation district wiseregions were formed. With thisregion special training were providedto all the Kalanjiam leaders. InKalanjiam movement specifictraining programs were organized onself-discipline, leadership,institutional management,information communicationsystems, team building and otherspecific areas to the leaders in alllevels. Exposure visit programs alsoorganized to Kalanjiam leaders tobest performing locations for

4

learning. The role of members inresolving local conflicts and problemsolving, which are not solved byfederation is also significant andeffective.

Best participation of movement:

Every year the award providedby NABARD for best performingSHG is received by our Kalanjiammovement. Several union and stategovernment awards, appreciation ofvarious nationalized banks andprivate banks were received byKalanjiam movement. It is takingpart as special adviser in audio-videodepartment of central government,Tamil Nadu Agriculture University,All India Radio (Madurai). SeveralKalanjiam leaders were sharing theirknowledge gained by experience to

various educational institutions anddevelopment organizations.Regularly daily, weekly and monthlymagazines were brining the newsrelated to Kalanjiam movement andits activities. Kalanjiam movementhas donated Rs.1,50,000 to “MaduraiMarathan”, which was conductedfor protecting water bodies in andaround Madurai. With this amount,some of the water bodies in Maduraiwere rehabilitated and is in use.Further, Kalanjiam Movement hasprovided Rs.1,00,000 to LIFE(Livelihood Initiative with FunctionalEducation) as donation. With theseinitiatives and outcomes, it is evidentthat, poor and grassroots people willalways serve and provide support tosocial development.

Program with long term vision:

• Eradicating usuries lending in allhamlets, where Kalanjiam areoperating.

• Encouraging womenentrepreneurship and promotelivelihood opportunities toKalanjiam members.

• Integrating poor women in allfinancial services.

• Building Kalanjiam movement asbest development institution inIndia and covering 10 lakhswomen under Kalanjiammovement with in year 2011.

• Promoting Kalanjiam movementfor generations with self-managed and self – disciplinedleadership of value based poorwomen.

Inviting with gratitude:

I extend my gratitude and thanksto the all development, financial,education, health institutions whichare providing support andencouragement to Kalanjiammovement for it growth and publicdevelopment services. In thisoccasion, we invite government, nongovernment and common public toparticipate in our initiative towardsreaching 10 lakhs poor families bythe year 2011 and extend theirsupport for us.

Vairag location of Solapur regioncelebrated 11th Kalanjiam

movement day on 27th November,2008. There were 122 Kalanjiamsleaders from 80 Kalanjiams (twolocations) of Maharashtra to makethe event a great success. DHANstaff and cluster associates were also

present. The program started withprayer and lighting ceremony Ms.Manisha Waghmare briefed aboutthe day’s schedule.

The inaugural speech by theregional coordinator, Mr. BhagavatShinde detailed about how Kalanjiam

Movement Day in Solapur region

movement was initiated during 1998and the way it grew into a massiveone as it is today. The focus wasgiven on the movement’s decade ofworking experience and itscontribution in forming twofederations with the help ofmovement fund. There was an

5

Movement day in Vizag Region

Vizag Region celebratedmovement day in very interestingmanner with a series of activities.Region level movement leaders’workshop was conducted inSeptember. There it was decided toenroll all eligible groups in the regionand also planned to mobilize Jothi

fund. Four federations, VaisakhiKalanjia Society (VKS), ShanthinagarKalanjia Samakhya (SKS), KailasagiriKalanjia Samakhya (KKS), VisakhaMatsyakarula Kalanjia Samakhya(VMKS) were successful incollecting Rs.88,711 by enrollingKalanjiams and clusters to the

Kalanjiam movement. Last year fromthe region we have given Rs.97,000to the central movement. Rs.88,711is collected this year. Still few groupsare yet to pay. Many groups thosewho had paid entrance fee last yearhave not paid the entrance fee thisyear. Major portion of the amount is

introduction about movement and itsreach. Pamphlets about the decadework by movement were distributedto every participant as a learningmaterial.

The selection criteria for regionalmovement cell were discussed.Based on the discussion few leaderswere selected and they were invitedto speak on Kalanjiam and its role infuture with the reference to theircommitment to spread the movementacross Maharashtra. In addition tothis, the leaders were also asked totalk about how they would like tocontribute to spread the movementin their cluster and block. Why dothey want to be member of regionalmovement cell? How much timewould they allot to form Kalanjiamin their clusters? All such kind ofquestions was answered by them infront of the forum. 13 leadersaspired to become the members ofregional movement cell out of whichonly 6 leaders were ranked by votingexercised by hand raising in favorof the speech and the commitmentthey showed. Based on the speechthere was voting by the participantsand leaders were selected. Officebearers were selected among the sixselected with the facilitation from theregional coordinator. The selectionprocess was transparent and theparticipant felt that they have chosenappropriate women for themovement cell. It was interesting and

inspiring to hear from leaders fromnew groups would like to workwithout asking transport charge forKalanjiam movement work. Amongthe six, the selected office bearerswould attend the central AGBM on17th December 08. Ms. Vaneshri

Mittha was selected as President,Ms. Sarita Deshmukh as Secretaryand Ms. Mandakini Jagtap asTreasurer. The other three membersselected were Ms. Asha Gaikwad,Ms. Kusum Sonwane and Ms. InduDhende.

6

Kalanjiam Jothi fund; only 263groups have paid entrance fees. CDAand federations are not enrolled.Region movement associate andresource center team visited 75groups and 25 clusters formotivating the groups for Jothi fundand entrance fee.Regional movement day

celebrations:

In the region review meeting itwas decided to celebrate KalanjiamMovement week (16th to 22nd ofNovember 2008) instead of a day.A meeting with board of directorsand movement leaders was held on15th November, 2008 to organize theevents of the week. For this pledgea brief note on Kalanjiam wasprepared in Telugu and distributedto all leaders.

For this nearly 2000 leadersattended the meeting. The regionalcoordinator explained the importanceof the event and the history of themovement. Then from each locationone leader shared their experiences,our guest, Assistant General Managerof State Bank of India appreciatedand was surprised by seeing thegathering and way the event isorganized. After that awards werepresented. Criteria of selection wereexplained through a small skit for 15minutes with lots of fun. Everyoneenjoyed the event from beginning toend and remains in the sweetmemories of every participant. Manyof them expressed that somethingcan be done at location to motivatethe groups.

For the benefit of every memberof the region benefits realized by themembers/leaders were shared. Theimpact of Kalanjiam microfinanceinstitutions was also compared withother self help groups. Sixfederations of Vizag region withparticipation of 2998 people havedistributed 5693 kilograms of rice towidows, old women etc. NearlyRs.16,000 was collected frommembers voluntarily and purchasedbed sheets, sarees, fruits and breadsand distributed to orphanage, old agehomes, and blind schools and so on.

Kalanjiam Awards:

Movement cell sent a note on thecelebration by distributing awards.The awarding ceremony wasdecided on 29th November 2008 atregion. The entire team actively tookpart in conducting various activities.There were 18 awards. BestKalanjiam award was given to firstthree and three consolation prizes (intotal 6 locations were covered),three places were given awards forbest clusters, cluster associates, andindividual awards were given tovillage information centre (VIC),cluster development associate(CDA) and computer operator. Allthese events were covered by thelocal newspapers and media.

7

New Initiatives

*Mr. N. Janakiraman, Senior Project Executive, Panchayat theme, DHAN Foundation, Madurai.

The spirit of ethical democracy has its blood and soul in theopportunities available to a commoncitizen for participating in thegovernance. Moreover, the extent ofexecution of such opportunities alsohas value to evaluate the ethicaldemocratic system.

Several studies conducted byvarious International communitiesare reinforcing the people centricpolitics at grassroots level, which isdirectly related with large scaledevelopment. Village Panchayats areconsidered to be neurons of greatIndia’s governance. It also spreadlike roots all over the nation. So, anyimpulse at grassroots level has directreflection in the big picture.

Like most of the democraticcountries of the world, in our nationalso the power to elect members forlegislative system is given to thevoter’s college. Periodically (Oncein 5 yrs) they are electing who hasto rule the country and take decisionson behalf of us. They have wellestablished Parliament and legislativeassembles for their discussions.

Just dream, what if, in the entire12618 village Panchayats inTamilnadu, at least 100 members /panchayat are performing the role of234 Members of Legislative

Micro politics for direct democracy –

Panchayat Parliament

N. Janakiraman*

Assembly (MLAs)? If all the abovesaid 100 people are gatheredparliamentary structure at Panchayatlevel and having productivediscussion then the real democracyand empowerment can be tangiblyobserved. Those 1.2 million people(100 / panchayat) will surely triggerthe development process better thanour current politicians both at stateand central level.

At the same time, in presentcontext, it was widely felt that, thereis no forum at Panchayat level tofacilitate positive and intensivediscussion on development withcommunity. The existing Gram Sabasystem by design, due to its largesize (it includes all the voters as itsmembers) can not serve anyintensive discussions meaningfully.If Parliamentary model designed atPanchayat level, then it may facilitatebetter discussion among the localcommunity.

With the aim of above said bigaspiration, the experimentation ofPanchayat parliament has seeded invillage Panchayats with DHANguidance and support.

II. Objectives of Panchayat

Parliament:

1. To deepen the democracy forbetter participation of local

community in their localgovernance

2. To Support Gram Saba forbetter decision making

3. Integrating the local peopleinstitutions and traditionalsystem with legitimate bodiesfor attaining synergy

4. Inculcating democraticpractices to local communitythrough alternative institutionalmechanisms

5. Facilitating intensive andmeaningful discussion amonglocal community

III. Constituent of Panchayat

Parliament:

Panchayat Parliament will have four

Parts

1. Speaker – (Sabanayakar):

• He / She will be performing therole of facilitation of PanchayatParliament meeting. Headingthe meeting and regulating thewhole discussion is his / herprimary responsibility

• The Speaker will be selectedfrom the local Panchayat,community can select theirspeaker to conduct the meeting.

8

He necessarily need not to beelected representatives but heshould be morel enough,respected by the local peopleand having inspiring personaltraits

2. Administrative Forum:

• This forum will be consistingof all the Panchayat councilmembers (Panchayat presidentand ward members) andworking committee membersof that Panchayat.

• This forum will act like rulingparty of union Parliamentarysystem. They will be initiatingthe discussions and they areresponsible to the people. Theycan present any developmentrelated content to the forum andask for clarification, suggestionor change from the forum (Size= Max. of 40 members)

• The Administrative forum willbe headed by Panchayatpresident

3. People forum:

• This forum will be consistingof leaders from peopleinstitutions (SHGs and PDGs),Traditional leaders from eachhamlet, volunteer of the localvillage, interested govt staffresiding in the local village (Size= Max. of 50 participants)

• This forum will act like oppositeparty in Union Parliament. It willrespond to the contentpresented by the Administrativeforum and seek clarificationfrom them on common issue

• People forum also can initiateany issue of interest based onits importance, with the priorapproval of speaker

• The People forum will beheaded by any one of themembers selected among them

4. Visitors / Observers:

• Other common people from thelocal Panchayat, govt officials,

and NGO representatives areplaced in the visitors area. Theyliterally don’t have any activeparticipation with the meeting.But being such initiative is new,they can observe and can givefeedback to the forum forfurther enhancement

• If any visitor wants to raise anycontent for discussion he / shehas to pass formal request tospeaker. The approval of suchcontent will be purely ofspeaker’s discretion.

IV. Design of the Panchayat

Parliament:

V. Experience and Learning:

Based on this idea, so farPanchayat theme of DHANFoundation is organized suchPanchayat Parliament events in fivePanchayats. The prime content takenin all the meeting was refinement ofMicro plan and evaluating thedevelopment work undertaken. Theexperience was so enriching. Thelocal community got exited, someoperational issues are solved theiritself, people realized the practicalproblems of Panchayatadministration, it also demonstratedthe procedures and process ofParliamentary system to thecommunity, local SHG leaders andTraditional leaders got recognized,Peoples plan (Multi Year MicroPlanning got refined). Our programteam has planned to institutionalizethe Panchayat Parliament as strongsupport forum for Gram Saba andmake regularizations in it in thecoming year.

Administrative Forum

People Forum

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Practitioner’s Diary

*M. Kiran Kumar, Team Leader, Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation, Chittoor region, Andhra Pradesh.

Tank Based Watershed Development Programme

- Punganur Experience

M. Kiran Kumar*

Introduction

Chittoor, a historically well-known district in Rayalaseemaregion of Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) liesin the rain shadow region and inconsequently drought prone. Thegeographical area of the district is15,152 sq. kms. (5.5% of total ofthe state) and it is divided into threerevenue divisions viz., Chittoor,Tirupati and Madanapalle with 20erstwhile blocks or 66 mandalscovering 1540 revenue villages in1394 Gram Panchayats and 10791habitations. The district is boundedby Ananthapur and Kadapa districtsin north, Nellore district of A.P. andChengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu(T.N.) in east, Vellore district of T.N.in south and Kolar district ofKarnataka state on the west.

Agriculture is the mainstay of thelocal economy. But, due to low anderratic rainfall, the income levels ofthe people remain low.

Area irrigated (source wise)

in 2003 – 04

(Source – hand book of statistics2003-04)

Tanks in Chittoor District

Even though the district has onlya limited number of irrigationprojects, it is well endowed with avast network of tanks. The naturaltopography of this area is well suitedto form many cascades of tanks.Many of the tanks are ancient andhave been constructed during thetimes of Vijayanagara kings andZamindars and subsequently by theBritish rulers.

The district has a high density ofMinor Irrigation (MI) tanksnumbering 8814 with a totalcommand area of around 3.0 lakhacres. These tanks were untilrecently under the control ofirrigation department andPanchayatraj department. Details ofdepartment wise tanks are asfollows.

Department wise tanks

Being a drought prone area tanksplay major role in agriculture in thisdistrict. Apart from direct irrigation,these structures recharge the groundwater.

Tanks in Punganur Mandal

Punganur is one of the mandalswith high density of tanks in Chittoordistrict. The rainfall pattern of thisarea is bi model with contributionfrom the south west and north eastmonsoons. The department wisetanks in Punganur mandal are shownbelow.

Department wise tanks

(Source – hand book of statistics2003-04)

All the 206 tanks are spread overthe mandal and are part of thewatersheds. The details ofwatersheds implemented by DHANFoundation is as follows

Entry of DHAN Foundation

In the year 1997, as anexploratory visit to Andhra PradeshDHAN Foundation visited Chittoordistrict, mainly the western partswhere the intensity of tanks is high.With tank rehabilitation andagriculture development as a coreobjective, DHAN Foundation hasinitiated a location in Punganurmandal in the year 1998.

Source Net areairrigated (ha.)

Gross areairrigated (ha.)

Canals 677 713

Tanks 15,314 16,104

Tube wells 67,318 92,527

Other wells 47,828 58,074

Lift irrigation 139 139

Other sources 117 117

Total 1,31,393 1,67,674

Department Nos. Commandarea in acres

Irrigationdepartment

765 1,43,736

Panchayat ajdepartment

8,049 1,51,329

Total 8,814 2,95,065

Department Nos. Commandarea in acres.

IrrigationDepartment

14 2,718

Panchayat RajDepartment

192 4,153

Total 206 6,871

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Based on the suggestions of thedistrict administration of AndhraPradesh, DHAN Foundation decidedto implement watersheddevelopment programme inPunganur mandal but not in aconventional way but in aninnovative approach called “TankBased Watershed DevelopmentProgramme”.

The major objectives of tank based

watershed development programme

The major objectives of thewatershed development programmeis soil and moistures conservation,development of small scale waterharvesting structures anddevelopment of horticulture andforestation, in addition to that DHANFoundation added revival of tanks inwatershed area as fourth objective

DHAN Foundation implementedtotally 10 watersheds of IV, VI andVIII batch, the details of watersheds

and the peoples institutionspromoted is given below

In Punganur mandal, DHANfoundation is working in 64 hamletsin 16 Panchayats spread over 10watersheds. Totally 85 user groups(Vayalagams) and 133 microfinancegroups (MFGs) were promoted inall the watersheds and around 5500hectares of area was treated throughwatershed developmentprogramme.

Approaches adopted for

implementation of watershed

programme

Promotion of village levelVayalagams: To ensure the stakeof all the villagers, village levelVayalagams called “DrylandFarmers Associations” (DFA) werepromoted instead of tank levelVayalagams. This has created a verygood impact in the villages. In onlyfew cases we promoted tank levelVayalagams based on the need andalso to compare the performance.

Totally 85 such Vayalagams werepromoted in the entire mandal.

Tank based watershedapproach: Tanks were included as apart of watershed development andrehabilitation was taken up partly andin some cases full rehabilitation wasdone. Regular watershed works likefarm ponds, mini percolation tanks,check walls, check dams, fieldbunding, rock fill dams and tank siltapplication to dry lands were takenup in an extensive scale.

The details of important activitiestaken up and the amount spent in eachwatershed is given below is givenbelow in table

Convergence with otherprogramme: In addition towatershed funds we have mobilizedrice by converging the watershedprogramme with ongoing Food forWork Programme (FFWP) and FoodAssurance Scheme (FAS) and able tomobilize around 616.50 tonnes of riceparticularly to take up soil andmoisture conservation activities.Through this we were able to reachmajority of the farmers in thewatershed area. Watershed wisedetails are given below

People’s contribution: Withoutpeople’s participation andcontribution, the future maintenanceof any development work can not beensured. In order to enlist the activeparticipation of the people, DHANFoundation mobilized 10 - 25%people’s contribution for all the worksin the form of cash, kind or labour.Out of this, 15% was kept at usergroup (Vayalagam) and 10% was atwatershed development fund.

In the initial stages there was agreat resistance for this concept butdue to continuous efforts and proper

Name of thewatershed

No. ofvillagescovered

Extent(in ha.)

No. oftanks

existing

No .of usergroups/ tankassociations

No. ofMFGs*

Aradigunta 05 530.00 12 10 15

Magandlapalle 05 546.00 7 06 13

Melumdoddi 04 539.00 7 06 15

Bheemaganipalle-I 09 534.00 9 12 19

Bheemaganipalle-II 09 542.00 10 13 15

Kummaranatham 10 543.00 16 12 12

Nekkondi 07 572.00 12 09 14

Punganur 04 520.00 7 07 16

Vanamaladinne-I 06 529.00 10 06 11

Vanamaladinne-II 05 636.00 8 04 03

GRAND TOTAL 64 5491.0 98 85 133

Watershed wise villages, tanks and associations

* MFG depicts Micro Finance Groups

11

concept seeding we were able toachieve this and as on date theassociations have 25.57 lakhs peoplecontribution.

SRTT as against Rs.8.35 lakhs ofpeople’s contribution from 46associations. The fund wouldbecome a source of rallying point forthe villagers and the interest derivedfrom it would be made available forsmall repairs and development worksof common interest. This will keepthe association alive and active.

Promotion of Microfinancegroups (MFGs): Immediately aftercompletion of physical works in thewatersheds we started promotingMFGs mainly to bring regularity forthe monthly meetings of Vayalagams.Totally 133 MFGs were promotedin all the watersheds and mobilizedsavings of Rs. 34.57 lakhs andexternal linkage of Rs. 166 lakhs, themajor portion of the loan was utilizedfor agriculture development.

Social security for tankfarmers: To address the issue of

Name of thewatershed

Total AmountSpent

(in Rs.)

No. of tanksrehabilitated

No. of FarmPonds

Created

No .of MiniPercolation Tank

Constructed

FieldBunding(in ac)

Aradigunta 15,11,032 06 03 38 197.5

Magandlapalle 12,64,499 02 34 02 140.0

Melumdoddi 10,64,004 05 19 11 104.5

Bheemaganipalle-I 14,12,441 07 25 18 98.0

Bheemaganipalle-II 16,25,076 06 24 30 92.5

Kummaranatham 18,93,077 06 22 33 62.0

Nekkondi 18,85,397 11 22 43 64.0

Punganur 19,04,244 05 07 51 31.0

Vanamaladinne-I 19,99,523 04 37 01 28.0

Vanamaladinne-II 3,12,438 00 03 09 0.0

GRAND TOTAL 1,48,71,731 52 196 236 817.5

Sl.No. Watershed

Rice Distributed (Kgs)

FFWP FAS Total

1 Aradigunta 94,503 0 94,503

2 Magandlapalle 1,00,839 0 1,00,839

3 Melumdoddi 43,806 0 43,806

4 Bheemaganipalle-I 45,603 0 45,603

5 Bheemaganipalle-II 46,962 0 46,962

6 Kummaranatham 53,980 1,200 55,180

7 Nekkondi 32,932 4,720 37,652

8 Punganur 22,990 1,600 24,590

9 Vanamaladinne-I 1,64,581 0 1,64,581

10 Vanamaladinne-II 0 2,720 2,720

Total 6,06,196 10,240 6,16,436

To ensure corpus for regularmaintenance of tanks endowmentwas created with the support of SirRatan Tata Trust (SRTT). So far wehave mobilised Rs.6.0 lakhs from

12

vulnerability the members of MFGswere covered under microinsurance, totally 2259 memberswere covered under LIC-JBY andHDFC-DIP policies. Along with thisefforts were taken to intensifylivestock insurance particularly forsheep.

Agriculture Development: as apart of watershed activitieshorticulture development was takenup in a large area, the main cropswere mango, sapota and coconutand also hybrid mulberry waspromoted.

Apart from the watershedactivities the focus was given foragricultural extension activitiesmainly, input supply (seeds,fertilizers, gypsum and seedlings),method demonstrations on newtechniques (SRI, vermicompost,Azolla cultivation, seed treatmentetc.,), farm field schools (groundnut, tomato and pulses), bundcropping on tanks and pond bunds(with cucurbits and castor) andagricultural business was started intamarind, pongamia and ground nutbut in a small scale.

• Vayalagam Jothi fundmobilisation once in a year

• Vayalaga dhanyam collectiononce in year and distribution tophysically handicapped andultra poor

• Vayalaga Shramdan once in amonth in any of the tank

• Vayalaga padayatra/cycle rallyonce in a year

Vision for Federation

1. Documenting the richexperience under TBWDP andbringing as publication

2. Working on Koundinya minorriver basin development throughsupporting expansion in othermandals of the sub basin

3. Working on usufructs sharingin tanks because recently thepanchayat tanks were handedover to irrigation department

4. Working with the panchayats toensure effective implementationof National Rural EmploymentGuarantee Scheme (NREGS)

5. Working on agri business tocreate forward and backwardlinkages for the major crops likeground nut, tomato, tamarindand pongamia

6. Working on intensifying organicagriculture and bio fuels

7. Working on social issues likehealth, education, drinkingwater and sanitation

8. Working towards mobilizingresources independently forNRM activities

9. Construction of own buildingfor the federation to establish aresource centre on tank basedwatershed programme (the landis already purchased)

10. Working towards becomingfirst self sustained tankfederation.

In the recentpast the location isgiving more focusfor ‘fish rearing’ infarm ponds/smallpercolation tanks.Watershed wise areabrought underhorticulture is givenbelow

Presently thefederation acts as afocal point forimplementation ofall governmentschemes ofa g r i c u l t u r edepartment.

Promotion of Mandal levelfederation: In the year 2002, themandal level federation waspromoted to integrate and sustain allthe people institutions promotedunder watershed developmentprogramme. The federation is slowlymoving towards self sustainabilityand at present it is able to cover 60per cent of its cost.

Social DevelopmentInitiatives: As a civic societyinstitution the federation startedimplementing civic activities likeanimal health camps with the supportof animal husbandry department,cleaning of village drinking watertanks, human health camps etc.,

Vayalagam Movement: Wehave initiated Vayalagam movement(people movement to stress theimportance of tank conservation) inorder to spread the importance oftank system rehabilitation or waterconservation and developmentthrough people themselves in a way“build people to build people”. Themajor and regular activities underVayalagam movement are

Name of thewatershed

Area Brought underHorticulture Plantation (in ac)

Aradigunta 41.7

Magandlapalle 112.0

Melumdoddi 57.5

Bheemaganipalle-I 35.45

Bheemaganipalle-II 26.0

Kummaranatham 251.89

Nekkondi 113.7

Punganur 48.0

Vanamaladinne-I 35.0

Vanamaladinne-II 36

GRAND TOTAL 757.24

13

Community Based Disaster Preparedness committee

L. Muralikrishnan*

Community in Action

*L.Muralikrishnan Project Executive, Kollidam - Sirkali Fishermen Federation, DHAN Foundation, TN.

Introduction:

Kollidam and Sirkali blocks ofNagappattinam district lies in theCauvery belt. It is known for itspaddy cultivation in silt clay and clayloamy soil. This area is prone fordisasters like cyclone and flood dueto low lying area below sea level inmany hamlets. Disasters causeserious disruption of the functioningof community causing widespreadhuman, material, economic andenvironment losses which exceed theability of the affected community tocope using its own resources. Thesetwo blocks cultivate paddy in threecropping seasons in a year, covering66, 000 acres. The cropping area isirrigated through large channels andfour branches of river, Cauvery viz.Kolldam, Cauvery, Uppanar andKudamurutti. These blocks also actas main drainage holes of riverCauvery with 14 lakhs acres ofcatchment area in front of Metturreservoir. Average per dayconsumption of the Cauvery canalbased irrigation pattern is around 15,000 to 20, 00 cusecs for entire 14lakhs acres of Samba cultivatedpaddy belt. During the North Eastmonsoon season the distribution ofrainfall is erratic, the total down pour(more than 60 cm) is received in oneor two rainy days. Cyclone is aregular visitor of this area. In 2008,it was Nisha cyclone whichcoincided with flood in paddy fieldsof 45,000 hectares along the coastof Bay of Bengal.

Nisha cyclone and flood damage:

Nisha cyclone and flood causedmore damages in these two blocks.The cauvery basin collected waterin at least five hectares of Trichy,tanjore, Thiruvarur andNagapattinam districts. Rainfall of 15cm was recorded in various areasof the 5 lakhs hectares resulting inoverflow of minimum 2.5 lakhscubic feet per second to the fourbranches of river Cauvery. Poor landmanagement practices resulted insoil erosion and silt accumulation inthe rivers. As a result due to heavysilting, the surface level is elevated.The land level of agricultural fieldsare low leads to water stagnation(mostly with standing crops) add oilto the fire of devastation.

Community based disaster

preparedness committee (CBDPC):

Community based disasterpreparedness committee as anapproach is unique because of thepeople’s participation. People are themain actors/motivators/propellersand direct beneficiaries while theoutsiders are doing only supportingand supporting role as a part ofdisaster management.

During September 2008,Kollidam federation planned andpromoted community based disasterpreparedness committee to save thelives and livelihood of the communitywith the support of village people.We are working in ten villages of the

two blocks. We have formed sevensuch committees in selected disasterprone coastal villages.

Promotion of various committees:

Seven disaster managementcommittees were formed based onthe transect walk and participatoryrural appraisal on vulnerabilitymapping and seasonality mapping.Members of the committee wereselected based on the participationin the process. The committeesformed were –

• Early warning committee: Theyhave to provide informationabout disasters to the public tomake them alert. They aremostly village leaders.

• Shelter committee: They areresponsible to find safe sheltersfor those who lost the dwellingplace due to disaster. Usuallythe safe shelters identified arecommunity halls or schoolslocated at elevated places.

• Food committee: Theydistribute food to thecommunity at the time ofdisasters. They mobilize rawmaterials, cook food anddistribute to vulnerablecommunity.

• First Aid committee: Theyprovide medical assistance forthose who are affected bydisasters.

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• Water and Sanitation: As watergets contaminated due to flood,getting potable water becomesa constraint. This committeemembers do the needed bycleaning the surroundings andprovide potable water to thepublic. By doing such activitieswater borne disease infectionslike viral and bacterial diseasesare prevented.

• Damage AssessmentCommittee: The team assessesthe damage to life and livelihoodin an honest way and informsthe details to districtadministration or concerneddepartment.

We conducted an elaborateworkshop for all selected committeemembers to understand the roles andresponsibilities during the disastertime. The main objective of theworkshop is to encourage people’sparticipation. Priority is given tomost vulnerable groups, families andparts of village. Risk reductionmeasures are educated to thecommunity were community-specific. It emphasized on existingcoping mechanisms. It was decidedto reduce vulnerabilities bystrengthening capacities and disasterrisk reduction through building linkswith agencies of development.Outsiders should extend theirsupport and facilitate the process ofdisaster management.

Committee formation and need

assessment:

We formed these committeesunder the control of one president,treasurer and secretary to regulatethe committee and sustainability. Forthe initial financial need DHAN

Foundation provided Rs. 10, 000 ascorpus of disaster preparednesscommittees. The community strivestowards resilience with attempts toreduce its vulnerabilities. It is triedby increasing its capacities withlinkage with mitigation and localdevelopment planning. Thecommunity itself identifiescommunity specific risk reductionmeasures through risk analysis forcommunity recognizes its ownexisting capacities and copingmechanisms.

Madathukuppam village disaster

management committee:

Madathukuppam is a small villagewith fisher-folk. The population is920 members residing in 310households. It is 17 kilometersaway from Sirkali town ofNagapattinam district. It is just 200meters away from Bay of Bengal.It is surrounded by back waters inits three sides. When there is flood,the village is cut-off from themainland, making it an island. Adisaster preparedness committeewas formed in this village with 43members in 6 sub committees.

Traditional knowledge among the

villagers:

Villagers have traditionalknowledge about the cyclone. Twotypes of cyclone affect these blocks.The North East cyclone which isbased at Chennai cause less damagethan South East cyclone based atNagapattinam, which causes severedamage.

Nisha cyclone attack came alongwith heavy rain and hence flood inthe village. The village wassurrounded by water of twosources – Cauvery basin water and

back water from sea. The water wasstagnant for three days 23rd to 25th

November 2008. The wind velocitywas 85 kms / hour which added tothe damage.

Early warning committee:

Public addressing system ofvillage information centre (VIC) wasused to give early warnings aboutweather from All India Radio. Thecommittee members spread theinformation to all the six streets ofMadathukuppam hamlet. Vulnerableresidents like children, women andaged members were taken toThiruvenkadu village, which is 5kms away and it is an elevated place.Two mini buses, a private bus and agovernment bus were used fortransport of the people with properprotection. Other members in thevillage protected the village againsttheft. Timely information was veryuseful for the villagers.

Shelter committee:

The committee members tookinitiatives to identify the safe placeto relocate the people. They identifiedThiruvenkadu mandabam. Allvulnerable people were brought thereby 12 noon. The committee providedsome basic facilities to avoid pollutionin and around the Mandabam forthree days.

Food committee:

Food committee members tookresponsibility to provide food topeople. They got raw materials likevegetables and groceries fromDharmagulam, a near by village. Thecommittee members and a cookjointly cooked in Mandabam kitchenfor three days. They provided foodfor eight times (three times a day for

15

three days). The total expenditurewas Rs. 33, 000. The food wasprovided in a hygienic manner.

Water and sanitation committee:

The committee members gotwater from nearest desalinizationplant. All sanitation works likecleaning the hall, bath rooms andtoilets were carried out by thecommittee members. Mineral waterpackets were issued to the people.

Damage assessment committee:

Damage assessment committeeformed a team comprising the villagepresident, fisheries departmentofficials and damage assessmentcommittee. The collected details ofdamage were sent to the districtadministration through blockdevelopment officer of Sirkali block.

Financial management:

The expenses were done forthree days for 700 people. The water

was stagnated for three days and itdrained. After the water was drained,people went to their place.

After the relief period, all villagerscontributed Rs. 100. The money wassent to the committee.

Support from government officials:

First aid work

First aid committee membersjoined hands with primary healthcentre, Thiruvenkadu to protect thecommunity from viral and bacterialinfection.

Food expenses Rs. 33,000

Fuel wood expense Rs. 5,000

Water Rs. 1,000

Mandabam rent Rs. 9,000

Vehicle transport charge Rs. 4,000

Sanitation & other management Rs. 5,000

Total Rs. 57,000

Future plan

• Mainstreaming vulnerabilityreduction and capacity building.

• Policy advocacy and lobbyingwith government to ensureappropriate policies andguidelines in disastermanagement.

Various trainings are conductedfor capacity building. Training oftrainers, orientation on Communitybased disaster management, linkage

with sources ofresource materials arethe programmesconducted in thevillages where disasterp r e p a r e d n e s scommittees wereinitiated. Our purpose isto set up structures andmechanisms oncomprehensive disastermanagement.

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Introduction

Village tanks occupy a significantposition in irrigation and in the localecosystem in low rainfall areas.Irrigation tanks have been one of themost important water resources forthe rural communities in Indiansubcontinent. Most of these tanksare situated in semi-arid parts ofpeninsular India where there are norivers of importance. These waterharvesting structures wereingeniously designed by the nativerulers and managed by the localcommunities over the past severalcenturies. These unique indigenouswater storage and managementsystems are now in decay.

Continuing Mismanagement

The centralisation of the tankadministration in the last twocenturies by the British colonialadministration led to severeconsequences - alienating the localcommunity from taking up collectiveefforts towards the betterment oftanks. The investments on thepreservation of tanks also steadilydeclined, resulting in thedeterioration of the tank systems. Inthe last three decades the decline intankfed agriculture has become morerapid and has severely affectedagricultural production in severalplaces. The region is facing a gravesituation through the deterioratingtanks, forcing the marginal and small

New Initiatives

*N. Venkatesan, Programme Leader, DHAN Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation, Madurai. This paper was presented in “International Seminar on Downsizing the Rural Technology” conducted at

Bhuvaneswar, Orissa.

Vayalagam Plant Clinics -

Sustaining Efforts to Enhance Productivity of Tankfed Agriculture

N.Venkatesan*

farmers into a cycle of deprivationand debt, as also leaving themincreasingly at the mercy of thevagaries of monsoon.

Tanks in Cascades

There exist around 140,000 tanksin the three South Indian states ofKarnataka, Tamil Nadu and AndhraPradesh, mostly spread over the lowrainfall monsoon dependent districts.These tanks are earthen bundedreservoirs constructed across slopesby taking advantage of localdepressions and mounds. Most ofthem are linked as cascades inwatersheds, which are not alwaysuniform in terms of agriculture andadministration. These cascadescross government administrativeboundaries and are managed byseveral departments for various

activities. The tanks have providedsupport for the livelihood of the localvillage communities and have to berestored and conserved as economicassets, especially for the poor andmarginalised communities in theunder developed areas. True to itscommitment, DHAN Foundationattempts to take a professional andhumanistic approach to revive thegreat traditions of administration,engineering and agriculture in builtinto the tank systems.

Tanks as Multiple use Systems

As one of the oldest man-madeecosystems, the tank system consistof water bodies, tank structures,feeder canals and supply channels,wells, wetlands, semi dry tankfedlands, soils and plants, animals andbirds, aquatic plants and fishes. As

17

an agricultural system it is distinctin cropping practices, varieties andwater management. As anengineering system it is historicallyone of the oldest in irrigationengineering design. As amanagement system it is capable ofbecoming administratively andfinancially self reliant structure. Asa social system the tank serves andbenefits various groups and sectionsof the village community such asfarmers, fisherfolk, artisans, animalrearers - and especially the women.

Tank Programme of DHAN

Foundation

Though these tanks arebackbone for the survival of humanbeings and support for agriculturein several parts of peninsular India,it is appalling to note that there hasnot been much importance given bythe formal disciplines andprofessions. DHAN Foundationchoose to dig the mother earth asour forefathers did for centuries, weare certain to hit a goldmine ofunderstanding on agricultureproduction and social systems inthese regions.

Tankfed Agriculture Development

Tankfed agriculture is a gambleas the tanks depend on adequate andtimely onset of monsoon rains fortheir water storage. During scanty/deficit rainfall years or during theyears of delayed onset of monsoonor early withdrawal, the farmers intank command face difficulties incultivating the crops. Under theprogram, we propose to providecommunity dug or tube wells in thetank command or in nearbywastelands or in the water spreadareas and these assets would behelpful to farmers to ensure cropproduction, by supplementing wellwater and by practicing conjunctive

use. Water is a scarce commodityand a national wealth. To harvest,store and utilize the water efficientlyis one of the basic objectives ofprogram. We also propose to giverights over the water to the landlessand other communities who in turncan transfer the rights for aconsideration for their livelihoodwherever new sources are created.Farm ponds, check dams etc. areconstructed in the feasible locationsof watershed and wastelands to helpthe beneficiaries to utilize the waterso harvested.

Field demonstrations and cropdiversification would be tried out inquite number tankfed areas fromhigh water requiring food crops likepaddy to low water requiringcommercial trees like coconut,cashew, and crops like pulses orchillies. This approach enables thefarmers to build their confidence andto strictly plan their cropping patternbased on water availability in thetanks.

Under this component, newinitiatives, and experiments proposedare as under:

• Vayalagam Nilayam (VPCs) attank cascade level/ block levelfor agriculture to disseminate

information and train thefarmers on improved watermanagement and agriculturaltechnologies, integrated pestmanagement, bio-fertilisers,organic farming etc.,

• Promoting farmentrepreneurship through seedfarms, farm orchard,olericulture, and floriculture.

Vayalagam Tankfed Agriculture

Development Centres (VPCs)

Tankfed Agriculture andVayalagam Plant Clinics (VPCs):

The training & visit (T&V) andother government agriculturalextension programs have not madethe anticipated lasting impact intankfed agriculture. This situation ismainly because of several reasons,of which the major ones in tankfedareas are

• No specific training program orfacilities are available for tankfed cultivation which is uniquein many ways.

• No contingency plans areavailable and known for tankfedcultivation in times ofinadequate water availability.

18

These issues will be addressedthrough innovative attempts likeplacing a well trained local farmeror volunteer in the villages all thetime during the crop season. Anexternal professional will be used, asthe resource person along with theenlightened local farmer or thevolunteer in delivering the essentialagricultural service required fortankfed crops.

The objectives of this VPCs will be

• To make available a trainedagriculturist at the villages toprovide necessary informationand technical support to thefarmers.

• To conduct field training anddemonstrations of the mostrecent package of improvedagricultural and watermanagement practices.

• To visit the farmers fields atweekly intervals and carry outfield diagnosis of pest anddisease infection and giverecommendations, and

• To arrange exposure visits totank farmers to agriculturalfarms and Research stations.

DHAN Foundation hasestablished 20 such centers in thevillages of its working area foragricultural interventions. Theyinclude Madurai, Ramanathapuram,Theni, Kanchipuram, Virudhunagarand Thiruvallore districts in TamilNadu. The VPCs would be identifiedwhere our programs have got apresence as well as in places wherethere is future scope for establishing

the programs. In the on-going projectfunded by Ford Foundation, tenVayalagam centers have beenorganised and are functioning.However in Thiruvallore district thecenters are functioning and servicesof DHAN Foundation professionalsand local volunteers are provided tothe farmers as proposed. In the otherdistricts, soon after the Northeastmonsoon rains set in and the fieldsare prepared for cultivation, similarservices on improved cultural andwater management practices will beprovided.

Sustaining tank based agricultureand aiming at increased productivityof Paddy in tank command is themajor area of attention of DHANFoundation promoted district tankfarmers federation. The primecriteria of yield increase in paddy arehigh quality certified seed.

The availability and purity of seedfor cultivation is a major problem tothe members of Tank FarmersAssociaton (TFA). Hence, DHANFoundation proposes to set up a seedproduction centre at one of thedistrict tank farmers’ federation viz.,Theni on Pilot basis and this seedproduction centre will produce seedrequirement of members and will sellat the nominal profit margin whichin turn will be used for federation tomeet its operational cost.

DHAN Foundation’s Experience in the

VPC concept

As the DHAN Foundation isworking with small and marginalfarmers through its tankfedagriculture programme, theexperiences of VPC concept hasbeen shared as case studies throughthis paper.

Case: 1

Agricultural Development

Interventions through VPCs

Methodology Adopted forTechnology Intervention:

About 50 observation farmerswere identified each from Madurai,Ramanathapuram, Theni,Thiruvallur, Villupuram andKanchipuram Districts for theagricultural developmentinterventions during the abovementioned period. The criteria ofselection of the farmers include

• Member of Tank Associationwhere micro-finance activitiesare undertaken

• Farmers who possess/cultivate2 acres of land or less in aparticular season

Each day the field associate forVayalagam Plant Clinics visited 2villages where he made a direct visitto the farmer’s field and based oncrop observation, he gave suitablerecommendations during the visit.The Outcome of the interventionsbased on his visit has beensynthesized for 3 field locations andgiven under:

Kottampatti Block in Maduraidistrict

About 50 farmers from thevillages namely Sokkampatty,Vairavanpatty, Kunnarampatty,Kesampatty, Vellinipatty, Ottakovilpatty, Kirungakottai,Boodhamangalam, Mangalampattyand Pandangudi were selected.Despite the drought and low waterstorage in the tank, 36 farmerscould able to harvest the producewhile the rest lost the crop. The

19

losses due to crop failure of 14farmers amount to Rs.32.225/- fora cultivation area of 8.75 acres.

Crop varieties of Paddy like IR20, IR 64, ADT 39, ADT43, J13,ASD 19, White Ponni, CO-43, CO-36 have been grown in thesefarmers field. The cultivation areaby the farmers varied from 0.2 acreto 2 acres. The technologicalinterventions which were carried outinclude soil fertility enhancementthrough organic manuresapplication, reducing the applicationof synthetic fertilizers which is nowused indiscriminately, use ofbotanical pesticides for pestmanagement, correction of nutrientdeficiency esp. Zinc, efficient watermanagement.

About 26 farmers have reducedthe dosage of fertilizer applicationwhich otherwise was more than thatof the recommended dosage. About29 have not sprayed any inorganicpesticides. The VPC associatecalculated the incremental yield inthe successful 36 farmers comesabout 7.50 tonnes of Paddy whichin rupee term equals to Rs.55,200.This is equivalent to the increaseof 3 bags of 65 Kgs each per acre.The cost of produce during theharvest season was Rs.480.

II. Sedapatti Block in MaduraiDistrict

The villages covered wereMuthuramalingapuram, Athipatty,Anaikaraipatty, Chinnapoolampattiand Thirali. Out of 50 farmers, 32farmers have harvested theproduce, 4 have abandoned thecultivation after raising nursery andthe remaining 14 have not taken upcultivation (withheld after landpreparation). Technologyinterventions were mainly the use of

botanical pesticides like Neemseed kernel extract, Panchakavyaapplication, bio-fertilizersapplication and application of Cow’surine for disease management.Total paddy production of 32 farmersholding 61.45 acres was 93 tonnes.

III. Theni District

About 50 observation farmerswere selected from ten villages inthree blocks viz. Aundipatti, Bodiand Thevaram who have raisedpaddy in an area of 39.70 acres. Outof these 50 farmers, 22 did notharvest the produce from an areaof 12.50 acres. Out of the 22farmers whom did not take up yield,5 did not continue cultivation afternursery raising, 11 farmers facedsever water shortage after thetransplantation and 6 of themcultivated the paddy direct sown.The total yield from the successful28 farmers amounted to 39.18tonnes. The incremental yieldincrease over the last year due toVPC technical interventions was 4.3tonnes from 27.20 acres. The costof cultivation was minimized toRs.2250 by minimizing the dosageof inorganic fertilizers for 12farmers. The application ofchemical pesticides for leaf folder,ear head bug, and stem borer wasdiscouraged. Before ourinterventions, the farmers used tospray chemical pesticides beforethe pest incidence crosses theeconomic threshold level. Theregular monitoring by the associatesin the farmers field enabled thefarmers to used natural pesticidesat the initial stage of pestoccurrence. The total reduction incost of cultivation by 28 farmers byminimizing the usage of chemicalfertilizers and pesticides wasRs.8060 in an area of 27.20 acres.

Case: 2

Farmer’s Field Schools: The best

option for sustainable tankfed

Agriculture Development

Since problems are location-specific

Solutions must be also location-specific

The above hypothesis has beenproved successful by adopting theconcept of Farmer’s field school.DHAN Foundation used theexpertise of three FAO trainedspecialists from the StateGovernment’s AgricultureDepartment to demonstrate theconcept to the VPC staff andAgricultural executives in one of thefield locations. On keeping alllogistics in mind, Vellinipatti villageof Kottampatti block was identifiedfor experimenting the Farmers’ FieldSchool. About 25 farmers, 3professionals and 7 VPC field staffunderwent 12 days module spreadover 12 weeks. The different stagesof Paddy crop was focused forfarmers’ observation and decisionmaking.

In Farmers Field School, it wasproved that ecology of insect pestsis the basis for pest management.Pest population is largely influencedby abiotic and biotic factors.Regular monitoring, survey andsurveillance is necessary toenhance the preparedness offarmers to meet the challenges. Theanalysis of the agro ecosystemunder which the pests and theirnatural enemies thrive is vital forintegrated pest management (IPM).The crops, other plants, pests, theirnatural enemies pollinators etc,changes in land use pattern, theagronomical practices adopted andthe ever fluctuating weather factorswere monitored during the field visitin the farmers’ field school. During

20

the 12 weeks module, the farmerswere taught to manipulate the agro-ecosystem so as to make it lessfavourable to the pests and morefavourable to their natural enemieswith a view to prohibit, reduce anddelay pest population increase.They were also trained onconservation and augmentation ofthe natural enemies in the fieldthrough favorable cropping systemsand other cultural practices andavoiding indiscriminate use ofpesticides was given much priorityin the farmers’ field school.

Case : 3

Selected Initiatives from Other

Field Locations

In Thiruvallur, about 30 farmerswho have raised Groundnut wereselected for the developmentinterventions.

We have procured certifiedground nut seeds for 8 farmers atKanchipadi, Nedumbaram villages.The farmers were satisfied with theresults. The VPC associates havefocused on the integrated pest /disease management for the rest ofthe cropping season. In that theyhave tried with the bio – control agentof Nuclear polyhedrosis virus @Rs.200 per treatment for thespodoptera and the gram caterpillarcontrol by this they could managethe pest and save the costs uptoRs.800 per farmer.

For another 10 farmers, they havetried with the poison bait for thespodoptera control which costs onlyRs.150 to Rs.180 per acre.Pheremone traps were set up for twofarmers to monitor the pestincidence and take up preventivemeasures if noticed.

Under the integrated nutrientmanagement, growth promotersolution is sprayed on 30 – 35 daysafter sowing. (The preparation is asfollows: 1 kg of Di-ammoniumPhosphate, 50 ml of Gibberellicacid, 50 gms of Borax was dissolvedin 10 litres of water and soaked overnight. Next day after filtering thesolution is mixed with 200 litres ofwater to be sprayed for 1acre. Thecost of preparation comes aroundRs.150.The results of thisintervention with 10 farmers werequite encouraging. It helped in goodpod setting and an added marketvalue for the produce. Theincremental yield was about 3-5bags / acre.

S.No. Name Acres Expenditure

(Rs)Yield(Kg)

Income(Rs) Profit (Rs)

1 Govindasamy 2.5 3,267.00 1792 13,440.00 10,173.00

2 Gomala 1.0 1,200.00 369 26,025.00 1,402.50

3 Amirthammal 0.5 400.00 200 1,425.00 1,025.00

4 Arunachalam 1.0 850.00 300 2,250.00 1,370.00

5 Jayachandran 1.0 600.00 150 1,350.00 750.00

Total 6.0 ac 6,317.00 2811 44,490.00 14,720.50

S.No. Name Acres Expenditure

(Rs)Yield(Kg) Income (Rs) Profit (Rs)

1 Govindasamy 3.5 17,800.00 3600 81,000.00 63,200.00

2 Subbaiah 1.5 4,900.00 1560 35,100.00 30,200.00

3 Sengalvaraian 1.5 5,060.00 1526 34,335.00 29,275.00

4 Arunachalam 1.0 850.00 300 2,250.00 1,370.00

5 Jayachandran 1.0 600.00 150 1,350.00 750.00

Total 6.5 27,760.00 6686 150,435.00 122,675.00

Impact on Foxtail millet seed farm

Impact on groundnut seed farm

S.No. Name Acres Expenditure

(Rs)Yield(Kg)

Income(Rs)

Profit(Rs)

1 Narayanasamy 1.0 3,800.00 1,830.00 15,555.00 11,755.00

Impact on Paddy seed farm

Ramanathapuram

Supply of Fertilizer to the TFA

During this yearRamanathapuram Tank Farmers’Federation (R-TAFF) has initiatedsupplying fertilizer to the TankFarmers’ Associations (TFAs).Totally 10 loads of fertilizer weresupplied to the tune of Rs.4,00,000.The salient features of the processare,• Timely input supply.• Low cost compare with local

market.• Income for Federation.• Good collaboration with BDS

team• Good understanding about

fertilizer marketing channel.

21

• Change in mind set of peoplefavoring unity in purchase ofagricultural inputs.

• Appreciation from TFAmembers for conserving theirtime, energy and cost.

Through the input supply the R-TAFF has mobilised Rs. 15,000 asan income.

Procurement of Cotton and Ground

Nut seed

During the reporting period R-TAFF has supplied 4040 kg ofGround Nut and 600 kg of Cottonseed. Farmers could save nearlyRs.20,000 through the process.Besides that, they could receive theseed with out any loss in the quantityfor which they paid. Similarly thecotton seeds were purchased fromthe source @ Rs.45/kg and in turnsupplied to the TFAs @ Rs.50/kg.Through that, the federation couldmobilize an income of Rs. 3000. Thecotton seeds ensured more than 95%of germination which has createdmore satisfaction among thefarmers.

Use of Natural Products for Disease

Control in Chillies – Experimentation

The BDS team has identified anatural product, which controls thediseases in chillies. The fieldexperimentation was initiated in thefields of 35 farmers of 5 villages.The experiment includes, periodicalapplication of the product, recordingthe results, and field visits across theTFAs by the farmers. We couldobserve the positive sign in most ofthe field.

The experiment has created moreinterest among the farmers by

proving disease free crop field. Wehope that, the product can besupplied in a bigger scale from nextyear. Similarly three trainingprogramme (once in a month) wasorganized on chillies cultivation.

Villupuram

In Villupuram district, thefarmers faced severe water scarcitywhere the water remained in the tankonly for 40 days. Of the selected50 farmers from Melpathy,E r i s a n a m p a l a y a m ,Vakkur,Vettukaddu and Kodukkur,22 farmers could harvest the paddy.The rest, the crop failed in thenursery stage itself. The total areaunder cultivation by the observationfarmers was 46 acres. Theinterventions made were allowingrogue spacing in the transplantedcrop, integrated pest and diseasemanagement especially Nimbicidin,Neem seed Kernel extract applicationfor leaf folder pests and panchakavyaapplication. As the farmers facedwater scarcity at the critical stageof crop growth i.e. flowering theycould not get good yield. On anaverage they could get only 15 bagsper acre.

Guidelines for VPC Activities

Objectives

• To give an orientation on theselective and intensive approachunder the VPC programme.

• To build confidence among theVPC associates and motivatethem through the exposurevisits to Krishi Vigyan Kendrapromoted by Mahindra Group.

Location

The Vayalagam associates fromthe following locations were identified

for further action Kottampatty &Thirumangalam of Madurai, Theni,Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram,Villupuram.

Proposed Activities

Each Associate would identify 50observation intervention farmers forthe agricultural interventions.

Criteria for selection ofobservation farmers.

I. Should be a member of Tankfarmers association wheremicrofinance activities are alsoundergoing.

II. Farmer should possess /cultivate 2 acres of land or lessin a particular season.

III. Not more than 5 farmers couldbe selected from a single villageand hence 10 villages for aindividual VPC associate. Hewould cover approximately 50– 100 acres.

IV. He has to select all theobservation farmers in alocation in such a way that theyall cultivate uniformly any onesingle crop in a particularseason. Hence we would beworking among 400 farmersfrom 80 villages coveringnearly 400 – 800 acres thisseason.

Approach :

• Technology Interventions

• Credit assistance – by croploan through MFGs.

• Input supply at his farm.Quantity and Quality insured.

22

Field visits

Each day, the VPC associatewould cover 2 villages i.e. 10farmers and there by he would visitall the observation farmers in aweek. He should make a visit directlyto the farmer’s field, note theobservations, make suitablerecommendations during the visit.Technical expertise could be gotfrom the nearby agriculturaldepartments, KVKs, Agriculturalcolleges / research stations.

Reports

He has to maintain a daily dairyfor his activities and send a weeklyreport to the location integrator andto the programme office. Mostimportant is the preparation of cropcultivation activity reports. For eg.In paddy farmers perform 14activities during the cropping period.The VPC associate would prepare a

1. Nursery report

2. Main field preparation report

3. Transplantation and plantpopulation report.

4. I weeding report

5. Fertilizer application report.

6. II weeding report.

7. Water management report.

8. Pests and disease managementreport.

9. Yield estimation report.

10. Harvest report (till marketing)

and send the same to the location

and the programme. This would beprepared farmer – wise by each VPCassociate. The report should includethe name of the farmer, village, crop,acreage of that crop, irrigationsource, present status of the crop,expenses / cost involved for thatactivity, recommendations made bythe associate, further suggestions,any credit support needed for him,if so, whether it is addressed throughthe micro finance group, any otherproblems / difficulties faced by theVayalagam associate in technologydissemination, training given if any.

Feedback with suggestionswould be given by the programmeoffice immediately so that it wouldreach them within 2 – 3 days ofreport submission.

The weekly reports (handwrittencould be accepted) would be writtenby the associates during everySaturday afternoon and sent on thesame day.

Credit linked assistance

Priority should be given for theseobservation farmers in creditsupport through the microfinancegroups.

Target

Every VPC associate shouldensure the yield increase of atleast¼ a tonne per acre (250 kgs) in paddycrop than the normal yield of the finalproduce what the farmer got before.

Expected output

• An overall yield increase ofminimum 10 tonnes among the400 farmers covering 500 –

1000 acres of paddy per season,from 8 locations.

• Trust would be build on theVPC associates by the tankfarmers.

Training

An exposure visit was planned tothe Krishi Vigyan Kendra promotedby Mahindra Group located alongthe Dindigul Road where the farmerspay the service charges before handfor the extension service given bythe field officers. This visit is plannedmainly to motivate them and tofacilitate cross learning.

Support from the programme

Ensuring the credit support forthese farmers either throughrevolving fund @ Rs.5000 perfarmer.

Conclusion

Through this paper, we haveshared our DHAN Foundation’sexperience on the concept of VPCas a tool for livelihood promotion forsmall and marginal farmers’ oftankfed agriculture at grassrootslevel. While initiating the tankfedagriculture programme, we couldable to concentrate only onrehabilitation of the tanks foraugmentation of water storage. Butby introducing the concept of VPC,we ourselves and farmers’ haverealised the need of such a tool toincrease the productivity andlivelihood options as best technologyat tank farmers’ level. By thisapproach, with low and no costinvestment, farmers can realise theimproved benefits from the availablelocal resources without muchdifficulties.

23

Introduction

DHAN Foundation is organisingHeritage Walk on first Sunday ofevery month to explore the heritage/historical importance of little knowntourism sites in and around Madurai.This programme is for 3 hours (6amto 9am). Professor Dr. Venkatramanfacilitated this event under tourisminitiatives of DHAN Foundation.Heritage walk is organised since fourmonths. They were organised toThenparankundram, Perumalmalai,Arittapatti and Alagarkoil. The fifthvisit was organised to Keelekuilkudion 9th November, 2008. In this walk,Professor Dr.Venkataraman,Dr.Vethachalam, Mr. M.P. Vasimalaiand 12 members participated.

Keelakuilkudi

Keelakuilkudi is located in westside of Madurai. It is 10 kilometersfrom Madurai. It is on Madurai –Theni highway. It is just 15 minutestravel (by vehicle) from DHANFoundation central office fromwhere the heritage walk starts. TheKeelakuilkudi village is famous forJain sculpture, hence called asSamanar hills. We can see evidencesof Jain life and heritage. In thefoothills there is a temple, withbeautiful lotus pond and old banyantree. The banyan tree is just givingthe look of the entrance of that hill.

Heritage Walk to Keelakuilkudi

We have started at 06.00 am andreached Keelakuilkudi at 06.30 am.

Heritage corner

*Tourism Team, DHAN Foundation, Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Heritage Walk to Keelakuilkudi

Tourism Team*

Dr. Venkataraman started his lectureunder the banyan tree because thattree is located at the entrance of thathill. He gave lots of information aboutthe banyan tree and the importanceand history of the tree and theKeelakuilkudi village. He also gavethe importance of the Lotus pondand temple situated in foothills.Dr.Vethachalam, working inArcheological department, explainedabout the history and heritage ofJains’ life in those hills. He givenmore information about thesculpture belongs to Jain periodwhich dates back to 2nd B.C. And hegave details about the university,hospital, run by Jains. He briefedabout the inscriptions of that hills.We interacted with a 100 years oldex-serviceman, Mr.Mayandi. He iscommitted to preserve the banyantree and the cleanliness of thesurroundings. We also interactedwith a villager (Mr. Arichandran) tohave collaboration with the village infuture.

Impression of this Heritage walk:

• The very big and old BanyanTree.

The very big old banyan tree islocated near the pond. It gives a lookof the entrance of the hill. The ageof the tree is expected to be morethan 200 years old. The roots of thebanyan tree are spread to a widerarea. The local community peoplebelieve that banyan tree is sacred.So they don’t wear foot wears nearthe tree.• Beautiful Lotus pond

A beautiful square shaped cleanpond is there in front of the foothilland the temple. The pond is full oflotus flowers. The pond water ishaving medicinal value. The villagersbelieve this pond is a holy one andwomen don’t take bath in this pond.• Fishes in the bond

There are various varieties offishes. The villagers and devoteeswho visit the temple offer food tothe fishes.

24

• Calmness of the place

The total area is being very calmand full of greenery and water bodies.

• Statues and Jain’s stonecarving

The unique attraction of thatplace is the Jain’s stone carving.There are a number of statuesavailable in that place. The carvingsand the statues give a majestic lookand reveal the heritage of Jain. Hence

this place is called as Samanarmalai(Samanar means Jain and Malaimeans hills in Tamil).

• Hill

There is a small hillock withmoderate height. From the top of thehill we could see the beauty of theentire village like greenery, waterbodies of the this village andsurroundings of the near by villagesand also the Gopurams (pyramid likestructures) of Madurai Meenakshi

Amman Temple. There is a stonepillar in the top of the hill which isused as a lamp stand during ThiruKarthigai Deepam festival.

• Chettipudavu.

This chettipudavu is located onbackside of the hill. It is the cavetype of Architecture in thatchettipudavu a large size of Jain’sstone carving is there. And inside ofthe cave doom lot’s of Jain’s carvingare there.

Action plan Suggested

• Documentation of theKeelkuilkudi and its importance

• To conserve the Banyan Treenear the pond.

• To keep the premises clean.

• Tree planting and greenery ofthe Hill

• To keep the originality of thesculpture with out any artificialwork

• Tourism promotion of thisplaces among students/public/tourists

• To arrange a visit to regional co-ordinators during the Decemberregional co-ordinators’ meet.

• Celebrate the Karthigai DeepaThiruvizha with that villagepeople.

• Invite the 100 years old manexperience in our monthlyprayer meetings

• To give orientation to localschool children and localcommunity about the historicaland heritage importance and theimportance of preserving them.

25

Development corner

*Alok Kumar Dubey, Project Executive, DHAN Foundation, Latehar, Jharkhand.

Introduction

Finance is said as life blood ofany enterprise. At the currentscenario of economic recessionIndian Government and ReserveBank of India is adopting severalmeasures like financial packages,bailout packages, lowering of CRR,repo rates etc. to provide sufficientliquidity in market. The interest rateson loans are being lowered down toencourage consumers and enhancethe aggregate demand. All thesemeasures are based on the KeynesianTheory of Economic growth wheremaintenance of aggregate demandhas been advocated to maintain thepace of economic growth. In thisscenario microfinance has attractedattention of several financialinstitutions. This article aims atviewing the role of microfinance inover all economic growth and itsperformance towards basic objectiveof poverty reduction.

Microfinance & Poverty Reduction

Microfinance programme havebeen introduced in many developingeconomies believing on the potentialpoverty reducing effects of microcredit. The concept of microfinanceis understood as providing poorfamilies with very small loans (microcredit) to help them engage inproductive activities or grow theirtiny business or fulfill theirconsumption needs that otherwisedid not have access to formalinstitutions due to small transactionsize. The noble laureate DrMuhammad Yunus, the founder ofthe Grameen Bank, found credit aseffective toll to take poor out of the

Shift from Microfinance to Development finance

Alok Kumar Dubey*

vicious circle of poverty and releasethem from the clutches of moneylenders. Mutuality, joint liability andpeer pressure removed the traditionalbanking norm of collateral forgetting loan, which is one of thecrucial reasons for the wideprevailing gap between poor andinstitutional financial agencies.

On the similar line to thegovernment policies microfinance isalso increasing liquidity in ruralmarkets. The credit availed by thepoor are enhancing the demandsresulting in increased sell of goodsand services in rural areas. Insituations like current economicrecession the role of micro creditcannot be undermined as thousandof crores are being poured throughthis channel to the market. But theimportant issue to be understood iswho benefits from this credit?Whether the benefits of economicgrowth can percolate down to thebottom? So far the experiences ofeconomic growth process show thatit has increased the gap betweenhaves and haves not, benefits of fewat the expense of many. There areseveral issues related to this deprivedsection which prevents harnessingthe desired benefits of thecomparatively cheap credit availablethrough microfinance institutions. Itraises question on the core objective(poverty alleviation) of themicrofinance institutions to protectthe interest of its customers andencourage growth with equity.

Management of Microfinance

The awareness level andeducational scenario of the

customer’s of microfinance is verylow. On the other hand the presenceof exploitative and fraud agencies arewell known in current marketscenario. Then who protects theconsumer rights of these poor andmarginalized consumers? Can webelieve that they can take use ofcomplicated legal procedures ofconsumer forums who are even shyenough to go to banks (based onwhich the concept of microfinancehas been evolved)? There are amplechances of being cheated throughvarious ways like charged higher,duplicate products, non-availabilityof services, terms and conditions ofguarantee and warranty and lack ofknowledge of proper using. Itmerely leaves the poor on the mercyof market forces, which arebasically anti-poor.

Focus of Microfinance

The focus of microfinance iscreation of self employment andbusiness activities at grassroots level.Microfinance plays the role ofproviding capital, one of the factorsof production. Then who look atweather other factors are available /accessible or not? In this era oftechnological advancement even thelabourers need technical skill.Marketing the produce is not as easyas earlier in this cut throatcompetition which requires specificbudget and skill. With the entry ofbig players in retail marketing andarrival of low price Chinese goodsthere is need of cost cutting state ofart technologies and sophisticatedmarketing techniques, not only in big

26

industry but to small enterprises atgrassroots also.

While agriculture is still primaryoccupation to two third of the totalworkers in India, where a goodamount off micro credit is invested,who ensures the assured output fromit. Various issues like irrigation, landdevelopment, vagaries of nature etc.are not dealt by the available microcredit. Can one believe on the qualityof extension services provided to thefarmers, especially small andmarginal farmers, where most of thecredit is used for purchase of highbreed seeds, fertilizers and newagricultural instruments whichrequire a different set of scientificknowledge and skill other than thetraditional knowledge of farmers?Farmers bet on their luck with theavailable credit with high uncertainty,no microfinance institution bear anyshort of loss in case of crop failure.The similar fait prevails on anotherprevalent livelihood source in ruralIndia which is livestock rearing. Theunavailability/ inaccessibility ofveterinary services, insurancefacilities, marketing of produceincrease their risk and vulnerabilitymanifold.

Limitations of Microfinance

In such condition themicrofinance per se ratheraggravates the condition of poor andmarginalized section through puttingthem under high indebtedness. Thepeer pressure, so called panacea ofmicrofinance institutions, not onlydestroys the existing unity andharmony among their society but isused as a toll of torture and recovery.In the lust of credit their own friendsand relatives put pressure forrepayment overlooking the conditionof crop failure, business failure,illness and inability to repay. Why notthey are also being provided thebenefits of bankruptcy, as in macrofinance, in case of failure of theventure where credit has gotinvested? The cost of credit in termsof interest, uncertainty, risks, mentalpressure, social exclusion (in caseof non-repayment) are much higherthan the uncertain benefits frommicro credit. The World Bank andIMF advocated cost recoverydevelopment programmes compelspoor for selective exclusion, as incase of such educational programmepeople only opt to send their malechild not females and femalebecomes secondary in availing paidhealth services.

Development Finance - Need of the

hour

What is the need of hour is notmicrofinance but developmentfinance. As per the basic conceptionit should be an effective tool againstpoverty rather merely indirectlysupporting the market forcesoverlooking the plights andsufferings of poor. We don’t requirea business model with full costcoverage and surplus generationrather we require a developmentmodel with full inclusion of severalpertinent problems and sufferings.Financial institutions should alsowork for increasing the purchasingpower, not only to a specific sectionbut to whole, through concreteinitiatives. In this era where singlewindow system is being adopted inseveral fields why we don’t adoptin case of rural development andpoverty alleviation. Underdevelopment financing a productcould be designed with importantsupports like input, insurance,effective technology, marketing andextension services along with credit.This only could achieve the basicgoal of poverty eradication.

“Turfing” to tank bund plays animportant role in strengthening andreducing erosion of soil from thetank bund. Bringing of turf fromlong distance to establish turfingwhich leads to more investment andlabour requirement. Besides, theproduction of grass/fodder from turf

Turfing through direct seeds sowing

Stylosanthes hamata

Dr. Mahanthesh H K*

area would be less due use of wildgrass varieties. As an alternate toovercome these problems the newmethod of turfing was found outbased on pervious experiences. Thedirect seed sowing of Hamata fodderspecies on bund would help in

establishing quality turf.

Hamata (Stylosanthes hamata) isa dry fodder species, which can becultivated on a larger area for fodderproduction. A seed of this fodder hasgood market demand because this

*Dr. Mahanthesh H K, Faculty, Tata DHAN Academy, Madurai

Practice

27

will be used mostly in establishingvegetation coverage on bunds withan objective of soil and waterconservation in dry areas.

The following are the plus pointswith hamataa) Suitable to different soils

namely black soil, red soil,sandy soil, gravel soil, dry sandysoil etc.,

b) Drought tolerant and canwithstand under less moisturecondition.

c) Provides nutritious fodder tolivestock and livestock verymuch likes this fodder.

d) Multiplied on its own on the areaif we do not uproot.

e) Play an important role in soiland water conservation.

f) Helps in enhancing soil fertilitystatus.

g) It is perennial in nature.

h) Has ability to give more fodderyield under dry condition.

Seed Requirement:

Seeds are very small in size andlight in weight. Hence the seedsrequirement per hectare(10,000sq.mtr) will be 20 kgs forcultivable area. For turfing purpose13 to 14 kgs of seeds can be usedfor 10,000sq.mtr.

Method of Seeds Sowing:

It is advised to go for sowing ofseeds immediately after bundstrengthening work is completed andalso not only on bund wherever theplace available to take up sowing nearor around the tank could be carriedout. The turf over the tank could be

established by using Hamata seedsin two ways such as follows:

1. Direct Seed Sowing:

a) Take quality seeds having goodgermination, fresh seeds andfree from pest & diseases.

b) Take sand, silt, farm yardmanure (FYM) and seeds in theratio of 6:3:3:1 respectively andmix them thoroughly.

c) Add little quantity of water tothe mixture mentioned above tomake small balls of mixture

d) Broadcast the ball of mixturecontaining seeds on tank bund

e) Ensure each ball of mixtureshould contain 4 to 5 seeds.

This method will ensure goodgermination and easy establishmentof turf on tank bund.

2. Transplanting of Hamata

Seedlings On Tank Bund Area:

This can be done by sowingseeds on selected area near the tank.The good population of hamataseedlings can rise before onset offmonsoon with proper watering andmanagement. It is suggested touproot these seedlings in form of turfand place firmly on the tank bundfor easy establishment of Turfing.These seedlings could also be usedfor gap filling where you find gapson tank bund due to non-germination of seeds or erosion ofseeds etc.

Management of Turfing:

The following precaution shouldbe considered for achieving goodfodder production and quality fodderthough turfing.

1. Sowing of seeds to be carriedout immediately after bundstrengthening work iscompleted.

2. After sowing of seeds if rainfails for longer period of time itis advised to go for lightwatering during early morningor late evening in the day.

3. Removal of weeds frequentlyfrom tank bund is necessaryfor vigorous growth of thehamata.

4. Harvest the fodder before itattains to seed set to ensure thequality of fodder.

Cost Effective:

Stylosanthes hamata is not onlysuitable to different soils and tolerantto many conditions; it is a very costeffective method. As per theexperience of Tank Programme,Pavagada (DHAN Foundation,Pavagada) only Rs.4-5 is theexpenditure per Sq.mtr (it alsoincludes application of Urea). Whencompare to turfing, the above costlooks very economical. In turfing,cost per Sq.mtr is coming aroundRs.12-15.

Since farmers have to contributein Tank management programmes,these kind of economical methodshelp them to pay or contribute lessand mean time can maximise quality.For the benefit of other programmesand locations, we stronglyrecommend Stylosanthes hamata inplace of turf.

For more information contactMob: 09787530257 or write tomahanthesh77@gmail.com

28

Children’s day celebrations attwo education centers of DHANFoundation are detailed.

CBOA – DHAN Nursery andPrimary School, Melavellore:

“Rain Rain Go Away” there wasa song coming from a hall situatedin a green and beautiful environmentnear Madurai. Rainy time was over.But how these words came? Whenwe zoom little more, the voice isfrom a cute little girl, Kavya in PreKinder Garden class of CBOA –DHAN Nursery and Primary Schoolwhich is in Melavellore village nearSilaiman. It is a model communityschool initiative of DHANFoundation with the collaboration ofCanara Bank Officers Association(CBOA) Educational Society. Itcovers the remote villages comingin the area of Gangai VattaraKalanjiam (GVK) in Madurai ruralregion.

On 14th November, 2008 thechildren’s day was celebrated in a

Children’s day celebration in DHAN Schools

S. Ramkumar*

grand manner. Officials from CBOA,leaders from GVK, few parents ofthe students and representativesfrom DHAN also were there. Oneof the teachers, Ms. Dheivaraniwelcomed the gathering and Ms.Kanimozhi gave the overview aboutthe children’s day celebration andcompered the entire event.

C h i l d r e nexpressed theirtalents in recitingthe rhymes, talkon Nehru,demonstration onMathematics andmatching ofcolours, objectsand shapes. Thestudents also gavea starperformance on

matching the pictures with words,word formation activities whichwere appreciated by everyone withapplause.

Felicitations were given byMr. Thangavelu and Mr. Rasupandifrom CBOA, Mrs. Sundari fromGVK, Mr. S. Ramkumar fromDHAN Foundation, Mr. SanthanaKaruppu, parent of a I standardstudent. Finally Ms. Rathi gave voteof thanks. Sweets were distributedto the students and there were goodmemories of children’s day andNehruji.

Karunai DHAN Nursery andPrimary School, Nilakottai:

All children were assembled withtheir parents. The educationcoordinator, Mr. Raghavanaddressed the audience. In his speech

* S. Ramkumar is Programme Leader, CHRD, DHAN Foundation, Madurai.

Education updates

29

he emphasized the importance ofsmall things which reflect ourpersonality. When small things canbe built right from the nursery andprimary education stage, it can leadto build a good personality whenthey grow into adults. In an interviewfor job, two persons were asked topack salt. Salt was given in acontainer and pieces of paper weregiven to both the candidates. Theycompleted the task and one wasselected, appreciated and appointed.The one who lost the opportunitywanted to know the reason why hewas rejected. Both the tables wereshown and there was little salt wasspilled where as the other table wasclean. Selection was done based onthe perfection and it results only dueto dedication and concentration.Perfection is the need of the hour.Perfection should be taught tochildren to prepare them to face thefuture. Punctuality, cleanliness, selfregulation and many things result dueto concentration and dedication.Especially the usage of toilets speaksmore about the habits of the children.

There were interactions betweenthe parents and the staff of theschool. Father of a child is a teacherin a government school. He askedto explain the method of teaching toall the parents. Mr. Raghavanexplained activity based learningwhich is used to prepare children tolearn from life. He also detailed theactivities happening in the schooldaily and how children respond tosuch activities. Some things aretaught at home. For example - nameof the vegetables, fruits,relationships, etc. Charts would bedistributed to children to display itin their houses so that they can relatethe lesson taught in school at homealso. Learning is a process of

The games conducted by children to their parents

A box full of beads and an empty box were placed on a table. Parentwas asked to take a bead and drop it in the empty box. The child wascounting the number of drops with a one minute sand watch. The childwrites the score on the sheet.

Four pairs of cards were displayed. The parent is asked to see for fewseconds. Then the cards were turned upside down. Then the parent isasked to match the pairs by opening it in sequence. The right numberof pairs was written on the sheet.

A set of cards with printed words were shown one by one. The parentshould read the word. Every correct word is counted by the child bydrawing a line in a piece of paper. Then the child counts the number oflines in the paper and enters it in the sheet.

A wooden rod is placed on a sheet. The parent is asked to measure witha tape and the child writes it on the sheet.

All the entries are collected at the exit point. The scores were totaledand top scoring parents were given prizes. Sweets were distributed toevery one.

understanding facts. Teachingnumbers is not being familiar withthe figures of the number but thetimes of repetition of an activity. Sayeating one or two chocolates,bringing two or three balls etc.

A series of competitions wereconducted by the students to theirparents. These gave excitement to

the parents to see their own childcounting one to fifty fast withoutany mistake, and expressed talents.The walls were decorated with thepaintings of the children of theschool. The parents were wonderingabout that they were not aware oftheir children’s latent talents. Theythanked the staff for bringing out thetalents of their kids.

Centre for Development CommunicationDHAN Foundation

18, Pillaiyar Koil Street, S.S. Colony, Madurai - 625 016. Tamil Nadu, INDIA

Tel.: +91 - 452 - 4353983, 2610794, 2610805 Fax: +91 - 452 - 2602247

Email: dhanfoundation_tn@airtelmail.in Website: http://www.dhan.org

Heritage Philanthropy Building on

of

Kings, noblemen of the villagers for the purpose of maintenance

of tanks made endowments in the form of gold or land. Stone

inscriptions found in Athur area of Dindigul District in Tamil

Nadu describe endowments made to the temple and tank

radica t ion of pover ty r equires Ecollaborative efforts and resources. If we

take India as a country with rich and varied

heritage of giving and the same we could see

with other countries too.

These were the various ways

available in the past. But today and for the

future, especially in the present context there

exist a need for various ways of giving. DHAN

Foundation is working on promoting a sharing

culture among the poor communities with

whom it is working, the general public both in

India and abroad, corporate through creating

meaningful opportunities and partnerships.

In India especially

there are various kinds of dhan (donations).

Shramdhan is giving labour, Annadhan is

giving food and Vidhayadhan is giving

knowledge.

Nurturing a culture of giving