Live Better With the Flood: An Approach for Sustainable Livelihood Security in District Dhemaji,...

8/8/2019 Live Better With the Flood: An Approach for Sustainable Livelihood Security in District Dhemaji, Assam

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LiveBetterWiththeFlood AnApproach

forSustainableLivelihoodSecurityin

DistrictDhemaji,

Assam

ACaseStudy


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Contents

Slno Topic Pageno

1 Projectprofile 1

2 BackgroundStatusoftheProjectBasedon

BaselineSurvey

15

iProjectArea

14

ii RationaleoftheProjectandlikelybenefits 45

3ProjectObjectives

5

4NAIP Interventions(ProjectActivities)

6

IDeliverablesandoutputsintheformof

Technologies

68

iiThematicInterventions

916

iiiIntegratedPackageforHouseholdandVillage

16

ivDetermination

of

Interventions

with

High

Payoffs

16

vRelationshipwithprivatepartners/NGOsetc.over

informationexchangeand disseminationofresults

19

vi RecordKeepingatVillageLevel 19

vii Sustainability&Spread:Plansforaddressing

technical,financialandinstitutionalaspects

19

viiiStatusofEnvironmental&SocialSafeguard

Framework

20

ix

Policyissues

emerging

out

of

the

sub

project

20

xStatusofhorizontalexpansionduetosuccessful

NAIPinterventions

21

5 ExperienceofConsortiainProjectImplementation 2126

iStatusofheadwiseFundReleasedandUtilized

21

ii.StatusofProcurementofGoodsandServices

approvedforthesubprojectandtheplanforthe

remainingprocurement

21


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iiiWorkingwithdiversifiedconsortiumpartners

22

ivWorkingatdifferentcapacities

22

v MeetingsofCMU/CIC/CAC22

viPublications

2223

viiWayForward

23

viiiAnyOtherPertinentInformationNotCovered

above

2325

6CommentsofCPI/ConsortiumPartner(s)

25

Casestudies2629

Table

Slno Title Pageno

1 DetailsofHouseholdandPopulationdistribution

intheProjectvillages

23

2 Deliverables&outputintheformoftechnologies 68

3 Partnerwisesanctionedbudget,fundreleaseand

fundutilized

21


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LiveBetterWiththeFlood AnApproachforSustainableLivelihoodSecurityinDistrict

Dhemaji,Assam: ACaseStudy

1.ProjectProfile

i TitleoftheSubProject : Live Better With the Flood An Approach for

SustainableLivelihoodSecurityinDistrict

ii ComponentofNAIP : NAIPComponent3(SRLS)

iii ThemeofSubProject : Attaining improved rural livelihood security in

Dhemajidistrictof Assam introducing integrated

farmingsystemapproach indifferentfloodrelated

situations

iv Sanctiondate : 01.04.2009

v DateoftheFirstReleaseof

Funds

: 05.06.2009

vi Date of Launch Workshop

oftheSubproject

: 10th

August,2009

vii NameofConsortiaLeader : Action for Food Production, 25/1A, Institutional

Area,PankhaRoad,DBlock,Janakpuri,NewDelhi

110058

viii NameofCPI : Mr.DhrubajitSarma

ix Name of Consortium

PartnerswithCOPIs

: 1.North Eastern Regional Institute of Water &Land Management(NERIWALM),Tezpur,

Assam: Mr.BharatChNath

2.Assam Agricultural University: Dr. Tarun ChMahanta (KVK, Dhemaji) and Dr. K. K. Tamuli

(CollegeofFisherySc)

3.Rural Volunteers Centre (NGO), Akazan,Dhemaji:Mr.ArupKrSailkia

x ProjectPeriod : 1stApril2009to30

thJune,2012

xi TotalBudget(Rs.inLakh) : Rs.290.64645(Rs.inLakhs)

xii Subproject website

address(URL)

: www.afpro.org/naip/index.htm

2.BackgroundStatusoftheProjectBasedonBaselineSurvey

AssamislocatedinthenortheasternpartofIndiawithitscapitalatDispur situatedat240

280

Nlatitudeand890

50'9704'Elongitude.LocatedsouthoftheeasternHimalayas,Assam

comprisestheBrahmaputraandtheBarakrivervalleysandtheKarbiAnglongandtheNorth

CacharHillswithanareaof30,285squaremiles(78,438km).TheproposeddistrictDhemaji

is one of the most backward districts of Assam. It is one of the remotest district of India


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locatedintheeasternmostpartofAssam.Numerousdrainagesystemsoriginatingfromthe

hills of Arunachal Pradesh flow through this narrow valley ending at the mighty river

Brahmaputra. The economy of Dhemaji is generally agrobased. Sericulture, fishing and

driftwood

business

are

practiced

in

smaller

scale.

However,

sand

deposition

and

other

adverse effects of chronic floods on fertile agricultural land have made even affluent

farmerslandless.Thereforealargenumberofsuchpeopleshifttogreenerpastureswithin

thedistricttocarryouthorticulturalpractices.Theselecteddistrictsaredivided intothree

clusters namely Sand deposited, lowland and silt deposited clusters in four blocks of the

district. Thirty eight villages were selected based on demographic profile and farming

systemforimplementationoftheprojectinterventionsinthefourblocksnamelyBordoloni,

Machkhowa,Dhemaji

and

Sissiborgaon.

i.ProjectArea

The Projectinterventionshasbeencarriedoutin38nosofvillageslocatedin3clustersand

that covers altogether 3 sub divisions out of total 4 nos in the District. Thus, thevillages

coversunderthisprojectgivesarepresentativepictureaboutthedistrict.Thevillagewise

hoseholdandpopulationdistributionisgiveninthefollowingTable.

Table1.DetailsofHouseholdandPopulationdistributionintheProjectvillages

Nameof

the

cluster

Nameofthe

Block

Nameof

theGP

SlNo Nameofthe

village

Total

number

ofHH

Total

population

1 1noKakubari 107 290

2 2noKakubari 69 206

3 Dharmapur 75 339

4 1noArney 52 313

Sisiborgaon Muktiar

5

Koroiguri

57

206

6 DihidiLepong 60 245Dihidi

7 Dihidi 70 211

8 Bordolopa 73 336

9 Changaibari 41 206

10 Harudhekera 32 169

11 BaruahPathar 29 147

Dhemaji

Batghuria

12 Sakolaguri 64 307

13 Seuijiapathar 73 372

14 Chawaria 70 358

LowLand

Flood

Affected

Area

Machkhowah Pub

Machkhow

a 15 1noKhuhimari 56 373


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16 2nokhuhimari 21 124

17 3noKhuhimari 22 137

18 1noSili 107 336

19 2noSili 104 413

20 Dimobulai 94 491

21 Siliboru 81 483

Sili

panchayat

22 Nalbari 80 407

Dihidi 23 DihidiSapori 60 287

Betonipam 24 2noBetanipara 104 472

25 Gipubasti1no 80 337

26 Gipubasti2no 80 461

Silt

Deposited

Area

Sisiborgaon

Dhemaji

Sisiborgaon

Malinipur

27 Phubbali 117 511

28 Pipleguri 106 446

29 MerSapori 40 251

30

Garumora

50

321

31 Pumi 73 323

Sisiborgaon MadhyaSisi

Tongani

32 Ampak 55 303

33 Dehingiagaon 215 744

34 Kochgaon 62 221

35 Sarokham 87 366

36 Bahokotika 90 389

37 Auniaeti 216 815

Sand

Deposited

Area

Bordoloni Bordoloni

38 Kalitagaon 180 736

Total 3052 13452

The baseline survey was carried out in all three clusters using a prestratified random

sampling technique to select the sample respondents. The beneficiaries are selected by

randomnumbers, fromthese lists,toaccountfor2500beneficiaries i.e.913marginaland

332 small farmers and 1255 agricultural labourers (landless) and beneficiaries are

considered as universe. Out of 2500 beneficiaries the sample size fixed for this baseline

surveyis450(18%).

The total number of household in these 38 villages is 3052 and total population of the

selectedvillagesofthethreeclusterswas13452ofwhichmaleconstituted4546(33.79%),

females3936(29.26%)andchildren4970(36.95%).Almost inalltheclustersthemaleand

female constituted around 30 percent, each. The average literacy levels of the selected

villageswere44.65%percent,ofthis49.34percentcomprisedmaleand38.36percentby

thefemales.


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Theoccupationaldistributionshowedthatselectedvillagesprovideemploymenttoaround

84.07%percentofthepopulationofwhich69.23percentpopulationdependonagriculture

and17.8percentwere landless labourers.Canaland lift irrigationwerethemainsourceof

irrigation

in

the

project

area.

The

total

geographical

areas

of

the

selected

clusters

were

4349.913haofwhicharound33.05percentoftheareawerebroughtunderthecategoryof

net area sown. The average cropping intensity was at 171.765 and average irrigation

intensityofthestudyareawas214.064percent.

Awarenessleveloffarmtechnologiesviz.,IntegratedPestManagement,IntegratedNutrient

Management, Integrated Farming System, Waste Management, Water Conservation and

Vermi

composting

was

moderate

in

the

study

area.

But

the

awareness

level

did

not

reflect

theadoptionofthefarmtechnologiesduetothelackoftraininganddemonstration.

Theaveragefamilysizeofthesamplewasaround5.Nearly25.7percentoftherespondents

intheselectedfarmsbelongedtotheagegroupof1930yearsand28percentbelongsto

3140years inall theclusters.Theselectedareahasmore farmersofyoungergeneration

and this could favour educating them to adopt the new technology. The average literacy

level was at 44.65 per cent. It will help the project team to create awareness and impart

knowledge on the new farming technology. The sample respondents have very less

infrastructural facilities like land and buildings to rear the livestock and adopt the new

innovative technologies in the field. Consumption expenditure per annum, per household

wasRs.35747.87,Rs.44920.00andRs.79028.56 respectivelyinlowland,siltdepositedand

sanddepositedrespectively.

Theaverage landholdingwas0.49haand27.87percentofthefarmersdependoncanal

irrigation. It was observed from the baseline survey a very meager number of farmers

undertooksoiltesting.Itemphasizedtheneedtoeducatethefarmersoncropselectionand

fertilization based on soil analysis. The average cropping intensity of the sample

respondentswasat133.85%.Allonanaveragethesamplerespondenthouseholdreceived

anet incomeofRs. 6111.46perannumfrom livestockand fisheryactivities.Theaverage

annualhouseholdincomeofthesamplerespondentsareatRs. 33563.80,ofwhichlivestock

contributed18.21percentand26.07percentwereearnedthroughlabourwages.


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Regarding the post harvest activities, the farmers adopted drying and cleaning only. They

werenotinvolvedinothertechnologylikevalueaddition.Thebaselineidentifiedthatcrop

damageduetofloods/nonavailabilityofwater,unavailabilityofinputsandpoorsoilhealth

wereidentified

as

the

main

problem.

The

main

source

of

credits

to

the

farmers

was

farm

friendsandlocalmoneylenderbuttheloanamountdisbursedbyvariousagenciescouldnot

reachtofarmfamiliesfortheaverageexpenditure.

ii.RationaloftheProject

Dhemaji isaremotedistrictofAssamwhere47.29%ofthetotalpopulation isST,which is

the indigenous tribes of the state like Mishing, Bodo, Rabha, Lalung, Sonowal, Garo and

Deorialong

with

Hazong,

ST

Nepalis

and

some

tribes

of

Arunachal

Pradesh

along

the

foothill

region.Thefloodinthedistrictbecamemoredevastative,peoplemovedtonewerplacesin

search of cultivable lands at the cost of more devastation of the forest degradation. The

cultivable landwhichwasabundantbecamescarce,theforestproductsvanishedfromthe

area, the fish habitats were destroyed, the earlier abundant grazing fields for the cattle

diminishedandthepopulationlosttheirsustainableandecofriendlylivelihoodpatternand

part of the population became more marginalized due recurring flood devastation and

displacement.

The

earlier

livelihood

options

thus

become

more

limitedthe

natural

productivity of the land is decreasing, no option for new virgin cultivable land, huge land

mass became unsuitable for the common cultivation, the grazing lands are occupied or

damaged, the natural fish ponds/beels and other habitats disturbed and destroyed, thus

earlierchainandbalancingrelationshipswiththenaturedisturbed.Thechangesaresorapid

thatmostofthefamiliesdetractedfromtheagricultureandhugenumbersofpersonshave

migratedfromthedistrict insearchofearning.Extensiveeffortsmadefordevelopmentso

farhavenotaccruedbenefitstowardsthesustainabilityoflivelihoodofthepeopleatgrass

rootduetopoorruralassetsofthedistricts;loweraccesstoknowledge,technology,credit

andinputs;poorsavinghabitandvulnerabilitytorisks

Inorder tocopeupwith flood,Governmentanddevelopmentorganizationshavetriedto

dealwiththesituation,buttheirinitiativeshavebeenmorerelieforientedandshortperiod

targeted.On theotherhand,overcenturies, localpeoplehavedeveloped theirownways

andmeanstodealwithfloods.Thesemeasuresandtechniquesarelocalspecific,requireno


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externalhelporsupportandareinherentlyscientific.Inorderforpeopletodealbetterwith

floodandtheirchangingcharacters,oneofthewaysistobuildpeoplesadaptivecapabilities

throughraising theirawareness,knowledgebaseandcapacitiestoearna living througha

selectionof

appropriate

crops

and

the

techniques.

Hence a multi disciplinary and multiinstitutional action research program for livelihood

security in district Dhemaji is apparently crucial. The program will look forward for

sustainable livelihood security with proper management of existing resources and

effectivelyutilizationofpreandpostfloodsituation.

3.ProjectObjectives

ThelongtermobjectiveoftheprojectistoimprovetherurallivelihoodsecurityinDhemaji

districtofAssamintroducingintegratedfarmingsystemapproachindifferentfloodrelated

situations.

Thespecificobjectivesare:

To improve the livelihood of the rural poor with efficient management of naturalresourcesbyenhancingproductivity,profitabilityanddiversityoffarmingsystem

To improve the delivery mechanism through skill development of primary stakeholders on improved practices of Agriculture, Livestock, Apiculture and Post Harvest

Technology.

Todevelopinstitutionalmechanismamongtheprimarystakeholdersforadoptingtheapproachesandestablishingmarketlinkagesforincomegenerationactivity

i..NAIPInterventions(ProjectActivities)

The

Project

tries

to

address

the

critical

gap

in

addressing

livelihood

security

through

its

variousinterventions.Theprojectinterventionstartedwiththeconceptofrecognizingthree

phases of flood prone area like Pre Flood Situation, During flood (Disaster Preparedness)

andPostFloodOperationand identifyingopportunitiesfor improvingthe livelihoodbased

on Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) Framework. Thus, the livelihood interventions

havebeenbroadlycategorizedunderPreFlood,DuringFloodandpostFloodsituation.The

interventionsinallthesituationareofcropbased,livestockbased,nonfarmbaseandother

sourceslike

labour,

petty

business

etc.


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i.DeliverablesandOutputintheformofTechnologies

Table: 2 Deliverables and Output in the form of Technologies visa vis indicators to

measuresuccess

Objectives Deliverables Target Achievements

A.IntegratedFarmingSystem

1. IncreaseareaunderHYVunderwinterpaddy

growing with fish under RiceFish

Horticultures

65ha with

259HH

65ha with259

HH

2.Fishcultureinricefield 65ha 10ha

3. Increase area under HYV of vegetables like

Cabbage,Cauliflower,Chilli,Tomato,French

bean,

Pumpkin,

Bottle

gourd,

Ladies

finger,

Brinjal, Potato under LivestockFish

Horticulture

92 ha with

185HH

92 ha with 185

HH

4. Poultry bird (Cruiler) reared 1808 no under

LivestockFishHorticulture

1808no 1808no

5. Rearing of Charachameli duck under

LivestockFishHorticulture

1125no 1125no

6. Integration of rearing of Cross breed Piglets

underLivestockFishHorticulture

440nos. 440nos.

7. Integration of rearing of Pure breed Goat

underLivestock

Fish

Horticulture

39nos. 39nos.

8. Fish culture in pond under LivestockFish

Horticulture

36590nos. 36590nos.

9. IntegrationofdairywithfisheryunderDairy

FishHorticulture

26 ha with

66HH

26 ha with 66

HH

10. Increasing area under Banana cultivation

and Watermelon under DairyFish

Horticulture

4000 nos

of banana

and 20 ha

under

water

melon

4000 nos of

banana and 20

ha under water

melon

11. Cultivation of improved seed of vegetables

underSericulturePigHorticulture

40 ha with

80HH

40 ha with 80

HH

12.IntroducingMugaDFL 5000nos. 5000nos.

13.IntegrationofimprovedcrossbreedPiglets 70nos. 70nos.

B.RestructuringofCroppingpattern

To improve the

livelihood of the

rural poor with

efficient

management of

natural resources

by enhancing

productivity,

profitability

and

diversity of

farmingsystem

1. Increase area under HYV of summer paddy,

Early

autumn

paddy

and

Normal

autumnpaddy, Deep water paddy and HYV of

25ha 25ha


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vegetables

2. Cultivation improved seed of pulses and oil

seedcrop

30ha 30ha

C.Enterprise

development

1.EstablishmentofPoultryBroilerUnit 1Unit 2Units

2. Introducing mechanized Weaving Unit for

groups

3unit 3unit

3. Introducing tailoring machine & design

making machine for group basis tailoring

Unit

2unit 2unit

4.Reclamationofcommunitypond 4 Fish

pond

9Fishpond/18

HH/10ha

5.Desiltingofpond 2pond 2 pond/16

HH/1ha

D.FarmMechanization

1.Processingofricethroughricemill 15nos. 16nos.

2.Mechanizedfarmingwithpowertiller 3nos. 3nos.

3.Sprayertofarmers 4nos. 16nos.

4. Creation of storage potential like grain

storage inmetallicbin

40nos. 110nos.

5.Provisionofirrigationthroughdripirrigation 8nos. 7 nos.(Fund

utilized for

treadlepump)

6.Lowcosttreadlepump 20nos 20nos.

7.Irrigationpumpwithshallowtubewell 6 nos./10

ha

13nos/30ha

8.FeedProcessingUnit 1no 1no

9.Vermi

compost

1unit

1unit

10.Selfpropelledtransplanter 1no 1no

11.ManualPaddytransplanter 2no Nil

TrainingNeedAssessment 1no 1 no/ 30

participants

To improve the

delivery

mechanism

through skill

development ofInstitutional and on farm training for capacity

building

30nos. 29 nos./ 942

participants


12/35

primary stake

holders on

improved

practices of

Agriculture,

Livestock,

Apiculture and

Post Harvest

Technology.

Trainingforentrepreneurshipdevelopment 2no 1 no/ 10

participants

Developmentoffarmersgroup 15nos. 10nos.

FormationofSHG 100nos. 10nos.

Formation of Village Development Committee

(VDC)forsustainabilityoftheproject

38nos. 38nos.

To develop

institutional

mechanism

among the

primary stake

holders for

adopting

the

approaches and

establishing

market linkages

for income

generationactivity

Creationofsustainabilityfunds 38VDC 10VDC

ii.Objectivewisethematicinterventions

A.Improvinglivelihoodoftheruralpoorwithefficientmanagementofnaturalresources

byenhancing

productivity,

profitability

and

diversity

of

farming

system

i.IntegratedFarmingSystem:Theprojectislookingtoestablishfarmingsystemmodulefor

small and marginal holdings that would ensure food security which will be replicable,

adoptable, profitable and environment friendly in flood prone conditions. To establish

farmingsystemmodule, integratedfarmingsystem (IFS)wereadopted intheprojectarea

by integrating input of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery etc. There are four basic

module which were taken up under this project viz. RiceFishHorticulture, LivestockFish

Horticulture,DairyFishHorticultureandSericulturePigHorticulture.

a.Rice Fish Horticulture

Thisintegratedfarmingsystemwouldbepracticedaswinterriceinthemainfieldfollowed

byvegetable likecabbage,cauliflower,tomato,brinjal,okra,potato,frenchbean.Thefish

willbecultivatedwiththericefield.Thefishrearinghasbeendone inthetrenchesatthe

periphery

of

the

field

or

in

the

existing

depression

area

after

making

necessary

modification

andasperthesuitability.Thevegetablehasbeencultivatedinthewinterseasonintherice


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field.Therearealtogether30hathathasbeencoveredunderricefishcultureandin35ha

of landcovering259HH,cultivationofvegetables likecabbage,cauliflower,chilli,tomato,

Frenchbean,potatohasbeendone.Thereisgenerationofadditionalproductionofricedue

tointroduction

of

HYV

in

30

ha

area.

The

production

under

HYV

of

rice

has

exceeded

more

than50%andthishasguaranteed34tonofriceseedwhichtobeusedinthenextseason.

Winterriceyieldisyettocomeout,thegrowthisquitegoodcomparisontolocalcultivars.

Beneficiaries has got income from fish around Rs.3.00 lakh. Further, the cultivation of

winter vegetables has generated additional Rs. 12.00 lakh. As a whole, the additional

income got from fish, improved paddy seed and winter vegetable cultivation has

contributedtotheenhancementofincomeofthetargetedhouseholdto30%againstthat

ofbaseline

figure.

b.LivestockFishVegetables

Pig-Fish-Hort module at village Kakobari,

Dhemaji

Thismodulewouldconsistofthreesubmodulessuchaspoultryfishvegetable,dairyfish

vegetableandpigfishvegetable.Thetechnology involvedwasgrowingvegetablesaround

thefishery pondand rearingofpoultryandpig andruminantsaboveornearbythefishery

pond.Thereiscoverageofaltogether92hawith185HHunderthismodule.Poultryhouses

havebeen

constructed

just

above

the

fish

pond

so

that

waste

product

of

poultry

would

be

feed for fingerlings. Inclusion of HYV of vegetables

like Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chilli, Tomato, French

bean, Pumpkin, Bottle gourd, Ladies finger, Brinjal,

Potatoetc. enhancetheproduction farabovethan

the previously grown local cultivars. Fingerlings of

Rohu, Katla, Mrigal, Silver Carp, Grass carp etc have

been distributed among the stakeholders. In the

intervention proposed, farmers train to rear the goat

and 10bucksofBeetlewereprovidedtofarmersforimprovementoflocalbreedofgoat.

Goathasbeenprovidedto39beneficiariesamongsmall&marginalfarmers.Upgraded440

nos. of cross breeds of pig (Hampshire) and 1808 nos. of poultry chick (Cruiler) and 1125

nos.ofduck(CharaCambelli) havebeen integratedwith fishfarmingathomestead.Bio

wastes have been recycled into the fishpond to substitute fertilizers and fish feed. Major

intervention in animal components has been used as balanced feed, deworming, and


14/35

vaccination. There are 32 families covering around 32 ha where integration module of

chickfishvegetableshasbeenestablished.Another45familieswereprovidedwithduckto

establish the integration module. Animal care by providing of vaccination and various

ailments

against

diseases

was

done.

Mortality

rate

of

the

animals

thereby

have

been

minimized.

c.DairyFishHorticulture

Drip irrigation with Banana cultivation

Cattle isthemost importantandcommonfarmingunit inthemostofthehousehold.The

cattle is mainly used for ploughing the land and milk

production for own consumption. The cow dung and

cowurineisnotutilizeseffectivelybeforetheproject.

During the project period, awareness generation has

been carried out about the benefits of cow dung in

cropproductionaswellasutilizationofcowurinefor

bio control of insectpest. The cow dung as compost

has been utilized for INM and IPM in vegetable cultivation. Vermicompost has been

promotedby

mixing

cow

dung

and

waste

material.

The

vegetable

by

products

have

been

usedascattlefeed.Fingerlingshavebeenreleasedinthefisherybyintegratingwithexisting

cattle shed and the available area in and around of fish pond has been covered under

bananacultivation (var.MalbhogandJahaji)andwatermeloncultivation. Insevenplaces,banana plantation has been done with drip irrigation covering 15 ha of area. Under this

module, there are altogether 26 ha of area that has been covered with 66 nos. of

Household. The benefits of integration of resources have already been visible seen in the

moduleas

the

growth

of

the

fish

in

the

pond

is

remarkably

higher

compared

to

other

area.

Again, the coverage of area under vegetable cultivation and ensuring better soil and

nutrientmanagement for thishas furtherenhanced theproductionof vegetableand thus

additionalemploymenthasbeengenerated.The integrationoftheproductionsystemhas

beencontributedtothevisiblechangesofthe livelihoodofthetargetedbeneficiarywhich

hasbeenaccountedtotheextentof35%bywayofgettingadditionalincome.

d.Sericulture

Pig

Horticulture


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Muga Coccon production at project

village, Dhemaji

IntegrationofexistingSom (rearingplantofmuga )plantationwithvegetablecultivation

and pig rearing has been done under this module and

altogether 40 ha covering 80 nos. of HH has been

covered.

Muga

DFLs

(Disease

Free

Laying)

of

5000

nos.

havebeenintroducedamong 40beneficiaries covering7

ha of land. Altogether, 70 nos. of improved cross breed

Piglets have been provided to beneficiaries to integrate

with the sericulture activities. Horticultural plants like

bananaandothervegetableshavebeenplantedinbetweentheSomPlant.Theproduction

of

muga

yarn

is

very

good

and

beneficiaries

have

already

sold

the

yarn

and

weaving

muga

riha&sareeatremunerativeprice.There is40%ofadditionalincomethatthebeneficiary

gotduetouseofDFLandthishascreatedaneweropportunityforthefarmingcommunity

forpracticingsustainablefarmingmodel.


16/35

Autumn paddy at farmers field,

Sissiborgaon, Dhemaji

ii. Restructuring of cropping pattern Restructuring of cropping pattern is essential in

situation like Dhemaji to grow a wide variety of crops includingrice during the flood free

periodoftheyear.Thereforetoescapethefloodhazardsandtoaddressfoodsecurityby

addressingcrop

security,

restructuring

of

cropping

pattern

has

been

introduced

among

the

farmers.Inthispractice,cropsuchas mustard,potato,

lentil, summer moong, summer rice and mostly

vegetableand foddercropssuchasoatweregrown in

thefloodfreeperiod.Adjustmentofplantingdateshas

beendoneforgrowingblackgramandgreengramafter

floods. Localcultivarsofwinter,summer,earlyautumn,

autumn and deepwater paddy have been replaced by

improved high yielding variety. The major

consideration, however, is required in respect to growing of rice before and after flood.

Thus, it would be necessary to grow rice from end of September to December for Sali

season depending on the onset or recede of flood, instead of growing rice from July to

November/December. Again,plantingof autumn(Ahu)varietiesalsohadtobeadvanced

sothatharvestingcanbedonebeforetheonsetofflood.Forthatshortdurationearlyahu

varieties like Luit , Kolong and Disang has been be selected and they have beenharvested before flood. These varieties produce more yields (58 q /bigha) compared to

localvariety(35q/bigha).Infloodproneareas,submergencetolerantvarietyJalashreeand

Jalkunwari and deep water rice variety like

Panindra, Padmanath, Panchanan and Basudev in46haareahavebeendone.Postfloodricevariety

Monohar

sali

and

variety

suitable

for

staggered

planting like Gitesh would be transplanted after

flood recedes. Boro (summer) rice variety

Kanaklata,Boro9havebeencultivatedatfarmersfield.Boropaddyyieldenhancedbymorethan40%50%alongwithirrigationfacilities.Mix

croppingofautumnriceanddeepwaterricealsohasbeendonesoastoensureatleastone

crop in caseofcrop damagedue to flood. Farmersarealsogrowing traditionalearly Sali

variety

Baswhich

could

be

harvested

before

flood

occurs.

The

production

of

this

variety


17/35

alsohasbeenenhancedby improveculturalpractices.SRItechniquehasalsobeencarried

outwhere it isfoundfeasibleandthegrowth isquitesatisfactory.Cultivationof improved

HYVofvegetables infloodfreeperiod intheoperationalgaveaboost inyield.Therewere

around20

ha

area

that

was

covered

under

potato

covering

200

household

in

all

the

three

clustersandrecordyieldofpotatohasmadefarmersenthusiastictobringmoreareaunder

itinthenextyear.

Treadle pump for irrigation

iii.Irrigationsystem:Establishmentofshallowtubewell(STW)withpumpsweredonein13

locations to irrigate summer (Boro) paddy, early autumn

(Ahu) paddy and winter vegetable cultivation. Irrigation

system through treadle pump was also introduced as low

cost technology to economize the return. The STW and

Treadle pump has ensured 55 ha of irrigated land under

paddy and 20 ha under vegetable and thus an additional

incomeofRs.1000015000perfamilyfrompaddyandRs.900014000fromvegetableshas

been

achieved

per

beneficiary

during

the

intervening

period.

Drip

irrigation

system

was

introducedfor15haofbananaparticularly insanddepositedclusterwherewaterholding

capacityofthesoilispoorwhichwouldfurtherincreasethefarmeconomybyirrigatingland

inwinterperiod.

SRI practice at Silli Boro Village at Dhemaji

Power tiller provided to beneficiary

iv.FarmMechanization:Theprojecthasadoptedastrategy in increasingtheefficiencyof

the farmer and also the productivity by farm

mechanization

for

which

power

tiller,

self

propelled

trasplanter, sprayer and other small accessories have

been applied in field operation. Farm mechanization

through provision of power tillers saved the time of

farmers and thus it helped in increasing the area

under cultivation and in increasing the efficiency of farming activities. The sample study

revealsthat

due

to

intervention

of

power

tiller

and

transplanter,

15

20%

efficiency

of

the

farming activities has been observed. Introduction of irrigation facility as well farm


18/35

mechanizationalongwithcapacitybuildingprogramimprovedfarmerscapacitytointensify

thecroppingactivities.

v.Postharvesttechnology:Promotionofricemillinthevillagesatclusterbasisparticularly

hashelpedthewomenbysavingtimeandenergy,whichotherwisemakericebypounding

at house or to carry at distance location. This has facilitates to save on an average 2530

hourspermonthandthisextratimegeneratedhasbeeninvestedinproductiveworks.This

has lead to generation of additional revenue of Rs. 500600 per women per month.

Membersofthegroupcontributedmoneyforconstructionoftheshedwhichfacilitatesthe

accountabilityandownershipofthegroup.Again,integrationofflourmillwiththeexisting

rice

mill

has

given

additional

benefit

to

the

beneficiary.

vi.SeedStorage:Promotionofmetallicseedstoragebins(110nos.)withacapacityof100

kgeach,hasbeendoneinthreeworstaffectedvillagesbyflood.Thishassavedaround11

tonoftheirseedsduringcurrentyearfloodastheyallcarriedthesebinswithgrainstothe

raisedplatform.Further,manyofthefarmerhasoptedtomakesamekindofcontainerwith

biggercapacityoftheirownbyseeingthebenefitofit.

vii.Vegetable

cultivation:

This

intervention

has

made

agreat

impact

on

the

livelihood

of

the farmers. Average production of potato per hectare ranges from 125128 quintal and

thereby total earnings enhanced by 6070% per beneficiary. Out of potato cultivation

averageRs400015000/additionalincomehasbeenachievedbythefarmersandthusthis

hasopenedupanewopportunitytotheDistrictofDhemajiwheremoreandmoreareasare

comingundersandandsiltdepositionandalternativeandpotentialagribasedactivityare

underscrutinytobecultivatedinfloodfreeperiodtogiveassuredincometothefarmersin

a calendar year. Looking the success of this intervention, farmers are getting interest to

growmorepotatointhesubsequentyear.Theyarealsopreservingitupto34monthsafter

theharvest.Othervegetablesliketomato,brinjal,chillialsoproducedahighreturn.

viii. Enterprise development: Three SHG groups were provided with improved weaving

loom along with machine to make design with less

effort. Two tailoring units were established with two

SHGgroupsbyprovidingtwonormalsewingmachines

Tailoring Unit of Janakalyan SHG of

Seujipathar village, Dhemaji


19/35

andonedesignmakingZigzagmachine.TheSHGmembersafterreceivingcutting&tailoring

training contributed money to construct the shed for the unit and already started their

business.Thesegroupswouldbe linked formarketingwithSuwanshiriHaatdevelopedby

DRDAduring

the

course

of

time.

B.Toimprovethedeliverymechanismthroughskilldevelopmentofprimarystakeholders

on improved practices of Agriculture, Livestock, Apiculture and Post Harvest

Technology

Todevelopskillandknowledgeofcommunityonmanagingthenaturalresourcebaseand

onmoderntechnologiesinagriculture,horticulture,animalhusbandry,fisheryetc.seriesof

capacity building trainings, extension programs, IEC

activities has been taken up both at institutional and on

farmlevel.

Capacity building training to farmers at

village

Training to cutting & tailoring

i. Capacity Building Training: There are altogether 32

numbersoftrainingthathasbeenorganizedcovering982

participants. Two numbers of Field days has been

organized to facilitate cross learning. Training on

improved

agronomic

practices

like

integrated

nutrient

management, integrated pest management and mechanization of cultural operations is

imparted to the farmers in all three clusters. The

institutional training has been provided at North Eastern

Regional Water and Land Management (NERIWALM).

Demonstration cum skill upgradation training on weaving

andtailoringalsowerecarriedouttoupgradethenonfarm

sectorasalternate livelihoodopportunity.The farmersare

becomingawareaboutthehighyieldingvarietiesofdifferent

crops which facilitates in increasing the production. The knowledge on use of balance

fertilization, timelycontrolof insectpestand improvedagronomicpracticeshas increased

theoutputlevelofthecropsparticularlypaddyandthusthishasensuredfoodsecurityfor

thecommunityforthedistressperiod.


20/35

ii.DevelopmentandpromotionofIECmaterials:TheNAIPwebsitehasbeenlaunchedand

IEC materialsalso weredeveloped. Sixpublications haveso farbeenmade in the formof

booklet. SMS service has been launched for dissemination of information on agro based

technologyto

targeted

community.

C.Todevelopinstitutionalmechanismamongtheprimarystakeholdersforadoptingthe

approachesandestablishingmarketlinkagesforincomegenerationactivity

Developmentof institutionalmechanismtomaketheprojectsustainable in longrun isthe

most imperative issue during execution of a project. There are 38 Village Development

Committee (VDC) that has been formed and the apex body of it in the form of Cluster

Resource Centre (CRC) also has been installed. All the VDCs have one president and one

secretary along its one general and executive body and the office bearer looks upon all

program, administrative as well as overall development issues by coordinating with

community.EachVDChasopenedabankaccounteitherinStateBankofIndiaorinRegional

RuralBankatDhemaji.Theaccounthasjointsignatoryofbothpresident&secretary,one

memberfromAFPRO.Theformationofsustainabilityfundhasalready initiated intheCRC

andthecommunitycontributionforthegoodsandservicesdeliveredtothemhasalready

beenstarted todeposit in theBankAccount.Theexemplarystartof marketingofpoultry

product of Matri SHG Poultry enterprises in to Arunachal Pradesh with the help of local

vendorshasbroughtarayofhopetothe locality.Thishasbroughtawarenessamong the

ruralcommunityaboutthepotentialitythattheyhavetomarkettheirproductoutside.

iii.IntegratedpackageforHouseholdandVillage

During

the

year

2009

2010,

total

590

household

were

included

for

the

integrated

package

basedonPRAexercisesandaspertheneedandresourceavailabilityatfamily level.Each

familyhasgivenanintegratedpackagetoincreasetheireconomicstatusbyoptimizinguse

of their resources, diversification of agriculture through adoption of integrated farming

system. Cop security has been addressed to establish food security by restructuring of

croppingpatterndependingontherainfallandfloodcondition.Thebreedofpigsandgoat

has been targeted to improve by introducing cross breed animals with the support of

nutritivefeed

and

fodder.

Winter

vegetable

cultivation

along

with

oilseed

and

pulses

has


21/35

given assured income to the farmers. Free SMS service has installed so that information

regarding the improved cultivation practices, livestock etc. can be disseminated to each

farmerwhenevernecessary.

iv.DeterminationofInterventionswithhighpayoffs

Theprojecthasimplementedseverallivelihoodgeneratingactivitiesduringitsfirstyearand

uponmeasuring therelativeperformanceofthe interventions, it isrevealed thatsomeof

theactivitiesarehavinglargerpotentialitytobringimpactonthelivelihoodofthepeople.

i. IntegratedFarmingSystem: The integrated farming system which gives scope to utilize

the available resources and to address the livelihood by utilizing the input of agriculture,

horticulture,

animal

husbandry,

fisheries

etc.

As

discussed

already,

there

are

four

basic

moduleswhichweretakenupunderthisprojectandoutofthatLivestockFishHorticulture

which consists of three submodules such as poultryfishvegetable, DairyFishVegetable

and

Integrated Poultry-Fish-Horti system at Dharampur under Sissiborgaon Block

Pigfishvegetable has been able to give a larger impact on the economy of the farming

community.The farmingsystemhas lead to increasevegetableand fishproduction in the

farmers houses. The HYV seed of vegetables like Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chilli, Tomato,

Frenchbean,Pumpkin,Bottlegourd,Ladiesfinger,Brinjal,Potatoetc.hasgivenassuredand

additional incometothefarmers inthefloodfreeperiod. The integrationofpig,goatand

poultrywith fisheryhasreducedthedependencyof thecommunityonexternal inputand

alongwiththistheproductivityofcropandfishalsohasbeenincreased.Majorintervention

in animal components which includes balanced feed, deworming, vaccination, insurances

hasleadtoreductioninmortalityrateoftheanimalsandgivingassuredincometofarmer.

The introducedcrossbreedpigs isattainingattheirmaturitystageand it isexpectedthat


22/35

during 2011, around 3500 nos. of progeny will be generated which will be further

distributed to the nearby villages. Further, during 2011 another 400 nos. of improved

progeny of Black Bengal and Beetle goat will be achieved in the three clusters. The

comparison

of

the

introduced

cross

breed

pigs

with

the

local

one

says

that

the

average

weight gain of the cross one within 6 months is 25% higher than the traditional breed.

Further, integratingpoultryandduckerywith improvedfishculturehasensured ingetting

additionalRs.10,000/ toRs.12,000/ forpoultryandRs.15,000/ forfishpondandthusa

total additional income of Rs.22,000/ to Rs.25,000/ has been attained which establishes

that2530%increaseinlivelihoodhasbeenachievedforthetargetedbeneficiaries.

ii.

Restructuring

of

cropping

pattern:

To

address

food

security

by

addressing

crop

security,

restructuringofcroppingpatternhasbeendesignedand implementedamongthefarmers

involving manly crop activities of paddy, vegetables, pulses and oilseeds. The planting of

shortdurationearlyahuvarietieslike Luit,KolongandDisang hasledtoproductionof

Potato production under NAIP project

more yields (58 q /bigha) compared to local variety (35 q /bigha) i.e. more than 50%

increasein

yield/

bigha

of

land.

Thus,

this

gave

additional

income

to

the

beneficiaries.

There

arealtogether30haareaunderautumnriceand55ha(effectiveyieldfrom40haareaonly)

areaundersummerricewhichhasgeneratedadditional125tonofpaddywithanetearning

ofRs.9000to16000/ .SRItechniquehasalsobeencarriedoutwhere it isfoundfeasible

andthegrowthisquitesatisfactory.CultivationofimprovedHYVofvegetablesinfloodfree

period has given assured income to the farmers. Record yield of potato production has

createdapositivethinkingamongthefarmerstoadoptthispractice incommercialway in

thecomingyears.Therewerearound20haareathat

wascoveredunderpotatocovering200householdin

allthethreeclusters.Theaverageproductivityofpotatoachievedis125128q/hawhichis

6070.%higherthantheprevailingyieldtrendandthusthishasgeneratedatotalincomeof

Rs.25,00,000/ inthethreeclusters.TheassuredirrigationthroughSTWandTreadlepump

has ensured 20 ha of irrigated land under winter vegetable except paddy and thus an

additionalincomeofRs.400000500000/ hasbeenachievedduringtheinterveningperiod

inalltheclusters.Further,addressingseedsecurity isverycrucial insituation likeDhemaji


23/35

and the intervention of metallic seed storage bins

(110nos.)withacapacityof100kgeachhassaved

around 11 ton of their seeds during current year

flood.Many

of

the

farmer

has

opted

to

make

same

kind

of

container

with

bigger

capacity

of

theirownbyseeingthebenefitofit.Alongwiththisimprovisationoffewtraditionalstorage

structure made of bamboo and awareness on promotion of community Grain Bank will

furthersaveseedandgrainofthepeople.

iii.Enterprisedevelopment: The poultry enterprises that has been developed with Matri

SHG Federation and Ruad SHG has been able to generate benefits within 67 months

period

of

time

and

this

shows

the

potentiality

of

bringing

group

enterprises

in

the

locality.

The Matri SHG Federation has already earned Rs.6, 01,320.00 after investment of total

Rs.4,55,499.00andthustheyhaveattainedanetbenefitofRs.145821.00tillAugust,2010.

Similarly,theRuadSHGalsohasgotRs.177074.00benefitaftermakinginitialinvestmentof

Rs131708.00 till August, 2010. The product is having local demand as well as it can

profitably sell in Arunachal Pradesh and thus there are larger viability of this type of

enterprises.

v. Relationship with private partners/ NGOs etc. over information exchange and

disseminationofresult

VDC(villageDevelopmentCommittee)wereformedinallthevillagesandthereareregular

monthly meeting and proper record maintenance. There are regular communication and

sharing of information with this VDC. Progress is also monitored regularly by Lead

centre/COPI as well as by Consortium Principal Investigator and other officials attached

with

the

project.

There

are

three

consortium

partners

and

they

are

also

in

regular

contact

throughinternetandtelephonewithCPIforupdatetheprogress. RegularCICmeetingsare

organizedtoknowtheprogressandstatusofeachother.

vi.Recordkeepingatvillagelevel

Recordkeepingbythefarmers isveryimportanttoknowtheprogressofeachactivityand

their outcome. Household level data base has been initiated to develop where each

beneficiaryfarmer

has

been

provided

with

aformat

including

date

of

receiving

input,

input


24/35

details, area under cultivation, result of individual intervention etc. VDC maintain their

monthly/quarterly/half yearly/annual action plan and maintain proper record on input

delivery,productionstatus,sustainabilityfund,trainingdetails,meetingdetailsetc.

vii. Sustainability and Spread: Plans to addressing technical, financial and institutional

aspectsoftheProjects

Project interventions were selected in such a way that they suit the existing livelihood as

well as local adaptive system in the respective areas. Peoples adaptive capacity towards

newfarmingpracticesbymanagingmonsoonbehaviour,physical infrastructure,additional

enterprises, research innovation, institutional frameworks, sociocultural adjustment have

been enhanced through training and participatory action learning. Knowledge and skill of

the community has been enhanced through on farm practice and capacity building on

intensification and diversification of crop variety and animal rearing to own sustainable

livelihoodinthepostprojecttime

Forsustainabilityoftheproject,VillageDevelopmentCommittee (VDC) ineachvillagehas

been formed which are vibrant, dynamic and democratic village level institutions. Bank

account has been opened by each VDC so that they can establish linkages with CRC and

other Govt. and Financial agencies. The contribution of community as sustainability fund

towardsCRChasalreadyinitiated.Creationofsustainabilityfundwherebeneficiaryfarmers

contributionforthegoodsandservicesdelivertothemindividuallyundertheprojectwould

carryforwardtheactionsinlongrunafterwithdrawaloftheproject.

Beneficiaryscontribution forconstructionofshed forgroupenterprises likepoultry farm,

rice mill, weaving and tailoring centre etc. has created the sense of ownership and

accountabilityanditwouldhelptomaketheprojectsustainable.

Insurance of the pig has made community capable to adapt the good practices like

productionofmorepigletsinsteadofsellingitout.Thishasgivenaguaranteetothefarmers

againstmortalityofanimalsordamagesofinfrastructures.


25/35

Linkages have been established with Panchayati Raj Institutions, line departments,

Insuranceagency,Krishi VigyanKendra(KVK), andotherongoingGovt.programtosustain

theirsupportinlongrun.

Workshopwithbankersand insuranceagencywouldbehelpfulforthefarmerswhich are

supposedtoheldduringthecurrentfinancialyear.

viii.StatusofEnvironmentandSocialsafeguards

Thereisnosuchthreatofenvironmentalandsocialissuesintheoperationalarea.Majority

ofthefamiliesintheprojectareahavebeenincludedintheprojectandthereisnoissueof

social tension. Similarly, there is no any environmental threat out of the activities in the

projectareaaswellasinthevicinityareas.Infact,theentireprojecthasassuredintegration

ofavailableresourcesandutilizationofitinanenvironmentallysoundmanner.

ix.PolicyissuesemergingoutoftheSubProject:Astheprojecthasjustcrossedoneyear,

thereisnotmuchpolicyissuesthathasemerged.However,fewofourexperienceshasbeen

broughthere.

i.Farmersindigenousknowledge Farmersindigenoustechnologyofcropproductionandresiliencetoadversefloodsituation isquitecommendable.Thesetechnologies

couldbe furtherenhanced with improved wayduring the project period like they

used to grow local rice variety Bas as a early Sali ( winter) paddy which can be

harvestedbeforeonsetofflood.Theproductionofsuchvarietycouldbeenhanced

byproperculturalpractices.

ii. Timelyinput/technicaltrainingProvisionoftimelysupplyof input isverymuch needed as per situation demand. Technical training given in advance really

helpsfarmerstoplanbetterforthefarmingactivities.

x.StatusofhorizontalexpansionduetosuccessfulNAIPinterventions

Basedonsuccessfulprogressoftheproject,onesimilarprojecton livelihooddevelopment

has been developed by IGSSS (Indo Global Social Service Society) for the flood affected

districtsofLakhimpur&DhemajiwhereAFPROwouldbethetechnicalserviceprovider.The

projectwillbefundedbyWelthungerhlife.


26/35

5.ExperienceofConsortiuminProjectImplementation

i.StatusofHeadwiseFundReleasedandUtilized

Thedetailsofpartnerwisesanctionedbudget,fundreleasedandfundutilizeduptoMarch,

31,2010

are

given

below

Table3.Partnerwisesanctionedbudget,fundreleasedandfundutilized

LeadCentre/

Copartners

Total

Sanctioned

Budget

Sanctioned

BudgetUpto

March31,

2010

Funds

Released

UptoMarch

31,2010

Funds

Utilized

UptoMarch

31,2010

%Funds

Utilized

AFPRO 2,23,74,815.00 89,60,520.00 89,60,520.00 80,04,412.49 89.33%

RVC 17,86,610.00 10,89,255.00 10,89,255.00 10,67,896.00 98.03%

NERIWALM 10,73,500.00 4,47,500.00 4,47,500.00 3,64,900.00 81.54%

AAU 38,29,720.00

KVK,Dhemaji 13,38,630.00 11,22,815.00 11,72,815.00 *104.43%

CFSc,Raha 9,46,630.00 6,78,315.00 7,89,189.00 *116.34%

*Fundutilizedcomparedwithrelease

ii.Status

of

Procurement

of

Goods

and

Services

Approved

for

the

Sub

Project

and

the

plan

fortheremainingprocurement

Allequipmentsalreadyprocured.Withregardtocivilworks,officerenovationhasnotbeen

completedandfundhasbeencarriedoverto20102011.

Theremainingprocurementfortheyear201011isinprogress.Tenderopeningandsupply

orderalreadyhasissuedandsomeoftheitemshasalreadyprocured.

iii.WorkingwithDiversifiedConsortiumPartners

Alltheconsortiumpartnersareworkingwithagoodunderstanding.Allthepartnershave

goodknowledgeandexperiences thoughthere isa lackingof timelyreportsubmissionby

the partners. CPI is maintaining the regular communication through telephone & internet

withthepartnersandassuchthere isnootherproblemalongthepartners.CoPIofKVK,


27/35

Dhemaji is sick for long time, the matter of which was discussed in last CAC meetingand

accordingly as per the decision of the CAC, a request letter has been sent to Assam

agricultural University to make a suitable replacement of the concerned CoPI with some

otherexperienced

person.

iv.WorkingatDifferentCapacities

TheconsortiumLeaderistakingkeeninterestandisprovidednecessaryguidanceatalllevel

of implementation. The CPI is able to timely implement the interventions and well

coordinatedwithallthepartnersfortimelyexecutionoftheactivitiesandcompilationand

submissionofnecessaryreportsontime.

v.MeetingsofCMU/CIC/CAC(Proceedings&actiontakenreportattachedherewith)

a. NumberofCMUmeeting 2b. NumberofCICmeeting 3c. NumberofCACmeetings1

vi.Publication

FollowingBooklets

has

been

published

under

the

project:

a. SamannitaKrishiPamPadhati(IntegratedFarmingSystem)b. SamannitaGahariFish Aru Uddyan Sashyar Kheti ( Integrated PigFish_Horticulture

Farming)

c. MultiHarvestFishCultivationandZero PointFishCulture(UnderPublication)FollowingLeaflethasbeenpublishedundertheproject:

a. Unnata Krishi Paddhatiof Bilahi, Alu, Jalakia, Jika aru Bhendi (ImprovedcultivationPracticesofTomato,Potato,Chilli,RidgeGourd&Ladysfinger)

b. DhanarMatNursery(MatNurseryofPaddy)FollowingTrainingMaterialshasbeenpublishedundertheproject:

a.

Rice

Fish

Horticulture

Farming

System

b. RiceFishHorticultureIntegratedFarmingSystem1


28/35

c. RiceFishHorticultureFarmingSystem2d. LivestockFishHorticultureFarmingSystem1e. LivestockFishHorticultureFarmingSystem2

vii.WayForward

Theinterventionsundertheprojectaregoingtoaddressbasicallythecropsecurityandthus

it would definitely be a sustainable model and they could be replicated in other flood

affected areas to enhance livelihood. The various innovation interventions at farm level

would provide better perspective in near future with more skill development. Market

linkageswouldresultmorecommercialproductionofprofitablecrops/livestock.

viii.AnyotherpertinentInformation

Innovation

Hand driven manual weeder & Mr.

Pramod Ramchiary

a. Mr. Pramod Ramchiary, is a progressive farmer of

SiliborovillageofSissiborgaonblock. Heisabeneficiary

under NAIP project and has practiced System of Rice

Intensification

(SRI).

He

has

made

an

innovation

on

a

hand driven manual weeder from locally available

materials Like Wood and PVC Pipe which is very much

useful infieldandcosteffective. Hehasalsorendered

hisservicestonearbyvillagesandhasgeneratedhugeappreciations.His innovationhas

addedanadditionalstrengthtohiseconomicstatus.

b.AnewlookintoFarmersExtensionProcessDisseminationoffreemobileSMSservices

Disseminationofappropriate informationto thefarmersatappropriate time isverymuch

essential in any rural development project. Time to time delivery of information like

preparation of seedbed for rice, transplanting time, other related cultivation practices,

vaccination of domestic animals etc. are essential for efficient input planning at farmers

leveland therebyenhancementofproductivity. Connecting of 2500 3000beneficiaries in


29/35

38projectvillageswithasinglemessageandwithinaminutewoulddefinitelycreatealarge

impactatgroundwhichnormallydetachedfromthemainstreamlandinmostofthetime.

AFPRO, under its NAIP Project took up this concept and made up an attempt to take the

advantage of recent IT advancement in rural areas. It has been found that the existing

MobileTelephoneserviceprovider likeBSNL,Aircel,AirtelandRelianceareactivelygiving

itsservicestotheruralareasofDhemaji.Apreliminarysurveyestablishedthatalmost60%

of the household of the project villages are using mobile phones. The data base of the

mobileuserhasdeveloped throughourVillageDevelopmentCouncil (VDC)andastrategy

has been developed to disseminate information related to agro advise and even weather

forecasting.

A

total

nos

of

2,25,000

nos.

of

SMS

has

been

procured

from

a

service

provider

M/SValueLeafServicesIndiaPvt.Ltd,Bangaloreatarateof11paiseperSMSandwith a

totalcostofRs.27,299.00.Ithasbeenplannedtodeliverat leastoneSMSeveryweekfor

96nosofweekincomingtwoyeari.e.20102011and20112012tominimum2340nosof

farmerofourprojectvillages.Theinformationwhicharedisseminatedmainlyofrelatedto

agroadvisorywhicharecontrolledandgivenjointlybyAFPRO,GuwahatiandKVK,Dhemaji.

The initial response which has been received from the community is overwhelming and

really

encouraging

and

seems

that

it

is

really

benefiting

the

farmers

in

getting

adequate

information.Sofar,theinformationrelatedtocroppingplaninvolvingvariouscropvarieties

dependingonthe localsituation likepreandpostfloodsituation,earlysowingvarietyetc.

hasbeendisseminated.The informationonpackageofpractice,culturalpracticeandpest

and disease management practices of the crop which are cultivated in farmers field are

reallyhelpingfarmersinapplyingappropriatecontrollingmethod.

c.Country

made

improved

lamp

(kerosene)

to

establishment

of

broiler

group

enterprise

in

floodaffectednonelectrifiedArneyvillage

TherewasonlyoneArnevillagebeforethedevastatingfloodin1998 inDhemajidistrict

of Assam. The flood ransacked the village so badly that the Arne village was divided into

many villages. No.1 Arney village of Sissiborgaon block of Dhemaji district does not have

electricity and there is no any motorable road to this village, the alternative lighting

schemes have not touched the village, despite of these challenging situation No.1 Arney

Ruad

SHG

successful

in

running

broiler

production

unit

in

their

village

with

the

new


30/35

techniqueofusingcountrymadeimprovedlamp(kerosene).Theunitreceivedthesupport

fromNAIPSubProject .The totalexpendituresmade intheunitwereRs.131708.00.The

unit produced total 1968 kg of meat and earned total Rs. 177074 with a net profit of

Rs.45366.00till

date.

In

the

depressing

of

No.

1Arney

village,

the

activities

carried

out

by

No.1ArneyRuadSHGhavebothdirectand indirect influence inthevillagesocioeconomic

condition.

6.CommentsofCPI/ConsortiumPartners

The project of Live Better with the Flood has successfully grounded participatory action

research on farming system which has included integration and diversification in crop,

animal,

fish

based

interventions

with

restructured

cropping

pattern

and

changes

of

crop

calendarasperthemonsoonbehaviour.Theprojecthasensuredthebestuseofbothgood

genotypesofcrops (rice, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables)and animals (pig,goat,poultry)and

theirecologicalmanagementinordertoestablishtheirpotentialbenefitatground..Useof

qualityseed,ensuringsoilhealththroughconservationfarmingandthroughIntegratedPest

and NutrientManagement hasestablished successful and innovativemodel in the project

areas for augmenting production in order to address food insecurity. Enhancement of

farmers

capacity

through

training,

demonstration

and

advocacy

to

use

and

conserve

natural resources (agro biodiversity, land and water management) and indigenous

knowledge in an efficient and sustainable manner through local level community

management&farmersparticipationaresomeprime issuesthathasbeenaddressed.The

project is bringing new line in agricultural research and thus developing innovations in

technologygenerationwhicharelocationspecificandpeoplescentric.

CASESTUDIES

i.PotatoFarmingbringinganewhopetoDhemaji

Dhemaji isbecomingknownformoreandmoreareasthatarecomingundersandandsilt

depositionduetoflood.Moresanddepositionismaking landunsuitableforcultivationfor

major crop like paddy and people are forced to search alternate livelihood. Searching

possibilityofsuitablecroppingplanunderNAIPProject,AFPROfoundpotatocultivationasa


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potentialprofitmakingcropwhichcanbegrowninmoderatelysanddepositedareaaswell

asinsiltdepositedareas.

Mr. Bolin Bora resident of Bahokotika village of Bordoloni Block was one of the farmer

amongmanywithwhomweworked inthebeginningyearoftheproject.He isoneofthe

beneficiaries under NAIP Project who took keen

interest in organizing people, understanding project

concept and in implementing project interventions.

Forthefirsttimehehascultivatedpotatoinhispaddy

fieldafterharvestingBao (Deepwaterpaddy)paddy.

He

prepared

1.5

bigha

of

land

and

planted

potato

with

4.4 quintal of potato of variety Kufri Chandramukhi.

Priorto landpreparation,trainingprogramonImprovedCultivationPracticesofCropswas

organized and thus he applied his knowledge in field. For the first time Mr. Borah

understood the value of application of recommended and balanced doze of manures and

fertilizers and thus he applied recommended doses of FYM and fertilizers. Preventive

diseasecontrolmeasureswithIndofilM45forlateblightofPotatowastakenupandunlike

othertimes

that

seen

in

the

District,

the

crop

damage

was

minimized

to

zero

level.

As

a

resultheharvested24quintalofpotatoesfrom1.5bighasoflandunderrainfedcondition.It

wasanopportunityforhimthatforthefirsttimehewasabletocontributetohisfamilyfor

hisbrotherswedding.Mr.Borahhasdeterminedtobringmoreareainthenextyearandto

encouragehisfellowfarmer.

Adding to the success of the potatocultivation, Mr.Deva Phukan who is an enthusiastic

andenergetic

farmer

of

village

Dihingia

Gaon

had

established

an

exemplary

steps

for

the

youngergenerationintakingagribasedactivitiesasacommercialactivity.Mr.Phukanlives

withhiswife,agraduateboyandagirlreadinginclassXandagricultureisonlytheearning

source for the family. He is having 3.3 ha of paddy land and 3 bullocks. The two

consecutiveflood intheyear2007and2008,convertedhisfertile land intounproductive

oneduetodepositionofsandupto5ftto6ftheight.

He is one of the beneficiaries of NAIP Project who

undergone

the

training

programme

on

Improved


32/35

Cultivation Practices of Crops. He cultivated in 1 bigha of land in his homestead with 3

quintals of potato tubersofChandramukhivariety. He harvested14 quintalsofpotatoes

from1 bighaof land.Hehassold [email protected] perkg in the local

market

and

got

Rs.

4000/.

From

this

money,

he

admitted

his

girl

in

Class

X

as

well

as

boughtsomebooksforher.ThesmilingfaceofherwifeanddaughterhasencouragedMr.

Phukantotaketheventureinalargerscaleinthecomingyear.

Mr.RanjitMandal who is28yearsoldfarmerofKakobarivillageunderLowLandCluster

also encouraged the project team by way of showing encouraging result in his field..

Agriculture is the main income source for his 10

members

joint

family.

In

2009

2010,

under

NAIP

Project and during Rabi season, he cultivated potato

in 1 bigha, cabbage in 1 bigha, cauliflower in 0.5

bighas, chilli in 1.5 bighas and tomato in 2 bighas of

land after harvesting winter paddy. He harvested 18

quintals of potatoes from 1 bigha of land under irriga

earned Rs. 14,000/ by selling only tomatoes and few quantities of cauliflower and

cabbages.He

has

got

25

bighas

of

paddy

land

where

he

cultivates

Deep

water

paddy,

winter

paddy,Autumnpaddyandsummerpaddyund

ted condition from 1.4 quintals. He

ertheproject.

ii.IntegratedFarmingSystem openingupanewmeaningtofarmerslife

The project team during its initial awareness period saw a hidden potentiality on the

capabilityofMr.KanakHatibaruahofaged46yearsof SeujipatharvillageofMachkhowa

block. While given the opportunity to work under NAIP Project, Mr. Hatibaruah

implementedRice

Fish

Horticulture

module

under

NAIP

sub

Project

in

his

5.5

bigha

of

land

in200910.Hecultivated Rabivegetables(viz.Cucumber,Pumpkin,Ladysfinger&Chilli)in

1bighaoflandwhichheisstillusingforhishouseholdconsumption. HehascultivatedSali

paddy(Ranjitvariety)in2bighasofland&Baopaddy(Panindravariety)inonebighaofland

and isexpectingaround5to6quintals/bigha.Heisbeingsupportedwith6600nos.offish

fingerlingsalongwith87kilogramoffishfeed,35kgofurea,15kgsofSSP,10kgsof lime

and 200 nos. of banana suckers during 2009. As per observation it is seen that each


33/35

fingerlingshasattainedanaverageweightof500gm.HeisexpectingaprofitofaroundRs.

1.5lakhsfromtheunitwithinshortperiodoftime.

iii.MatriAmarBazaarKendriyaSamity(MABKS)aninstitutionalexistenceofAmarBazar

Broiler Farm of Matri Amar Bazar

Matri Amar Bazar Kendriya Samity (MABKS) is the network of the Amar Bazar, a market

established and run by organized women of self help

groups in district Dhemaji. The weekly village markets

(Hats) are the basic unit of Amar Bazar, these small

marketsarelocatedinaclusterofvillagesandserveas

theentrythresholdforthedaytodayessentials items

forthe

village

communities

and

in

the

same

time

exit

thresholdofvillageproducestotheoutsidemarketsas

wellastoothervillages.TheexecutivebodyoftheSamityisformedbytworepresentatives

fromeachSHGintheAmarBazarnetworkselectedbytherespectivegroups.Inthepresent

status there are about 200 members in the Samity

from around 100 SHGs of Sisiborgaon and Jonai block

of Dhemaji district. The network of Amar Bazar i.e.

Matri

Amar

Bazar

Kendriya

Samity

established

a

facilitationcentreMatriAmarbazaarProductionand

Training Centre at Akajan village under Sissiborgaon

development block to conduct various skill

development training and establish the link between

Amar Bazar and other big markets for particular handloom products. The unit apart from

imparting various skill development trainings adds value to various handloom and textile

productsofthe villagewomen.

UnderthecurrentNAIPthecentrewasprovidedsupportforestablishingabroilerunitfor

demonstrationandtrainingpurpose.Withthesupportfromtheprojectthecentrehasbuilt

uptworoomsoftotal floorarea1120squarefeetandaresidentialunitoffloorarea560

squarefeet.Theprojecthassupportforallequipment,food,medicineandutensilsfor1300

onedayoldchick.Tomaintainthepropersanitationandhygienearunningwatersystemis

also installed. The electrification is also done according to the capacity of the unit. The


34/35

members were trained on the broiler rearing by veterinary doctors and successful broiler

farmers. The total input cost thus was Rs. 455499.00. The unit has successful to produce

7337.19 kg of meat and earned an amount of Rs.601320.00. The group has already

completedfifth

batch

with

the

amount

they

earned.

The

centre

has

developed

the

training

curriculum and started the broiler rearing training for women from the month of March

2010.

iv.When

there

is

awill,

there

is

away

Village

level

enterprises

of

Ruad

SHG

Broiler farm of Ruad SHG

No.1ArneRuadSHG(RuadmeansnewlightinMishing)wasformedintheyear2001with

the leadershipofKhukheswarMorang.ThemembersdecidedtodepositRs.30permonth

and revolve the amount among the group members.

Theycultivatedhorticulturalcropsinitiallyandstartedto

renovateapartofthewaterloggedareaduetofloodto

a

fishery.

No.1

Arney

village

of

Dhemaji

does

not

have

electricity and there is no any motorable road to this

village, the alternative lighting schemes have not

touchedthevillage,despiteofthesechallengingsituationNo.1ArneyRuadSHGsuccessful

in running broiler production unit in their village. The broiler production unit got part

supportfromRuralVolunteersCentreunderNAIP.Thetotalexpendituremade intheunit

wasRs.131708.00.Theunitproducedtotal1967.49kgofmeat andearnednetprofitofRs.

45366.00tillApril,2010.Tillnowtheyhavecompletedtwobatchandthirdbatchisrunning

on.

Ruad SHG is the enterprise in the depressing environment of No. 1 Arney village, the

activities carried out by the group have both direct and indirect influence in the village

socioeconomic condition of the No.1 Arney village.The introduction of blackgram

cultivationinthevillagehelpedthefarmingfamiliestofindoutatangiblealternativetothe

paddycultivation,thepaddycultivationlostitsimportantduetohugesanddeposition.The


35/35

couragetocultivateinthenearbyriverislandhelpedthefarmersinthevillagetosearchfor

alternative landfortheircultivation,theyalsoestablishedthatthedamagedcausedbythe

wildanimals isnot significant andonecan have goodproduction despiteof this loss. The

introductionof

vegetable

and

other

rabi

crop

is

so

significant

that

50%

of

the

farm

families

ofthevillagenowearnRs.20000to50000yearlyfromthiscultivation.

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