The KM Writeshop has started today. The initial session has been interesting, which dealt with meaning of information and knowledge and the discussion has led to the understanding of content beyond the obvious.
The Writeshop was quite interesting and i know that it would be a great help to me in enhancing my writing and reporting capabilities. However, i feel that more exercies should be given and this is the only way to retain what we have learnt. I hope that there would be more "Write" at the writeshop.
The Writeshop today (11 Dec) was really very interesting and helpful to me. The concept of looking for stories within a story which is new to me has really helped me to think out of the box and to look betond the obvious.I know that when i "go forward" from here i would be able to write better stories all thanks to the "Writeshop".
Need of bending of modern technology with indigenous knowledge and infrastructure base
Some time ago, Sweata, a lady scientist from “Mountain Agriculture University” paid a visit to remote mountain village called Gopipur to facilitate in strengthening livelihoods of the communities. While interacting with the communities, she came across Sudha, a women headed household who largely depends on cattle to sustain the livelihoods of household with five members.
Unfortunately, Sweata observed that Sudha, the only bread earner of the household after the sad demise of her husband just year bfore having six cows of local breed yielding less than a liter milk from each. She shocked with the situation, and suggested to replace the local breed with higher yielding Jersey cow so that income level enhanced remarkably.
Sudha thought for while on the suggestion and politely refused to entertain the proposal of the scientist highlighting the experience of near by village, who suffered terribly by adapting foreign breeds without having adequate service delivery system. The causes she shared to the scientist in refusing the proposal are of many fold as below.
Madhua a remote mountain village where a women headed household had purchased 4 jersey cows from a urban market so as to sustain the livelihoods of her household through milk business. She apparently required to sell out her all properties / belonging accumulated for years to buy the cows. Even to the extent, she had to sell out the local breeds to buy the jersey one. She was also explained a bit on raring practices of jersey cow. She purchased cattle feed from distant market with high price. Initially, she could manage to yield milk to her satisfaction and started to sell out the milk in her own village. But unfortunately, the poor villagers didn’t buy milk for consumption. She explored the market possibility in near by villages and failed. She was also not well equipped for marketing in the distant market due lack of technical know ow of mill management. Finding no way she sold milk in through away price. This resulted in reducing her capacity to purchase fodder from distant market.
Late during rain, a typical cattle disease appeared in the village. The local breeds are survived with indigenous knowledge of the village communities with less fatal incidences. But the cattle practice of foreign breed was not known to the villagers. Due to remoteness of the village, the livestock service delivery system in the village was very poor. Even no officials from the veterinary department visited the village to address the issues. Finally, all the jersey cows died one after another. Misfortune days started coming to the household. She did not had any further alternative to revive her livelihoods as she was absolutely bankrupt. Now she compelled to put her ten aged children out from school so as to support her in locating livelihoods opportunities. The old mother is bad written with severe mal nutrition.
Having knowing such past experience and keeping in mind the infrastructure, market support and service delivery mechanism available in the community, the women preferred for incremental livelihood base with the existing local breeds.
I reached railway station. Its 4.00 PM. This is the first good thing happened with me today. I was worried about missing the train. Now I am sure about reaching my home today. Darjling is 30 KM away from here. It will take one hour travel from here. The train will arrive at 4.30 PM. I have to wait for half and hour for the train.
I started thinking about the village women. I was surprised by her reply. I was wondering on why?? ? Now I am more relaxed and can think in much better way. I started walking towards the tea shop on the platform.
Tea man has served me with a cup of tea. I started thinking about myself. I joined the Mountain Agriculture University this month after completing my doctorate from Banaras Hindu University. Dr. Anup (our dean) had suggested me to go and meet villagers in the villages. He advised me that it will help me in developing the project. Our plan is to start extension project on dairy development with few farmers on the pilot basis.
I heard the announcement of my train and I paid the bill to tea shop. The train is on time. I got my seat very easily. The train started and now it is on good speed. I started thinking about the village women, my studies and my responsibility about the project formulation. Suddenly I started getting answers:
I have to involve the farmers. Yes it will help in developing the project. My education and their experiences will bring good results. I will also involve other stakeholders who are affected with the milk production.
Yes I am coming to some conclusion. Today is my one of the best day. I have faced the reality of this local situation. I was not aware of this. Oh! I behaved like an educated foolish in front of her. But thanks God I have learnt a good lesion today.
Unless you get involved in real situation you will never understand the problems and challenges
Congratulations to ENRAP for hosting the KM writeshop training program and ICP in organizing it. We now have the challenge to pass on the learnings to our respective projects.
Rural people living in the mountainous areas of North-Eastern India are now able to supplement more to their income by selling milk and its by-products produced by their new breed of cows. This is part of a project funded by a mountain agriculture university for helping the rural poor in the mountainous areas of India.
Two years after the project started it conducted a study on the progress of their project and found that many households were hesitant to accept the project and many excuses were given why they were hesitating to accept the project. One excuse, as told to a scientist conducting the study, was that it was hard for the Jersey breed to traverse the undulating terrain of the mountains.
The project management then carried an in-depth study and found that there was no proper sensitization or training given to the villagers before introducing the project to the community. The project then carried out various exercises like training on maintenance and upkeep of the cows, exposure visits which had the desired impact on the villagers.
After the KM workshop held at N. Delhi, i felt real good. When it comes to writing the official write ups i take care of the things that i learnt on writing simple English. I will soon be sending case stories once our work pressure of closing get eased. Wishing all my peers good luck.
UPASaC (SVCC) will now be collaborating with two new international projects regarding Medicinal & Aromatic Plants by FAO and bamboo based livelihood by INBAR. Fortunately i am the nodal person for that.
A piece of information to share with you all is that UPASaC (SVCC- LIPH) selected 7 value chains after detailed participatory systematic exercise; 1. ORGANIC FARMING (TRADITIONAL CROPS) 2. DAIRY (MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS) 3. POULTRY (KUROILER) 4. OFF SEASON VEGETABLES 5. MEDICIANAL & AROMATIC PLANTS 6. ECO TOURISM 7. RURAL NON FARM SECTOR
We are planning for exposure visits for the benefiaciaries/primary stakeholders and staff to show and get insight on some women based livelihood model tentatively in May. Can anybody suggest the organisation, place etc??
The Writeshop was quite interesting and i know that it would be a great help to me in enhancing my writing and reporting capabilities. However, i feel that more exercies should be given and this is the only way to retain what we have learnt. I hope that there would be more "Write" at the writeshop.
ReplyDeleteThe Writeshop today (11 Dec) was really very interesting and helpful to me. The concept of looking for stories within a story which is new to me has really helped me to think out of the box and to look betond the obvious.I know that when i "go forward" from here i would be able to write better stories all thanks to the "Writeshop".
ReplyDeleteStrength of visualization
ReplyDeleteNeed of bending of modern technology with indigenous knowledge and infrastructure base
Some time ago, Sweata, a lady scientist from “Mountain Agriculture University” paid a visit to remote mountain village called Gopipur to facilitate in strengthening livelihoods of the communities. While interacting with the communities, she came across Sudha, a women headed household who largely depends on cattle to sustain the livelihoods of household with five members.
Unfortunately, Sweata observed that Sudha, the only bread earner of the household after the sad demise of her husband just year bfore having six cows of local breed yielding less than a liter milk from each. She shocked with the situation, and suggested to replace the local breed with higher yielding Jersey cow so that income level enhanced remarkably.
Sudha thought for while on the suggestion and politely refused to entertain the proposal of the scientist highlighting the experience of near by village, who suffered terribly by adapting foreign breeds without having adequate service delivery system. The causes she shared to the scientist in refusing the proposal are of many fold as below.
Madhua a remote mountain village where a women headed household had purchased 4 jersey cows from a urban market so as to sustain the livelihoods of her household through milk business. She apparently required to sell out her all properties / belonging accumulated for years to buy the cows. Even to the extent, she had to sell out the local breeds to buy the jersey one. She was also explained a bit on raring practices of jersey cow. She purchased cattle feed from distant market with high price. Initially, she could manage to yield milk to her satisfaction and started to sell out the milk in her own village. But unfortunately, the poor villagers didn’t buy milk for consumption. She explored the market possibility in near by villages and failed. She was also not well equipped for marketing in the distant market due lack of technical know ow of mill management. Finding no way she sold milk in through away price. This resulted in reducing her capacity to purchase fodder from distant market.
Late during rain, a typical cattle disease appeared in the village. The local breeds are survived with indigenous knowledge of the village communities with less fatal incidences. But the cattle practice of foreign breed was not known to the villagers. Due to remoteness of the village, the livestock service delivery system in the village was very poor. Even no officials from the veterinary department visited the village to address the issues. Finally, all the jersey cows died one after another. Misfortune days started coming to the household. She did not had any further alternative to revive her livelihoods as she was absolutely bankrupt. Now she compelled to put her ten aged children out from school so as to support her in locating livelihoods opportunities. The old mother is bad written with severe mal nutrition.
Having knowing such past experience and keeping in mind the infrastructure, market support and service delivery mechanism available in the community, the women preferred for incremental livelihood base with the existing local breeds.
Subrata Kumar Kar
OTELP, Bhubaneswar
Ankita
ReplyDeleteStory posted by JTDP
Thank you Dr. Anup
I reached railway station. Its 4.00 PM. This is the first good thing happened with me today. I was worried about missing the train. Now I am sure about reaching my home today. Darjling is 30 KM away from here. It will take one hour travel from here. The train will arrive at 4.30 PM. I have to wait for half and hour for the train.
I started thinking about the village women. I was surprised by her reply. I was wondering on why?? ? Now I am more relaxed and can think in much better way. I started walking towards the tea shop on the platform.
Tea man has served me with a cup of tea. I started thinking about myself. I joined the Mountain Agriculture University this month after completing my doctorate from Banaras Hindu University. Dr. Anup (our dean) had suggested me to go and meet villagers in the villages. He advised me that it will help me in developing the project. Our plan is to start extension project on dairy development with few farmers on the pilot basis.
I heard the announcement of my train and I paid the bill to tea shop. The train is on time. I got my seat very easily. The train started and now it is on good speed. I started thinking about the village women, my studies and my responsibility about the project formulation. Suddenly I started getting answers:
I have to involve the farmers. Yes it will help in developing the project. My education and their experiences will bring good results. I will also involve other stakeholders who are affected with the milk production.
Yes I am coming to some conclusion. Today is my one of the best day. I have faced the reality of this local situation. I was not aware of this. Oh! I behaved like an educated foolish in front of her. But thanks God I have learnt a good lesion today.
Unless you get involved in real situation you will never understand the problems and challenges
By - Rajesh Sriwastwa (JTDS)
Posted by Pawan
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to ENRAP for hosting the KM writeshop training program and ICP in organizing it. We now have the challenge to pass on the learnings to our respective projects.
Posted by Marlam
ReplyDeleteTransition from rough terrain to soft ground
Rural people living in the mountainous areas of North-Eastern India are now able to supplement more to their income by selling milk and its by-products produced by their new breed of cows. This is part of a project funded by a mountain agriculture university for helping the rural poor in the mountainous areas of India.
Two years after the project started it conducted a study on the progress of their project and found that many households were hesitant to accept the project and many excuses were given why they were hesitating to accept the project. One excuse, as told to a scientist conducting the study, was that it was hard for the Jersey breed to traverse the undulating terrain of the mountains.
The project management then carried an in-depth study and found that there was no proper sensitization or training given to the villagers before introducing the project to the community. The project then carried out various exercises like training on maintenance and upkeep of the cows, exposure visits which had the desired impact on the villagers.
After the KM workshop held at N. Delhi, i felt real good. When it comes to writing the official write ups i take care of the things that i learnt on writing simple English. I will soon be sending case stories once our work pressure of closing get eased. Wishing all my peers good luck.
ReplyDeleteSHANTANU GARG
UPASaC (SVCC), LIPH, UTTARAKHAND
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteUPASaC (SVCC) will now be collaborating with two new international projects regarding Medicinal & Aromatic Plants by FAO and bamboo based livelihood by INBAR. Fortunately i am the nodal person for that.
Thanks
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteA piece of information to share with you all is that UPASaC (SVCC- LIPH) selected 7 value chains after detailed participatory systematic exercise;
1. ORGANIC FARMING (TRADITIONAL CROPS)
2. DAIRY (MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS)
3. POULTRY (KUROILER)
4. OFF SEASON VEGETABLES
5. MEDICIANAL & AROMATIC PLANTS
6. ECO TOURISM
7. RURAL NON FARM SECTOR
Suggestions and query invited.
--
Thanks
SHANTANU GARG
(MANAGER - BDS GROUP)
Dear All,
ReplyDeleteWe are planning for exposure visits for the benefiaciaries/primary stakeholders and staff to show and get insight on some women based livelihood model tentatively in May. Can anybody suggest the organisation, place etc??
--
Thanks
Shantanu Garg
UPASaC (ULIPH)