Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Farmer Registration



Governmnet of Kerala had taken a decision to release financial assistance to the  farmers under various schemes through Bank Account. GoK has requested the farmers to register their name and details with the nearest Krishibhavans. The application form is available at the Krishibhavan and can be downloaded from the web site http://www.hortnet.gov.in/. On the website click 'KERALA'  and then 'Farmer regisrtation' . For the benefit of the farmers in our watersheds , you may inform this information through the VWCs and Micro watershed committees.

Please note that for public interest only we are informing this message to you. We are doing nothing but a facilitation role.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Success Stories

Success Stories of   NABARD assisted Watershed Programmes of Centre for Research and Development (CRD) in Kasaragod DT, Kerala state

Website: crdksd.org


NABARD is funding 35 integrated watershed projects in Kasraragod District as part of Prime Minister’s Distressed District Programme since 2007. Centre for Research and Development (CRD), Neeleswaram being the major Project Facilitating Agency as well as the Resource Support Organization for Kasaragod District. During the initial period of Capacity Building Phase of the project itself, perceptible changes could have been made in people empowerment, community participation, natural resource conservation and management and so on. Some of the success stories relating to these aspects are summerised below. 


1) Empowerment of Village Watershed Committees (VWCs)

The Kuntar watershed project is located in Kasaragod Block, which is classified by the Ground Water Department as a ‘Critical / Dark Block’ due to over exploitation of ground water resources. The watershed area used to experience drinking water shortage during summer months.  This has forced the administration to impose regulations to dig more bore wells in this area. But, as in the case of many environmental protection laws, these regulations were observed only in their violation mostly by the wealthy. The poor were helpless and could not make any resistance against the violation of the rules. This situation has now changed with the empowerment the common man has acquired as a result of the implementation of the capacity building phase of the watershed development programme funded by NABARD.    When there was some move recently to dig new bore wells in the watershed area by some groups, the Kuntar Village Watershed Committee (VWC) approached the District Administration and succeeded in making the administrative machinery act in time and enforcing a complete ban on construction of new bore wells in the watershed.


The conviction and confidence to take up the environmental issues that resulted in protecting the precious ground water resources was due to the empowerment of VWC, which had regular discussions in the periodical VWC meetings, Gramasabhas and gained knowledge and confidence due to various training programmes conducted under NABARD Holistic Watershed Development Programme (NHWDP).


Also the Kuntar and Banatpadi VWCs have approached the Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK), Govt of Kerala, to treat Cashew plantation area that falls under the ridge portion of their Watershed project area. Initially, the PFA pursued the case with PCK to obtain necessary permission to treat the ridge portion owned by PCK. However, as months passed and when the necessary permission was not forthcoming, leading to delay in starting the WS treatment works, the 2 VWCs which have by now understood the need and importance of ‘Ridge to Valley’ approach for treating watershed area, in consultation with the PFA, approached the PCK officials and obtained permission to treat the ridge portion owned by PCK and PCK also showed their interest by providing 16% ‘Shramdaan’ (free labour) in the PCK area.


It is evident that the VWCs have been empowered to take up social, environmental causes, confidently, which were hitherto, mainly taken up by the Grama Panchayat or other agencies. The VWCs have become empowered entities in the watershed villages where projects are undertaken under NABARD Holistic Watershed Development Programme (NHWDP).


2) People‘s commitment in implementing watershed projects

a) In Banatpadi Watershed


Under NHWDP guidelines, 16% Shramdaan in watershed works is required to be contributed by the individual land owner by way of kind or cash. In Banatpadi watershed, the cost of construction of Gully Plugs escalated over and above the sanctioned grant due to non availability of stones locally. VWC solved this problem by explaining the need and importance of gully control structures and obtained more Shramdaan of worth Rs.2352/-. People’s interest and commitment to complete the works as per sanctions is exhibited.

b) In Kuntar Watershed


Kuntar Watershed has agro forestry activities. In the Gramasabha convened to explain the watershed works, some watershed community members pointed out that the labor charge for planting the seedlings should be borne by the families as it is a traditional activity, in addition to the mandatory 16 % Shramadhan, so that the work could be implemented in more area. VWC explored the scope for more contributions and implementing more of Live Fencing activity.  Finally, it was decided that the financially well-off families should bear the labour charge for planting of the seedlings also in addition to the mandatory 16% shramdan and thus an amount of Rs. 9500.00 could be saved under this head. VWC discussed about the additional area for planting utilizing the savings and finally decided to take up Live Fencing on public land (school ground).    Thus with effective people’s participation and Shramadhan, more area could be covered under tree planting in Kuntar Watershed.







3) Availability of Water in the streams for Vegetable cultivation during Summer months

A drainage line of 2 Km length runs through Pettikundu-Chanappamchal watershed project area. The water availability in the Nalla during summer seasons has dwindled over a period of time. As part of the treatment of Pettikundu-Chanappamchal Watershed project, Loose Boulder Check Bunds (LBCB) was constructed during April-May 2009 across the drainage line at Cheruvapady area.



As a result of this intervention, the run off water in the drainage line was conserved and water availability in the drainage line was extended up to April - May months of 2010.  This has enabled the farmers to take up vegetable cultivation, during the summer months of 2010, nearly after 8 years, as some farmers could recollect.



4) Water table in the well augmented due to implementation of watershed treatment measures.

A) In Pettikundu-Chanappamchal Watershed
Ms. A.P. Janaki, aged 61, a widow, is a farmer who owns 0.6070 Ha of land at Pamperingara in CBP area of Pettikundu-Chanappamchal Watershed. She has in her plot, coconut, arecanut and plantain cultivated. The plot is at the ridge portion of the watershed.


The well at the down portion of her plot was taken as an observation well. WDT taught Janaki how to measure and record water table. Apart from entering the data in MIS-11, the measurement was recorded on a chart exhibited on the wall of the pump house near to the well. Janaki used to irrigate her crops during summer months from January every year, lifting the water from the well using electric motor. Water is first pumped in to the overhead tank and used for irrigation as well as drinking and other domestic purposes.  The water table used to go down drastically during pumping. So, Janaki or somebody else had to stand near to the well during pumping time to observe the water table fluctuation and switch off the motor when water table reaches the pumping level, especially in the month of March and April. In the month of May pumping was not at all possible and Janaki has to collect water for drinking manually. Irrigation becomes totally impossible in this month.  


In 2008, as part of the watershed development programme, various watershed treatment measures (8.92 M3 of Trenches, 18. 85M3 of WPP, 54 RM of live fencing, 10.50 M3 of CPT, planting of tree saplings- Gooseberry 02, Arecanut 05, Uruppu 05, Mahagani 10, Konna 01, Teak 10, Drum stick 02, Grafted Mango 03, Coconut 01- and 427.70 RM of fodder grass cultivation) were implemented on her plot and as a result during the rainy season much  water was conserved.

      

As practiced in earlier periods, in the summer of 2009-10 Janaki decided to irrigate her crops from January onwards as she was almost confident that the water table would not go down the pumping level consequent to the water recharge made possible through various watershed development activities.. She could observe that water table variation was minimal when compared to previous year’s experience. There was not a single case of water table going down to the pumping level, in 2009-10 summer periods. There was no need of a person standing by the side of the well to observe the water level.


As pumping become possible in all seasons, drudgery due to manual collection of drinking water was also resolved. She could irrigate the crops without any fear of drying up of water in her well, even in the month of May. In the summer of 2010, she cultivated vegetables for 5 cents of land as water for irrigation was available.        


B) In Neelimala Watershed 
There was marked increase in the water table in the test wells in Neelimala watershed project. The CBP project was implemented during October 2008 to January 2010. Water table measurement was recorded on every 1t and 16th  of the month during Oct. 2008 to May 2010 in one of observation wells which is owned by Mr. C M Mohammed (in S/No. 146/1) in Oklavu area. It is observed that water table has increased and for example during summer month of May 2010, the depth of water from the bottom of the well was 1.58 Mtr as against 0.65 Mtr during the same month in 2009 (see table below). The increase in water table levels is attributed to the implementation of watershed treatment measurers such as Water Percolation Pits, Stone Pitched Contour Bunds, Centripetal Terracing, Contour Trench and Agrostological measures.
Total depth of the well- 7.48 Mtr `
Time of measurement – Between 8.00-8.30 AM


Year
Month
Date
Depth to water table (in m.)
Depth of water (in m.)
2008
October
01
5.18
2.30
16
5.43
2.05
November
01
5.55
1.93
16
5.52
1.96(received some rains)
December
01
5.54
1.94
16
5.75
1.73
2009
January
01
6.03
1.45
16
6.08
1.40
February
01
6.18
1.30
16
6.33
1.15
March
01
6.48
1.00
16
6.68
0.80
April
01
6.88
0.60
16
7.03
0.45
May
01
7.08
0.40
16
6.83
0.65(received some rains)
October
01
5.43
2.05
16
5.40
2.08
November
01
5.53
1.95
16
5.48
2.00
December
01
5.45
2.03
16
5.50
1.98
2010
January
01
5.52
1.96
16
5.53
1.95
February
01
5.55
1.93
16
5.58
1.90
March
01
5.73
1.75
16
5.77
1.71
April
01
5.80
1.68
16
5.84
1.64
May
01
5.87
1.61
16
5.90
1.58

 


5) Farmer’s initiative to construct collection structure for ‘Surangham’ to conserve water.


Ms. Beefathima & her family reside at Kolikkal area of Banatpadi watershed. The family has 1.6 ha of land. In the sloppy area of the plot (ridge portion) where no measures to arrest soil erosion was implemented, 60 RM of Stone Pitched Bund (SPB) was constructed under the watershed project to conserve the soil and water in 2008.  During the rainy period since the construction of SPB the soil erosion was reduced substantially and water was conserved.  


In Beefathima’s land there is a ‘Surangam’ (horizontally dug well) from which water is directly flowing to the agriculture field. To regulate/manage the water flowing from the Surangham usually a water collection structure will be constructed near the opening side of the Surangham. Such a water collection structure had not been constructed to this Surangham. In the absence of this, the water from the Surangham directly flowed in to the field without any control. This caused wastage of water. WDT noticed this and Proposed construction of a collection structure near to the opening side of the Surangham. Beefathima’s family agreed to construct the structure as they are convinced of conserving soil and water out of their experience from the implementation of SPB. WDT provided the technical guidance. A water collection structure of 8.63 M3 Was constructed with a water collection capacity of 8222 Ltrs.



The water collection structure has an inlet and outlet. The total expense came to Rs. 794. With this, the water flow is now regulated and hence the problem of wastage of water from Surangham is resolved. The entire cost for the construction was borne by the family.

6) Labours, community and VWC gained the knowledge & skill to measure the slope and to mark contour to ensure quality of treatment measures
To ensure the real purpose and sustainability, the soil and water conservation measures are to be implemented along the contour. During net plan survey in watersheds, contour survey is being done and contour map is prepared. It is very important that while implementation of the treatment measures contour marking is to be done.
Marking of contour using locally prepared Hydro Markers is an inexpensive and easy method in watersheds. Since the watershed area is undulating in topography and the area for the implementation of treatment measures is sizable, it is not possible for the WDT to reach out all the areas to mark the contour as it will consume more time which will ultimately cause delay in implementation. To overcome this, CRD, the PFA, decided to train the VWC and the labourers to mark contour using hydro markers. It was initiated by the WDT in Banatpadi Watershed on an experimental basis. As it was accepted by the people in Banatpadi, in all the other watersheds it is now being widely practiced.

7) Fodder grass cultivation improved the income of the farmer.
Fodder grass cultivation is an agronomic treatment measure sanctioned in Neelimala Watershed project with the objective of soil and water conservation through intercropping practice and to produce green fodder to the cattle.

Under the project, Mr. Johnson Ullatil, aged 41, from Neelimala Watershed has been allotted 2000 fodder grass slips (CO3) for cultivation on his land in 2008.   He has 1.2 ha of Land in S. No. 146/1 at his disposal.


At the time of planting of the fodder grass cultivation, the farmer had 2 milch cows (German HF and Jersey). He was totally depending on concentrated feed from the Milk Society and the average daily production of milk from one cow was 24 litres. The farmer was cultivating fodder grass for the first time. After giving cultivated fodder grass the average milk yield increased to 31 Ltrs/ animal/day and there by the income from dairying has also increased substantially.


Considering this achievement, the farmer was given award by MILMA for highest daily milk production from one cow in Kasaragod DT in the year 2009. Milk is sold to Rajapuram Milk Cooperative Society. The farmer lives with his wife and two children. With the improved income, the farmer bought 2 more cows and purchased one Gheer HYV calf.  


8) Fallow land is converted by Ms. Sujatha Sashidharan to cultivable land. 

Ms. Sujatha Sashidharan, aged 34 has 10 Cents of land at Vishnumoorthy Nagar in CBP area of Kunjar Watershed. She lives with her husband and two children. Husband is a daily wage labourer. The soil in their piece of land is Laterite. At the beginning of watershed project, the land of Sujatha was remaining fallow.



Sujatha used to attend the sensitization programmes conducted by the PFA in the watershed. Under the CBP project, in 2008, 5 seedlings of Agro Horti crops such as Suppotta, Grafted Mango and Grafted Guava were given to Sujatha’s family to plant on their land.  Sujatha planted the tree saplings adhering to the advice of the WDT. Impressed by the good growth of the plants the WDT advised Sujatha to cultivate more crops on her land.


During one of the visits, Sujatha expressed her interest to go for cultivation of more crops on her land to enhance her agricultural income. WDT provided technical guidance and Sujatha cultivated coconut, vegetables, tapioca, banana, plantain, etc at places where soil is available on her plot mobilizing money on her own. Now the 10 cents of land is productively used for cultivation of various crops by this family.


The short term crops cultivated provided the family food items and there by to reduce the family’s expenses for the purchase of such items from the market.   This is a case of how a fallow land of 10 cents can be effectively used for cultivation of crops.