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| Gujarat -
Case
Studies |
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A
One-Time Investment for a Life Time of Benefits
As the head of a large joint family,
Kanabhai Barad was in-charge of overseeing
the farming operations of the family. The
family’s primary occupation was agriculture
and alongside they also engaged in animal
husbandry and owned eight cattle-heads.
For a large family that owned cattle, ACF
realised that installing a bio-gas plant
would be a worthwhile investment as an answer
to their household fuel requirements and
suggested this to Kanabhai. Unfortunately
Kanabhai didn’t realise this. An alternate
route was required. Informal talks with
the women in the house were held. Misconceptions
about bio-gas plants that the family harboured
were dispersed. They were informed about
the health benefits incurring from using
this fuel and the production of compost
that is a by-product of this fuel.
Once convinced, the women took charge of
convincing Kanabhai. Unable to fight the
common will of his family members, Kanabhai
thought it best to give this new concept
a try. Once the bio-gas plant was installed,
the family realised the numerous benefits
they were deriving from it. They saved on
money that would otherwise have been dedicated
to purchasing firewood and kerosene. The
women are spared unnecessary respiratory
illnesses and discomfort. On an average
the family makes a saving of Rs. 500 a month.
The money thus saved in being used to invest
further in agriculture. Kanabhai’s
family has today become a part of the campaign
to use alternate, renewable sources of energy
to protect the environment. |
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A
Single Solution to Multiple Problems
One of the ways in which ACF addressed the
water problems of Sonariya village in Gujarat
was by the construction of a check dam on
the river Sonariya. The check dam was built
to have a storage capacity of 5.29 mc. ft.
and was meant to benefit an area of 100
Ha.
The check dam not only made more water available
to the people, it also brought about improvement
in the quality of water. The wells in the
periphery have benefited also. Two years
after its construction, we compared the
quality of water through a battery of tests
on water quality analysis. The results said
it all! The TDS reduced drastically from
1400mg/l to 532 mg/l. The total hardness
of the water saw a decline to 288mg/l from
the previous level of 750mg/l and electrical
conductivity reduced from 107mS to 0.9 mS.
This change in the quality of water has
made the water more suitable for irrigation
and has naturally had a positive impact
on the agricultural yields. Farmers have
confirmed what the laboratory tests have
shown. They have found a 60% increase in
the production of wheat per hectare. The
increased water availability has resulted
in an increase in the summer time cultivation.
There has also been an improvement in the
water available for drinking. Several benefits
from just one intervention. |
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A
Switch In Time
When drought hit the village of Rohisa,
in Gujarat, the harvest failed and the landscape
looked arid and dry, a virtual desert. Yet,
surrounded by wasted earth, Vijanadbhai
Vaghela’s plot of land was flourishing
with lush greens,
a veritable oasis. A miracle you’d
say? More like a wise decision. Vaghela,
48, had been growing millet, groundnut
and cotton, and doing reasonably well.
The yield was enough for him to be able
to support his family, but he wanted more.
So when he heard that a local ACF office
was helping the farmers grow vegetables,
he decided to attend one of their demonstrations.
He was convinced with ACF’s sessions
and made up his mind to try farming vegetables
rather than the traditional crops he had
been cultivating. His very first crop,
ladyfinger, netted him a profit of Rs.
9,680, compared to the Rs. 4,500 that
he’d have earned with other traditional
crops. Encouraged by this extra income,
he continued growing vegetables.
Vaghela is extremely pleased with the
drastic improvements that have come about
thanks to a small change catalysed
by ACF.
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All
Smiles
Minaben Merubhai Chudasama lived in a small
village called Kanjotar in Kodinar, Gujarat.
Summertime in this little village would
experience extreme scarcity of water. So,
villagers would walk four or five kilometers,
more than five times everyday to get water.
After all that effort, the water would cause
health problems for the family because of
being contaminated. To make matters worse,
Minaben had to buy water during the droughts
for Rs. 300. Life was getting very tough
like this so she approached ACF when she
heard about RRWHS. With financial and technical
help from ACF, she decided to try out RRWHS
with a capacity of 17,000 liters.
It turned out to work extremely well for
her, as she doesn’t need to bother
about water shortage or water borne health
issues. Even a few days’ rainfall
fills up her underground tank for the whole
year! Now since Minaben doesn’t have
to spend time fetching water, instead she
sells vegetables and makes an extra profit. |
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Banding together, fighting injustice
Shardaben from Abhalwad village was a troubled women. Expecting her fifth child, plagued with worries and unable to hold it all in and suffer silently, she opened her heart to the village Aarogya Swasthya Didi.
Unknown to many, Shardaben husband regularly physically abused and mentally tortured her. She worked hard to contribute to the family income but she was neglected and abused by her husband. Severely malnourished, anemic and weighing just 35 kgs, she saw no respite from the daily torture. She was depressed and often thought of committing suicide. Muktaben heard out Sharaden patiently and consoled her. She knew what Shardaben was suffering was unjust and encouraged her to fight against this injustice. With Shardaben’s support, she tool her problem to the SHG in the village and discussed it at that forum. The women were shocked to know of Shardaben’s state case and unanimously voted to help her.
The women is a group planned and visited Shardaben’s house to meet her husband Vajubhai Parmar. Vajubhai. A habitual drinker, Vajubhai paid no heed to what was going on and began abusing them. With a resolve to get this sorted, the women lodged an FIR in the Harmadiya Police station. Vajubhai was arrested and spent days in jail. Jolted out of his irresponsible behaviour, Vajubhai has undergone a radical change and the family’s life is back on track.
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Doing things differently
Bijalbhai Kanjibhai Thakur ridiculed the proposition of trying cultivating rice differently in his one bigha land. Systematic Rice Intensification seemed too large a risk for this marginal farmer. He was well aware that one wrong move could push him over the edge.
ACF understood his concern. Wanting to support him in making an effort to optimise his produce without forcing any decision on him, Bijalbhai was given the opportunity to visit other farmers in his neighbourhood who had adopted SRI and reaped its benefits. Talking to other farmers helped Bijalbhai get over his fears and he decided to give SRI a try.
The outcome of his new venture was exactly as expected. His yield increased by more than 20% resulting in an increase of income by Rs.5000 in the first cropping season. The profits were even higher as the cost of his inputs, including his spend on water, had decreased. This surplus sum of money meant a lot to him….. his children’s school fee for the whole year, repayment of the loan that he had taken from a private money lender in difficult times or his old mother’s cataract operation. He now impatiently awaits the next kharif season.
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Faith,
Fortitude and a Water Channel
In Gujarat, three villages, Nanavada,
Velan and Kaj, were plagued with water logging
during the rains. With high salinity and
drainage problems, the land had become highly
infertile.
So ACF decided to interlink Panch Piplava
Tidal Regulator (PPTR) and Sodam Bandhara
by constructing a 4.5 km. long spreading
channel. The monsoon after the construction
farmers noticed the difference. One farmer,
Laxmanbhai Bhagwanbhai Parmar is especially
happy. The channel has been constructed
close to his farm, and he is thrilled that
there is enough water for his cattle, and
he can now sow his crops immediately after
the rains, unlike before when with either
heavy or light rainfall he couldn’t
cultivate his crops.
Now with the channel he can irrigate his
farm whenever he wants, and his kharif
crop yield too has made significant
progress. From 850 kg. per hectare, his
yield of groundnut has increased to 1,650
kg. per hectare. Parmar says that the farmers
who were growing bajra before,
have now started growing cotton, which fetches
much better returns. He says, “There
was no cultivation possible in rabi
earlier, and now, we have started growing
wheat as well as castor seed. Besides, our
cattle have enough water to drink.” |
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Gangaben
bani Great!
In a village called Jithala of the Kodinar
taluka in Gujarat, lived a lady, Gangaben,
with her two sons and three daughters.
ACF gifted seed kits, to the SHG in that
area for farmers. These seed kits were
meant for growing vegetables for
self-consumption. On a 0.96 Ha farm Gangaben
decided to grow ladies finger, beans and
brinjal with her seed kit. She used only
100 sq. m. of her land, and the well on
her own farm for irrigation.
With just that first harvest, Gangaben
made a huge surplus! Not only did her
first produce last her family four whole
months, but she also had excess that she
could sell in the market to make a profit
of Rs. 2,590.
Now Gangaben continues selling her produce
and makes good profits along with being
able to sustain her family. With her as
an example, four more female members of
the SHG started using the seed kits that
ACF made available for just
Rs. 150.
Today Gangaben has moved on to grow bitter
gourd, and is very proud of herself being
able to take care of her family’s
need and also make good profits.
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Mixed
Cropping - A Boon for Farmers
In a village in Gujarat, Vijananadbhai Chinabhai
engaged in the kind of cultivation all others
in his village did - growing wheat, cotton
and groundnut were the staples, with no
diversification. He happened to attend one
of the farmer trainings organised by ACF
and took a fancy to the idea of growing
vegetables. With help from ACF, he changed
his cropping pattern to partly replace the
traditional crop with one vegetable crop.
In the first year he experimented with ladies
finger. He was able to fetch a good price
for his produce and was motivated to continue
growing vegetables. The second time around,
he grew bottle gourds and reaped a benefit
of Rs. 19,000 by utilising only 0.4 acres
of his land. The benefits he has gained
from changing his cropping pattern has helped
him make the decision of adopting vegetable
cultivation on a regular, sustained manner.
This change in his agricultural practice
has not only benefited him, it has also
had a positive impact on the soil fertility.
A win-win situation for him as well as his
land. |
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Mr.
Parmar and his Vermiculture Expedition
33 year old Keshubhai Hanabhai Parmar revolutionized
farming in his village Kadodam in Gujarat.
An enterprising and adventurous man he decided
to try vermiculture after he heard about
its many benefits.
So, to begin he bought 1 kg. of earthworms
from Visavadar. And although his neighbours
weren’t convinced of the success of
his new enterprise, they didn’t stop
him from trying.
His first attempt at vermiculture unfortunately
failed as all the earthworms died very soon.
Parmar was a little disappointed but was
determined to make it work, so he sought
help from the ACF team.
This time, with a lot more insight on the
subject, Keshubhai started with 2 kg. of
earthworms for his vermi compost. And it
worked!
In the past 2 years success has been coming
Parmar’s way by the truckload. He
has been able to produce 173 bags of compost
weighing 50 kg. each. And with a total value
of Rs. 35,000. Keshubhai has sold 120 kg.
of earthworms at the rate of Rs. 200 per
kg.
An expenditure of Rs. 15,646, and a total
income of Rs. 59,000 has made Parmar a net
profit of Rs. 43,354 on his vermi compost
project. This kind of success has encouraged
him to expand.
With his vermiculture project he was able
to use some of it for his own farms and
in that way save on buying chemical fertilizers.
The vermi compost proved more effective
and slowly the use of the chemical fertilizers
reduced.
Now armed with a great produce and knowledge
of better farming, he shares his experience
and know how with the other farmers. And
his story has encouraged other farmers to
also explore vermiculture! |
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People power
In village Balana ACF had undertaken several measures on common and private land for developing water resources and conserving soil. The cumulative effect of this was that the groundwater was recharged in plenty and this created a potential to use this water for irrigation purposes. Many farmers were keen on tapping into this underground reservoir of water but did not have the wherewithal to investment in well digging, pumping machineries, pipelines etc. There was no way that the marginal farmers could made this one time capital heavy investment.
Putting their heads together to crack the problem at hand, six farmers got together and concluded that to access the groundwater they would have to work together as a group- invest together and reap the benefits together. A common well was the answer to their woes. The common well would be a new well, equipped with all the machines required to pump out and transfer water and would be jointly managed and used by the farmers. The farmers readily contributed by offering land for digging the well and took on the task of digging the well on their own. The requisite materials and machinery was purchased . Noting the value in this group effort, ACF supported the venture in every way possible.
Soon the well was functional and the farmers had what they had been waiting- easy access to all the water they wanted ! Their 26 acres of land could be easily irrigated by the well. For effectively management and optimal utilization of their common resource, the farmers have developed their a set of norms .
With the water helping the marginal farmers irrigate their fields without a hitch, their yield from land escalated and more land could be brought under cultivation. At end of the rabi season they had brought in 39.6 acres of land under cultivation. They grew crops like cotton, pearl millet, cumin and groundnut and the profits they made were significantly better than other famers in their village- as compared to others, our group of farmers had made an additional income of Rs. 3 lakh.
The six farmers are a sparkling example of the power of collective action and a source of inspiration for others in their village.
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Unique
experiment with saline soils
Balana coastal village is inundated
by saline osmosis. This force farmers to
grow only single crops like chilly and cotton.
Under the Kharash Vistharothan Yojana, a
programme aimed at salinity mitigation,
ACF implemented several satellite programmes
in the village. One of them was on integrated
pest and disease control management, specifically
for cumin cultivation. Cumin is a cash crop
and gives better returns than traditional
crops. Hence, training sessions on cumin
farming were organised in the region.
Inspired by the guidance received from ACF,
a group of 15 farmers began growing experimental
cultivation of cumin on an area of 26.4
acres. They applied their knowledge on integrated
disease control management gained in the
training sessions. On its part, ACF provided
the farmers with all required guidance and
support. On-site assistance was also provided
along with technical inputs, motivation
and moral support.
The joint efforts of the enthusiastic farmers
and the supportive ACF team bore fruit.
Along with harvesting cumin, the farmers
harvested handsome profits. They were able
to save Rs.1000 each on disease control
by using the integrated method. The training
and field diagnosis offered by ACF is estimated
to have saved them a further sum of around
Rs. 30,000/=
Most importantly, farmers were delighted
to see the quick results of judiciously
selected and appropriate technology and
are keen on repeating such experiments in
the future. |
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Wasteland
to an Orchard
In a village called Shedhya, in Gujarat,
lived a man with a mango orchard. Valabhai
Savdashbhai Bhedas was that man. Five years
back his orchard cultivation failed, and
the village was almost becoming a wasteland.
The only way he could keep his orchard alive
was to manually water the 100 trees. He
tried everything to water his orchard, and
still only 5% of it could survive. Valabhai
lost all hope of horticulture being successful.
Then he met the ACF agriculture team, who
suggested he try drip irrigation on his
plot, and with some encouragement he decided
to give it a shot. The ACF team gave him
a subsidy of 25% on the cost of the drip
system and installation. So with a water
tank with a capacity of 15,000 liters, Valabhai
planted 140 mango saplings under the drip
irrigation.
That was five years ago. Today Valabhai’s
farm is a lush green mango orchard. Drip
irrigation increased the survival rate of
the trees to as much as 95% and his expenditure
came down by 75%! An extremely happy man,
Valabhai is keen on cultivating vegetable
crops under drip irrigation, and wants to
motivate other farmers to also install the
system. Shedhya village is inspired by Valabhai,
a man who survived a disaster and came out
smiling and victorious. |
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Youth
Group to the Rescue
In Gujarat, Nathabhai Vala had recently
separated from his large family and was
attempting to strike out on his own. The
division of land brought on because of his
separation gave him a paltry 0.48 Ha of
land - a piece that was insufficient to
engage in extensive farming and take care
of his family. The thought “how will
I make ends meet” nagged Nathabhai,
and no solution was in sight.
In one of the youth group meetings attended
by Nathabhai the topic of dairy farming
came up for discussion. Nathabhai thought
a dairy was a good idea but didn’t
have the initial money required to start
up. His youth group noticed how desperately
he needed the money and after deliberation,
offered him a loan of Rs. 25, 000 to purchase
a good breed of buffalo.
The milk collected from the buffalo gave
Nathabhai the additional income he needed.
On an average day, he sells milk worth Rs.
180 - Rs. 190. His monthly income has gone
up by Rs. 2,200 and his family is naturally
extremely happy with this turn of events.
Timely help from the youth group helped
Nathabhai re-shape his life and change it
for the better. |
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