Organic Seed Conservation Method by HARIT PRAYAS JCSS-Jhansi team!

Our HARIT PRAYAS team at Jhansi in consultation with agriculture department and project villages farming community has developed “organic seed conservation” method to promote traditional seeds in the HARIT PRAYAS project villages and even in the Bundelkhand region (in consideration with the promotion of nutrient value of seeds and regenerating capacity).

Organic Seed Conservation Method:

Chait (March-April) is known for season of Harvesting for Rabi crops. The farmers are happy to see the crops and they have worked hard for good yield, throughout the country. The general practice is that the farmers will harvest the Rabi crops. They sell some part of their produce in the nearby market or Government’s centers. They get cash in their hand. Some part of agricultural produce they store for the consumption. The house is full of grains. Farmer’s household is full of joy and fun, as they get return of their hard work in the agricultural field. And the villages of Harit Prayas project are no exception to this.

This is also the time for seed conservation. There is a consensus that the farmers of the target area do not sow ‘seeds’, rather they sow ‘grains’. For this the organic method of ‘seed conservation’ is a must, which should be little time consuming, no cost is required, suitable for the small farmers of the project area and which recognizes the traditional knowledge/wisdom of farmers.

Followings are the main points, to be shared with farmers:

• After harvesting the farmer should separate seeds from the grains. It makes seed conservation easy for farmers. E.g. 10 quintals of grain conservation is problematic and 1 quintal of seed can be conserved easily.
• Seed conservation is all about saving seeds from ‘moisture’ and ‘insects’.
• Before harvesting the farmer should observe carefully his/her crops in the field and if he/she finds black grains in wheat crop, it must be chopped off and destroyed. It is a disease named ‘ismat’ (in hindi). If it is not removed then after harvesting/threshing it will be mixed up with all the grains and there are micro-bacteria in that black wheat. Those micro bacteria will spoil the grains as well as seeds.
• Seeds must be dried well into sun light. If sunlight is less, farmers should use black polythene cover for drying seeds well.
• Small and marginalized farmers use either jute bag or plastic bags for storing seeds. Big farmers use trunk and tunnels (bokhari) for the same purpose. The container must not have moisture. The container should also be dried well.
• For the small farmers, who use jute/plastic bags they need to be extra careful. The jute bag must be boiled in water to make it bacteria free. Those who use plastic bags, they should ensure that bags are bacteria free and there is no moisture in it. If any farmer wants to take extra care, he/she can use ‘mailatheium’ medicine powder for the jute/plastic bags. It make bags insect free.
• With leaves of neem (in different layers) seeds should be kept in the bags/container.
• One can also use ‘ash’ and mix it with seeds and then put the seeds, along with neem leaves in the bags/container. Onion can also be kept in the bags.
• The bags should not touch the floor of the room or the walls. It will bring moisture in the bag, during rainy season. The bags should be kept on wooden structure/piece.

　

MNREGA Training @HARIT PRAYAS JCSS-Jhansi

Venue: Villages Level training

Organizer: Jhansi Catholic Seva Samaj

Introduction:

MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) is very crucial for ensuring food security and preventing distress migration from rural India. MNREGA guarantees 100 days job for unskilled rural workers. This Act is life line for millions of landless community members and for small and marginalized farmers. As per the provision of MNREGA in Uttar Pradesh one can get INR 12,000/- annually.

Harit Prayas Project:

The output 2(as per PMF and Log frame) of the Harit Prayas Project deals with Entitlement. MNREGA is the major component of output 2. As per the target 681 HHs fall under the category of Entitlement i.e. output 2.

With an aim to increase the livelihood of the landless workers/marginalized farmers, the project focuses on the holistic training of the target community members on MNRGEA.

It is important for the community members have information regarding how to get the job card prepared? How to demand job under MNREGA? How to get the wages or compensation if the job is not provided after written application within stipulated time period? With whom to complain, if there are any grievances regarding MNREGA?

Abstract/summary:

The MNREGA training has been conducted at the village level. March being the harvesting season for Rabi crop, the Harit Prayas team members found it difficult to find people for the training. So the strategy adopted for this training was that the cluster coordinators talked to the community members and asked the timing for village level training. It ensured the availability of community members for the training.

In the village Guawali the training was conducted at 7.00 AM. For this team members had to leave for the village at 6.00 AM from their home. In the village Khandi the team reached at 8.30 AM and in another village Dagaria the team conducted training in the evening from 5.30 onwards. This shows that how the team cope up with harvesting season and ensured availability of community members for the training.

A total number of 155 people have been trained as against the target of 100 fixed in the PMF (MoV is Training Register). Participation of women in village Chamraua, Dagaria was encouraging for the Hart Prayas team members. 29 women received the MNREGA training (source: Training Register).

Modus Operandi:

·         Gathering at the venue on the fixed time.

·         Introduction of the Project, Project Staffs and the Organization

·         Purpose of the MNREGA Training

·         Details of the provisions of MNREGA and its benefits

·         Discussion on the challenges faced in MNREGA

·         Distribution of application forms for Job Card and Demand of work to the community members

·         Queries and Questions from the community members

·         Vote of thanks by the community member/staff

Output:

·         155 MNREGA workers learnt the process of getting Job Card

·         155 MNREGA workers learnt the process of demanding job through written application

·         155 workers learnt about the provisions of MNREGA

·         155 workers learnt about the grievance redressal mechanism for MNREGA

Observation and Learning by the team Harit Prayas:

·         Awareness generation regarding to MNREGA and its provision and process, is still the first and foremost important step in order to ensure the entitlement for the target community.

·         The community members have shown keen interest in learning about MNREGA (all aspects).

·         In some of the villages the community members have not possession of their job cards. The local powerful village head (pradhans) have kept the job cards in their possession. The community members are scared and they lack courage to ask for their job card. But in majority of target villages people have their job cards in their possession.

·         Implementation of MNREGA is challenging in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this we have observed that there are some lacunas in the MNREGA Act also, due to which the vested interest misuse the clauses and the benefit do not reach to the workers.

·         The MNREGA workers belong to unorganized sector. It a big challenges to organize the unorganized sector workers.

Expected outcome:

·         Well informed community members will submit written application for job under MNREGA (Xerox copy of the application format has been distributed during village level training).

·         All 155 community members, who received training, will get their due entitlement under MNREGA.

The way forward:

·         The follow up of this training is very important. The cluster coordinators, the field coordinator and the project manager will go for follow up of this training as per their role chart. So that the outcome of this training could be measured and documented.

Exposure to Gorakhpur to learn sustainable agriculture!@MVSS-Sagar

A 4 days exposure visit to Gorakhpur has been organised by MVSS-Sagar HARITPRAYAS team & target community members to learn the concept of sustainable agriculture. 8 farmers from different FC along with whole project staff were participated. There they learnt about the importance of organic farming, method of preparation of organic manure (Vermi compost, Vermi wash, Matka khaad and CPP Khaad) and pesticides and about certification.

s.no	Name of the farmers	village
1	Kamlesh kurmi	Jamghat
2	Bharat pandey	Sawal khiriya
3	Omkar vishwarkma	Kadatha
4	Kanai patel	Dovi
5	Munna kurmi	Niwari
6	Nanahai kurmi	Juna
7	Lakhan ahirwar	Parasai
8	Hemraj	Semra goud

Overall Learning’s:

1.      Effective reporting and financial management

2.      Attractive and easy understanding IEC materials for community members.

3.      Diocese involvement in strengthening social work

4.      Organic cultivation method of agriculture- minimum input resulting in maximum and sustainable output.

5.      Importance of CBOs and MM taking social issues for development of their village and FC motivating others to do organic farming

6.      Gender balance in CBOs and other developmental activities

7.      Organic certification- to give worth to your hard work

As a result the participated members promised to follow techniques of organic cultivation in their land and will made other FC members and farmers about their learning’s from the exposure. And also form demo plots to erect live examples to the others.

Village Information Centre: A Ray of Hope for Widow Women@HARIT PRAYAS Jhansi

Khandi is one of the target villages of project Harit Prayas. A V.I.C. has been established in this village. Though it will take time to inculcate the habit of listening radio or using V.I.C as per their requirement, but to my surprise, two women approached me for with forms in their hands. They had forms for widow pension scheme with them. (ramlali’s in pics, getting her form filled)

I was there for conducting a farmers’ club formation process meeting. The women named 1. Chanda, 2. Ramlali, requested me to fill up the forms.  I asked that from where you got this widow pension form. They said that they receive the form from khusiram. Khusram is the person who has facilitated harit prayas project’s V.I.C and gave his room for the purpose. Some discussion I came to know that Chanda’s husband had died almost 8 years ago and she has three so and eldest one is of 11yrs old. She has very small piece of land but due to scarcity of water and lack of resources she is unable to cultivate the land. So she works a a labour I the village only, often irregular labour work. For few months she was also employed in MDMS for the village school. But now she has lost her job and she is facing problem in feeding her children. The same is the story of Ramlali. Her husband died 1 yr ago and her sons are staying away from village and do not take care of her. She also requested to fill up the form.

Shockingly, chanda, for the last 8 yrs, did not or could not fill up the widow pension form. Whatever is the reason, but the V.I.C has forms for all government schemes and availability of widow pension forms in the village facilitated and motivated them to apply for the widow pension form. If they receive the widow pension, it will be great help for them.

Challenges in ensuring the widow pension for them

·         There is no death certificate with them. After 8 yrs of death, it is difficult to get death certificate to obtain. It is a time consuming and expensive process.

·         They will have to travel to the district headquarter and get affidavit prepared by them for the death certificate.

·         The district probation offices will be approached by the team for submitting their form and then rest of the things depends upon the government officials.

 

HARIT PRAYAS @Satna empowering women!

HARIT PRAYAS team at Satna ( Chatarpur) has given a new angel to the HARIT PRAYAS project in terms of organizing awareness programme for the inclusion of women in the project (its not a budgeted activity) and has celebrated women’s day in the project panchyats of HARIT PRAYAS from 12th-17th March 2012. The unique step of women empowerment in the project villages has been covered by the leading Hindi newspaer-Dainik Bhaskar. In the series of this event HARIT PRAYAS cultural team has played an active role to mobilise women (even during this harvesting season). Programmes were headed by the female representatives (either sarpanch or ward panch).

People & NGOs from other districts are visting HARIT PRAYAS project villages@Satna

HARIT PRAYAS project at Satna has shown its impact not only in 20 project villages, but even in the near by districts also and people from other districts and other NGOs are visiting the HARIT PRAYAS project villages to understand the “organic revolution” and systems of systematic projects. It has been covered by leading news papers. Find attached paper cuttings.

List of benificiaries linked with MGNREGA through efforts of HARIT PRAYAS@Satna

Now HARIT PRAYAS team at Satna has initiated a unique practice of documentation (especially for the beneficiaries of government schemes) at the field level. The team is maintaining a register of all those to whom they are supporting through training, interactions, linkages with PRI, guidance on schemes ( its detail, eligibility, documents required, form filling etc) and once the beneficiary received the benefit the register has been signed by the beneficiary and the concerned PRI representatives.

Impact of HARIT PRAYAS efforts on Agriculture @Satna

In Agricultural area in the Feb 2012, we have helped the targeted community in Preparation of Organic Pesticides for the Ravi crops, the following are the details:

S.NO.	Name of village	No. of People used	Crops
1	Dharampura	04	Chana & Raiee
2	Kota	05	Chana & Raiee
3	Patra	02	Chana & Raiee
4	Udaipura	04	Chana & Raiee
5	Motigarh	05	Chana
6	Adiwashipura	07	Chana
7	Dewra	05	Chana
8	Lehar	07	Chana
9	Tapra	05	Vegetables
10	Majotta	04	Raiee
11	Bhusor	01	Raiee
12	Silone	01 (female- Bhagwati Ahirwar)	Raiee
13	Kawar	04	Raiee, Dhaniya
14	Karondiya	01	Chana
15	Taleiyya	02	Raiee & Chana
16	Majgwakala	01	Chana
17	Amronia	01	Chana
18	Motidungaria	02	Raiee & Vegetables
	Total	61

By Preparing & using Organic Pest Repellent farmers directly contributed towards:

Food security

Nutrition Security

And Saving their input cost for example

Inorganic Pesticides cost (1 Acre): Rs 400 approx

Organic Pesticides cost (1 Acre): Rs 10 approx (Rs 10 is incurred in buying detergent soap which uses for the Preparation of organic pest repellent)

Saving: Rs 390 approx (Minimum)