The biggest impact of HARIT PRAYAS!

Kota ( Chatarpur)  has become  1^st 100% Organic Cultivation village with efforts through HARIT PRAYAS project of Caritas India  

This is not me, but a leading new national news paper ( Nai Duniya) which has covered a story on Kota village is stating it and after that other media houses are also covering it!

With HARIT PRAYAS we are able to bring a new side of development….a project with a movement of change, let’s believe a change!

A brief about Kota village:

Kota is the far most village of HARIT PRAYAS in Chatarpur (Madhya Pradesh), its around 100 kms from Khajuraho (our cluster office). Also its quite difficult to reach Kota, as to reach Kota one has to cross a river and dark forest.; generally an outsider prefer not to go to Kota and non of the organisation or any other government institution has ever shown any interest in the development of Kota. HARIT PRAYAS team at Satna included Kota in the project as a challenge to work in the village and to bring out the change.

In Kota there are altogether 35 SC and ST families and population is around 200. People living there depend on agriculture and used to practice synthetic fertiliser based cultivation, When HARIT PRAYAS project has started there our cluster Coordinator Mr. Virender sen (of HARIT PRAYAS Satna team) started staying there in the village facing all the difficulties and slowly-slowly started guiding village community on organic cultivation. He has visited and stayed in all the 35 families and with slow process of motivation, series of trainings and demonstration in Kota.

Unbelievable Change!

• Today Kota has become the 100% organic cultivation village  and hope fully it’s the 1^st in Madhya Pradesh. Here important is to note that organic cultivation has not only become the practice but it has become the thought process of the community.
• Yes till certification has not yet started in this area, but certification is not only the criteria of organic cultivation, HARIT PRAYAS team along with Caritas India support has gone beyond certification and worked on changing thought process of the community on organic cultivation from synthetic fertiliser based cultivation.
•  It is also important to note that earlier (baseline line status) say that in Kota 100% farmers  ( those who used to used to practice agriculture) used to practice synthetic fertiliser based cultivation.  
• The most important thing HARIT PRAYAS is not only focusing on agriculture part, but with a minimum focus the team is able to bring pout the change, and its remarkable. The credit is mainly to the team working there.

To bring out this change entire credit goes to the cluster Coordinator Mr. Virender and the HARIT PRAYAS Team at SSSS-Satna ( please find a video of Interaction of Mr. Virender and Project Coordinator Ms . Preeti with Kota farmer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQUrV58WbJ0&feature=youtu.be )

What this 100% organic cultivation is actually giving benefit?

Now community members are happy with the concept of organic cultivation and are able to reduce the input cost in agriculture by 70-90%. The best part is that saved amount they are using for the development of their houses from Kutcha to Pucca houses and also contributing some amount for the development of village to make it neat and clean.

Benefit in agriculture has reduce migration up to 100% in the village ( watch attached video) baseline report states 40% of total HHs migration.

My own recent experience ( Caritas India Project Officer for HARIT PRAYAS)

I have visited Kota on 22^nd Nov and last time I have visited it in 2011, I find a big change not only in organic cultivation, but in the behaviour, the hygiene and sanitation and indeed the well being of the village.

Its good experience to see such changes. Also Kota is now like a hill station, and those who earlier do not want to visit it , now because of HARIT PRAYAS intervention, many government institutions are visiting it and there is planning to have a small bridge over the river near by Kota ( which cuts Kota from entire other villages in rainy season).

I suggest that HARIT PRAYAS Kota village at Chatarpur could be one of the ideal village for exposure on organic cultivation, so we can suggest to some opf the partners to visit there for exposure in other projects!

Let’s believe Change!

For more on HARIT PRAYAS log on to www.haritprayas.blogspot.com, or follow on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/harit.prayas) or follow on Twitter (HARIT PRAYAS) or watch HARIT PRAYAS channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/haritprayas

सिर्फ़ हंगामा, खड़ा करना, मेरा मकसद नही

sirf hangama, khada karna, mera maksad nahi

सारी कोशिश, है की ये, सूरत बदलनी चाहिए

saari koshish, hai ki ye, soorat badalni chahiye

मेरे सीने में नही, तो तेरे सीने में सही

mere seene mein nahi, to tere seene mein sahi

हो कही भी आग लेकिन, आग जलनी चाहिए

ho kahi bhi aag lekin, aag jalni chahiye

Poet Dushyant Kumar wrote above lines on bringing change-describes that its not only we talk about change…but instead we must bring change!  And with Caritas  India HARIT PRAYAS project we have  tried to bring  change at community and at all stake holder levels.