Voluntary organisations have made an appreciable difference to the lives of farmers in remote regions of Rajasthan, says Bharat Dogra. This is his story about the farmers of Rawatpura who have been able to increase food production significantly during the past three years or so, thanks mainly to the creation of several new ponds and other water sources, as well as the improvement of existing ones, with help from SRIJAN
The road to Rawatpura Village in Rajasthan’s Sapotra Block is not easy – it is hard to negotiate, and very dusty too. But the warm welcome we received from the villagers, who seldom get visitors, more than made up for the arduous drive. As I soon learnt, the lack of proper roads is only one of the several difficulties that the people here have to cope with. Lack of electricity is another. Those who can afford to do so have purchased solar panels and batteries which they use to get a little light at night, and to charge mobile phones. However, cell phone connectivity is very difficult – the villagers must either climb to higher ground, or stand at certain spots to be able to talk even a little, before the connection is abruptly lost
Yet, the farmers of Rawatpura are a happy lot. The reason is that they have been able to increase food production significantly during the past three years or so. The biggest contributory factor was the creation of several new ponds and other water sources, as well as the improvement of existing ones, using the help of voluntary organisation SRIJAN (Self-Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action). Thirteen new water sources were created and almost as many existing ponds or pokhars improved. As a result, nearly 200 acres of previously uncultivated land is being cultivated now, while additional rabi or winter crops are being grown on land already under cultivation.
Subabai says wheat had never been cultivated on her farm, but now they are growing a lot of it, along with mustard, gram and some vegetables too. Productivity of the kharif crops, which was earlier entirely dependent on rainfall, has also improved. Bilasi, another woman from the village, says earlier, hunger was a constant problem, as there was not enough food to meet even basic needs, but now they not only have sufficient for themselves, but are earning a good income from the sale of farm produce too.
Devi Singh, a farmer, says that nearly half of his land was lying uncultivated earlier while the yield on the remaining land was low and uncertain. Now, he is able to cultivate almost all his land, and increase production on the land already under cultivation. With such visible gains, farmers are willing to share the costs of work like land-levelling, bund construction and depositing of fertile silt on farmland, even though the bulk of the support comes from SRIJAN.
Though the farmers in this remote village were more-or-less following natural farming methods, interaction with SRIJAN has brought this into focus. The availability of good quality crops in substantial quantity attracts traders to the village to purchase the produce. This saves farmers the bother of going to the markets to sell their produce. However, the traders offer lower rates because they come to the village, and to combat this, the farmers are thinking of linking up with a farmer-producer organisation to get better prices for their mustard crop.
Such changes were evident not just in this village but also in several other villages as we travelled through the area. Water sources provided respite from the dust and heat, not only to people, but also to animals and birds. Some other voluntary organisations like Gram Gaurav have also contributed to such efforts. However, some problems persist. These include drinking water shortage during peak summer in several villages, including Rawatpura.
As SRIJAN team leader Bhawani Singh explained, in difficult conditions here, it will take some time for new water sources to recharge and raise water levels significantly. Hence, the work must continue and expand. Seeing the value of the organisation’s work, government officials in the region have been encouraging and appreciative of the efforts. SRIJAN’s work in the area, supported by the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund of the Aditya Birla Capital Foundation, is a good example of how carefully planned utilisation of available CSR funding can bring meaningful changes to people and communities who face very difficult conditions for reasons beyond their control.
(The writer is a senior freelance journalist and author who has been associated with several social movements and initiatives. He lives in New Delhi.)
from Webdoux