…a new beginning

Poverty eradication through community managed sustainable agriculture

a way out of serious crisis in agriculture

SERP

MMS

SANET

Indira kranthi pathamwomen’s empowerment for poverty eradication

S.E.R.P is implementing a Rs.2100 cr statewide project to raise rural poor’s incomes and improve quality of life

Organize rural women’s groups

& their federations

Knowledge & awareness

Investment support

Government departments

Financial institutions

Panchayati raj institutions

Markets and other non-govt institutions

Outreach and institutional structure• Programme present in every village of the state

• S.H.Gs have been formed in each village

• More than 90% of rural poor are organised

• 86.5 lakhs rural women organised into 6,88,200 S.H.Gs (upto March 2007)

(35% of all S.H.Gs in the country are in A.P)

• Own savings : Rs.1340 Crores, Corpus : Rs. 2990 Crores.

• 31,500 V.Os, 946 MSs and 21 Z.S s formed

To enable each poor family in the state, to improve their livelihoods and quality of life

a family out of poverty experiences:

improved status in society

comprehensive food security – freedom from hunger

earns minimum of Rs.5000/- per month, from 3 - 4 stable livelihoods

planned house-hold expenditure

Social Security – risks to life, health, assets and incomes are covered

good shelter

good education

good health

Vision

Mandal Samakhyas and V.Os plan and implement the various

project components

Each Mandal is divided into three Clusters of 10-12 habitations.

A development professional, called Community Coordinator (CC) is placed in each Cluster. S/he stays in her cluster.

SERP selects and trains them. After completion of training, they are contracted by the MS and are accountable to MS.

M.S responsible for social mobilisation, institution building and funding the microplans of S.H.Gs/V.Os from C.I.F

Micro credit plans are evolved by the S.H.Gs in each village. These plans are funded by their own savings, CIF fund and Bank Linkage.

V.Os responsible for appraising the microplans and recommending them to M.S for financing from C.I.F

V.Os appraise microplans and also finance them from the recycled C.I.F

C.B.Os implement the projectA.P Federation Model

SHGs

•Thrift and credit activities

•Monitoring group performance

•Micro Credit Planning•Household inv plans

• E.C -2 from each S.H.G, 5 Office bearers

•Strengthening of SHGs

•Arrange line of credit to the SHGs

•Social action

•Village development

•Marketing and food security

•Support activists – 3 -5

• E.C -2 from each V.O, 5 Office bearers

•Support to VOs

•Secure linkage with Govt. Depts.

fin institutions, markets

•Auditing of the groups

•Micro Finance functions

10 - 15

SHGs SHGs SHGsSHGs SHGs

V.O

150 -200

MMS4000 6000 -

Z S200,000

400,000

Village Organization

Mandal Samakhaya

Zilla Samakhaya

SELF HELP GROUPS

Key achievements1. Community based targeting - focus on the ultrapoor 2. Financing the poor:- Project finance (C.I.F) – Rs.869.0 crores- Financing S.H.Gs through Banks. Rs.197.0 crores to Rs.3225 crores

in 6 years – 16 fold increase.- Current year plan – Rs.6500.0 crores - Pavala vaddi- Debt swapping by banks- Strengthening asset base of the poor – investments in agriculture,

livestock, non-farm, small businesses, etc

Project fund management & S.H.G Bank linkages

Mandal Samakhya

Village Organization

SHG SHG SHG

Terms of Partnership (VO –

MS)

Terms of Partnership (SHG –

VO)

Terms of Partnership

(Member – SHG)

Repayment Period

Members

Prioritization of Needs and Members

Micro Credit Plan

100 - 120 Months

40 - 60 month

s

12-24 months

Banks

3. Collective marketing of agriculture, horticulture,NTFP produce and dairyTo enable the poor to get fair terms of trade for their produce through their

networks

Village level marketing centres managed by S.H.Gs - traditional market yards – trader centred and not fair to poor farmers

From Rs.1 cr in 01-02 to Rs.126 crs in 06 – 07. In 2007-08, marketing turnover crossed Rs.216 crs.

Intensive training to women in handling quality, logistics, finances, and marketing

Major commodities: maize, paddy, redgram, soybean, neem, groundnut, castor, coffee, cashew, NTFP, etc.

Milk – village milk collection centres and mandal level B.C.Us

Major constraint - Post harvest facilities, simple value addition and storage at village level

Rabi 2007 - Paddy procurement by Village Organisations

Paddy procurement in Rabi 2007 by Village organizations at MSP in partnership with A.P.S. C.S.C

Major innovation of State Govt. to ensure M.S.P benefit reaches the small and marginal farmers

Procurement in 316 village procurement centres Total Paddy Procured – 3.24 Lakh MT Value of Paddy Procured– Rs. 210 Crores Minimum benefit of Rs.800 per M.T to farmers

Key achievements …contd

1. Community managed food security1. Collective buying and supplying essential commodities to members from

open market on credit. 2. Benefiting 16.4 lakh families by March, 2007. 3. Plan to cover 40.0 lakh families by March, 2008. 4. Each family saves Rs. 80 – Rs.120 per month5. Local demand for farmers’ produce

2. Social risk management – 19.8 lakhs

3. Impact on public administration – convergence with all line departments

4. Extensive use of community best practitioners

Community managed sustainable agriculture

16 out of 32 distress districts are in AP Ever increasing costs of cultivation due to

externalization of inputs specially seeds and pesticides

Increasing dependence on traders and dealers for credit

Increasing ecological costs due to high chemical use

Decreasing margins to farmers

Context – acute crisis in agriculture

Women groups and agriculture…

• In spite of vibrant women SHG movement, no significant improvement in agriculture based livelihoods

• Marketing intervention was the first major intervention - but not the complete solution

• Searching for the options…

October, 2004Punukula one bright star…

• Farmers completely gave up pesticides adopting Non Pesticidal Management

• At the village level more than Rs.50 lakhs saving every year

• Reduced expenditure on health• Reduced migration• More opportunities for farming leasing in lands• No suicides after NPM intervention

Challenge : Can small experiences be scaled up ?

• Relevance of small experiences on a wider scale• Availability of resources locally• Farmers willingness• institutional and support systems• supplementing farmers’ Knowledge and enhancing

the skills• Reducing the time of transformation• Reaching to larger areas

Non Pesticidal Managment It is a paradigm shift in moving from input centric model to

knowledge and skill based model. It involves making best use of natural resources locally available and take best advantage of the natural processes.

A “system that maintains the insect populations at levels below those causing economic injury, by having healthy crop and managing the population dynamics in the crop ecosystem”

Farmer gains control over inputs – reduce dependence on external inputs

December 2004

Piloting institutional model...

Piloting NPM as a livelihood intervention in Kosgi MMS during 2004

Farmers trained systematically and technical support provided in the form of coordinators

In 225 acres, average savings of Rs. 1200/acre on Red gram the total savings were Rs.2,75,000

WASSAN

The reach…

2006-07• 17 districts• 1050 villages• 2.0 lakh acres• 80 thousand farmers

2005-06• 10 districts• 450 villages• 25 thousand acres• 15 thousand farmers

2007-08• 18 districts• 1500 villages• 5 lakh acres• 1.5 lakh farmers

…aiming to reach 25 lakh acres across crops in all districts of AP in five years

The design…

• Village Organization and Mandal Mahila Samakya taking the lead role• Village activist for every village• Cluster coordinator for a cluster of five villages• MMS enter into agreement with NGOs to provide technical support• 89 N.G.Os as partners• No Chemical Pesticide use• Enabling environment

• Campaign on ill effects of pesticides, understanding pests, and ecosystem

• Small enterprises to provide neem powder, NPV etc• Farmers as resource persons

Crop Cost of Plant protection (Rs./acre)

Saving(Rs/acre)

Conventional NPM

Cotton (Avg Khammam) 5000 1000 4000

Chillies (Avg from Warangal) 15000 to 20000 2000 13000

Redgram (Avg from Nalgonda) 1500 300 1200

Groundnut (Avg from Anantapur) 1500 300 1200

Castor (Nalgonda) 2000 400 1600

Paddy (Avg.from Kurnool) 2000 225 1775

Economic Advantages 2004-05

Restoration of Natural BalanceThe data of harmful vs. beneficial insects in cotton (10 weeks data)

S.NO

Date of observation

Number of beneficial insects (10 plants)

Number of harmful insects (10 plants)

Number of bolls/plant

1 11.08.06 7 3 18

2 25.08.06 11 8 22

3 01.09.06 9 11 26

4 08.09.06 13 12 28

5 15.09.06 13 14 32

6 22.09.06 14 13 40

7 29.09.06 16 14 50

8 06.10.06 9 9 54

9 13.10.06 10 8 60

10 20.10.06 17 5 65

KAMADHENU RMG

Comparative Cost benefit analysis between NPM and Non-NPM Cotton, Karimnagar

Particulars NPM method (Rupees)

Non-NPM method (Rupees)

INPUT COST 4850 8350

Yield 6 Quintal 6 Quintal

Amount 12000 12000

NET PROFIT 7150 3650

KRUSHI

One cluster of Anantapur where pesticide usage is low (2005-06)

Village No.of.

Farmers

NPM acres (2005-06)

2003-04 Pesticide usage(in lit)

Value of pesticides in Rupees

Value of NPM extracts

Total saving

1 Chinnajalalapuram

39 182 2800 5,40,000 54,600 7,01,400

2 Madirepalli 36 139 2000 4,00,000 44,480 3,55,520

3 Guruguntla 36 104 1875 6,56,250 36,400 6,19,850

Total 111 425 6675 15,96,250 1,35,480 16,76,770

RIDS

Out of Debt TrapRamachandrapuram, A Tribal Village in Khammam Dist, AP

• 100 farm families caught in debt trap • Vicious cycles of pesticides• Lands to given away to dealers and working in their fields on lease and

as labor

Results• 7 quintals of yield in cotton• Net profit of Rs. 7000/- to Rs. 10000/-• Farmers able to sell their products freely

Proper support can bring back life to Villages

Savings 2006-07

S.NO CROP ACRES Avg.Savings/acre(in Rs)

Total Savings(Rs.crores)

1 Cotton 40,425 4,000 16.17

2 Paddy 50,280 1,000 5.03

3 Red gram 24,329 1,200 2.92

4 Groundnut 22,998 800 1.84

5 Chillies 3,757 15,000 4.88

6 Others 26,000 1,000 2.60

TOTAL 33.44

Cost of N.P.M extension – less than Rs.4.0 crores

Reduction in cost of cultivation: interest could be created in the farmers more than 70 % reduction in pesticide usage. The farmers could save up to Rs. 2000/- in rice, groundnut, redgram, Rs. 5000/- in cotton and Rs. 13000/- in chillies

Pesticide free villages: Nearly 12 pesticide free villages in Anantapur, Khammam, Needs to be documented

Organic Villages: Gurrapukonda and few more villages in Madakasira became organic

Impacts…

RAKSHANA, IRDS

• Chillies in 1200 acres• Savings on pest management more than 15,000• Hon’ble Minister for Commerce Dr. Jairam Ramesh

sets target to bring 50 % of chilli area in the state under NPM in next five years

• Spices Board came forward to invest 50 % of its budget in AP on NPM

Community Managed Seed Banks

• Pilot in 10 villages in Ananthpur district• Village self sufficiency as goal• Farmers produced and VO helped to distribute among

the farmers• Good quality seed, in time• Subsidy was extended by dept to one village• Focus on

• Seed retention than replacement • selecting, saving, storing, sharing and reusing• Increasing crop and genetic diversity• Networking the seed banks

• 2007-08 seed banks in 70 villages-wide variety of crops

Opportunities for Agril.workers

NPM service centers Village enterprises Agril. Labour leasing land and doing NPM Increase in labor man days Seed production Fodder production Neem procurement and selling

Learning…

Confidence on ecological models of agriculture increased NPM a good stepping stone Complete paradigm shift in understanding and supporting agriculture

is required Ecological and economic costs of externalization of inputs enormous Loosing control over seed is suicidal Moving to organic is the way forward Strong natural resource base is required for sound ecological farming Many more experiences can be tried Policy support is required now…

Constraints…

Natural Resources Human Resources Issues beyond control of farmers

Shifts in land use pattern GM crops (case of Bt cotton seed) Loosing control over resources like seed, water etc Liberalization impacts Climate change

Community Managed Organic Farming

Proposal : to bring 10 lakh ha under organic farming in rainfed areas in 5000

villages covering 10 lakh farm families Village level collaboration between women S.H.Gs, farmers, and

N.G.Os

Objective: to increase net incomes for small & marginal farmers in rainfed areas

Additional Central Assistance: Rs.182.0 crores over 5 years(Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana or National Agriculture Development Fund-Rs. 25,000) Benefits per ha – Rs.5,400 Total benefits: Rs.1485 crores over 5 years

Community managed organic farming

End-to-end solution: seed to marketing Technical support from KVKs, Agri Dept 1st step - Non pesticidal management, move to organic farming over a period

of 5 years Seed banks - self sufficiency in cereals, pulses and oilseeds Farmer driven extension systems, best practising farmers, village level

farmer activists Institutional Credit through S.H.G – bank linkage Integration with N.R.E.G.S for soil fertility improvement and moisture

conservation

Moving forward… Enhancing and Managing Natural Resources Improving the soil health and productivity Focus on vegetables Community Resource Persons – best practitioners Convergence with Star Procurement Centres Convergence with Food Security Program Convergence with NREGA Convergence with KVKs, ATMAs, Horticulture Mission,

Department of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture and Agriculture University