EQUAL PARTNERSHIP OF WOMEN IN AGRO-FORESTRY FOR

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Presented by: JANAK PALTA McGILLIGAN

DIRECTOR

BAHA’I VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RURAL WOMEN

180, BHAMORI, NEW DEWAS ROAD,

INDORE 452 008 (M.P.)

WORKSHOP ON AGRO-FORESTRY IN BUNDELKHAND REGION, (M.P.)

JUNE 26 -27, 1995, JHANSI

......

The key issue in an effective strategy for Agro-Forestry Development is how to manage and utilise the land resources on a sustainable basis. This requires better understanding about the environmental needs and challenges faced by our country at this time in history, on the one hand, and, on the other, to integrate the human, financial, physical, and technical resources in the socio-framework. One of the issues of sustainability arises out of ever increasing demands of energy & food production.

In 1981, the FAO Fuel Wood Situation Map of Developing Countries revealed that two billion people are dependent on wood for energy[1]. Out of this, 96 million were reported to be unable to satisfy their minimum needs and another 1052 million were in a deficit situation out of which 734 million were in Asia. Another FAO study in 1988 cites the problem of non-availability of data for estimating the energy consumption by different types of rural industries and processing activities. It also stated that rural industries not only process and use local raw material, they also tend to rely on local sources for the heat energy they need[2]. The energy RWEDP[3] studies in 1985 - 93 also highlighted the energy need and the important role of the domestic sector in the rural socio-economy, they also identify other industrial and commercial activities by specific type, sector and wood energy requirements. A substantial amount of these energy requirements and that of food are primarily dependent on agriculture and forest. Moreover, the largest majority of rural people earn cash income from agricultural forest production. Pressure from all these demands and no agro-forestry development have resulted in rapid degradation of forests. World Resources 1994 estimates global deforestation at 3.8 million hectare and FAO 1991 showed a 50% increase in tropical deforestation since 1980. The increase is more severe, i.e. 1.2 percent loss per year, in Asian countries[4]. This is due to unsustainable live-stock grazing, agriculture and forestry practices. As a consequence, the rate of soil degradation is accelerating in many areas which contributes to decreasing land productivity. If such a situation continues, long term sustainability of the resource base needs to be questioned and the quality of life of rural people may further degrade from bad to worse. Environmental degradation is taking place on one hand; on the other hand there is a constant threat to the future livelihood of the people as a result of massive population growth and shrinking resources.

This threat to survival and environmental development was recognised in the Rio Declaration in Agenda 21 and Bio-diversity Agreement.

Agro-forestry has been pursued in India over the last two decades primarily to improve the socio-economic status of people and improve the environment of the country. Large investments have been made in promoting agro-forestry. A lot of research has been done and technology and skill development centres have been opened but experience to date in agro-forestry has been only partially successful.

Most of the agro-forestry projects that are successful mainly belong to private companies located in Punjab, Haryana and U.P. They are heavily funded for commercial purposes. One example is ITC Bhadra Cholan Paper Board Limited in Sunder Nagar. There are practically very few examples of the beginning of agro-forestry projects in Madhya Pradesh. The agro-forestry programme has started only few pockets, largely on the holding of affluent farmers[5]. There are only scattered incidents of some schemes being implemented in Chindwada district[6]. The situation of Bundelkhand is not much different than the rest of the state. In order to have sustainable development, we need to have sustained activities showing sustainable results. The reasons are that the needs of the people are not integrated and that there is a lack of active participation, planning, sustainable management and utilisation of resources in the programmes.

It has been widely accepted by all the development agencies, scientists and researchers that lack of people’s participation is the major constraint in ensuring the success. When we talk about people’s participation, we see women are 50 % of the population and they are mainly used as farm labourers, not as participants.

In the light of the important roles played by women, there is a need to ensure full participation of women as well as women’s groups in research, planning, implementation, including the design of training programmes, annual and regional workshops.

Three U.N. Women’s Conferences held in Mexico, Copenhagen and Nairobi (1975 - 1985) identified that one of the challenges to development was the lack of equal participation of women. Chapter 24 of AGENDA 21 clearly defined that sustainable development cannot be achieved without women’s participation. The issue of equality of sexes is again going to be discussed in Beijing.

Participation of women should not be perceived in the capacity of farm labourers, merely hiring or employing them in an agro-forestry programme. If we really want a sustainable programme, we need to consult at the grass-roots level, fodder and fuel, watch and ward, harvest and storage in the villages. We need to look at women as mothers of farmers, scientists and foresters who raise the children while working at home and on the land. They are the first teachers and trainers of the farmers. They need not be seen only as beneficiaries of programmes or victims of degradation. When we do that, we disempower them from their rights of participating in the planning, decision-making, logistics, maintenance, management and implementation of programmes.

BAHA’I VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RURAL WOMEN, INDORE (M.P.):

I am sharing my views mainly on the basis of my ten years experiences of working with Baha’i Vocational Institute for Rural Women, Indore. This is one of the socio-economic development institutes of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India. It functions on the basis of and concept of principles and philosophy laid down by the founder prophet Baha’u’llah who said: “The world of humanity is possessed of two-wings the male and female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment of humanity will not be realised, humanity can not wing its way to heights of real attainment”.

He also said: “No nation can achieve success unless education according all its citizens. Lack of resources limits the ability of many nations to fulfil this necessity, imposing a certain order of priorities. The decision giving first priority to the education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be effectively and rapidly diffused throughout the society”.

These are some of the important motivating values behind this training institute. By now, it has trained 700 rural and tribal women from some 125 villages of districts Dhar, Jhabua, Shajapur, Khargone, Ujjain, Dewas and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Our programme focus is on developing village human resources as ‘social change agents’ in their own communities and to foster new attitudes in themselves and their families in such a way that they can improve their socio-economic situation with training focussed on the environment, health, literacy and income generating skills.

APPROACH & ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE INSTITUTE IN WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION:

  • People’s participation is one of the important considerations at all levels of its programme planning, operation and evaluation.
  • 40 % of the staff are ex-trainees of the Institute or local people.
  • There is a conscious effort to learn from the people and empower the communities through training of women as social change agents.
  • Participatory learning.
  • Training content is based on the research carried out by the Institute.
  • During the three months residential training at the Institute, the trainees are motivated to compose folk songs in their ethnic language on all different subjects like integrating what they learnt here with a commitment to share these messages when they go back. Some of the songs on agro-forestry and environment are enclosed with this paper in Hindi script.

We learnt a lesson from the rural areas of educated people. 90 percent of those who go to study in the scheduled caste and scheduled tribes Ashrams are alienated from the land. Any boy who lived in these hostels does not consider land as his business.

On the basis of the above lesson, on the one hand, and due to the economic situation in the villages and our methodology of self-service on the other hand, our training is a combination of theory and practice.

All the trainees work daily in the morning for two hours and learn how to develop and maintain small environmentally friendly kitchen gardens. This instruction includes: sowing; irrigating; growing; harvesting the fruits, salads and vegetables; preparing and raising tree nurseries and flower gardens; transplanting; composting; and water and soil conservation.

  • Most of their meals are prepared from vegetables and ingredients grown at the Institute.
  • They also learn cooking of nutritious food as the training programme has a heavy self-service life style and they develop new recipes by sharing knowledge with women from different areas. While they learn to cook various varieties of food, they also discover that it is inexpensive and healthy. This stops them from eating roadside junk food which is very unhygienic and expensive.
  • The women are empowered to recognise their identity and the importance of their own health. They become conscious of cutting down expenses on undesired things and spending money on nutrients, supplementing new varieties, investing some more resources in buying suitable seeds/ plants/ fruits/ saplings and taking health care and treatment.

Every day they have one hour of formal session on health education and undergo training on having proper nutrients, i.e. carbo-hydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. The curriculum stresses I) energy giving food, ii) growth and body building food, iii) protective, i.e. preventive food and iv) need to take healthy food and better nutrition at no extra cost. The trainees also become aware of the causes, symptoms and access to information about remedies of common diseases. Specific focus is on mother and child care. Poor nutrition, a common cause of health problems like anaemia, dehydration, blindness, stomach problems, skin, eye, ear and chest problems. They also learn the nutrient needs of infants, babies, growing children, growing youths, adults, the elderly and inactive people. Importance of breast-feeding at different stages of the infant, especially in the first two days (which they do not do because of superstition), the diet of expectant mothers in the pre-natal and post-natal periods. Reduction of stressful work during pregnancy, vaccinations, use of home remedies like rehydration drinks, medical plants like garlic, ginger, tamarind, turmeric, bitter-gourd, tulsi, neem leaves and many others which they were using in the past but now stopped.

  • Most of the trainees when they come to the Institute are illiterate. They return after three months. Through Hindi literacy, all the subjects are taught holistically, i.e. interwoven into the total programme. For instance they learn to write the name of vegetables, fruits, common diseases and medicines. They learn to take body weight and height and immunisation, pre-natal and post-natal calendars. They learn how to write the date of birth and death. During the poster-discussions of literacy and health, playing cards on nutrition, health and service among others are very prominent themes. They also learn how to read & write healing prayers.

A recent sample survey of the Institute’s three-year graduates has shown 62 % of them have returned to their communities and are functioning as literates. This motivates them to send more children to school.

70 % of them have included green and leafy vegetables in their diet, while 42 % have started growing vegetables, fruit trees and kitchen gardens. One can go to Dahi, Dharam Rai in Dhar district and Ojhad, Jetpur and Walpur in Jhabua district and see these kitchen gardens growing near their wells or where irrigation facilities are closer. In the villages, i.e. Kaghghar, Bilidoz, Charoli Pada, Badkua near Jhabua 2500 trees were planted by the trainees of the Institute and 40 % of them are still surviving. Every year, we are encouraging local people in Indore to plant trees on Republic Day and Rhakhi.

FOLLOW-UP

The Institute is in regular contact with its graduates. They write hand-written postcards to the Institute. The Institute publishes a monthly newsletter “Kokila” to all its graduates. It shares information, follow-up messages, measures to deal with the current health problems, trainee success stories, suggestions and reports from the area.

There are also regular field visits and group meetings with them. There are follow-up programmes for them to visit the Institute or take advanced training.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT AND NGOs

  1. The government should include agro-forestry as a part of theory and practical of the education curriculum for the rural schools and ashrams of both boys and girls. It should produce and train human resources who will run these programmes and manage them and practically eat good nutritious food which is a dream for a tribal hosteler.

2. A sustainable collaboration between NGO’s and the government should be established.

3. Agro-forestry should also to be visualised as a programme for nutrition for the rural poor.

4. Mahila melas, exposure trips, and workshops need to be organised.

5. Mahila Mandals should be encouraged to take up agro-forestry programmes at the group and community basis.

6. Mahila Krishi Vigyan Kendras should be set up for appropriate training and education of women in terms of marketable production of agro-forestry, nutrition and food processing.

7. There should be training in agro-forestry for Mahila Panches and Sarpanches.

8. Women should be involved in planning and decision-making in areas such as identification of land, species preparation of nurseries, management and implementation of programmes.

9. Women should be consulted for seeking indigenous knowledge.

10. There should be more employment and entrepreneur-oriented programmes.

11. Appropriate technologies should be developed in consultation with women.

1

[1] Tara, N. Bhattarai, “Wood Energy Resources”, Wood Energy News, Vol. 10, No.1, March 1995, RWEDP Bangkok p. 7

[2] Ibid.

[3] Regional Wood Energy Development Programme in Asia

[4] World Resources 1994 - 95, A Guide to the Global Environment World Resources Institute Oxford

[5] M. N. Buch, “Forests of Madhya Pradesh, 1991, p. 181

[6] Free Press, Indore (M.P.), dated April 11, 1993