Source of energy need to be decentralized as heavy consumption of energy at all level has created various socio economic imbalances. In order to decentralize energy sourcing three tasks are imperative at community level. Present and future status of consumption, available sources and service availability at door level.
Review of community energy scenario reveals that there has been community dependence on three sources biomass for cooking and heating, water power for agro processing and solar for drying. All these sources were used by community as per available knowledge. Although the uses were initially inefficient but local innovation constantly upgraded them within local circumstances.
The traditionally adopted mechanisms of energy consumption throw major guide line for future community energy management. The efficient and new version of energy resource uses are grossly absent in villages. The energy utility patterns and sources of energy have not much changed at rural level. All such needs can be met-out largely from within villages with a single window system.
The two energy factors i.e. sources and consumption can be catered by a single provision of decentralized available knowledge and service at rural level. Our past experience reveals that much renewable energy option were adopted by community especially when technology services were ensured. There is emergent need of debate on Rural Energy Delivery within available local resources. This motivates villagers to maintain energy sources too. Since it is a need also besides global interest response from the community will be inevitable. The different employment generation at different steps will bring sustainability. All energy services sourced from different institutes or agency can be availed to community through one window. Rural based agency emerged from within community can be the model agency, for such delivery. Equipped with knowledge, technology and services, the agency can be most decentrated community energy delivery approach.
An experiment/ demonstration can be conducted to measure strength of such approach.
The energy needs of the community can be met out by different mechanism largely based on the following factors.
Ø Available energy resource.
Ø Utility of energy preferable for income generation throw local agri-horti produce.
Ø Local service availability both pre-post installations.
Another issue that can be considered is to identify special energy zone based on available resources of energy. Based on this, energy zone can be demarcated. These, thus may be solar, water biomass or wind energy zones.
Such zone can be given back up services, accordingly. Morever, other energy services will also be available but zone identity will be throw the dominating sources.
Some experiment can be conducted on the above line through cluster approach of ten villages each in one cluster. A survey will be conducted to explore.
Ø Energy mapping of available resources.
Ø Potential of energy from different sources and their sustainability.
Ø Energy availability and local resource utility.
Ø Possibility of service centers-human skill and other resources.
The above factors will decide prevalent energy flow mechanism and entry points for the cluster. Since it is proposed for mountain areas initially, two major zone can be identified where different resources are prevalent that is water and solar. These zones will also be served with other services so that other energy options can also be utilized.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Bio –Business: Rural Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship development at rural and semi urban area is of importance in India. Now specially when rural contribution in GDP is said to be significantly low. The major factor that can determine rural participation in GDP is decentralization of new knowledge power for resource utility. This is a fact that majority of resource which presently are mainstay of our economy are from rural India only. The guardian of resources hardly gets 10 to 15% of the ultimate profit and large part of this boon is enjoyed by others. It is a common scenario of the country where rural poor just do not find any role in secondary production and so the benefit.
There is a need to promote local resources based biotechnology intervention. There are advantage and limitation both in case of promotion of rural entrepreneurship. Such limitations can be overcome particularly when advantages can outdo former. There is a need of an organized approach. This should not also be forgotten that promotion of small biotechnology entrepreneurship programme just by rural empowerment and also better profit at the primary source will encourage community’ s faith upon the resource guarding and generation. Another very concern that has paralyzed economic balance in rural urban India can be restored by setting migration, can be controlled.
The advantage of such initiative is many as local resource as community and employment can become an impetus for larger follow up.The apparent limitations of such programme need to be acknowledged and likewise strategy can be formulated. These are: -
Resources: - Undoubtedly resource availability is unlimited in rural India. It is both forest and community based. As a matter of fact, it is always desirable to promote first the resource available abundantly in and around community. This is mainly because of past experience where resource development and its linkages with product and marketing have not been much success. It is advisable to promote local resource intervention at initial phase to develop local confidence and trust.
Biotechnology: - Besides resources nature of biotechnology become important parameters. In context of rural India the biotechnology must be simple, feasible, cost effective and matching to local wisdom. The technology that pays you immediately must be the first quality in rural context. Any technology package that needs larger infrastructure, maintenance and intense backup services, normally does not work in rural context particularly when multiplier effect is to be judged.
Skill sharing capacity and knowledge must be considered when a technology is to be introduced in rural areas. This unfortunately is not considered adequately and is the reason of major failure in technology adoptability.
Market: - Review of present market scenario reveals that about 90% products sold in the rural market is urban borne. These products can also be prepared locally as resources are available here. Technology and knowledge are the only limitations. Market initially at local and then semi to urban region should be the part of bio business strategies.
The above three parameters can decide intervention for bio-entrepreneurship and bio business in rural India. Some of the possible areas where immediate intervention can be decided.
1. Value addition in Agri – Horti produce: -
· Nutri cereals/ food
· Nutri fruits
2. Neutriceutical products: - A combination of herbs and fruits
3. Fragrant material and Fragrance
· Aromatic plants
· Essence
· E- Cake
· E- sticks
4. Repellent
· Insect repellent
· Mosquito repellent
· House fly repellent
The above sectors where immediate attentions can be paid. The resources and some wisdom are already available besides local market availability.
Launching Strategies: -
· Selection of zone with rural semi urban community
· Market Study: - Demand and driven
· Resource survey and knowledge
· Product assumption
· Technology sourcing
· Unit establishment and training
· Pattern of local consumption and marketing
· Review: Sustained backward and forward linkages
There is a need to promote local resources based biotechnology intervention. There are advantage and limitation both in case of promotion of rural entrepreneurship. Such limitations can be overcome particularly when advantages can outdo former. There is a need of an organized approach. This should not also be forgotten that promotion of small biotechnology entrepreneurship programme just by rural empowerment and also better profit at the primary source will encourage community’ s faith upon the resource guarding and generation. Another very concern that has paralyzed economic balance in rural urban India can be restored by setting migration, can be controlled.
The advantage of such initiative is many as local resource as community and employment can become an impetus for larger follow up.The apparent limitations of such programme need to be acknowledged and likewise strategy can be formulated. These are: -
Resources: - Undoubtedly resource availability is unlimited in rural India. It is both forest and community based. As a matter of fact, it is always desirable to promote first the resource available abundantly in and around community. This is mainly because of past experience where resource development and its linkages with product and marketing have not been much success. It is advisable to promote local resource intervention at initial phase to develop local confidence and trust.
Biotechnology: - Besides resources nature of biotechnology become important parameters. In context of rural India the biotechnology must be simple, feasible, cost effective and matching to local wisdom. The technology that pays you immediately must be the first quality in rural context. Any technology package that needs larger infrastructure, maintenance and intense backup services, normally does not work in rural context particularly when multiplier effect is to be judged.
Skill sharing capacity and knowledge must be considered when a technology is to be introduced in rural areas. This unfortunately is not considered adequately and is the reason of major failure in technology adoptability.
Market: - Review of present market scenario reveals that about 90% products sold in the rural market is urban borne. These products can also be prepared locally as resources are available here. Technology and knowledge are the only limitations. Market initially at local and then semi to urban region should be the part of bio business strategies.
The above three parameters can decide intervention for bio-entrepreneurship and bio business in rural India. Some of the possible areas where immediate intervention can be decided.
1. Value addition in Agri – Horti produce: -
· Nutri cereals/ food
· Nutri fruits
2. Neutriceutical products: - A combination of herbs and fruits
3. Fragrant material and Fragrance
· Aromatic plants
· Essence
· E- Cake
· E- sticks
4. Repellent
· Insect repellent
· Mosquito repellent
· House fly repellent
The above sectors where immediate attentions can be paid. The resources and some wisdom are already available besides local market availability.
Launching Strategies: -
· Selection of zone with rural semi urban community
· Market Study: - Demand and driven
· Resource survey and knowledge
· Product assumption
· Technology sourcing
· Unit establishment and training
· Pattern of local consumption and marketing
· Review: Sustained backward and forward linkages
Rural Resources: Decentralized Development
Resource, knowledge, status and technology are important factors for the development of
Rural India. Rural folk have largely been ignorant to this fact as they were either confined to their immediate livelihood incomes they have been gaining through manual labour.
Economical status of Rural India is identically low everywhere because of the above facts.
There is not even approximation of resources rural villages are endowed with. Inventory and status of resources would have guided us for diverse economic productivity of rural India. Since notable agro climate exist in the country, plant diversity could have been equally used as Indian village are spread in diversity rich plant regime. Knowledge of this wealth is not categorically explored and atleast such knowledge has not been translated for rural India in monetary term. And therefore lack of resource knowledge in rural India has backlashed the progress of villages. Himalayan villages are unknown to most of the resources around them and even if it is there, its commercial importance is not verse to them.
Second important factor that has ceased the development of Indian villages is the position of resources. There is lot of hue and cry for depleting once but we are precisely unknown for resource strength of villages. Such strength can help straight in promoting/planning and economic harvesting of the resources.
The third and most important impediment of resources based development has been poor technology know-how in rural India. Resource use technology has been mostly in control of industrial communities as these are centrally productive, costly and require much huge setup. Low cost, economical, socialized technologies are normally not invented, as there are no buyers. Moreover, rural community cannot afford to buy technologies. This is the reason why technology development has been market oriented in the past. Scope of technology development for industrial houses and urban India is high as immediate market for such technologies is available. At the same time rural area is not a market for technology developing agencies leading to poor scope of development.
There are many other factors of rural development particularly in context of technology. Either they have not been developed, or inappropriately developed, or inappropriately developed or are inaccessible to local community. Technology gaps have been serious hindrance of development of rural India. Lack of technologies prevented community to make use of their local resources for economic upliftment which otherwise flow down to mainland. Centrally developed industrialization has been the bigger obstruction of rural India where decentralized development has been impaired due to outflow of resources. Decentralized technology reach process was not adopted since beginning and trend has been set more to create urban India. One and only way we are bound to take on is to strike decentralized development strategies from urban to rural. Decentralized economic upliftment based on local resources can lift the face of any region. Strong economic activities can also create necessary infrastructure and therefore growth of any given region is sustained.
Economic activities in rural India can only be agro based, as land is the only asset here. Resources being it naturally generated, are simply community based and controlled more by rural India. Therefore economic strategies here should India. Therefore economic strategies here should focus upon resources governed by community.
Complete resources use and knowledge, technologies for resource use and rural market, which hitherto is invaded by the products made else-where, should be first concern of development.
Development should also be realized in view of its strength, which lay upon its resources, climate, culture and tradition. New wisdom and science have to be introduced in villages through total understanding with sincere commitment. Empowerment of villages in India is totally possible as the diversity of the country can offer tremendous scope of variability in productivity and so the market.
A few inputs can help us to redeem rural India from poverty. Resources strength, resources strength, resource education and resource technology can only bring major difference. Realization of resource strength, its market to rural Indian is most important input particularly when green resources have international market, when other forces are gaining advantage of such resource and when migration due to unemployment has been larger concern in rural India.
This needs urgent action as rural India has relatively become more a market for the products they guard/produce as raw. Their resources are simply translated into profit by others. This is high time when rural India must be must be made to realize its strength and also transfer of knowledge should be done to generate local resource based economy. This is possible through development of knowledge linkages with rural India and institution framework to strengthen knowledge transfer, technology backup and also market knitty gritty both local and international.
Such approach should focus upon research on traditional knowledge, local, resources, resources conservation, process market, technology to empower rural India through well planned connectivity. Resource education can impart many immediate advantages. Issues like resources knowledge rights will be protected within villages and besides issues like rural documentation of resources wisdom, initiative, for technology animation with tradition for effective transfer, organized approach to resource use, market facilitation and regional resources publicity and advocacy will be important areas, which resources education will cover.
The first claim on natural resources falls on to local community and it is their birthright. It is a symbiotic relationship in which nature offers them all for their survival, while helps in the conservation of the natural resources. The communities, who live in the vicinity of these resources also guard them for the others to use. Be it of any kind, resources are more attached to local community. The rights cannot be denied for others but social and moral values push them more towards the locals. Traditionally, the villages used to live in harmony with these resources, but in course of time, the relation was broken due to enforcement of new laws.
Infact resource use inequity has created discrimination in development. The region where resources are abundant lack employment and where there is no resource, economic mobility through resource take place. This creates unsolved problem nexus like over crowding, migration from rural areas and unemployment. Decentralized development is most important in rural context and it would be only possible by emphasizing resource based economy in the areas where it is produced. This would simultaneously ensure resource guarding, conversation and maintenance.Ironically, those who are using for its conservation, while those who are guarding for its conservation, while those who are guarding the resource are not equipped to use it.
Indian development if closely scrutinized will reveal that it is inclined to urban industrialization, which of course has significantly contributed to national GRP. Rural India is still untouched and is far off many immediate and priority needs. The economic and social stress the country is presently facing are overcrowding cities and migrating rural Indian for job search in absence of local employment.
Since India has two major features like rural dominance and agricultural economy, our focus should have been more on integration of the two. Inspite of the above facts that overall environment and resource status have stepped down in the past few decades yet rural India is still endowed with ample resource strength.
It is ironical that rural community is unaware of its rights and there is an immediate need to encourage it through Resource Knowledge. Thus the first step that needs to be taken is to review the resource status of any agro-climate zone at various levels i.e. Macro level (Regional) and Panchayat Level. Such information will help us to asses rural strength and likewise economic development activities suited to local culture can be decided.
Human resources, which provide basic platform for any activity to carried out. The interdependency of rural human resources in villages has been degenerating with rapid industrialization and urbanization. Human resources can be upgraded by giving due status and by providing resources education. Local and traditional wisdom is most of the time overlooked. Traditional wisdom if utilized to suit their advancing needs,can contribute a lot toward human resource development. Knowledge about local resource development. Knowledge about local ecology, skill and resources would empower the community to utilize it to the maximum.
Raw material for the industries most of the time come from rural India. In a way villagers are depriving themselves of their own resources just because of lack of knowledge and skill. In other cases, many resources are unexplored. Thus the immediate step that come after resources use is providing market space.
Resource sustainability is a contemporary global issue particularly in underdeveloped countries. In all such nations, centralized development of resource use has been brought about. Contrary, in developed countries this phenomenon has been different. The development has occurred equally to all regions, resources utility was enforced in places where it is grown/found.
There are ample examples in India, which shows resources bias approach. Herbs are found in areas where forest diversity is rich. The community’s unawareness towards the potential of these resources simply allows it to transport to other areas. This set two situations, dwindling of resource status in the region and migration of strong hands in the other places for job search. Had there been an approach of resources use in the place it is borne, increase in local employment, resource conservation would have occurred in place.
Forest, a major natural resource is presently in control of state, cannot be placed in sound health. Forest fires, a prevalent menace has incurred huge loss of flora and fauna amounting to billions, besides damaging ecology of the region. It was not there earlier as community collectively uses to put out fire as a part of traditional forest management. Unfortunately, it is not so today. Fire in front of the community engulfs million hectare of forest, but communities do not take any note, it is definitely because of loss of rights.
Water, another resource has met out the similar fate. The infringement upon the rights related to water has made the community indifferent about its conservation and management and is the reason why local water bodies have began to deplete.
Sovereignty empowers the people to decide how to develop themselves and make use of their resources. Commercialization of resources and clear rights of community on them is the only answer now for decentralized development. The so-called nationalization of resources has created unemployment, dissatisfaction and resource depletion. Haphazard industrial growth in one place and vacuum in other (where a resource is found) has brought large disparity in the region. It is in fact region. It is in fact regionalization of resource, which has become important to local community.
Resources knowledge and education is the most important necessity for India. We must ensure that rural community must be enlightened about the resources they are endowed with. Such an immediate initiative can help rural areas in several ways. Awareness of local resources will help to generate scope for local employment.
Such a sense will bring resource conservation initiative within villages, which hitherto is not seen. Villagers ignored of resources and utility have not taken any note of availability and conservation. As a result either these resources died away or drifted to urban areas for larger profit. Resource education will also empower future community with the knowledge to draw their livelihood from the local resources. Thus in course of time, future generation will stand to its resources for their livelihood and also sense of continuous harvesting will impel for conservation of resources. Resource education can also be imparted through such institute. School, colleges and resource institute can be sensitized for this materials can be used as education material.
Some Case Studies
(1) Watermill:
Watermills have been used from time immemorial to grind grain into flour, but nobody ever thought of utilizing this device to generate power. These age-old gadgets are still being used in the hills, which have grinding wheat, rice, maize and also to extract oil. But in the absence of appropriate technology, watermills were never used for any other purpose on which they run is the same as that of a large hydroelectric project.
Watermills have been used for grinding grain into flour since ancient times.
This source of patronized and technologically upgraded. Regretfully, this ancient source of energy locally known as “Gharat” was overshadowed with the other costly energy sources.
Lachhiwala Gharat
Demonstration site developed by HESCO is an old gharat owned by Ram Gopal at Lachhiwala near Dehradun. The upgradation has been on improvement of traditional turbine. With upgradation of watermill, the owner has been able to improve the efficiency of the watermill. He has been to sell the flour grounded in the watermill to various shops earning a sizeable amount every month. Moreover, with 2 KW electricity produced from the turbine fitted at the watermill, he has been able to light his gharat. He has also been able to provide electricity to the sericulture activity in which he is involved for nearly four months in a year. With the assistance and technical guidance of HESCO, he has also built a fishpond near his watermill, which would also give him good return. There has been an appreciable rise in the living standards of his family with increased income.
Dhokwala
Dhokwala an old village situated 8 from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttaranchal state was untouched by electricity and other amenities like metaled road, hospital, schools etc. situated so close to center of political and administrative power , no government
agency had any plan to ameliorate the lives of the villagers. But the village was blessed with three watermills used for grinding the flour as a livelihood for millers. In 2002, the millers with HESCO attempted to electrify the village.
The technology developed was in accordance with local skills , multipurpose
utility and essentially an upgradation of the traditional technology. Each of these mills were fully tapped to generate power and ultimately success came with generation of 3kw power. Through the efforts of the villagers themselves, the entire village was lit. The generation of power has also opened newer avenues for the population.
The experiment at Dhokwala has shown that traditional watermills could also be an instrument in bringing about change by using traditional wisdom, local resources and input of modern science and technology. This experiment could be an example for the planners and managers who could take lead in up gradation of these rural traditional initiatives for decentralized development.
Jammu & Kashmir
HESCO in association with Northern Command has taken up a couple of technology initiatives in different Army Sectors. The major activities have been on electrification were on income generation through local available resources. The local resources tapped were fruits, aromatic and other plants.
The above activities initiated in Srinagar, Baramulla, Punch and Rajouri of J&k.A long-term strategy has definitely helped to control dissatisfaction among the technology deprived community of the borders. Since these are meant to use local un/under tapped resources, decentralized employment opportunity with villages are well set in. The different tested technologies were spread across in the J&K Borders. This was possible through Sadbhavana project styles through Sadbhavana project operational in J&K to promote better life styles though creating infrastructure and other facility.
There are above eighty thousands water mills in J&K. These mills are either abandon or are poorly productive, whereas they can be turned productive as well as multipurpose. Many water mills in valley presently have electrified the border villages. The technology is simple, low cost and locally repairable.
Depending upon the current of water the Gharat’s upgraded by HESCO, can generated up to 15KW of energy, and can be used to light up bulbs in 100 or more houses in each village, and run various agro machines. Thus, this revolutionary concept has served to empower each village. Not only it makes it self sufficient in terms of power, it also generate employment by powering lathe machines. It is a novel and exciting new concept. Instead of waiting for massive Hydro Electric Project(which have very negative environmental consequences and uproot people) and require huge Power grids(that could cost upwards of Rs. 60-80,000 crore), a new concept of Distributed Power Generation which optimizes the concept of “small is beautiful” is taken.
Presently more than 200 villages have been electrified along with the borders and difficult areas of J&K. Electrification has been done to illuminate inaccessible regions, where electricity not likely to reach in coming decades. This has facilitated army to establish rapport with community to avoid militancy. The attempt has been commended by the local community to bestow faith in the national development strategy.
Governor of J&K Northern Command of Army have vowed to illuminated another 1500 villages along LOC through watermill to bring the peace through this technology. Presently right from Baramullah, Kupwara, Rajouri and all across the J&K border, the movement of village illumination has stepped into. This has also become a decentralized development initiative as watermills, besides, illumination resources, which hitherto were sold on thrown away prices or just ignored.
(2) Lantana:
Lantana an obnoxious weed is spreading over the Indian continent from sea level to high mountain ranges of western and eastern Himalayas. This is a woody shrub having five species. Since there is no use of this species, spread of the species has become alarming. After having failed in control of the species, through manual, biological and chemical methods, the utility of the species suggested to control the problem. A decade constant effort, done by HESCO, led it to utilize the species for several households to income generating activities.
The resistance of Lantana against termite adds one of the qualities of Lantana as construction material. Sticks are being used for boundary and for fencing the kitchen garden. Lantana sticks also guard the fruit plants raised. Cheap furniture made from Lantana are very popular today. Different articles like dust bin, file tray, fruit tray, pen stand, magazine holder, lampshed, flower pot, drift wood,book stand from its roots etc. are proposed to be made. It was observed that in swarming season bees mostly hang on Lantana bush for short time shelter. On the basis of this observation HESCO developed a Lantana beehive. Lantana beehive has been provided to the villagers for beekeeping.
It is only Goat that eats Lantana leaves. The pungent smell and others do not prevent Goat to graze the species. In some village Goat is raised particularly on Lantana leaves and in Lantana made shed.
A few case studies narrating Lantana utility through entrepreneur development are given below:
Vijay Pal Singh a lacal unemployed youth hailing from village Pavwalasora in Doiwala block of Dehradun district was on the lookout for a job to sustain his large family of four brothers and two sisters. Disillusioned after his failure to find a job, he came in contact with the organization.
Vijay Pal Singh enrolled himself to be trained in making furniture from Lantana camara. After successful training from Lantana camera. After successful training he along with his brothers, started making beautiful and durable furniture. Making sofa sets, chairs and center tables, Vijay Pal Singh has been able to earn a sum of Rs. 50,000/- every year. With the money earned from his venture which costs him nothing expect labour and expertise.
Apart from earning his livelihood, Vijay Pal Singh is also a much sought after man since he has been training unemployed rural youth like him in the art of Lantana furniture making. Already he has trained scores of people in Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and his success has motivated others to start the venture.
(3) Incense Material:
Uttara Dhoop Agarbatti Centre, Mehuawala, Dehradun
Mrs. Rukmani Devi is preparing the above materials on a commercial scale for the last two and a half years. Earlier, she had received training for making the above product at W.T.P. in HESCO. Now she has become an expert in her field, right from incense making, packaging to marketing of her products. Her enterprise has generated lot of interest and excitement in other unemployed rural women.
Rukmani Devi is a resident of village Mehuwala, Dehradun. This village belongs to the poor section with mainly marginal farmers. A landless labourer, she came in contact with HESCO and was taught incense making by using Lantana, which was available abundantly. Rukmani Devi utilized Lantana leaves as a natural resource for her family’s survival. Now she is earning Rs.1000-1500 per month through this job.
(4) Bee Keeping:
Rajni Devi, 22 year, housewife has initiated beekeeping. Pressed with the economic crunch, she found bee as reliever. She presently has two walls and Lantana hives each.
She has been doing it for the last one and a half year and is totally moved with the output. This happened when she harvested 28 kg of honey in 4 months. She has amazed by harvesting the golden drops merely by taking care of beehives. She is not one but she has spoken too with.
She now looks ahead beekeeping not only as honey producing but also as her major source of livelihood. Thus, she plans to have 20 colonies out of the local stock available by multiplication.
(5) Prasad:
India is a country with unique diversity both in culture and in resources. One common feature which is prevalent everywhere in the country is offering to God and Goddess in the form of flower, Prasad etc. Be it of any caste or religion, the regular offerings are served in temple or mosque or church everywhere. This is somehow associated with many other developing issues at regional level. For example a whole tourist industry is linked with such phenomena. The other small to large industries also have partly dependence on this. Incense cakes/sticks, vegetable oil, agro industries etc. have their target production for the temples/mosque/church of the country.
Unfortunately, all these oblation substance are prepared / processed in other areas. There are millions of example like Badrinath is temple offering items come from main land. Similarly in Gangotri and Kedarnath, such material is imported from urban areas. Vaishno Devi of Jammu, fated similarly.
There are two distinct issues where notice should be taken in relation to the cosmopolitan activity. First, why can’t such oblation material be attached to the identity of the shrine? Local synthesis of such offerings/ items from local resources may generate especially for women, should be second consideration.
This is ironical that famous shrines, where millions of pilgrims visit every year have not much able to deliver except a few labour jobs. These holy places may also bid number of job opportunities if meticulously thuough out by the planners specially.
There are couple of areas where local community can be engaged for preparation of religious material and eventually the raw material for the same is available in abundance locally everywhere. With reference to incense material, prasad and flower, which are, regular offering substance in all the shrines, can be locally ser up in any part of the rural India.
A rough estimate reveals that alone in Uttaranchal the offerings material to outstanding temples are worth of 20 lakhs, which is simply arranged offerings can be available for the same. Similarly in Vaishno Devi, available raw material can produce employment worth of millions.
(6) Horiculture:
Horiculture crops are a very significant component of the total agriculture production in the country but this is more particularly true with the Himalayan region. In the country as a whole horticulture crops roughly cover 6-7 percent of the grass cropped area but contribute about 18% of the gross value of agricultural produce. In terms of export they contribute 52% of the total export of agriculture produce. According to the National Commission on Agriculture-horiculture crops are labour intensive, while the average annual man-day required for wheat is 143 per hectare and 855 for fruits.
This is equally true that large parts of the fruits go waste. A rough estimate reveals that about 48% fruits turn waste. The need of the hour is to create an infrastructure for village level horticulture utilization, for mountains, which will ultimately add to national prosperity.
Appropriate technology package to women for lacal fruits based small-scale industry has recently brought revolution in mountains. It became just possible through transfer of simple technology.
Mrs. Kala Bisht, resident of village Ambiwala, Dehradun who was trained in fruit processing has ventured into a small scale industry through Bank loan. She has also employed 13 women and earns about 4000 per month.
Similarly, Mrs. Rajni Chaukiyal of village Bhaniyawala, Dehradun, a beneficiary started with 7 kg Pickle from her kitchen has now promoted to small production center from where she also supplies pickles to Himalayan Hospital, Dehradun. She is earning Rs. 4500 per month through this job.
What these two entrepreneurs earn from their village resource has set an example for others. It is about 50 such units have rapidly come after. It was possible only because local resources, local upgraded technology and local market ere integrated for community development.
Rural India. Rural folk have largely been ignorant to this fact as they were either confined to their immediate livelihood incomes they have been gaining through manual labour.
Economical status of Rural India is identically low everywhere because of the above facts.
There is not even approximation of resources rural villages are endowed with. Inventory and status of resources would have guided us for diverse economic productivity of rural India. Since notable agro climate exist in the country, plant diversity could have been equally used as Indian village are spread in diversity rich plant regime. Knowledge of this wealth is not categorically explored and atleast such knowledge has not been translated for rural India in monetary term. And therefore lack of resource knowledge in rural India has backlashed the progress of villages. Himalayan villages are unknown to most of the resources around them and even if it is there, its commercial importance is not verse to them.
Second important factor that has ceased the development of Indian villages is the position of resources. There is lot of hue and cry for depleting once but we are precisely unknown for resource strength of villages. Such strength can help straight in promoting/planning and economic harvesting of the resources.
The third and most important impediment of resources based development has been poor technology know-how in rural India. Resource use technology has been mostly in control of industrial communities as these are centrally productive, costly and require much huge setup. Low cost, economical, socialized technologies are normally not invented, as there are no buyers. Moreover, rural community cannot afford to buy technologies. This is the reason why technology development has been market oriented in the past. Scope of technology development for industrial houses and urban India is high as immediate market for such technologies is available. At the same time rural area is not a market for technology developing agencies leading to poor scope of development.
There are many other factors of rural development particularly in context of technology. Either they have not been developed, or inappropriately developed, or inappropriately developed or are inaccessible to local community. Technology gaps have been serious hindrance of development of rural India. Lack of technologies prevented community to make use of their local resources for economic upliftment which otherwise flow down to mainland. Centrally developed industrialization has been the bigger obstruction of rural India where decentralized development has been impaired due to outflow of resources. Decentralized technology reach process was not adopted since beginning and trend has been set more to create urban India. One and only way we are bound to take on is to strike decentralized development strategies from urban to rural. Decentralized economic upliftment based on local resources can lift the face of any region. Strong economic activities can also create necessary infrastructure and therefore growth of any given region is sustained.
Economic activities in rural India can only be agro based, as land is the only asset here. Resources being it naturally generated, are simply community based and controlled more by rural India. Therefore economic strategies here should India. Therefore economic strategies here should focus upon resources governed by community.
Complete resources use and knowledge, technologies for resource use and rural market, which hitherto is invaded by the products made else-where, should be first concern of development.
Development should also be realized in view of its strength, which lay upon its resources, climate, culture and tradition. New wisdom and science have to be introduced in villages through total understanding with sincere commitment. Empowerment of villages in India is totally possible as the diversity of the country can offer tremendous scope of variability in productivity and so the market.
A few inputs can help us to redeem rural India from poverty. Resources strength, resources strength, resource education and resource technology can only bring major difference. Realization of resource strength, its market to rural Indian is most important input particularly when green resources have international market, when other forces are gaining advantage of such resource and when migration due to unemployment has been larger concern in rural India.
This needs urgent action as rural India has relatively become more a market for the products they guard/produce as raw. Their resources are simply translated into profit by others. This is high time when rural India must be must be made to realize its strength and also transfer of knowledge should be done to generate local resource based economy. This is possible through development of knowledge linkages with rural India and institution framework to strengthen knowledge transfer, technology backup and also market knitty gritty both local and international.
Such approach should focus upon research on traditional knowledge, local, resources, resources conservation, process market, technology to empower rural India through well planned connectivity. Resource education can impart many immediate advantages. Issues like resources knowledge rights will be protected within villages and besides issues like rural documentation of resources wisdom, initiative, for technology animation with tradition for effective transfer, organized approach to resource use, market facilitation and regional resources publicity and advocacy will be important areas, which resources education will cover.
The first claim on natural resources falls on to local community and it is their birthright. It is a symbiotic relationship in which nature offers them all for their survival, while helps in the conservation of the natural resources. The communities, who live in the vicinity of these resources also guard them for the others to use. Be it of any kind, resources are more attached to local community. The rights cannot be denied for others but social and moral values push them more towards the locals. Traditionally, the villages used to live in harmony with these resources, but in course of time, the relation was broken due to enforcement of new laws.
Infact resource use inequity has created discrimination in development. The region where resources are abundant lack employment and where there is no resource, economic mobility through resource take place. This creates unsolved problem nexus like over crowding, migration from rural areas and unemployment. Decentralized development is most important in rural context and it would be only possible by emphasizing resource based economy in the areas where it is produced. This would simultaneously ensure resource guarding, conversation and maintenance.Ironically, those who are using for its conservation, while those who are guarding for its conservation, while those who are guarding the resource are not equipped to use it.
Indian development if closely scrutinized will reveal that it is inclined to urban industrialization, which of course has significantly contributed to national GRP. Rural India is still untouched and is far off many immediate and priority needs. The economic and social stress the country is presently facing are overcrowding cities and migrating rural Indian for job search in absence of local employment.
Since India has two major features like rural dominance and agricultural economy, our focus should have been more on integration of the two. Inspite of the above facts that overall environment and resource status have stepped down in the past few decades yet rural India is still endowed with ample resource strength.
It is ironical that rural community is unaware of its rights and there is an immediate need to encourage it through Resource Knowledge. Thus the first step that needs to be taken is to review the resource status of any agro-climate zone at various levels i.e. Macro level (Regional) and Panchayat Level. Such information will help us to asses rural strength and likewise economic development activities suited to local culture can be decided.
Human resources, which provide basic platform for any activity to carried out. The interdependency of rural human resources in villages has been degenerating with rapid industrialization and urbanization. Human resources can be upgraded by giving due status and by providing resources education. Local and traditional wisdom is most of the time overlooked. Traditional wisdom if utilized to suit their advancing needs,can contribute a lot toward human resource development. Knowledge about local resource development. Knowledge about local ecology, skill and resources would empower the community to utilize it to the maximum.
Raw material for the industries most of the time come from rural India. In a way villagers are depriving themselves of their own resources just because of lack of knowledge and skill. In other cases, many resources are unexplored. Thus the immediate step that come after resources use is providing market space.
Resource sustainability is a contemporary global issue particularly in underdeveloped countries. In all such nations, centralized development of resource use has been brought about. Contrary, in developed countries this phenomenon has been different. The development has occurred equally to all regions, resources utility was enforced in places where it is grown/found.
There are ample examples in India, which shows resources bias approach. Herbs are found in areas where forest diversity is rich. The community’s unawareness towards the potential of these resources simply allows it to transport to other areas. This set two situations, dwindling of resource status in the region and migration of strong hands in the other places for job search. Had there been an approach of resources use in the place it is borne, increase in local employment, resource conservation would have occurred in place.
Forest, a major natural resource is presently in control of state, cannot be placed in sound health. Forest fires, a prevalent menace has incurred huge loss of flora and fauna amounting to billions, besides damaging ecology of the region. It was not there earlier as community collectively uses to put out fire as a part of traditional forest management. Unfortunately, it is not so today. Fire in front of the community engulfs million hectare of forest, but communities do not take any note, it is definitely because of loss of rights.
Water, another resource has met out the similar fate. The infringement upon the rights related to water has made the community indifferent about its conservation and management and is the reason why local water bodies have began to deplete.
Sovereignty empowers the people to decide how to develop themselves and make use of their resources. Commercialization of resources and clear rights of community on them is the only answer now for decentralized development. The so-called nationalization of resources has created unemployment, dissatisfaction and resource depletion. Haphazard industrial growth in one place and vacuum in other (where a resource is found) has brought large disparity in the region. It is in fact region. It is in fact regionalization of resource, which has become important to local community.
Resources knowledge and education is the most important necessity for India. We must ensure that rural community must be enlightened about the resources they are endowed with. Such an immediate initiative can help rural areas in several ways. Awareness of local resources will help to generate scope for local employment.
Such a sense will bring resource conservation initiative within villages, which hitherto is not seen. Villagers ignored of resources and utility have not taken any note of availability and conservation. As a result either these resources died away or drifted to urban areas for larger profit. Resource education will also empower future community with the knowledge to draw their livelihood from the local resources. Thus in course of time, future generation will stand to its resources for their livelihood and also sense of continuous harvesting will impel for conservation of resources. Resource education can also be imparted through such institute. School, colleges and resource institute can be sensitized for this materials can be used as education material.
Some Case Studies
(1) Watermill:
Watermills have been used from time immemorial to grind grain into flour, but nobody ever thought of utilizing this device to generate power. These age-old gadgets are still being used in the hills, which have grinding wheat, rice, maize and also to extract oil. But in the absence of appropriate technology, watermills were never used for any other purpose on which they run is the same as that of a large hydroelectric project.
Watermills have been used for grinding grain into flour since ancient times.
This source of patronized and technologically upgraded. Regretfully, this ancient source of energy locally known as “Gharat” was overshadowed with the other costly energy sources.
Lachhiwala Gharat
Demonstration site developed by HESCO is an old gharat owned by Ram Gopal at Lachhiwala near Dehradun. The upgradation has been on improvement of traditional turbine. With upgradation of watermill, the owner has been able to improve the efficiency of the watermill. He has been to sell the flour grounded in the watermill to various shops earning a sizeable amount every month. Moreover, with 2 KW electricity produced from the turbine fitted at the watermill, he has been able to light his gharat. He has also been able to provide electricity to the sericulture activity in which he is involved for nearly four months in a year. With the assistance and technical guidance of HESCO, he has also built a fishpond near his watermill, which would also give him good return. There has been an appreciable rise in the living standards of his family with increased income.
Dhokwala
Dhokwala an old village situated 8 from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttaranchal state was untouched by electricity and other amenities like metaled road, hospital, schools etc. situated so close to center of political and administrative power , no government
agency had any plan to ameliorate the lives of the villagers. But the village was blessed with three watermills used for grinding the flour as a livelihood for millers. In 2002, the millers with HESCO attempted to electrify the village.
The technology developed was in accordance with local skills , multipurpose
utility and essentially an upgradation of the traditional technology. Each of these mills were fully tapped to generate power and ultimately success came with generation of 3kw power. Through the efforts of the villagers themselves, the entire village was lit. The generation of power has also opened newer avenues for the population.
The experiment at Dhokwala has shown that traditional watermills could also be an instrument in bringing about change by using traditional wisdom, local resources and input of modern science and technology. This experiment could be an example for the planners and managers who could take lead in up gradation of these rural traditional initiatives for decentralized development.
Jammu & Kashmir
HESCO in association with Northern Command has taken up a couple of technology initiatives in different Army Sectors. The major activities have been on electrification were on income generation through local available resources. The local resources tapped were fruits, aromatic and other plants.
The above activities initiated in Srinagar, Baramulla, Punch and Rajouri of J&k.A long-term strategy has definitely helped to control dissatisfaction among the technology deprived community of the borders. Since these are meant to use local un/under tapped resources, decentralized employment opportunity with villages are well set in. The different tested technologies were spread across in the J&K Borders. This was possible through Sadbhavana project styles through Sadbhavana project operational in J&K to promote better life styles though creating infrastructure and other facility.
There are above eighty thousands water mills in J&K. These mills are either abandon or are poorly productive, whereas they can be turned productive as well as multipurpose. Many water mills in valley presently have electrified the border villages. The technology is simple, low cost and locally repairable.
Depending upon the current of water the Gharat’s upgraded by HESCO, can generated up to 15KW of energy, and can be used to light up bulbs in 100 or more houses in each village, and run various agro machines. Thus, this revolutionary concept has served to empower each village. Not only it makes it self sufficient in terms of power, it also generate employment by powering lathe machines. It is a novel and exciting new concept. Instead of waiting for massive Hydro Electric Project(which have very negative environmental consequences and uproot people) and require huge Power grids(that could cost upwards of Rs. 60-80,000 crore), a new concept of Distributed Power Generation which optimizes the concept of “small is beautiful” is taken.
Presently more than 200 villages have been electrified along with the borders and difficult areas of J&K. Electrification has been done to illuminate inaccessible regions, where electricity not likely to reach in coming decades. This has facilitated army to establish rapport with community to avoid militancy. The attempt has been commended by the local community to bestow faith in the national development strategy.
Governor of J&K Northern Command of Army have vowed to illuminated another 1500 villages along LOC through watermill to bring the peace through this technology. Presently right from Baramullah, Kupwara, Rajouri and all across the J&K border, the movement of village illumination has stepped into. This has also become a decentralized development initiative as watermills, besides, illumination resources, which hitherto were sold on thrown away prices or just ignored.
(2) Lantana:
Lantana an obnoxious weed is spreading over the Indian continent from sea level to high mountain ranges of western and eastern Himalayas. This is a woody shrub having five species. Since there is no use of this species, spread of the species has become alarming. After having failed in control of the species, through manual, biological and chemical methods, the utility of the species suggested to control the problem. A decade constant effort, done by HESCO, led it to utilize the species for several households to income generating activities.
The resistance of Lantana against termite adds one of the qualities of Lantana as construction material. Sticks are being used for boundary and for fencing the kitchen garden. Lantana sticks also guard the fruit plants raised. Cheap furniture made from Lantana are very popular today. Different articles like dust bin, file tray, fruit tray, pen stand, magazine holder, lampshed, flower pot, drift wood,book stand from its roots etc. are proposed to be made. It was observed that in swarming season bees mostly hang on Lantana bush for short time shelter. On the basis of this observation HESCO developed a Lantana beehive. Lantana beehive has been provided to the villagers for beekeeping.
It is only Goat that eats Lantana leaves. The pungent smell and others do not prevent Goat to graze the species. In some village Goat is raised particularly on Lantana leaves and in Lantana made shed.
A few case studies narrating Lantana utility through entrepreneur development are given below:
Vijay Pal Singh a lacal unemployed youth hailing from village Pavwalasora in Doiwala block of Dehradun district was on the lookout for a job to sustain his large family of four brothers and two sisters. Disillusioned after his failure to find a job, he came in contact with the organization.
Vijay Pal Singh enrolled himself to be trained in making furniture from Lantana camara. After successful training from Lantana camera. After successful training he along with his brothers, started making beautiful and durable furniture. Making sofa sets, chairs and center tables, Vijay Pal Singh has been able to earn a sum of Rs. 50,000/- every year. With the money earned from his venture which costs him nothing expect labour and expertise.
Apart from earning his livelihood, Vijay Pal Singh is also a much sought after man since he has been training unemployed rural youth like him in the art of Lantana furniture making. Already he has trained scores of people in Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and his success has motivated others to start the venture.
(3) Incense Material:
Uttara Dhoop Agarbatti Centre, Mehuawala, Dehradun
Mrs. Rukmani Devi is preparing the above materials on a commercial scale for the last two and a half years. Earlier, she had received training for making the above product at W.T.P. in HESCO. Now she has become an expert in her field, right from incense making, packaging to marketing of her products. Her enterprise has generated lot of interest and excitement in other unemployed rural women.
Rukmani Devi is a resident of village Mehuwala, Dehradun. This village belongs to the poor section with mainly marginal farmers. A landless labourer, she came in contact with HESCO and was taught incense making by using Lantana, which was available abundantly. Rukmani Devi utilized Lantana leaves as a natural resource for her family’s survival. Now she is earning Rs.1000-1500 per month through this job.
(4) Bee Keeping:
Rajni Devi, 22 year, housewife has initiated beekeeping. Pressed with the economic crunch, she found bee as reliever. She presently has two walls and Lantana hives each.
She has been doing it for the last one and a half year and is totally moved with the output. This happened when she harvested 28 kg of honey in 4 months. She has amazed by harvesting the golden drops merely by taking care of beehives. She is not one but she has spoken too with.
She now looks ahead beekeeping not only as honey producing but also as her major source of livelihood. Thus, she plans to have 20 colonies out of the local stock available by multiplication.
(5) Prasad:
India is a country with unique diversity both in culture and in resources. One common feature which is prevalent everywhere in the country is offering to God and Goddess in the form of flower, Prasad etc. Be it of any caste or religion, the regular offerings are served in temple or mosque or church everywhere. This is somehow associated with many other developing issues at regional level. For example a whole tourist industry is linked with such phenomena. The other small to large industries also have partly dependence on this. Incense cakes/sticks, vegetable oil, agro industries etc. have their target production for the temples/mosque/church of the country.
Unfortunately, all these oblation substance are prepared / processed in other areas. There are millions of example like Badrinath is temple offering items come from main land. Similarly in Gangotri and Kedarnath, such material is imported from urban areas. Vaishno Devi of Jammu, fated similarly.
There are two distinct issues where notice should be taken in relation to the cosmopolitan activity. First, why can’t such oblation material be attached to the identity of the shrine? Local synthesis of such offerings/ items from local resources may generate especially for women, should be second consideration.
This is ironical that famous shrines, where millions of pilgrims visit every year have not much able to deliver except a few labour jobs. These holy places may also bid number of job opportunities if meticulously thuough out by the planners specially.
There are couple of areas where local community can be engaged for preparation of religious material and eventually the raw material for the same is available in abundance locally everywhere. With reference to incense material, prasad and flower, which are, regular offering substance in all the shrines, can be locally ser up in any part of the rural India.
A rough estimate reveals that alone in Uttaranchal the offerings material to outstanding temples are worth of 20 lakhs, which is simply arranged offerings can be available for the same. Similarly in Vaishno Devi, available raw material can produce employment worth of millions.
(6) Horiculture:
Horiculture crops are a very significant component of the total agriculture production in the country but this is more particularly true with the Himalayan region. In the country as a whole horticulture crops roughly cover 6-7 percent of the grass cropped area but contribute about 18% of the gross value of agricultural produce. In terms of export they contribute 52% of the total export of agriculture produce. According to the National Commission on Agriculture-horiculture crops are labour intensive, while the average annual man-day required for wheat is 143 per hectare and 855 for fruits.
This is equally true that large parts of the fruits go waste. A rough estimate reveals that about 48% fruits turn waste. The need of the hour is to create an infrastructure for village level horticulture utilization, for mountains, which will ultimately add to national prosperity.
Appropriate technology package to women for lacal fruits based small-scale industry has recently brought revolution in mountains. It became just possible through transfer of simple technology.
Mrs. Kala Bisht, resident of village Ambiwala, Dehradun who was trained in fruit processing has ventured into a small scale industry through Bank loan. She has also employed 13 women and earns about 4000 per month.
Similarly, Mrs. Rajni Chaukiyal of village Bhaniyawala, Dehradun, a beneficiary started with 7 kg Pickle from her kitchen has now promoted to small production center from where she also supplies pickles to Himalayan Hospital, Dehradun. She is earning Rs. 4500 per month through this job.
What these two entrepreneurs earn from their village resource has set an example for others. It is about 50 such units have rapidly come after. It was possible only because local resources, local upgraded technology and local market ere integrated for community development.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Pseudo Economy......DR ANIL P JOSHI
Globe presently moving toward recession and there is apparently no nation that has been able to prevent this economic jolt. Added to this, other factors that have further discouraged early recovery are unpredictable climate, global warming, food scarcity etc. This has to be largely realized to every one of us that source of such disaster lies somewhere in our inapt policies. This is high time to review certain issues globally. Every nation and every village should now have a responsibility to think and redecide their economic policy. The question that now being thrown whether we should talk of development or sustainability of society. The past focus of society on development has largely caused economical and ecological imbalances. Darwin theory of survival is more important in present context as depleting fundamental resources once again have challenged question of our survival.
We are presently living in an era of pseudo- economy. Global domestic production is simply measured by its growth in front of infrastructure, industrialization, education etc. Growths of fundamental resources forest, water, food, soil merely have any significant role in such GDP. The economic growth was more focused on secondary and tertiary sectors. What was produced in such economic growth was not for survival but for luxury. Development was defined on roads, infrastructure, cars, industry etc. We all time deliberately forgot that such development can only offers handful of people luxury and not fundamental needs for all. Such needs as only come from forest, food, water, soil etc. the results of lopsided economic development approach have led to social and natural disasters. Any economic development approach that cannot sustain itself in view of growing demands production and recycling abilities will collapse. Industrial production face recession as consumers has ceased buying mainly because of its shifted resorted priority. The example of recent slump in the market is mainly because of inability of common person to buy a car, AC or others, simply because of cost of other essential items have shot up which forms fundamental needs. Unabated industrial growth on non food products had more market in rural India or for common urban. This group of people have always been coaxed to buy mobile and motorcycle which they have been managing a through their meager savings. Increased cost of fundamental needs i.e. food and allied material discouraged common buyers to go for others luxury items. Since industrialists have now common men their buyers the inabilities of latter have chased economy flow. This has been observed that upto 50-60 % of total income of middle men has gone into food items and other fundamental needs. Any economy which ultimately caters our luxury and can merely collapse because of falling consumption and cannot be recycled is Pseudo- economy. The true economic processes must be learnt from the age old rural economy. There was striking balance between production and consumption and all economic intricacies were within community. Any surplus income was shared with other communities for their respective products and services.
We are presently living in an era of pseudo- economy. Global domestic production is simply measured by its growth in front of infrastructure, industrialization, education etc. Growths of fundamental resources forest, water, food, soil merely have any significant role in such GDP. The economic growth was more focused on secondary and tertiary sectors. What was produced in such economic growth was not for survival but for luxury. Development was defined on roads, infrastructure, cars, industry etc. We all time deliberately forgot that such development can only offers handful of people luxury and not fundamental needs for all. Such needs as only come from forest, food, water, soil etc. the results of lopsided economic development approach have led to social and natural disasters. Any economic development approach that cannot sustain itself in view of growing demands production and recycling abilities will collapse. Industrial production face recession as consumers has ceased buying mainly because of its shifted resorted priority. The example of recent slump in the market is mainly because of inability of common person to buy a car, AC or others, simply because of cost of other essential items have shot up which forms fundamental needs. Unabated industrial growth on non food products had more market in rural India or for common urban. This group of people have always been coaxed to buy mobile and motorcycle which they have been managing a through their meager savings. Increased cost of fundamental needs i.e. food and allied material discouraged common buyers to go for others luxury items. Since industrialists have now common men their buyers the inabilities of latter have chased economy flow. This has been observed that upto 50-60 % of total income of middle men has gone into food items and other fundamental needs. Any economy which ultimately caters our luxury and can merely collapse because of falling consumption and cannot be recycled is Pseudo- economy. The true economic processes must be learnt from the age old rural economy. There was striking balance between production and consumption and all economic intricacies were within community. Any surplus income was shared with other communities for their respective products and services.
True economy must first focus on primary production of forest, water, food and soil conservation. This forms the true capital of any state. The surplus of the state should be shared with others for state needs. There has been just opposite in recent past. We have been competing for industrialization of non farm products which are largely service items or to say luxury. There has been saturation in present economic scenario from consumer’s points of view. Had there been emphasis on farm or farm based industry and development/ conservation of resource, the cost of fundamental needs would have been marginal. Thus the saving of the middle man would have given him more and more opportunities for other facilities.
There are few examples that need to be quoted here. None of us would have thought of water being sold at battles. This is roughly a business of 1000 crores today. The drinking water which is a fundamental resource is commercialized today. The billions of bottled water lying in shops definitely prevent a natural process to happen. Ultimately the sufferer is common men who is a buyer also and have to pay higher cost of a resource where his rights exist. The same water would have irrigated millions of tonnes of food. This resource was poorly managed both for its quality and quantity. This ultimately has led to resource scarcity. Better quality of resource would not have encouraged commercialization of this resources. The days are not far when other fundamental needs will be sold, considered to be essential for life and are free. This is greed of couple of human and unscrupulous approach that has thrown all of us in bizzare. Since it is a matter of our survival, should we allow this to happen and not resist it? We are definitely shirking from this fact.
Unfortunately we have not created any mechanism to measure status of our resources periodically. We have not also given growth rule of these resources in our development plan or Gross development production. Our lopsided economic development strategy has suddenly brought us at a dilemma. We should realize that there can be a control on curse of industrialization but we cannot escape from nature’s tyranny and expression of the same can be seen since recent past. This is high time to create strategy to measure gain/ loss of fundamental resources the ultimate lifelines. This would also help in deciding future industry, development policy too.
An unequal economical development has been sole cause of today imbalances. Most of the economic (Pseudo) activities were concentrated in urban where there was governance. Education, politics, secondary production technology and science revolved around these centers. Since these factors decide growth, unabated economic, political proliferation occurred here. Whereas immediate resource needs of economic were catered by country side community. Surplus earning triggered market for other luxury products from industries. Since the buyers of these products were limited in town and cities only, industries begun to hunt market in rural India too and trapped Rural common. Mobile and motor cycle are two important example. In the name of rural connectivity and facility, these two industrial products were also promoted. This set out flow of money from rural India to urban.
It is not denied that rural community don’t need these assets. These can be placed as needs but not necessity. Unfortunately market forces and imposed advertisements have attracted specially youths, for such products. A small village town has been marketing mobile sim cards upto 1-2 lakhs monthly. Do we really need mobile connectivity on the other hand? The forest which constitute essential environment of any village has been rapidly vanishing could not drawn serious attention of planners. This resource that helps over all delivery of water air soil is depleting, threatening human existence but there is no powerful advocacy to conserve/develop this resource. We in run of development forgot many important resources that are our fundamental needs. Our priorities have changed from needs to luxury.
Lust for luxury basically begun from urbanized culture. Every physical efforts was mechanized and energy for the same was exploited from nature. Unabated exploitation of resource continues since longtime and no serious assessment was done to review depleting resources. Forest water and soil have been mainstay of our life. Their constant declinations have been observed and factors for the same were also well known, but largely neglected in lust of gaining industrial products.
Science & Technology has also been bias. It was invented within three directions more. To exploit resources to meet human greed has been its focus and secondly, industrial products to cater services for human luxury and away from decentralized rural resources utility. Because of the above factors all economic activities were focused in urban areas and therefore political and social too. This bias technology development fluxed out human and natural resources from villages and ultimately there became void in rural India. Villages suffered further setbacks in its development while over crowding cities demanded more and more job within limited scope. Both rural and urban world is passing through a quiet turmoil.
We are presently suffering from pseudo economic phase. We should immediately focus on development of true economic reserves. Such capital can only ensure us of bright future with ecological sound economy. A prudent approach will bring a balance between nature and human activities, rural and urban and between need and necessity.
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Forestry for Common.............................
Dr . Anil P Joshi...........................................
Forest since early time has been source of life in the planet. Most of human needs were inconsistently metout by forest. It is the fact that human culture has originated from forest. It is the forest that learnt human the resource management for sustained productivity and consumption. Forest largely decided in community, division of labour too. The different classes of community thus were named/ identified after different trade that was based on forest resources. And thus ultimately community began to build itself for meticulous use of resources.
This is true globally and also in India, rural areas govern the major resources. Since it was the only mainstay of life, a deep cultural relationship existed between forest and human. Down in the line this relationship developed into system and then ultimately a law. While encouraging development strategies, such issues were largely side lined. Our focus was more on development of infrastructure, real estate business, and roads construction.
Economy was more inclined to secondary production process and primary production i.e. forest and agriculture were placed as less important in the run of economic gains. The fundamental resources i.e. forest water and agriculture unfortunately were denied attention in recent past. The picture is clear now. We have reached a state of life support resource threat. Ecological imbalances that we witness today is mainly because of our shift from strengthening fundamental resources to industry to meet our lust.
Forest since early time has been source of life in the planet. Most of human needs were inconsistently metout by forest. It is the fact that human culture has originated from forest. It is the forest that learnt human the resource management for sustained productivity and consumption. Forest largely decided in community, division of labour too. The different classes of community thus were named/ identified after different trade that was based on forest resources. And thus ultimately community began to build itself for meticulous use of resources.
This is true globally and also in India, rural areas govern the major resources. Since it was the only mainstay of life, a deep cultural relationship existed between forest and human. Down in the line this relationship developed into system and then ultimately a law. While encouraging development strategies, such issues were largely side lined. Our focus was more on development of infrastructure, real estate business, and roads construction.
Economy was more inclined to secondary production process and primary production i.e. forest and agriculture were placed as less important in the run of economic gains. The fundamental resources i.e. forest water and agriculture unfortunately were denied attention in recent past. The picture is clear now. We have reached a state of life support resource threat. Ecological imbalances that we witness today is mainly because of our shift from strengthening fundamental resources to industry to meet our lust.
Age old relationship of human forest is merely seen existing today. No cobblers, carpenters, blacksmith bamboo workers e.t.c. are happily married with their forest resources today. The resources is obvious, their market was replaced with products made in urban India as the latter is equipped with mechanize services for mass and quality production.
Primary producer are considered attended merely as a labour and their produce shifted to urban rich for secondary production. This ultimately lead to economic imbalanced as secondary producer gains more than primary. The forest dwellers become ultimately consumers of their own produce as largest chunk of urban products are sold in rural India.
Present economic flow and production scenario demands review of our policy of development. Since forest are major resources, present conservation initiative can not yield any result, the past experience witness it. We will have to revive age old human –forest relationship which was based on controlled harvesting with intact conservation measures. Most of the human dependence on forest resources have almost been smashed after two major development i.e. forest act and new market strategy.
There are couples of issue that need to be addressed in the light of reviving human dependence on forest and ultimately pro- forest community attitude. Let us first analyze the status of our forest in and around villages. In last 5-10 decades, forest scenario has rapidly changed. Forest in community proximity have converted in to scrubs or land of weedy plants. With changing environment, many plants species have disappeared and as well others have established. Status of such species has to be worked out. We will have to review status of new generation of different species. Their social ecological and economical values will have to be ascertained in present context. Broad social analysis reveals that forest biomass can be classified as below.
Classification On the basis of utility
Over exploited Extremely used in the plant
Under utilized Biomass in lack of knowledge under utilized
Un utilized Biomass not utilized
Invading Plants or weeds Plants not used but invading in nature
All above categories of plants need to be subjected to review from community point of use. Their utility especially for energy and as well other livelihood option need to the defined. Local livelihood options will not lead to overall development unlike commercial forestry. It is important to realize that local resource utility infuse sense of responsibility for conservation as compared to others. Need of consistent availability of resource bind local community to become responsible towards conservation aspects too.
We will have to rethink on commercial forestry which indeed has so far been major thrust on our forestry researches. Has it been able to impart socio-ecological conservation and whether trust of commoner has been won? We are disappointed in the front. Unless forestry is redefined for common we can neither ensure community participation in our forestry programme nor community forestry conservation initiative will get a place. In the interest of forestry for common issues like, promising partners in community, method of their involvement and deliverables will have to be addressed?
We will have to re-devise strategy to bring back old stakeholders in forestry use which has almost ceased today. Here the reference is of forest dependent communities i.e.
artisan, vaidya. Their importance in present context cannot be ignored as rural market still witness presence of products traditionally made by them. These products are now unfortunately imported from urban areas. There are two reasons of this state, urban products complete in quality and better technology and mechanization made then cheaper too. Rural artisan in lack of right knowledge and equipments, produce incompetent products. New S & T and better infrastructure would have enabled them to compete any other products.
We will have to develop mechanism to empower community to use Bio-resources in and around them. Three factors will largely decide fate of the forestry for common. Resource availability, technology services and market structure will set broadly course of action. An action plan to effect above approaches will decide the future.
Lack of knowledge is major impediment in rural growth. Technology is tool of knowledge to make use of resources. Rural technology development has been most of the time neglected issue as it is not paying as well not glorifying. It could not draw technologists and scientists in rural development sector. It has therefore been the major reason of technology gaps in rural areas. Some of the attempts in recent past has been encouraging. Technology applications in utilization of local resources have empowered community ecologically and economically. Three factors decide the feasibility of any technology for rural areas. The low cost of the technology is necessary so that affordability factor does not come as limitation. Similarly feasibility of technology and its match with local skill are important factors. Sometime un-matching technology fails to work in village, simply because of poor skill. Since post installation services of technologies are not available in rural India, many technology interventions were not possible. The above limitations can be overcome simply by initiating approach of technology socialization. We will have to involve above factors while developing technology.
Market of local produce is the most important factor. This has to be understood in a different mode. Survey conducted by HESCO (Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization) revealed that rural India is flooded with the product made in urban areas. It further revealed that about 50-70% of them can be locally made as resources are abundantly available here. Knowledge and infrastructure in rural India can bestow local community to grab this market.
An integrated approach to utilize local resources for local market through available/invented technologies has to be exercised. A simple mechanism will have to be developed which can offer an opportunity for scientist to develop pro-community technology. Knowledge transfer mechanism to user and consumers will have to be developed. Forestry institutes will have to increase their ambit of work focusing on forestry for commons. A perfect mechanism to involve institute/community and voluntary organization can play an important role of facilitator.
Technology available with institutes should be transferred to the community in first phase through social organization. There must also be a provision where institute also get feed back of technology intervened as well new area of technology development identified by community.
Forestry and its benefit have not yet been taken by local community and it is one reason why forests are indifferent commodity for common rural. Forestry for common is high time need of the Nation. Local community can only conserves forest, especially when most of our past efforts have turned into fiasco.
Awards of Dr Anil P Joshi
I. Jawahar Lal Nehru Award by the Indian Science Congress in 1999.
II. Social Science Award for 2001 from Shri Ram Washshran Devi Bhatia Memorial Charitable Trust.
III. Declared Man of the Year 2002 by the popular magazine “The Week”.
IV. Awarded the Sat Paul Mittal Award for 2004.
V. Dr. T.N. Khoshoo Memorial Award in Conservation for 2005 for his contribution to social upliftment.
VI. Padma Shree Award in 2006
VII. Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 2006.
VIII. Honored as one of the Silvers of the Year 2007 achievers named By Harmony Magazine.
IX. Real Heroes Award, CNN IBN and Reliance
X. National Award for Women Development through Science and technology: year 2008
Positions
I. Member in Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education, Society.
II. Center Soil and Water Training Research Institute, member.
III. Expert member:- Indo Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology .
IV. Expert member : Biotechnology Promotion Committee Programme.
V. Expert in Department of Science and Technology.
VI. Fellow National Academy of Science.
VII. Member of Indian Society for Forester.
VIII. Fellow of Indian Botanical Society.
II. Social Science Award for 2001 from Shri Ram Washshran Devi Bhatia Memorial Charitable Trust.
III. Declared Man of the Year 2002 by the popular magazine “The Week”.
IV. Awarded the Sat Paul Mittal Award for 2004.
V. Dr. T.N. Khoshoo Memorial Award in Conservation for 2005 for his contribution to social upliftment.
VI. Padma Shree Award in 2006
VII. Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 2006.
VIII. Honored as one of the Silvers of the Year 2007 achievers named By Harmony Magazine.
IX. Real Heroes Award, CNN IBN and Reliance
X. National Award for Women Development through Science and technology: year 2008
Positions
I. Member in Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education, Society.
II. Center Soil and Water Training Research Institute, member.
III. Expert member:- Indo Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology .
IV. Expert member : Biotechnology Promotion Committee Programme.
V. Expert in Department of Science and Technology.
VI. Fellow National Academy of Science.
VII. Member of Indian Society for Forester.
VIII. Fellow of Indian Botanical Society.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
WORK OF DR. ANIL P. JOSHI
Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi has devoted himself to resource-based rural development for the last 29 years. As a teacher, he guided 19 Ph.D. students and motivated many more to work in the hill villages to use science and technology to solve the basic needs of the mountain community. An Ashoka Fellow, he has authored over 80 research papers and 10 books dealing with sustainable development of the Himalayas through various means. He has also been publishing other important scientific magazines to popularize science in the villages. The major publications are TIME (Technology Intervention for Mountain Ecosystem) and Rural Tech, which have a distribution of 5000 villages and institutes.
Treatment of catchments through botanical cum mechanical for recharging of springs Dr. Joshi’s recent intervention in recharging mountain springs has caught enormous attention of the mountain community and policy makers in these states. Using isotope-hydrology as a tool, with the help of Bhabha Atomic Research Center, he has successfully recharged seventeen springs which were turning dry experiment on another 120 springs of 3 states is under program. The results of this experiment are already affecting a major thrust of many government development agencies who are addressing the scarcity of water in rural mountain areas.
School children from rural development Another innovative and exciting programme introduced by Dr. Joshi involved school children and teachers from local renowned schools. He motivated them to serve villages for development using both local resources and technology. The basic idea behind this program was to inculcate in children an affinity towards rural villages and to create new opportunities for development for deprived villages. The positive benefits of this project thus far have resulted “adopt a village” concept being shared with 70 additional schools across the country.
WISE Shopping Complex He has also initiated WISE (Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment), a social platform for women to generate employment and marketing opportunities, as well as to address other economy-related issues. More than five thousand women from all over the mountains are members of WISE, which has strengthened the relationship between women, their community’s resources, and technology.
Dr. Joshi has also promoted a forest-fire prevention measure in mountain villages. The removal of forest litter which exaggerates spread of wild fires was locally utilized. This litter is used for composting and other energy purposes. The villagers remove the litter before onset of peak summer for above uses. Compartmental removal present fire incidence as well as does not harm forest growth.
He quit his comfortable job as a Reader in the Government P.G. College, and plunged himself whole-heartedly into research and development work for the village people of the Himalayas. He formed a voluntary organization entitled Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conversation Organization (HESCO), and concentrated on need-based science and technology developments, and their application for the mountain regions. He began this work on a small scale by taking up initiatives that had immediate application possibilities in the rural areas through the support of agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Bio-technology.
His total task involved in promoting local economy through local means. His strong belief is utilizing local recourses can only bring sustained economic development in rural India as former is governed by community. Thus development of local resources, upgraded wisdom, and local markets have been his focal approach. These efforts were designed to bring about a decentralized economy, and have shown tremendous results.
About Five lakhs villagers from ten thousand villages in the nine mountain states of the Himalayas have direct and indirect benefits from his initiative. His major contribution has been to bring back neglected watermills of 5,000 villages with new version by upgrading the traditional system. Economic and social changes of the villages after mills revival have brought revolution in many states like J&K, HP and Uttarakhand
Water mill ElectrificationNew applications of mill for several local resource utility have given a new ray of hope to neglected water millers. He organized millers from state to National level to gear their voice. Internationally, water millers proposed to organize to advocate decentralized power generation for local economy.
He mobilized thousands of villages to tap their local resources such as agriculture, horticulture, and medicinal and fiber plants to generate income and support a paradigm for a thriving local economy. Now most of the rural development departments of the mountain states have followed this protocol, and decentralized economies are slowly taking hold and economic independence is setting the place in rural Himalaya.
Women preparing sweet balls as offeringAgriculture being a major resource, Dr. Joshi also promoted the same in the mountain villages, where traditional crops have been revamped. This approach is restoring the ecological importance of the indigenous crops, according to the Climate and Nutritional needs of the villages. His efforts to initiate value addition in local agri-produce has been fetching high return. He motivated the shrine-committees of Badrinath, Gangotri, and Vaishno Devi Temples, as well as some Muslim Shrines, to allow offerings which are made from the local crops and resources. This was to generate local employment in these economically-deprived regions from local produce. The annual turnover of these villages involved in offering for shrines is estimated to be Rs. Ten Lakh to Forty lakhs. There is a silent movement on offering as an employment spreading in all agro-climatic zones of the country. The ministry of Science and Technology has taken up this as a major programme now.
Another program popularly knows as TIP (Technology Initiative for Peace) was instituted by Dr. Joshi which enlisted the assistance of the Indian Army and security forces. This program has been instrumental in bringing revolution in the villages of the border areas. It brought Dr. Joshi’s watermill technology and electrified many villages throughout Jammu, Kashmir, and the LOC. In tandem with his program to maximize the use of the local resources in the regions of Kargil, Kupwara, Baramullah, Jammu, and Army Bioresource centre for Stress area Kashmir, Dr. Joshi introduced the brand name of “Kargil” for locally-produced products. A similar intervention was also carried out in the northeast Arunanchal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur state, and a local-brand of their products has been established. These efforts have brought employment in local communities, and have had the positive effect of diverting the local youth away from anti-social activities. The other forces like Border security forces, Indo Tibbetian Border Police, Social Security Board, and Central Reserve Police Force have also begun similar experiment in their respective border areas under the guidance of Dr. Joshi. This has become a popular initiative as it has brought peace in remote border areas where otherwise unrest prevails because of constant negligence of community.Treatment of catchments through botanical cum mechanical for recharging of springs Dr. Joshi’s recent intervention in recharging mountain springs has caught enormous attention of the mountain community and policy makers in these states. Using isotope-hydrology as a tool, with the help of Bhabha Atomic Research Center, he has successfully recharged seventeen springs which were turning dry experiment on another 120 springs of 3 states is under program. The results of this experiment are already affecting a major thrust of many government development agencies who are addressing the scarcity of water in rural mountain areas.
School children from rural development Another innovative and exciting programme introduced by Dr. Joshi involved school children and teachers from local renowned schools. He motivated them to serve villages for development using both local resources and technology. The basic idea behind this program was to inculcate in children an affinity towards rural villages and to create new opportunities for development for deprived villages. The positive benefits of this project thus far have resulted “adopt a village” concept being shared with 70 additional schools across the country.
WISE Shopping Complex He has also initiated WISE (Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment), a social platform for women to generate employment and marketing opportunities, as well as to address other economy-related issues. More than five thousand women from all over the mountains are members of WISE, which has strengthened the relationship between women, their community’s resources, and technology.
Dr. Joshi has also promoted a forest-fire prevention measure in mountain villages. The removal of forest litter which exaggerates spread of wild fires was locally utilized. This litter is used for composting and other energy purposes. The villagers remove the litter before onset of peak summer for above uses. Compartmental removal present fire incidence as well as does not harm forest growth.
Another important contribution of Dr. Joshi’s includes disaster-management through providing employment relief to the victims of natural disasters. This was rendered by promoting earthquake-resistant types of housing and as well immediate employment relief based on local resources. Thousand of villagers were benefited with it at the time of 1992 and 1999 Himalayan earthquake.
In 1979, Dr. Joshi addressed the menacing problem of soil erosion and landslides in the Himalayan Mountains with Biological methods. The simple botanical cum mechanical method has been applied to stabilize the slopes. More than hundred slides along the major hill roads were controlled by his initiative. These experiments became so successful that the Border Roads organization subsequently adopted the technology throughout the mountain region.
Dr. Joshi also promoted to schedule caste community. During their visit in Himalayas, an idea came up in his mind to develop a model village for schedule caste community through their local resources in three states Uttarakhand, Himanchal and J&K. About 10 numbers of villages all across Jammu Kashmir, Himanchal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are involved in the task.
Swiss training to Himalayas Folk Primary philosophy underlying Dr. Joshi’s approach to rural village development is the concept of a community-to-community knowledge transfer. He is committed to inspire a continuing “development chain” in which a village receiving the benefits of development will in turn pass on that knowledge to another village in need of assistance. This mode of technology-transfers is popular by name Shridan (community initiative to community) practice. It has popular acceptance in Indian mountain villages. This has recently been adopted internationally too. The Swiss community has initiated a programme called CIC (community initiative to community) from Alpine to Himalaya. The community of Engadin valley organized support for technology transfer to Swiss alpine to himalaya. Rural women from Indian mountain were trained by Swiss community on Bakery, Cheese, and Bee Keeping etc. Similar initiative is brewing in New Zealand where south alpine community is organizing training for Himalayan farmers on agriculture issues. The whole technology transfer program is organized, sponsored and imparted by communities. The trained community further share it with others.
He has undertaken Padyatra to raise the issues on community right and empowerment. Padyatras from Gangotri to Delhi, Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh and Manari to Maletha were conducted to raise water issues under Water Movement. Considering the agriculture as a mainstay and farmer most important individual of the nation, he recently organized cycle yatra from J&K to Uttarakhand and from Kanyakumari to Uttarakhand (5000 Km). His latest endeavor has been to demand a fix percentage of land under agriculture to ensure the food security. He has been working on one window service to the marginal farmers. This would include loan, seeds, plant protection services and market outlet. This has been established in Uttarakhand as a ‘KISAN BANK’ a paradigm for others to follow. This has largely reduced farm inputs and as well a dignity of farmers is secured, which latter feel is threatened.
Children’s News PaperDr. Joshi has also published a children’s newspaper entitled “Bachcho Ka Akhbar” to bring awareness to village-children about science and their local natural resources. This paper is distributed in 1500 villages of the mountain areas.
Positions
I. Member in Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education, Society.
II. Center Soil and Water Training Research Institute, member.
III. Expert member:- Indo Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology .
IV. Expert member : Biotechnology Promotion Committee Programme.
V. Expert in Department of Science and Technology.
VI. Fellow National Academy of Science.
VII. Member of Indian Society for Forester.
VIII. Fellow of Indian Botanical Society.
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