South Asia A Sustainable Socio Economic, Enviromental Model for Rural Subcontinent Area - Case Studies, Ideas, Models and initiatives.

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successful case of participatory watershed management at Ralegan Siddhi Village in district Ahmadnagar, Maharastra, India*​

B. Mishra<em>**</em>

[<em>*</em> A case study originally titled as "People's Participation in Sustainable Use and Management of Agriculture Resources-A case Study of Ralegan Siddhi". sponsored by the PCSD/FARM, RAS/93/067 (ANGOC, Manila, Philippines). Reprinted with the permission of the PCSD/FARM and the author.
** Associate Secretary, Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development (AVARD), New Delhi, India.]

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Abstract
An overview of people's participation in natural resource management in India
Recent prominent initiatives of people's participation in resource management
The case of people's participation in watershed management in Ralegan Siddhi

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Abstract​

In recent years the notion of sustainable development has emerged as a reaction to the highly technological and centralized processes that have governed thinking on development, the green revolution being a classic example. The process of sustainable development envisages that people should not merely participate, but be in charge of their own development. Some initiatives in India have grappled successfully with this complex process, and different models of people driven development have emerged. Perhaps the most notable of these is the remarkable work of Mr. Annasaheb Hazare in Ralegan Siddhi village. When he first returned to his village in 1975 it was a extremely degraded village. There was large scale migration, ill health, low productivity and a flourishing business in the illegal distilling of alcohol, resulting into violence especially against women. Today Ralegan is unrecognizable. Productivity has increased manifold. There is a sense of community and sharing among all the people, and complete self-sufficiency in foodgrains. Ralegan only demonstrates what village people can do when they take control of their own development. It serves as a testimony to community interest taking precedence over self-interest. This miracle was achieved by:

- The emergence of local leadership: Annasaheb Hazare is from the village and his intimate knowledge of the community, its culture and traditions and his exposure to the outside world enabled him to play the role of a catalyst and a bridge.

- Underpinning of moral sanctions: He recognized the conflict in development between old and new, traditional and modern, violent and peaceful. His intervention gave space to the traditional leadership to reassert their moral authority and lay the foundation for a moral just and human social order. The basis of Annasaheb Hazare 's intervention is a moral and voluntary code of conduct which has been adopted by the entire village community. This is a six point program that includes: ban on open grazing; ban on tree felling; ban on dowry; ban on consumption of liquor; family planning; and donation of labor (Shramdan).

- Involvement of all sections of society, especially the weak and vulnerable: Right from its inception, the Ralegan village participation process involved women and lower castes (Harijans) in all planning and implementation.

- Identification of People's Priorities: Annasaheb Hazare being a son of the soil, was able to identify water development us the primary need of the village, and that helped to mobilize popular opinion in his favour.

- The use of simple but effective technology: Annasaheb recognized that merely providing strong moral basis would be insufficient to motivate people towards constructive change. His intervention to manage rain-water run off through watershed development was cheap, local, and maximized their use of local resources especially labor.

- Holistic and sustained development: Having started with water management, Annasaheb Hazare went on to include community work to prevent erosion and to promote widespread afforestation. The holistic impact of these measures began to be felt within a decade. It is note worthy that the villagers have been working continuously on this process for the last 20 years by now. Thus, long term continuity is a vital ingredient in the strategy for sustainable development.

- The primacy of the village assembly (Gram Sabha): Although Annasaheb has taken the leadership in Ralegan, all major decisions are taken in the Gram Sabha, which has institutionalized a democratic style of functioning.

An overview of people's participation in natural resource management in India​

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Breakdown of traditional sustainable systems
Participation of resource poor farmers
Prejudice against women

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Breakdown of traditional sustainable systems​

People's participation is viewed as a dynamic group process in which all members of a group contribute to the attainment of common objectives, share the benefits accruing from group activities, exchange information and experience of common interest, and follow the rules, regulations and other decisions made by the group. Need for people's participation is articulated in terms of efficiency and/or cost-effectiveness, equity in distribution of benefits, sustainability and empowerment of the people.

The concept of sustainable natural resource management is essentially integration of three factors - first, human beings have a common destiny of interdependence with other living creatures on the earth; second, the main concern of development is not growth at all costs but to render the lives of majority of the people easier and more harmonious; and third, there are thresholds of irreversibility which traditional economics does not take into account. Besides, sustainable resource management is not only for environment management but also for poverty alleviation. FAO has defined it as the management and conservation of the natural resources base, and the orientation of technological and institutional change in such a manner as to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations. Such sustainable development conserves land, water, plant and animal genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable.

In Indian context it may be further explained as a means to meet the basic nutritional requirements of present and future generations, providing employment with sufficient income and quality living conditions for rural people; maintaining the productive capacity of the natural resources while protecting the environment and reducing the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to adverse natural and socio-economic factors and other risks as well as strengthening self-reliance.

Natural resources-mainly land and water-under Indian condition are endowed with rich diversity and vast expanse so any kind of generalization about a country with a sub-continental character can only be half-truth and misleading. The three clear cut major geographical features- mountains, plains and plateau represent entirely differing ecosystems and are further subject to diverse agro-climatic and physical factors. However, all these varieties are well integrated as parts of one whole. Besides, the cultural thread binds them together to emerge as unity in diversity.

India has a history of civilization built on irrigated agriculture in the river basins and rain-fed cultivation combined with small scale irrigation works on the drier plains. For thousands of years rural people farmed in a sustainable manner that maintained the traditional agriculture systems and conserved soils and water resources. The farmers' local knowledge of their environment followed by healthy resource management practices continued to meet people's need without any significant threat to environment. In nutshell, the ancient Indian agricultural practices had in-built mechanism for sustainability of natural resources base at community level.

During the colonial period, the process of commercialization of agriculture started and people's involvement was often forced for selfish reasons without any concern for people's needs or future crisis. Such moves often served as a starting point to mobilize people against the colonial rule in pre-independence days.

After independence the eradication of mass poverty by over exploitation of natural resources became a major cause of degradation. Green Revolution brought in adoption of modern varieties of wheat in the mid 1960s and of rice in the 1970s and with its crop-specific focus based on excessive use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides, expansion and intensification of irrigation from surface as well as ground water, a shift to mono-cultures and multiple cropping witnessed spectacular progress in production and saved the country from mass starvation. But at the same time it gave rise to waterlogging and salinity. Large dams and centralized water resources management raised ecological vulnerability of the ancient river systems and destroyed the age old traditional systems of irrigation aligned along natural drainage features. The modern varieties decreased biomass for animals and soil fertility and lowered eco-system productivity. Considerable strain on ground water resources have led to emergence of new weeds and soil micro-nutrient deficiency. An Indian scientist/philosopher Ms. Vandana Shiva termed the scenario "Violence of Green Revolution: The Indian Tragedy".

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Participation of resource poor farmers​

The agricultural land in the country is owned by individuals, where as large irrigation schemes are owned by the Government. Rich farmers have their own irrigation structures - tanks, lift devices or tube wells. The resource poor farmers can hardly afford to utilize costly inputs. Besides, only about 40% of the people have access to land which also suffers from skewed distribution pattern. 49% of the cultivated land belong to 10% of farmers with large holdings of 4 ha and more (1985-86). Only 13 % of the land belongs to 50 % of the farmers with marginal holdings of one ha or less. The common lands too are often encroached by rich farmers.

Unequal access to land, water and other resources is a major constraint to people's participation in true sense in many places. This is in two forms: First, extensively large cultivated farms. Secondly, due to hereditary rights, the best lands are usually held by old and influential families to the exclusion of poorer households. The remaining, ecologically more fragile land, is therefore under pressure from landless and socially vulnerable people.

Insecurity of tenure in case of share croppers keeps them off from improving and conserving the natural resource base. Besides, social insecurity gives rise to conflicting interests between different groups of farmers and farming and non-farming communities which only culminates in degradation of the natural resources.

Similarly, in case of water resources the participation of poor farmers is minimal. Rich farmers pump out and use most of the ground water reserves without any concern for others. India had well managed traditional community tank irrigation systems in the past with no problems of either sharing of water or its maintenance and repair. But that spirit of caring and sharing has disappeared today.

Prejudice against women​

Women are very closely associated with many activities relating to appropriation of natural/agricultural resources and/or their products. They are responsible for collection of fuel-wood, fodder, forest produce, collecting grasses from grazing lands (gaudier), fetching water for household use and sharing larger agricultural operations. But this participation by women is treated as invisible. Besides, in many cultures and castes, women are discouraged from participating in the meetings and training programs along with men hence their participation in resource development and conservation programs is negligible. However, many experiences show that when conscientised and given opportunities, rural women do participate actively in the meetings and training camps and are able to identify their problems and suggest solutions.

The growth in any kind of production involves social and ecological costs and there are signs that under the present agricultural development system these costs are approaching a level where they outweigh the benefits. Over exploitation of natural resources is clearly unsustainable in the long run. However, in most places it is not too late to devise more socially and ecologically cost-effective ways of achieving continued growth to meet the growing need of the present population while preserving its productive capacity for the future generations.

Recent prominent initiatives of people's participation in resource management​

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Naxalite movement
Chipko movement
Save Narmada movement (Andolan)
Bodh Gaya Andolan
Ganga liberation (Mukti) Andolan
AVARD'S irrigation schemes
Water council (Pani Panchayat)
Sukhomajri
Rope makers of saharanpur
Chakriya Vikas pranali (the cyclic system of development)
MYRADA's self-help groups
Rural labor association of Halpati Sava Sangh
Ralegan Siddhi
Self-Help groups by Taj Mahal gram Bikas Kendra
Mahila Vikas Sangh (women development federation)
Self employed women's association

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Some of the well known recent (over last 30 years) initiatives/movements are identified here.

Naxalite movement​

It was launched in early 1960s and named after the village of its origin, Naxalbari in West Bengal State of India. Its major plank is skewed land tenancy which is the major cause of degradation of natural resources. It facilitates access of poor to natural resources by organizing them and acts against exploitation of the poor by the rich. It believes in use of force to attain political power and in Maoist-Marxist-Leninist philosophy.

Chipko movement​

It is a Gandhian movement led by Mr. Sunder Lal Bahaguna whose genesis goes back to early 1970s in Garhwal Himalayan region of Uttar Pradesh. The movement has mobilized people against commercial felling of trees to safeguard the fragile Himalayan ecology in the larger interest of the people and wild life.

Save Narmada movement (Andolan)​

It is an all India strategic network of social activists and NGOs to mobilize people against the building of Sardar Sarovar (in Gujarat) and Indira Sagar (in Madhya Pradesh) dams. The main issues are displacement of local people without proper resettlement/compensation and demand for the rights of the communities to their own natural resources.

Bodh Gaya Andolan​

It started in 1970s to address the issue of redistribution of some 3,600 ha of ceiling surplus land held by Bodh Gaya Matt. It generated tremendous popular participation and peaceful action.

Ganga liberation (Mukti) Andolan​

The Ganga Liberation Movement started in early 1980s to abolish water lord system. Social activists and youth organizations organized the fisher folk and created pressure on Government to bring necessary legislation to change the exploitative system.

AVARD'S irrigation schemes​

The schemes started in 1968, created irrigation structures, introduced equitable water distribution/sharing and management systems through popular participation. The schemes also served as a rallying point for the people.

Water council (Pani Panchayat)​

Initiated by Gram Gaurav Pratisthan, Pune, Maharashtra, it is a community-based water council. The groups of people share water equitably on per capita basis under non-transferable water agreement. People contribute 20% of scheme's cost and even the landless partake in schemes who sell their water to needy farmers.

Sukhomajri​

It is a successful effort in community-based micro-watershed development by the construction of three small dams in Haryana State of India.

Rope makers of saharanpur​

It is an initiative of community-based action and social movement combined to empower the rope makers in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh to regain their traditional rights to use and sustain their natural resources.

Chakriya Vikas pranali (the cyclic system of development)​

The cyclic system of development is a community-based natural resource management system by bringing landless and land holders together through equitable system of sharing income and introducing technological innovations, multi-layered multi-cropping based on symbiosis between different species of plants and crops.

MYRADA's self-help groups​

The organization enjoys the distinction of organizing people for self-development through their known resources generated by small savings and collective efforts in Karnataka State of India.

Rural labor association of Halpati Sava Sangh​

The organization, a member of AVARD, has very successfully organized agricultural laborers in defence of their rights and minimum wages.

Ralegan Siddhi​

It is a unique example of participatory watershed management and all round development in Ralegan Siddhi village of Parner county (taluka) in Ahmadnagar district of Maharashtra. This is later presented here in detail.

Self-Help groups by Taj Mahal gram Bikas Kendra​

The organization, a member of AVARD, has successfully, organized rural poor women in a muslim dominated pockets of Howrah district, West Bangal. Over 4,000 women are members who generate resources through small savings and use it for the development of micro-enterprises.

Mahila Vikas Sangh (women development federation)​

It has organized women in a tribal pocket of Bihar through awareness generation, education and monitoring for income generation activities to ensure a better earning for improvement in quality of their lives.

Self employed women's association​

Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) has organized self-employed women's union through awareness generation, education and training for income generation activities.

The case of people's participation in watershed management in Ralegan Siddhi​

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Description
Approaches/methods used for people's participation
Reflections on the experience and insights gained
Lessons, achievements, weaknesses and constraints
Conclusion
Acknowledgement

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Development fundamentally refers to human beings. It should be a human experience to meet people's physical, mental and emotional aspirations and potentials, not just in economic terms but should also lead to a sense of self-sufficiency and fulfilment. Ralegan Siddhi, often termed as an oasis of greenery surrounded by dry and bare hilly tracts is a unique example of transformation from poverty to plenty and a living model of people's participation in natural resource management in a watershed.

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Description​

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The physical setting
Demographic features
Socio-economic structure
Base-line situation

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The physical setting​

Ralegan Siddhi is a small village with an area of 982 ha in Parner county (taluka) of Ahmadnagar district, Maharashtra, India. The location is shown in Fig. 1. It is situated on latitude 19° 22' N and longitude 74° 27' E at an altitude of about 755 m AMSL. It is 87 km of Pune city towards north-east, 5 km away from Pune -Ahmadnagar State Highway.

It is a drought-prone and resource poor area with annual rainfall ranging between 50-700 mm and temperature varying between 28°C and 44°C. The village is surrounded by small hillocks on the northeast and southern sides. The land is undulating and slopes vary from 3-15%. The soils are shallow. In lower areas, patches of black soils mixed with pebbles are seen but towards the higher areas the soils are inferior and unsuitable for cultivation. In about 70% of the area the soils are light to medium in structure.

Demographic features​

The 1991 Census enumerated a population of 1,982 living in 310 households (presently estimated to be around 325). The sex-ratio being 902 females per 1,000 males (1,029 in 1971; 1,013 in 1981). The continued decrease in the ratio is explained as the return of male folk to the village with improvement in the socio-economic conditions of the village. Backward classes (scheduled castes and scheduled tribes) constitute only 14.23% of the total population.

The level of literacy has gone up from 30.4% in 1971 to 39.65% in 1981, and further to 50.95% in 1991. As of now, according to the villagers, no one in the 15-35 year age group is illiterate. Today, the over all literacy rate is estimated to be around 65 % which is far above the national average of 52%.

Socio-economic structure​

Marathas of Khatri caste out-number other castes and constitute nearly two-third of the families. Among others are the backward castes including Mhar, Chamar, Bharhadi, Pardi, Sutar, Barber, Fishermen, Matang etc.

There are only five landless and 13 artisan households in the village. Most of the landholders are small. 51 % of the landholders own 1-3 ha land which is about half the total area as well as population of the village. There are only 12 farmers (about 3%) owning more than 6 ha, who own about 18% of the total area. Though the average size of landholding (2.5 ha), appears to be relatively large, considering the poor quality of soils and low productivity levels, the holdings are quite modest.

Occupation-wise cultivators are in majority, followed by agricultural labor. Agriculture is the mainstay for majority of the people. Others like grocers, drivers, cobblers, barbers, blacksmiths, broom makers, health workers, teachers, shopkeepers, flour mill operators, welder, and bank workers represent the services and rural artisans. Another interesting factor in the Maratha families is that most of them like to send at least one of their sons for military service. However, the occupational structure of the village has been under going change since 1976 in favour of agricultural sector.

Base-line situation​

By 1975, prior to intervention by Mr. Anna Hazare, the village had become quite notorious with all sorts of social evils, moral down fall and with badly shattered economic conditions. In general, the village presented the profile of a poverty-stricken and debt-ridden society. Scarcity of water was key to distress which limited the prospects of agriculture. The water table was below 20 m, most of the wells used to dry up during summer and the drinking water had to be fetched from the neighbouring villages. The high rate of surface run off, due to high degree of slope and lack of vegetative cover had washed away the top fertile layer of the soils. Barely 20 ha of the village area was under irrigation. As a consequence the agricultural production was too meagre to support and sustain the livelihoods of the people particularly the resource poor farmers. Not even 30% of the food grain requirements could be met from rain-fed mono-cropping practised in the village. About 45% of the villagers had a single meal/per day and about one-third of the households missed their meals every alternate day.

The poor farmers and agricultural laborers forced by their poor economic conditions had only two options - either to migrate to nearby cities of Pune and Bombay to find some manual mobs or join the army of laborers working under Employment Guarantee Scheme of the Government by commuting a distance of about 22 km daily. Any short fall in the earnings had to be met by borrowing from the money lenders (Sahukars), the Shylocks of the times. The inability to repay the loans often led to further indebtness and bondage. An enterprising villager being depressed by his impoverished condition went to the neighbouring village and mastered the technique of distilling liquor by using 'Shindi' grass which grew in abundance in the area. His success attracted many more in the trade and by 1975 as many as 40 illicit liquor distilling stills came up. Even school children fell in the den of drinking. The wide spread alcoholism brought many undesirable and anti-social elements and the village emerged prominently on the crime records of the police department who along with money lenders exploited every bit of opportunity for their selfish ends.

Fig. 1: Location map of case study village

The combination of poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, indebtness, mutual suspicion, use of money and muscle power for malpractices, not only shattered the village economy but also degraded the social/community life. Majority of children were denied access to education - hardly 10% children attended schools, drop out rates were high. It was difficult for girls to step out in village streets which were full of rogues and drunkards. Social strife and tension became routine, conflicts and crimes were common. The community was divided along the lines of caste, creed, political following and economic status. Thefts, arrests, extravagance on festivals and marriages, funeral rites, discrimination against lower castes (dalits) and atrocities on women were common. Women had to bear the brunt of drunk males in various forms. Children were denied of their basic rights to minimum needs, women were humiliated and all the old value systems and cultural norms of a civilized society had receded to the rock level.

The devastating drought of 1972 made the situation from bad to worse. The Government in its bid to help fight the drought, constructed a percolation tank but due to faulty design, lack of supervision, and high rate of percolation, it failed to serve the purpose. Another help came from Tata Relief Committee and Catholic Relief Society in the form of construction of check dams, deepening of wells and provisions for medical relief. Despite all these, much could not be achieved in any of these initiatives due to lack of people's participation.

Approaches/methods used for people's participation​

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Persuasion
Gandhian approach
Creation of a common platform
Moral cleansing
Selfless leadership
Identification of the most pressing common problem
Initiating the process of change at individual level
Socialization of costs and surpluses
Democratic decision making process
Social reform with strict discipline
Need-based planned socio-economic development
Cooperative management system
Special focus on women
Facilitating village organizations

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The base-line situation shows that the conditions in the village were rather hostile to any reconstructive initiative for an outside agent. In this critical situation, Mr. Kisan Baburao Anna Hazare, popularly regarded as 'Anna' (elder brother) appeared on the scene (life sketch and achievements in box). He was shocked to see the pitiable condition of the villagers, particularly the resource poor farmers' women and the children. The man, Anna Hazare, with a high level of confidence and with his life's sole aim of service to the people, resolved to intervene to bring about a change in the situation. His guiding factor was "it is better to light a candle than blaming the darkness". The approaches/methods used by him for the participation of farmers in natural resource management works are highlighted below.

Persuasion​

First of all, Anna went through a careful envisioning of the deteriorating situation in village life and decided to initiate through religion-moral undercurrent by persuading the people for reconstruction of Sant Yadava Baba temple. But he failed to impress and influence the people at large, primarily because the people were too busy with their own business and the worldly affairs.

Gandhian approach​

The second step was to set up examples by self-practising rather than mere preaching as Mahatma Gandhi used to do. Initially it went on unnoticed but in due course it gathered momentum. Particularly, he tried to organize the youths of the village under 'Tarun Mandal' (youth organization). Besides, participation from all the sections of society was ensured and encouraged. Thus, the construction of temple was completed by voluntary labor only.

Creation of a common platform​

Keeping all the differences and disparities aside, a common platform and meeting ground was created in the form of Sant Yadav Baba's temple. People started sitting in groups during evenings and discussing about the affairs of the village and common concern. Thus, the process of friendship, cooperation and communication started.

Moral cleansing​

Mr. Anna Hazare himself took this initiative. During informal chats he started quoting the sayings of great men like Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave etc. He also used the ideals of Sant Yadav Baba whose memories were still alive in the minds of the people. Bhajans (hymns) and religious discourses etc., in the early hours of the day through public address system from the temples were used to enlighten the people. Thus, a change in the general attitude of the people was brought about by moral cleansing. This process facilitated the people of different castes and class to be at equal footings in mental/moral level and the differences among the people started sinking. Untouchable (dalits) were allowed to enter the temple and share their thoughts with others.

Selfless leadership​

Anna himself invested all the money he had (Rs. 20,000) for purchasing building materials for the temple before asking others to contribute. He started living in the temple with a resolve to remain a bachelor and broke all his family ties as a form of penance. He has not visited his parents, who live at a stone's throw distance from the Guest House, for the last 17 years. Villagers were impressed by his sense of sincerity, selflessness and sacrifice and he emerged as their undisputed leader by winning the hearts of the people.

Identification of the most pressing common problem​

The main reason of disintegration, division and distress of the village society was the lack of a sound livelihood support system. The economy of the village was agrarian and shortage of water for irrigation was the major constraint to its development. Thus, assured availability of water was collectively identified as the top priority in a meeting of villagers.

Initiating the process of change at individual level​

The Gandhian dictum is that change should begin at the level of individuals. If the individuals change, the village will change; and if the villages change, the country will change. This can be clearly observed in the approach followed in case of village Ralegan Siddhi. Stress on personal morality, abstaining from alcohol, cigarettes and from non-vegetarian foods are essential components of a voluntary personal code of conduct imposed by the community itself on the village. Besides, it has been linked with a broader vision of social morality encompassing social equality and egalitarian distribution of benefits of growth. The concept of personal morality has been chiefly drawn from Hindu religion. An oath for giving up drinking was taken up by the villagers at the temple. Personal and social morality have been interlinked nicely to serve as the foundation of the new social order. Untouchability and discrimination of dalits have been vanished.

Socialization of costs and surpluses​

In the implementation of resource management activities e.g. developing public utilities, tree planting, deepening of wells etc., voluntary labor (Shramdan) is an essential component. This has helped in socializing the costs and has helped develop a sense of belonging among the people, in addition to lowering labor costs of the activities. In addition, 25% of the surplus generated from community resources are set aside as village funds which is utilized for other community projects. Special attention is paid to the development of the deprived sections. This safety set has helped greatly in securing the participation of the resource poor farmers. Assistance to cultivation of harijan's land by better off farmers, provision of grain bank to make foodgrains available during slack periods at low cost, construction of masonry (pucca) houses for harijans with the support of community etc. have helped in reducing the disparities and strengthening the sense of togetherness.

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