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successful case of participatory watershed management at Ralegan Siddhi Village in district Ahmadnagar, Maharastra, India*B. Mishra<em>**</em>AbstractIn 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 IndiaBreakdown of traditional sustainable systemsPeople'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".Cont.........................
B. Mishra<em>**</em>
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.
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".
Cont.........................
