Find organisations who work and support Resource Centres for livestock Conservation
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The Jharkhand state has 22 Districts. Each District has got 15 to 20 Blocks with 100 to 150 villages per block. Khunti has got only one Veterinary Clinic with just one or two Veterinary Doctors. It is always difficult for block level government veterinary clinics to provide services to all the villages (144 villages) at times of need. Many a times villagers don't get services at the government clinics, reason the doctors are visiting in the field or closed for holiday.
The sufferers are the tribal people and animals, tribal people are neither educated nor empowered. Their animals are always left to die without medicinal support/ care, which leads to the spreading of diseases amongst the other animals - this is common in Jharkhand. Also due to frustration and for not able to provide medical assistance to the ill animals, they are treated traditionally and left on their fate.
We are trying to develop and build a Resource and Treatment Centre for the local community to make them understand about the value of animals beyond their economic value, and educate how humane farming and animal care can help provide a sustainable livelihood for the people.
Although we have undertaken and continues to undertake a number of activities in Khunti, the Resource and Treatment Centre is the keystone of its activities for animals and human population, through working closely with the local community, and by providing a high level of assistance. Our goal is to establish a self-sufficient and self-sustaining Resrouce Centre on livestock farming in Khunti.
We have a Building as seen in the photo Gallery under My Village Section - We have one Big hall of 12 feet by 40 feet long, one single room and Office Room with Clinical room attached -
When we talk about developing a Resource Centre - meaning a start-up Information centre. In earlier documents we talked about department approach, but this will come at a later stage.
What is required is decorating the Big Hall with all the required information in livestock management and care - the information that we have from the Birsa agriculture University- Ranchi. Local livestock problems and its solutions are available in the form of book.
We will require resources to prepare and develop the Awareness material using the same information and place it in that Hall. We can also make slide presentations.
For carrying this activity we should have at least one full time Project Coordinator who will work with the villagers in training, convincing about the best practices community can adopt. Providing information about government programs and helping them guiding good projects as per their capacity. He/she will be acting as a bridge between the community and Government for tying up the govt. programs at the village level.
One Supervisor cum Para Vet who is trained and aware of all the aspects of the project - he/she will be present at the Resource Centre, full time, for providing information and also working as a para vet so that time to time can vaccinate and treat the animals coming to the centre.
Project Coordinator can work as a liaisoning officer - Time to time - like once in a month we can invite the Block level Veterinary Doctor, Agriculture officer, NGO professionals working in Khunti and various other professionals as required by the project.
Later we start the Department Approach - cause to form the Departments and to get the community members fully involved in the project we should have some ongoing activity.
I think this is the First step we can take up to start with - We can work out the budget for -
A Project Co-ordinator
A Para Vet cum Supervisor
With best regards,
Praveen Ohal
Hi
I hope this link helps...it offers to coordinate with corporate sponsorships in all areas including animal husbandry and agriculture. It claims to have independent funds too. Please do check it out.
http://www.indianngos.com/ngos/pradan.htm
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Sarita
Dear Sarita,
Thanks for your inputs and thoughts, I am not aware about your country of residence and knowledge about rural people or rural life in India. I am running two projects in India - one in Ranchi and second one in Maharashtra state. I also work for a USA based company, recently three months back I came back from states after spending six months.
I did spend almost six years from 2001 to 2007 and still visit Khunti regularly - My experience and qualification in the field of Rural Development is not much but studied a lot about the people and their life in this region.
When we started the task - Find organisations who work and support Resource Centres for livestock Conservation - there is study behind this task - if we discuss and see the possible solution to develop this resource centre with information and if we TRY FINDING ORGANISATION´S who support this kind of activity, we can carry on lot many things, once the system starts running.
In India, in rural part, there are 100´s of organisation´s like PRADAN working for last 20 to 30 years in developing the life of the rural people, however the problem is still there.
My studies for these people (rural people) says - educate them, make them aware, provide information, develop interest, build their knowledge and database - give them exposure of the outside world, SEE they themselves will start doing things.
My studies says, don´t feed them - show them the path, teach them how to acheive but not waste resources for years and years doing the same things.
I hope you understand what I would like to convey, if we work in any way to find such organisation´s or corporates willing to invest in Khunti, it will be a new ray of hope for the entire region.
Hence please see, we all can work on finding organisation´s or groups working to support activities like ours.
with best regards,
Praveen
Hi Praveen
On the one hand you say that you want to empower the villagers from the inside, make them "aware" etc etc - nothing new in what you say. Then you indicate that you are looking for organizational or corporate help in doing so. Again nothing new in that. We in India have always looked outwards for assistance - never at our own strengths, willingness and abilities. When I suggest that you plant trees which you get from Govt orgs for free, I get a complaint that the villagers don't want to get involved and are not motivated. When I suggest you introduce the villagers to us as individuals so that we can understand what each of their concerns are as well assess what their potential inputs could be, there is silence.
You want both funding and staff to come from outside, from rich sponsors - when it is the villagers who should think of ways to generate both. There is much that can be done, but not in the way you envisage.
Best Wishes
Sarita
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Sarita
Dear Sarita,
Thank you very much for your inputs and observations, I agree all your points BUT if you read my last post about my earlier and current involvement with the Khunti villagers - you want me to do all that meeting the government offices, getting saplings, get people to plant and make sure that the saplings grow - you mean you need one person full time doing this activity for the villagers?? so you need man power isn't it? and you want me to do that but not any other person who will be paid for doing this.
If I know what you do and where are you from then I think it will be easy to understand the ground level work - how much efforts it requires to ANYTHING.
This means if If now I am working to take care of my family and spend one or two hours in developing Khunti voluntarily - I SHOULD STOP THIS???
Thanks
with best regards,
Praveen
Remember Praveen, it is YOU who volunteered for the task and who ever told you that it was going to be easy? NO, I did not say that one person (you) should be doing all this for the villagers. In fact, refer to an earlier email in which I suggested that you do a house to house recce to find someone FROM THE VILLAGE, possibly the most educated youth to assist you and to inspire the community to greater involvement! Obviously you are are NOT reading as carefully as you should!
It is not necessary to know anything more about me - excepting that I too have assisted in setting up a women's initiative in Karnataka and it was NOT easy to get past the reservations of the menfolk who wanted their women at home, not weaving, making honey or stitching clothes to augment their incomes and be independent enough to stand up to their husbands bullying and beatings! BUT when the village headman saw the progress, little by little, brought on by the women THEMSELVES...first one girl only, then her mother and aunt and then slowly more and more...and saw that this was indeed progress and the money only went to educating their children and enriching their community in many ways..HE was the one who came forward and made the village a prosperous one! And we had the women speak to him whenever they could, so that he knew that it was a change THEY wanted and not something thought up by "outsiders". THIS is what I am trying to get you to understand, it has to be from the villagers themselves, not an employee!
BUT again, unlike you - we did not whine about our 2 women initiative (for that is exactly what it was) - we did what we had to and we did it tirelessly and well!
Try it - instead of looking out for HUGE sponsorship to make your life easy and give you a fat salary to look after your family!!
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Sarita
Hi Sarita,
First of all we thank and congratulate you for your interest in khunti.
Thank you very much for the posting - however we are in touch with Pradan, they have presence in Khunti but they are not interested in helping us as they work independently in various fields.
I am still trying to work out with Pradan if Pradan and HOPE can do anything jointly. However I haven't heard from the Ranchi Cheif Mr Acharya (who is incharge of Khunti)
Thank and hope to receive more suggestions from you in future
with many kind regards,
Praveen
Hi Praveen
I am sorry to learn that Pradan does not believe in working jointly on issues of such vital importance to the community. I will continue to search for other resources. In the meantime - would you consider speaking wuth cooperatives like Amul in Gujarat and others in Punjab to send farmers (not "experts" or university professors, but farmers who are involved with livestock) to advise Khunti farmers on how to improve their facilities? I feel that if farmers spoke with farmers, there would be a more positive response as each group would understand the other's problems perfectly. A group of men from Gujarat or Punjab could be guests of the Khunti villagers for one week or 10 days while there is information and technique sharing. What do you think? If you approve, I could start some sort of dialogue with some Cooperatives in India.
Best Wishes
Sarita
Dear Sarita,
Thanks for your suggestion - This is a good suggestion but I think this suggestion won't work in our case as we have a very small group of villagers doing this work. No one would send the group for five families.
What our group would like to concentrate is developing and Building the Resources to have easy access to the farmer's at their door step. We would like to have the information centre for each and every kind of livestock used in the region - so that we can help them in everything from breeding, care, treatment, Market information etc.
We already have a building and we are thinking of making use of that building to provide all this information/ resources to the villagers.
When we talk about developing a Resource Centre - meaning a start-up Information centre. What is required is decorating the Big Hall with all the required information in livestock management and care - the information that we have from the Birsa agriculture University- Ranchi. Local livestock problems and its solutions are available in the form of book.
We will require resources to prepare and develop the Awareness material using the same information and place it in that Hall. We can also make slide presentations.
For carrying this activity we should have at least one full time Project Coordinator who will work with the villagers in training, convincing about the best practices community can adopt. Providing information about government programs and helping them guiding good projects as per their capacity. He/she will be acting as a bridge between the community and Government for tying up the govt. programs at the village level.
One Supervisor cum Para Vet who is trained and aware of all the aspects of the project - he/she will be present at the Resource Centre, full time, for providing information and also working as a para vet so that time to time can vaccinate and treat the animals coming to the centre.
Project Coordinator can work as a liaisoning officer - Time to time - like once in a month we can invite the Block level Veterinary Doctor, Agriculture officer, NGO professionals working in Khunti and various other professionals as required by the project.
What do you think of this proposal - can we work on this slowly from decorating and developing the resources and later go for manpower
Thanks
with best regards,
Praveen
Hi Praveen
Sure - I am willing to with what you say since you are onsite and know what is best for the village. Could you let me know where to start?
Best Wishes
Sarita
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Sarita
Bravo Ken for not giving up.
I agree with Praveen as what he is saying is that we cannot go to the villages but someone has to take the knowledge and information to the village and get it into their minds and their hands. All of us on the website do all this info circulating among us but it never gets to the villages. I mail farming DVDs and they sit in some office somewhere. After it is all over, we have accomplished nothing unless one family in the village is helped. I will not stop trying but it is depressing. I have personally been to villages and taught so I speak from experience.
Ken
So What do we do now?
If the villagers are not willing to change and help themselves, it is hopeless.
0-till farming spread in Southern Mexico and Central America by the farmers teaching farmers. It works. You do not need offices, etc. Someone teachs a few farmers and then it spreads among the farmers.
The key to improved livestock production is improved forages for the animals. This can be natural grazing or each farmer can grow forages for his/her livestock. When an animal eats poor forage, there is poor production. Animals eating very poorly get sick; well fed animals rarely get sick. When the animal eats well, there is good production. During the dry season use bucket drip irrigation to grow forages.
I am ready to help with advice and information, dvds, etc when the villagers are ready to help themselves. I spent three weeks in India teaching.
Dear Ken,
I am ready to give five to six hours weekly but I have seen that - it does not work unless you have someone working at the ground level.
with best regards,
Praveen
Some one in the village makes a demonstration bed to show the people that organic, 0-till farming works. Demonstrate the use of the bucket drip system and how they can continue to grow food during the dry season if they are willing to carry water to the farm.
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
Dear Ken,
Thank you for all the DVD’s you sent me. Thank you for all the info. I am applying it in my own vegetable patch. It is working. Got half a pocket of potatoes off a square metre. So would imagine about 10 pounds per square yard. This off previously dead low, carbon soil. Sure next crop will be better. Got yams coming up on same spot already. Want to plant herbs and spices. I will send photos.
Your advise is so simple. People do not believe me when I tell them. I am so excited about growing things now. This coming from a commercial plum farmer. May you be blessed this holy season a thousand times more than you blessed me with you help.Jeremy Karsen, middagkrans@mwebbiz.co.za
Project room: Kyomya, Uganda
We have been working on improving farming techniques for almost a year. Unfortunately, the farmers are planting small plots of land that only feed their family. There is no other choice but to try new techniques to improve the output of their plot. Ken Hargesheimer suggested the "no till" farming techniques as well as the "drip system". Both have proven effective at increasing produc-tion by at least 5 fold. The time is now for Kyomya to become a model agricultural village. [nabuur.com]