Enhancing Livelihood and quality of life by providing drinking water and irrigation to small and marginal poor farmers

Supported by SDTT, Mumbai

Grameen Sahara(In Support of Sustainable Livelihood)

Enhancing Livelihood and Quality of life by providing Drinking water and Irrigation to small and Marginal Poor Farmers under DBI Project

Objectives-

a) To provide irrigation facilities to the small and needy farmers.

b) To increase production through use of lands available in multi-cropping practice

c) To improve the food and nutritional security of the target families; d) To introduce System of Crop Intensification practices in various crops;

e) To reduce drudgery for the women f) To organize farmers to water user and producers’ groups and finally organizing them into a vegetable producers’ entity; g) To facilitate marketing the surplus produces through market linkage

Overview _DBI projects implemented by Grameen Sahara

Phase-I Phase-II Phase-III

Year 2009-2010 2011-2013 2013-2015

Type Canal Pipe Pipe

Fund (Lakh) 24.81 27.39 72.73

Village 9 4 10

Family 1750 398 1000

Area Covered(Acre) 500 135 335

Location wise stretchLocation Pipes (Mtr)

Bargarang 2964

Tulsibari 2682

Jupangbari 1986

Sanyashipara 1590

Bargaonpara 1860

Sengmari 1350

Barmohora (Old location ) 2120Balijuri (Old location ) 1130Muduki (Old location ) 2225Goalpara (Yet to be installed) 1950Total 19857

CoverageName of village Development

block District No. of families

coveredArea of land

covered (Bighas)Area of land

covered (Acre)Bargarang Chayani

Barduar Kamrup 115 89 29.67

Tulsibari Chayani Barduar

Kamrup 85 128 42.66

Jupangbari Chayani Barduar

Kamrup 105 90 30.00

Sanyashipara Chhaygaon Kamrup 93 98 32.67

Bargaonpara Chhaygaon Kamrup 100 77 25.66

Badakha Kushdhowa Goalpara 87 119 39.65

Sengmari Krishnai Goalpara 102 94 31.33

Balijuri (Old) Chhaygaon Kamrup 96 119 39.66

Muduki (Old) Rani Kamrup 112 86 28.66

Barmohora (Old)

Krishnai Goalpara 105 106 35.33

Total 1000 1006 335.29

Community contribution in the form of labor

Sl.No

.

Name of DBI location

Length of trench (Mtr.)

Total quantity of earth excavated (Cum)

Community

contribution

(Rs)

1 Bargarang 2326 995.06 97200

2 Bargaonpara 1844 788.86 108000

3 Sanyashipara 2014 861.59 92000

4 Tulsibari 1758 752.07 98500

5 Jupangbari 1488 636.57 98280

6 Sengmari 1342 574.11 94000

Irrigated area before DBI (Acre)

Location Kharif Rabi Summer Total

Bargarang 0 0 0 0

Tulsibari 3.5 2.5 2.5 8.5

Jupangbari 3 2 2 7

Sanyashipara 0 0 0 0

Bargaonpara 0 0 0 0

Sengmari 0 0 0 0

Balijuri 1.5 3 1 5.5

Muduki 2 1 0 3

Barmohora 2 2 0 4

Total 12 10.5 5.5 28

Irrigation potential generated after DBI (Acre)

Location Kharif Rabi Summer Total Additional income generated per acre due

to irrigation facility

Bargarang 29 12.5 7 48.5 16375

Tulsibari 42 14 11 67 12832

Jupangbari 30 13 9 52 7120

Sanyashipara 32 8 7 47 8060

Bargaonpara 25 7.5 9 41.5 8565

Sengmari 31 11.5 7 49.5 5600

Balijuri 39 16 7 62 59450

Muduki 28 19 5 52 55500

Barmohora 35 21 14 70 47800

ImpactThis DBIS encouraged the farmers to expand the

areas of cultivable land.The beneficiaries have started to use their

homesteads in various agricultural activities even in dry season also.

This assured irrigation facility has increased the involvement of the farmers (male and female) in farming activities.

It has increased their households’ income and their nutritional status has also been improved.

Achievement of DBI Project• 335 acres of land of 1000 small farmers of 10 different villages of Kamrup,

Kamrup Metro and Goalpara districts of Assam has been brought under this project.

• 122 acres of land for Rabi and 76 acres for summer crops have been brought

under this Diversion Based Irrigation system in project areas. • 10 WUGs and 30 farmers’ groups and 22 women SHGs have been formed and

along with the technical training they have been trained on proper maintenance of pipe system and they have been also given some tips on crop planning and punctuality for better distribution of water among the farmers and now they are functioning in a better way.

• SRI has been introduced with the farmers for better production of paddy in the project areas.

Activities performed

Land Mapping at the Locations

Trench Digging Through Community Contribution

Transparency

Balijuri Tulsibari

Community in actions (Pipes Laying)

Head Work

Capacity Building Training

Class room & in the field

Capacity Building of team members and FEW

Inauguration

Community Utilization

Seedlings with EM1 distribution: Inaugurated by CEO of Grameen Sahara

Proper utilization of water

Crops in the DBI fields

Representatives from SDTT & other organization in the DBI villages

Impact on women

The women have got the relieves from going distant sources for bathing and fetching water as the water is now available at their door steps.

The women have also started to use their spare timein agricultural activities in their kitchen garden andthey have been able to help to increase the income oftheir family .

The women empowerment in terms of health andfamily welfare, decision in income spending has begunto improve step by step.

Major challenges

• It is possible to implement pipe based DBI project only in the places where there is a source.

• Some good sources are there but the distance from the source to the village is very long. We are not sure about its feasibility.

• In many places the number of families in less and it causes more proportionate investment.

• In the places where we work the number of Job card holders is less so linking with MGNRAGA has been a challenge for us although we have the scope of using Job card.

• In some locations the availability of water has decreased drastically although at the time of survey - one or two years back – we found high LPS.

• Although the production of various crops has increased post DBI implementation, the marketing has remained a problem as some locations are very remote and market accessibility is difficult.

• Resolving conflict (When water decreases) has been a big challenge. Drastic change in availability of water places us in an odd situation.

• Water is extensively used for drinking purpose and also for livestock although water is not safe for drinking.

Suggestions

• Suggestion and support may be given from DBI secretariat on the issue of long distance from the source to village. Will it be feasible?

• It would work on sustainability of water source if step on catchment area development - like extensive plantation - is taken,

• Do we need to examine the storage tank devise created near the source as we have experienced that discharge of water has decreased drastically, is it caused by the change of its course? If, so how we go about it?

• Creation of Mini lifting devices from perennial sources like rivers, preferably through solar energy, may be explored.

• DBI could be linked to drinking water and sanitation project in almost all locations.

Thank YouSri Amiya Kr. Das