PEOPLES’ VOICESPEOPLES’ VOICES

Presentation by : Dr. Sai Bhaskar Reddy N

One Day Consultations workshop on Climate Change One Day Consultations workshop on Climate Change

July 28th 2004July 28th 2004

MSSRF - SDCMSSRF - SDC

PARTICIPANTSPARTICIPANTS

The participants include

farmers, representatives

of farmers’ cooperatives,

NGOs and also from

National / International

development agencies.

PRIMARY PRIMARY STAKEHOLERSSTAKEHOLERS

PRIMARY PRIMARY STAKEHOLERSSTAKEHOLERS

AGRICULTUREAGRICULTURE

Subsidy should be given for short duration

crops and the seeds of the species that

need less water & also practice of crop

rotation should be encouraged

- Mr. Aga Reddy, Karimnagar

AGRICULTURE ADAPTABILITY AGRICULTURE ADAPTABILITY POLICYPOLICY

The government should regulate the

cultivation of paddy based on the water

resources availability in an area and conserve

the ground water. This might be the only way

in improving ground water levels, particularly in

drought prone areas.

- Mr. Narayana reddy, Nalgonda

Due to deforestation, the drought problem has

got aggravated and that has led to mass exodus of

people from rural to urban centers.

People are shifting out of agriculture and taking up other

means of livelihood activities due to lack of water.

In this context food security has become another

important issue

- Mr. Sheshagiri Rao, Bharat Krishak Samaj Mahabubnagar

DEFORESTATIONDEFORESTATION

MITIGATIONMITIGATION

Integrated approach should be taken up to

tackle the climate change In the country people

are suffering from both drought and floods.

- Mr. Ramulu, Mahaboob Nagar

MIGRATIONMIGRATION Increase in migration in our village due to lack

of rains, the agricultural labor are migrating

to urban areas now unlike earlier where they

use to have enough livelihood opportunities in

agriculture activity.

- Mr. Balaram Reddy, Karimnagar

IMMIGRANTS IMMIGRANTS

Due to successive drought and lack of any

livelihood in the villages, people are forced to

migrate to the urban centers and a new

breed of urban poor are evolving.

- Mr. Narayana reddy, Nalgonda

SUMMARY – PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERSSUMMARY – PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS

Importance of bringing together all the stake holders to

tackle climate change

Educating and training the farmers and other stakeholders

on scientific practices. Need to bring change in the

mindset of people

Shifting from awareness to understanding and leading

into action. Government intervention in regulating the

usage of ground water in order to conserve it.

SECONDARY SECONDARY STAKEHOLDERSSTAKEHOLDERS

SECONDARY SECONDARY STAKEHOLDERSSTAKEHOLDERS

RAINFALLRAINFALL

According to the reports, there is no change in

the total rain fall in the country. However, there

is a shift in the areas of the rain fall. As

such, the areas under the rain fall zone are slowly

going into the rain shadow zone. The reasons for

this shift in rain fall have to be analyzed.

- Ms Jasveen Jairath, SACI Waters Hyderabad

RAIN WATER HARVESTINGRAIN WATER HARVESTING

The use of rain water harvesting measures has

helped them to tide rough patches. Need to bring

change in behavior and practices As part of

adaptation.

- Mr. Satya Bhoopal, REEDS, Mahabubnagar

FOREST & GROUND WATERFOREST & GROUND WATERProtection of forests helped in ensuring ground

water protection.

The network in Ananthapur promoted digging bore

wells jointly by 3 or 4 farmers has helped in

ground water conservation.

In their region they dug only 11 bore wells for

90 families. There is need for strict regulations for

forests and ground water Management.

- Mr. Balaram, APPS, Anantapur district

FARMERS COMMITING FARMERS COMMITING SUICIDESSUICIDES

80% of the cultivable land in Anantapur

District is dependant on rains. Due to lack

of rainfall there is increase in migration. In

the year 1998, 424 farmers committed

suicides

- Ms. Bhanuja, REDS , Kadiri

NATURE AS CPRNATURE AS CPR

People are themselves responsible for the

changes in the climate. As people are considering

nature as a common property.

it is for us to find a solution to solve the

climate change problems.

- Mr. Prem kumar, SWSC, Prakasam

LIVELIHOODSLIVELIHOODS While dealing with the livelihoods and dwindling

number of working days in the farm sector and

the subsequent effects of decrease in the minimum

wages. This is one of the by products of the climatic

change. The livelihoods options in the areas they are

working are getting reduced drastically. With the farm

sector going down due to lack of water, there is heavy rush

towards the off farm sector livelihoods which are

very limited.

- Mr. Vasu, SARD, Ananthapur

TRAFFICKING OF WOMENTRAFFICKING OF WOMEN

Due to successive drought the trafficking of

women is on the increase. There is also an

increase in the number of local Commercial

sex workers too. There is rise in HIV +ve

cases too.

- Ms. Bhanuja, REDS , Kadiri

ABOUT CHANGE & MITIGATIONABOUT CHANGE & MITIGATION

Farmers are not averse to change and are

ready to adapt to new technologies in tune with

the changing times.

The mitigation efforts to reduce the agricultural

losses sustained through floods and drought

should be in place.

- Mr. Guruva Reddy, Federation of Farmers

Association, Hyderabad

POLLUTIONPOLLUTION

Pollution as a reason for the climatic changes.

The government policies have a lot of

influence on the pollution levels, in particular with

the industrial pollution which has a direct

bearing on the climatic changes.

- Ms Jasveen Jairath, SACI Waters Hyderabad

NGO’S ROLENGO’S ROLE There is need of the NGO’s to intervene in

helping the farming community and also

in helping them to adapt scientific

measures and crop management

techniques.

- Dr. J Premchand, APPS Anantapur district

SOME ACTION POINTSSOME ACTION POINTS Needs assessment survey on climate change and

its impact in selected villages.

Should work in limited number of districts for

developing a model and piloting that could be scaled

up to others.

Prioritizing the interventions in the selected districts

Documentation of experiences - traditional and latest

- G. Pakki Reddy, AP Netherlands Biotechnology project, IPE,

Hyderabad

OPEN SESSION POINTS - AGRICULTUREOPEN SESSION POINTS - AGRICULTURE

Climatic changes have direct bearing on

Agriculture.

Agriculture sector is neglected although it

contributes maximum to the economy of the

country. Meager funds are allocated to deal

with natural disasters linked to climate

change.

OPEN SESSION – ACTION OPEN SESSION – ACTION POINTSPOINTS

§ MSSRF and partners should segregate the

issues as they differ from place to place and

should help in bringing out an action plan.

§ Involvement of various stakeholders for

effective planning and implementation

was stressed.

§ All the participants stressed the issue of viewing this

with a long-term perspective.

WE WANT SECUREWE WANT SECUREWE WANT SECUREWE WANT SECURE