Pragati Koraput- An overview

VISION:VISION:

To build such a self-reliant society, free from hunger and exploitation, where everyone irrespective of caste, creed, sex and language have right to dignified means of livelihood and through collective action ensure socio-economic justice and ecological balance.

MISSION:MISSION:

To facilitate and strengthen vibrant people’s organizations at different levels of society that will protect, utilize, control and manage local resources and through collective action, ensure dynamic socio-economic change for sustainable development by advocating for pro-poor governance and bring women, children, tribals and downtrodden, to the mainstream of the society.

CORE VALUES CORE VALUES –Transparency in all aspects. – Commitment to render selfless service to the poor.–Accountability to the Society.–Work with team spirit.–Punctuality. –Participatory approach in all aspects. –Sensitive towards women. –Secular in spirit

Establishment – 26th January 1992

Geographical areas of operation

• Direct Intervention areas- 256 villages in 6 Blocks covering 45000 households

• Forest dependent people’s network in 14 blocks of Koraput District in association with 30 Local NGOs/POs.

• Promotion of SRI in 13 Blocks of Koraput District with 16 partner NGOs.

Concerns & Issues • Poverty & marginalization

• Undulating topography leading to land degradation and low productivity.

• Small and marginal farmers with low per capita income.

• Irregular monsoons and lack of irrigation

• One third of families are landless & vulnerable

• Food insecurity and distress migration

• Low participation in governance

• Natural Disasters like Drought, Landslide and Flashflood

Core Thematic areas of Intervention • Empowerment of People’s Organisations • Natural Resource management • Sustainable Agriculture • Empowerment of women & mainstreaming gender • Disaster Risk Reduction & climate change • Action Research & Documentation

Strategy • Working through People’ organizations • Demonstrating utilization and management of natural

resources.• Linkage with PRIs and line departments • Convergence with Govt. Programmes• Networking with NGOs and POs at local, state, national,

international level organisation.

PRAGATI KORAPUT

DIVERSION BASED IRRIGATION PROJECT

2012-15

Rationale

Rain fed Agriculture

Lack of Irrigation

Low productivity Food insecurity and low income

Lack of employment opportunities Distress Migration

Scarcity of water People drink stream water, women have to walk miles

Vast patch of land lie fallow after Kharif crops

9.30% area irrigated in Kharif and 5.48% in Rabi

Project Objectives

•To implement 50 gravity flow irrigation schemes benefiting about 1500 families through irrigation in 400 ha land in Kharif and 150 ha land in Rabi in Koraput District. •Introduce appropriate irrigated agriculture and scientific cropping practices to help the families in the command area make best use of irrigation schemes for enhancing their annual income by at least Rs 10,000/-.•Demonstrate the practicability of the flow irrigation schemes in the poverty stricken undulating and hilly regions for poverty alleviation and economic growth.  

Strategy adopted

• Community mobilisation and concept sharing.

• Project & Budget Sharing with different stakeholders

• Feasibility assessment, • Training of staff and CRPs • Estimation ,layout design, • Baseline survey of land use

practices, cropping systems, income

• Formation of user groups

Achievement • 10 Structures completed in 1st year & Irrigating

318 acres of land of 216 farmers. • 25 DBIs selected and community mobilised,

which will benefit 619 households with a potential of irrigating 778 acres of land.

• 2nd Year work completed in 6 villages and work continuing in 17 villages.

• User Groups formed in 23 villages • 12 No of trainings conducted for farmers on

crop planning and vegetable cultivation.• 8 No of exposures organised for farmers.

Impact On Livelihood •During Kharif Crop coverage area was – 211.5 acres ( Vegetables- 96.5 acres, paddy-29 acres, Ragi & millets- 41.5 acres, tuber & spice crops- 24.25 acres, oil seeds-12 acres) of 202 farmers •Average additional income per farmer ranges from 2260 - 12500•Crop coverage of Rabi – 136.3 acre (Vegetables- 135 acres, Sweet potato nursery- 1.3 acre) .• 187 farmers participated in various trainings and exposures .•Organic farming practices adopted by 46 farmers

Social Impacts •Users Groups promoted in 23 village out of this 3 villages started collection of maintenance fund. •Women access water for domestic uses in 7 villages, reducing drudgery for women. Convergence •Linkage with DRDA for digging of pipeline under MGNREGA•Banana plantation under NHM in 5 acres land .•Mobilised Vermi compost units for 44 farmers.•Linkage with CTCRI for promotion of Tuber crops in DBI areas.•Linkage with Horticulture Dept. for Drip irrigation . •Linkage with CTCRI for solar pump irrigation in one village.

INNOVATIONS Hydro Ram- •2 Hydro Ram in 2 villages- Irrigating 43 acres of land of 31 farmers.• 31.5 acres of waste land put to agriculture- farmers have earned 2260-3350 from sale of kharif crops. 22 farmers harvested orange flesh sweet potato ( 26 to 75 kg. each) and used for consumption•6 landless families do share cropping

Solar Pump set irrigation- Irrigating 17.5 acres land of 24 farmers . Average income per acre- 22,550/- from vegetable crops.

Stories from the field

Farmer name- Mana Khara ,Village- Saput, GP- Balda, Block-Nandapur Total land holding - 4 acres Land irrigated by DBI- 2 acresPrior land use- Only upland paddy and Ragi in rainy season. Land use after DBI .

Kharif Rabi

Type of crop Up land paddy Cabbage Potato Brinjal Tomato Onion Area in acres 1.5 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.2

Yield details 4.5 quintals 6.70 QNT 8 qnt 1 qnt. approximately

Approx. 1qnt.( still crop in the field) not harvested

Consumption 4.5 quintals 25 Kg. 3 qnt stock 25-30 kg. 20 kg.

Income 0(sold in bulk)

Rs.4000Rs.6000 (5 qnt)

(sold in bulk)Rs.1500 Rs.1500

Now Mana has also planted summer crops like lady finger and ridge gourd. Previously Mana used to only grow only paddy and ragi,only for consumption now he has diversity of crops and for the first time he has started growing and selling vegetables. He says that due to water in the village farmers are now growing vegetables.

Stories from the Field • Padalput village in Chatwa Panchayat consists of 30 households. The Katnisua DBI

Project, diverting the water of Mundajholla now irrigates 19 acres land of 24 beneficiaries.

• Total cost of the project is Rs. 2,63,191 out of which beneficiary contribution is Rs. 1,15,108 in terms of labour .

• During the Kharif 19 farmers cultivated paddy, Ragi, and vegetables like brinjal, beans, tomato ,carrot, cabbage and chilly. ( Vegetables- 8 acres, Paddy- 5.5 acres, Ragi & millets- 1 acre, tuber and spice crops- 2 acres). ( The income ranges from 3500- 7500) by selling crops. Now, for the first time in the current Rabi season 14 farmers including 4 landless families have grown vegetables like cabbage, potato, brinjal, bitter gourd in 10.5 acres. Harvest has not yet started.

• Women are now using water for domestic uses.

Challenges • Community mobilization for

contribution • Handholding support to user groups• Skill building (Maintenance of Structure/institution)• Conflict management• Timely availability of resources.• Open grazing

Visitors & Exposures