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Rural Development Activities in India
Today, over 400,000 beneficiaries across 900 villages in four states (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan) have organised themselves into more than 1400 village-level institutions. AKDN's rural development efforts started in the early 1980s when the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme(AKRSP) was established in Gujarat. Rural development programmes seek to contribute to rural poverty reduction through community involvement and empowerment that leads to the efficient management and improved productivity of natural resources. Today, over 400,000 beneficiaries across 900 villages in four states (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan) have organised themselves into more than 1400 village-level institutions.
Introduction
Firmly committed to reducing rural poverty in the semi-arid region of India, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and its partners are working to improve rural livelihoods in select and environmentally degraded areas in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
These are states characterised by erratic rainfall, depleting or contaminated groundwater, poor soil conditions and prone to natural calamities, primarily affecting agricultural incomes, still the mainstay of India’s predominantly rural economy.
The profile of livelihoods in India, especially in these states shows that agriculture and animal husbandry still remain the main sources of livelihood for rural communities, though there is a significant shift to non-farm sectors such as mining and quarrying, construction and manufacturing during periods of drought.
The ultimate goal is for communities to have the confidence to make informed choices from a range of appropriate options that leads to sustainable and equitable development.
AKDN's rural development programmes in India include community federations that have been promoted by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India). Increasingly, these federations are taking over the roles and responsibilities of AKRSP (I) in promoting and strengthening community institutions at the village level. Support for watershed development activities by rural beneficiaries has given rise to savings amongst beneficiaries of 28.2 million rupees (US$ 622,222), increased amounts of water for drinking and irrigation, higher agricultural productivity, greater capability to cope with drought and lower payments to moneylenders. Community-based irrigation management, efficient water resource management and joint forest management approaches have been successfully piloted. A 1995-2000 impact study undertaken in certain areas showed beneficiaries’ incomes increased between 40 and 80 percent, while expenditure on food increased by 85 percent. Female literacy levels rose by 10 percent while distress migration declined from 80 percent to 35 percent and distress migration declined from 150 to 90 days per year.
Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Rural Livelihoods
The poor have meagre holdings or access to land, little or no capital and off-farm employment is seasonal. It is almost impossible for farmers to secure credit and loans needed to purchase agricultural inputs except at prohibitive rates from private moneylenders leading to risk-prone farming. Markets are under-developed or difficult to access. Extension services are few and far between, and development initiatives aimed specifically at their needs is sparse.
Promoting Self-Reliance
A central strategy of the rural livelihoods approach is to put people at the centre of development, thereby increasing the effectiveness of development assistance and therefore improving performance in poverty reduction. Involving the poor results in local empowerment, which in turn leads to opportunities for local leadership, including that of women, to emerge. These leaders play a critical role in bringing about and sustaining development and consequent social change such as pluralism, public participation and democratic principles. Village institutions form the basis of community organisation and function through ‘Village Development Committees,’ comprising of representatives of all communities in the village (including at least 30 percent women’s representation). These Committees develop village development plans and work closely with the Panchayat (the lowest unit of the government that functions at the village level).
Other community organisations such as farmers’ federations and women’s self-help groups also facilitate the process of community driven development. These institutions work best if they have some independent means of sustaining themselves which is usually enabled by introducing them to micro-credit schemes. For example, a women’s federation in Bharuch district in Gujarat state recently accessed a loan-based scheme for animal husbandry. Likewise, federations of farmers groups have considerably reduced agriculture input costs (seeds, fertilisers and pesticides) through bulk purchases based on demand from member institutions, simultaneously ensuring the quality of inputs supplied. These organisations have also contributed to improved cropping techniques, rational use of fertilisers and the adoption of appropriate low-cost technologies.
Communities eventually go on to form "apex institutions" (federations of various community institutions) at the block (a unit of a district) and "taluka" (a unit of a block) level. These institutions also act as forums where regional issues are discussed and solutions formulated. These institutions also dialogue with the government and other agencies (including banks) to get access to and benefit from various schemes.
Skills Development
In addition to institution building, programme activities also include human resource development including skills development to build up the skills base of villagers, especially women. For example, in the Netrang programme area of Bharuch district, women have been trained to repair and maintain hand-pumps. In another area women have been trained as masons. Communities receive organisation and financial management training to support the effectiveness and sustainability of village-level institutions, and key resource people are provided with technical skills to plan, implement and maintain the development activities. The ultimate goal is for people in the participating communities to have the access, confidence and competence to make informed choices from a range of appropriate development options.
In 2001 alone, over 300 training programmes benefited almost 6000 villagers, 64 % of which were women. These were essentially to increase awareness about savings and credit programmes, provide exposure to ‘model’ villages and orient rural communities to the principles of natural resources management. In addition, over 50 NGOs and 400 government staff have also been trained in various participatory processes.
Creating Rural Assets
Institutional structures are created at the village level through which the rural poor can prioritise their needs and decide how best to manage common resources. Communities build personal and community capital through efficient management of their natural resource base such as water storage and enhanced water use efficiency , irrigation systems, soil conservation or forestry. These efforts include the construction of small scale infrastructure, such as check-dams, irrigation canals and water harvesting structures or agricultural storage facilities.
Assets thus created often result in more than just increased income generation. AKDN’s rural development programmes have benefited over 300,000 households in over 1,000 villages in western and central India since 1983. Development activities have ensured more water for drinking and irrigation, higher agricultural productivity and rural incomes (including household savings), greater resilience to droughts and the ability to manage the natural resource base better.
With over 10,000 households now accessing assured sources of safe drinking water, women have benefited significantly. Since they no longer have to walk long distances to collect water, the time saved can now be spent with family or education of their children. Alternatively they have more time for income generation activities. Health improvements due to improved diets and access to safe drinking water also lead to a reduction in the costs of medicines and trips to the doctor. Similarly, the number of days of illness has been reduced by 50 percent (down to 15 days per year, as compared to about 30 days per year earlier).
Sustainability and Partnerships
Long-term commitment is the key to creating sustainable impact. Consequently rural development programmes in India have now run 20 years and helped create replicable models that can be quickly adapted to a variety of contexts; as well as long-term relationships with donor agencies and peer organisations for the mobilisation of funds, human resources and expertise.
In terms of organisational elements, programmes are usually area-based programmes that serve a defined population, are implemented over a long time frame and at a significant scale and are characterised by comparatively thorough coverage of all of the population within their target area.
Ensuring sustainable impact requires consistent efforts over considerable time periods. In the case of rural development programmes, this has meant at least ten years of concerted efforts at the grassroots level before results and subsequent impact on the quality of life of the poor is visible for all to see.
Rural Development Partners
