PROGRAMMES
Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods
Farm- based
Livelihoods
Agriculture is the mainstay of living of the community
that we work with. Unnayan has given utmost importance on
increasing productivity, bringing wasteland under
cultivation, crop diversification and creating avenues for
irrigation. We promote village- level bodies like farmer’s
clubs that are managed by the members themselves.
Formation of Farmers Clubs/Farmers Groups to take up agriculture and other allied activities. | |
Promotion of agriculture among the tribal families to stop migration, which is rampant among this community in the lean seasons. | |
Promotion of Water User’s Associations for micro irrigation projects with farmers cooperation and active participation | |
Farm Mechanization to reduce the burden of farm work on women | |
We are looking at working on issues of integrated natural resource management with sustainable organic agriculture at the core of livelihood. |
Non- Farm Livelihoods
Livestock promotion
The community in
this area traditionally keeps some chicken and goats that
act as a buffer for the family during a crisis.
In
case of an emergency, the family sells this for immediate cash. As a result, all families know how to
bring up livestock. Through the promotion of livestock, we
are looking at the community capitalizing on this
knowledge. The aim of this programme is to impact the
lives of the beneficiaries by bringing about social and
economic change through small livestock and capacity
building. The following are the objectives of the
programme
To create livelihood opportunities in the village in order to check migration by 50 % among partner families | |
To organize people into self-sustaining informal institutions | |
To facilitate partner families develop values of mutual help and self-help | |
To empower women through these processes |
Plantations
Wastelands in the vicinity of tribal villages are the
unutilized resources having the capacity of getting
transformed into an income generating asset for the
community. These resources if tapped properly could become
a strong contributing factor to food security of the
community on sustainable basis. Unnayan could recognize
the potentiality of wasteland in turning into food basket
for the tribal communities and resilience and perseverance
of the tribal which can lead to regeneration of the barren
stony upland into green fields.
The district of Mayurbhanj has vast uplands that are
unsuitable for agriculture. Unnayan, worked intensively
over a period of six months with the communities to
develop a plan for utilizing these uplands. Commercial
plantation on these lands was the solution. The community
has planted Mango, Cashew, Bamboo, Sabai Grass etc.
Non- timber
forest-produce
Agriculture is the primary occupation of tribal families
in the district of Mayurbhanj. Since the area is rain- fed
and mono cropped, the families also depend on the forests
around them to supplement their incomes. For this, they
collect Sal (Shorea robusta) leaves from the forest and
sell them to entrepreneurs and traders who use this for
making bio- degradable and organic plates and bowls.
Micro Enterprises
Baripada Mudhi
The
Mayurbhanj Mahila Association (MMA)—an all woman
collective of puffed- rice or Mudhi producers in the
district of Mayurbhanj in Orissa in India. The cooperative
was formed in 2002 when a small group of 10 women came
together on an experimental basis to sell their mudhi
collectively. Being a part of the staple diet in the area,
mudhi is consumed in every home and hence, also prepared
in each home. Everyone was skeptical when the cooperative
first began, including the women who were a part of it.
Today, there are 150 women who are members of the
cooperative and rely on the income they earn from
producing mudhi and selling it to people all across the
state of Orissa through MMA. In July 2007, Mayurbhanj
Mahila Association acquired the trademark for their
product ‘Baripada Mudhi.
more....
Leaf plates
and cups
Tribal
families in Mayurbhanj collect leaves from the Sal trees
Traders buy these leaves from the community at very low
prices, convert them to organic plates and bowls and sell
them in the local markets and urban centres at very high
prices. In order to ensure that maximum profit reaches the
poor tribal families, Unnayan selected some marginalized
members from the community and provided then with machines
that mould these leaves into plates and cups. As a result
of this, these families are now earning an additional
average income of Rs.500/-per month for six months from
Sal leaf stitching and bowl-making vocation. Earlier
machines were being supplied by the sal leaf plate traders
on loan, as a result of which they were dictating terms
for these tribals. This was a kind of exploitation by the
traders. The people were being bonded with the traders to
supply the product at the rate fixed by them. But with the
ownership of machines, now the beneficiaries’ bargaining
power has increased, as they are no more indebted to the
traders.
Even the government has come forward to support the families in buying the molding machines
Sabai Rope- making
Effort
has been made through our project in Mayurbhanj to orient
people to bring the wasteland under cultivation of Sabai
grass (Eulaliopsis binata). Sabai is mainly sold in form
of dry grass and rope. Unnayan has supplied twisters to
some marginalized tribal families. Since sabai is a
seasonal crop and rope making is usually done at the
leisure time of the people, therefore the villagers use
the twisters on rotational basis. Sabai grass and rope has
a readymade market and people are already adapted to this
crop. There are large patches of waste land where sabai
grass can be cultivated. A large local market where supply
is well below the demand ensures that the family will
always benefit from this.