Till about a decade ago, Shyampur village in Karauli district of Rajasthan, India, was a place where most of the potentially cultivable land remained barren due to the absence of irrigation water. The shortage of water kept people occupied for much of the day merely arranging drinking water for themselves and their animals. Cash earnings depended to a large extent on migration or on mining work, which provided some income but also exposed people to several diseases.
Today, most of the cultivable land has been brought under cultivation. In fact, about three-fourths of the land being cultivated now was brought under cultivation in recent years, villagers told me. This has largely been made possible by the creation of nearly 18 rainwater conservation and collection structures in the village, including small ponds, and the renovation and repair of nearly 14 existing structures that had fallen into disuse due to lack of maintenance. In addition, a much larger water tank has been desilted and cleaned so that it can absorb more water. A solar water pumping system has helped create a drinking water supply for most village homes.
Anita, who has been at the forefront of women’s increased participation in development activities here, says, “With water came many changes. On the one hand, we had water to cultivate more land. On the other, we women were freed from the drudgery of spending the entire day arranging water. This gave us time to cultivate more land and improve farming.”
The fertile silt from the desilted tank was taken to farms, improving soil fertility. Thanks to nearly 32 new and repaired water structures, the water table has been rising, wells have more water, and soil moisture conservation has improved. Farm animals can graze and feed better, and there is greater potential for growing more than one crop. Under these more conducive conditions, efforts to improve cultivation using natural farming methods are increasing and proving more successful. As women repeatedly said during a group discussion, costs have been reduced while healthier food is being produced, which also helps reduce disease. Lalita and other women expressed high hopes that their membership in a women farmer-producer group will further improve their livelihood prospects.
People in the village are very thankful to the voluntary organisation SRIJAN for undertaking multi-dimensional development initiatives, particularly those related to water, which have brought about such significant change. Mukesh, a young member of the SRIJAN team, says, “Initially it was very difficult to organise even a small meeting here, especially of women. But when villagers noticed our sincerity, they began to cooperate, and today there is strong cooperation.”
The group discussion in this village, located in Mandarayal development block, was a happy one, with women and men often breaking into laughter, reflecting the new-found prosperity based on increased cultivation and better access to land. Yet the legacy of earlier distress remains. If one visits some isolated homes of landless households, old men suffering from mining-related diseases can still be found. Alongside the encouraging development initiatives, helping these distressed persons would be an important step towards ensuring care and support for all.
In another village of the same development block, Garhi, the shadow of distress hangs more heavily over our smaller meeting. Chhoti is a widow who is increasingly finding it difficult to meet even her most basic needs. Kenti Devi is deeply worried about her husband’s recent illness; he works in a dusty mine. The women I met here have extremely small landholdings. Where, then, can one find hope in such conditions?
Yet hope persists, because these women are still trying in various ways to improve their livelihoods, sometimes achieving small successes. These may not seem impressive to outsiders, but in their own lives they bring a ray of happiness and light a lamp of hope.
Kenti Devi, instead of sitting overwhelmed by distress, is actively working to bring a piece of rocky land under cultivation. This land was barren until recently; now it supports grain and millet crops, several vegetable plants, and young fruit trees, all grown using natural farming methods. She proudly shows me every part of her garden, her face glowing with happiness. For the moment, she seems to have forgotten the many problems in her life.
She has gone a step further. With the help of SRIJAN, she has started a bio-resource or natural farming centre, where she prepares good-quality organic fertiliser using local resources. This not only helps her farm to be cultivated in ecologically protective ways but also supports neighbouring farms. It reduces dependence on purchased market inputs and lowers costs, which is especially important for small and marginal farmers.
Thus, hope remains alive even amid very adverse conditions. However, much more needs to be done for those facing extreme hardship, such as Kenti Devi and Chhoti. Those in more fortunate circumstances should increasingly stand in solidarity with people like Kenti, who need support to move their villages forward on the path of justice and environmental protection.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, A Day in 2071, and Man over Machine
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