We Do
GVT engages in various aspects of development. These include:
Besides these programmes, GVT is implementing different projects of State Governments and GOI on partnership basis. Some of these projects are
WIRFP
* Watershed Development Project in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat;
* Livelihood Enhancement Project in Gujarat;
* Swa Shakti Project in Gujarat;
* Training of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) under Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat,
* Haryali project in Gujarat and Rajasthan,
* Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojna (RSVY) and National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) in Gujarat,
* Livelihood Improvement with Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project (MPRLP),
* Production Enhancement Programme of European Union and others.
EIRFP
* Watershed Management in Jharkhand,
* Women Empowerment in Jharkhand under Jharkhand Tribal Development Society (JTDS),
* Swamsiddiha in Jharkhand,
* Western Orissa Rural Livelihood Project, Poorest Area Civil Society (PACS) Programme of DFID,
* Evaluation of Forest Development Agency of National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB),
* WADI Programme of NABARD in West Bengal,
* Strengthening of SHGs in West Bengal,
* Dissemination of new rice varieties in Eastern India funded by Rockefeller Foundation,
* Development of Aquaculture in Eastern India by Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia (NACA), etc.
Natural Resources Management
Natural Resources Management
The Natural Resource Management programme of GVT covers a wide range of activities including tree planting, agroforestry and crop development.
Tree and Agroforestry
The project not only emphasizes plantations and creating awareness about their benefits, but also on developing skill to grow nurseries of different types of trees. Care is taken that the species planted are of use to the community - like timber, fruit and fuel trees, etc., - and that the plantations are developed on wasteland and homestead areas.
Aquaculture
This is exclusively limited to EIRFP. In project areas, aquaculture, though often taken on small scale, forms an integral part of rural farming system for improving livelihood and nutrition. The programme has two components: (a) Aquaculture Development and (b) Aquaculture Research. Three integrated systems have been tried out:
1. Paddy-cum-fish culture in West Bengal.
2. Prawn-cum-fish culture in West Bengal.
3. Duck-cum-fish culture in Jharkhand and Orissa.
Presently 4532 members of 193 groups in different clusters are involved in this activity in 206 seasonal and perennial ponds as a successful income-generating proposition.
Livestock
Farming systems remains incomplete without livestock, which provides not only draught
animal power for land management and manure for crop production but also ensures increased income and nutritious food for poor community. GVT’s projects help the poor community to increase the number of small animals (goatery, piggery, poultry, duckery, sheep rearing, etc.) as per their needs and preferences. Due consideration has also been given for improved rearing methods for existing livestock through organizing veterinary camps and imparting training for developing para veterinary-professionals at village level.
Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) and Water Resource Development (WRD)
SWC and irrigation are high priorities of farmers, as they are important in watershed
development and sustainable farming systems. Most of the SWC work is being done in severely degraded lands, where soil is hard with minimum moisture content. Physical measures like earthen bunds, stone bunds, gully control structures, gabion fixing, etc., are being taken for conserving soil moisture and check soil erosion.
The main focus of the WRD programme is renovation of well and ponds, construction of new wells, check dams, bush dams, etc., for collecting surface water for irrigation and other uses. The WRD programme has also installed pumpsets in different clusters for irrigation purposes.
Agriculture
Agriculture
Rainfed agriculture in India is complex, diverse and risk prone. Though it has special and complex needs, mainstream agricultural technology development has rarely, if ever, focussed on it.
Over its years’ of work in WIRFP, GVT observed a critical need for technologies and techniques that were specially designed for this region, particularly in terms of choice, suitability, economic viability, resource and topographically. This gave rise to the project’s philosophy of developing client-oriented sustainable technology generation through the collaborative or consultative research with farmers, which incorporated indigenous Technical knowledge as well as needs of the community – commonly called Component C (component on Participatory Technology Generation).
The potential technologies generated through Component C cover all aspect of the rural economy and enterprises, including, crops, trees, horticulture soil and water conservation, livestock, tools and implements, social development processes and income generation activities.
Participatory Varietal Selection and Participatory Plant Breeding – An innovative answer to farmers’ needs
By involving farmers at all stages of selection and testing, the project has maximised farmer participation and therefore, relevance. Different activities like Farmer Managed Participatory Research (FAMPAR) trials, Integrated Crop Management (ICM), micro irrigation system, bio-fertilizers, NADEP pits, supply of farm tools and implements, supply of crop and vegetables seeds, establishment of research farms, seed multiplication programmes have been taken up in the projects in the project areas. Looking at the peoples’ need and demand, eight new different crop varieties (e.g. rice, maize, black gram, chick pea) suitable for the rainfed areas have been developed through Participatory Plant Breeding and adopted by farmers in more than 10,000 ha.
Successful participatory varietal selections in Western India
Participatory varietal selection (PVS) are selections where farmers indicate the traits that are important to them. Once cultivars are found to meet farmers’ needs, they are tested in the farmers’ fields, so that farmers can themselves see whether the cultivars meet their specifications. The following are some of the untested/unreleased varieties the farmers preferred in the PVS trials in Western India:
Rainfed maize : Shweta and ZM 421
Chickpea : ICCV 88202 (Pratap Chana 1), ICCV 2 and KAK 2
Blackgram : IUB-6 (JU-8-6)
Upland rice : Kalinga III
Horsegram : AK-42
Ergonomics Programme
The main aim of ergonomics programme is to integrate the concepts from social sciences with technological development so as to humanize technology and thus improve the quality of life.
Ergonomics benefits in rural development include
- a) Improved productivity;
- b) Reduced drudgery and fatigue;
- c) Improved safety and
- d) Reduced musclo-skeletal injuries.
successful client-oriented breeding in Western and Eastern India
Client-oriented breeding or COB are decentralised partnerships with farmers for breeding varieties that meet farmers’ specific needs. These varieties are highly adapted. COB creates new varieties that are, in a way, designed by the farmers themselves. It is much faster than conventional breeding because the new varieties are immediately tested with farmers.
Rainfed maize: Variety GM-6 in Western India, BVM-2 in Eastern India. GM-6, which was originally released in Gujarat, is now being widely recommended in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as well.
Upland rice: Ashoka 200F (BVD 109) and Ashoka 228 (BVD 110). Ashoka 200F, which was originally released in Jharkhand, is now also recommended in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan; Ashoka 228 is being recommended in Madhya Pradesh.
Sustainable Livelihood
Income Generation The SHGs in the various villages have taken up some income generating activities like aquaculture, goat rearing, duckery, poultry, paddy dehusking, rice milling, rope making, leaf plate making, tailoring, cycle repairing shop, grocery shop, flourmill, etc., which help to make the group a sustainable village institution. More than 700 groups in both the projects are involved in different income generating programmes.
Kadaknath – The black gold of Jhabua
Kadaknath is the only Black Meat chicken (B.M.C.) breed of poultry in India. Locally known as "Kalamasi" meaning the fowl having black flesh, it is a native bird of Jhabua and Dhar districts of Western Madhya Pradesh, reared mainly by the tribal communities of. Bhil and Bhilala. The commonly available varieties of Kadaknath are jet-black, penciled and golden. The bird is very popular among the adiwasis mainly due to its adaptability to the local environment, disease resistance, meat quality, texture and flavour. It is considered a sacred bird and, when more abundantly available, was offered as a sacrifice to Goddess after Diwali.
Though the flesh of this breed is black, it is considered not only a delicacy of distinctive taste, but also of medicinal value. The tribal uses Kadaknath blood in the treatment of chronic disease in human beings and its meat as aphrodisiac. Kadaknath has special medicinal value in homeopathy and a particular nervous disorder; in addition it is claimed to be aphrodisiac. Research has shown that this species has lower cholestrol than white chicken, and high levels of essential amino acids as well as hormones that are required by the human body.
During random field survey studies, it was found that the population of Kadaknath birds is declining rapidly and the breed is under threat of extinction. It was also observed that most of the farmers were keeping minimum of 5 and maximum of 30 poultry birds, which were raised under backyard poultry system. None of the farmers was found rearing the Kadaknath birds on commercial basis. Therefore, in-situ conservation and selective improvement is an imperative.
Day-old Kadaknath day old chicks were provided to SHG members of GVT ‘s WIRFP on cost-sharing basis, which proved successful under backyard poultry farming. In response, the district administration of Jhabua formed a tie-up with GVT, by which 30 BPL households in GVT villages of Shivgadh, Chainpura and Mahuda of Meghnagar block were chosen to rear Kadaknath under SGSY project. GVT provided financial assistance for building poultry shed, and the government’s animal husbandry department provided the beneficiaries with 15 days old Kadaknath chicks along with feed, poultry equipments and medicines. Similarly, 12 BPL households in village Mindal were also included in the project. The households manage to sell the birds either at the farm gate or at the local haat.
Migrant Labour Support Programme
Out-migration is a common phenomenon among communities in the rural areas of WIRFP. The people migrate to urban areas, like Kota, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, etc., for wage income during the lean earning periods. GVT has taken up the MLSP programme to facilitate and support these migrants to reduce their suffering during migration and improve their livelihoods.
The MLSP is being implemented on the basis of different set out objectives covering establishment of Palayan Seva Kendras (PSKs) in rural and urban areas for providing services to migrants, facilitation for accessing basic entitlements, enhancement of migrant capacities and skills, recommendation for migrant labour policy reform etc. A Hub has been established at Delhi for effective networking amongst the organisations working for the cause of migrant workers. The Hub is providing information on migrant workers. The web site of the Hub is: htpp://www.migrationindia.org
Some are questions are :
Why MLSP
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Why MLSP
- Migration is one of the most important components of the livelihoods of tribals in the project area.
- This brings 80% of the total households cash income.
- Migrants have their own very genuine problems and issues related to migration which contributed to make the migration more difficult and brings hardships, and long term implications in the lives of people. However, migration is disliked by most of the migrants, this fact has been recognized since long but there has been a very limited efforts put in collectively by NGOs/ Govt.
- The project has now over 10 years experience of working with resource poor tribal communities.
- This has facilitated close understanding of the communities and has related the effects of out migration on their livelihoods
- In order to minimize the ill-effect of such out-migration, the concept of a “Migrant Labour Support Program” (MLSP) was mooted.
- An innovative MLSP became operational since April, 2002.
Why Migration
Why Migration
- 80% of the income is generated from migration in a tribal family.
- 65% of the population earn their livelihood of labouring when they go on migration
- In a tribal family 4 to 5 members migrate for four to five months.
- 42% are women in migrant family.
- Some times earnings from migration become main source of livelihood for poor
- Women are the worst sufferers during migration; the major problem they face is for fuel wood , drinking water and availability of toilets.
- Women are paid less wages than a male
GVT 's Focus
GVT 's Focus
- Over a period of decades migration is playing key role in tribal lives.
- As per our experience we found that employment opportunities attracts migrants for additional source of income but project is focusing those who are vulnerable and do not have any other options for livelihood.
- These categories of migrants can be defined as survival migrants.
- Some of the migrants of this category are in the vicious cycle of debt.
- Project is also trying to cover left behind old age people those who always remain in the village and suffer the most .
- Mainly GVT’s concern is rural to urban migration from tribal area of Jhabua, Dhar, Ratlam and Panchmahal to big cities of Gujarat Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat , Indore & Kota.
Issues and Concerns
Issues and Concerns
- To earn the livelihood for their family, these migrants face problems at each step, no sooner they leave their home and society.
- They face atrocities and exploitation while traveling either by bus or train. Even after paying full ticket charge, they have to travel on roof of the bus, train and jeep with their family including women and children, by putting their life in danger.
- The exploitation of the migrants and misbehavior with them by various authorities start from their home town itself.
The main problems are : 
Objectives
Objectives
During the planning phase for this innovative programme, the project officials had intensive discussion with migrant communities at villages , Nakas. They also had a series of meetings with senior Govt./non Govt. officials builders and contractors, social leaders international consultants and our own team members.
After going through the pros and cons of the life of migrants GVT has developed an effective strategy to support this people. The main objectives of the programme are as follows:
GVT's Interventions
GVT's Interventions
1. Established Rural and Urban centers |
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2. Networking and linkages |
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3. Collaboration with partners |
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4. Campaigning for skill upgradation |
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5. Experience sharing workshops |
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6. Other benefit to migrants |
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Challenges
Challenges
Linkage
Linkage
Way Forward
Way Forward
Palayan Suchna Kendra
Palayan Suchna Kendra
Migration Resource Centre
Migration Resource Centre (MRC)
We Other Welfare Activities
A number of programmes have been undertaken under the community development. They
include training and exposure for capacity building and skill development, literacy programmes for children and adult education for awareness, health camps for physical fitness of the rural poor, veterinary camps for improved livestock, house construction for very poor families, grain banks as food security for disaster management against drought, floods, etc.
National Livelihood Resource Centre
After gaining years of experience working on the development of land based rural economies, GVT is today in the process of establishing a state¬-of the art National Livelihoods Resource Center (NLRC) on the picturesque locale outside the city of Ratlarn in Bhadwasa Village in Jaora block of Madhya Pradesh. NLRC is being positioned to serve as the first of its kind centre of excellence to engage with development practitioners in understanding the myriad implications of livelihoods challenges.
This flagship initiative of GVT will become a repository of GVT's experiences of the past two decades that it intends to share with a wider audience through an annual calendar of client responsive activities like interactive training, participatory research and appreciative inquiry into the intricate interlinked world of rural livelihoods. NLRC will remain flexible, outsourcing knowledge and expertise as it evolves into a dynamic institution that will remain rooted to the ground while keeping a watchful eye on the externalities of influences.
NIRC is in the process of evolution and seeks partnerships at various levels, to refine and further its objectives. The ultimate goal is to develop this national center into a one stop shop for understanding livelihoods, for diagnosing ground situations and to develop prescriptions for interventions.
The services on offer will be tailor made to suit the emerging needs of the donor projects, public private partnerships, government programs and last but not the least, local communities and their leadership.
NLRC Vision
Vision :
"Learn, develop and disseminate strategies to deepen and strengthen sustainable rural livelihood safety net in farm and non-farm sector".
Mission:
"Creating center for excellence to build capacities and empower people augmenting livelihoods by developing and applying low! cost appropriate cutting edge science and technologies".
Core Values :
Provide service with honesty and sincerely; Sustainability to meet interdependence among all stakeholders; Business acumen to derive gains imbibed with cultural ethos and moral values; Equity among unequal; Maintaining dignity to cherish Indian values;
A Resource Institute in Making :
KRIBHCO and DFID looking to the serious contribution of the GVT in the field of rural livelihoods have promoted a National Livelihoods Resource Institute (NLRI) at Ratlam in the state of ME Government of MP has allocated 10 ha land to establish the institute and has committed to collaborate with NLRI on various rural livelihood issues. The NLRI thrive to address following issues:
- Capacity Development of cross section of stakeholders engaged in Rural Livelihood Initiatives;
- Project Cycle Management and Strategic Institutional Support to all interested in the rural livelihoods especially in the western part of the country;
- Action Research within the ambit of Sustainable Rural Livelihoods;
- Media and Communication Services to all stakeholders engaged in sustainable rural livelihoods across the spectrum;
- Documentation and Library Services;
- Virtual Knowledge Center for off-campus events;
- Farmers Field Schools addressing emergent needs of changing agribusiness dynamics across the states;
- Consultancy Support;
- Higher Education in the field of Sustainable Rural Livelihoods
Facilities
The Campus:
A sprawling campus spanning in more than 10 ha of land on the banks of a local River "The Malini", is an oasis amid the nude and highly degraded hillocks giving a total contrast to what scientific land and water management strategy could do. The water harvesting structure built by GVT retains enough water to instill the recharge zone, induce growth of natural flora, provides a sustainable source of water year round and adds to the aesthetics of the venue. The campus has a newly built institutional complex with a large conference hall to house over 70 person fully equipped with all modern gadgets to host discourses on contemporary rural livelihood strategies and impinge on the future course with compelling affirmative actions. To conduct group based activities and discussions, 3 fully furnished lecture theaters each accommodating over 35 participants.
The Library & Documentation Cell :
A library cum documentation cell starting with over 2000 titles both in Hindi and English language on a wide array of subjects cross cutting the rural livelihoods, contemporary development philosophies, manuals and other contemporary literature . besides, huge amount of literature in grey (unpublished) shall acts as reference sources for the learners . To the delight of the learners over 75 quality journals chronicling the recent advances in participatory poverty and gender sensitive development actions across India and globally have been subscribes.
The Communication & Media Unit :
The virtual learning cell managed by communication and media lab to provide a technological edge over many such initiatives in the region provides a unique learning experience and connects cross section of community with development professionals through information technology enabled solutions. The communication and media lab provides a large collection of video audio documents on electronic media to facilitate experiential learning cycle.
R & D Unit :
A Research, Development and Demonstration Unit is set-up on campus to present the wide range of technologies and solutions in the semi-arid agro-ecosystem. The R & D Unit offers a unique opportunity to the visitors to verify the efficacy of the technological options. This acts as a laboratory to handle such options and learn practical aspects. The R & D Unit has two large shed-houses producing high value, high quality saplings of the fruits and vegetables, ornamentals and other important species. The saplings are available to the visitors on the cost price. The entire campus serviced by micro-irrigation system and micro-sprinkler system displaying the precision water application technologies on-farm. Small orchards of the new species of citrus, aromatic and medicinal plants, gooseberry, and custard apple are under plantation to encourage the small farmers to emulate the same. A seed farm is plan to be added soon. This will offer availability of quality seeds of important crops on one hand and shall provide an opportunity to learn scientific and legal aspects of certified seed production. Technologies related to organic agriculture with its legal obligations would be added soon.
Faculties
The Faculties:
The institute deploys seven core Faculties in the Field of:
1. Agriculture and Agribusiness Value Chain/ Supply Chain Management;
2. Watershed and Water Resource Development and Management;
3. Livestock Management;
4. Horticulture and Forestry;
5. Social Development;
6. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Systems;
7. Vocational Training and Education;
The core faculties are practicing development professionals with over 10 years of direct field based experience in their respective fields of expertise in the similar socio-economies and agro-ecologies. The proven record of accomplishment, academic innovativeness, up-to-date information of the contemporary development strategies with local, regional, national and global perspective add values to the institute. Besides the core faculties, a battery of over 50 well-experienced and trained development professionals working with GVT for last decade on various projects provides additional intellectual support to the institute and facilitates grass root learning to the visitors. GVT in its development projects have identified and trained a large number of para-professionals better known as "Janakars" and "Master Jankars" proves to be the linchpin of the endogenous initiatives and encourage community participation on all counts.
The Institute has identified and empanelled professionals and practioners both from GOs, NGOs, trade and industry to provide the intellectual support as visiting faculties. The outside experts provide a fresh independent view of the issues under debate and connect institute, its core faculties and learners to the worldview.
Courses Offer
Courses Offer:
1. Participatory Project Cycle Management;
2. Community Based Organization Management;
3. Community Mobilization for Grass Root Actions;
4. Poverty and Gender Sensitization for Effective Implementation;
5. Market Orientation for the Collective Commercially Viable institutions development and management;
6. Micro Enterprise Development and Management;
7. Micro-finance/Rural Financial Service Management;
8. Community Based Knowledge Systems Management;
9. Developing Commercially Viable Service Providers in both Farm and Non Farm Sectors;
10. Community Extension Service Management;
11. Conflict Resolution and Management;
12. Participatory Watershed Development and Management;
13. Participatory Water Resource Development and Management;
14. Participatory Irrigation Management;
15. Common Property Resource Management;
16. Renewable Energy/Bio-energy Development and Management;
17. Farming Systems Management;
18. Agribusiness Value Chain/Supply Chain Management with Special Emphasis on Small Holders Agriculture;
19. Seed Systems Management;
20. Organic Farm Management;
21. Legal Literacy for the Seasonal Migrant Labours;
22. Legal Literacy for Certification of Quality Standards of the Farm Produce;
23. Small Holders Livestock Management;
24. Vocational Marketable Skill Development for Seasonal Migrants Families;
25. Minimal Processing of Perishables from the Small Farms;
26. Customized Courses for the Elected Representatives of the PRIs, Cooperatives and other Civic Bodies;
27. Financial Management for Non-finance People;
28. Theme Based Farmers'Field Schools