Author: Susan Thomas

Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood and the mainstay of about 80 per cent of the rural population in the state of Jharkhand. Most of the farmers are small and marginal landholders. In Jharkhand 92 per cent of the total cultivated area is un-irrigated thus agriculture here is characterized as nature dependent, coupled with mono cropping and low investment capacity of farmers pushing them into the vicious cycle of poverty.

 

 

 

 

Average annual rainfall in Jharkhand ranges between 1200 – 1400 mm, of which more than 80 per cent is confined within the four monsoon months (June-September). Due to the failure of monsoon this year, farmers in Jharkhand suffered a great loss of Kharif crops and distress among the farmers is very evident. Rabi season is just around the corner, but preparedness among the farmers is not very evident as Rabi is mostly rain-fed and scanty rainfall during monsoon has its effect on the Rabi season also. The smile on the face of farmers is fading as deficit rainfall is threatening to push the state towards a drought.

 

 

Digital Green and Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) made a series of visits and interacted with the farmers helping us realize the need to create hope by suggesting alternate measures and crops.

Digital Green’s Thematic Expert on Agriculture Dr. Ritesh Kumar and an independent agricultural expert, Dr. Ravi Bhushan Singh reviewed the situation and developed an alternate plan in an effort to support JSLPS strengthen its extension efforts. They conducted focused group discussions (FGDs) and informal interactions and farm visits to understand the possibilities of alternate crops for the Rabi season.

 

 

 

 

It was observed that, farmers are in agony, they were lacking any alternate plan and they were ready to move out of the village in search of other livelihood options. But when certain agri-interventions were introduced to them, and once they were convinced that these could be implemented with the limited resources they have, they felt happy and were enthusiastic about adopting them, shared Dr. Kumar, Digital Green.

 

 

Based on the learning from the field, we identified some relevant agri-practices and came up with a plan to scale up these practices. We figured that there is a need for building the capacities of operational teams within Digital Green and partner organization, JSLPS. Thus a detailed plan of action was developed and a two-day technical training was been planned in close consultation with JSLPS, shared Dr. Singh.

JSLPS and Digital Green organized a two-day residential training on agri-practices on 23^rd and 24^th November 2015, by involving 26 participants from different levels of the extension system. These included Young Professionals (YPs), Field Officers (FOs) and Senior Ajeevika Krishak Mitras (AKMs) and also District Livelihood Managers (DLMs).

 

 

 

 

Intensive participatory and interactive exercises were conducted on the crops and crop management practices focusing on themes such as System of Wheat Intensification; System of Mustard Intensification; Masoor/Lentil with Zero tillage & zero irrigation; Vegetable Nursery Management; Climber Vegetables with bottle drip irrigation; Machan model sequential vegetable farming for small holders; Plant Protection in vegetables; LEISA/CMSA Tips; Crop planning for the season this year, for Jharkhand.

 

 

 

 

It was a heartening to see that after the training and concept seeding, YPs and Senior AKMs were actively engaged in preparing an alternate crop-plan and intervention for execution of the concepts shared at the workshop during this Rabi season in their respective areas.

 

Since joining Digital Green, I’ve been training extension workers to produce and disseminate videos that capture best practices in the field of agriculture, health and nutrition. This has been a great opportunity to learn and contribute while using this unique behavioural change communication approach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Altogether a new journey for me, where my primary learning was to change myself prior to changing others.

 

In this profession, most of us tend to believe that the beneficiaries do not have much awareness and that only we can help them change their attitudes and benefit from the new knowledge that we share with them. I have had my own reasons to form such opinions. The poor rural infrastructure, lack of health and hygiene, the crisis in the agricultural sector, the skill gap among the youth, shrinking employment opportunities due to poor education system contributed to my forming these opinions. Looking at it from a distance, I felt that a large part of the reason for this is that the rural folk don’t know enough about these issues or how to tackle them.

 

It was only right that this opinion would take a beating when I was confronted by opinions of the rural youth at a recent training I organized.

 

The particular training I refer to is the community youth from one of the most backward district of Jharkhand, West Singhbum. The entire district has been in the grip of the Naxal movement (a far left radical movement) due to which infrastructure and services are in a dilapidated state. Digital Green and its partner, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) selected six youth from the district, of which, three were young women. The youth were selected for video production training. As part of the training, a small exercise was given to test their creative skills and writing ability.

 

I was of the firm opinion that we would need to work hard on training the youth, as they had never been out of their block or district, had a very little educational qualification and exposure.

 

The exercise given to them was to create a story from random pictures cut out from newspapers. Each of them was given different paper cuttings with only picture and no text.

 

The next day when they read out their stories, it was an eye-opener for me. It demolished my biases, prejudices and false notions. The stories were talking about their own expectations, aspirations and also for their country. We are, as a nation, dreaming of campaigns such as Digital India and Skill India and think that rural India is completely disconnected. But these stories demonstrated how rural youth also have similar aspirations and expectations from the country and for the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the last three years, I have conducted numerous training on video production and dissemination and it was an experiential learning. Every time the community has taught me a different lesson. I had no doubt over their knowledge of traditional practices; however, I always underestimated their vision of development-related issues and thought that they are always preoccupied with their own individual problems.

 

Here I’d like to share one of the stories a very young mother, Shivani, wrote. Her powerful story changed my perceptions forever.

 

 

Contributed by: Joshin K Jose, Assistant Program Manager, Digital Green – Jharkhand

 

Rinki Devi married into a family in Besradih, one of the most remote villages of Bundu block, Ranchi district, Jharkhand. Her husband’s family was very poor and survived on a meager income from a small land holding that the family owns. “It was very difficult for my family, especially when the crops failed due to poor rainfall and other environmental causes,” she shares.

 

 

 

 

 

Rinki Devi with her indomitable spirit wanted to do something to change the fortunes of her new family but didn’t know what she could do. Her family was too poor and very conservative. She was, however, very proactive and popular among her peers in the village. When self-help groups (SHGs) were formed in her village, she lost no time in becoming an active member of the group.

 

In the year 2014 Jharkhand State Livelihood Society (JSLPS) adopted Rinki Devi’s village to initiate the livelihood program. Knowing her to be proactive and outgoing, she was unanimously selected as the Ajeevika Krishak Mitra (AKM) for her village. However, it was a huge challenge for her to convince her family about her work.

 

Since her family was unhappy about her going out of her home and to other fields as an AKM, it became all the more challenging for Rinki Devi to introduce new practices such as Systematic Rice Intensification (SRI) within her own family. They ridiculed her learning. But she was determined to convince them. She thought it important to convince her own family first before convincing the others in the village.

 

Her persistence finally paid off and her husband agreed to adopt SRI. Rinki Devi used this opportunity to mobilize others to see the benefits and adopt the practice. I underwent a lot of anxiety throughout the crop cycle but when my family saw the tillers growing thick, the smiles of acceptance on their faces was my great reward, shared Rinki Devi. After the harvest my family was fully convinced that I was doing a good job and other farmers also started believing me. As a result now 80-90 families have adopted the SRI practice and other practices suggested by me, she adds with pride.

 

 

 

 

 

As an appreciation for her hard work JSLPS promoted her as Senior AKM. Now she supervises 8-9 AKMs in her cluster. She regularly undergoes and upgrades her knowledge on various agricultural practices and transfers them to the farmers. In the last two years she has not only worked as AKM but also helped her husband with a loan taken from the SHG she is a part of, to start a pathology lab. She says the family who ridiculed her now values her suggestions and consults her on important decisions to be taken in the family. She says with great confidence that, I’m popular in the village and people consult me on various issues.

 

Since Digital Green started introducing its approach in the area, Rinki Devi has been one of the best mediators in the block. She has been disseminating videos not only in her own village, but she carries the hand-held, battery-operated projector wherever she goes and disseminates the videos among farmers. She has disseminated videos showcasing agricultural best practices in six villages so far. Videos are a very effective medium for knowledge transfer, she says.

 

 

Kinu Yadav, is a local hero and inspiration for farmers in and around Dumaria village, Muraliganj block of Madhepura district, Bihar.

 

A marginal farmer who depends on farming as his primary source of livelihood, Kinu Yadav used to practise traditional methods of farming, like others farmers of this area, which did not help him meet ends for a family of seven, that includes his three sons, two daughters and wife. When he was younger, he used to migrate to other states for daily wage labour in the lean season. Now, his eldest son migrates to earn additional income as an unskilled labourer. His contribution helps Kinu’s family to cope up in times of adversity.

 

In 2013, Kinu Yadav started working with Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (BRLPS) locally known as JEEViKA as a village resource person (VRP). He received training on SRI (system of rice intensification, an improved rice cultivation technique) as well as on sharing information on this practice with the didis (women farmers and members of self-help groups). He assisted the self-help group (SHG) members in adopting the SRI method. He adopted it in his own fields as well and his yield for that particular season was 120 kilograms per kattha (1 acre is 22 katthas) which used to be 40-60 kilograms before SRI. The SHG members who adopted the practice also experienced a similar increase in yield on their farms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2014, he was trained by Digital Green (in partnership with JEEViKA) to share information on best practices using videos. Apart from rice cultivation, Kinu Yadav learnt about improved ways of cultivating vegetables and other improved agriculture practices. He started adopting best practices such as seed treatment and maintaining space between seeds that he learnt from the videos. He took special care in adopting the key points as explained in the videos.

 

Kinu Yadav adopted many practices such as cultivating ladies finger (okra), brinjal (eggplant) and sack farming. In two katthas of land, he earned INR 4,000 in four months by selling okra. He grew brinjal on one acre and earned INR 60,000 within four months from selling only a part of the produce.

 

Videos helped him learn about sack farming and growing vegetables in sacks. The bitter gourd he cultivated using sack farming five months ago has yielded 300 kilograms of the vegetable which he sold in the market.

 

Kinu Yadav also learnt and adopted the practice of producing organic fertilizers and insecticides like jeevamrutham, ghanjeevamrutham, brahmastra and agniastra. He also prepared vermicompost after watching videos. Apart from adopting the featured practices himself, he also inspired other farmers to adopt these practices. And not just poor farmers like him, but rich farmers of his village also adopted and benefitted from the practices shown in the videos.

 

It is easier to share information with farmers through videos and the adoption of the best practices is also more feasible this way. I will continue working toward disseminating information on best practices provided by JEEViKA and Digital Green to more and more farmers to help enhance their productivity and income, says Kinu Yadav.

 

 

Watch this video about Kinu Yadav to hear his story in his words:

 

 

 

 

 

Gomeshri Munda of Ulatu village, Namkum block, Ranchi district, Jharkhand, a seemingly ordinary small farmer, single-handedly mobilized the women of his village in 2007 to form self-help groups and save at least INR 5 of their hard-earned money instead of wasting it on ‘hadia’, locally brewed alcoholic beverage. The groups are functional to date. Gomeshri went on to get associated with the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) as an Ajeevika Krishak Mitra (community level agriculture extension agent).

 

 

 

 

Gomeshri was trained on providing extension services and disseminating information on preparing organic compost, fertilizers and pesticides, and other community managed sustainable agricultural practices by the JSLPS team.

 

Like the other AKMs, Gomeshri was trained on disseminating best practices through videos to self-help groups, when JSLPS collaborated with Digital Green to implement the video-enabled peer to peer learning approach. His disseminations have gone down well with the villagers. Through the videos, he is able to explain best practices to the women easier and faster.

 

Excessive use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers had eroded the fertility of the soil in Ulatu village. With the community adopting practices like preparing and using organic compost and pesticides, the land’s fertility is slowly getting restored. Over the next five years, Gomeshri wants to completely eliminate the use of commercially sold chemical pesticides and fertilizers in his village. He dreams of his community steadily progressing on the path of social and economic empowerment. 

 

 

Our partnership with Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (BRLPS) locally known as JEEViKA was recently extended for another year. This was an opportunity for us to extend our support to new verticals within our partner organization.

 

We started working with the Institutional Building & Community Building Team (IBCB) of JEEViKA, which seeks to ensure greater involvement of the community to build village and cluster level institutions. They are the first entrants in a new area so that self-help groups and other such institutions can be formed through mobilization, awareness and training. The idea envisaged creation and dissemination of information related to the processes and norms of institution building in a more effective manner to empower the community and its grassroots institutions.

To conceptualize and implement this plan, we organized a two-day training programme for IBCB Managers and Training Officers at Patna on the 14th and 15th of October 2015. There were 27 participants at this training programme who look after the IBCB operations and capacity building at their respective districts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started the training by explaining the DG approach and the evolution of our partnership with JEEViKA in Bihar. We used the new training module that we use to explain our approach called Pico Seekho (learn to operate pico), which covered the basics of video production and dissemination, and some videos on non-verbal communication, which proved to be very engaging for the audience. We also shared the current status of videos produced, disseminations and adoptions and the goals ahead, which was in line with the project goals envisaged by IBCB team of JEEViKA. We also focused on IBCB videos that had been already shot and how they would be evaluated in terms of the success of adoption. The discussions were aimed towards improving the quality of videos and processes and eventually making them more interesting and appealing to viewers, and improving adoptions.

 

The IBCB managers also shared their current roles and responsibilities, which was followed by an interesting dialogue about the possibilities they saw of contributing towards the Digital Green and JEEViKA partnership model. The participants also identified how crucial their role is in this entire process of adapting our approach into IBCB. For sure, they play a crucial role helping the video production team develop the content, approving the storyboards and videos. This sense of ownership among the staff of JEEViKA is crucial for achieving our goals. The participants were quite enthusiastic to learn the basics of video production and photography especially about different ways of framing their shots and photographic rules.

 

During the course of these two days, we screened four IBCB videos on different topics such as SHG formation, Social inclusion in VO, VO Meeting Process and Sub-committees in VO. The participants were very happy and surprised to see the videos on IBCB topics and on hearing that there are plans for more such content. They were also surprised to know that all these videos were shot by cadre staff (village and cluster level staff deployed by JEEViKA). This helped dispel misunderstandings that Digital Green shots all videos on their own. They understood how Digital Green facilitates the entire process and supports the trained cadre staff whenever required. The participants also got hands-on experience of operating a pico projector, learning its functional aspects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the close of day two, some of the participants shared their feedback using an innovative medium -a video. The IBCB Managers and Training Officers of JEEViKA assured their cooperation to our community-led video production and dissemination processes. They also showed a keen interest in the technology part of our approach and learnt the use of COCO (our online and offline data management tool) and analytics dashboard. The participants unanimously agreed that these videos will reduce their efforts while training the block and cluster level staff also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall it was a great learning platform for both the participants and our staff where knowledge and information were exchanged. As they say ‘Well begun is half done!’ So hope this partnership will reap sweet results for both IBCB and JEEViKA as well as Digital Green.

Digital Green works in partnership with a diverse set of public, private and civil society organizations, which requires us to have appropriate skills to handle such partnerships. Sometimes it becomes very tough to deal with partner staff when they treat the collaboration as extra work. We, however, have to focus on achieving our targets within the stipulated time period with quality while working with the partners. That compels us to think of numerous ways in order to accomplish the goals. The particular skills and knowledge may work at one place or with one person but the same can’t be applied everywhere or with everyone. Our staff needs to be equipped with various skills of negotiation and persuasion. I am glad to share some of the learnings I have acquired from the field over the last couple of years as a program manager.

1. Be well-versed with the matter at hand

First impression, they say, is the last impression. With respect to the initial discussion/interaction with partner staff, be sure to discuss topics you have in-depth knowledge on along with the agenda for the meeting. When we first meet a person who has profound knowledge on a particular subject or exhibits effective communication skills, the first meeting has a lasting impact on us and sets the tone for the relationship.

2. Be confident and in control

Try to remain confident and in control even if things are not moving as per your requirement. It is important to establish respect between partners at the outset. In one of our program blocks a partner representative tended to take things lightly and paid less attention towards our work because of some misgivings regarding our approach. Things gradually changed as we continued to engage with him and other staff with confidence. One needs to be cool and calm while situations change around you.

3. Be polite but firm

Being polite is a way to respect people and the most disciplined way to present things even if harsh in nature. Whenever we get respect from the community, we tend to feel obliged. It is respect which makes people feel better and leads to do something in reciprocation.

We also have to keep in mind that we don’t compromise on our decision related to our common targets where there are chances of disagreement. If we continue to put our things rationally and politely, it would help in convincing others to our decisions.

4. Always present your work as part of the collaboration

Highlighting the collaborative nature of the intervention and how our vision and plan is aligned with that of the partners is essential for the partnership to work. It also leads to greater ownership of the intervention by the partner staff and they feel responsible for the execution of the tasks even without constant follow-up. We need to set partner targets as ours. Projecting mutually agreed upon targets brings minds together to plan, strategize and implement better which can reduce time, energy and other resources with outstanding results.

5. Share examples of partner staff’s supportive nature and exemplary work

Cases where partner staff has been supportive and their contribution has led to positive results need to be acknowledged and appreciated at a larger platform. We can also use our data management system to reflect the progresses made in different blocks. This could drive healthy competition within the blocks and the staff’s attention will be drawn to the weak areas.

6. Be patient

We all know that waiting can be challenging, especially when you are supposed to accomplish a task within a time frame. But if we manage not to lose our composure and remain patient, it pays off at last. The same theory applies here while working with partners. We have to be patient even under extreme pressure. Whatever task has to be finished with the help of partner staff needs to be continued. Regular follow-ups can ensure the responsible partner staff executes the task even if s/he tries to shirk the assigned work. Just to avoid being followed up on a regular basis, the task will be finished. The more rigorous follow-ups, the better the results will be.

Watch as Bharathi learns about sustainable cost-effective farming practices from Sanjeevamma, both women smallholder farmers in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

Digital Green works with SERP (Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty), an autonomous society of the Department of Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh, using the video-enabled learning approach to strengthen the existing agricultural extension services. >>More on the partnership