Holistic Mountain Development

Anita Paul

IACD Practitioner Dialogue DST- Pune

August 2012

The Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation is a non-profit organization working in the central and western Himalaya since 1992. The primary aim of Grassroots is to initiate peoples action at the grassroots for restoration of ecological security in languishing river basins through holistic mountain development programs, in order to improve the quality of life. 

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 The loss or lack of title to environmental assets is viewed as a component of poverty, leading to the conclusion thatenvironmental conservation is actually a necessary fundamental to poverty alleviation.

Also implied in the mandate of Grassroots and incorporated in its approach and methodology is promotion of the entrepreneurial spirit - the belief that people can determine their own destiny, establish goals, take risks and invest their time and energy to achieve their aspirations for a better life.

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Based on the vulnerability of communities, Grassroots is focusing on the following thematic areas:

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Over the past 20 years, in partnership with various civil society organisations and the government, the outreach programs of Grassroots has benefitted communities spread over 800 villages in 12 districts in the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, India.

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Our Strategy

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Grassroots aims to initiate peoples action at the grassroots for restoration of ecological security in

languishing river basins to improve the quality of

life

Programs•Renewable- energy•Sanitation •Water•Community Forestry•Farming Systems•Livelihoods•Climate Change

Holistic Mountain

Development

Principles•Ecology•Economy•Equity

Strategies•Capacity Building•Empowerment•Cost sharing•Leadership•Partnerships

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Total area of the basin512 km2

Location Map of the Gagas Basin

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Basic Data

• Area 500 square kms• Altitude Between

4,000 feet to 8,000 feet

• Villages 373• Rural Population

100,000• Urban Population

20,000 • Major Gadheras 14• No of Households

23,000• Reserved Forests 20

percent of the basin

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14 major gadheras/streams drain into the river

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373 Villages spread over the Basin

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State of Reserved Forests

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Problems of Water Resources in a Typical Gadhera

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Support Area for Sustainable Farming

• Typically, we need 7 hectares of forest areas to support 1 hectare of farming

• In most river basins, like Gagas, the ratio is 1:1

• Which has led to food insecurity and impoverishment

• And, migration to urban sweatshops

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Forests & Water

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Women are playing a key role to renew the hydrology in the river

basin

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Kumaon Artisans Guild

Grassroots experiences of promoting MDGs has led to the consolidation of artisans guilds which comprises of local youth trained as barefoot engineers in order to spread the benefits of appropriate technologies in cross cutting sectors like drinking water, environmental sanitation, renewable energy and rain water harvesting – with the idea of improving the quality of life for mountain communities here and now.

These guilds have also led to the creation of significant sustainable employment opportunities. On an average, a skilled artisan would earn Rs. 75,000 per annum.

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Infiltration Wells in the Himalaya!

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Appropriate Technology for Community Managed Drinking Water Systems

• 40 % of traditional water sources have dried-up

• Spread to 350 villages, 54 blocks, 11 districts of Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh

• Providing 2.4 million litres of safe drinking water to 17,600 households with close to 100,000 people

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Sanitation

• 4,000 households• In Dusad, 100%

households have installed sanitation units

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Rainwater Harvesting

Roof runoff rainwater harvesting tanks supplement availability of domestic water – demonstrations in schools have led to 500

households adopting this AT application

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Renewable Energy

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Biogas Units• Biogas units provide

four hours of clean cooking gas daily

• Reduces the drudgery of head loading firewood

• Reduces biotic pressure

• Reduces health hazard of smoky open fires

• Also ‘burns’ methane – one of the four obnoxious gases leading to global warming

• 2,400 households have now access to clean energy for cooking through Bio-gas units

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Consolidated Biogas & IW details from 1993-94 to 2011-12

S No State District Block Villages IWs Biogas

1 Uttarakhand Almora 11 276 290 582

    Bageshwar 2 70 46 131

    Champawat 2 3 6 -

    Nainital 7 111 43 469

    Pithoragarh 4 40 7 72

    Tehri 8 39 42 16

    Chamoli 5 13 18 23

    Pauri 10 20 20 17

    Rudraprayag 2 16 25 -

    Dehradun 2 40 - 194

Sub-Total 10 53 628 497 1,504

2 Himachal Pradesh Sirmaur 6 124 29 895

    Shimla 1 1 1 -

    Solan 1 11 8 26

Sub-Total 3 8 136 38 921

Total 13 61 764 535 2,425

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Catchment Area Treatment

• As of now 9,50,000 saplings raised and planted-out in protected village commons

• Output of grasses have increased

• Equity & governance25

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Village Nurseries raise Appropriate Rootstock of Native

Species

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Planting Trees…

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Revival of a Tradition

• Khals assisted the process of recharging the ground water till the alienation of communities from forests

• Currently, communities are in dialogue with the government to revive this tradition, especially in the reserved forest areas

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Degraded commons – 10 years later with fresh vegetal cover

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Community Owned Enterprises

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It is realised that human development is about much more than rise or fall of national incomes.

It is about quality of life, the level of human well-being and the access to basic social services.

The pressures on environmental and natural resources and the repercussions of their degradation on low income livelihoods have become a source of increasing concern.

Innovative micro-enterprises are necessary in order to address

this situation. 31Grassroots

Livelihoods & Microenterprises

• To secure and consolidate a fresh balance in the quality of their lives, SHGs have been involved with creating a platform for establishment of pro poor business ventures with farming families as the primary stakeholders federated in the form of a Producers Company – Community Owned Social Enterprise.

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UMANG – Producers Company

• Network of 1,500 women • Formed into 200 SHGs• In 100 villages• Savings of Rs. 50 lakhs plus• Supplementing incomes through various verticals, viz., fruit preserves/pickles unit, hand-knitted items, safe foods, backyard poultry, etcetera.

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Off-Farm Livelihoods

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Consolidating Organic Farming Systems

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Linking Markets for Traditional Crops

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Value Added Crops

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Free Range Poultry

• Over 500 households with an average of 10 chicks of kroiler birds (350 grams + vaccinated)

• Average earning per year = Rs. 5,000• Plus the benefit of eggs at home• This business of Rs. 25 lacs per annum could be

expanded 100 times, but we would need to organize marketing

ConstraintsSetting up ‘mother farms’ Distribution of chicks

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UMANG - Members Income Chart

Note: Income chart is combination of different verticals

UMANG – Sale Comparison Chart

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Capacity Building – Grassroots Institutions!

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Grassroots InterfaceWe would

continue to act as an interface

between communities and other stake holders for promoting

sustainable mountain

development42

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Thank You for your Time!

Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development FoundationPost Bag # 3, Ranikhet 263 645, Almora District, Uttarakhand, India

apaul@grassrootsindia.com 43