July-October 2016Vol. 40

THE BAIF JOURNALTHE BAIF JOURNALTHE BAIF JOURNAL

Climate Change and Sustainable DevelopmentClimate Change and Sustainable DevelopmentClimate Change and Sustainable Development

BAIF Trustees

Mr. Hrishikesh A. MafatlalChairman

Dr. M.S. SwaminathanVice Chairman

Mr. Hasmukh S. ShahChairman, Executive Committee of BAIF Trustees

Smt. Rajashree A. Birla

Mr. Kishor A. Chaukar

Mr. Sunil. S. Lalbhai

Dr. Devendra R. Mehta

Mr. Deepak C. Mehta

Mr. Pratap G. Pawar

Mr. Sharad Upasani

Dr. Narayan G. Hegde

Mr. Ramesh Rawal

Mr. Girish G. SohaniPresident and Managing Trustee

Founder: Late Dr. Manibhai Desai

Managing EditorMs. Sucharita Dhar

Annual SubscriptionInland: Rs. 50/-Overseas: US $10

Editorial OfficeBAIF Bhavan, Dr. Manibhai Desai NagarWarje, Pune 411 058

Edited, Printed and Published by:BAIF Development Research FoundationDr. Manibhai Desai Nagar, Warje, Pune 411 058E-mail: baif@baif.org.in Website: www.baif.org.in

The BAIF Journal

A quarterly Journal ofBAIF DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH FOUNDATION

July-October 2016 Vol. 40

In this Issue

Climate Change and Sustainable Development 1

Coping Strategies amidst Agrarian Distress 2

Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives in BAIF 5

Integrated Renewable Energy and

Sustainable Agriculture 7

Climate Change-related Risk Perceptions

of Rural Communities 9

Launch of Climate Smart Actions and

Strategies in North Western Himalayas 10

Carbon Sequestration in Wadi 13

Impressions and Reflections 15

Conservation and Revival of Local Crop

Cultivars and Livestock Biodiversity

Resources - Climate Resilient Initiatives 18

Designed and Printed by Pratima Offset, Pune.

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FromthePresident

Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Global warming and climate change have been seriously affecting the farmers in India particularly the small holders who represent the majority of the farming community in India. There is now increasing awareness of climate change effects and the need for developing adaptation/coping strategies. These strategies would also contribute positively to more sustainable development – various interventions that make possible production of perennial biomass, biomass recycling and improved soil health, contribute to a sustainable environment. While series of research and development initiatives are taken up across the globe, it is time for us to work at the micro level and develop a mitigation/adaptation approach for small land holders in India. This strategy should be such that it can be easily adopted by small farmers.

The Climate Change Adaptation Programme to address farm production vulnerability through agro bio-diversity, has been initiated by BAIF. The programme includes promotion and conservation of promising native germplasm of crops and indigenous breeds of cattle, promotion of drought resistant short duration crops and other potential varieties and multiple cropping with a strong value chain which can improve the soil carbon content and micro climate. Promotion of mixed farming can further facilitate efficient nutrient recycling while substantially contributing to the family income. Systematic planning and implementation of the programme to carry out efficient rain water harvesting for creating stocks of water on the surface and in the aquifiers, address the water scarcity due to consecutive droughts.

Soil health is the backbone of food and nutrition security. The relationship with soil needs to be one of nurturing, not extractive. Unfortunately, farm lands in India are categorised as highly degraded crop lands having very little top soil and very poor in organic carbon, while the livelihoods of the small holders are in jeopardy.

Local initiatives are required for developing context-specific solutions, community-based approaches, internalisation of good practices at community level and contribution to national strategies and policies. The soil conservation and enrichment programme launched by BAIF since inception has impacted over 400,000 ha in 8 states through community managed watershed development and Land Use Planning, community driven landscape development, farm pond networks in lateritic geology, ravine land restoration and ground water recharge systems under problem-soil conditions. Agroforestry with farming system approach covers integration of perennials into farms; approaches for promoting Non-timber forestry helps to create carbon sinks and generate livelihood while agro-ecology approaches enable sustainable farming. These sustainable approaches being adopted in BAIF programmes, have impacted the lives of over 500,000 small holder tribal families in 8 states.

Some of the restorative methodologies include large scale promotion of recycling of farm waste, promotion of zero-tillage or low-tillage practices, crop diversification, and conservation agriculture apart from approaches promoting various other climate smart agriculture practices.

This issue covers the above topics. Various other articles focus on the concept of sustainability, climate resilient agriculture, carbon sequestration in wadi, Integrated Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture, recent climate change adaptation initiatives, study on climate change related risks as perceived by rural communities and coping strategies amidst agrarian distress.

Happy Reading!

Girish G. Sohani

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The Roots of Agrarian Distress

Deforestation and erosion of forests and forest-based livelihoods; the neglect of grasslands and worse still, their conversion to commercial mono-crop systems such as cotton in the Deccan Plateau region; unchecked soil erosion; overexploitation of groundwater; and a break-down of traditional social cohesion; all these represent major transitions that are largely responsible for agrarian distress.

Climate Change impacts are manifesting themselves in the form of unpredictable monsoon; shifting and erratic rainfall patterns; simultaneous presence of drought-like conditions in some areas and excessive rainfall in others; hailstorms causing severe crop damage; and other extreme weather events such as cloudbursts leading to heavy precipitation in a smaller number of rainy days thereby affecting the groundwater recharge patterns.

Amidst this distress situation, the reduced social cohesion and the break-down of traditional social structure have left communities devoid of village level community-based support mechanisms. All these factors have contributed to completely 'Distressed Societies' as in parts of Vidarbha or nearly 'Dying Societies' as in parts of Marathwada.

Complex Problems require Holistic Solutions

Sustainability and security of livelihoods are important parameters to decide development directions. These become even more critical in distress situations where farmers are even more vulnerable and under-empowered. Resilience building also implies reducing exposure to externalities. This in turn requires some minimal effort at producing 'home-grown' inputs and 'home-consumption' of part of the output.

Refreshing Examples

Over the last few decades, BAIF has worked on various approaches and programmes that have shown a refreshing potentiality to counter agrarian distress. These holistic approaches encompass three key thrust directions: Sustainable Management of Natural Resources; Diversifying Farming Systems; and Building Social Capital and Cohesion. There are three core programmes of BAIF that have contributed substantially to unlock these potentialities.

= Introducing a highly remunerative dairy animal integration into farming systems using cutting edge technologies of breeding and animal management. BAIF pioneered the introduction of doorstep breeding services using the frozen semen technology, to create wealth not through induction of

Experiential Enquiry, Revisiting Presumptions and

Re-searching Directions

COPING STRATEGIES AMIDST AGRARIAN DISTRESS:

Girish Sohani

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livestock assets but by building them up in a home-grown and acclimatized manner. Similarly, integration of goat rearing through a comprehensive programme of introducing elite bucks, preventive health care, better animal management and increased awareness of market functioning brings a stable and remunerative diversity to the livelihoods of small farmers and the landless. This diversification of the farming system has not only brought prosperity across different geographies but served as an excellent drought-proofing intervention even in semi-arid regions by bringing resilience to farming systems.

= Introducing a crop-based farm diversification by introducing trees (both fruit and forestry) and other perennials into the farm. This is integrated with soil conservation along with water resource management and introduction of improved agricultural crops and practices. The diversity of cropping - in terms of seasonality, gestation periods, shelf life and labour requirements – not only optimizes resource use (by enabling dynamic and flexible resource allocations by the farmer) but makes possible more effective hedging of risks. This has made possible -- even in rain fed conditions a more productive land-use, has extended income-generation to the whole year and helped in climate-change adaptation, while also opening opportunities of

greater producer participation in value chains.

= Introducing diverse context-specific approaches to land and water management in different geologies – ranging from lateritic / basaltic configurations of the Deccan Plateau to the ravines in MP / UP. The management of water at individual and community level makes possible an effective resource use with local control, and the ability to create local strategic reserves that can even out availability between different years. The sustainable management of the natural resources – from soil and water on the one hand to grasslands and forests on the other, have resulted in enriched natural resource base that in turns make the interspersed farmlands more productive through an improved soil and moisture regime.

These programmes have been implemented at scale across the country in varying situations and contexts. The dairy animal production programme, reaching out to about 4 million farmers, covers semi-arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the Indo-Gangetic plains as well as the undeveloped regions of Central and Eastern India. The diversified tree-based farming systems have stabilized and secured the lives of close to two lakh smallholder tribal farmers (through BAIF's wadi programme) and thousands of farmers from Vidarbha reeling under agrarian distress (through the SukhiBaliraja Initiative).

All these programmes have successfully helped to build a portfolio of activities for the subsistence-farmer turned agri-entrepreneur and provides a built-in resilience to the production system. But even beyond the positive impacts on the physical parameters, it is experienced that the programmes have led to a massive mobilization of communities around the agenda of reconstruction. This mobilization has been channelized as tens of thousands of SHGs, 'WadiTukadis' and 'Activity Groups'; as well as numerous Farmer Producer Organisations, engaged in doing not just thrift and credit, but also in planning their development and implementing various programme interventions.

Parallel to these activities, a large number of rural youth are taken through a process of demystification of technology, skills and capacity building in these and produces a new cadre of grassroot technicians who function as service providers and entrepreneurs to provide forward and backward linkages to the production system and for emerging societal needs. There is greater confidence, increased resource literacy, higher skills and human capacity, build up of social capital in the form of vibrant groups of men and women and farmer organizations; and all this results in an atmosphere of confident hope.

All these make distress a remote possibility. In most of

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these areas impacts are seen in terms of food security, marketable surpluses of diverse farm produce, value chain activities, adequate farm-based provisioning of food – fuel – fodder, increased credit-absorption capacity, an integration into mainstream financial channels, and the phenomenon of reverse migration. Further there is strong social equity and the rejuvenated social groups provide a vital latent force to deal with crisis situations.

Many of the above have shaped through key initiatives by NABARD or involving NABARD's long-term partners in development: the impetus given to shape the SHG movement in the country; the expansion of BAIF's Wadi concept of diversified tree-based farming systems across the nation; the promotion of people-centered land and water resource management through innovative Watershed Programme approach; are various examples of such NABARD initiatives. The combination of these approaches in a holistic manner and dovetailed with appropriate livestock development component can provide the building blocks to address agrarian distress. This however will require the internalizing of these programme learnings and to move beyond the mindset of 'Financial Inclusion' which is not an end but only a means.

New Age Mechanisms to deal with Agrarian Distress

New Age Coping Mechanisms have to draw upon the above positive experiences and be introduced through a holistic

programme approach that builds natural capital, diversifies production systems and strengthens social capital.

However the largely traditional technology for agricultural production is a deterrent for rural youth to take up the farming profession since it does not match the ever-increasing aspirations triggered by exposure to urban lifestyles which are illusorily enchanting. Yet there is considerable opportunity to introduce modern technologies to make farming highly remunerative; to mechanise operations and reduce drudgery; to introduce ICT based applications; and to add dignity to farming.

The experiences listed above also demonstrate that along with such a resurgent and resilient production system, numerous opportunities can arise for off-farm livelihoods within backward and forward linkages as well as within value chains. These off-farm and non-farm livelihood options will be in the form of a rural farm based industrial and service sector. Such a vibrant rural farm-based industrial and service sector will not only reduce the pressure on farming but also increase investment in the farm sector. The symbiotic relationship will stimulate and benefit both these sectors. Further the seamless integration of the IT sector with the Farm sector will bring in both vertical and horizontal growth in the sector.

All these possibilities will require a holistic programme as its starting point. All these potentialities would also call for a higher public and private

investment in agricultural infrastructure, particularly for water resource management, post harvest handling, smallholder farm mechanization and the off-farm rural industrial and service sector.

Holistic solutions will also require newer delivery mechanisms. It is probably the opportune time to conceive a holistic Farm Resilience Mission which will be interdisciplinary in scope.

To measure and track the progress with such interdisciplinary scope requires a set of different Metrics. Economic / financial analysis of the entire farming enterprise; credit programmes will need to move towards portfolio financing instead of activity financing; rather than tracking loan disbursed / outstanding we may need to measure in terms of equity: debt ratios (equity being contributed by SHGs / Farmer groups /WDCs etc); and instead of yields of individual crops, we may need to look at system outputs.

Based on the legacy and learning from these programmes, NABARD - as a Developmental Financial Institution - is eminently placed to break the shackles of conventional thinking, develop and deliver new-age holistic solutions, and contribute to a paradigm shift to bring about a resilient solution to deal with agrarian distress. This will however require an internal transformation and close working with field partners.

Source : NABARD Foundation Day Lecture, 2016

§

5

Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives in BAIF

limate change is emerging as a major Cchallenge to livelihoods, food security and overall well-being of rural communities in

India who are to a large extent, dependent on climate sensitive sectors and resources such as agriculture, animal husbandry, forest, soil and water. Many field studies support the fact that communities are facing greater uncertainty than ever before and that these changes and their consequent results have further accelerated the process of marginalisation of these agriculture-dependent communities.

BAIF is committed to the cause of rural and tribal development in the country. With the changing climate context, BAIF is striving to provide sustainable and climate smart livelihood opportunities to rural communities. Various programmes are thus being conceptualised for

building resilience for the communities living in climate sensitive regions of India.

Two such programmes to be undertaken by BAIF with the support of NABARD are:

1. Climate smart actions and strategies in North Western Himalayan region for sustainable l ivel ihood of agriculture-dependent hi l l communities. The adaptation activity is proposed to be undertaken in a cluster of Champavat district in Uttarakhand state. The project seeks to improve the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities in this region by introducing climate smart farming technologies covering crops, livestock and water resources, and community strengthening processes and capacity building actions.

Building resilience: Suggested pathways under this project:

1.Improved community mobilisation to collectively plan and undertake climate change adaptation

2.Bui ld ing res i l ience through increased water availability and efficient water use in hill region

5.Knowledge generation based on field actions and wider dissemination to enhance awareness of hill communities and stakeholders as well as for better policy inputs

3.Adoption of climate smart agriculture technologies and farm diversification options for climate resilient livelihoods

4.Improved potential of livestock resources as an option for livelihood stabilisation in hills

Improving adaptation to climate variability / change in farm sector with

better management and maintenance of soil and water regime enabling better

crop / pasture land productivity and resultant increase in income of small and

marginal farmers.

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2. Climate Proofing of Watershed Development Projects in the States of Rajasthan. The objective is to build adaptive capacities of the communities to shifting rainfall patterns and extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change in the rain fed areas of Rajasthan

Building resilience: Suggested pathways under this project:

Both these projects are supported by Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) NABARD Fund for a period of four years with a view to reduce vulnerability of the population by increasing their adaptive capacity to respond to the impacts of climate change.

Reducing climate change vulnerability and process of

marginalisation with integration of risk mitigation products, like crop, weather and market advisory; and

information system.

Promoting climate resilient farming system and diversification of

livelihoods engaging community and their associations in the concrete

adaptation pathway.

Creation of knowledge management system on climate change

adaptation and sharing the learning to wider audience for replication

and technology cascading.

The Adaptation Fund Board has been established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are party to the Kyoto Protocol and are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. NABARD is working in the capacity of National Implementing Entity (NIE) for Adaptation

Fund in India. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India is a National Designated Authority (N DA) for Adaptation Fund and proposals are submitted with the endorsement of NDA.

BAIF Team

§

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Integrated Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture (IRESA)

he Integrated Renewable Energy and TSustainable Agriculture (IRESA) approach presents a portfolio of activities around

the central theme of household level biogas units. The focus is on optimal use of existing resources to generate sustainable energy for cooking and value added organic manure for soil fertility. The package incorporates the following components:

1. Introduction of pre-fabricated biogas technology which is compact, standardised, failure-proof and clean.

2. Introduction of an integrated package consisting of a well-tested, low cost, in-house developed slurry filter for which patent has been applied, effecting up to 50% water recycling and better slurry handling.

3. I n t e g r a t i o n o f c o m p o s t i n g a n d vermicomposting using the sludge and other biomass for enhanced production of quality manure resulting in saving in usage of chemical fertilisers.

4. G u i d i n g f a r m e r s f o r d o w n s t r e a m production of cash crops on intensive small plots for higher earnings.

Project Location

The project has been rolled out in Satara, Nagpur and Bhandara districts of Maharashtra and Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh.

Pre-requisites

= Household level availability of 3 cattle (for 2 3m unit)

3 = 2 m unit shall be sufficient for a household

with 4-6 members

= Installation area requirement of approx. 300 sq. ft. (combined area for biogas unit, slurry filter, storage, vermicomposting). The area should ideally be near the house and farm. Preference should be given to the location near the house. Distance between biogas unit and kitchen should not be more than 500 ft.

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= Biogas unit installation site should be open to the sky. Level ground with soft soil is required. 3 ft. underground installation for ergonomic operation is feasible.

= A v a i l a b i l i t y o f a g r i r e s i d u e f o r vermicomposting Phosphate Rich Organic Manure (PROM).

= Enrichment of sludge and filtrate for usage enhancement

= Intensive small plot (10 – 20 gunthas / 0.25 – 0.5 acre) farming of high value crops using value-added quality organic inputs

Benefits

The approach enables farmers to reduce their dependence on external sources for fulfilling their energy and soil nutrient requirements. The savings on fuel and chemical fertilisers along with high value intensive crop cultivation presents a decent payback possibility. The savings on import bills for the country is considerable. Additionally, the approach with renewed and modern outlook along with improved technology presents a strong incentive for adoption.

Ergonomics and Process Simplicity

« Ready to install and durable family size 3biogas plant (H D P E, 2 m daily gas

production, 14 – 20 LPG cylinder equivalent gas production)

« BAIF Slurry Filter (BSF) for efficient in-situ slurry handling. 90% solids recovery and

1 – 1.5 tons of dry slurry cake per annum to be available

« Water saving up to 50% through recycling

« S l u r r y v a l u e a d d i t i o n t h r o u g h vermicomposting, PROM (2 tons per annum) and liquid bio-fertiliser production

Economic Gains

Ø Cost saving on fossil fuel and chemical fertilizers. Savings on LPG is Rs. 4000 (considering 8 cyl inders per year) . Vermicompost production worth Rs. 12000 per annum possible.

Ø Income generation from value added organic products

Ø Improved soil health by use of organic inputs

Ø Enhanced health through nutrition garden (small plot cultivation)

Ø Local liquid organic fertiliser enterprise setup potential

Ø Payback in 2 – 3 years

Environmental Gains

t Reduced carbon footprint

t Reduced water footprint

t Climate change adaptation and mitigation

Viability Quotient

o Micro level – Sustainable energy and cultivation practices

o Macro level – Savings in import and fertiliser subsidy

Rakesh Warrier

§

Very inspiring visit. I am looking for further contact and collabora�on

between BAIF and Israel.

– Mr. David Akov, Consul General of Israel visited BAIF Central Research

Sta�on on August 3, 2016.

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Climate Change-related Risk Perceptions of Rural Communities

To understand the exact nature of the emerging threat of climate change and how communities perceive this risk, a

study was conducted by BAIF during 2012-13. The study involved rapid assessment of the n at u re o f r i s ks , r i s k p e rc e pt i o n s a n d interpretation of risks by the rural communities and their coping mechanisms living in coastal Gujarat and North Western Himalayas. The data collection tools included village level meetings using PRA tools for community engagements, Focus Group Discussions with farmers and formal and informal interviews with key stakeholders.

Key Findings

The following findings emerged from the study:

= Majority of the respondents were aware of the changes in climatic conditions and were keen to discuss them;

= Communities seem to have their unique ways of interpreting nature/climatic conditions based on earlier experience in addressing these hazards;

= Most of the respondents shared the fact that although floods and droughts have

occurred in their regions, the frequency, interval, intensity and predictability have undergone changes;

= The definition of drought among the communities as “shortfall of rains during the critical stages of growth of crops, leading to loss of crop yields” was quite different from the scientific definition of “prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water';

= The changes in behavior, distribution, date of onset, distribution, daily and monthly rainfall, rainfall during critical stages of agriculture crops, total rainfall, spread during the kharif season, number of days, year to year variation and growing unpredictability were of greater concern to the communities;

= Communities were equally concerned about the changing temperature, cycle of seasons, occurrence of hail storms and frost conditions as these conditions directly affect the performance of agriculture in a region;

A Field Assessment Study was undertaken by BAIF to understand the climate change related risk perceptions of rural communities in coastal Gujarat and North

Western Himalayas regions of the country.

Con�nued on Page 12

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A one-day workshop was jointly organised by

BAIF and NABARD Regional Office, Dehradun

in Champawat district of Uttarakhand state

on November 16 to launch the “Climate smart

actions and strategies in North Western

Himalayan region for sustainable livelihoods

of agriculture-dependent hill communities''

Project. The goal of this project is to improve

the adaptive capacity of rural small and

marginal farmers including hill women in the

region to respond to climate change. This is

aimed to be achieved by introducing Climate

Smart Farming Technologies along with

requisite social engineering and capacity

building processes. The project also envisages

creating field-based evidence of climate

resilient strategies and approaches in

mountain eco-systems.

Mr. D.N. Magar, Chief General Manager,

NABARD, formally announced the launching

of this project in 10 villages of Pati and

Lohaghat blocks of Champavat to be

implemented by BAIF and monitored by

NABARD. This project is one among five

other Projects approved under International

Adaptation Fund Board support to India. Mr.

Bharat Kakade, Senior Vice President, BAIF,

elaborated the need to adopt climate smart

development interventions by development

agencies to build resilience and reduce

vulnerability of communities. He also gave an

overview of the work undertaken by BAIF in

the country and in Uttarakhand in particular.

Shri. Jugal Kishor, AGM, NABARD, urged BAIF

to make the project participatory and

inclusive in nature and emphasised on the

need to blend local knowledge with scientific

technology. Scientists from reputed Institutes,

State Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan

Kendra, Research Foundations such as,

V P K A S , C I T H M u k t e s h w a r, D C F R

Champawat , o ther I C A R Inst i tu tes ,

Government officials, subject matter

specialists, academicians and NGO and

community representatives from 10 project

v i l lages act ively part ic ipated in the

discussions. Dr. A.K. Srivastava, Prof. Emeritus

and former Director, VPKAS, highlighted the

ill-effects of climate change on hill agriculture

with special focus on changes in crop pattern,

Launch of Climate Smart Actions and Strategies in North Western Himalayas

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rainfall, soil, crop productivity, shifting of

crops from lower to higher altitudes and the

need to adopt climate smart farming systems

in hilly regions. He suggested protected

cultivation of high value crops, water

harvesting, and fodder development,

reduction of drudgery in women, diversified

farming system and introduct ion of

indigenous/improved varieties of crops in

hills. Mr. Devi Dutt Joshi, a progressive farmer

f rom Suyalkhark v i l lage, shared h is

experience on the changing climate resulting

in erratic rainfall, water shortage, change in

crop pattern, reduced crop productivity,

rising temperatures and deforestation.

Ms. Priyanka Verma, Goshni, a self help group

of women, highlighted the need for women

empowerment and the need to form more

g r o u p s i n v i l l a g e s f o r c o m m u n i t y

mobilisation. Dr. Raj Narayan, Principal

Scientist, CITH, suggested introduction of

new horticultural crops such as kiwi and low

chilling varieties of apple, apart from use of

high density plantation systems and inter-

cropping methods to obtain high production.

Dr. M.P. Singh, Senior Scientist, KVK,

Lohaghat, shared the technologies tested by

KVK for hilly regions. He suggested using

protected cultivation, water harvesting,

mulching, application of FYM, bio-pesticides

and fungicides for value addition of produce.

Mr. H.C. Tiwari, District Horticulture Officer,

highlighted the impact of climate change on

local communities and horticulture-based

activities. He suggested change in crop

pattern based on the clusters and called for

promotion of organic farming. Dr. P.S.

B h a n d a r i , C h i e f Vete r i n a r y O f f i ce r,

highlighted the diseases observed in livestock

due to changing climate and promotion of

livestock indigenous to the hilly region. Mr.

Puneet Nagar, DDM, NABARD, Pithorgarh,

proposed the vote of thanks. The workshop

also sensit ised the media and other

stakeholders about the emerging threat of

climate change in North Western Himalayas

and the need to develop a programme for

reducing the vulnerability of agriculture-

dependent hill communities.

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= The greatest bottleneck as expressed by the communities was not having assured and timely weather forecasting data service or early warning service support at the village level;

= It was also observed that changing climate has direct impact on the livelihood support systems such as agriculture, water, soils, vegetation and livestock;

= The unpredictability of these changes was of utmost concern to the communities and the sense of despair and ignorance could be realised during the interactions;

= From the type of risks identified by the communities, it was evident that the communities are facing greater uncertainty and that these changes and consequent results have further accelerated the process of marginalization of these agriculture-dependent communities;

= It was also realized that communities have their own preferences and priorities for planning region-specif ic adaptation strategies/preparedness plans.

= Knowledge of participants, their exposure and access to various climate smart technologies, current dependence on climate sensitive sectors for generation of livelihood and type of resource ownership also influenced their perceptions.

= It was observed that the risk perceptions of p l a n n e r s a n d p o l i c y m a k e r s a n d communities in the region were generally based on scientific/meteorological data which captured only the gross changes whereas communities were mostly drawing risk perceptions from past experiences.

= As far as region-wise risk perceptions were concerned, it was seen that the risk perceptions varied from region to region. In coastal Gujarat, cyclonic disturbances were identified as the highest type of risk, causing damage to crops, land and infrastructure. There was also fear of intrusion of sea water to adjacent land leading to increment in salinity, water logging and incidence of more diseases whereas in case of fragile hill ecosystem (Champavat, Uttarakhand), decreasing snow cover / snowfall year after year was identified as the major hazard leading to maximum damage.

A significant outcome of this study was the need to plan programme responses on priority for building resilience among the affected rural communities and involve the local communities actively in adaptation planning process before selecting the ''top down'' adaptation plan.

Rajashree Joshi and Bharat Kakade

§

Con�nued from Page 9

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Carbon Sequestration in Wadi

The influence of carbon on earth and the

atmosphere can be either positive or

negative depending on where it is

present. Carbon is essential to sustain biological

activity, biodiversity and ecosystem productivity.

In recent times, excessive release of carbon into

the atmosphere, primarily the result of human

activity, has had adverse consequences. To

reverse this situation, global efforts are being

made to sequester carbon. Foremost among

them is the process of fixing carbon in plant

biomass through photosynthesis with forests,

both vegetation and soil, functioning as the

primary sinks. Farming systems with perennial

species, can hold substantial quantities of

carbon.

BAIF has been promoting agri-horti-forestry

popularly known as wadi (productive orchard)

on degraded farmlands. This system consists of

horticultural trees and vegetable crops as

intercrops and multipurpose trees on field bunds

and borders as live fence covering an area of

70,000 ha. Besides providing livelihood to tribal

families, the orchard development programme

ensures long-term environmental benefits,

mainly through carbon sequestration.

Carbon sinks on farm bunds

The trees promoted in wadi are mainly fast

growing species such as acacia, eucalyptus,

cassia, leucaena and casuarina which facilitate

the process of carbon sink in the form of woody

biomass within a short time. The rate of growth

is inversely proportionate to the volume of

biomass production leading to maximum carbon

sink in the wood. A study undertaken in the wadi

programme being implemented in Rajasthan

indicated that assuming 2 m width of the bund in 2 the wadi orchard, 1 m bund area, has potential

to store 0.012 t carbon in the form of woody

biomass of forestry trees having an average age

of 8.5 – 12.5 years equivalent to 0.043 t carbon

dioxide present in the atmosphere. From the

forestry trees, the estimated carbon stock per ha

was 126.03 t C. The environmental benefits of

such trees are far more than their economic

benefits.

Carbon sinks through horticulture trees

Besides trees raised on bunds, grafted fruit

plants were also planted in varied spacings

based on the species. The carbon sequestration

mainly depends on the rate of photosynthesis in

Tree measurement in Anola Canopy measurement in Mango

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the plants leading to increased biomass.

Generally, fruit plants such as anola, cashewnut,

mango and sapota have been promoted based

on the agro-climatic conditions of the area. The

carbon sequestration differs from wadi to wadi

as it mainly depends on the growth and density

of wood.

A total of 69.7 t of biomass, 38 t of carbon and

139 t of equivalent carbon dioxide was

estimated from 723 trees of anola planted on 7.4

ha land. Similarly, the same study was carried out

in mango orchards and 47.4 t of biomass, 26 t of

carbon and 95.6 t of equivalent carbon dioxide

was estimated from 544 mango trees planted on

5.7 ha. The per tree average accumulated carbon

stock in anola was 0.05 t carbon and 0.04 t

carbon in mango. This indicates that anola wadi

has greater potential in sequestration of carbon

in the form of woody biomass.

Carbon sink in soil

Soils are the largest carbon reservoir of the

terrestrial carbon cycle. The quantity of carbon

stored in soils is three times more than that

contained in vegetation in forest and twice as

much as that present in the atmosphere. The

perennial plantations of anola, mango and

forestry trees contribute large amounts of

organic matter in the form of leaf litter and

wood. This helps in increasing the soil organic

carbon and soil fertility. Soil samples up to a

depth of 15 cm were collected from 50 orchards

and analyzed for organic carbon. The average

carbon stock in soil surface depth of 15 cm was 1 found to be only 8 t C ha .

Potential of 1 ha wadi in carbon sequestration

Wadi orchards established in degraded lands

where there is low organic carbon in soil (0.28%

SOC), low rainfall and high temperature, have

great potential for carbon sequestration.

The total accumulated carbon stock by above

ground woody biomass of horticulture trees

(anola and mango) was 64 t C as estimated from

50 wadi orchards planted on 13.1 ha area. The

per tree average accumulated carbon stock in

mango was 0.04 t C and 0.05 t C in anola.

Similarly, the estimated carbon stock from

forestry trees planted around the border of

anola and mango orchards was 132.07 t C. The -1

total estimated carbon stock was 23 t C ha - 1

e q u i va l e nt to 8 4 . 6 7 t C O h a ca r b o n 2

sequestration from standing woody biomass.

S.D. Nimbalkar and D.S. Patil

Canopy and girth measurement of Anola

§

15

Impressions and Reflections

Upon the recommendation of Mr. Hasmukh Shah, Mr. Girish Sohani, President of BAIF Development Research Foundation invited me in April 2015 to make a visit to BAIF activity sites in drylands of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra for gaining first hand information on the organization's activities. This for enabling me to accumulate impressions and provide reflections, as much as visiting 4-5 expansive sites (Nanodara, Barmer, Pragar, Urulicanchan) within a period of five days in late November and early December of 2015 would allow.

The visit was perfectly and effectively organized and the dedicated escort of Dr. S.S. Roy and Mr. Sagar Kadao were indispensable in assisting me to overcome the inevitable knowledge, information, culture and language barriers and thus enabled me to make sense of what I was seeing and experiencing. Of course, the provided written material and verbal information in each site and the number and diversity of persons commissioned to meet me and to be exposed to my “interrogation”, reflected the work of a dedicated personnel behind the scenes, who made my visit not only instructing but also exciting and even touching.

From what I had learned from reading BAIF literature and reports prior to my arrival, from being exposed to more of these during and after my visit, and from what I saw and heard during the visit, it was clear to me that BAIF deserves its reputation - its staff is professional and committed, its leadership is attentive to the country's and its people needs and aspirations

and its science-based work on the ground is land-users' relevant, innovative and inspiring.

I was impressed by the warm relations the BAIF personnel have with the villagers, by the co u ra ge fo r ex p e r i m e nt i n g w i t h n o n -conventional solutions to emerging issues, by the respect given to the local traditional practices and by the wide-open ear to the farmers' grievances and proposals. I was mostly captivated by the “wadi” projects, not so much as to their agricultural results as to their cultural component, that is often ignored by scientists inspite of its significance in moulding the land users' mode of operation. It was also most ref resh ing to be acqua inted wi th the experimental ecological cultivation plots in Urulikanchan Research Station.

However, BAIF President has not expected a suite of compliments to be the sole outcome of the visit, but he envisaged an opinion based on the visit, on specific issues spelled out in his invitation letter:

This Study Report by Prof. Emeritus Uriel Safriel, Desert Ecologist, Hebrew University of Journalism, articulates the concept of sustainability, the work BAIF could take up in this area in future with focus on Ecosystem services and Biodiversity by linking with initiatives such as Man and Biosphere (MAB), Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecologyand (GUIDE). This report compiled by him, is based on his study tour to the sustainable development projects of BAIF in arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra from November 22 to December 4, 2015.

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(a) Management approach to development initiatives in dry areas;

(b) Ecological aspects with regard to farm p r o d u c t i o n a n d n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e management in arid areas;

(c) Understanding desertification control measures that are more effective;

(d) Field actions associated with biodiversity, ecosystem and climate change in dryland management;

In fact, these four queries reflect a concern regarding the out look and most ly the sustainability of dryland development, and especially the development through land-based livelihoods. In this context it can be noted that drylands are of inherent failing with respect to livelihoods based on land productivity, since this productivity is limited by water, as the literal meaning of the word “dryland” attests. More critically, water is not only limiting due to its low availability, but also limiting due to the variability of the availability, thus creating an inherent sustainability issue, especially in the drylands.

Note that “sustainability” is an offspring of “sustainable development” that emerged on the global political arena in the early 90s of the last century. BAIF is a “Development Research Foundation”, and I sense that Mr. Sohani's concern is about the sustainability of the development that the Foundation's research is expected to support.

The prevailing paradigm is that sustainable development is one that enables the future generation to continue using the planet's resources at the same level the present generation does.. More important than the definition, is how to achieve such sustainability, and the prevailing notion is that for being s u s t a i n a b l e , d e v e l o p m e n t n e e d s t h e environment to support development. Thus, the environment (which translates to natural ecosystems, which means biological diversity) needs to be protected not for its aesthetic and cultural values only, but first and foremost, for its essential support of human survival. So here is the prescription for sustainability – for society's long-term survival, it needs to transform natural ecosystems to agricultural and residential (urban and rural) areas, which would be supported by the remaining non-transformed ecosystems, namely the natural ones.

The problem, however, is the location for positioning the “red line” beyond which development should not encroach upon the n atu ra l env i ro n ment , s o th at en o u gh environment, i.e. natural ecosystems are left, to be able to support development and secure its sustainability. This is the greatest challenge that faces our planet, and on land – especially the drylands, including those of India.

The positioning of this “red line” is not known, but emerging stumbling block to sustainability are already identified – climate change, desertification and shrinking of natural ecosystems and their biological diversity. These are the direct anti-sustainability biophysical drivers, which are underlined by political and social drivers. There is no point to further elaborate in this report on how to navigate in this arena of sustainability, but BAIF can be commended on starting wondering about this issue, as expressed by Mr. Sohani's expectations from the visit, spelled out in his invitation letter.

What may be suggested, though, is that BAIF requires an additional track of activity, which

17

addresses sustainability and joins the globally and newly emerging discipline of sustainability science. This added track could work first independently, then in parallel to the major traditional and current trajectory of BAIF's agricultural development, to eventually working jointly and even merging with it, such that BAIF wo u ld q u a l i f y to b eco m e Su sta in a b le Development Research Foundation.

There are already two approaches in place used to clearing the way for sustainability. One is the ecosystem service concept and the ecosystem assessment activity, in which both jointly expose the tangible benefits people derive from ecosystems and their biological diversity, thus creating awareness that could facilitate the road to sustainability. The googled sources for starting with it are the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and UK-NEA portals, the Ecosystem Services Partnership and the Sub-Global Assessment Network, and the portal of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

The other is the approach of the Man and Biosphere concept of U N E S C O and its mechanism of Global Network of Biosphere Reserves, which is already practiced in India here

and there, but requires more work. It is a mechanism that blends environment and development and strives to achieve local sustainabi l i ty, based on attendance to ecosystem services and full engagement of the land users communities. Information can be found in Man and Biosphere section of UNESCO website.

Finally, Mr. Sohani also expressed an interest in-

Creating linkages nationally (e.g. Gujarat״Institute of Desert Ecology) and globally (e.g. Global Network of Dryland Research Institutes)”.

Incidentally, these two entities have some connections with the Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) in Israel: the initial blueprint for GUIDE has been drafted by the Director of the BIDR in 1994; the motivation to establish GNDRI arose in the BIDR, who chaired this network in its first three years.

Regarding GUIDE, both entities, GUIDE and BAIF would benefit from jointly advancing a sustainability program. Regarding GNDRI, it is absolutely clear that increasing its attention to India's drylands, BAIF is fully qualified to join this network. This can be done through GNDRI portal. §

18

Conservation and Revival of Local Crop Cultivars and Livestock Biodiversity

Resources - Climate Resilient Initiatives

India as a Biodiversity Hotspot:

India is known as a mega diversity nation due to

its rich biodiversity resources, diverse agro-

climatic/ecological conditions and diverse

seasonal patterns. Biodiversity is understood to

be genetic variation, ecosystem variation or

species variation within an area which provides

food, fuel, shelter, medicines and other

resources to humankind. Since generations,

such diversity has been contributing to food

security, well-being, survival and sustainable

livelihood of communities. Such diverse agro

biodiversity still exists in tribal areas, where

tribal communities especially women are the

main custodians of the rich traditional

knowledge associated with many of these native

resources.

Climate change and biodiversity:

With climate change, it is noted that an

ecosystem based approach to adaptation is

necessary. This also requires conservation of the

regional biodiversity, ecosystem services and

ecological functions. Biodiversity can

help in building resilience against

climate change effects for vulnerable

farming communities. This regional

biodiversity is an important source of

livelihood and food security. Small

farmers are benefitted from hardy

crops. Diverse zones represent a

unique habitat, having their own

physical and climatic conditions, which

allow growth of region-specific plants

and crops which have adapted to these

conditions for many years.

There are a number of landraces of

food crops that are resistant to pests, can grow

on poor soils and can sustain under changed

climatic conditions, while retaining high

nutritive values. BAIF has adopted participatory

conservation and revival of crop and livestock

biodiversity resources in diverse agro-climatic

zones. The focussed resources are crop

landraces, livestock breeds, forestry species

(Non-Timber Forest Produce) and diverse

habitat types. Such efforts are confined to

remote rural clusters where naturally occurring

biodiversity still exists but are fast getting

eroded. Hence, efforts are also being made to

preserve the traditional wisdom and knowledge

base on biodiversity.

The major areas include:

= In-situ and Ex-itu Conservation actions

= Sustainable use of bio resources

= Restoration

= Value addition

= Marketing

19

= Employment generation

= Preservation of folk knowledge

= Generation of new knowledge

Under the livestock resource, focus is on in-situ

and ex-situ conservation of local/ indigenous

breeds of cows, buffaloes and goats. There are

numerous local breeds and strains which are

known for certain common characteristics such

as hardiness, resistance to diseases, and ability

to withstand harsh ecological conditions. BAIF

programmes focus on many local breeds of cows

such as Gir, Tharparkar, Dangi, Gaolav, Lal-

Kandhari, Khillar, etc., Banni breed of buffalo and

Usmanabadi, Berari and Black Bengal, etc breeds

of goats. The efforts include rearing of bulls,

establishing semen banks for conservation and

multiplication, doorstep services, advice and

training for scientific management of cattle

units.

The N T F P and Habitat conservation

component of this programme focusses on in-

situ and ex-situ conservation of useful and

endemic forestry species and setting up eco

restoration processes in natural but degrading

habitat.

Under crop theme, the focus i s on

conservation of diverse local cultivars including

paddy, millets, maize, sorghum, local vegetables,

beans and wild food resources such as wild

vegetables and fruits. This diversity acts as a

safety net for vulnerable farmers against the ill

effects of climate change. The interventions

include characterisation of crop types using

scientific methods, germplasm collection,

i d e nt i f y i n g t ra d i t i o n a l s e e d ke e p e rs ,

participatory varietal selection, seed purity

maintenance, collecting morphological data,

innovative trials for propagation, innovative agro

techniques, productivity enhancement and pest

and disease management for improved

performance and adoption of shortlisted local

cultivars, standardisation of storage techniques

and processing and value addition for providing

financial incentives to the producers.

A recent initiative has been the conservation

of biodiversity in a participatory mode

undertaken under the Maharashtra Gene Bank

Project to address the existing gap of in situ

conservation of bio resources and checking the

erosion of valuable genetic resources and

knowledge associated with it. The project also

aims at realising the objectives of improved food

security, livelihood gains and risk mitigation

capacity of rural and tribal communities living in

diverse agro climatic zones of Maharashtra. The

programme focusses on diverse local cultivar,

local breeds of animal, local NTFP vegetation

types and local habitats and conservation of

ecological functions.

This is being implemented as a multi

stakeholder initiative with PRIs, community,

Community based Organisations, Civil Society

Organisations, Government Academia and

Re s e a rc h I n s t i t u t e s w o r k i n g t o wa rd s

conservation and revival of region-specific bio

resources.

Some of the unique characteristics of

traditional rice varieties cultivated in BAIF's

project location at Jawhar in Palghar district and

Dhadgaon in Nandurbar district have been

documented.

With the changing climate change and

emerging threat of vulnerability due to

variability of climatic factors, such efforts

towards agro biodiversity conservation and

revival, are significant in sustaining the regional

biodiversity, ensuring food and nutrition

security for vulnerable communities, reducing

climate sensitivity of agriculture while creating

opportunities for improved livelihood and risk

mitigation capacity of small farmers and their

future generation.

20

Denomina�on Descrip�on

Finger millet

Piter bendri Early maturing landrace (matures at Sarvpitri amavasya and hence denominated as Piter bendri)

Dasar bendri Matures during Dussehra fes�val and hence denominated as Dasar bendri. Non lodging and good for sloppy land. Can withstand stress condi�ons

Kalperi Pinnacle shape is compact and hence can survive in high rainfall. As there is blackish, anthocyanin coloura�on on internodes of each plant, it is denominated as Kalperi

Shitoli Nagli Spicklets are longer, late maturing, water stress tolerance

Proso Millet

Dudh mogra Milkish white coloured and hence denominated as Dudh mogra. Good market value. Very less weight loss during storage. Midlate maturing and can withstand high rainfall

Garvi varai Tall; Non lodging, water stress tolerant

Barnyard Millet

Banty Grown in low fe�lity soil with less water holding capacity. (Barnyard Millet) End use - sweet , liquid gruel, seed sowing by broadcast method, given to

expectant mothers as nutri�ve food

Descrip�on

As these landraces mature between 70-95 days, they are a source of food security during inadequate rainfall.

This mid late landrace can grows well in upland and low land. Good yield and non-lodging and non-sha�ering proper�es

These landraces can withstand deep water and non-lodging

List of Landraces/Local names

Dula, Hari, Kali khadsi, Dangi (Red), Hari bhat, Dhundune

Javayachi gundi

Kasvel, Kasbai

Rajashree Joshi and Sanjay Patil

A CALL FOR PARTNERSHIP

BAIF has established the

DR. MANIBHAI DESAI ENDOWMENT FUND

for promoting sustainable livelihood in rural India.

We invite generous donors to support this worthy cause by associating

with us as our Patrons and Associates.

You can become our Patron by contributing over Rs. 25 lakhs and

our Associate by contributing over Rs. 10 lakhs.

PATRONS AND ASSOCIATES OF BAIF:

This book is a compilation of various

Research, Thematic Papers and Case

Studies on livestock development,

watershed development, natural

r e s o u r c e m a n a g e m e n t a n d

sustainable agriculture, with focus

on sustainable livelihood of rural

families and food security, published

in national and international

journals, workshop proceedings and

research reports in the year 2015.

An Impact Study was conducted in drought prone Adihalli-Myllanhalli

watershed in Hassan district of Karnataka in 2015-16. Under this innovative

approach, farm ponds were used to recharge ground water table and ensure

protective irrigation to crops. This cost-effective project transformed the lives of

rural communities while enriching the biodiversity. This revised Third Edition

documents the learnings from the project over 15 years and demonstrates that

this model has relevance throughout the country.

Price: Rs. 50 Pages: 36