Improving access to safe Water & Sanitation, NCSTC Division, DST, New Delhi, Govt. of India.
Capacity building program for Youth engagement for Nature, Labs and Youth Connections for Eco-Innovation & Community leadership. Each capacity building of Five (5) days duration covering two states (Assam and Tripura) Catalyzed and supported by National Council for Science & Technology Communication, DST, New Delhi, Govt. of India.
Women Technology Park (WTP), Chanoabori Village, Burbandha block, Morigaon District, Assam, INDIA
The Women Technology Park (WTP) at Chanoabori village, Assam, India is aimed at women empowerment for improving livelihoods and in provide technological solutions to location specific problems faced by women leading to sustainable utilization of natural resources through promotion of women-friendly technologies; energy saving devices like solar crop drier, improved cook stove, Agro food processing & value addition process of local agriculture and horticultural products, Water management quality and in enabling local capacities for maintaining and repairing photovoltaic (PV) systems. The project is supported by Science for Equity Empowerment and Development Division (SEED), Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi-110016 vide No. SEED/WTP/014/2014/G. Click here
Documenting Community perceptions on change, impact and adaptation responses for enhancing adaptation capacity and resilience of the poor to Climate and Socio-economic Changes
The study was about assess the impacts of climate and socioeconomic changes of the poor mountain communities of the HKH region with ICIMOD. Identify adaptation/coping mechanisms; to validate and pilot test innovative livelihood options for the mountain poor; and to build human capacity of mountain communities and partner institutions for adaptation to climate and socioeconomic changes and to promote the formulation/refinement of pro-poor policies through analytical work and knowledge sharing. RCSD under the study assisted by MRDS and NERCOM undertook pilot studies in 107 remote pilot villages’ sites covering three NE states of India. The project is supported by ICIMOD. Click Here
Strengthening Indigenous Peoples response to Multiple-Use Water Services in villages near floodplain wetlands in Morigaon District, Assam, India
Ecosystems are the planet’s life-support systems and human health is strongly linked to the health of ecosystems to support the needs of human biology for food, water, clean air and relative climatic constancy are basic and unalterable. Assam is dotted with innumerable fresh water wetlands (locally called beel) and ox-bow lakes (era suti), covering a total area of 101 232 ha in 3 513 wetlands, which plays a significant role in flood attenuation and other environmental functions and in the state’s rural economy. The ever increasing loss of natural floodplain wetland ecosystem of Assam to land reclamation, land use change and pressure for natural resources by an ever growing population and natural hazards is leading to serious environmental and ecological concerns.
By initiating a wetland conservation process for multiple-use water services in a flood plain environment in mid southern Assam of Brahmaputra river basin, inhabited by a group of ethnically distinct indigenous people with low per capita income, practicing subsistence rain fed farming and fishing as their core household economy in a humid tropical ecosystem, an area of ‘high cultural risk’ and an area of predicted climatic change, the project will be able to address water related health issues, enhance land and water productivity and improve livelihoods whilst providing benefits for biodiversity and exhibit pathways for engaging other wetland users in the sub-watershed to interact and formulate participatory surface & ground water management, increase base flow & environmental flow regime of the Kolong and Kopili, recharge aquifers and reduce hydrological stress over a larger domain. The project is supported by Arghyam. Click Here
Improving livelihoods & enhancing resilience of the rural poor / Soil and Water Managements in Meghalaya.
The initiative Improving Livelihoods and Enhancing Resilience of the Rural Poor in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (Meghalaya) toEnvironmental and Socio-Economic Changes (AdaptHimal) is based on the notion that mountains offer a unique context for development interventions where specific opportunities exist alongside serious challenges.
An important component of the Initiative is the promotion of innovative livelihood strategies to better integrate poor producers, especially women, into markets through strengthened synergies between the producers and the non-farm sector. One of the ways in which this outcome could be achieved is by supporting and strengthening development interventions in the mountains with pro-active promotion of innovative livelihood options, in particular through the value chain approach. A prerequisite to the promotion of value chains, however, is the management of natural resources, in particular, of soil and water in order to ensure the long-term sustainable productivity of the concerned value chain product(s). The project is supported by ICIMOD, Kathmandu, Nepal. Click Here
Assessing Demonstration effectiveness & its rate of replication under Meghalaya livelihoods improvement project for the Himalayas (MLIPH), funded by IFAD, MRDS
The study on “Demonstration Effectiveness & its rate of replication of interventions” was undertaken to access the effectiveness, impact and replication of interventions under various subsectors of Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Soil & Water conservation and Livestock & Aquaculture by Self help Groups promoted under the IFAD and Govt. of Meghalaya initiative to address poverty and hunger under the program “The Livelihoods Improvement Project for the Himalayas (LIPH)” through the Meghalaya Rural Development Society (MRDS) in fifteen underdeveloped blocks of Meghalaya.
Making Sustainable Development a Reality: (WSSD) Reality Checks for NE India
In the post WSSD (World Summit on Sustainable Development) scenario, and in the context of the progress in the plan of implementing of agenda 21 evolved in Johannesburg, RCSD for the benefit of the NE region of India initiated a reality check in line with the Millennium Development Goal built around the WEHAB (water, energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity) themes, as regions have a major role to play in the global efforts to achieve sustainable development by concrete actions and that different level of economic development in the region may require the application of different approaches and mechanisms to implement Agenda 21. Recognizing the need for forging Partnerships, and realizing that an exercise of this nature has not been carried out for the NE region (or the country, for that matter), RCSD as lead partner together with GBPIHED (a GOI Research Institute), ONGC (Corporate), NEC (GOI) and others organize a reality check to access the status in regard to awareness about, as well as actions initiated in achieving the MDGs with specific reference to NE India in regards to water & agriculture. The workshop was well represented by government officials, multi-lateral development projects in North East India, Corporate, NGOs and donor agencies. Details of the workshop can be access at http://www.rcsdin.org/WSSD_Wkshp_Prcdngs.pdf
Development and Implementation of a Geographical Information System (GIS) and Knowledge Management tools for Capacity Development at National Level for Remote Village Electrification Programs in India (using Assam state as a Pilot) and for GVEP Partners scale up activities
The Remote Village Electrification Program (RVEP) in India, by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) calls for mammoth task of undertaking survey & investigation of Renewable Energy potentials, preparation of statewide master plans for undertaking village electrification covering more than 30,000 villages in the country 2007-12. SSAEL and its partner (JANASTU, RCSD) supported by GVEP’s GAP fund, planed to develop the GIS and Knowledge Management (KM)tools along with capacity development components for implementation of the RVEP in Assam. Where the Assam RVEP pilot is envisaged to be a “Showcased Demonstration Project” and extended to provide the support services at national level for MNRE, other implementing agencies and GVEP partners. The project aims to build on existing web enabled software tools for data capture, database management systems and knowledge management and customize the same to offer support services for the India’s RVE Program. Moreover, the GIS and KM tools can be used to develop protocols for RVEP, document best practices and support Monitoring and Evaluation of the programme. PGIS and KM Systems could enable communities to have a voice in how their energy needs are met and make the RVEP truly people centric. The project approach will help in realizing the MDGs and leverage other developmental activities (in education, health, income generating activities etc) through greater access to energy services. The GIS and Knowledge Management tools developed through this project have immense potential for wider replication across India and other developing countries. The project has been executed in partnership with Shri Shakti Alternative Energy Ltd (SSAEL) as lead partner. Out of the two pilot project states (administrative boundaries: Chatisghar & Assam), RCSD was responsible for executing the GIS based activities in the state of Assam and in organizing capacity building activities for stakeholders in Assam. The project activities executed by RCSD can be accessed at http://gvep.servelots.com/gvep/browse/GENFO2525/page/816.html
Promotion of green-farm technologies for diversification of livelihood option and poverty elevation in small and marginal farms
Small and marginal rain-fed farms in the North-east India, specifically the highly populated areas of Assam are facing a major challenge in terms of meeting crop water requirement attributing to erratic & changing rainfall patterns, higher demands of farm yard manure (FYM) with declining levels of soil fertility and introduction of high yielding varieties of crop and finally with further disintegration of the farms with increase in population. The rural Indigenous communities face a major challenge to the said environmental pressures, who are mostly dependent on the nature for their food and livelihood security and slow to change are deeply caught in the spirals of poverty.
Thus to overcome the identified issues the project proposes to set up pilot demonstration activities involving Self Help Group (SHGs)/Framers in two village location and demonstrate ways to meet the challenge for crop water and FYM with the help of NADEP method of composting, biogas-biogas slurry and low cost drip irrigation technology and bring about an increase in income amongst the poor and marginalized farms through raise in crop production at the homesteads and the small farms and diversify income opportunities amongst the marginalized farmers and landless through sale of end products (i.e. bio-fertilizers, vegetables crops) in surplus to linked markets. Project supported by Centre for Microfinance & Livelihood (CML), for details visit http://www.rcsdin.org/PGFT.htm
Pre-feasibility study for setting up sustainable models of Pico hydro for enhanced rural energy services and village based micro enterprise development
The feasibility study, proposes a strategic Village Hydro and a micro-entrepreneurship model, which would be financially sustainable from the revenue that would be generated form the end-users and with a lower capital cost at Rs 20258.00 per package. The low capital cost of the Village Hydro is attributed to standardization, technology and low-voltage distribution and this addresses the financial constraints attributed to micro hydro projects. It is therefore presumed that the proposed model will help support the government’s ongoing efforts towards off-grid rural electrification. The study has been supported by Science & Society Division, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. For additional details please visit Pico hydro_sumy.htm
Integrated farming for productivity improvement amongst small and marginal coconut growers in Dimoria block, Kamrup, Assam. “Coconut Laying Out Demonstration”
The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family) is the only species in the Genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4-6 m long, pinnae 60-90 cm long. Inferences from the study amongst coconut farms under dhupguri gaon panchayat, reveal the fact that most of the palms exhibit low productivity and face a dearth of quality planting material. Farmers lack an understanding of crop physiology, little attention is provided towards phyto-sanitation and in increasing the pollination process, as a result severe nut fall, moisture deficiency, drying up of the crown is noticed. There is no systematic scheme of practice for intercropping and adequate post harvest management practice. Based on the research findings RCSD and Coconut Development Board (CDB), intervened with a project idea to improve production and productivity of small and marginal coconut farms through integrated approach and management of pest and disease, nutrient, water and crop system. The project has successfully demonstrated techniques likes Organic Recycling, Green Manuring, Plant Protection Practices:- leaf rot control, management of rhinoceros beetle, management of red palm weevil & eriophyid Mite infestation.
The project provided benefits to 247 household beneficiaries in six revenue villages in form of technical inputs, fertilizers, intercropping planting materials and day to day field supervision. 24 farmers group were formed and linked to clusters for effective filed co-ordination. Farmers have been able to increase their income from per unit cropped area and have been able to effective utilize their land resources and Farmers with effective management of pest and diseases and better soil nutrient management have been able to increase the productivity per unit area. Adoption of multiple/intercropping practice between coconut palms with crops like turmeric and chilly has helped small farmers to raise additional income from the same unit area and this approach has become an effective strategy to overcome nut production failures. The results have lead to awarness generation amongst more number of farmers who are slowly getting motivated on success of the lead farmers.
Capacity building on Rural Energy Service Delivery for NGOs in North East India