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The central India tribal belt is rich in natural
resources. Stretching from Gujarat in the
west, up to West Bengal in the east, and encompassing
the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
and Jharkhand, it is yet the poorest region
of the country. More than 90 per cent of the
tribal population of the region is rural,
directly or indirectly dependent upon agriculture.
Though most of them hold land, agricultural
practices are quite primitive and productivity
is low.
Subsistence farming coupled with an increase
in population, has taken the tribal community
to the lowest level of destitution. To meaningfully
fight poverty, it is necessary to make a
significant intervention in the form of
rapid agriculture development through the
management of land and water resources.
Irrigation can be developed from small perennial
streams that exist all over the hilly and
undulating central India tribal belt.
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| Geographical
spread of projects |
The Trusts realise that in order to support
high-quality initiatives that enhance livelihoods,
it is necessary to undertake a similar quality
of research. The Central India Initiative
(CInI) was launched in 2002-03 by the IWMI-Tata
Water Policy Research Programme (IWMI-Tata
Programme). Its prime focus is to undertake
research studies in the tribal districts
of central India to review processes, which
determine the relationship between tribals
and irrigation in ten districts in the central
Indian undulating-hilly-mountainous tribal
belt.
The IWMI-Tata Programme
was itself launched in 2000, as a partnership
between the International Water Management
Institute (IWMI) and the Trusts. The programme
presents new perspectives and practical
solutions derived from the wealth of research
done in India on water resource management.
The 40-odd research studies undertaken as
part of CInI have generated a wide range
of options for the upliftment and enhancement
of the livelihood of tribals in this region.
It has been demonstrated
through research studies that improved water
control mechanisms, as successfully implemented
by rural development agencies, has benefited
tribal economy, and subsequently raised
their standard of living (Click
here to read more).
The research findings have been published
in the form of a book. It highlights the
need for taking a livelihood-centred approach
through water control for tribal development
in the region (Click
here to read more).
As per the research
findings, the central
Indian region has
been sub-divided into the following
four zones, based on agro-climatic and socio-economic
conditions.
Zone 'A' covers states
of Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and West
Bengal. The states under Zone 'B' are parts
of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and tribal
areas in Andhra Pradesh. Maharashtra and
parts of Madhya Pradesh come under Zone
'C', and Gujarat and south Rajasthan fall
under Zone 'D'. Specific strategies have
been suggested for each zone.
Collectives for Integrated
Livelihood Initiatives - CInI Cell
With a view to take this initiative to a
higher realm, the need was felt for a unit,
or a cell that would be completely focussed
on central India. Besides taking the learnings
from CInI to a wider orbit of government
departments and donor agencies, the cell
would deal with the problems of livelihood
of the tribal communities in a comprehensive
manner.
The CInI
Cell commenced
operations in July 2005, housed at the IWMI-Tata
Programme in Anand and subsequently relocated
to Jamshedpur in July 2007. It steers the
activity of converting research findings
into action plans, and testing the recommendations
of the research in the field. It supports
field experiments and tests ideas through
small grants and brings to the fore replicable
models.
The Cell also supports
the Trusts' projects in the field by providing
inputs in the design of the projects, documenting
their progress and drawing lessons for replication,
and lastly, by coordinating suitable monitoring
and feedback mechanisms. In addition, it
also works towards building strong brand
equity for CInI among key stakeholders and
policy makers.
The basic aim of the
CInI Cell is to become a nodal agency for
the central Indian states, which would work
comprehensively towards the livelihood enhancement
of the tribal communities.
The key roles and responsibilities
are:
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Acting
as a networking and coordinating unit
between civil society organisations,
government agencies and donors working
in the central India region |
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Serving as a knowledge
bank, which would be a single source
for the information related to tribal
livelihoods in central India, especially
with regard to the productive use of
water resources |
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Playing a role
of an idea incubator, by exploring new
ideas in the field by further developing
CInI |
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Developing brand
equity for CInI |
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Monitoring and
providing technical support to the organisations
in implementing CInI strategies, through
regular monitoring missions and field
visits |
Zone
A
Zone A covers the states of Jharkhand, Orissa,
Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. Within this
zone, the focus is on Kharif paddy stabilisation,
through the creation of decentralised water
harvesting structures near farmlands. It also
focuses on promoting better agricultural practices
in paddy, thereby enhancing its productivity.
In addition, specific focus is being made
to strengthen the dairy, lac and tassar interventions
in Jharkhand.
Zone
B
Zone B covers parts of Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and tribal areas in Andhra
Pradesh. The paddy growing regions of this
zone can benefit from schemes that create
a plethora of water harvesting structures
and experimenting with Systems for Rice
Intensification (SRI). Water resource development
should take the route of wide scale adoption
of nallah bunds and cement bag bunds.
Zone
C
Zone C covers Maharashtra and parts
of Madhya Pradesh. The strategy adopted
within this zone focuses on the promotion
of ‘Wadi’ (orchards) and creation
of water harvesting structures for agriculture
enhancement and better control over water
resources.
Zone
D
This zone covers Gujarat, south Rajasthan
and parts of Madhya Pradesh. The CInI strategy
suggests construction of check dams and
lift irrigation systems through a community
based approach. This is coupled with soil
and water conservation measures and encouraging
farmers to shift cropping patterns towards
more water-efficient and high-value crops.
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