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 that environmental
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:
• Infiltration
Wells
• Rainwater
Harvesting
• Toilets
•
•
•
•
• Biogas Units
• Solar Lights
Water &
Sanitation
Renewable
Energy
Ecological
Security
Livelihoods
& Micro
Enterprises
Vegetal Cover
Hydrology
Biodiversity
Farming Systems
• Self Help Groups
• Producer Groups
• Guilds
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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
Programs
•Renewable- energy
•Sanitation
•Water
•Community Forestry
•Farming Systems
•Livelihoods
•Climate Change
Principles
•Ecology
•Economy
•Equity
Holistic
Mountain
Development
Strategies
Grassroots aims to
initiate peoples action
at the grassroots for
restoration of
ecological security in
languishing river
basins to improve the
quality of life
•Capacity Building
•Empowerment
•Cost sharing
•Leadership
•Partnerships
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Location Map of the Gagas Basin
Total area of the basin
512 km2
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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
9
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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
21
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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 Grassroots
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Consolidated Biogas & IW details from 1993-94 to 2011-12
S No
State
District
1
Uttarakhand
Almora
Block
Biogas
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
10
20
20
17
Rudraprayag
2
16
25
-
Dehradun
2
40
-
194
53
628
497
1,504
Sirmaur
6
124
29
895
Shimla
1
1
1
-
Solan
1
11
8
26
Sub-Total
Himachal Pradesh
IWs
11
Pauri
2
Villages
10
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 & governance
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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 wellbeing 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.
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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
Constraints
Setting up ‘mother farms’
Distribution of chicks
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UMANG - Members Income Chart
50%
45%
40%
Nos (in%)
35%
30%
2009-10
25%
2010-11
20%
2011-12
15%
10%
5%
0%
1-1000
1001-2500
2501-5000
5001-10000
Earning Range (in Rs)
Note: Income chart is combination of different verticals
more than
10001
UMANG – Sale Comparison Chart
10,000,000
9,000,000
Sale Amount (in Rs)
8,000,000
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Year Duration
Capacity Building – Grassroots Institutions!
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Grassroots Interface
We would continue
to act as an
interface between
communities and
other stake
holders for
promoting
sustainable
mountain
development
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Thank You for your Time!
Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation
Post Bag # 3, Ranikhet 263 645, Almora District, Uttarakhand, India
apaul@grassrootsindia.com
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