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Collecting fodder from the forests consumes as much
as 6-8 hours daily. A lot of this time and energy is
being saved by planting ATI recommended fodder
species near homesteads. |
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Outreach
Districts:
2 (Chamoli & Rudraprayag)
Villages:
395
Beneficiaries:
3900+
Net annual returns:
Rs
1.5 crore
Average income:
Rs 3500/annum |
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Dairy has been one of the sub-sectors identified by
AT India for intervention due to its potential to
significantly impact the incomes of a large number
of rural poor, especially rural women.
Cattle-rearing has been a time-honored subsistence
activity, which continues to be intrinsic to almost
every rural household in the remote mountains of
Uttarakhand. Although underdeveloped due to its
traditional nature, the dairy sub-sector is robust
and has immense potential for development and
poverty alleviation. This has been borne out by its
implementation results.
Despite a short implementation period of 3 years
(2003-2006), the dairy development activities have
had a greater visible impact than AT India’s other
activities. This
USAID funded project ended in 2006, but its impact
can be gauged from the fact that around 200
(Business Service Providers) BSPs are still going strong.
Dairying has now become a recognized and preferable
livelihood option. The business prospects and
commercial viability of the dairy sub-sector has
been proven by successful transformation of
subsistence dairy activities into micro-dairies with
commercial objectives in more than 300 highland
villages.
AT India believes that the local community’s impetus
for protection and regeneration of biomass will be
heightened by the commercialization of the dairy
sub-sector. In keeping with the organization’s
conservation imperative, plantation of high quality
fodder species in private and common lands forms an
integral part of the programme. In addition, the
promotion of stall feeding and chaff cutting
techniques are expected to alleviate inviolate
extraction of valuable Oak species (Quercus
leucotrichophora, Q. floriwinda)
which is a popular variety of fodder in the region.
Open grazing inside the forests, which remains a
major threat to ecologically significant plant
species in the central Himalayan region, can also be
mitigated.
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A base line
study for dairy sub sector,
conducted, by
an independent team of consultants for AT India,
revealed that the annual average household
cash income accruing from various sources,
for a household of 5 members, is 25,000 INR
($568). Project interventions have
resulted in a steady income (over a six
month milking period) of 2448 INR ($55) per
annum for the micro-dairy producers,
resulting in an increase in the cash income
of 9.8%. In rural areas this is a
significant increase in income and another
indicator of its significance is the
continued participation of 95% of the
original clients. Most importantly 99% of
the participants are women. As the input and
output services (described below in the
implementation section) continue to mature,
it is projected that annual income to the
primary producers from dairy will grow from
the current 9.8% of total cash income to an
even more significant 15%. Subsistence dairy
farmers participating in the project are
expected increase their incomes by 13 %- 24%
on an annual basis. |
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Programme Highlights
1. Self-employment,
through provision of commercially viable business
services, for
approximately 203 youth, who act as BSPs (Business
Service providers). These services include- animal
health and nutrition services (feed), artificial
insemination services, micro-insurance services, and
milk collection, distribution and marketing
services.
2. Development
of 4000 commercially oriented micro-dairies with
strong market linkages.
3. Market
accessibility to micro-dairies through creation of
112 collection, distribution and marketing service
providers.
4. Increased
value from sale of fresh milk in the project area
from 1, 62,000.00 INR ($3681) to 88, 02, 00.00
(re-check?) INR ($200,000) by the establishment of
collection, distribution and market services.
5. Establishment
of a community owned micro-finance institution (UMM)
has increased the accessibility of rural poor women
to all essential financial services, including
saving, credit and insurance.
6. Mobilization
of the community towards the common property
resource management by linking the
Van Panchayats
with the fodder cultivation program.
7. Positive
impact on forest conservation in the long run, as
input services (stall feeding and fodder
plantations) for the dairy sub-sector have been
established commercially and are being adopted on a
large scale.
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The following approach was adopted for
interventions in the dairy sub-sector:
1.
Creating
micro-producer networks
that can generate and capture economies
of scale under Business Development
Services (BDS) model. These Networks
were organized as Mutually Aided
Cooperative Societies (MACS) that enable
them to operate in a business like way
and at the same time provides a variety
of micro-finance services to their
members, such as credit, savings, and
assets insurance.
2.
Demonstrating and making relevant
productivity enhancing techniques-
input services
to optimize production. These
services, which include fodder
cultivation demonstrations; fodder
plantation; chaff cutting; vermi-composting;
veterinary and artificial
insemination services are now
available through BSPs who provide
these services on a profit basis.
Click
here for more details |
Project implementation under the BDS
model:
AT India in all its programmes has
employed the Business Development Services
(BDS) strategy (as mentioned
earlier). The basic idea being that the
Business Service Providers developed
under the model will provide sustainable
access to services through private
sector providers.
It is worthwhile mentioning that that
the BDS model adopted by AT India for
implementation of dairy-sub sector
development project has not only been
backed by two market studies, conducted
by ORG Marg and MART, New Delhi but has
also influenced the implementation of
other economic activities in the region.
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Input Services - Productivity
Enhancing Technology
Demonstrations
1. Fodder Cultivation & Cattle
Feed Demonstrations
The project has facilitated the
demonstrations of different
fodder cultivations techniques
by conducting 1031 winter
fodder, 630 summer fodder and
527 monsoon fodder
demonstrations on 343 ha of
private and common lands in the
project area. The
demonstrations have met with
great enthusiasm among the
clientele; however the limited
available arable land is
restricting widespread adoption.
Considering low availability of
land at the household level, UMM
has been promoting fodder
development through inclusion of
the Van Panchayat common lands
with the support of Uttarakhand
Livestock Development Board (ULDB).
To date UMM has developed 3 Van
Panchayats for large scale
fodder cultivation on 10
hectares. As part of the
technology demonstrations, 891
demonstrations on treatment of
dry fodder have been held along
with the 144 silage
demonstrations.
The demonstrations of cattle
feed held initially, has
generated demand for feed, which
is being met through a developed
network of commercial producers,
agents and Business
Service Providers (BSPs). The
indications for adoption of this
service is that there are now 27
new BSPs supplying feed to over
4200 micro-dairies contributing
an average revenue of Rs 25000
INR/month to these service
providers.
2. Plantation of Fodder Trees &
Establishment of Chaff cutter
Services
The project has also promoted
the plantation of 0.62 million
sapling of
Grewia optiva, Bahunia verigata
fodder trees as well as local
fodder trees on 250 ha of
private and common lands in the
project area with the
participation
of SHG members. It is expected
that the project will facilitate
the plantation of around 0.34
million more saplings during
this monsoon.
The promotion of animal
nutrition and feed, fodder
cultivation technology,
plantation of tree saplings and
establishment of 97 chaff cutter
services in the project has
addressed the environmental
concern to a logical extent. As
a result, the Van Panchayat has
become the commercial entity for
fodder services and will sell
seeds and saplings to clients
and operate nurseries on a
commercial basis.
3. Animal Health and
Up-gradation Services
The project has facilitated
animal up-gradation services
including artificial
insemination, stud bull services
and minor health treatment of
cattle. The collaboration with
ULDB? has developed 21
Artificial Insemination Services
Centers and 15 Stud Bull Service
Centers. The trained AI Service
providers have conducted 589
artificial inseminations with a
45% success rate of conception,
and after receiving Para-vet
training, they are now providing
veterinary services to the
micro-dairies on a commercial
basis. A total of 993 veterinary
service camps to raise awareness
among the farmers have been
conducted to date and a total of
12,893 animals repeatedly
vaccinated against frequently
occurring diseases.
4. Composting Services
The project has facilitated the
adoption of improved vermi-culture
composting techniques in 3545
households. The starter-worms
are now available through a
group of 23 commercial
providers. The composting
technology demonstrations have a
direct impact on farming in
terms of optimal/increased
production and in preserving the
traditional genetic pool,
encouraged by growing organic
products. The intervention has
contributed a combined income of
8614 INR (? per month) for a
group of 23 Business Service
providers who now supply the
compost and earth worms on
demand to farmers.
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Output Services
Marketing Services
The project through its participating
SHGs has facilitated the organizing of
61 sub-collectors of milk and 40 major
milk collectors. This has resulted in
the development of 11 small milk grids
at different semi urban locations to
augment and support the sale of milk.
The creation of collection and
distribution services have ensured a
significant monthly average income of
2026 INR ($46) for sub collectors, 5830
INR ($132/month) for the major
collectors and 4383 INR ($100/month) for
the milk grid managers. These are
extremely significant increases in
incomes for this region or for that
matter any part of India. The network
has facilitated a significant increase
in combined sale of milk from an initial
pre-project 90 liters to 4890 liters per
day.
Training is also imparted on hygienic
production of dairy products like paneer,
khoya and white butter.
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