REJUVENATING NATURE'S CHILDREN

AN IMPACT ANALYSIS OF THE PROJECT

COMMUNITY ADVOCACY FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
IMPLEMENTED AMONG BHIL TRIBALS IN MHOW TEHSIL OF INDORE
DISTRICT OF MADHYA PRADESH BY
BHARATIYA GRAMIN MAHILA SANGH
FROM 1996 - 2008 WITH FUNDING SUPPORT FROM
CHURCHES AUXILIARY FOR SOCIAL ACTION

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Organisational Profile..................................................................................................... 2

1.2 Methodology of Impact Analysis ................................................................................... 2

2. SITUATION ANALYSIS....................................................................................... 3

2.1 Area Characteristics Analysis ........................................................................................ 3

2.2 Stakeholder Analysis....................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Problem Analysis............................................................................................................. 8

2.4 Objectives Analysis ......................................................................................................... 9

3. STRATEGY ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 10

4. REVIEW OF IMPACT ........................................................................................ 17

4.1 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 19

5. PROJECT EVALUATION MATRIX ................................................................... 20

Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

1. Introduction
The Malwi Bhil tribals of Golkhera village in Mhow Tehsil of Indore district in Madhya
Pradesh were in a paradoxical situation in many ways. They were just three kilometers away
straight as the crow flies from the major trade artery of National Highway No. 3 more
popularly known as the Agra-Bombay Road and yet they were in extreme poverty. There
was a big irrigation tank in their village but due to their poverty and also due to their farms
being situated above the level of the canal outlet of this tank they could not irrigate their
fields. They could only watch in despair as the water from the tank went through the canal
to the fields of big landowners further down in Yeshwantnagar village along the AB Road.
When the social workers of the Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh (BGMS) carried out a
participatory rural appraisal with the villagers in 1996 as a prelude to formulating a plan of
intervention then the people in one voice said that the most pressing problem was that of the
lack of irrigation for their fields. The only solution they said was the establishment of a
community lift irrigation scheme to take water from the tank to their fields as it was beyond
the capacity of inidividual farmers. Even this would require massive investments and
permissions would have to be taken from the irrigation department and fees paid to them for
the use of the water. Their absolute poverty prevented them from taking any steps in this
regard. After holding extensive meetings so as to ensure that there was enough cohesiveness
within the community to run the lift irrigation scheme without fighting among themselves
for water the scheme was implemented. Eighty farmers were pooled together and 6520
meters of PVC piping were laid from an intake motor at the irrigation tank to the fields of
the farmers. A total of 60 hectares of land is being irrigated by this scheme.

Fig. 1 : The Greening of Golkhera through Lift Irrigation

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

This has completely rejuvenated the moribund community of Golkhera village as the
villagers have not only been able to take two crops but they have also diversified from the
farming of only comparatively low value crops like Makka and udad in the kharif season to
high value ones like vegetables, onions, garlic and potato in addition to wheat in the rabi
season. Consequently their incomes have increased substantially and they are now in much
better financial condition after more than a decade of such high value agriculture. This
example displays the efficient manner way in which BGMS has combined community
mobilisation and livelihood interventions for the development of the poor in fifteen villages
mostly peopled by tribals in the Mhow tehsil of Indore. An impact analysis of this highly
effective "Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods" project implemented by
BGMS with the financial and technical support of the Churches Auxiliary for Social
Action (CASA) has been carried out here to bring out the learnings and systematise them
for future replication on a larger scale.
1.1 Organisational Profile
Forty eight years ago a city lady, Krishna Agrawal, was moved by the plight of
poor rural women, battling under the dual burden of poverty and patriarchy, around the city
of Indore. She decided to do something for them. She first ventured into the field of
education for rural girls coming from an economically deprived background. She set up a
school for girls in Rau village near Indore. She soon realised that education alone was not
sufficient and that women needed training and support for income generation. That is when
she got in touch with the national office of the Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh and set up
its Madhya Pradesh Chapter with its head office at Rau village in 1961. Thereafter the
organisation launched into a variety of socio-economic development programmes with
financial aid from government and non-government sources. The organisation is also
affiliated with the Associated Country Women of the World.
In the early days of social work in the early nineteen seventies the outlook of the
organisation was more charity oriented. The programmes consisted of giving various kinds
of services and support free to the beneficiaries. However, with time this charity approach
has changed and the emphasis has shifted more towards economically, socially and
politically empowering the beneficiaries through community oriented programmes so that
they become capable of sustaining their growth even without the help of the BGMS. Thus
while work of the organisation in the earlier phase was essentially charity and service
provision oriented it has now evolved into an organisation concentrating on building up
capacity in the beneficiaries to tackle their developmental problems on their own.
Consequently BGMS has taken the following measures while implementing its projects -
• Ensuring that the community becomes an active partner in development rather than
be a mere recipient of programme benefits.
• Interfacing macro-level planning with micro-level implementation.
• Beneficiaries are encouraged to participate in and contribute to the programmes.
• Nursing of entrepreneural talent among the rural masses so as to convert them from
being job seekers to job creators.
1.2 Methodology of Impact Analysis
Currently the accepted methodology for conducting an impact analysis is that of logical
framework or log-frame analysis (LFA), which provides a set of assessment tools that, when
applied creatively, can be utilised for evaluating projects. The purpose of LFA is to
undertake an objectives oriented assessment that can evaluate the impact of a development

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

project. The LFA of the twelve year long Community Advocacy for Sustainable
Livelihoods Project of Prayas that has been done here includes -
1.2.1 Situation Analysis - this detailed description and analysis provides
i. an overview of the socio-economic characteristics of the project area.
ii. an analysis of the various stakeholders and their inter-relationship in the project
area both historically and at present.
iii. an analysis of the various problems that have been addressed by the project.
iv. an objectives analysis that sets out the goals of the project and the means by which
it has tried to achieve them.
1.2.2 Strategy Analysis - This analysis follows the problems and objectives analysis and
sets out the strategy that has been adopted to achieve the desired results. In addition to
examining the logic of the interventions this analysis also looks at their practical feasibility.
1.2.3 Measurement of Impact - This sets out the impact of the project measured in terms
of various indicators of performance.
1.2.4 Project Evaluation Matrix - This provides a tabular summary of -
i. Why a project has been carried out (what are the goals)
ii. What the project has achieved (utilisation of services)
iii. How the project has achieved its outputs/results (strategies adopted)
iv. What have been the results of the project (impact)
v. Which external factors have influenced the success and failures of the project (risks
and frame conditions)
1.2.5 Procedure for Collection of Data on Impact - The impact analysis presented here is
based on a rigorous data collection exercise. An evaluation team consisting of an
independent reviewer and project staff used a bouquet of different methods to garner
primary and secondary information regarding the impact of the project in accordance with
its goals and objectives as described in the LFA that included the following -

1. Review of documents of BGMS Indore and Government of M.P.

2. Meeting with senior staff as well as with the field workers of BGMS.
3. Field visits to selected villages in the Project Area.
4. Interviews with villagers.
5. Focus Group Discussions with the villagers.

2. Situation Analysis
Situation Analysis consists of Area Characteristics Analysis, Stakeholder Analysis, Problem
Analysis and Objectives Analysis in that order so as to arrive at a thorough understanding of
the parameters of the intervention programme.
2.1 Area Characteristics Analysis
Mhow Tehsil is situated to the South of the district of Indore between 22020 and 22037 N
Latitude and 75032 and 76020 Longitude at an average height of about 510 m above MSL.
While the northern part of the tehsil forms part of the fertile Malwa Plateau with deep
clayey black cotton soils, the southern part which is where the project area is situated is on
the edge of the Vindhya escarpment and so hilly with shallow lateritic soils interspersing the
clayey soils. The underlying rock structure is basaltic and so unamenable to recharge of
precipitation. Combined with deforestation this means that the natural recharge in the area is
limited and ground water availability is also low.

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Fig. 2 : Location of Project Area

2.1.1 Climate
Monsoon timings in Indore district are from June to September and heavy rains occur in
July and August. Average annual rainfall is 1000 mm. Winters fall between December and
February and summers between March and June. The recorded minimum and maximum
temperature respectively is 5.0◦Cand 45.0◦C.
2.1.2 Landuse Pattern
The entire geographical area of Mhow tehsil is 1,02,708 hectares. The land classification is
as given in Table 1 below -

Table 1 : Landuse Pattern

Type of land Total area (hectare) Percent
Forest 40921 39.84
Land Unfit for Cultivation 10799 10.51
Other Uncultivable Waste Land 3819 3.72
Cultivable Waste Land 1564 1.52
Waste land 785 0.76
Agricultural land 44820 43.63

2.1.3 Flora and Fauna

39.84 per cent of the area of the tehsil is covered by forests. The forests are mainly dry
deciduous and concentrated on the edge of the Malwa Plateau and on the Vindhyan
escarpment below. The flora mainly includes Teak, Bamboo, Gular, Mango, Banyan,
Beheda, Mahua, Tinas, Peepal, Karanj, Khakri, Anjan and Tendu. There is the big reserved
forest area of Manpur in the project area. Panthers are the only large carnivores found in the
forest areas. Smaller animals like fox, hare, jackal, squirrels and wild mouse are also found
here. The forests provide considerable sustenance to the Tribal forest dwellers through non-
timber forest produce and also through grazing for cattle.

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2.1.5 Agriculture
The Malwa region of Mhow tehsil is a good agricultural area with upper and backward caste
farmers having large holdings of fertile land. Water availability is a problem with ground
water extraction having gone beyond the safe limit. The tribals however own only small
plots of land which are mostly unirrigated. The area under various crops in 2006-07 is given
in Table 2 below -
Table 2 : Area under Various Crops in Mhow Tehsil 2006-07
Crops Area (Hectares)
Wheat 10695
Maize 2487
Sorghum (Jowar) 203
Gram 2557
Redgram (Tuar) 142
Blackgram (Udad) 27
Soyabean 35190
Groundnut 227
Vegetables 9024
Chillies 1287

Clearly the area under traditional crops such as maize, sorghum, redgram, blackgram and
groundnut have gone down to be replaced by cash crops such as soyabean, vegetables and
chillies. However, this has mostly occurred with the big landed castes and the tribals have
been mostly left cultivating the traditional crops. The irrigated area is as high as 49.92% but
once again this is mostly with the upper and other backward castes and the tribals have less.
Another cause for concern is that only 6.5% of irrigation is by canals from tanks whereas
the proportion of irrigation from deep tubewells is 27.4% and that from dugwells is 36.8%.
Lift Irrigation from rivers, streams and tanks constitutes 30.1%. This means that there is an
over dependence on ground water and inappropriate development of surface water. The
distribution of landholdings across different classes of farmers is shown in Fig 3.

40
35.31
35 34.22
30 28.04
25 24.36
20.94
20 16.98 16.38
14.2 Landholdings
15
Area (Ha)
10 6.97
5 2.59
0
Marginal Semi- Large
Medium

Fig 3. Distribution of Landholdings (%) by Number and Area across Classes.

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The standard classification of farmers according to landholding size is as follows -

i. Marginal - 0 - 1 Ha
ii. Small - 1 - 2 Ha
iii. Semi - Medium - 2 - 4 Ha
iv. Medium - 4 - 10 Ha
v. Large - > 10 Ha
The majority of landholders are those with holdings of less than 2 hectares and yet their
total area of land is only about 25% while the medium and large farmers with holdings
above 4 hectares constitute about 17% of the farmers but their total area of land is 52%.
Thus there is a visible skewing of landholding pattern away from the small holders who are
mostly tribals and dalits. This is the major reason for the poverty of the tribals as they not
only lack sufficient agricultural land but they are also paid miserable wages for working as
labourers for the large upper and other backward caste landholders.
2.2 Stakeholder Analysis
The Malwa region where the project area is situated was originally the habitat of the Bhil
tribals and they lived a subsistence existence practising shifting cultivation and hunting and
gathering as livelihoods. They used to fiercely defend their habitats against intrusion by
others on the strength of their superb archery skills. However, with the advent of the
Muslim rulers with firearms the Malwa region was slowly taken over by the Rajput Parmar
dynasty which had to move out of Rajasthan due to pressure from the Muslims and the
Bhils became subservient to them. Later on Alauddin Khilji overcame the Parmars in the
fourteenth century to establish his rule over Malwa. However, the region remained a
disturbed one right upto the end of the Mughal era as the Rajputs and later the local Muslim
rulers continued to fight the imperial power of Delhi. Only one muslim dynasty was able to
rule continously for some time in the sixteenth century and establish an impregnable fort in
Mandu on the edge of the Malwa plateau which has some exquisite instances of Muslim
architecture. All through this later historical period the Bhils had to bear the burden of the
rulers’ wars and lavish living through the payment of feudal levies and the provision of
begaar or free labour.
The Marathas invaded the region in the early eighteenth century and the Panwars
established their rule in Dhar while the Holkars did so in Indore and the Scindias in
Gwalior. The Marathas made further inroads into the Bhils' territories by bringing in farmer
castes from Maharashtra to increase the area under settled agriculture. The British
subordinated the Marathas in the early nineteenth century and they brought about a sea
change in the socio-economic conditions of the central Indian region. The British began to
commercially exploit the forests of the region and this increased with the laying of rail lines
in western India in the decade of the 1850s. The British also decided to fund their
administrative and military costs through enhanced land revenue collection and the
commercialisation of agriculture. For this purpose they intensified the Maratha policy of
displacing the shifting agriculture practicing tribals and replacing them with more settled
agricultural castes and substantially hiking the levels of land revenue charged. The British
dismantled the older feudal system that had allowed the village councils a fair level of
independence and put in place a new one, also feudal, but with functionaries loyal to them
that was considerably more exploitative. A Military Headquarters of the West or MHOW
was set up near Indore under the supervision of the Resident in Indore. The records
describe the difficulty the British faced in subduing the Bhils who revolted against the
intrusion into their territories and displacement from their resource bases.

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All this created a serious disruption in the traditional livelihoods of the Bhil tribals. The rail
line connected the tribal regions with the rest of the world through Mumbai as did the Agra-
Bombay road. Grain and minor forest produce began to be exported and the tribals were
forced into the market economy without the skills to negotiate it. The British appointed the
trader bania castes, which had penetrated the region as agents for collecting excise revenue
on a commission basis. This led to the increasing infiltration of these traders into interior
areas. Thus the surpluses that the poor farmers used to have to tide them over the occasional
years of bad monsoons were available no more and famines became the order of the day.
The insistence of the British on the payment of taxes regardless of the failure of the harvest
resulted in indebtedness of the poor to these traders following as the night the day.
Consequently land alienation resulted from both the settling of non-tribal farmers and debt
to sahukars. The British thus laid the foundations of the poverty of the Bhils and their
domination by traders and non-tribal farmer castes, which is very visible in the project area.
2.2.1 Current Situation - This socio-economic weakness of the tribals has continued in the
post independence period and the intensity of exploitation has increased leading to the
following serious aberrations in the tribals' situation -
i. Government policies and programmes aimed at integrating the Bhils into the
modern market economy and polity have generally been failures due to wrong
planning and improper implementation often caused by the apathy of the non-tribal
administrators towards the problems of the tribals.
ii. The transfer of forest lands to the Forest Department after independence has
severely restricted the tribals' access to their sources of livelihood and sustenance.
iii. The economic and political power of the non-tribal sahukars is such that they
have continually influenced the elected lawmakers and the government functionaries
to the detriment of the tribals in addition to direct exploitation.
iv. The Bhil tribal women have to suffer from patriarchal oppression, as there is a
clear gender division of labour to their disadvantage and apart from this the effects
of excessive fertility and poverty are felt most by them. They have little say in
household matters and even less in community affairs.
2.2.2 Population Characteristics of the Project Area - The decennial growth rate of rural
population in the tehsil is a very high 41.22% for 1991-2001. The sex ratio in the tehsil is
also a cause for concern at a very low 892. This is an indication that the level of patriarchy
is very high. The population density is 248 / sq.km. Some of the demographic details are as
given in Table 3 below -

Table 3 : Demographic Characteristics of Mhow Tehsil (2001)

Description Numbers %age
Total Population 304363 100.00
Male in Total Population 160868 52.85
Female in Total Population 143495 47.15
Dalits in total population 41423 13-60
Tribals in Total Population 68327 22-44
A notable fact is that the proportion of tribals in the rural population is higher at 33% than
in the tehsil as a whole. This is reflected even more starkly in the project villages which are
almost wholly populated by tribals with a smattering of dalits and other backward castes.

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2.3 Problem Analysis

The various problems that were identified by BGMS at the initiation of the Community
Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods project have been categorised according to
development sector and causative precedence in a tabular form in Table 4 below -
Table 4 : Development Sector wise Problem Chart for the Project Area
Development Cause Effect
Sector
Basic Problem Intermediatry Overall
Effect Problem
Statement
for the
Project
1. Lack of Access to Forests Livelihood and Food Tribals of the
Livelihoods and
2. Small landholdings Insecurity of Tribals project area
Economic
3. Usurious Interest Rates and
Empowerment
4. Lack of Irrigation facilities especially the
5. Degeneration of Natural women are
Resource Base socially
1. Tribals not allowed equal Denial of social oppressed,
Social Justice
soical status with the other equality and justice politically
backward and upper castes to Tribals powerless,
1. Lack of awareness regarding economically
Political and Tribals exploited by
their fundamental rights under exploited and
Legal the powerful upper
the Constitution of India lacking in
Awareness and other backward
especially the right to form sustainable
castes and the
organisations and associations. livelihood
administrative
2. Lack of information opportunities.
machinery
regarding various laws and
dominated by them.
policies enacted for the benefit
and protection of Tribals.
3. Corruption in delivery of
various services by the
administrative machinery.
Education & 1. Inadequate provision by the High levels of
Health government of free quality illiteracy and ill
education and health services health among
to Tribals Tribals

Harmful Social 1. Harmful social customs like Economic Burden

Customs Mrityu Bhoj and Bride Price. on the poor pushing
them further into
debt and bondage.
Gender 1. Child marriage and the Women are severely
Equality widespread prevalence of oppressed.
alcoholism and domestic
violence.

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2.4 Objectives Analysis

The preceding analysis has systematically identified and categorised the various problems
and their relation to each other as well as to the overall problem for the project. Now an
analysis of the objectives of the project will be carried out so as to ensure harmony between
the goal to be achieved and the means that have been adopted in the planning and
implementation of the project. The overall goal of the project is -
Establishment of a conscious and participatory process of societal revival through community
advocacy through people's organisations for the creation of sustainable livelihood
opportunities and the elmination of all kinds of discrimination and oppression with special
regard to the improvement of the status of women.
The problem analysis done above has clearly revealed that the central problem is closely
related to various other problems that beset the dalits and tribals and so this final goal can be
achieved only by fulfilling lower level short and long term objectives as follows -
2.4.1 Sectorwise Objectives
Livelihood and economic empowerment related objectives -
• ORGANISATION OF THE TRIBALS INTO PEOPLE'S ORGANISATIONS SO AS TO ENHANCE THEIR
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL BARGAINING POWER IN THE COMPETITIVE LIBERAL
DEMOCRATIC SET UP PREVAILING UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.
• ENSURING PROPER WORKING AND REMUNERATION CONDITIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL WAGE
EARNERS
• ENSURING THE PAYMENT OF MINIMUM WAGES
• NATURAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT ON A SUSTAINABLE BASIS
Social justice related objectives
• INITIATION OF ACTION AGAINST ATROCITIES ON TRIBALS
• ACHIEVEMENT OF EQUALITY AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE FOR TRIBALS.
Political and legal awareness related objectives
• ENSURING THAT THE "RULE OF LAW" AS ORDAINED IN THE CONSTITUTION AND VARIOUS
OTHER STATUTES PREVAILS THROUGH THE FORMATION OF LARGER NETWORKS
• ORGANISING THE YOUTH AND MOTIVATING THEM TO TAKE PART IN COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.

Education and health related objectives

• ENSURING THE UNIVERSALISATION OF EDUCATION
• IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF AND ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
Harmful social customs related objectives
• FREEING OF TRIBALS FROM WIDESPREAD SOCIAL EVILS IN THE COMMUNITY.

Gender equality related objectives

• ESTABLISHMENT OF SELF HELP GROUPS OF WOMEN AS FORUMS TO PROVIDE BOTH
ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE AND SOLIDARITY TO WOMEN AGAINST PATRIARCHAL
OPPRESSION.
• GENERATING AWARENESS REGARDING THE HARMFUL EFFECTS FOR SOCIETY OF CHILD
MARRIAGE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
• PROVISION OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES.

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3. Strategy Analysis
Now that the goal of the project and the means of achieving them have been pinpointed it
will be necessary to detail the strategies that have been adopted for the achievement of these
objectives. The strategies that have been adopted for implementation are as follows -

1. As its main strategy whenever BGMS takes up a new programme, it clearly

discusses the consequences and possible fall-outs as well as the advantages
with the people. Only when the people become ready to participate and are
aware of all the consequences and advantages, is the implementation started.

Fig. 4 : A village meeting called to discuss a project

2. The major intervention has been in the livelihoods sector. The Lift Irrigation
scheme in Golkhera has already been mentioned. There has also been a very
successful implementation of a watershed development programme in
Saglakhali, Garbari and Rol villages. Fifty villagers were first taken on an
exposure tour to Jhabua district to see the work of the NGO, National Centre
for Habitats and Human Settlements, among tribal communities there. After
this a programme of construction of field bunds, water retaining trenches,
gabion structures, boulder plugs, bori bunds, sunken ponds and percolation
tanks was taken up. Well deepening was also done. Not only did this
programme considerably enhance the water recharge, soil moisture and soil
conservation status but it also provided a fair amount of work to the
beneficiaries as shown in Table 5 below. Thus this activity was an important
livelihoods enhancing programme and it has contributed to a sustainable
increase in incomes for the beneficiaries. The important thing to note is that
both in the case of lift irrigation and in watershed development sustainability
has been achieved through community mobilisation of a high order.

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Table 5 : Watershed Work Done in the Project Area

Description of Work Earthwork (cum) Person days of Work
Field Bunding 575 1000
Sunken Pond 2730 2159
Water Retention Trenches 1640 1293
Percolation Tank 1870 1475
Gabion Structures 500 850
Boulder Plugs 830 1070
Bori Bunds 650 740
Well Deepening 830 770
Total 9625 9357
The water table has improved as follows after this intervention -
Table 6 : Improvement in Water Table in Dugwells
Season Level of Water from Land Surface (m)
Previous After Treatment
January - March 14.6 13.6
April - June 15.5 14.6
July - September 3.0 0
October - December 6.7 3.6

Fig. 5 : Water Water Everywhere : The Percolation Tank in Garbari Village

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3. The soil and water conservation

work was done in the first and The soil and water
second phases of the conservation work was so
programme in all the fifteen effective that the upper caste
villages and it had the side landed farmers of a village
benefit of freeing the villagers downstream of Garbari
from being solely dependent on complained that their irrigation
wage labour on the fields of the
big landowners. Minimum tank which had been built by
wages were being paid for work the Irrigation Department
on the watershed programme an earlier had not filled up
so on the strength of this the despite heavy rains and so
villagers could bargain for they had to draw less water
higher wages for agricultural than in earlier years.
labour. They thus succeeded in
hiking up the wage rate from a lowly Rs 25 per day to as high as Rs 50 per
day. This combined with the beneficiaries' greater political awareness has led
to the improvement of their social status also.
4. Trainings for farmers have been organised continuously in the use of better
varieties and newer kinds of seeds and the agricultural practices to be
adopted for higher yields. One major intervention for small holder farmers
has been the introduction of small kitchen garden plots of vegetables, fruits
and herbs. These have led to higher nutrition levels of the food intake of the
households, higher incomes from selling the produce in the market and also
greater women's empowerment as the production and sale of these vegetables
and horticultural products have been controlled by the women. The women
have earned upto Rupees five thousand as extra income from such activities.

Fig. 6 : Tasting the Fruits of Horticultural Success

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5. Organisation of the women into

multi purpose self help groups Peeraj Bai of village
has been the mainstay of the Saglakhali took a loan from
programme. The groups were the SHG and with improved
started initially as savings and seeds of tomato supplied by
credit organisations. However, the project cultivated a plot
they later became versatile in
which gave her a net income
addressing a whole host of
issues. Initially fifteen SHGs of Rs 6000. Seeing this other
were formed but two became women of the group too took
defunct and thirteen are still up tomato cultivation and all
extant. Over a period of a the women together began
decade the members of these going to the sabzi mundi in
groups have been saving Rs 50
Mhow to sell their produce.
per month. However, instead of
accumulating the annual savings continuously to build up greater capital the
women have from time to time distributed the savings among themselves and
restarted the savings process. So despite a decade of running on an average
these groups have about Rs 10000 of capital in cash and loans advanced to
group members. Their meagre incomes have been the main reason for the
women not accumulating a bigger corpus. So whenever the corpus reaches
about Rs 20000 the tendency is to distribute this saved fund among
themselves and restart the process. Some of the women have successfully
launched income generating activities like vegetable selling, tailoring,
marketing of readymade garments and rearing of goats.
6. The major contribution of these women's groups has been social and political
even more than economic and the activities undertaken are as follows -
• The women were at the forefront of the struggle to increase
agricultural wages and they succeeded by doubling them from a
lowly Rs 25 a day to a much more justified Rs 50 per day.
• The BPL surveys had been done in an
When the Upper Caste men improper manner earlier. The SHGs ran a
beat up an adivasi woman campaign for the correct identification of
of Bajrangpura village then poor people and got many genuine
the women of five SHGs families listed and non-genuine families
delisted.
went and sat in a dharna in
front of the Police Station in • Similarly many eligible women were
Manpur demanding action registered for widow pension.
against the culprits. Initially • Concerted action including social
the Officer refused but then ostracism and registration of police cases
the women threatened that was instituted against alcoholic men who
used to cause a nuisance for their wives
they would complain to who were members of the SHGs.
higher ups and so for the
first time a case was • Action was taken against corruption in
the Panchayats and Sarpanches were
registered against upper forced to return funds they had
castes in the area. defalcated.

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

• When a woman was beaten up by upper castes then the women of all
the SHGs together went and sat in front of the police station
demanding action against the culprits and were successful in getting a
case registered against them.
7. A resource centre has been set up in Bajrangpura village to provide
information on rights and legal issues to the people and also serve the
purpose of a meeting place. This resource centre has been built entirely with
the contribution of the people in terms of labour and the deductions from the
wages they received for participating in various watershed activities. This
resource centre is at present run by the only female field level staff of the
project and arrangements have been made to provide her with an anganwadi
so that the resource centre continues after the withdrawal of the project

Fig. 7 : All smiles at the Resource Centre

8. Considerable publication has been undertaken of printed and audio-visual
material in simple Hindi as learning and training aids for the people and
workers and activists. This is an extremely important activity as one major
impediment to development work among the tribals and dalits is their lack of
information regarding their rights and entitlements.
9. Media advocacy by lobbying with journalists to do special stories and also
report on public events. In this way the plight of the tribals of the area and
the good work done by the BGMS to alleviate this has been publicised and
some pressure has been brought to bear on the government and the
administration to perform better.
10. A people's movement has been initiated to get the provisions of the National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act properly implemented in the region.
Along with other partners of CASA a federation has been formed called the
Madhyanchal Forum. This forum has taken up rights issues of the tribals,
dalits and other backward castes throughout the region and has organised

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

rallies, public hearings and

workshops to put pressure on the Masumi is a landless
government and the administration muslim woman of village
to improve their performance with Bajrangpura who makes a
regard to the delivery of services living by daily labour. Yet
and implementation of rights. One
major area of intervention has
she says that she has
been the monitoring of the gained so much confidence
National Rural Employment from taking part in rallies
Guarantee Scheme. A rally was and dharnas organised over
taken out in the months of various issues that she has
November and December 2006 lost all her fears and is now
that traversed all the 18 districts of
Madhya Pradesh that were at that
able to argue with high level
time covered under the scheme officials and ministers about
and the people and staff from the the best way to initiate
project area too participated in this development for the poor.
rally. This rally culminated in a
massive demonstration in Bhopal where a report of the experience and
information gained from the rally was presented to the Government of
Madhya Pradesh. The massive participation of women was most notable as
in the picture below. In fact mass mobilisation on a wider platform through
this kind of organisational networking has provided a golden opportunity for
women who have traditionally been restricted to their homes and villages to
travel far and wide and so broaden their horizon. Women from the area along
with the men also took part in the Indian Social Forum held in Delhi in 2007.

Fig. 8 : Rallying for People's Power

11. Health and especially reproductive health is a major area of concern for the
poor in most tribal areas and this is the situation in the project area also.
Consequently health camps have been organised on a regular basis in the

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

project area both in collaboration with the health department and also with
private doctors. The traditional dais have also been trained in safe delivery
practices and workshops on hygiene and preventive health care have been
held to raise the level of health awareness among the people.

Fig. 9 : Health Checkups in Improvised Surroundings

12. Finally the project has made it a point to involve the youth in its activities
and in February 2007 a Yuva Mela was organised in Manpur in which local
leaders and specialists motivated the youth to take part in various social and
economic activities for the benefit of the community.

Fig. 10. Youth in the forefront of development

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

4. Review of Impact
The consolidated impact assessment of the above process on the basis of the foregoing
analysis as evaluated by the independent reviewer is as follows -
1. The self confidence of the tribals has been restored and they are now socio-economically
much better situated. Politically too now they can assert themselves. They are now able to
leverage their numerical superiority and greater awareness and income levels to get a more
just share of the development programmes of the state. A major campaign was carried out
before the Panchayat elections of 2004 to educate the people about the provisions of the
Panchayati Raj Act and to ensure that good candidates got elected from the project area.
This culminated in a fair in which audio-visual and printed material were displayed.

Fig. 11 : Enthusing People to make the most of Local Governance

2. The atrocities against tribals have been reduced. Earlier the upper and other backwards
castes used to regularly insult and beat up the tribals. However, due to the organisation of
the tribals and their greater access to higher level officials and political personalities these
deleterious practices have now been reduced to a great extent.
3. Strong community and people's organisations have been built up. The village
communities are well organised and they are also affiliated with the wider network of
organisations called the Madhyanchal Forum through which they are able to take up policy
issues with the government.
4. The access to and control over natural reources has improved substantially. Especially of
note is the vast improvement in the husbanding and utilisation of water resources which are
crucial to agriculture which is the main livelihood source of the tribals. The process of water
management has been facilitated by excellent community mobilisation. The lift irrigation
system in Golkhera village is an example of this. There are very few community lift
irrigation schemes that are successful in the long run due to the lack of social cohesion.
However the people of Golkhera have been able to maintain there system over twelve long
years without any disputes regarding water sharing despite there being as many as eighty
members of the scheme. From the inception they have remained united and this unity has
helped them to secure benefits in other spheres too.

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

Fig. 12 : Laying the Pipeline of the Lift Irrigation Scheme in Golkhera Village
5. New low cost technology that is very effective has been introduced into the area for water
conservation and for improved agriculture which has contributed substantially to the
ensuring of livelihood sustainability.

Fig. 13 : Netting Rocks for a Secure Future - Gabion Structures

6. SHGs are functioning as good economic support organisations for the women.
Eventhough the SHGs have not been able to build up large corpuses because of the
tendency among the members to distribute the collected amount among themselves once

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

the corpus reaches Rs 20000 nevertheless they are functioning as good alternative and cheap
sources of credit for the women and have been successful in initiating them into
supplementary income generating activities.
7. Women's situation has improved considerably but there is need for greater action in this
sphere. Women have definitely benefited tremendously from participation in the
programme. They have become economically, socially and politically more powerful and
have been able to challenge patriarchal structures in significant ways. However, given the
small area of work these women are unable to carry on their campaign on a larger scale
required to tackle patriarchy at a wider social level. So customs like child marriage and
dowry and brideprice still prevail.
8. Networking with groups on rights issues leading to a wider mobilisation has begun
through the Madhyanchal Forum. This has provided strength to the local mobilisation and
also exposure to larger issues at the state, national and global levels. The village leaders
have a good idea of overall development issues facing the tribals.
9. Service delivery and awareness initiatives in health have had a positive impact.
10.. Mobilisation of Youth for development and rights based work has taken off in a big
way. This is a very farsighted initiative of the project and a crucial determinant of future
sustainability of the development process implemented by BGMS.
4.1 Conclusions
The basic logic of developmental intervention The project has been
of BGMS is sound and consequently implemented with good
sustainability has been achieved in economic,
social and political spheres. Even though planning and foresight so that
women still have some way to go before they economic, social and political
can really be termed free of patriarchal capital have been built up in
oppression this can only be achieved through such a way that sustainable
mobilisation on a much larger scale than was livelihoods have been
possible through the project.Thus social capital ensured. Combined with the
has been adequately built up for solving rights
based problems and livelihoods issues at the mobilisation and training of
local level. Political capital too has been tribal youth this will ensure
acquired to a certain extent through the continuity even after the
formation of the Madhyanchal Forum to withdrawal of the project.
counter the larger political economy of modern
development which is against the interests of the tribals. The local state and the local power
centres have been successfully neutralised through the formation of social capital and
attempts have been made for the replication of this process on a larger scale across dryland
tribal areas through the Madhyanchal Forum. This forum should in future provide a
platform for a larger mobilisation based on a sound ideological foundation through the use
of the empowering provisions of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act 1996
(PESA), The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (NREGA) and the The Right
to Information Act 2005 (RTIA) which now provide a set of legal instruments to make
possible a broadbased people's mobilisation for sustainable and equitable development.Most
importantly the tribal youth have been mobilised and trained in such a way that they will be
able to continue with the work on their own even after the withdrawal of the project. One
can safely conclude therefore that the project has indeed been able to sustainably rejuvenate
the moribund lives of the children of nature - the Malwi Bhil tribals of Manpur.

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

5. Project Evaluation Matrix

The foregoing impact assessment has now provided us with enough facts and insights for
the construction of the Project Evaluation Matrix (PEM) giving an overall summary of the
objectives of the project, the strategies of implementation, the assumptions on which it is
based and the impacts of the project. The PEM for the project is given in Table 7 below -
Table 7: Project Evaluation Matrix
Narrative Summary Strategy Impact Assumptions

OVERALL GOAL

Establishment of a Establishment of The project has 1. The

conscious and Peoples Organizations had an overall common
participatory process of (POs) and community positive impact on people will be
societal revival through organisations of the the socio-economic sufficiently
community advocacy for marginalized tribal situation of the inspired by the
the formation of people's
communities to assert Tribals and project and its
organisations for the
creation of sustainable their constitutional strengthened their results to agree
livelihood opportunities rights and also plan and voice in local to participate
and the elmination of all implement sustainable politics. Gender in and
kinds of discrimination and equitable livelihood mobilisation too contribute to
and oppression with development has been notable the rights
special regard to the programmes supported though there still mobilisation
improvement of the by legal, policy and remains a lot of process.
status of women. media advocacy. work to be done in 2. The
Special Stress laid on this sphere. The government
organising women and mobilisation and will fulfil its
youth to esure training of youth obligations
sustainability. will ensure the under the
sustainability of constitution to
the process even
promote and
after project protect the
withdrawal. rights and
entitlements of
the tribals and
dalits.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
1. Organisation of the and 1. As its main strategy 1. The self confidence 1.The same as
tribals into people's whenever BGMS takes up a of the tribals has for the goal
organisations so as to new programme, it clearly been restored and above.
enhance their economic, discusses the consequences they are now socio- 2. The educated
social and political and possible fall-outs as economically much tribals will
bargaining power in the well as the advantages with better situated. play a
competitive liberal the people. Only when the Politically too now leading role
democratic set up people become ready to they can assert in the
prevailing under the participate and are aware of themselves. implemen-
constitution. all the consequences and 2. The atrocities against tation of
2. Ensuring proper advantages, is the dalits and tribals have these
working and implementation started. been reduced. objectives.

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Impact Analysis of Community Advocacy for Sustainable Livelihoods Project in Indore

Narrative Summary Strategy Impact Assumptions

remuneration conditions 2. Natural resource 3. Strong community

3. Enlightened
for agricultural wage development and and people's
and altruistic
earners management with a stress organisations have
upper castes
3. Ensuring the payment on soil and water been built up.
will come
of minimum wages conservation. 4. The access to and
forward to
4. Ensuring rehabilitation 3. Campaign for the increase control over natural
support the
of people displaced of agricultural wages. reources has
programmes
during construction of 4. Training of farmers in improved.
of BGMS.
Mahi and Kadma dams improved agricultural 5. Livelihoods have
5. Natural resource practices. been made
development and 5. Formation of SHGs for sustainable with the
management on a economic empowerment of introduction of new
sustainable basis women. and efffective low
6. Initiation of action 6. Mobilisation of women cost technology in
against atrocities on around social and political soil and water
tribals issues so as to strike at conservation and
7. Achievement of patriarchal oppression. improved agriculture.
equality and social 7. Establishment of a resource 6. SHGs are
acceptance for Tribals. centre for training and functioning as good
8. Ensuring that the "rule meeting purposes. economic support
of law" as ordained in 8. Preparation of audio-visual organisations for the
the constitution and and print material for women.
various other statutes information, education and 7. Women's situation
prevails communication. has improved
9. Ensuring the 9. Media advocacy for greater considerably but
Universalisation of publicity to the problems there is need for
Education and successes. greater action in this
10. Improving the quality 10. Development of a sphere.
of and access to broadbased people's 8. Networking with
government public movement in collaboration groups on rights
health services other NGOs and mass issues leading to a
11. Freeing of tribals organisations. wider mobilisation
from widespread social 11. Service delivery and has begun through
evils in the community. awareness programmes in the Madhyanchal
12. Establishment of self the sphere of health. Forum.
help groups of women 12. Mobilisation and training 9. Service delivery and
as forums to provide of youth to ensure future awareness initiatives
both economic sustainability of the in education and
independence and programme after health have had a
solidarity to women withdrawal. positive impact.
against patriarchal 10. Mobilisation of
oppression. Youth for
13. Generating awareness development and
regarding the harmful rights based work has
effects for society of taken off in a big
child marriage and way.
domestic violence.
14. Provision of
reproductive health
services.
15. Organising the youth
and motivating them to
take part in community
development activities.

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