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Sector: Natural Resource Management (NRM)
The state of Himachal Pradesh is known for its
natural beauty. Its landscape is dominated by
large mountain ranges and beautiful fertile
valleys. Many people grow vegetables, wheat, and
mustard flowers which create a mosaic of green
and yellow. There are ample natural resources
such as streams and natural forests which add
beauty to the land while providing for the
people. However, management of these resources
is not always organized and efficient. As a
result, the land and the people lose out. This
was the situation in the villages of Kand,
Kaniyara, and Bhagiara.
This area was prone to many difficulties due to
its location in a watershed and susceptibility
to bad weather. This caused problems with
drinking water, irrigation, land and water
conservation, vegetation, and income generation.
Natural sources of water were drying up. Bowries
(natural water sources) were neglected and not
cleaned as often as required. The village was
dependent on government schemes to manage their
own resources; however, even the government
could not provide sufficient funds. The
villagers did not understand the importance of
canals. The traditional canals were not
maintained leading to the wastage of water,
time, and hard work. The powerful wind and water
stole the nutrients from the land and eroded it.
Due to their location on the Dhauladhar
Mountains, soil erosion and landslides were very
common, especially during the rainy season. The
landslides destroyed many rare species of plants
growing in that area. Twelve years back, a
school was also destroyed by a landslide and the
remnants remain buried under heavy rubble.
Ground level water was also decreasing day by
day. The lack of resource management caused a
shortage of fodder and grass for cattle. Many of
the villagers allowed their cattle to openly
graze destroying a lot of the land. Open grazing
had detrimental effects on the land including
minimal vegetation regeneration, an increase in
soil erosion, and the loss of precious topsoil.
Villagers would have to travel far to collect
food for their cows. The exploitation of the
forest by the villagers and nomads forced people
to travel far in order to reach necessary
resources. Finally, there were limited income
generation activities. This led to the temporary
migration of villagers and kept the per capita
income of the people very low. The community
urgently needed guidance and this came in the
form of CORD, Shri Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), and
the People’s Science Institute (PSI) in Dehradun.
SRTT wanted to financially support a project in
Himachal Pradesh. However, they needed the
participation of an organization that knew about
the local people and customs. CORD’s strategic
position as a grassroots organization made it
the perfect facilitator for the project that
SRTT had in mind. However, CORD did not have the
knowledge about natural resource management. So
SRTT turned to PSI for the necessary scientific
knowledge. PSI trained CORD workers for one year
so that the project could be carried out at a
grassroots level. One of CORD’s main objectives
for this project was to promote people’s
participation in the planning, implementation,
and management of the program. Special
emphasis was given to the empowerment of women,
the disadvantaged, and the poor and landless.
CORD imparted the necessary information through
community groups that were already established
like Mahila Mandals (Village Women’s Groups),
Yuva Mandals (Youth Groups), and Self-Help
Groups. New organizations were also created as
necessary like User Groups where villagers would
contribute money for the maintenance of natural
resources. This would ensure the sustainability
of the projects. Leaders were identified and
trained in order to ensure community
involvement.
Hard work was poured into this project by the
villagers. Traditional bowries were restored and
managed to provide drinking water. To stop soil
erosion and landslides, loose boulders, gabions,
and retaining walls were constructed by the
village committees. Traditional canals were
repaired and irrigation tanks were built.
Efforts were made towards the plantation and
reforestation of lost land. To grow grass and
fodder efficiently, new breeds of grass were
introduced to the area. Ponds were constructed
which helped to raise the groundwater and
provide drinking water for cattle.
Establishing traditional income generating
activities was very important to the community.
Efforts were made to increase the income of the
people by providing them training and knowledge
about nurseries, floriculture, poly houses,
candle making, soap manufacturing, dairy work,
khaddi (traditional loom weaving), etc. The
hidden skills of the villagers were enhanced,
and the economic condition of the people started
improving. People from the different community
based organizations (i.e. Mahila Mandals, Yuva
Mandals, Self-Help Groups, User Groups) came
forward
 and
actively participated in the different
activities. People’s attitudes became more
positive and the relationships among the
villagers were transparent and fair. An
essential aspect of the project was the
arrangement of leaders at the social level so
that when the project was finished, the
development of the village and the active
participation of the villagers would continue.
The success of the village can be seen through
the story of two motivated individuals who were
able to take advantage of the programs.
Sapna was struggling to provide for the needs of
her family. She tirelessly worked on a field
cultivating the land; however, her earnings were
not enough. One day, she was able to express her
frustrations to a CORD worker. Sapna, along with
three other families, brainstormed on different
possibilities to increase their income. Sapna
told the CORD worker that her house was at a
strategic position because it was on the way to
a pilgrimage site.
Known as the Old Chamunda Mandir, thousands of
pilgrims hike up an arduous trail to have
darshan (to see and take the blessings) of this
holy place. However, along the way there were no
places to stay or take rest should the pilgrims
wish to do so. Sapna decided to convert her
house into a small rest house. By offering a
place to sleep for the night and a simple,
hearty meal she was able to make the pilgrims’
journey more comfortable. Sapna also received
money from the project to build a latrine so
that she could meet the basic needs of her
guests. As she conversed with her guests, she
realized that they needed a place where they
could purchase some food, cold drinks, and get a
hot cup of chai. Sapna then decided to undertake
the project of building a small store where
pilgrims could rest and buy some snacks. Her
endeavors have been a success. Not only is she
able to meet hundreds of travelers each season
but she has also increased her income to 50,000
rupees (per season).
In order to provide for his family, Tilakchand
found work day to day. Like many of his
neighbors, daily wage labour and services were
the only means of survival. Sometimes only
earning 1500 rupees per month, Tilakchand was
hopeful about the natural resource management
scheme proposed in his village. He decided to
start his own fishery and arduously dug two
ponds. However, with no eggs to harvest he
approached the government office that promoted
natural activities. They were able to provide
him with one species of eggs. Tilakchand then
went to the Agricultural University in Palampur
where he received the eggs of four more breeds.
With the training and funds provided by the
project, his new business venture proved to be
very successful. Tilakchand was very resourceful
about his endeavor and often implemented clever
schemes to increase his output such as directing
overflowing bowries into his ponds. Today he
earns 3000 rupees per month selling 60 kg of
fish and he plans on building another pond.
The program’s success can be measured not only
in the physical enhancement of the village, but
in the new found appreciation the villagers have
for their surrounding environment. The training
has allowed them manage their resources properly
and learn the necessary skills to continue to do
it on their own. The villagers feel a newfound
connection and respect towards nature and are
determined to sustain it.
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