By Debopriya Mondal, Soma Saha and Ratul Saha, on 10 June 2020.
It is 11.30 am and Smt. Laxmirani Sardar and her husband are seen carrying a basketful of vegetables from the nutrition garden in their backyard to the porch. The porch is coated with mud and cow-dung from the couple’s livestock; a traditional practice. The livestock is among the other assets she has received from WWF India as a part of our Smart Local Self-Government (LSG) initiative. Scientific institutes for the very first time have come together and are working with the LSG or Panchayat to improve the capacity of households to adapt and transform in the face of changing climate.
Laxmirani is one of the practitioners of an industry-standard agricultural practice known as Integrated Farming Systems (IFS); an innovation in farming that maximises production through optimal use of local resources, effective recycling of farm waste for productive purposes, organic farming, and developing a judicious mix of income-generating activities such as dairy, poultry, fishery, goat-rearing, and vermicomposting.
Along with her, 79 other households were provided hands-on training on different aspects of IFS by subject matter specialists from Ramkrishna Ashram Krishi Vigyan Kendra (RAKVK), Nimpith- The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) extension centre. Her village, Deulbari, falls within the remote block of Kultali, under 24-Parganas (South) district. About three hours from Kolkata, Kultali is one of the 52 inhabited islands of the Sundarbans and is one of the poorest blocks in South 24 Parganas. 46% of households at Kultali are agricultural labourers while 21% are engaged in cultivation as per the District Census Handbook of 24-Parganas (S), 2011.
In the winter of 2018, Laxmirani participated in a meeting at the Deulbari-Debipur Gram Panchayat (GP). This meeting was convened by GP officials and WWF India to incorporate best practices in development planning. She and her fellow neighbours were selected as beneficiaries for a project which included IFS through a process carried out by WWF India in association with Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha (BTS) and support from Discovery Communications India. The objectives of this project were directed towards increasing income opportunities from livelihood assets and strengthening the capacity and knowledge-base of forest-fringe communities to develop adaptation measures in a changing climate. The adoption of the climate-resilient model will help the community in coping with and adjusting to any changes in their climate regime or natural resource base.
Changing Family roles
“You know”, Laxmirani begins, “I have been a resident of Deulbari for the longest time. It has been about two decades now. And at this time, I have seen my village change.” She recalls the change in weather patterns giving way to unforeseen high-intensity events such as floods and cyclones—the latest being Bulbul. This has had a significant impact on the agricultural productivity of the village. She, along with her fellow neighbours who cultivate high-yielding varieties of paddy collectively agree that the varieties cannot withstand tidal inundation and salinity. Resultantly, a sizeable percentage of households are trapped in a remittance economy. At least ten of Laxmirani’s neighbours, including her son, have migrated to urban areas working as unskilled labour. Her husband chose to stay back; venturing into the forest without the skill of a traditional fisherman. Such ventures only lead to increased instances of negative human-wildlife interaction.
However, the situation is gradually transforming now, and for the better. IFS has become the stepping-stone of which community members can integrate food security, soil health, and asset development. “There is no time to spare as I have my farmland to look into. Who does not want to be valued inside the household and also as a contributor to the household economy? My husband calls me a ‘Baigyanik’. Baigyanik means scientist. That’s how I am known nowadays in the hamlet. I teach my fellow neighbours the process of collecting soil and sending these samples to a soil- testing centre at Nimpith. We usually get the range and if required the quantity of nutrients required for the desired crop in our fields”, Laxmirani beams. Soil testing was a component of the IFS training programme conducted by WWF India and RAKVK, Nimpith.
Building livelihood assets
The livelihood framework identifies five core capital assets (natural, social, human, physical and financial capital) upon which the livelihoods are built. Now Laxmirani has a clear estimate of her natural capital in the form of her landholding, the water body and project facilitated assets (livestock, fish fingerling, vegetable seeds). With her natural capital in place, she has strengthened her existing skills and technical know-how through the IFS training programme. She then channelises her physical capital to build infrastructure and equipment needed for IFS by building a livestock shed and creating bunds on her vegetable garden. Added income streams compound this from poultry-rearing and vegetable production. However, her biggest takeaway was her increased social connections within the community and with civil society partners who now support her in the sale of her organic vegetable produce.
Now, on any given day, Laxmirani’s routine includes looking after her vegetable garden. She will clean the garden, check for any disease or pest attack, apply organic manure and water the plants. She also looks after the paddy field. She is joined by her husband and her daughter-in-law. They plant new fruits and vegetable saplings such as okra, leafy vegetables, onions, cucumbers, french beans and radish for the forthcoming harvest. Her husband either sells the produce within the village or at a nearby market. She proudly says, “Our expenditure on buying fertilisers and pesticides has reduced by 50%.” Nowadays, she chuckles, her husband always consults her for all household-related matters after learning that she is a community leader. The beneficiaries’ aim now is to maximise production and sell it at a fair price.
Laxmirani’s assets are now securing both food supply and income. Given any climatic variabilities such as cyclone Bulbul, her diversified asset-basket acts as a safety net. She, along with her neighbours, is also gaining a stronghold towards accessing support systems of the GP and extension centres of ICAR. She recalls how her neighbours Biraja and Kanai were among the first to initiate engagement with Prani Mitra (a block-appointed animal healthcare extension agent) after a handful of beneficiary farmers complained of disease outbreaks in cows. The beneficiary households have democratically chosen (hamlet-wise), team leaders who contact experts during urgent situations. These same experts also imparted training on IFS.
Towards resilience
“The farmers are adopting Nature-Based Solutions and essentially contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals 2, 13 and 15” says Sri. Prasanta Chatterjee, Senior Scientist and Head, RAKVK, Nimpith. “Women like Laxmirani are therefore like the pillars of resilience; strong actors in natural resource governance and advocacy who will ultimately bridge the gap with policymakers.”
Chronicles like Laxmirani’s are lessons in learning the interrelationships between resilience, food security, coping and adaptation in avoiding trade-offs, and creating synergies. “It is not about the monetary gains that I can earn from IFS. It is about the inner strength that I have built,” says Laxmirani. “I understand the ecosystem services of the forest in its entirety,” she continues. “Sometimes, the benefit outweighs the risks involved. But then I remember what my friend Binota once said.She said, ‘a shongshar (family) is hard to build yet easy to lose in a setting like Sundarbans’. I am now empowered enough with technical skills to make alternative livelihood choices to help my family prosper. I will not trade this opportunity for anything! There is no turning back from here on,” she concludes.
Debopriya Mondal is Project Officer with WWF-India.
Soma Saha is the Associate Landscape Coordinator, Sundarbans with WWF-India.
Ratul Saha is the Landscape Coordinator, Sundarbans with WWF-India. Mr Ratul, is also a member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystems Management.