Indigenous sheep grazing on traditionally conserved pastures; 10 acers of village wasteland transferred into a rich pasture considering pastoralist women's traditional knowldge on grasses and biodiversity management (Shailesh Raval)
Overview
The initial project focused on 10 villages within Kutch District, Gujarat, Western India. Each of these villages developed 10 acres of associated common pastureland. In total, 100 acres were developed. The project offered local solutions to develop village wastelands (common term in India for degraded lands) into ecologically regenerated pasturelands. Village pastureland, developed in such manner was used for open and free grazing for livestock. This enhanced milk production thus generating income for village women and their families.
Process
MARAG formed a WPLMC (Women’s Pastureland Management Committee) in each village consisting of 10 members. Each WPLMC managed 10 acres of these common pasturelands in their respective villages. WPLMCs were trained and engaged in land mapping and demarcation through GPS, soil testing, land cleaning and land levelling, selection of native grass seeds, sowing of such grasses, and general maintenance and management of the land.
The rules and regulations for land management were determined by the WPLMCs. WPLMCs jointly decided to use 5 of 10 acres of each village gaucher (local term for pasture) to develop traditional grasses for small ruminants. Out of this, 2.5 acres were developed as fodder for large livestock and 2.5 acres were developed for drought tolerant species. Finally, the WPLMCs documented the regulation and use of pastureland and the responsibility of the management.
The following processes were employed for pastureland regeneration:
1.Silvipasture practice
2.Land treatment and afforestation
3.Reintroduction of traditional grass seeds.
4.Tapping of indigenous pastoral knowledge for grass development and breed conservation.
5.Forming and strengthening Women Pastureland Management Committees (WPLMC) at village level for project sustainability.
6.Using technology and capacity building of the WPLMC (e.g. GPS tools for land measuring, mobile app use for determining land fertility and water catchment etc.)
Livestock rearing can be a tool for the sustainable management of land, especially in arid and semiarid areas, by improving soil health, mitigating desertification and protecting the local ecosystem against invasive species. Sustanable livestock grazing breaks soil crust, increasing rain water absorpstion and converts grass into organic waste, increasing soil health and regenarating grasses by spreading seed.
Project Impact
1.Developed women leadership and management capacities as well as decision making throughout the project process.
2.Ownership of the pastureland development taken by pastoralist women.
3.Pastoralist women learning and using the smartphone for land mapping. Such knowledge is easily copied by other women in the village.
4.Traditional knowledge on pasture grasses women to deepen their knowledge on pasture management.
5.Biodiversity conservation through traditional knowledge.
6.Secured livelihood security and food sovereignty.
ទីតាំង: Dhabda village of Kutch District, Gujarat, ប្រទេសឥណ្ឌា
ចំនួនទីកន្លែងបច្ចេកទេស ដែលវិភាគ: 2-10 កន្លែង
ការសាយភាយនៃបច្ចេកទេស: អនុវត្តនៅកន្លែងជាក់លាក់មួយ/ ប្រមូលផ្តុំនៅតំបន់តូចៗ
តើស្ថិតក្នុងតំបន់ការពារអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍?: ទេ
កាលបរិច្ឆេទនៃការអនុវត្ត: 2022
ប្រភេទនៃការណែនាំឱ្យអនុវត្តន៍៖
| ប្រភេទពូជ | Count |
| សត្វក្របី | មិនមាន |
| សត្វពាហនៈ - សត្វចិញ្ចឹមយកទឹកដោះ | មិនមាន |
| សត្វពពែ | មិនមាន |
| សត្វចៀម | មិនមាន |
| បញ្ជាក់ពីធាតុចូល | ឯកតា | បរិមាណ | ថ្លៃដើមក្នុងមួយឯកតា (INR) | ថ្លៃធាតុចូលសរុប (INR) | % នៃថ្លៃដើមដែលចំណាយដោយអ្នកប្រើប្រាស់ដី |
| កម្លាំងពលកម្ម | |||||
| GPS - mapping | Person-Day | 2,0 | 500,0 | 1000,0 | |
| Land leveling and preparation | Person | 15,0 | 550,0 | 8250,0 | 25,0 |
| Seed sowing | Person | 3,0 | 700,0 | 2100,0 | 100,0 |
| Tree plantation | Person | 12,0 | 300,0 | 3600,0 | 100,0 |
| Pastureland security guard | Person | 6,0 | 500,0 | 3000,0 | 50,0 |
| Fodder harvest | Person | 10,0 | 200,0 | 2000,0 | 40,0 |
| សម្ភារៈ | |||||
| Smart Phone | Piece | 1,0 | 14000,0 | 14000,0 | 100,0 |
| JCB (backhoe tractor for land levelling) | per Hour | 12,0 | 900,0 | 10800,0 | |
| Tractor | Per Hour | 25,0 | 700,0 | 17500,0 | |
| Tree Guard | Piece | 17,0 | 550,0 | 9350,0 | 30,0 |
| Fencing Material | Kg | 50,0 | 70,0 | 3500,0 | |
| Farming tools | Piece | 6,0 | 350,0 | 2100,0 | 50,0 |
| សម្ភារៈដាំដុះ | |||||
| Grass seeds | Kg | 400,0 | 50,0 | 20000,0 | 30,0 |
| Tree saplings | No of plants | 125,0 | 50,0 | 6250,0 | 100,0 |
| ជី និងសារធាតុពុល | |||||
| Manure | No of Trolly | 3,0 | 1500,0 | 4500,0 | 100,0 |
| Biofertilizer | No of Trolly | 2,0 | 1500,0 | 3000,0 | 100,0 |
| ថ្លៃដើមសរុបក្នុងការបង្កើតបច្ចេកទេស | 110'950.0 | ||||
| ថ្លៃដើមសរុបក្នុងការបង្កើតបច្ចេកទេសគិតជាដុល្លារ | 1'315.35 | ||||
| បញ្ជាក់ពីធាតុចូល | ឯកតា | បរិមាណ | ថ្លៃដើមក្នុងមួយឯកតា (INR) | ថ្លៃធាតុចូលសរុប (INR) | % នៃថ្លៃដើមដែលចំណាយដោយអ្នកប្រើប្រាស់ដី |
| កម្លាំងពលកម្ម | |||||
| Trench repairing | per person | 7,0 | 500,0 | 3500,0 | 100,0 |
| Removal of invasive species | per person | 10,0 | 550,0 | 5500,0 | 100,0 |
| Seed sowing | per person | 3,0 | 700,0 | 2100,0 | 100,0 |
| Irrigation | per person | 3,0 | 350,0 | 1050,0 | 100,0 |
| Harvest | per person | 10,0 | 200,0 | 2000,0 | 100,0 |
| សម្ភារៈ | |||||
| Water charges (watering tree saplings) | No of tanks | 7,0 | 1200,0 | 8400,0 | |
| សម្ភារៈដាំដុះ | |||||
| Seed ( fodder seeds, e.g. sorghum species) | kg | 400,0 | 50,0 | 20000,0 | |
| Tree saplings | no of plants | 20,0 | 50,0 | 1000,0 | 100,0 |
| ជី និងសារធាតុពុល | |||||
| Manure | per trolly | 3,0 | 1500,0 | 4500,0 | 100,0 |
| Bio fertilizer | per trolly | 2,0 | 1500,0 | 3000,0 | 100,0 |
| ផ្សេងៗ | |||||
| Soil testing | per test | 1,0 | 1000,0 | 1000,0 | 100,0 |
| ថ្លៃដើមសរុបសម្រាប់ការថែទាំដំណាំតាមបច្ចេកទេស | 52'050.0 | ||||
| ថ្លៃដើមសរុបសម្រាប់ការថែទាំដំណាំតាមបច្ចេកទេសគិតជាដុល្លារ | 617.07 | ||||
គុណភាពមុន SLM: 0
គុណភាពក្រោយ SLM: 10%
Cultivation of indigenous fodder lead to qualitative fodder for livestock.
គុណភាពមុន SLM: None
គុណភាពក្រោយ SLM: 75%
Priorly Wasteland was not managed at all. With the onset of the project , land is now managed and yields results for the people who live from the land. In this way land management is simplified and productive.
Food sovereignty of livestock improved.
The process of transforming wasteland to rich pasture by the community led to reviving as well as improving traditional knowledge of grass- and breed management and conservation.
Indigenous plants survive under extreme climatic conditions.
