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.
Местоположение: Dhabda village of Kutch District, Gujarat, Индия
Число исследованных участков, где применяется Технология: 2-10 участков
Пространственное распространение Технологии: примененяется точечно/ на небольших участках
На постоянно охраняемой территории?: Нет
Продолжительность применения Технологии: 2022
Тип внедрения/ применения
| Виды | Count |
| буйвол | н/п |
| крупный рогатый скот - молочный | н/п |
| козы | н/п |
| овца | н/п |
| Опишите затраты | Единица | Количество | Затраты на единицу (INR) | Общая стоимость на единицу (INR) | % затрат, оплаченных землепользователями |
| Оплата труда | |||||
| 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 |
| Оборудование | |||||
| 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 |
| Посадочный материал | |||||
| Grass seeds | Kg | 400,0 | 50,0 | 20000,0 | 30,0 |
| Tree saplings | No of plants | 125,0 | 50,0 | 6250,0 | 100,0 |
| Удобрения и ядохимикаты | |||||
| Manure | No of Trolly | 3,0 | 1500,0 | 4500,0 | 100,0 |
| Biofertilizer | No of Trolly | 2,0 | 1500,0 | 3000,0 | 100,0 |
| Общая стоимость запуска Технологии | 110'950.0 | ||||
| Общие затраты на создание Технологии в долларах США | 1'315.35 | ||||
| Опишите затраты | Единица | Количество | Затраты на единицу (INR) | Общая стоимость на единицу (INR) | % затрат, оплаченных землепользователями |
| Оплата труда | |||||
| 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 |
| Оборудование | |||||
| Water charges (watering tree saplings) | No of tanks | 7,0 | 1200,0 | 8400,0 | |
| Посадочный материал | |||||
| 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 |
| Удобрения и ядохимикаты | |||||
| Manure | per trolly | 3,0 | 1500,0 | 4500,0 | 100,0 |
| Bio fertilizer | per trolly | 2,0 | 1500,0 | 3000,0 | 100,0 |
| Другие | |||||
| Soil testing | per test | 1,0 | 1000,0 | 1000,0 | 100,0 |
| Общая стоимость поддержания Технологии | 52'050.0 | ||||
| Общие затраты на поддержание Технологии в долларах США | 617.07 | ||||
Количество до применения УЗП : 0
Количество после применения УЗП: 10%
Cultivation of indigenous fodder lead to qualitative fodder for livestock.
Количество до применения УЗП : None
Количество после применения УЗП: 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.
