Short description of the best practice

Developing cost-effective and appropriate technology that complements community knowledge. Natural regeneration of available rootstock, enrichment plantation & seeding of native and endangered species, low cost measures undertaken to conserve soil, water & nutrients within the ecosystem|

Location

State : Gujarat

If the location has well defined boundaries, specify its extension in hectares:

55.0

Estimated population living in the location:

3094.0

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

The village is composed of plain topography surrounded by ravines. Most of the land has 1 per cent to 2 per cent slopes except the revenue wasteland and Gauchar land where the area is affected by wide spread ravine formation.
Khorwad village lies in the semi-arid rainfall area. It comprises four defined seasons. Summer -the mean maximum temperature is around 400° C and can go up to 450° C. In winter, January is the coldest month with a mean minimum temperature of 120° C. Average percentage of humidity is 53%|
The soil of this area is mainly sandy loam

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

Small and marginal farmers involved in subsistence farming.
Main income sources are agriculture, animal husbandry, wage labour from farming, participation in National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.|

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

Consensus evolved during the National Consultation process.

Main problems addressed by the best practice

The common land leased to the TGCS is mostly sandy loam which is highly prone to soil erosion. The terrain of the area is characterized by mounds of loose soil with slopes fading out to form gullies and ravines. The problem is of greater concern here as the common land of the villages is cared for by none and exploited by all. This happens due to lack of proper tenurial arrangements and absence of local institutions for managing common lands such as grazing and revenue wastelands.|The ravines in the village are also responsible for the loss of arable land, which in turn threatens the livelihoods of the poorest farmers with marginal landholdings. These ravines, which are an extreme form of soil erosion, usually begin in the embankments and slowly expand into agricultural lands – sometimes kilometres into the mainland due to neglect/lack of management or due to the inability to invest lthe arge sums required to repair the damage caused.|Ravines impact the availability of ecosystem goods and services, such as food, fuel wood, fodder, fibre and water regulation services by degenerating the common land and renders the village population dependant on them, helpless. The commons of the village were once heavily vegetated and supplied the village with its needs for fuel and fodder, but today these commons are barren whereas the demand for the fuel and fodder has gone high.

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

Soil erosion and the head-ward expansion of the ravines into the farmlands.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

To work towards the restoration and stabilization of ravines along the banks of River Mahi through appropriate soil and water conservation measures and improving the vegetative cover to aid ravine reclamation and provide long term solutions to the issue.|Put in place proper local institutions for managing commons or revenue wastelands and ensure tenurial arrangements for the institution for better management of the resources created with emphasis on inclusion of user group and habitation level interventions with emphasis on habitation level interventions and inclusion of user group.

Brief description of main activities, by objective

A comprehensive treatment plan was formulated based on intensive transects and discussions with the community. The plan was overlaid over the cadastral maps of the villages. The ravines were marked on the digitized map and the location of every soil work indicated|Soil and moisture work was planned according to ridge to valley approach starting with the farmlands on the plains above the riverbank and proceeding to the common lands on the banks of the river|Various measures of re-vegetation in the area, regeneration of the native species and the succession patterns on the land were worked out. Grass seeding and pitching were done on large scale to aid vegetation and soil regeneration capacities.
village level Tree Growers Cooperative Society was formed and it leased common land for tree growing & ravine reclamation. Village institution was strengthened for managing ravine lands at level of habitation and Panchayat level by including the user group for better management & conservation |Ensured secure tenure of common land to the village institutions and put in place systems of benefit sharing for improving the governance of natural resources and stalling further degradation.|Village specific bye-laws were evolved in the project village to decide about the process and participation in different activities and benefits sharing like employment distribution, fodder harvesting and putting in place protection mechanism for the common land developed

Short description and technical specifications of the technology

Arresting soil erosion- lower order streams identified and treated using earthen check dams, soil bag check dams interspersed to reduce the head-ward expansion of the ravines into the farmlands. Re-vegetation with native species and grass pitching on slopes and areas particularly vulnerable.|

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Foundation for Ecological Security|PB 29, Anand – 388 001 Gujarat, India

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

Center for soil and water conservation Research and Training Institute, Vasad, a unit of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).|

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Khorwad Tree Growers cooperative society

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

The community participated in formulating a comprehensive treatment plan. The plan was overlaid over the cadastral maps of the village for marking the ravines and deciding suitable SMC measures. The community also worked as labour for completing the SMC and re-vegetation work on the common land.

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

Formation of a village institution for managing the commons was a big step for the village in conserving and managing its commons. This has led to increase in collective feeling of the village and has proved to them that common property can be managed together for the benefit of all.
A total of 1,11,039 saplings of different species have been planted, so far. Patch budding of an improved variety on wild and local varieties of jujube produced good results.|
The common land is providing fodder grasses every year. Approx. 509 metric tonnes of fodder has been distributed in the last few years. Villagers also collect other minor tree produce like pods of Acacia species and leaves and twigs of Neem during the summer months when there is a tremendous shortag
The community, over a period of time, has developed rules and regulations for the protection of natural resources and distribution of fodder and fuel and other minor tree produces from the common land|
Due to protection and soil conservation work, species like Sandalwood which do not propagate and germinate easily, have come up naturally. The Government of Gujarat has declared this species as endangered.|
Apart from Sandalwood, Neem, sweet tamarind, Sissoo, Prosopis, and other natural grasses have established very well. The land, which supported only about ten species of grasses, thorny shrubs and trees, is presently characterized by the presence of about seventy two diverse species. |

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

exposure visits by other villages has led the village community to get an insight into the dynamics of common land development  through NREGS. In 2009, nearby villages, Shilli and Ahima took up ravine reclamation on the pattern of Khorwad TGCS under MGNREGS.|

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

The work has resulted in good regeneration and reduction in soil erosion in the limited area of intervention, which suggests that a comprehensive treatment of the entire landscape would help in arresting erosion, improving vegetation and strengthening the livelihoods of the poor in these villages. |
Quantification and valuation of the natural resources regenerated by the communities, over 15 years of managing resource, indicates increase in the green weight by 183 Mt/Ha. The CO2 sequestration has also increased by 55 Mt/Ha. The soil fertility and nutrition has also gone up substantially|

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

No

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Yes

Where?

About 11 villages situated on banks of River Mahi have adopted the technology of ravine reclamation

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

Ecological Planning and restoration- A guiding principle would be to match the livelihood requirements with maintaining the nutrient and hydrological balance in the ecosystem. The activities should be planned to improve the biomass base and diversity of the common lands.
Networking and Advocacy: Networking with other organisations to share and facilitate discussions is essential for creating a fraternity of similar thoughts and action on issues of governance and sustainable management of natural resources and for such intervention at a larger scale.
Strengthening institutional mechanisms-Strengthening, nurturing and reviving village institutions where they exist & crafting new village institutions based on democratic principles is as necessary as working towards securing legal tenurial arrangements for the communities over the common land|

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local
• Sub-national

Related to financial aspects

Financial accountability and transparency: The village institution shares the responsibility of financial planning and management. Each village institution has a separate bank account; funds are usually transferred to this account as and when required based on the work plan. |The record of all transactions is maintained at the village level and -these are audited on a regular basis. Villages develop transparent mechanisms for distributing wages amongst themselves. The minimum wages prevalent in the State should be followed and ensures that both men and women receive equal wages.  

Related to technical aspects

The best option was to treat the small gully by the construction of hybrid gully plugs. The construction materials used in these structures are sandy loam soil and empty cement bags, which are locally called bori bandh and is a very effective structure in checking the small gully erosion.|It is very effective to treat gully alternatively by hybrid gully plugs and vegetative gully plugs. Vegetative gully plugs are the structure in which a variety of shrubs like Agaves, Thor and Ipomoea are planted across the drain to check the soil erosion.|Natural regeneration from existing rootstock should be promoted. Enrichment should be done through seeding and plantation of native species. Difficult-to-grow species would be raised in the decentralized nurseries for enrichment in the ravines lands.