There are very few in the development sector in Andhra Pradesh who do not know the Orvakallu Mandal Mahila Samakhya (MMS). The thrift and credit programme of the State Government (with support from UNDP) had mobilised the women some years ago; they had formed groups and become a formidable women’s force. Knowing of their achievements in various activities of development, the Project Director, DRDA had assigned them the responsibility of watershed implementation. Thus MMS-Orvakallu became a project implementation agency. The MMS once again proved to be an inspiration to others by living up to the expectations and trust of the Project Director.
“In 2002, we didn’t know how to implement the watershed development programme,” says Ratnamma, “the MMS was confined to savings, education and health. Then we were taken to Ralegoan Siddhi, NIRD, APARD, MANAGEHyderabad and KVK-Banaganapalle to learn from older watersheds and understand how the project was implemented, particularly through interaction with the officers there. However, when we tried to implement the programme in our village, we faced resistance and noncooperation from the villagers.”
The village president and other farmers ridiculed the MMS and said, “What can these women do in our fields? How will they dig and delineate boundaries? Can they conduct meetings?”
But despite the resistance to their initiatives, the leaders of the MMS didn’t lose heart. A number of awareness programmes were conducted and finally the farmers changed their attitude and cooperated with them. The watershed association was formed and a watershed committee was elected at the Grama Sabha. A PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) was conducted with the participation of all the villagers. The social map depicted the infrastructure of the village; a resource map identified resources and boundaries of the village; a transect walk provided closer understanding of the natural resources and enabled discussion on the specific measures needed. The Poorest of the Poor were identified and the members ensured that all the villagers participated in the watershed development programme and understood it. Detailed discussions on measures to eradicate poverty were held.
50 hectares of land at the ridge point of the watershed were identified for treatment. A user group of farmers was formed to undertake this job. The area was studied in detail by the watershed development teams and, in consultation with the farmers, an estimate for the development of this land was prepared. The estimate was sent to district officials for approval. After the funds were sanctioned, the user group carried out the work. The project implementation agency, watershed committee and members of the village organisation checked
and verified the work and found it satisfactory. The cost of the work was reimbursed by cheque. Thus transparency and a check on quality were ensured all through the process.
After the first 50 hectares, another 100 hectares of land were treated in a similar manner. A further 150 hectares of land were developed using the ridge-to-valley treatment method. Check dams, farm ponds, bunds, block plantations, avenue plantations, gully controls and horticulture etc. were created in the watershed area. Thus the entire watershed area was developed through a participatory approach, involving all the farmers.
The Rs.4 lakhs revolving fund was made available to them in the watershed programme. This was provided to the poor as loans to start productive activities, with the MMS ensuring that the loans reached the needy.
Over the last ten years, the MMS and the watershed programmes have transformed the livelihood scenario in the village. This is largely demonstrated by the arrest of seasonal migration. The employment opportunities for the poor during the off-season have become a reality.
“Collective decision making, perseverance and transparency have enabled us to effectively implement the watershed development programme in our village,” say the members of MMS Orvakallu, with pride.
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