MANAGE organised
a four-day Workshop-cum-Training Programme on "Participatory Watershed
Management" for the functionaries of Yug Nirman Yojana, an organisation under Gayatri
Parivar, a socio-cultural organisation involved in developmental activities, at Norozabad,
Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh during October 3-10, 1999. There were 311 participants
from four districts and included functionaries of Yug Nirman Yojana, farmers, and officers
of South Eastern Coals Ltd. (SECL).
Programme Objectives
- To improve understanding and promote the concept of watershed
development
- To orient about participatory approaches in watershed
management, and understand the relationship between Human, Social and Natural resources.
- Focus on the important role of women in planning watershed
projects and rural development works and prioritise them.
- To highlight the importance and role of various functionaries
associated with watershed development and to understand the process of participatory
watershed programme in Madhya Pradesh and other areas.
- To emphasize the role of villagers in preparation,
implementation, supervision, evaluation, maintenance and sustainability of participatory
watershed projects.
This programme
was conducted by Shri. A.K. Goel, Director General, MANAGE
In his inaugural
address, Sri A.K.Goel, Director General, MANAGE touched upon the relationship between
nature and women, and presented different aspects of social resources management.
International Extension Training
Programme
A 21 member delegation from
Michigan State University came for a four-day programme at MANAGE as part of their
International Extension Training Programme (India field visit) on October 19, 1999.
Shri. A.K. Goel, Director General, MANAGE, in his inaugural address presented a picture of
Agricultural and Rural Development scenario in the country with specific reference to the
silent revolution taking place in rural parts of Andhra Pradesh. The Director General
explained the process of rural empowerment, where groups of women are transforming the
rural economy and the social structure from perpetually poverty ridden, feudalistic to
self sufficiency and educational awakening; success stories with reference to the white
revolution, green revolution and watershed development with peoples’ participation.
The programme included visits to
Kurnool, and institutions like ICRISAT and NIN. The participants were happy with the
exposure at Kurnool. "The village visits were a life changing experience",
"tremendous experience", "I learnt something that I plan to use in US"
and "I think we can empower people in our urban, low economic areas much as you have
done with the village ladies" were some of the responses of the participants. The
Kalwa village visit was an eye opener where participants interacted with women
organization members, notably, Ms Fatima Bee and Ms Zubeda Bee who shared their success
stories of making the village women self-reliant and socially aware about their rights and
responsibilities. The activities of thrift and credit particularly attracted the younger
participants as they show a commonality with their working situation among rural youth.
An interaction with university
research scientists at Regional Research station, Nandyal was very helpful in highlighting
the contribution of university research extension system in transferring the research
findings to farmers. The visit to KVKs helped participants to understand the
Research-Extension-farmer linkages in the current agricultural system. The broad-based
activities undertaken by KVKs particularly by the NGO KVK at Yagantepalle were
appreciated. The Programme was coordinated by Dr. VP. Sharma, Deputy Director, MANAGE.
Participatory Research
Management
A Programme
on "Participatory Research Management" was conducted during November 11 – 16, 1999 by MANAGE in collaboration with CSAU,
Kanpur. The venue was CSAU, Kanpur and participants included 28 scientists representing
various disciplines.
The objectives
were to sensitize the scientists to demand driven research in partnership with farmers;
understand the mechanism and techniques relevant to plan and conduct the research in
participatory mode and to appraise the scientists’ group about the value of man
management in research teams.
The coverage of
the programme included Project management techniques with special reference to LFA;
Participatory Rural Appraisal Techniques; and Man Management in research teams.
This course
created the scope for greater relationship building between MANAGE and the University. The
course was directed by Dr. Vikram Singh, Deputy Director MANAGE.
Orientation Course for
People's Representatives
Two
Orientation Course for People’s Representatives from Uttar Pradesh were organised at
MANAGE during August 23 – 28, and November 1-5, 1999. The first programme had 28
participants representing District Panchayat, Village Panchayat and Nagar Panchayat from
Bulandshahar, Unnao, Barabanki and Hardoi districts; of this group, 20 participants were
associated with the Gayatri Parivar- a socio-cultural organisation involved in
developmental activities. It was observed that the Gayatri Parivar participants had a
unique combination of training in facilitation skills to work with rural community and the
legitimacy to influence the decision for village development by virtue of being the office
bearers in the village Panchayat. The commitment at the individual level (through
training) clubbed with political power at whatever level, probably would succeed in any
developmental effort. This becomes all the more relevant in a state like Uttar Pradesh
where the decentralization of power, authority and finance has already been done at
Panchayat level. This course provided some unique experiences and lessons: -
Training
People’s Representatives cum farmers’ enriched the knowledge of MANAGE faculty
by improving awareness of the problems at the village level and the role of
Panchayats’ at different levels.
Employing a
methodology in this course where the emphasis was laid on learning by creating
laboratories viz. social laboratory for women development, Cyber laboratory for
agricultural extension development, laboratory on farm based enterprises at farmers level
to understand the concept of agri-entrepreneurship and Ryuthu Bazar, apart from a few
classroom sessions was a learning experience. More than 60% of the time was spent in these
laboratories. Seeing is believing and learning by experience was the core principle in
designing this course keeping the nature of the participants in view.
The success of
the course design could be attributed to its flexibility as it was like a story line,
which kept building during the course.
Creating and
facilitating a learning environment, employing the right methodology and material,
demonstrating good relationship skills, commitment of time and effort were some of the key
factors which could be attributed to the success of this course.
There was an
encouraging response from the participants who appreciated the practical knowledge
provided.
In the second
course in the series 26 memberss representing Jhansi and hamirpur districts of Bundelkhand
region participated.
The design and
methodology of this course was similar to that of the earlier course. In addition there
were the visits arranged to vermicompost units, poultry units and an interface with a man
and a woman sarpanch of Andhra Pradesh in their respective villages. The participants also
interacted with Mr. V.K.Taori, Managing Director and CEO, The A.P. Mahesh Co-operative
Bank Ltd., Dr. A.Soma Sekhar, Founder President, Society for Participatory Development
& Research (SPDR), Hyderabad and representative of LIC alongwith Dr. Kamal Taori and
discussed about enterprise development at the village level. This meeting culminated in
fetching an assignment of installing Gobar Gas Plant by one of the participating Pradhans
who had done extremely good work in his own village.
Finally, two
representatives of this group addressed a press conference in A.P. Chamber of Commerce
along with Secretary, Rural Development, Govt. of India and Dr. Kamal Taori, emphasizing
the need to mobilise resources from various financial institutions to villages on
partnership basis, and / or as loan and not as subsidy to promote entrepreneurship /
agri-preneurship. The role of MANAGE in the promotion of the concept of agri-preneurship,
at farmers level through the conduct of these courses was appreciated and highlighted.
The course ended
on an oath taken by the participants committing themselves to promote entrepreneurship in
their own families / villages.A video film on this course is available. The course was
directed by Dr. Vikram Singh, Deputy Director MANAGE.
Study and Research
Extension
Education Institutes: role, status and future needs
The Directorate of Extension,
Ministry of Agriculture Govt. of India, has established four Extension Education
Institutes (EEIs), at Nilokheri, Anand, Jorhat and Hyderabad, for imparting training to
middle level extension personnel of the state departments.
In order to
improve effectiveness of these institutions, the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of
India entrusted the assignment to conduct a study on the role, status and future needs of
EEIs as "Regional Institutes" to MANAGE.
Terms
of reference
- To study and evaluate the existing functions and activities of
the institutes with reference to the role of EEIs as regional institutes in transmission
of available technology to its clients.
- Determine role of EEIs as regional institutes in organizing
courses in areas of upgradation of communication skills, managerial skills, management of
training programmes, training methods, video production techniques, Monitoring &
Evaluation, distance learning, management of agricultural information systems, behavioral
skills, project management, PRA techniques for extension workers.
- Determine the extent of overlap or duplication in the
activities of SAUs, MANAGE vis-à-vis those of other agencies engaged in the training
programme of field functionaries.
- Make recommendations about the role that EEIs should play as
"Regional Institutes" for organising training programmes in communication and
allied areas.
- Make recommendations about the future set up of EEIs taking
into account the role envisaged for these Institutes for transfer of relevant information
to the extension functionaries.
A team of MANAGE
faculty and facilitators conducted four diagnostic workshops at Extension Education
Institutions in Nilokheri, Hyderabad, Anand and Jorhat and visited line departments of
states of Punjab, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
The study is
coordinated by Sri B.D.Tripathi, Deputy Director, MANAGE. The contribution of
Dr.R.K.Saxena, Additional Director of Agriculture, Jaipur, Govt. of Rajasthan, and
Dr.O.P.Agnihotri, Secretary, U.P. Council of Agricultural Research, Lucknow, MANAGE
facilitators in this assignment is acknowledged.
Collaborative
Research Project
Future of India’s Grain Supply and Demand
MANAGE is involved in a
collaborative research project with Iowa State University, and University of Nebraska, on
"Future of India’s Grain Supply and Demand". Principal Investigators are
Dr. E. Wesley, Dr. F. Peterson from Nebraska and Dr. J.P. Singh from MANAGE India. The
survey will cover 1200 households from Haryana state to represent thenorthern region and
Andhra Pradesh for southern region.
Organisational
Management Skills for Development Personnel
This course was
conducted at MANAGE with 12 participants comprising 2 from department of Agriculture,
Govt. of Maharashtra, 2 from Syndicate Bank and 8 from NGOs representing OXFAM, MYRADA,
WOTR and OUTREACH.
The objectives of
the programme were to sensitize development mangers to acquire the requisite managerial
skills to improve the organisational systems eventually meeting organisational goals by
improving individual performance and to understand integrated approach as a management
strategy with emphasis on its application into the organisation.
The contents of
the programe included Goal Setting; Analysis and Problem solving; Motivation; Leadership;
Decision-making; Delegation; Communication and Feedback Mechanism.
The course was
directed by Dr. Vikram Singh, Deputy Director, MANAGE.
