SEWA - Prime Minister's Fund

Assistance for Rehabilitation of Rural Artisan/Agriculturists in
the Earthquake Affected Areas of Gujarat

Progress Report April to July 2001

Background

Progress Achieved

Future Plan of Action

Livelihood Security Fund

Lessons Learnt

The Progress achieved

In the reporting quarter, the activities implemented as emergency economic rehabilitation are summarized herewith.

1. Craft as means of livelihood security programme
2. Salt Farming
3. Restoration and Repair of Water Harvesting Structures
4. Support to small and marginal farmers

 

 

Craft as means of livelihood security programme

About 3000 artisan families from 70 villages in Kutch and Patan districts have been covered. Each family is provided with a craft raw material kit every 10 days. The craft spearhead teams ¹ do the concurrent supervision and deposit the finished craft products every fortnight (twice a month). The artisans are made spot payment for the work done.

During the reporting quarter, 3000 artisans were provided 1,35,000 mandays of work.

S.N	District	No.of village	No. of artisan covered	Production in Rs.	Wages earned in Rs.
1.	Banaskantha	27	1530	40,30,000	31,00,000
2.	Kutch	53	1500	31,85,000	24,50,000
Total		80	3030	72,15,000	55,50,000

Marketing Strategy

In order to sustain the work and also increase the coverage of more artisans SEWA has developed a comprehensive marketing strategy comprising of (a) local marketing (b) National marketing (c) International marketing.

SEWA’s marketing organisation SEWA Gram Mahila Haat ² has been instrumental for the marketing of the produce.

In order to establish a sustainable and strong marketing network. SEWA has linked up with the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar to provide with Product development and Research and Development inputs.

SEWA conducted a series of sales locally in Gujarat, as well as exhibitions nationally in Kolkatta, Delhi, Chennai and Jabalpur. This was over and above the sales through our retail marketing outlet as well as Institutional marketing.

SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre ³ prepared the marketing plan to explore International marketing.

SEWA also participated in the "Made in India" show, in South Africa organized by CII. The marketing team also participated in the San Francisco Gift fair in collaboration with Aid to Artisans, a U.S. based marketing organisation. The intensive marketing efforts resulted into a total sale of Rs. 60,00,000 in four months time a growth of 306% over the same last year period.

The details of production, earnings and sales revenue generated are summarized herewith.

S.N.	Month	Production in Rs.	Wages paid in Rs.	Sales in Rs.
1.	April	14,43,000	11,10,000	6,00,000
2.	May	21,64,500	16,65,000	14,00,000
3.	June	36,07,500	27,75,000	10,00,000
4.	July	N/A	N/A	30,00,000
Total		72,15,000	55,50,000	60,00,000

Jamuben an artisan from Dhokawada says – "Craft work not only gives us work and employment. It gives us dignity. It helps us live a dignified and decent life even amidst such a disaster." The other artisans join her saying – "Yes, we do not have to borrow for our daily necessities. We earn and that helps us meet our basic necessities. This gives us and our families tremendous sense of security and self respect. Otherwise we would be vulnerable and at the mercy of moneylenders."

Artisans of village Garamdi in Patan district at work.

Prembaa of Sujapar says – "For us the biggest relief was provision of work. Immediate work, played a major role for us to withstand the damage and destruction. It helped us come out of the shock – it was like a healing medicine for us." Manchabaa says – "By giving us immediate work – you have not only provided relief to us but also dignity and recognition. Our skill has now been recognized. How long can we survive on relief supplies? It is work that helps us survive and rebuild our lives."

Note:

1. Spearhead teams comprised local union leaders and organisors who have taking charge of all activities in SEWA. The spearhead team’s members are in the proportion of 80% leaders and 20% SEWA organisors. The team leaders (aagewan) are selected on the criteria of their long experience in working with SEWA. (Top)

2. Set up in early 1999, SGMH aims to protect rural artisans from market exploitation and to provide them with a platform to market their traditional goods.
   It provides marketing facilities, managerial and technical support services and working capital assistance to District Associations which are federations to rural producers groups.
   These services have boosted the production capacity and marketability of products of rural producers and have enabled them to earn a regular minimum supplementary income of Rs. 2000 per month. (Top)

3. The main objective of Trade Facilitation Centre being a model support group, are to provide global marketing linkage for the local craft persons through the network of SMGH. The main agenda of TFC:
   1. To create marketing network at a global level. 2. Provide input like customers and preferences and market trends. 3. Create new avenue of marketing in the physical as well as in the virtual marketing arenas. (Top)

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Salt Farming

There are more than 30,000 salt farmers and workers in the affected districts of Kutch, Surendranagar and Patan. Out of which SEWA has organized around 10,000 salt workers and farmers in Surendranagar and Patan districts. The salt farming season was on when the earthquake struck. As a result, due to the earthquake the salt pans and the salt encrustation was damaged. Also the brine wells and pumps were damaged.

The salt workers needed emergency support, to rebuild the pans and wells, in order to retrieve the pans and encrustation process. This would enable them to have atleast some production and harvest at the end of the season in May. Otherwise they lose the entire season, labour and harvest.

SEWA, therefore with the initial support from the Disaster Mitigation Institute, provided with an emergency relief of Rs. 10,000/- each to about 20 salt farmers to rebuild the salt pans and reinitiate the encrustation process. Later on the salt farmers were given additional support of Rs. 30,000/- each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

The immediate livelihood support helped the salt farmers, reap a reasonably good salt harvest. A total of about 4000 tones of salt has been harvested by 15^th May 2001.

With the help of SEWA’s marketing organisation, the SEWA Gram Mahila Haat, SEWA also provided market linkages, to the salt farmers to get the maximum sales return on the produce.

The SGMH, on its website publicized the struggle of salt farmers against the earthquake.

The SGMH also provided the service of quality testing of salt with the help of Central Salt and Marine Research Institute (CSMRI). It also approached some of bulk industrial consumption units such as the Dairy Units and the Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL).

As a result of the concerted efforts the GACL, ordered about 20,000 tones of salt. Thereby, not only the entire production of the salt of this season, has been sold out. But it also provided a secured market to about 500 salt farmers for the next season also. Thus securing their work and livelihood.

Due to the earthquake, the brine and encrustation were disturbed, which affected the quality of salt. It had turned brownish in colour, with heavy concentration of Calcium and Magnesium. However, SGMH with the technical support from GACL and CSMRI facilitated the salt farmers in washing of salt, which improving the quality.

Thus a total of 3,500 tones of salt, worth Rs. 17 lakhs has been sold. This has resulted into net income of Rs. 2,000 per month to the salt farmers and their families.

The immediate economic rehabilitation supported 5 cooperatives salt workers families. SEWA now plans to support about 1000 salt workers during the next season, commencing from October 2001.

Thus along with emergency work and income support, the entire programme turned into a development opportunity for the salt farmers. They now have direct access to market and are relieved from the clutches of Private Traders.

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Restoration and Repair of Water Harvesting Structures

SEWA’s Water Campaign had been promoting revival and construction of water harvesting structures, in Kutch, Surendranagar and Patan districts.

As a result, around 350 roof rain water harvesting tanks, for harvesting rain water at household level had been constructed. About 5 village ponds had been deepened and lined with agrifilm to harvest rain water and prevent salinity ingress. These structures had been managed by the communities themselves.

In Surendranagar district, the members have also taken over the operation and maintenance of the water supply scheme from the GWSSB and had been managing it for over 9 months. The system also had suffered severe damages.

SEWA immediately sent out a field team of engineers and geohydrologists to carry out the damage assessment. Based on the findings of their damage assessment, SEWA launched immediately restoration of the structures. This provided work and also income to the families in the villages. The details of the work undertaken are as follows :

S.N.	Type of water sources	Repair	Construction	Employment in Mandays
1.	Kutch	-	-	-
	Roof rain water harvesting tank Community tank Household tank Gunav Well Sub-surface barrier Jallara Talab Gokul Gram Yojana Talab	2 33 1 - 1 1	3 18 - 1 - -	12 days 1 month 12 days 1 month 20 days 22 days
2.	Patan	-	-	-
	Village pond Plastic Line Pond Community tank Household roof rain water harvesting tank Well Development for Jhakhotra Dhokawada Village Well Household tank for Bakutra village	2 2 - - 12 4 10	- - 6 125 - - -	- 25 days 15 days 8 days 8 days - 8 days
3.	Surendranagar	-	-	-
	Group water supply scheme GWSSB Repairing of tank for women Construction of Ghat (for bathing) Filling material around tank Providing Gutter for wastewater	1 2 2 - 2	- - - - -	- 2 days 8 days 2 days 3 days
Total		44	151	205 days

Through the support from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund SEWA also initiated construction of new roof rain water harvesting structures, along with shelter reconstruction. A 5000 litre capacity roof rain water harvesting tank is constructed with every house. So far about 200 such tanks have been constructed. The capacity was finalized, depending on the catchment area of the new houses being constructed.

SEWA’s architects and engineers have prepared the tank designs, which are earthquake resistant. The design has also been changed from square to circular from.

The water resources programme serves both drought proofing as well as earthquake rehabilitation measures.

In Dhangadhra block of Surendranagar district, the local Association Surendranagar Mahila and Balvikas Mandal, has taken over the O & M of the group water supply scheme since last one year. The overhead tank at the main pumping station as well as the village sumps were heavily damaged.

This disrupted water supply to the villages. SEWA immediately mobilized a team of local masons and local barefoot water technicians. The restoration and repair of overhead tanks as well as village sump was immediately taken up.

This was followed up by mobilizing the affected village communities in constructing drainage system and water reuse systems, in two out of the four villages covered under the group water supply scheme.

As a result, water supply was fully restored in all the four villages in about fifteen days time. Along with restoration, the drainage system was also set up, by the involvement of the village communities. With the support from the PMNRF, SEWA also introduced an innovative pulley, for drawing water from the wells. This pulley has been designed by a rural, grassroot innovator, which has a lock system. Therefore, the women while lifting the water out from the well, do not have to put in too much of energy in pulling. Even if they leave the rope, the locking system, locks the pulley in that position and therefore the rope and vessel remain in steady position.

This reduces the strain on the young girls and women in lifting out water. So far, about 100 such pulleys have been fixed in 85 villages.

This provided immediate work and employment to about 5000 families. Also, the entire work turned into a development opportunity for the village, in reviving the water resources. The village communities being trained in O & M of the water resources.

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Support to small and marginal farmers

The small and marginal farmers, suffered the most due to the Earthquake. The two successive drought years had already devastated them, and were heavily indebted. With the earthquake, the agriculture land was also affected to an extent. In some districts the land cracked and bunds broke. Whereas in some districts the water tables either deepened or improved.

SEWA immediately conducted a first hand study, with the help of senior Agriculture Scientist to identify the real need of the small and marginal farmers, to prepare and take benefit of the current monsoon.

The major need was for supply of seed and fertilizer kit to prepare the fields on time. Since the farmers were already indebted, they also had to reconstruct their houses. Therefore, the real genuine need was of quality seeds and fertilizers.

SEWA, with the assistance of its field teams and the village panchayat, prepared the list of different seeds variety as per the area for small and marginal farmers from 50 villages in three districts. A total of 29614 kg of seeds were provided. The details are as follows :

S.N.	Seeds spp.	S’kantha	Kheda	Mehsana	Patan	G.Nagar	A’bad	Baroda	S.Nagar
1.	Pegionpea	83 k.g.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2.	Green Gram	82 k.g.	10 k.g.	20 k.g.	-	10 kg	-	-	-
3.	Castor (Gujarat – 4)	265 k.g.	-	100 k.g.	-	100 k.g.	-	-	-
4.	Castor (Gujarat – 2)	152 k.g	-		-	-	-	-	-
5.	Sesamum (Gujarat – 1)	-	20 k.g.	5 k.g.	2500 k.g.	15 k.g.	-	-	150 kg
6.	Permillute – 169	-	100 k.g.	50 k.g.	4025 k.g.	21 k.g.	-	-	450 kg
7.	Clusterbean (Nilam – 51)	-	25 k.g.	-	-	30 k.g.	-	10 k.g.	-
8.	Sorghum	-	-	-	21300 k.g.	-	-	-	-
	Vegetable Seed	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1.	Pegionpea (Gujarat – 1)	-	25 k.g.	-	-	-	-	-	-
2.	Calliflower (alikuvari)	-	5 k.g.	-	-	-	-	-	-
3.	Fenugieek (Jawara)	-	5 k.g.	-	-	-	-	-	-
4.	Cowpea	-	-	-	-	6 kg	-	10 k.g.	-
5.	Bitterguard	-	-	-	-	-	-	10 k.g.	-
6.	Lockey	-	-	-	-	-	-	10 k.g.	-
7.	Chilly	-	-	-	-	-	-	10 k.g.	-
8.	Brinjal	-	-	-	-	-	-	10 k.g.	-

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