2006

Food insecurity in the poorest parts of India is getting more acute by the day, with increasing pressure on land, rapid environmental degradation, frequent natural calamities, and inequitable distribution of resources.

The situation is particularly serious in Jharkhand. The newly-formed state, along with Bihar, is one of the country's most insecure in terms of food and nutritional security.

In spite of huge natural resources, Jharkhand is among the Indian states lowest on the ladder of development indicators. Around 2% of its population suffer chronic hunger and 10% experience seasonal food insecurity. According to the BPL (below the poverty line) survey of 1997-2002, of the 3.77 million rural families in the state, 2.32 million families live below the poverty line.

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood. Nearly 70% of the people of Jharkhand are either small or marginal farmers with less than 1 hectare of farmland. The state has been experiencing serious drought for the last five years, leading to hunger and mass migration.

Stabilising agriculture and looking for new livelihood options are the most urgent developmental challenges Jharkhand faces. The priority areas are:

• Combating drought, hunger and mass migration.
• Increasing the productivity of agriculture and allied activities.
• Strengthening and generating farm-based livelihoods. 
• Promoting animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, piggery and integrated farming.
• Strengthening and generating forest-based livelihoods. 
• Linking micro-finance to new livelihood efforts.

These concerns were discussed in detail at a state-level consultation on ‘Evolving strategies to enhance livelihood options in Jharkhand’, organised under the PACS Programme, on September 6-7, 2005, in Ranchi. The consultation engaged experts and practitioners from government, academia, technical and financial institutions, civil society organisations, their partners and the media.

Combating drought, hunger and mass migration

Dr A K Basu, chairperson of the PACS Programme’s National Advisory Board, made two proposals to address the problem of hunger and mass migration:

• Women’s enterprises should be in charge of the public distribution system (PDS) in every panchayat. Women’s self-help groups (SHGs) could also be given the responsibility of implementing various government schemes like Antyodaya, Annapoorna, and food-for-work. This will boost food production and help in judicious food procurement and distribution in rural areas.
• Building skills to provide new livelihood opportunities.

Dr Basu drew attention to President A P J Abdul Kalam’s concept of ‘chota nagar’ (small township of 20 villages) for infrastructure development. This would generate employment and help contain migration from distress areas.

Kiran Sharma, programme manager, emphasised the need to explore the possibilities of handing over the public distribution system to women, to overcome food insecurity. She also proposed that the state government use the strong network of self-help groups under the PACS Programme to handle drought relief work.
Raising the productivity of agriculture and allied activities

Agriculture remains the main source of livelihood for the people of Jharkhand. Dr Ramesh Sharan, eminent economist, pointed out the high incidence of poverty in areas populated by tribals who practise mono-cropping. He suggested a multi-pronged strategy that includes effective implementation of irrigation schemes, emphasis on horticulture, and land reforms.

Shailen Jha from Praxis highlighted the need for capacity-building in order to:

• Improve agricultural practices.
• Increase accessibility to loan facilities.
• Spread the use of new technology for rain-fed agriculture.
• Spread the use of organic farming, vermicomposting, treatment of traditional seeds.
• Spread the practice of double-cropping, with the emphasis on cash crops.
• Spread the use of herbicides instead of insecticides.
• Increase the use of cold storage facilities, safety measures for crop protection, and crop insurance during disease outbreaks/drought years.

Jha also emphasised the need to:

• Recognise traditional occupations.
• Create employment opportunities in villages. 
• Fix and effectively implement a minimum wage for different types of work.
• Organise unorganised sector workers.

Equally important is to:

• Modernise the handicrafts business.
• Promote bamboo cultivation.
• Encourage traditional forestry.
• Free mahua trees from contractors.
• Provide training in marketing strategies.
• Offer capital support.

New farm-based livelihoods

Dr R P Singh, chairman, Department of Extension Education, Birsa Agriculture University, Ranchi, dwelt upon the potential of horticulture. The agro-climatic conditions in Jharkhand are ideal for the cultivation of vegetables, fruits, flowers, medicinal and aromatic plants, he said.

Floriculture, mushroom-farming, and the cultivation of medicinal plants could be particularly beneficial to Jharkhand’s tribal population. However, farmers need to be organised into cooperatives, and their capacities built through training. They have also to be supported through adequate credit and infrastructure facilities, and rainwater management. Alternate cropping systems should be adopted, and food and vegetable processing units equipped with modern packaging facilities.

Sibendu Kumar, director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s horticulture and agro-forestry research programme for the eastern region, focused on the need for collaborative and integrated support from all stakeholders for development, operationalisation of agri export zones for vegetables, and the promotion of private sector investment.

Mihir Sahana from BASIX discussed the highs and lows of vegetable sub-sectoral interventions. There is a large and growing demand for vegetables in local, metro, even export markets, he said. Vegetable cultivation is suitable for small and marginal farmers as it is labour-intensive and provides high yields, with regular cash flow/income. At the same time it is difficult, as vegetables are highly perishable and the market has multiple levels of middlemen. Besides, the farmer’s mindset makes collective effort difficult; they lack a clear understanding of the commission agent’s role.

Animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, piggery and integrated farming

Livestock is the second largest source of livelihood, after agriculture, in Jharkhand. Dr Seba Palit, an expert in livestock management, highlighted the various problems in this sector:

• Lack of capital.
• High price of crossbreds. 
• Lack of veterinary facilities.
• High daily maintenance costs.
• Non-availability of green fodder.
• Under-developed markets.

Despite these constraints, livestock can be a major source of income for hundreds of landless, marginal and small landholders. Palit suggested that the PACS Programme conduct livelihood-planning exercises with rural people, under the aegis of self-help groups, and concentrate on building the capacities of these groups, especially women leaders, to take up livestock-related activities.

Mihir Sahana and Rakesh Das from BASIX made a presentation on the concept of Diversified Intensive Small Holder Agriculture (DISHA), which ensures that each small holder makes optimal use of land for diversified yields, with minimal price risks, is self-sufficient in terms of cereals, and has nutritional supplements such as vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products, meat and fish.

Forest-based livelihoods

R Ramani, chairman, Lac Research Institute, Namkum, discussed the importance of lac cultivation, which constitutes an important activity for tribals. Lac cultivation is simple, does not need large investments and requires only part-time attention. It also helps in wasteland utilisation and ecosystem development, with economic returns. Jharkhand’s farmers have been doing lac cultivation for generations, as it does not interfere with their agricultural activities and acts as an insurance crop, particularly when the monsoons fail.

Micro-finance and livelihoods

Self-help initiatives in Jharkhand have taken root and expanded even to the remotest parts of the state. Micro-credit through self-help groups has proved to be one of the most effective ways of making credit available to the rural poor. However, A P Das, assistant general manager, NABARD, said the area of micro-credit remained largely untapped in Jharkhand. There is a need to strengthen self-help groups, to make them eligible for credit linkages with banks, especially in the districts of Bokaro, Dhanbad, Garwah, Jamtara, Latehar, Pakur, Saheganj and Simdega.

Minakshi Sharma, ICICI Bank, Mumbai, said that if the credit standing of self-help groups was enhanced, the bank would offer a competitive rate of interest to groups started up by civil society organisations.

Conclusion

M K Mandal, development commissioner, Government of Jharkhand, stressed that a strategy for livelihood options in Jharkhand had to be people- and area-specific due to the state’s geographical diversity.

A K Sarkar, principal secretary, agriculture, Government of Jharkhand, said that to make agriculture an essential sustainable livelihood option, it was important to promote crop diversification (lac, jowar and wheat), horticulture and hybrid seeds, whilst still preserving indigenous varieties.

Dr A K Basu, chairperson of the National Advisory Board, PACS Programme, said it was essential to look beyond agriculture. He called for:

• Promotion of off-farm and water management activities.
• Promotion of community-friendly technology.
• Capacity-building for understanding and subsequently adopting alternative livelihood options.
• Strategies that focus on the inclusion of the poorest of the poor.

The immediate challenge for civil society organisations in Jharkhand is to look beyond a project/programme framework and engage in long-term strategies and efforts for better food security.