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Community Based Livestock Services - Small ruminants

WASSAN has been working with small ruminant holder groups for the last one year. The activity is focused in 5 mandals namely Kodangal, Kosgi, Dowlathabad, Maddur and Bomraspet of Mahabubnagar district. GUARDS a field level NGO facilitating the process in the field.

Objectives and purpose

• Building institutional capacities of CBOs for increasing the productivity base and decreasing risk of natural resource related livelihoods of the poor by better control over means of production and produce.

• Improving capacities of NGOs in working with the CBOs in natural resource management.

Activities

A consultation meeting was organized with the cooperatives of small ruminant holders to discuss their issues/concerns. In the meeting rearers discussed the following issues

• Reviving the cooperatives and strengthen the institutions with a focus on small ruminant holders

• Problems related to water, fodder and other issues

• Health care including vaccination, medicines and other facilities

• Breed improvement

• Access to credit from formal institutions

• Marketing of their produce

• Insurance

After the discussions rearers came out with an action plan. The action plan clearly showed a way to the program and partners. 

Areas of intervention 

Institutional aspects

Key areas of concern:

• Many non-rearers are members of the cooperative (may constitute from 30 to 50%)

• Strong identify with caste

• Entry barriers for non-caste rearers into the cooperative (frozen membership)

• Leaders & large group based- little democratic processes

Activities taken up

• Data collection: Livestock data collected from Veterinary department and other sources to know the population details. This data was utilized for prioritizing the villages to initiate the program.

• Formation of Self Help Groups: The discussion was initiated within the cooperatives of sheep rearers. They have formed into SHGs with the facilitation of the Guards (the facilitating NGO). Groups planned for regular meetings and started thrift and credit activities. The activity started with formation of Self Help Groups. Now there are 60 SHGs of small ruminant holders in 15 villages.

Initially there was a problem faced by the facilitators, in every sheep rearers cooperative majority of the members do not hold sheep and goat. In other cases because of the situation it is too difficult to draw the line between a rearer and non-rearer. We discussed with rearers and facilitators about this issue, rearers suggested that SHGs would be formed only with the existing rearers. Whenever somebody in the village buys sheep or goat then they will join in the groups as members.

In this process the approach also changed; instead of approaching sheep rearers’ cooperatives, facilitators approached the rearers directly. This has solved two problems one is covering exclusively rearers and also included the rearers who are not from the traditional castes of rearers. This approach worked out well and only rearers irrespective of their caste formed into SHGs. 

• Strengthening of SHGs: The groups have been strengthening through regular facilitation and capacity-building activities like trainings and exposure visits. A training program was conducted to the Groups at village level. Training expenditure was borne by WASSAN and the participants paid some part of the Resource fee.

• Training calendar preparation and TOT to Pool of Resource Persons : In the month of March 2005 training needs were identified for the groups , a TOT was conducted for PRPs to provide trainings to the groups on Group management. The trainings were organized in 11 villages.

• Formation of Federation at village level : SHGs federated at village level for strengthening the  groups  and also creating a platform for small ruminant holders to access CPRs in the village. The federation meets once in a month to discuss about the groups, seasonal diseases etc and also to access various programs/facilities from Government and others.

• Informal federation of Groups:  An informal federation was formed with all the groups; two leaders from each group would attend the meeting. This federation is a common platform to the rearers. The federation reviews about the groups, village federations, seasonal diseases and further activities to be taken up with them.  The federation meets once in a month on 2nd day of the month. It is expected that the federation will explore convergence opportunities with banks and animal husbandry department.

Health services

• Situational analysis on health and fodder issues: A situational analysis was carried out with the rearers to identify issues related to health and management practices. There was a discussion on fodder and drinking water also. After the analysis training needs were identified. A series of trainings were planned to be taken up in 6 months, particularly to the health activists. The training scheduled was planned- about 3 days in a month.

• Identification of health activists: In each village 2 activists were identified in this one was a traditional healer and the other an educated person to deal with English medicines. In this context 30 activists are identified from 15 villages. They would to through a series of trainings and skill building exercises on various issues like health care, fodder development, management of small ruminants, marketing and insurance etc.

• Trainings to the health activities: Two trainings were organized for health activists on diseases, prevention and curative measures in small ruminants. The trainings conducted in the months of February and March 2005, each training for 3 days at Husnabad in Kodangal mandal. The activist would be a link between the Veterinary hospital and the rearers. Activist will be paid a nominal amount by the village level federation to provide his services.

• Linkages with Veterinary department: we facilitating linkages with Veterinary department to access health services, particularly getting medicines and regular vaccination services to the small ruminants. Based on the population of sheep and goat Indent would be prepared to access medicines from the government department.

Linkages with Financial institutions: Action plan has been prepared for five SHGs in Chowdharpally, Naskanpally, Nandaram and Lothikunta thanda villages to access credit from banks and other institutions. Participatory methods were followed in the process to identify the poor and poorest. Members purchase sheep and goat, improve infrastructure like shelter etc, with the loan accessed from the group.  The criteria followed for accessing credit is the group being strong in terms of management and functions. There would be action plan for each group before accessing credit in the process.

Study on Breeding practices: A study has been conducted on breeding practices in small ruminants in five villages. The study report captured the traditional breeding practices and also the ideas of the rarers. A one-day discussion was organized with rearers to know their views on breeding. The study would lead to a concrete plan of action in breed improvement.

Improving fodder options: A study is being conducted with the groups in three villages to document the traditional grazing practices, grazing tracks and process of changing the grazing tracks, issues and problems in grazing, role and status of CPRs and seasonal migration. The study would lead to concrete action for the coming three years to improve the fodder options for small ruminants. The traditional rearers would carry out the study with minimum support from the facilitators. 

Annexure-1: Village wise list of small ruminant holder SHGs 
Annexure-2: List of villages where we are working

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