Training Report on “Local Resource Mobilization and Management”

Group photo of Training

The training on “Local Resource Mobilization and Management” was designed and provided for the staff of Bangladeshi PNGO name CARITAS, AVAS, DRO, SHAPLAFUL, INDAB, POPI, SEBA, SEDA, IDEAL, NSS, MJF. This training course was designed, developed and conducted by Concern Universal-Bangladesh for the “Capacity Strengthening on Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” Project by the financial assistance from Cordaid, Netherlands. 4^th – 5^th July, 2011, two days long residential training was took place in AVAS Training Center, Barisal, Bangladesh.

Group Photo of Training

The goal of the training was to develop knowledge and skills for the effective mobilization of human and other resources for enhancing the participating Organizations’ capacity (internal and external), and to implement the Project.
The broad objective of the training course was to enhance knowledge and skills on Local Resource mobilization & Management, ability to analyze resource provider, resource management activities and also to develop an action plan.

The Objectives of the Training:

·               Describe the definition, standards and outline of Resource and Resource Mobilization.

·               Identify the types of resources and resource providers.

·               Differentiate the mechanisms of Resource Mobilization and their advantages and disadvantages. Also to evaluate the effectiveness of the mechanisms used within one's own Organization.

·               Analyze the factors that motivate the resource providers.

·               Find out the gaps between Resource Mobilization and the Organization's strategy and evaluate the state of Resource Mobilization in one's Organization.

·               Map the Resource Providers and collect information essential for Resource Mobilization.

·               Develop an Action Plan for Resource Mobilization.

Group works

The discussion and presentations were interesting and assessable to the participants. The major topics of the training were as follows:

• Definition of Resource and Resource Mobilization, Types/ classification of Resources
• Moral aspects of Resource Mobilization
• Importance of Resource Mobilization, Features of Resource Mobilization
• Outline of Resource Mobilization

-       Mechanism of Resource Mobilization

            -    Resources

            -   Types Resource Providers

• Analysis of factors that motivate Resource Providers
• Identification of Resource Gaps, Gap between Resource Mobilization & Strategic Planning
• Management of Resources

                        -   Transparency (policies. Guidelines, procedures, agreement)

            -   Compliance / Approval

            -    Accounting (Cash/ Bank Management) / audit

            -   Tax (if appropriate)

            -  Communication / Nurturing

            -  Budget

            -  Reporting

• Mapping Resource Providers and Information Collection
• Development of Resource Mobilization Action Plan.

Different participatory methods/techniques were applied in the training course to ensure the involvement of all of the participants and also to make their learning process interesting.  The methods used were: Lecture, Discussion (Groups, pairs and open), Brain-storming, Group presentation, Question & Answer, Games.

Pair group discussion

The main benefits of this training were – effective participatory methods were practiced, participants’ were very enthusiastic, assessable learning materials were supplied in every session, classroom facilities and the learning environment was friendly, the training programme was well organized, support facilities were good, and finally the relationships both between the facilitators and participants’, and between the participants, were very positive for learning.

Participants expressed their expectations and fears about the training through card writing. Most of these expectations were very close to the set objectives. Participant's expectations and fears were diverse but fell under particular clusters. These were:

# Primary concepts of Resource Mobilization & its types, necessity for CMDRR

# How to develop a Resource Mobilization Action Plan

# Mechanisms of Resource Mobilization

# Types of Resource Providers & the techniques to motivate the Resource Providers

# Management of Resources

# How to use the resources in CMDRR

Feedback from participants revealed that this training will help them to provide a better form of service in their communities. They will now be able to identify & mobilize the right resource providers who will be able to provide the resources, and will also be capable to manage these resources in the right way, in the right time. 

Reported by,

Masud Rana

Clay pellet method of rice cultivation maximises yield

The Hindu, 30.06.2011 by M. J. Prabu

The Hindu NO HELP: Ram Abhilash (left) making clay pellets along with his family members. Photo: Special Arrangement

Farmers need not wait for monsoon to start sowing under this method

“In our culture, innovation is dubbed as craziness, but our success lies in identifying more 'crazy' people so that the innovation revolution can spread across the country. The present generation is fast losing out on scientific knowledge. In the last several years we are losing much such affordable scientific knowledge due to sheer neglect,” says Prof K. Anil Gupta, Vice Chairman, National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad.

Lack of support

“Funds crunch, lack of adequate assistance from government officials and private sector firms, and lack of awareness among people are the main deterrents in identifying such rural innovations as a national movement,” adds Prof Anil, who calls for considerable more interest from science and technology institutions in validating, value adding in people-driven knowledge and innovations.

Besides being cost-effective and eco-friendly, these potential scientific discoveries need to be commercialised and even exported, adds Prof Anil.

Source of idea

Take the example of a simple farmer Ram Abhilash Patel from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Ram developed a concept of sowing paddy seeds inserted in clay pellets. The farmer claims that he got this idea from within the household.

“I noticed that children made clay pellets for playing and used to throw them away. Suddenly during monsoon, I used to notice a small seedling growing from the wet pellet.

“This inspired me to try using the same method for growing paddy,” he explains.

Finding the right kind of clay soil posed a problem. Other soil types tend to break under pressure while pushing the paddy seeds into them.

Germinate well

The seeds can be easily inserted inside clay and remain safe during sowing and later germinate well.

Pond or river soil is mixed thoroughly with 3-4 paddy seeds to make small balls of pellets. The pellets are made during April - May and dry within 2-3 hours.

“Pond soil is very fertile and helps in minimizing weeds,” explains Mr. Patel. The farmer is practising this method for the last 15 years and impressed by it, many others in the region are doing the same. “The pellets can be sown manually or by using a seed drill. Rows are made facing east to west or vice-versa so that the germinating plant gets ample air and sunlight. This method saves both time and money and the need to prepare a nursery for paddy plants does not arise,” he says. By adopting the conventional nursery method, paddy crops take approximately 160 days to mature while using this technique it takes only about 145 days.

Waiting time reduced

Farmers need not wait for monsoon to start sowing under this method. As pond/ river soil, is fertile, the dependence on fertilizers is reduced and as the seeds are in a mud shell they are protected from birds etc. The process also saves water as no standing water is needed in the field.

Better output

“Most importantly, the output gets maximized by this method. Mr. Ram Abhilash proved experimentally by cultivating paddy in a field by all three methods namely pellet, nursery, and direct sowing. The paddy production using these methods was 1.7, 1.5 and 1.4 tonnes respectively,” says Prof Anil. Though some products are being commercially manufactured and exported, there are millions of ideas such as Mr. Ram's, waiting for assistance in terms of funds, technical and design support.

For more details contact Mr. Ram Abhilash Patel, Vill. Tikari, Po. Kanti, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh 212107, Mobile: 08127199855.

India: Tribal 'seed mothers' confront climate insecurity

In the eastern state of Orissa, women are advocating traditional farming methods using locally cultured seed varieties and bio fertilizers. These women are spreading awareness about the resilience of these seeds against drought and water-logging.

Bhubaneswar: In eastern Orissa state’s tribal hinterlands about 200 ‘seed-mothers’ are on mission mode - identifying, collecting and conserving traditional seed varieties and motivating farming families to use them.

The seed-mothers (bihana-maa in the local dialect) from the Koya and Kondh tribal communities have reached 1,500 families in the Malkangiri and Kandhamal districts and are still counting. These women are formidable storehouses of knowledge on indigenous seeds and biodiversity conservation.

Collecting, multiplying and distributing through exchange local varieties of paddy, millet, legume, vegetables and leafy green seeds, the seed-mothers already have a solid base of 80 converted villages.

As they spread their message through the hinterland, targeting another 140 villages, the women also promote zero dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Considering that Malkangiri is Orissa’s least developed district, with literacy at a low 50% and isolated by rivers, forests, undulating topography and poor connectivity, the achievement of the seed-mothers is admirable.

Confronting climate insecurity:

The struggles of Malkangiri farmers with climate change is visible in the Gudumpadar village where seed-mothers are passionately reviving agricultural heritage and convincing the community to stay with local seeds and bio-fertilisers and pesticides.

"This is the best way to cope with erratic rainfall, ensure the children are fed and avoid the clutches of moneylenders," says 65-year-old seed-mother Kanamma Madkami of Kanjeli village, who has multiplied 29 varieties of local millet and paddy seeds.

Mangu Adari, 35, who owns less than two hectares of rain-fed land, some of it on a hill slope, is one of the new converts to local seeds. Last monsoon he could cultivate paddy, millet, beans and pulses on only half his land due to late and heavy rains. This year he hopes to have a surplus to take to the market to sell for badly needed cash.

"This is the best way to cope with erratic rainfall, ensure the children are fed and avoid the clutches of moneylenders" says 65-year-old seed-mother Kanamma Madkami

"Local plants are products of centuries of adaptation to local climate and soil characteristics, hence, indigenous paddy holds out to drought for 30 days compared to 15 days by high-yield hybrid varieties," explains Kusum Misra, coordinator in Orissa for Navdanya, a network of seed-keepers spread over 16 Indian states and supported by 54 community seed banks.

Similarly paddy grown traditionally in the lowland can survive two weeks of water logging while highland paddy varieties yield quick harvests in just 60 days, compared to the 125 days for hybrid paddy, Misra said.

Restoring agricultural heritage

Based in rice-rich Balasore district, Misra has collected and propagated more than 65- varieties of traditional paddy, including strains of aromatic rice, those with resistance to salinity (for coastal farming), floods and droughts and some with medicinal properties.

The traditional varieties respond to natural fertilisers and pesticides; and if seeds are preserved properly the farmer actually has access to no-cost farming. "When they own the seeds farmers can time the sowing or even resort to a second round of sowing if needed," says Kanamma.

"By keeping procurement prices for traditional varieties low the government discourages their farming; one reason being that rice millers prefer uniform sizes and varieties of paddy. Also, government hybrid seed outlets have sales targets to be met," says Misra.

Omprakash Rautaraya, chairperson of the Organisation for Rural Reconstruction and Integrated Social Service Activities, a non-profit responsible for reviving the concept of seed-mothers, says that methodical "seed mapping of local varieties and prioritising them on the basis of usage, cropping patterns and water requirement has made multi-cropping possible".

With a mix of six to 14 crops grown simultaneously, even during the frequent droughts, upland farms now harvest at least two crops.

Promoting indigenous seeds

Seed-mothers need little more than a backyard patch to propagate seeds and supplement family nutrition. Kausalya Madakami of Malkangiri’s Manga village developed 57 varieties of food plants and exchanged them too.

Annual community seed fairs, organised right after the monsoon harvest, help promote and exchange traditional seeds and knowledge. Here the seed-mothers cook and showcase various traditional items made from indigenous paddy and millet.

Annual community seed fairs, organized right after the monsoon harvest, help promote and exchange traditional seeds and knowledge

Tribal women are re-learning the traditional ways of seed preservation from the seed-mothers. Vegetable seeds are smeared with wood ash, bitter begonia or neem leaf powder and stored in hollow bamboo poles while paddy and millet are safe in jute bags hung from rafters. Pre-sowing treatment may involve cow-dung and cow urine or the use of ivy gum as anti-fungal and pest repellant. 

Poor seed quality marketed by the government is a real worry. The government’s National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in a status report on seed development released in March carried data showing falling rice production in six eastern states, including Orissa - the rice bowl of the country.

In Orissa, the seed germination rate for regular paddy is just 55% and may drop as low as 25%. According to the NABARD report, land under cultivation in the state is shrinking and poor quality seeds and increasing floods and droughts are making farming increasingly un-remunerative.

Well-known environmental activist and founder of Navdanya, Vandana Shiva, told IPS that "climate resilient seeds in women's hands are vital to climate security and corporations that have taken out some 1,600 patents on climate resilient seeds are bio-pirates". 

"Allowing corporations to hijack and monopolize seed supply is a recipe for food insecurity and climate insecurity," Shiva averred.

Source : IPS

Workshop on –‘ Local resource mobilization and Management’ & PMEL:

Concern Universal – Bangladesh organized a four days workshop on –‘Local resource mobilization and Management’ & PMEL. This was held in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. Partner organizations from West Bengal and Assam send their 17 participants in that workshop. First 2 days , 13^th and 14^th June, 2011 were fixed for the trainings on - Local resource mobilization and Management. The training session was very compact and the subjects of discussions were very vast but participants were charged with the deliverable by the trainers. After the end of the trainings they got an idea on developing knowledge and skills for effective mobilization of human and other resources for enhancing Organizations capacity and also learnt its implementations.

There were many group discussions and group activities on finding gaps, making strategic planning etc. At the end of the session they submitted a draft action plan for resource Mobilization.

On15th June, there was a new session on – Participatory Monitoring & Evaluation Learning. This was new ideas to many of the participants. So , Masud bhai, trainer from CU-B discussed some preliminary concepts with them. There were discussions and brainstorming on issues like- development – its process and partners, assessing developments, participatory developments  and its type, participation in monitoring and evaluations, etc. On the last day, most of the issues was discussed and explained by another trainer, Sabrin Sultana from CU-B. She also conducted a session where the participants discussed their leanings and also clarified their doubts. Some times, Mr. Sufian also accompanied her. This session was ended on 16^th June.  

In these four days, participants learnt a lot as well as many new ideas came out. There was some signings, dancing, and some drama. Though, these participants came from the different places of Bengal and Assam but they became a team. Both the trainers and trainees stayed in the same hotels so there were discussion after the session. Sometimes, the debate lasted up to mid night. …the learning became joyful learning !

Reported by:

Snehamay Mondal,

RLSK, Gosaba, WB, India

Toxin from GM crops found in human blood: Study

Fresh doubts have arisen about the safety of genetically modified crops, with a new study reporting presence of Bt toxin, used widely in GM crops, in human blood for the first time. Genetically modified crops include genes extracted from bacteria to make them resistant to pest attacks. These genes make crops toxic to pests but are claimed to pose no danger to the environment and human health. Genetically modified brinjal, whose commercial release was stopped a year ago, has a toxin derived from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt). Till now, scientists and multinational corporations promoting GM crops have maintained that Bt toxin poses no danger to human health as the protein breaks down in the human gut. But the presence of this toxin in human blood shows that this does not happen. Scientists from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, have detected the insecticidal protein, Cry1Ab, circulating in the blood of pregnant as well as non-pregnant women.

They have also detected the toxin in fetal blood, implying it could pass on to the next generation. The research paper has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. The study covered 30 pregnant women and 39 women who had come for tubectomy at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) in Quebec. None of them had worked or lived with a spouse working in contact with pesticides. They were all consuming typical Canadian diet that included GM foods such as soybeans, corn and potatoes. Blood samples were taken before delivery for pregnant women and at tubal ligation for non-pregnant women. Umbilical cord blood sampling was done after birth.

Cry1Ab toxin was detected in 93 per cent and 80 per cent of maternal and fetal blood samples, respectively and in 69 per cent of tested blood samples from non-pregnant women. Earlier studies had found trace

amounts of the Cry1Ab toxin in gastrointestinal contents of livestock fed on GM corn. This gave rise to fears that the toxins may not be effectively eliminated in humans and there may be a high risk of exposure through consumption of contaminated meat. "Generated data will help regulatory agencies responsible for the

protection of human health to make better decisions", noted researchers Aziz Aris and Samuel Leblanc.

Given the potential toxicity of these environmental pollutants and the fragility of the foetus, more studies are needed, particularly those using the placental transfer approach, they added Experts have warned

of serious implications for India. Cottonseed oil is made from seeds of genetically modified cotton and thus Bt toxin may have already entered the food chain in India. "Indian regulators should be immediately called for detailed toxicological studies to know the extent of contamination of the human blood with Bt toxins coming from cottonseed oil, and also ascertain its long term health impacts," Sharma said.

Source:

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/toxin-from-gm-crops-found-in-human-blood/1/137728.html

Divisional level workshop: “Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation”

A One Day Workshop: “Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” was held at the Hotel Western Inn Conference Centre, Khulna, on May 03, 2011. This programme was initiated as activities of “Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” project of Concern Universal Bangladesh. Programme was organized by Asroy Foundation, one of the partners NGO of Concern Universal.

Honorable Mayor of Khulna City Corporation, Mr. Talukdar Abdul Khaleque was the chief guest in the workshop. As special  guests were also present Mr. Sheikh Hemayet Hossain, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Khulna Division, Mr. Tarun Kanti Shikdar, Deputy Secretary and Director, Directorate of Environment, Ministry of Forest and environment, Mr. Molla Mohammad Shofikur Rahman, Associate Professor, Environmental Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Advocate Firoz Ahmed, Divisional Coordinator Khulna Division, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA).Mr.Masud Rana (Assistant Project Manager) and Mrs. Kanika Chakraborty   (Project Officer- Training) were present on behalf of Concern Universal. Mrs. Momotaz Khatun, Executive Director of Asroy Foundation presided over the workshop. Total 120 participants from different levels like:  GO/ NGO officials, Teachers and   Students of different schools and colleges and universities, Civil society, Elite persons, Local govt. representatives, Religious leaders, Journalists, Community people were there to grace the occasion. 

 Mr. Masud Rana (APM) presented a documentary on different types of hazard of Khulna division. After that, he discussed total project activities by showing slides in power point.

The Chief Guest focused on integrated initiatives on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Intercontinental joint planned would be initiated, he said.  The participants showed their active interest with similar concern. The programme ended with a colourful Pot Show followed by lunch.

Reported by:

Kanika Chakroborty

District level Workshop: “Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” by SHAPLAFUIL, Bagerhat

SHAPLAFUL, a national NGO,in Bagerhat one of the partners of Concern Universal, Bangladesh was organized an workshop on  “Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” on 4 May, 2011 at the Circuit House in Bagerhat Zilla. This programme was organized as activities of “Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” project of Concern Universal Bangladesh.                                     

Mr. Md. Akram, Deputy Commissioner of Bagerhat District, and Mr. Gokul Krishno Ghosh Chief Executive of Bagerhat Zilla Parishad were present as chief guest and special guest respectively. Professor Chowdhury Abdur Rob, President of the SHAPLAFUL, NGO, presided over the programme. Mr. Masud  Rana ( APM) presented a documentary on different types of hazard of Khulna division. After that, he and Kanika Chakraborty (PO) discussed total project activities by showing slides in power point.  Mr. Masud Rana and Kanika Chakraborty were present on behalf of Concern Universal, Bangladesh.                                                                                                                                                               

 In his speech, Chief Guest emphasized on the significance of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. He thanked Concern Universal as well as SHAPLAFUL for taking such a befitting initiative. This is the time to work together for community and build their own capacity so that they can reduce the risk from disaster, he urged to the audience. While the special guest appealed the audience to be played sincere role of individuals on this issues. The participants showed their active interest with similar concern.

Reported by,

Kanika Chakroborty