Regenration of Traditional Ringhall
Regenration of Traditional Ringhall
Ringaal is an easy to work bamboo species that grows in a short duration around villages in the lower reaches of the hill state of Uttaranchal. With over exploitation the growth aspects have not been addressed of this otherwise highly regenerative crop. This has resulted in the community involved with its value addition going deeper and deeper into the forest regions to source the material, reducing their time that could be devoted to craft making that they specialize in. As a result, many craftspersons have ended up seeking alternate means of revenue earning, though not necessarily with success.

Decreased availability of the three daily needs of fuel, fodder and handicraft raw material is enough to threaten daily lives of most members of the hill community to whom these have been integral for ages.

The unfortunate fallout of this development is that a plant, that could grow without much trouble in the backyard of homes or periphery of the village boundary, now had to be obtained from an average distance of 4 Kms. Additionally, the forest areas are not ideally suited to its growth and create further problems in terms of access and felling, bamboo now being considered a forest tree. These and other aspects of the project were resolved through a series of efforts directed at awareness building, training and plantation management efforts for the benefit of the community. At the same time, women end up spending an increasing amount of time sourcing fuel wood and fodder with an impact on family responsibilities due to additional time taken. As a consequence of these developments, men from these regions have migrated in the hope of job opportunities, leaving women behind to bear the family burden. This project has addressed these resource needs of the hill community helping reduce the drudgery of women in the process.

The NGO, Sanio Ka Sangathan had earlier conducted a workshop on the effect of changing biodiversity on women and the problems of resource availability showed up in the discussions held. That is what led to the organisation deciding to focus on the growing problem through village based women-centred initiatives.
 
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Project Snapshot

Grantee:
Sanio Ka Sangathan
Country:
India
Area Of Work:
Biodiversity
Grant Amount:
US$ 13,607.39
Co-Financing Cash:
Co-Financing in-Kind:
US$ 400.00
Project Number:
SGP/CCF/IND/OP1/99/UP04
Status:
Satisfactorily Completed
Project Characteristics and Results
Notable Community Participation
Prior to the implementation process a PRA was carried out and the resource position mapped. A series of group meetings and discussions were conducted leading to the micro-planning process in each of the villages. Village Development Committees (VDCs) were formed as there were no Joint Forest Management groups formed in these villages. Two more groups were formed to meet the needs of the project: Ringaal Group and Women?s Group that took a focused view on the issue towards activities such as development of nurseries and improvement of craft skills. As a result of these efforts, nearly USD 1150 of savings were effected by the VDCs.
Gender Focus
yes

SGP Country office contact

Mr Manish Kumar Pandey
Email:
Ms Aradhana Goyal
Email:

Address

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), 6C Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
New Delhi, Delhi, 110003