Project Detail

Community based model of fodder and fuel-wood regeneration to enable Mangrove Restoration.

The project area is geographically positioned such that seawater ingresses and recedes through creeks and estuarine zones during tides leaving the inundated areas saline. On the other hand, a wide expanse of mud deposited by the tides used to support a thick mangrove forest. But these mangroves have been coming under the axe for fuel and fodder in the absence of an alternative. This has increased saline water ingression and as a result, about 75% of the cultivable land has already been lost to the sea. About a decade ago, the village had a dairy co-operative society but unavailability of fodder from their salinity prone lands reduced productivity and income from milk. Now, even agriculture and fishing are becoming unsustainable occupations. Many have been rendered jobless as a result.

The project was designed to promote an understanding and acceptance of the need to protect, conserve and regenerate alternative indigenous species of fodder & fuel by local communities. This would help realize sustainable effort in the restoration of mangroves and build the asset portfolio of the community for improved mangrove protection & management. The demonstrative model was also aimed to evolve communication package for replication of the programme and advocacy to influence development plans in Coastal Areas.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Vikas (Centre for Development)

Country:

India

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 30,813.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 258,018.09

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 1,640.00

Project Number:

SGP/GEF/IND/OP2/02/GUJ07

Start Date:

7/2002

End Date:

12/2003

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Capacity - Building Component

A Fodder development workshop was arranged in which fodder requirements of the whole village were determined and Fodder Committees ? one for Purchase and the other for the fuel and fodder development activities were formed. The community members were trained to manage the committees effectively. The organiation has trained CBOs (community based organisations) in technical aspects of fodder/ fuel plantation and maintenance. Technical assistance from the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute in Anand was sought.

Notable Community Participation

During the project implementation equal emphasis was given to both the social processes and physical processes. During the initial phases of the project, opinion leaders of the village were identified and the entire project plan was discussed with the community leaders and then in the Gram sabhas. The village level implementation committee was selected in these meetings and the opening of accounts, roles, responsibilities and community contributions were discussed in the meetings.

Project sustainability

The institutions responsible for mangrove restoration were suitably expanded / modified and strengthened to enable them to continue to manage the project on a sustainable basis even after the completion of the project. Need for recurrent funding after the project period of one year would not be much and could be easily raised at the local level in the form of user fees or contributions.

Gender Focus

The project has directly benefited 250 households comprising of farmers, agricultural labourers and fishing families. It has also generated wage employment and reduced the burden on women who are the ones who collect fuel wood and fodder. A large number of villagers including women attended the Gram Sabha meeting where important decisions regarding the activities to be undertaken were made.

Replication of project activities

The project resulted in increased acceptance and support of community based approaches for coastal resource management by communities and government. The project envisaged in consonance with mangrove restoration contributed to community?s capacity to promote environmentally sound technologies in land, water and energy sectors.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

VIKAS has undertaken to arrest further degeneration of the mangroves and provide the coastal communities a means to a livelihood. This was done through local level institutions who were responsible for protection, maintenance and, controlled and sustainable use of the resource. While VIKAS facilitated at the village level, SAVE, another NGO with a good amount of experience in this field, provided the technical inputs.

Project Results

The project created direct benefit to 250 households comprising of farmers, agricultural labourers and fishing families. It generated wage employment and will reduce the burden on women who are the ones who collect fuel wood and fodder.

Plantation, gap filling and their maintenance is being done by the CBOs. For this, an old, unused pond was cleaned up and is being used for fodder and fuel wood cultivation. Salt tolerant varieties of plants with other uses, forage trees, shrubs and fuelwood species are being raised. Fodder plots are also being created on private farmers? lands, 20% of the produce from which will be returned to the farmer and the rest will be sold at a nominal cost. Earthen tidal regulators would be set up across the creeks to store freshwater and stop saline water from entering into the fields. To spread awareness about the ecological function of mangroves, a video documentary is made. A workshop involving internal and external (policy level) stakeholders were conducted to enable replication of the programme in other coastal areas.

Achievements of the project:
- A Fodder development workshop was arranged in which fodder requirements of the whole village were determined.
- Fodder Committees ? one for Purchase and the other for the fuel and fodder development activities were formed
- fodder grass is being cultivated in 32 acres of private land
- 18 acres land of common land is being used for fodder and fuel wood cultivation.
- 15,000 plants of Pilu, Karanj and Su-Babul were planted in a nursery and there are already about 2500 Pilu saplings for gap filling next year. About 2160 saplings were planted on the common plot on which only Profosis existed.
- 1200 bags of organic manure was applied in the fodder plots
- 390kgs of seeds of different plants including grass species were sown
- 400 metres of an old government constructed bund was repaired for the tidal regulators and an extra 15 metres constructed.
- A cattle camp was held details of which have not been provided.
- A large number of villagers including women attended the Gram Sabha meeting where important decisions regarding the activities to be undertaken were made.

- A Fodder development workshop was arranged in which fodder requirements of the whole village were determined.
- Fodder Committees ? one for Purchase and the other for the fuel and fodder development activities were formed
- fodder grass is being cultivated in 32 acres of private land
- 18 acres land of common land is being used for fodder and fuel wood cultivation.
- 15,000 plants of Pilu, Karanj and Su-Babul were planted in a nursery and there are already about 2500 Pilu saplings for gap filling next year. About 2160 saplings were planted on the common plot on which only Profosis existed.
- 1200 bags of organic manure was applied in the fodder plots
- 390kgs of seeds of different plants including grass species were sown
- 400 metres of an old government constructed bund was repaired for the tidal regulators and an extra 15 metres constructed.
- A cattle camp was held details of which have not been provided.
- A large number of villagers including women attended the Gram Sabha meeting where important decisions regarding the activities to be undertaken were made.

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Indicators

Biophysical

Hectares of globally significant biodiversity area protected or sustainably managed by project 50

Livehood

Number of households who have benefited* from SGP project 250

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