Mobilization of Women, Farmers and Youth

Facilitation is continuing to regularize another fourteen groups through discussions, video shows and folk songs about the importance and benefits of getting organized in a better way, and by conducting regular meetings for them.
Efforts are being made to build links between the CBOs and the officials of the Velugu. Agricultural Department, Minor Irrigation, Rural Bank and CIMAP.
Our efforts continue toward building a strong ‘Federation’ with representation from all the CBOs. Efforts are also on to improve their capacity through training so that they can help themselves to further their own development.

A Farmer's Group		A Tribal Group

	An OC Group

		An Dalit Group

Vermicompost

Motivation to develop a large number of vermicompost units is going on in the group meetings. Efforts are being made to collect visual charts and video CDs showing easy techniques for making these, and how these serve to conserve the fertility of the soil. Farmers were also shown how they benefited financially by reducing expenditure on chemical fertilizers and pesticides and improving the quality and quantity of their crops.
Market studies are being done to deal with surplus produce if there is any.

Sri Paddy

Regular discussions were held with the farmers about the relatively easy cultivation of SRI paddy, which uses less water and has lower production cost, yet resulting in better yields compared to the traditional cultivation methods. However, only one farmer, Mr Madhav Reddy volunteered to put this method into practice. He has cultivated two crops using the SRI method along with the application of vermicompost. We encouraged him to share his experience of better yields at reduced production cost and using less water. Farmers from neighbouring villages come to him for guidance about SRI paddy, but farmers from Chitlamkunta do not seem to be convinced. Using visual tools and taking Chitlamkunta farmers to visit places where SRI paddy is being grown successfully will perhaps be effective. The place to be visited and the number of farmers to be taken are under discussion.

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

There is a plan to purchase seeds of Medicinal and Aromatic plants for seed multiplication activity.

Wastage of Drinking Water

We are encouraging people to minimize the wastage of water but there is not much progress since much depends on a proper drinking water distribution system.

Discussions are being held with the Sarpanch and village secretary with regard to the repair and improvement of the distribution system, such as valve control, repairing damaged pipelines, fixing taps and shifting submersible pumps to safer sources.

Minimizing wastage of water has become a hot topic in group discussions. As a result, one of the ST (Tanda) groups has taken on the responsibility of fixing taps in their street.

Fodder

We plan to study the seasonality and bio-mass social map with the villagers through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and have focused group discussions with Self Help Groups.

Village Tank

It has been decided to undertake a study of the village tank by the Village Federation. We plan to put together a team consisting of WUA members, the Village Federation and village elders that will, with local knowledge conduct a transact walk, determine the drainage pattern and prepare an action plan.

Publication: Village History

Village Level Facilitators (VLFs) in Chitlamkunta have taken the initiative of compiling a village history with some stories of the lives of people in their village.