The farmers of Uttar Chakwakheti  (UC) who are predominantly tribal, will benefit maximally if and only if they fulfil the caste criteria authenticated by the state. Authentication is done through issuing a caste certificate by the government, a process that is sometimes cumbersome especially for the poor tribal communities.  CDHI recently facilitated the granting a […]

Collectivisation, innovation and institutional building are key to empowering marginal communities. There are many paths for this empowerment, which differ across regions and situations. In this regard DSI4MTF is doing some ground breaking work in facilitating change. Some insights are shared by Rajeshwar Mishra and colleagues in the attached from West Bengal,  which will help […]

Female-headed households face new patterns of vulnerability, with an increase in labor burden and limited access to and control over water resources, which is essential for climate resilience. A participatory gender training manual for community groups has been developed to help communities realize the role that gender plays in their lives, and discuss how they […]

The DSI4MTF project held a very successful mid-term review meeting in Patna 26th to 29th September 2016. There were 35 delegates in attendance from Partner organizations. Madhubani Field Visit A number of us participated in field visits to Madhubani 23rd to 25th September to meet with farmer collectives and key local stakeholders and to discuss […]

During the implementation of the DSI4MTF project over the last two years, staff have learned how to better build collaborative relationships with the community. The strategy of incorporating the insights gained in the early stages of the project seems to be working well. This process merits sharing and further reflection.. We thank Rajeshwar Mishra and […]

The villages our project is working in have very different  socio-cultural backgrounds.  Uttar Chakowakheti (UC) has been a late entrant and CDHI and UBKV have had to look at different approaches to work with the communities. The attached narrative written by the CDHI team provides an interesting outline on the evolution of engagement at UC, […]

A stakeholder meeting for ACIAR-ICAR collaborative project ‘ Improving water use for dry season agriculture by marginal and tenant farmers in Eastern Gangetic Plains’ was organized at ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna on 30th September, 2016 with a purpose to create awareness about project activities among the line departments for scaling-up of the […]

By Manita Raut and Fraser Sugden Introduction: Technical, social and economic constraints are limiting the effective use of groundwater and ponds for irrigation in many parts of the EGP. Large areas of land remain fallow during the dry months. Access to year-round water for irrigation would significantly improve the productivity of agriculture, improving incomes and […]

By Manita Raut and Fraser Sugden Introduction: Technical, social and economic constraints are limiting the effective use of groundwater and ponds for irrigation in many parts of the EGP. Large areas of land remain fallow during the dry months. Access to year-round water for irrigation would significantly improve the productivity of agriculture, improving incomes and […]

By Raj Kumar and Rabindra Karki Introduction: Technical, social and economic constraints are limiting the effective use of groundwater and ponds for irrigation in many parts of the EGP due to which large areas of land remain fallow during the dry months. Therefore, access to year-round water for irrigation would significantly improve the productivity of […]