Mobile technology is becoming commonplace in all industries and agriculture is no exception. While the number of farmers with smartphones in the project intervention villages is still very low, this will not always be the case. The DSI4MTF project team are continuing to develop a suite of mobile friendly applets. The applets are still in […]

With the introduction of interventions on solar pumping, drip and sprinkler irrigation, the agricultural production systems in the project villages are getting intensified. New crops are introduced,  better irrigation schedules are adopted,  improved cultivation practices like raised bed with polythene mulch are practiced. However, the major challenge for the farmers was to maintain the drip […]

The recently published gender training manual, titled “Participatory gender training for community groups gender training for community groups“, now has an accompanying documentary about its usage in western Nepal. The short film follows community mobilizers as they facilitate the manual’s activities and discussions for groups of farmers. The community mobilizers generate critical discussions on gender […]

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 […]

In November the DSI4MTF team were involved in a number of irrigation infrastructure assessments. The assessments included solar pump efficiency, diesel and electric pump tests, drip and micro-irrigation uniformity and soil moisture assessments. This data collection is an important part of Project Activity 1.2 (to assess the efficiency of infrastructure), but was also used as […]

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, […]