SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-HIMALAYAN REGION OF INDIA - Phase II

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The continuation project is based on the results of the pilot project of the year 2011 -2012. In this on-going project the focus is on women as it has been seen that it is the women who have taken responsibility and have participated fully in all the agricultural, horticultural and domestic livestock rearing activities, and fetching water, fodder and firewood form distance places; as well as cooking and looking after the children and managing other day to day household chores, thus spending the whole day in performing these tasks. Observing the benefits to the villagers covered under the pilot phase project, now people from other surrounding but more remote villages have come forward to want to be part of the main project, to be covered under Ph-II during 2013-2015. Therefore in this continuation phase (2013-2015) it is planned to extend the activities to 3 more villages where no work has been done, and so have been left out of many of the developmental interventions. Of the 4 original villages (covered under pilot project=2011-2012) it is planned to reduce the project interventions in 3 of the villages which are right on the road side. This new phase (ph-II) will consist of now spreading the activities to more people in the communities as they have seen the benefits of these during pilot phase. The activities planned are: 1. organic farming 2. kitchen gardening 3. construction of roof water harvesting structures 4. making compost units 5. bee keeping 6. tree plantation 7. training in food processing, preservation and packaging 8. experiment in solar passive rural house for human/animal shelter & renewable energy gadgets 9. experiment R&D in waste biomass (BM) briquettes making, improved cook stoves to make the village households kitchens as smoke-free, as well as promote time & fuel saving efficient cooking. 10. strengthening of existing women's groups and making new women's groups 11.experimenting with the designing of new efficient cook stove for reducing firewood consumption 12. celebration of important days such as International Women's Day, Environment Day, Earth Day and Renewable Energy Day, with a view to bring critical awareness about women and climate change related issue in this Himalayan sub-regions of India, so that the target groups (with the guidance and assistance of WAFD, INSEDA & HIFEED) undertake informed actions for mitigation though locally relevant appropriate solutions.