Since ages, rural communities all over the world were practicing most of the professions, including agriculture, gained from the experiences of their ancestors, without much dependence from external inputs. Most of the rural developmental works like maintaining the village roads, drains and even irrigation tanks and canals were done by the local community in time by voluntarily contributing labour, locally known as ‘shramadaan’. This process also encouraged unity and strengthened relationships within the communities.
The administrators too were not elected, but selected by the community, based on their knowledge and concern for the locality. These leaders were formulating policies to meet the needs of the local community, by preserving and developing the natural resources for the welfare of the future generations. For example, when the people needed fuel, timber, fodder, seeds etc., they approached the local committee for meeting their needs. The committee would survey and decide to permit the beneficiary to fulfill his or her requirements based on the availability and from others demands. The beneficiary along with local people in turn helped in rejuvenating and preserving natural resources.
Unfortunately, most of these systems have been handed over to the employed officials. They do not have the knowledge of the locality and situation. This results in many problems in handling and preserving the equilibrium. For instance, afforestation programmes were given religious importance, so as to encourage tree planting and protecting them. But, the State has taken the task of tree planting through the forest departments, which resulted in the discontinuation of the traditional values and systems of community participation.
Another such instance of wrong policy being promoted by State and Central Governments is highlighted here. Many farmers are successfully cultivating earthworms even around the trees in the plains, where rainfall is less than 800 mm per year. For instance, the agencies like Khadi and Village Industries Corporation, who are promoting vermicompost, are recommending brick and cement or stone slab tanks of 15 ft X 4 ft X 3 ft sized tanks for vermicomposting for several years. This is not only costly for the farmers, creates a huge subsidy burden for the government, but is also inconvenient for the worms. Worms are surface feeders and do not stay below 9 inches. May be, in the Western Ghats, where the rainfall is more than 2000 mm, the roof is necessary for the protecting worms. But, the project reports without the tanks and the roof for vermicompost units are not approved.
Similarly, huge irrigation projects are being encouraged in a big way all over the country to provide irrigation for the farmers. These projects not only sub-merge vast areas of natural forests but also displace many tribal communities, wild life and bio-diversity apart from converting huge command areas into wet deserts and saline lands within a period of 20 years of execution. Instead, small barrages built across rivers with the involvement of local people, prevent ecological and economical losses, and even inter State disputes.
The green revolution technology policies of encouraging the application of chemical fertilizers along with organic manures, is not suitable. Organic manures are a source of feed to the soil organisms and earthworms. The chemical fertilisers applied along with organic manure will destroy the soil micro organisms, thus, rendering application of organic manure a wasteful operation. Traditional health systems of both human and animal health care have been ignored and are replaced with high cost external inputs copied from the western industrial system, which is not affordable and available for rural masses.
Thus, by adapting wrong policies of getting projects done by either the state government or the Panchayat Raj administration through contractors, the outcome has been, malpractices, delays and poor quality of work. Those policies that are supported by practices that emerge from the field, involving local communities alone will promote sustainable development in the long run.
Dr. L. Narayana Reddy
Srinivasapura
Via Maralenahalli
Doddaballapur Taluk
HANABE – 561 203
KARNATAKA
Telephone No : 080-27601103
Mobile : 9343533632
