| In
            pursuit of its mission for the creation of sustainable livelihoods,
            Development Alternatives has concentrated its efforts in Bundelkhand
            – comprising 14 districts of the states of Uttar Pradesh and
            Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The Bundelkhand region is a
            microcosm of the Indian rural economy. Genesis Bundelkhand,
            a region once rich in natural resources, was famous for its
            innovative water management practices. Unfortunately, in the last
            century, unsustainable resource utilization has led to a drastic
            change of scene. Indiscriminate felling of forests and disappearance
            of pasture lands led to the loss in top soil, decrease in soil
            fertility and depletion of ground water. Today, Bundelkhand is one
            of the poorest and most backward regions of India. To
            reverse the continuing downward spiral of resources, Development
            Alternatives initiated micro-level interventions in Bundelkhand.
            These were interventions that had a direct and positive impact in
            terms of creating livelihoods and rebuilding the economic assets.
            Development Alternatives provided an enlarged basket of options in
            sustainable livelihoods, shelter, asset building, energy
            technologies and energy usage. 
              
                
                  | 
 |  
                  | Women
                    empowerment through micro-enterprise development at TARAgram
 |  The
            effort was to create assets for the region to enable itself to
            regenerate sustainable production systems that closed the loop of
            material and energy flows were designed. Technology based
            livelihoods, wherein new skills are created, were introduced. A
            broad spectrum of options for affordable products was integrated
            with the local market. The supply chain and delivery systems were
            strengthened. To
            demonstrate the economic viability of sustainable production
            systems, the idea of a technology village - TARAgram - was born. TARAgram
            serves as a model to bring together social, environmental and
            technological knowledge to generate sustainable livelihoods through
            technology based decentralized production and supply of much needed
            goods and services. Location TARAgram
            is situated on 10 acres of once barren land leased to Development
            Alternatives by the government of Madhya Pradesh in July 1995. The
            challenges have been many. The land was degraded. Existing roots had
            to be rejuvenated, soil erosion had to be checked, ground water had
            to be recharged with check-dams and villagers had to be trained in
            sustainable practices, apart from being taught new skills. All
            programs and activities designed for the region had to have their
            knowledge resources grounded here. Demonstration of sustainable
            resource regeneration and utilization was necessary, thus TARAgram
            itself had to be a microcosm of the "new Sustainable
            Bundelkhand". At
            the present day, TARAgram serves as a nodal technology resource
            center for the region. It houses in its premises, amongst others, a
            rural building center, a 100KW power station that produces
            electricity from bio-mass, a 100 ton capacity paper plant that uses
            local bio-mass and cotton waste to produce premium quality paper and
            a small checkdam that provides flowing water throughout the year,
            recharges the ground water and raises the ground water table in the
            neighbouring areas of TARAgram. Land
            and Water Management In
            Bundelkhand, Development Alternatives initially focussed on the
            regeneration of natural resources through modern scientific
            practices and native genius. The strategy was the resurrection of
            wastelands. Sodic land was reclaimed by the use of nitrogen fixing
            plants such as Dhaincha (Sasbenea bispinosa). Regeneration of water
            was achieved through small engineered water harvesting structures
            like check-dams. Natural regeneration of biomass resources was made
            possible by root stock rejuvenation. Degraded land and forests soon
            turned into vast expanses of green cover. The
            first area of operation was Datia, Madhya Pradesh. In this region,
            240 acres of barren hilly areas, devoid of any vegetation were
            adopted for greening purposes. The effort here was to test the
            process of natural regeneration. Rain water was trapped in-situ.
            Staggered trenches and gully plugs were made and biotic interference
            organized. The result was a massive regeneration of local trees,
            shrubs and grasses. Introduction
            of such appropriate measures helped in training the local people in
            land and water management practices. At
            TARAgram, similar activities have been carried out to assure water
            supply through the year to support its various activities, and make
            it a sustainable entity. Therefore, focus has been on designing the
            site for sustainable water management. This was done through
            rejuvenation of the existing root-stock, soil erosion prevention,
            and recharging of the groundwater. A check-dam has been constructed
            on a stream that borders the site. The reservoir thus created
            retained water throughout the year. The water level in the open
            wells has risen providing regular and uninterrupted water supply for
            TARAgram operations. Micro-enterprises TARAgram
            is linked to a large number of decentralized enterprises in the
            region such as the vertical shaft brick kilns and a large number of
            building material and rural energy micro-enterprises. TARAgram
            provides the technical backup to support the supply side initiatives
            of these enterprises while also maintaining and developing forward
            linkages with local, regional and national markets. With
            the advent of micro-credit facilities, TARAgram is on the verge of
            becoming a single window for rural technology and livelihood
            solutions in this region. Livelihood
            Technologies Technology
            design has been aimed at developing off-farm livelihoods for mass
            application. Those technologies have been selected that lead to
            fulfilment of basic needs. The accent is on technologies packaged
            for micro-enterprise based promotion and creation of rural
            livelihoods in large numbers. The
            first enterprise in TARAgram was a handmade paper unit that began
            its operations in April 1996. This unit currently employs about 70
            people, most of them women, who previously had no source of income.
            Its raw materials include cotton rags from urban markets and textile
            mills, used paper and local bio-mass. This enterprise produces 180
            tons of premium quality paper per annum, meets local needs and taps
            regional, national and even international markets. In
            order to support the energy requirements of the paper unit, a
            bio-mass based gasifier was set up. This power plant meets the
            entire energy requirements of TARAgram, including the paper unit.
            With efficient systems of waste heat recovery, waste water recycling
            and treatment, the paper unit – gasifier combination defines a
            totally self-reliant enterprise for this rural region. In
            parallel, a large number of technologies based on production and
            supply of sustainable building materials were introduced. These have
            been packaged for promotion through decentralized rural
            micro-enterprises. Technical guidance and supports are provided by
            the Rural Building Center – TARA Gramin Nirman Kendra located at
            TARAgram, while onward market development and delivery supports are
            made available by a core team of marketing professionals committed
            to improving the local economies of the region. Shelter
            technologies were followed by energy based enterprises supporting
            the biomass gasifier plant – these are basically decentralized
            biomass collection and supply units. Handicraft based group
            enterprises for the production of paper products and local bio-mass
            based fibre products are also now established and functioning. Many
            more enterprises based on rural energy products and services, food
            processing and non-timber forest produce are on the anvil. Rural
            Habitat The
            quality of habitat in any region is a mirror of its state of
            development. One of the tasks that TARAgram took on was to influence
            a transformation in the quality of rural shelter through the
            introduction of affordable and environment-friendly sustainable
            building options. 
              
                
                  |  |  
                  | TARAgram The
                    locationThe backward region of
                    Bundelkhand.
 The
                    focusPeople
                    and nature
 The
                    stakeholdersDirect
                    partners – 29 villages around TARAgram and 100 others in
                    the vicinity
 InputsLocal
                    resources including traditional skills and local manpower.
 The
                    medium of transformationTechnology
 The
                    guiding themeRural
                    Transformation leading from "Regeneration to
                    Sustainable Utilization".
 |  Introduction
            of construction technologies appropriate to the region such as
            stabilized compressed earth blocks, micro-concrete roofing
            ferrocement, bricks from the vertical shaft brick kilns and concrete
            blocks were first initiated in the buildings of TARAgram itself. This
            set in place the foundations of the rural building centre – TARA
            Grameen Nirman Kendra (TGNK). The center, operational since 1996, is
            the local node for the supply of appropriate building products and
            services. It provides guidance to the local population in their
            building projects. Its own projects and programs demonstrate
            improved building practices for the region. The Building Center runs
            regular training programs for upgrading the skills of masons and
            artisans, thus building up the capacity within the region. While
            functioning as an enterprise itself, TGNK provides consultancy and
            know-how to help set decentralized units as enterprises. TGNK is now
            linked to a wide network of artisans from the region. Some of them
            have formed a guild—The Vikas Samiti, and take independent charge
            of design, construction quality and cost-control of small building
            projects. TARA
            Gramin Nirman Kendra first set out to demonstrate the use of
            appropriate building technologies in housing at village Azadpura
            inhabited by the indigenous Sahariya tribe. With the success
            achieved here, the technologies have now moved far and wide in the
            region and also influence the construction sector in the urban and
            peri-urban areas of Bundelkhand, impacting local shelter quality and
            building practices. TARA
            Grameen Nirman Kendra now provides total habitat solutions for the
            region including rural water supply, sanitation and infrastructure
            facilities. Rural
            Energy Most
            villages in the country are not connected to the grid and hence are
            least favourable to the siting of industries. Rural livelihood
            enterprises need an assured supply of electricity, preferably not
            from the grid. To
            ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity to TARAgram, a biomass
            based gasification unit was set up. This power plant runs on a
            renewable fuel - Ipomea, a weed which grows prolifically in
            Bundelkhand. This plant produces 100 kilowatts of electricity every
            day. All the units (like the handmade paper unit) at TARAgram are
            utilising this electricity. Small
            scale household and community level biogas plants, based on cattle
            dung, were tested at TARAgram. These supply cooking energy for the
            TARAgram kitchens. They have been replicated in large numbers in the
            surrounding villages where cattle populations are significant. Smokeless
            cooking stoves were first introduced at the village Azadpura through
            the housing program. These are also finding increased usage in the
            region as more and more women are realizing the benefits of cooking
            in a smoke-free environment. Local masons have been trained in the
            manufacture of these simple domestic energy devices. Further
            inroads have been made in the field of rural energy. A machine of
            one ton capacity for making briquettes has been installed at
            TARAgram. Charcoal briquettes are produced after pyrolysis of
            Lantana, a local weed. Commercial success of this technology has yet
            again proved that small scale enterprises in rural areas can be
            successful if they meet the needs and paying capacities of local
            populations. Empowering
            Women Development
            Alternatives works for the economic empowerment of women. The
            stakeholders in the new initiative are predominantly women. Women
            with a zeal to inspire change. Right from the beginning, the women
            at TARAgram have been encouraged to be equal partners. They have
            been trained along with men in all fields and today, every
            enterprise in TARAgram has women in leading roles. Women
            working at TARAgram allocate a small portion of their earnings into
            a self-help savings scheme, the TARA Gullak. Today, most of them
            have bank accounts. To
            further improve the economic status of local women, skill based
            training has been imparted on value addition to paper and fibre
            based products. The women are encouraged to start self-managed
            units. These women have formed a co-operative society The ‘Sahariya
            Sangram’, an enterprise run by the women of Azadpura. It
            soon became evident that when women move out of their homes to
            become bread-earners, their children are forced to take over
            household chores. The response was the TARAgram Balwadi, a creche
            that looks after and facilitates basic educational and nutritional
            needs of the children of TARAgram in a joyful environment while
            their parents are working. Children of school-going age join the
            Balwadi after school hours. Towards
            SustainabilityTARAgram
            is resolutely moving ahead in its mission to set in place
            institutions and processes in Bundelkhand that will facilitate large
            numbers of livelihoods based on efficient use and management of
            local resources. Introduction
            of diversity in livelihoods, efficient resource use, and optimum
            energy use has been critical in defining the path of sustainability
            in this region. This initiative has proved that with varied
            livelihood options and diversity in technology, there is sufficient
            distribution to ensure that no single resource is overstressed. This
            diversity also mitigates the risk of collapse, resulting from the
            failure of a single element. With
            the introduction of TARAhaat, the rural information portal, TARAgram
            is truly set on its way towards empowering the people of Bundelkhand
            in improving the quality of life. And, while there is a long way for
            Bundelkhand to achieve sustainable development, TARAgram has set in
            motion processes and laid foundations for appropriate development
            practices for this region. TARAgram
            today is a version of what Mahatma Gandhi envisioned as a
            self-sustaining village society – meeting local needs with the
          local resource base in a decentralised manner.  q   |