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TRANSFORMATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION – The Sanwara Case Study s anwara is a remote village in Baran District of Rajastha n,
located 8 km from the Kota-Shivpuri Highway. Sanwara houses 149
families, comprising mainly Sahariya tribals and Ahirs, the total
population being 734. Earning is only through wage labour and
agriculture. Degraded forests cover nearly half of the landscape. The
majority of the Sahariya land is not irrigated, which limits the
agricultural productivity and increases vulnerability in situations of
drought. Sahariyas have sufficient agricultural land, but like many
other villages, they are hardly able to reap the benefit of agriculture
due to the high cost of agri-inputs, mainly irrigation. They do not
possess alternatives sources or the money to break this vicious cycle of
poverty. All that is left for them is daily wage labour and that too is
irregular.
The Sankalp Society in Sanwara installed a 46.4 KW biomass gasifier (duel-fuel) with the financial help from the Social Work and Research Centre, Tilonia (SWRC), so as to boost the village economy. The Energy team of Development Alternatives provided initial technical guidance and NETPRO, Bangalore, supplied the gasifier. This Community Owned Community Operated (COCO) power plant is now ensuring secured and sufficient energy for domestic as well as irrigation purposes. As a result, on 2007, around 107 Bigha land was irrigated and recorded the highest production of wheat, mustard, peas and grams. The average yield of wheat increased from 5-6 to 8 quintals per bigha. Threshold Barriers: Initially, the Sahariyas were reluctant to participate in this implementation process. They were hesitant in paying their upfront contribution, as they were uncertain about the energy generation through biomass gasifier. It was a completely new technology for them. But after a few villagers saw the biomass gasifier-based power plant generating electricity at TARAgram-Orchha, their confidence was bolstered. The word of mouth publicity motivated the rest of the villagers. Around 30-40% villagers contributed substantially during the process of implementation. The Gram Pradhan extended maximum possible financial and administrative support. Each household that wanted connectivity paid upfront Rs. 200/- for internal wiring. Thus, 23% of transmission and distribution cost were leveraged from the village itself. Towards Sustainability: The actual transformation took place after the first crop was being irrigated through gasifier-powered electricity, and the rest of the village witnessed the 32 successful and progressive farmers. This year, an additional 50 farmers have shown their willingness to join the Village Energy Committee (VEC). They are now ready to pay Rs. 300 along with 200 kg dried and chopped biomass per bigha irrigation. Successively, 125 of the 149 existing households are connected with the Gasifier unit and are paying Rs. 60 per month for 5 hours’ assured electricity per day. Other supporting activities in the village 1. Pasture land Development: The Panchayat has given 80 bighas of pastureland for mass scale plantation which has been carried out and several small water tanks have been constructed. Besides Guggal, Sinduri, Shatawar, Amla, Custard Apple, Neem, and Bamboo, several species like Castor Plants, Ipomia, Subabool, etc., were also planted to ensure a continuous supply of biomass for the power plant. 2. Three women’s Self Group have been formed to initiate small savings with the local bank. 3. Five units of Vermi-composting have been established to promote organic farming. 4. Nurseries with 30,000 plants are now ready and potential markets have also been explored. 5. Smokeless chulhas have been installed in several houses. Challenges 1. Even minor maintenance work hampers the quality of services. 2. An existing financial crunch is coming in the way of the VEC to add more necessary irrigation infrastructure. 3. The demand is seasonal and effective management is necessary for continued progress. The comparative cost benefit analysis of assured irrigation through gasifier unit is as below: Actual Cost of irrigation (through individual diesel pump): C ost of 5 irrigation per Bigha : Rs 540/-Average O&M cost (per Bigha) : Rs 500/- Total cost (per Bigha) : Rs 1,040/- Total irrigation cost (per 100 Bigha): Rs 1,040 x 100= Rs. 1,04,000/- Actual Cost of irrigation (through Gasifier unit): Farmers’ Contributions: Rs 300 plus 200 kg biomass per Bigha irrigation Actual expense of Gasifier unit : RS. 34,732/ 6 month’s salary of Barefoot Engineer : Rs. 13,140/- O&M Cost : Rs. 13,766/-Total cost (per 100 Bigha) : Rs. 61,638/- Net comparative Gain : Rs. (1,04,000– 61,638) = Rs 42,362/- q |