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Evaluating Sustainable Livelihood Interventions : Check Dams in Bundelkhand D evelopment Alternatives brings its own unique vision to community development, placing importance on fostering social upliftment and promoting sustainable use of natural resources. This vision recognizes the increasingly significant role of technology in mediating the complex relationship between people and their environment in ways that can be beneficial or detrimental to one or both sides. In an effort to maintain a symbiotic balance between the two sides, DA designs and adapts small-scale technologies for use in income generation and management of natural resources. They are called "appropriate technologies" because they build upon indigenous knowledge and capabilities of local communities; produce locally needed materials; use natural resources in a sustainable fashion; and/or help regenerate the natural resource base. The primary goal of these technologies is to help create "sustainable livelihoods".A "sustainable livelihood" is defined (by DA) as the ability of an individual/family to meet their basic needs in a manner that is dignified but does not undermine the natural resource base. It is much more than a job, or additional days of employment, but includes quality of life measures. This approach to development incorporates the inter- generational concept that it is important to meet the needs of people today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. In addition, it includes the Gandhian idea of creating self-sustaining village republics whose economies are biomass driven. Ultimately, by working to preserve the integrity of rural ecosystems, DA hopes to help stem the tide of rural-urban migration and improve the quality of life for both rural farmers and urban dwellers. Recently, the organization has initiated a process of self-reflection, asking questions such as: "How well are we achieving our mission to create sustainable livelihoods? How do we measure sustainable livelihoods? Whose criteria do we use?" A goal as broad and holistic as "sustainable livelihoods" demands new ways of looking at project performance. As a first step in this process, DA undertook a study to evaluate its check dam projects in the Bundelkhand Region of Central India. The purpose of the study was not only to determine the benefits that accrued to local communities, but also to design and field test an evaluation methodology that could be adapted and applied to DA’s other sustainable livelihoods projects. The study also gathered information on community problems, maternal and child health matters, and linkages between population and environment issues in the region. This article presents highlights from the assessment study. The Problem: Water Scarcity and Management Water scarcity, augmented by deforestation, soil erosion, and rapid population growth, was identified by DA as one of the major contributing factors to poor agricultural yields in the Bundelkhand Region.Bundelkhand is a semi-arid plateau that encompasses 12 districts of northern Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) and 5 districts of southern Uttar Pradesh (U.P.). The three districts included in the assessment study are: Datia (M.P.), Tikamgarh (M.P.) and Jhansi (U.P.). The Bundelkhand Region was densely forested until the late 18th century. After the turn of the century, rising demands for wood and agricultural expansion led to increasing levels of deforestation. Post independence population growth and the emergence of the Green Revolution brought even larger tracts of land under the plough and further increased wood-based energy needs. These factors, combined with poor land management and ruthless government-approved commercial logging, have drastically reduced the forested area in the region. Much of the land now consists of open canopy with large tracts classified as "wastelands." Throughout most of the year, the residents of Bundelkhand experience acute scarcity of water for agricultural and domestic use. Water sources are varied and often seasonal, ranging from ponds, tanks, lakes and streams to open wells, borewells/tubewells and irrigation canals radiating out from large-scale dams. Most agriculture is single-crop, rainfed, with supplementary water from private open wells. Large numbers of farmers are highly dependent on the monsoon rains to recharge these wells. Canal irrigation plays only a minor role in the districts under study, as do tubewells and borewells. The Intervention: Check Dams Since 1989, DA’s regional office in Jhansi (DA/Jhansi) has overseen the construction of almost 100 check dams in Bundelkhand. Many of the check dam projects were originally conceived as entry point activities, or a way to build community capacity and gain local villagers’ confidence in DA to set the stage for future interventions. "Check dams" are small barriers built across the direction of water flow on shallow rivers and streams for the purpose of water harvesting. The small dams retain excess water flow during the monsoon rains in a small catchment area behind the structure. Pressure created in the catchment area helps force the impounded water into the ground. The major environmental benefit is the replenishment of nearby groundwater reserves and wells. The water entrapped by the dam, surface and sub-surface, is primarily intended for use in irrigation, but can also be used for livestock and domestic needs.Check dams are built in a range of sizes using a variety of materials, including clay, stone and cement. Earthen check dams can easily be constructed by farmers themselves. Masonry and reinforced cement concrete structures, on the other hand, require some degree of advanced construction experience and financial inputs. Why Check Dams? DA/Jhansi chose check dams over other technologies only after careful consideration of a number of factors known about the different traditional and modern irrigation systems available. Compared with large-scale high-tech approaches to water management, check dams appear to be a more appropriate technology for poor rural dryland areas such as the Bundelkhand Region. The cost of irrigating one hectare of land using a check dam is approximately five to eight thousand rupees, while the cost of irrigating one hectare using a large dam and canal network is over two lakhs. Check dams do not submerge large tracts of land or alter river courses. Unlike dams and other large-scale irrigation projects, the technology, skilled labour, financial resources and maintenance needed for check dams are relatively minimal, making them more accessible to poor farmers. Moreover, the initial investment made can usually be recovered in one or two seasons through the ensuing increases in agricultural production. An additional attraction for small farmers is that check dams, like tubewells, are a decentralized form of irrigation under community control, allowing farmers themselves to make micro-adjustments to their watering regimes in response to local factors and thereby to improve yields. From an environmental perspective, small-scale water harvesting structures such as check dams also seem to be the best choice. First, when widely used in a watershed, they are a more efficient catchment system than large dams. Second, similar to most traditional small-scale irrigation technologies, check dams help to counter many of the adverse effects of the monsoon rains – by allowing for more percolation of water into the soil to regenerate aquifers; helping to increase soil moisture and vegetation; reducing erosion; and possibly decreasing damage from flash floods. Check dams are more than a source of water for irrigation. They have important environmental benefits. They were initially chosen by DA/Jhansi largely because their benefits are in keeping with the DA’s mission to create sustainable livelihoods. The check dams serve to both restore the degraded natural resource base in Bundelkhand and to help local inhabitants meet their basic needs in a better manner. Benefits Associated with Irrigation Numerous studies have shown that irrigated agriculture is associated with increased agricultural production, increased employment, and increased income. But the documented benefits of irrigated agriculture vary widely by social class/caste, often a good proxy measure for the level of land ownership and dependence on wage labour as a supplemental livelihood. Working from a sustainable livelihoods perspective, DA is concerned not only with aggregate levels of production or employment created by the check dams, but also with poverty alleviation and equity in terms of the distribution of income and benefits. When assessing the effects of sustainable livelihoods project, both gains and losses among different social groups must be determined and weighed. While small and marginal farmers may profit from irrigation schemes in easily observable direct ways, such as increased agricultural yields and intensification of production, the marginal land holders, on the other hand, may experience indirect gains and losses that are less obvious.
Methodology The study used a case-control research design. Five villages with access to DA-facilitated check dams (experimental group) were compared with four villages with no such access (comparison group). To ensure the study was gender sensitive, information was disaggregated by sex and tools of gender analysis were used. Primary research methods included:
Select Findings Only those findings pertaining to outcomes of the check dam projects as an example of a sustainable livelihoods' intervention are summarized as follows: Did the check dams create more employment? Study findings suggest that the check dams created more employment in the beneficiary villages by increasing the number of working days for landowners. Increased access to irrigation led to:
A woman from Chirula explained, "Before construction of the check dams, wells were the only source of irrigation. Now the lands near the river have also benefitted and the lands that were lying barren have now become fertile." Data on cultivated land, and the portions that are irrigated and rainfed, were collected as part of the PRA resource mapping activities. These findings, which support the conclusions above, are summarized in Table 1. In general, a higher proportion of cultivated land is irrigated in villages benefitting from DA-built check dams in comparison with villages with no DA check dams. The column that reports the amount of land irrigated by the check dam for the most part only captures the area directly irrigated by water pumped from the catchment area. As reported by the villagers, many nearby wells are being filled by the check dams and are an important source of irrigation also. In contrast, the communities that do not have DA check dams must rely solely on open irrigation wells and rainwater, with the exception of one village that also has access to a pond. Have the check dams helped to reduce poverty through additional income or production? Yes, the check dams have helped to reduce poverty by providing additional surface and underground water leading to: · Increased agricultural yields for consumption· Increased income from the sale of crops· Income from the sale of fish· Increased fodder leading to increased revenues from livestock· Increased availability of water for processing sun hempA man from Rajpura revealed, "Because of it [the check dam], there has been an increase in productivity of the land." A woman from Geora stated, "…growth in the crops has been twice more than in previous years. Now, the annual income is Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000." Have the check dams improved the quality of life? The check dams have served to increase the quality of life in beneficiary communities by: · Increasing the availability of water for domestic use· Decreasing women’s workloads· Improving dietsIn some villages where the handpumps are broken, the check dam provides a source of drinking water as it fills the nearby wells. This may reduce the time women have to spend, especially in the summer, collecting water. Increased growth of vegetation near the check dam provides a source of fodder, which women are responsible for collecting. A woman from Geora said, "For bathing, washing clothes, for animals to drink, there is enough water." A woman from Rajpura reported that, "Due to the dam, some people have started growing vegetables."Have the check dams increased livelihood adaptation and resilience to stress? Yes, the check dams have increased livelihood adaptation and resilience to stress by:
A man from Chirula said, "Before building the check dams, there were water crises, but now the water level of the wells has improved. Also, now the river water is directed to the fields that would otherwise have gone to waste." Have the check dams increased natural resource sustainability ? The check dams have increased the sustainability of natural resources by: · Recharging groundwater reservoirs and wells· Increasing soil humidity· Promoting growth of surface vegetation· Capturing runoff rainwater and siltWhat are the drawbacks of the check dams ? Although the benefits of the check dams appear to far outweigh the drawbacks, some of the associated problems mentioned by the villagers include: · Tension between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries· Submergence of village paths· Waterlogging of adjacent fields due to the breach in the wallConclusions This study was undertaken both to field-test a methodology for evaluating Development Alternatives’ sustainable livelihood projects as well as to assess the actual benefits and appropriateness of check dams as an intervention. Data collection focused primarily on generating practical information for community members and program planners to modify the intervention approach as needed. An attempt has been made to capture the views of diverse segments of the sample communities regarding the check dams and other issues, recognizing existing power dynamics within these communities. The study was not expected to create community-wide participation or empowerment. The research process alone can not be expected to create sufficient community capacity and internal momentum to analyze future problems and solutions as a group without outside facilitation. Additional development activities will be required to enhance the collective competence of each community to organize and act. Since DA/Jhansi currently has follow-on activities in all but one of the study communities, this process is well underway. The conceptual framework and methodologies used in the present study are not intended to be applied verbatim to other sustainable livelihoods' projects, but instead should be adapted to local conditions, integrating the needs of relevant stakeholders such as communities, project staff and donors. But first, what is needed now, and what this study was intended to stimulate, is an organization-wide debate regarding how best to interpret and measure DA’s unique approach to sustainable by Barbara Rawlins The Author works with the Environment Systems Branch of Development Alternatives, New Delhi
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