Final Abhishek Synopsis

8/2/2019 Final Abhishek Synopsis

1/19

SynopsisOn

Mapping of Commons (Lands) in the villages

Of Bhilwara, Districts of Rajasthan

UnderFoundation for Ecological Security, Rajasthan

Submitted to:

Prof. Goutam Sadhu

Associate Dean - School of Rural Management,

Submitted by:

Abhishek trivedi

2011-13

School of Rural Management (SRM),

Institute of health management and Research

Prabhu Dayal Marg, 302011 Tonk Road, Jagatpura, Jaipur, Rajasthan


2/19

CONTENTS-

Introduction:- Common resources Common land History of common land resources

Relevance

Criticality of commons Objectives Organizational profile Review of literature Hypothesis Methodology


3/19

Commons:-

Resource meant for common use of the community and is accessible to and

collectively owned and managed by an identifiable community and on which no

individual has exclusive rights.

The commons were traditionally defined as the elements of the environment - forests,

atmosphere, rivers, fisheries or grazing land - that are shared, used and enjoyed by all. The

commons can also include public goods such as public space, public education, health and

the infrastructure that allows our society to function (such as electricity or water delivery

systems). There also exists the life commons, e.g. the human genome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_goodshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_goodshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environment


4/19

Land which is used by one or more persons who have no

ownership interests in the land, directly or indirectly.

The modern definition is of lands which are available for public

use or enjoyment, such as parks, sidewalks or highways.

"Common land may be described as land over which rights of common are

exercised. A right of common is the legal right of one or more persons to take some

part of, the produce of, or the wild animals on the land of another person."

What are the types of common lands.

a. Revenue wastelandsb. Grazing landsc. Forest lands

Type of common land Administ

ering

Body

Custodian Forms of institutions

through which these

lands may be secured

Revenue wastelands Revenue

Dept.

Revenue

Dept.

Tree Growers

Cooperatives, SHGs,

Grazing Lands Revenue

Dept.

Gram

Panchayat

Gram Panchayat,

Charagah Vikas Samiti

(Ward oriented),

Forestlands Forest

Dept.

Forest

Dept.

VFPMC, CFRC


5/19

HISTORY OF COMMON LAND RESOURCES IN RAJASTHANRajasthan is the largest state in India with a geographical area of 34 million ha and a

population of 56 million. Two thirds of the total geographical area is desert. Average

rainfall varies significantly between the western part which receives an annual rainfall of

100 mm, and the south eastern part, which receives 650 mm.

The period of monsoon is short compared to other parts of India, ranging around 2 to 2.5

Months (July to September), and dry spells are a common phenomenon. About 90 per

cent of the total rainfall is received during monsoon season. There is also great spatial and

temporal variation in rainfall. Two thirds of its population is dependent on agriculture,

with 70 per cent of the area being primarily rain fed.

Common property resources, including pastures, constitute an important component of

livelihood assets of communities in semi-arid areas of India and offer vital income and

sustenance opportunities in the harsh agro-climatic conditions.

Accordingly, Rajasthan has a long history of well-designed management systems for

pasture lands. These management systems have emerged in light of the key role that

livestock plays in people's livelihoods and for the local economy.

Before independence, community pasture land management in Rajasthan was

entrusted to 'thikandedars' or 'caretakers' who were appointed by the Princely States.

These caretakers were responsible for ensuring the productivity of the pastures. To this

end, they adopted soil and water conservation measures, facilitated the growth of

vegetation, and controlled livestock rearing. The caretakers were also responsible for

preventing misuse and encroachment by the individual villagers

After independence, with the transfer of power from the Princely States to the State

Government of Rajasthan, the management of common properties was handed over

to government authorities at different levels.


6/19

Today, common lands in Rajasthan fall under 3 categories: Village community pastures

(Charagah or Charnot), which have been entrusted to the Gram Panchayats, revenue

wastelands, which fall under the authority of the Revenue Department; and forests,

which are under the authority of the Forest Department.

The first of these categories, village community pastures, should in theory be accessible

to all groups and classes of the rural communities. Sadly, lack of resources and

accountability on the part of the Gram Panchayats has resulted in large-scale

mismanagement of common lands in many places.

The village pastures in Rajasthan are traditionally used for open grazing and are left

without fencing, encroachments by individual families have emerged as a great

problem that further restricts the community benefits from these lands. Typically,

encroachments on common lands are made by the more powerful and influential members

of the village community.

RELEVANCEThe mapping of commons is very essential from the development perspective because it

predict the current land status which helps in making the plan for that land if it requires

any kind of improvement. It enables the village communities to form the institution for

the proper management of common resources and also allows these institutions to

create rules in the form of byelaws which secure spaces of the poor, women,

pastoralists, households owning small ruminants and other disadvantaged groups. It also

prevents change in land use by asserting communitys rights on commons through

village institutions.


7/19

Criticality of CommonsA. Commons are crucial sources of livelihood for rural households. They provide food,

fodder and timber to farming systems, animal husbandry, resource conservation and

recharge of groundwater.

B.Ecologically, the Commons play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance while

providing important resources that sustain life maintenance of water cycles,

conservation of biodiversity, serving as sinks for greenhouse gases.

CPRs are threatened due to encroachments by resource-rich farmers. Over-exploitation

of CPRs definitely leads to poor upkeep of these resources. This also points to the fact

that traditional institutions have either weakened or disappeared and have failed to

enforce norms.

Also, Revenue Dept control has never been interested in productivity, being too

remote to manage and with lack of funds to develop it as their major role has been

more of a record keeper rather than that of developer. The complex nature of land

administration has only worked to the disadvantage of the rural poor. To further

aggravate the situation is the inconsistencies in land records. Thus, there is visible lack

of a long-term perspective towards land.

In the present context of aggressive market forces, the absence of a clear land policy

addressing the multiple uses of land is bound to jeopardize the interests of landless and

the land poor. The size of CPR land has been declining over the years. There has been a

steady decrease in all kinds of common landspastures, village forests, ponds or even

burial grounds.Diversion of land-use for other purposes has led to reduction in the size of

CPRs. This has also been detrimental because Pastoral communities may not be

consulted/given recognition in decisions because they are not there, not citizens.


8/19


9/19

Objective-There are few main objective of FES for which the entire mapping process is being

done, these objective are as follows-

1. To access the current status of available and the encroached land.2. To access the current utilization pattern of the commons as well as imparting the

knowledge for better utilization of resources.

3. To create mechanisms, this will ensure the active involvement and participationof all concerned communities and peoples.

4. To strengthen institutions and coordinating mechanisms for land and landresources, so that they are fully able to implement policies and systems.


10/19

ORGANIZATION PROFILE

MISSION-As ecological security is the foundation of sustainable and equitable development,

the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) is committed to strengthening, reviving or

restoring, where necessary, the process of ecological succession and the conservation of

land, forest and water resources in the country.

Works towards the ecological restoration and conservation of land and water resources,

in the uplands and other eco-fragile, degraded and marginalised zones of the country

and to set in place the processes of co-ordinated human effort and governance to this

end.

Undertakes work either directly, or with and through a range of democratic village

institutions, their federal bodies, and civil society organisations, set up through

initiatives that are ecologically sustainable, socially and economically equitable and

provide relief to the poor, in particular.

Ensures the ecological integrity of all efforts by working, as far as possible, with entire

landscapes, and with all the interrelated communities within it, through a range of

arrangements on their land and aquatic resources, whether Commons, Public or Private.

Works for and promote stability of the ecosystems through the protection and

restoration of biological diversity, including the diversity of species, age diversity, and

genetic variability as well as that of structural composition.

Collaborates with Panchayat Raj and other democratic village institutions, as well as

appropriate civil society organisations, in their efforts to contribute towards the

objectives of the Society, and to provide technical and financial assistance to them.


11/19

Objective of the Organisation: To strengthen community based natural resource management and livelihood option

to address the economic vulnerability of the tribal households inhabiting the

watershed area.

Enhancing peoples capabilities for self-development by working for improved

literacy levels, better health status and sensitization against oppressive gender relations.

Creating sustainable improvements in the livelihoods base by revitalizing the natural

resource base of communities.

Strengthening village institutions by creating an alternative paradigm of power

structures and community interactions that reinforce the positive forces of cooperation,

transparency, equity, justice and responsible citizenship.

To work towards the stability of shared natural resources, and agriculture production

systems and improved agricultural productivity through appropriate soil and water

conservation measures.

FIELD OF WORK:-FES in Andhra PRADESH: - Working in a watershed concept in rain fed areas suchas these not only entails the enhancement of biomass and water availability, but also

takes into account a long-term perspective and works towards bringing about a balance

in the appropriation of natural resources and production needs.

FES IN KRANATAKA: - Initiated their activities in 1998 in the upper catchments of thePapagni River, which originate sin Kolar. Today, their interventions reach out to 180

habitations, with village institutions protecting around 8,817 hectares of grazing and

degraded forestlands. With active engagement of the Panchayats, custodian rights

overgrazing lands were devolved to constitutionally mandated subcommittees of the

Panchayats, coterminous with habitations.


12/19

FES IN GUJARAT: - Initiated in 1997, their team now works closely with 133habitations that protect about 7,784 hectares of degraded forestlands and common lands.

The focus of the work in the region is to promote robust village institutions that can

effectively address the degradation of the forest land and the low productivity of farms.

FES IN ORRISA: -Initiated in 1987, the project presently works with 200 communityinstitutions that protect and govern nearly 23,529 hectares of common lands. Commons

remain central to the livelihoods of rural communities in this undulating terrain; the

forests in the uplands help to retains oil moisture and improve the nutrient flow,

providing critical support for the subsistence agriculture practiced by rural communities

in the lower reaches of the hills.FES RAJASTHAN: - Initiatives at improving livelihoods are best designed when theyare founded on the threshold limits of ecosystems. We subscribe to the view that in

many natural environments that are being modified by human activity there is scope for

conservation and livelihoods to link and benefit from each other. While in places that

are the last refuge of severely threatened species, human activity and impact may be

restricted but, in many areas, conservation and livelihoods can be complementary goals

and rural communities are best placed to partner in conservation action. The key to

sustaining the long term viability of agriculture and animal husbandry, or rural

livelihoods in general, lies in strengthening the linkages between the various elements

of the ecosystem - like biodiversity, nutrients, water, soil - and adopting an approach of

farming systems

Other working areras of FES are: - Madhya Pradesh, Northeast areas.


13/19

FESS EFFortS to StrEnGtHEn lIvElIHoodS: We facilitate the development of a well informed vision - a perspective plan withspecial focus on the improvement of the natural resource base and a shelf of activities

for the Panchayat, enabling them to plan for and implement programmes and activities

aimed at improving the livelihoods of their constituents

Cultivate a set of local volunteers to take on the stewardship of the area, enablingbetter representation and articulation of the interests of the local communities

Assist local communities in developing a cadre of skilled persons from within toattend to the local opportunities emanating from NREGA, as well as to improve access

to services aimed at strengthening livelihoods and incomes

Engage actively with implementation of the National Rural EmploymentGuarantee Act (NREGA) with its focus on creating long-term assets for the community

through investments in strengthening the local natural resource base, as well as

improvement of the democratic functioning of Panchayats.


14/19

Literature ReviewOstrom identifies eight "design principles" of stable local common pool resource

management:

1.Clearly defined boundaries (effective exclusion of external un-entitled parties);2.Rules regarding the appropriation and provision of common resources that are

adapted to local conditions;

3.Collective-choice arrangements that allow most resource appropriators toparticipate in the decision-making process;

4.Effective monitoring by monitors who are part of or accountable to theappropriators;

5.A scale of graduated sanctions for resource appropriators who violate communityrules;

6.Mechanisms of conflict resolution that are cheap and of easy access;7.Self-determination of the community recognized by higher-level authorities;8.In the case of larger common-pool resources, organization in the form of multiple

layers of nested enterprises, with small local CPRs at the base level.

AristotleWhat is common to the greatest number has the least core bestowed

upon it.

Clark 1970 concluded: - where a number of users have access to resources units

withdrawn from resources will be greater than the optimal economic level of

withdrawal.

Bhaskar Goswami (report)- According to the report, 15% of the countrys

geographical area is under CPR lands, excluding forests, though the latter in practice

may be used as common property. The average landholding size stood at 0.84 hectares,

while each household had access to 0.31 hectares of CPR land. The average area of


15/19


16/19


17/19

supporting copies to the Patwari, tehsildar and SDM for gap

in availability of grazing land or encroachment

vi. The institution will apply for claim to appropriate authority (statespecific sheet)

Primary Data Collection: -In primary data collection, you collect the data yourself using methods such as

interviews and questionnaires. The key point here is that the data you collect is uniqueto you and your research and, until you publish, no one else has access to it.

There are many methods of collecting primary data and the main methods include:

1 questionnaires2. interviews3. focus group interviews4. observation

Secondary Sources: -These are sources containing data that have been collected and compiled for another

purpose. The secondary sources consist of readily available compendia and already

compiled statistical statements and reports whose data may be used by researches for

their studies, e.g., census reports, annual reports and financial statements of companies,

Statistical statements, Reports of Government Departments, Annual Reports on

currency.

It includes: -

1. Girdhawari2. Cadastral map3. Jamabandi


18/19

PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal):- Participatory rural appraisal is an

approach to incorporate the knowledge and opinions of rural people in the planning and

management of development projects and programs.

The PRA methodology utilizes different tools to seek its goal of a participatoryapproach for addressing any issue. The following tools:-

1. Resource mapping: - Resource mapping can be used as an effective ice breaking

exercise as well as a tool to investigate the knowledge of the people about their own

locality, their resources and their spatial distribution.

2. Focus Group Discussion: - A focus group discussion (FGD) is a group discussion of

approximately 6 - 12 persons guided by a facilitator, during which group members talk

freely and spontaneously about a certain topic.

3. Transect Walk: - A transect walk is a walk taken by participants and facilitator

through the area of interest, observing, asking, listening, looking, identifying different

zones, seeking problems and possible solutions

4. Seasonality: - Understanding the seasonality helps in the following aspects:1. Assists in Monitoring Change: Monitoring Calendar/ Baseline

2. Assists adviser to make estimated projections for the future.

5. Time line: - Time line has helped us in identifying important past events. With this

information the team is better informed about the area, community, progress and the

problems.

GIS (Geo- Information System): -

A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for

capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced

information.


19/19

GPS (Global Positioning System): -

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of

a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was

originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the

system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the

world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS.

Final Abhishek Synopsis

Documents