The initiative on management of natural resources through appropriate interventions aimed at:
- Demonstration of improved/alternative hill-specific technologies in Rural Technology Demonstration and Training Centre (RTDTC)
- Development of a participatory action research approach for securing sustainable livelihoods in the long run, and
- Capacity building and skill development through training/live demonstrations/field exercise of target groups, and training of trainers on a regular basis by the process of ‘learning by doing’.
Before the programme started, a rapid rural appraisal was carried out in eight villages. These were followed by a series of stakeholder discussions, analyses. Seeking the help of village leaders, 1086 farmers in three villages, viz. Maletha, Tapovan and Triyuginarayan possessing good knowledge, technical skills and keen interest in developing improved technologies were selected for participation in the present programme. The field based programme focused on development of environmentally sound technologies together with the local people.
The programme ensured regular interactions among scientists and the participants during the period 2000–2008, especially during field tests. This meant that farmers acquired all necessary knowledge related to a technology, were able to discuss their observations, and each group was exposed to the experiences and vision of the other. Many farmers were able to raise their analytical capacity to an extent that they were able to discuss shortterm and long-term costs and benefits of the present/ alternate practices and articulate new ideas in group discussions.
The technologies developed and demonstrated at the demonstration centre included both on- and off- farm interventions. Some of these were polyhouses, nethouses, polypit, organic compost, vermicomposting, mushroom cultivation, honey bee rearing, bio-briquetting, and zero-energy cool chambers. The farmers who had demonstrated these technologies then were involved in demonstrating them to the other farmers in their roles as master trainers.
35 training programmes over the next year (2000-08) exposed 1086 farmers, 280 extension workers, 67 Government officials and 1436 students to improved technologies. These programmes were popular, and several people began visiting the demonstration sites on their own. However, it was noted that despite the high interest, few farmers actually replicated the technologies on their farms. This suggests a need for further improvements in the technologies, and financial and intuitional support in the initial stages of on-farm trials.
The study concludes that capacity building and outreach programmes make significant improvement in the Himalayan region. However, poor communication among policy makers, Government agencies, NGOs, researchers and farmers remains a hurdle in sustainable mountain development.
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