Pilot implemented by: Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS)

Location: Bagli Block, Dewas District, Madhya Pradesh

Total Area: Bagli block consists of 272 villages and 118 Gram Panchayats spread over 1500 km2.

Population: Rural population as per 2001 census was 2,04,474 persons.

CP Site: SPS works in 250 villages, of which 44 villages form the RRAN Comprehensive Pilot site. The Comprehensive Pilot site area is 26,082 ha, with an approximate population of 36,744 (2001), covered by 28 Gram Panchayats. The current extension of the CP is for Kannod block but that has started recently

Background information on this rainfed region

Bagli is drought-prone, tribal region representing the problems faced by the rainfed communities in India.

The topography is undulating and form the part of uplands of Madya Pradesh. The area has highly variable soils from deep black to skeletal and mooramy soils. The is also high rate of soil erosion leading to loss of soil fertility and low capacity of soils to hold water.

Dewas averages over 800-1000mm of rain per annum, with a total of 40-45 rainy days: the rain is highly variable in its distribution. Sometimes there are gaps in rain even in years when the total rainfall is considered normal. These gaps, at crucial periods in the crop growth cycle, can prove fatal for the crop. Potential evapotranspiration (PET, that is, demand for water) of the dryland region exceeds rainfall in 9 out of 12 months, leaving an annual water deficit of over 540 mm.

Agricultural land constitutes 33% to 50% of the total geographical area. The remaining part is either private/ forestland & government-owned land. Forests are tropical dry deciduous, composed of teak (Tectona grandis) with salar (Boswellia serrata) on the ridge and bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) on the middle slopes.

Agriculture is largely rainfed and single-cropped with few engaged in multi cropping. Maize and soya bean are the most important kharif crops of the watersheds.

Cropping systems followed on irrigated and unirrigated land show variations in the watershed. The rainfed farmer grows a mix of grain, oilseed, fibre and pulses for subsistence. On rainfed land, intercropping is pursued as the main strategy of maximising land use within the kharif season. During rabi, unirrigated crops like chana are grown in parts where there are soils with some moisture retention, while the rest of the area is kept fallow. Hybrid varieties of crops have been introduced in the area but these pesticide and fertiliser intensive, but as the yield is higher farmers stopped using local varieties leading to their extinction in the area as in the case of Cotton.

Farmers keep large ruminants (cattle) predominantly for agriculture and good number of goats and poultry can also been seen in the area.

Bagli consists of 80-90% tribal communities who migrated from Gujarat and Bihar two to three generations ago. They are forest dwelling, now following sedentarised farming. They exhibit advanced skills in agriculture. SPS works with some of the most disadvantaged sections of Indian society- comprising of tribals belonging to Bhilala, Bhil, Korku and Barela communities, also some scheduled castes, migrants and people displaced by big projects.

About Samaj Pragati Sahayog

SPS is an organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

It has been working in Bagli, Dewas since 1990. The focus of SPS has been poverty alleviation through various programs including relating to irrigation. SPS has been engaged in building and strengthening people’s institutions, led by women, for supporting participatory and decentralized governance in Central India. The thrust of SPS work is empowerment of local communities, which SPS believes is a pre-requisite for strengthening democracy and development at the grassroots

SPS is one of the founding partners of RRAN. For more details on SPS – Please visit their website: http://www.samprag.org/