Case Studies UNDP: SHASHWAT, India

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: SHASHWAT, India

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

IndiaSHASHWAT

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to The Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Sean Cox, Larissa Currado, David Godrey, Sarah Gordon,

Oliver Hughes, Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma

Mary McGraw, Brandon Payne, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding

DesignSean Cox, Oliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Loren

de la Parra, Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude Shashwat, and in particular the guidance and inputs o Mr. Anand Kapoor. All ph

credits courtesy o Shashwat and Tiany Franke. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2013. Shashwat, India. Equator Initiative Case Study Series. New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf


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PROJECT SUMMARYShashwat is a grassroots initiative that was developed inresponse to the displacement o Koli Mahadeo, Thakarand Katkari tribal communities by the construction o theDimbhe dam, which submerged 11 villages and destroyedcropland in another 13. The organization helps localcommunities develop small-scale shing activities in thedam reservoir, and improve agricultural production on theremaining cultivatable land, much o which is on steepslopes. The dam reservoir has been stocked with sh andthe local population is supported to obtain shing leases,boats, and nets. Fish size and abundance have increased, ashave local incomes.

Tribal armers have been supported to cultivate smallpaddy terraces on steep slopes in the local catchment area.The organization also supports local armers with landtenure securitization, through securing ocial ownershipdocuments. Other Shashwat activities include educationand healthcare programmes ocussed on women andchildren.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2012

FOUNDED: 1996

LOCATION: Maharashtra State

BENEFICIARIES: Tribal communities near the Dimbhe dam

BIODIVERSITY: Ecosystem restoration, forest conservation

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 7

Biodiversity Impacts 10

Socioeconomic Impacts 10

Policy Impacts 12

Sustainability 13

Replication 13

Partners 14

SHASHWATIndia


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hashwat is a grassroots initiative that was developed in response to

range o challenges aced by indigenous and tribal communities

n the Pune district o Indias Maharashtra state. The initiative works

with Koli Mahadeo, Thakar and Katkari tribal peoples displaced, or

therwise negatively aected, by the construction o the Dimbhe

ydroelectric gravity dam. Construction o the Dimbhe Reservoir

n 2000 completely submerged 11 tribal villages and resulted in

he fooding o cropland in another 13 communities. Shashwat has

worked to develop alternative, sustainable livelihood activities or

hose living around the fooded area, including in villages within the

ams catchment area and those communities negatively aected

y demarcation o the Bhimashankar Wildlie Sanctuary in 1985.

Displacement o tribal communities

he Dimbhe dams catchment area includes 38 villages populated

lmost entirely by people o the Koli Mahadev, Thakar and Katkari

scheduled tribes (a term which reers to specic indigenous peoples

whose status is ormally acknowledged by Indian legislation). When

onstruction o the Dimbhe dam fooded 11 o these villages, 1,253

amilies were orced to leave their homes. A urther 13 villages were

artially submerged, with their inhabitants losing prime cropland

n the banks o the Ghod River. Due to inadequate rehabilitation

measures, most o the aected population settled in 19 villages just

bove the reservoirs submergence line. Since their resettlement,

hese communities have been orced to eke out an existence on theteep slopes surrounding the 2,202-hectare reservoir.

he displaced population is largely uneducated and illiterate and

he alternative livelihoods available to them were limited. Most

ttempted to develop new sources o income rom shing along the

anks o the reservoir. The articial lake, however, was comparatively

arren, with net aquatic productivity less than hal that required or

ood shing yields. And while low sh stocks made shing dicult,

oor soil quality on the steep slopes o the reservoir hampered the

orts o the displaced communities to develop agriculture.

Shashwat works with these communities to bring new, sustain

livelihood opportunities to the dams catchment area.

organizations primary ocus has been the development o small-

shing activities and improving agricultural production on the s

slopes surrounding the reservoir. Another important dimensio

Shashwats work has been supporting displaced communitie

claim rehabilitation and resettlements rights rom the governm

One aspect o this advocacy includes the acilitation o partners

between the communities and local government. The aim

empower displaced indigenous and tribal communities to esta

new livelihoods that are based on responsible stewardship o na

resources in the area.

Shashwat has been able to oster a spirit o cooperation and com

vision between community members such that the comm

enterprises and ederations that have been created are deeply ro

in, and are now somewhat indivisible rom, community ide

Livelihood diversication activities have been complemente

conservation interventions as well as the provision o much nee

healthcare and education programmes.

The development o Shashwat

Shashwat was ocially registered as an organization in 1996

has operated in its current orm since 1999. However, ounde

the initiative Mr. Anand Kapoor and Ms. Kusum Karnik have engwith tribal communities in the area since 1981, working on is

relating to orest protection, community resource access,

economic development. Between 1995 and 2000, Mr. Kapoor wo

on the rehabilitation o 152 villages displaced by the Bargi Dam

Jabalpur, where he was involved in the development o a small-

shing project, among other programs. When the Dimbhe

project had a similarly ruinous impact on nearby communities

architects o Shashwat saw an opportunity to develop a si

project on the banks o the Ghod River.

Background and Context


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n 2000, Shashwat mobilized 700 tribal amilies rom 13 villages to

obby the Government o Maharashtra. The objective was to garner

upport or the community to create and manage new paddy-elds

n the slopes above the dam reservoir under a rural employment

cheme. The lobbying eorts were successul and a pilot project was

anctioned in 2002. The agreement saw the government covering

ne third o armer wages with contributions rom Shashwat and

he community itsel making up the remainder. Coordination o the

roject was ormally entrusted to Shashwat.

ater the same year, Shashwat launched a shing cooperative or

esidents living adjacent to the Dimbhe reservoir. However, the

ghts o resident communities to sh within the reservoir were

ot easily secured. When the dam was completed, the shing lease

was initially granted to a local politician in a neighbouring district.

hashwat again mobilized the displaced communities to protest,

which, with subsequent lobbying, eventually put enough pressure

n the government to grant the shing lease to the community in

006.

Government cooperation on livelihoods developmenthashwat has had remarkable success bringing the displaced

ommunities o Dimbhe into the old o ormal government

rogramming. In 2004, ollowing petitioning by Shashwat, the

Divisional Commission o Pune made a site visit to the resettled

ommunities. He was able to see rst-hand the overwhelming need

the community as well as the commitment o its members (and

hat o Shashwat) to socioeconomic recovery and stabilization. A

evelopment plan called the Dimbhe Dam Area Poverty Alleviation

rogramme was sanctioned, with a mandate to ocus on the 38

ribal villages residing in the dams catchment area.

The Pune state tribal and sheries departments were p

into the programming, as was the Central Institute o Fish

Education (CIFE) in Mumbai. A series o interventions was launc

in cooperation with the displaced population, including

stocking o the reservoir to boost sh populations and the prov

o needed capital such as shing boats and nets. The project

an overall ocus on building the capacity o resident commun

to develop and manage sheries within the Dimbhe reservoir.

provided technical assistance or management o the reservoir, wShashwat was given responsibility or community mobiliza

including organizational development and strengthening

management capacity.

As the initiative has grown in prominence and credibility

scope has expanded to encompass more holistic developm

planning, encompassing a range o community wellb

and social service delivery dimensions. As such, Shash

has positioned itsel as a trusted partner o local governm

authorities. In 2011, Shashwat negotiated collaboration

Maharashtras Administrative Training Institute (Yashwan

Chavan Academy o Development Administration - YASHADA)

the Karve Institute o Social Service, which resulted in a m

planning process or development o the tribal villages.

level o planning had previously only taken place on an ino

basis, so this collaboration marked a notable incorporation o

communities into the ormal development programming se

Governance and institutional structure

Shashwat operates as a trust and is overseen by eight trus

Hal o the trustees, as well as all three o the primary oce

are women. Several o Shashwats programmes are operated w


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ood measure o autonomy and independence rom the main trust;

many, in act, have their own governance structures. The sheries

rogramme, or example, is an incorporated, independent enterprise

which is managed as a cooperative society with decisions are taken

hrough an independent General Assembly. Other programmes

ave become ormally integrated into government programming,

uch as the paddy terracing programme which is now administeredirectly by the government with inputs rom Shashwat and resident

ommunities.

hashwat employs a small paid sta. The majority o its work,

owever, is carried out by community members on a voluntary

asis. The principles o transparency, democracy and ull and

ctive participation guide the organization. It aims to maintain

non-hierarchical structure and to oster a high degree o

ommunity ownership over decision-making, programming and

mplementation. Incrementally, Shashwat aims to transer more

nd more management responsibility and authority directly to the

isplaced communities, gradually assuming a supporting role.

he genesis and implementation o a recent project provides an

lustration o how this devolved governance system unctions. Ideas

or new areas o ocus may originate rom Shashwat core sta and

olunteers, who number around 60, or on the basis o demand rom

ommunities themselves. In 2008, a Katkari tribal community rom

he village o Old Ambegaon approached Shashwat or assistance

n accessing a government housing scheme. Lacking the land

tles required to take advantage o this scheme, the community

was initially aided by Shashwat in soliciting donations to purchase

5-square metre plots o land or each householder. Shashwat

then supported the villagers through the negotiations involve

gaining approval rom the relevant government oces, and

our-year process o convincing ocials to allow the communi

manuacture the bricks themselves rather than entrusting the

to a contractor. Shashwat was given the go-ahead in August

to begin planning the construction o the villagers new hous

collaboration with a local architect. Ater six rounds o consultawith the community and the architect, the design plans w

nalized. Government unds, however, were due to be release

installments, so Shashwat raised INR 400,000 to cover the i

construction expenses. Construction is due to be completed by

2013, and will be acilitated by the arrival o government unds

The decision-making structure o the initiative has evolve

Shashwats sta has grown in size and experience. Through a th

tier system, ideas may take up to two years to take a concrete

ater they are rst raised by sta members or volunteers. Idea

aired during monthly programme review meetings, with se

sta and trustees consulted regularly. Village-level stakehoare involved at every stage o the evolution o new projects, w

Shashwats senior sta help to sharpen and shape project de

Seven key sta members including Shashwats two ounde

well as its project coordinator, school manager, and team mem

responsible or womens health and womens programmes

take the nal decision on project implementation. From sta

nish, projects are developed with a high degree o commu

ownership, acilitated by what is described as a fat instituti

structure in which plain speaking is actively encouraged and

individuals opinions are respected.


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Key Activities and Innovations

he common characteristic across Shashwats wide-ranging

ctivities is support to tribal communities to ully realize and exerciseheir rights. The organization operates with the twin objectives o

reating sustainable livelihood opportunities or tribal communities

while also conserving the environment and natural resources on

which these communities depend. Most notably, Shashwat activities

nclude the development o community-based agriculture and

sheries, support or and documentation o community conservation

o local orests, the provision o healthcare and education services,

dvocacy and lobbying to build constructive partnerships between

ommunities and local government, and community capacity-

building and empowerment.

Terracing on steep slopes

One o Shashwats rst endeavours was to initiate dialogue between

ribal communities and the Government o Maharashtra. The goal

was to leverage nancial support or the construction o terraced

paddy elds on the steep slopes overlooking the reservoir - slopes

which, until that point, had limited the ability o the displaced

ommunities to undertake productive agriculture. This negotiation

ook years. In 2002, the state government agreed to und a pilot

project under the rubric o the Maharashtra Rural Employment

Guarantee Scheme. The government agreed to pay one third o

ommunity wages, what amounted to approximately INR 2,088 per

armer. Shashwat was entrusted with overall management o the

project, contributed an average o INR 1,250 per armer.

etween 2002 and 2004, 203 armers participated in the construction

o paddy terraces on their lands. The work was carried out using the

raditional padkai system - a practice o community mutual aid in

which community members work together on a rotating basis to

omplete work on individual plots o land. Young people rom the

illages were trained in measurement work a capacity building

bonus collecting data that was then cross-checked and certied

by government department sta. The collective endeavour brought

3 hectares o land into cultivation and provided a temporary source

o employment or local armers. As a result o this project, annual

paddy outputs increased rom 68 to 98 kilogrammes o rice

amily. This substantial increase in grain yield meant that arwere able to secure their household ood supply or 10 to 11 mo

rather than six to seven months, as was previously the case.

The paddy terracing pilot project was the rst o its kin

Maharashtra. Because o its overwhelming success, the governm

was compelled in 2010 to implement a ull rural employm

scheme in the area. Initially sanctioned and unded by the T

Development Department, the programme expanded rom

villages in 2010 to 20 villages in 2011-2012. In September 2

the Secretary o the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Sch

visited the area and met with villagers, Shashwat sta,

researchers rom Prayas, a local non-governmental organiza

Ater the visit, the programme was approved or replication in ohilly areas o Maharashtra under the Mahatma Gandhi National

Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

Fishing cooperative

Sustainable shing in the dam reservoir has been a priority activi

Shashwat since 2003. Prior to interventions by the group, betwee

and 40 amilies were trying to survive on the lakes relatively me

sh catch. Unsustainable shing practices were depleting an alr

small sh population. Shashwat was able to establish standards

regulations amongst the shing communities, eectively reac

agreement to scale back damaging shing methods (such as th

o poisons and explosives) and to implement net-size regulatThree wood-ramed boats were constructed or community u

shing activities.

The shing communities, however, were still operating extra-le

shing in the reservoir without ocial resource access rights. In 2

owing to persistent lobbying by Shashwat, the community was

to obtain a shing lease or the reservoir, allowing community-b

management o the sh stock to begin in earnest. One bene

obtaining the lease was the provision o technical support by

Central Institute o Fisheries Education (CIFE).


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oday, shing in the reservoir makes the most o modern shing

echniques while still being community-run. The lake was stocked

with seed sh and gradually more low-impact boats and nets were

rovided to the community. Under CIFE guidance, the community

ses a state-o-the-art cage and pen technique in which sh

ngerlings are grown to 100-175 millimetres in length in foating

ages beore being released into the open water. This method

ignicantly increases their prospects o survival and ull maturation.

he community collectively manages the shery, imposing net-sizeestrictions and a strictly observed closed season. The abundance

nd size o sh has increased, a change which has been tracked

hrough community monitoring and evaluation.

he shery project is managed by the Dimbhe Jalashay Shramik

divasi Macchimar Sahakari Society Ltd (Dimbhe Reservoir Tribal

ishing Cooperative Society Ltd), a legally registered cooperative

ody ormed specically or this purpose. Two hundred and ourteen

ribal amilies take part in the cooperative, which now owns 148

oats and over 2,000 kg o nets. The cooperative harvests up to 27

onnes o sh each year, including rohu, catla and mrigala, and local

pecies such as chela all Indian carps. Whereas the average weight

major carp specimens in 2003 was 700g, it has now increased to

-8kg. Between April and November 2012, total catch exceeded 21

onnes. In addition to increases in sh size, this can be attributed

o the increased number o shing days, rom 72 in 2006-07 to 248

n 2011-12. These upward trends in sh size and abundance have

ranslated directly into improved incomes or local shers. Having

ever exceeded INR 700,000 annually between 2006 and 2011, gross

sh sales between April and November 2012 totalled more than INR

,300,000.

his project has also included a number o innovative approaches

o improving the productivity o the reservoir. The community now

lants dhencha or taag, a green manure crop, on lands which are

ubmerged when the reservoirs water level rises. This practice

increases ood availability or sh, while simultaneously impro

the soil quality or the winter planting season by xing nitrogen

cooperative has also experimented with the use o solar drye

dry sh during periods o abundance.

Raising ornamental sh

The non-shing, monsoon months are challenging or commu

members dependent on the shing sector or their livelihood neThis is particularly true o the landless Katkari tribes. To address

Shashwat has introduced the practice o ornamental sh rearin

an alternative income stream or local shers. This new eld o w

that has been particularly lucrative or local women. Participa

women have ormed themselves into 32 sel-help groups w

together constitute a ederation. Through the sel-help gro

women have received training in the upkeep o ornamental

which are reared in cases provided by CIFE. When an initial

project proved successul, the National Fisheries Development B

provided a urther 16 cages. This activity has provided signi

income or tribal women. The womens groups now also make

sell glass aquariums containing a variety o ornamental sh, w

wholesalers oten visit the dam site directly with oers to purctheir entire output. Additional support is required, however, be

this enterprise activity becomes sel-sustaining.

Improving agricultural productivity

Each year, when the reservoir level drops and water is rele

through the dam or downstream irrigation, 400 to 600 hectar

land become available or seasonal planting. To enhance and exp

local agricultural options, Shashwat lobbied the governmen

permission to work with the displaced communities to arm

land and make it productive. The government agreed to lease

land at hal the standard land use charge and nearly 180 armer

now growing crops on about 200 hectares o land.


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An additional obstacle was that, until 2006, local armers lacked

he equipment necessary to irrigate these lands, thereby limiting

he types o crops they could grow and their ability to maximize

arvest outputs. Again through a combination o lobbying and

roposed partnership with the government, Shashwat was able to

rovide 65 armers (in 13 armer groups) with irrigation pipelines

nd lightweight hand-pumps. By 2012, over 200 armers had been

ble to access 140 hand-pump and pipeline sets. The land is now

eing used to grow pearl millet, wheat, enugreek, vegetables andotatoes, providing ood security or three to our months o the

ear and supplementing other livelihood activities. Out-migration

rom the villages during this traditionally sparse work season has

een substantially reduced.

Other broader eorts have been made to improve local agricultural

roductivity, including through partnerships with local academic

nstitutions. From 2007-2012, students rom the Indian Institute

Technology in Mumbai have undertaken 10-week internships

with Shashwat. As one example o the contributions made by

he interns, a group o students designed and constructed a two-

ilometre irrigation channel to provide water to the village o Patan,

n intervention which has seen a doubling o wheat harvests o

ocal armers. Shashwat has also supported local armers to secure

and tenure. The organization pushed or a needed update o land

wnership documents to refect the names o current owners and

abourers in place o their ancestors.

Peoples Forest Research Institute

hashwat also supports community conservation o local orests

nd sacred groves and assists communities in advocating or their

ghts to use local orests. The tribal communities o the area have

raditionally conserved sacred groves in the orests surrounding

heir villages. To document and prole community relationshipswith the local orests, and their commitment to sustainable orest

management, Shashwat initiated the Peoples Forest Research

nstitute.

he establishment o this institute addressed a clear and persistent

roblem in the region: a lack o appreciation or the environment

nd development benets possible rom community-based

orest management. To give an example, when a portion o the

himashankar orest was declared a Wildlie Sanctuary in 1985,

he resident population o the orest was threatened with eviction.

heir crops were put at risk rom the prospect o large increases in

wild boar populations as a result o a ban on hunting in the orest.

Wild boars are known to completely destroy paddy and bamboo

cultivation, and selective hunting was undertaken by governm

authorities to keep a balance between healthy boar numbers

crop cultivation.

For the last two decades, even beore the inception o Shashw

its current incarnation, the programme ounders worked with

eight villages o the Bhimashankar Wildlie Sanctuary to advo

or their collective rights to remain in the orest. The lobbying e

though it took several years, was ultimately successul in convinthe government to desist rom evicting the villagers rom

sanctuary. Out o this experience the Peoples Forest Rese

Institute was born. The institute documents community-b

orest management practices and has become a valuable reso

or convincing government and other stakeholders o the value

win-win environment and development solutions that are pos

through community stewardship.

Healthcare and education programmes

As additional activities, Shashwat supports a health clinic oc

on child and maternal health as well as a number o educati

initiatives. These include twelve pre-primary school centre

residential primary school or tribal children who have not

started ormal education (or have dropped out o the school sys

available in the area), and a childrens hostel to house students

have to travel long distances to get to school. Shashwat osters

athletic talents o the students at the hostel and school with a

to one day developing it into a sports academy. A plot o land

the Dimbhe dam has already been identied or this purpose

Shashwat is seeking corporate sponsorship to initiate the pro

as well as requesting permission rom the government to use

abandoned buildings o the dam irrigation colony or educati

and sheries training purposes.

As a result o Shashwats educational programming, 40 childre

the Katkari tribe classied as a particularly vulnerable tribal gr

and among the poorest in India are now studying at the Van

Vidya Mandir School in the remote village o Aghane. O th

23 have gone on to study at the hostel school in Dhimbe vil

Shashwats schools also help to promote a spirit o coopera

and social cohesion, as children rom various tribes are educ

together and learn about one anothers languages and custom

It is important for people to understand that those who have lived with the forest for centuri

and preserved the forest for centuries are the best people to know how to conserve it, how to us

it, and how to take care of it. Without them, who knows the forest?

Ms Kusum Karnik, Founder and Vice-President, Shashwat


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Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS

hashwat is deeply committed to the conservation and rehabilitation

o local ecosystems. The environmental interventions outlined below

re complemented by a range o sustainable income generating

ctivities, which constitute an important dimension o the overall

onservation strategy. There is a need to provide members o

esident communities with livelihood options that do not damage

he environment, as they might otherwise be orced to resort to

unsustainable practices to make ends meet.

Sustainable shing

Beore the Shashwat shing cooperative was established, theDimbhe reservoir was almost barren, with less than hal the net

quatic productivity required or sucient sh production. By

tocking the lake and planting dhencha or taag green manure crops

on the banks o the reservoir banks that become submerged when

he water level rises the cooperative has eectively rejuvenated

populations o a number o sh species and restored a ully

unctioning ecosystem. The conservation and sustainable use o

he lake ecosystem has become a source o community pride and

rallying point or community action. A prohibition has been put

n place that restricts the introduction o invasive alien species

n the reservoir, an intervention that became necessary ater a

private company, without the consent o the community, began

ultivating exotic species o sh which broke ree o their net cagesnd threatened to destabilize the lake ecosystem. Members o the

ocal shing cooperative held a protest which orced the company

o abandon their activities and to pay compensation or ecological

damages.

Sustainable agriculture

On the agriculture side, the construction o paddy elds above

he reservoir has helped to avoid siltation, controlling erosion and

engthening the unctional lie o the dam and reservoir. The steep

gradation o the slopes, in combination with the regions high an

rainall, causes a great deal o soil erosion. With no interven

and no terracing, projected siltation rates or Dimbhe dam a

the range o 30 million cubic metres over the assumed 100

lie o the project. The paddy elds, however, trap silt ar abov

reservoir at an average rate o about 150 cubic metres o silt pe

square metres terraced land. Shashwat complements its terra

work by planting o shrubs, trees and grasses on trench and mo

structures on the banks o the reservoir to maintain soil integrity

plants trap silt carried down by rainwater in areas where terrace

not extend all the way down to the waters edge.

Forest conservation through sacred groves

Although the area is home to the 111-square kilometre Bhimasha

Wildlie Sanctuary, a strong tradition o orest conservation pre-d

the protected area. Local communities have long maintained sa

groves (devrai), where orest and wildlie conservation overlap

religious practice. Almost every village maintains a sacred g

where human incursions are prohibited and a conservation et

closely observed. There have been multiple occurrences o sa

groves being threatened by orest contractors and private s

logging interests. In these instances, Shashwat has served

lobbying platorm and voice o opposition.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTSThe empowerment o tribal communities

Perhaps the most signicant impact o Shashwats work has

the empowerment o tribal communities that were displace

construction o the Dimbhe dam. Many o these tribes have su

rom social and economic isolation and marginalization. They

typically lacked access to education or to the government ser

that would allow or the ull realization o their land and reso

rights. Shashwat has empowered these communities to dem


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more rom their government representatives, to invest in the

community as a source o transormational change at the level o

andscape and economy, and to deend community ownership o

and and stewardship o natural resources. Organizing the shing

cooperative and attaining the shing lease or the reservoir were

arge steps in establishing the collective rights o the community

o access land and resh water resources. Shashwat has provided

a communication bridge between tribal communities and

government ocials, resulting in improved interactions, greateropenness and trust, and higher levels o mutual condence between

ocal resource users and policymakers.

Promoting collective action and cooperation

The promotion o cooperation within and between communities

owards common environment and development goals has helped

trengthen social bonds and build relationships between dierent

ribal groups in the area. Notable examples o this approach in action

ncluded: the collective arming o the dams drawdown area, with

groups o armers sharing irrigation equipment; the padkai system o

mutual aid used to construct the paddy terraces; and establishment

o the community-run shing cooperative, where shared rules andegulations were put in place. This spirit o cooperation has been

brought to the younger generation through education and school

programmes that bring together students rom dierent tribes,

bringing dierent languages and customs together.

mproving ood security

The development o the local agriculture and shery sectors has

done a great deal to improve ood security or the tribal communities.

Grain harvests have increased substantially as a result o agricultural

mprovements, now lasting 10 to 11 months o the year rather than

ix to seven as was previously the case. According to an evaluation

carried out by the NGO Prayas in our villages where the programme

had been implemented, only one year ater paddy terracing,

production had increased by more than one third. The measures put

n place by the shing cooperative low-impact equipment, sh net

egulations, and catch size enorcement have also led to greater

sh size and abundance. The sheries management o the reservoir

has helped reduce incidence o malnutrition, a major problem in

ndia particularly among women and children. Improvements in

ood security have had spill-over impacts such as greater condence

o local labourers and shermen to demand air wages , reducing

out-migration to urban centres.

Access to education

The tribal communities served by Shashwat live in remote a

and lack connectivity to basic social services like educa

Shashwat aims to ll this gap, not by creating a parallel educa

system that risks duplicating government eorts, but by ocu

programming and service delivery on areas where none previo

existed. For example, Shashwat runs one school or children

have not been able to access or aord ormal education, sevpre-schools in villages not reached by government program

and a residential school or children who have been unable to t

in the existing school system. Access to education or this segm

o the population is signicant, as the majority o adult comm

members are illiterate and were never provided with acces

ormal education. Shashwats educational programming prom

to reverse this trend. Many o the children attending Shashwa

schools are the rst generation o their amilies to receive a o

education. More than 60 children o the Katkari and Koli Mah

tribes, historically marginalized and acutely poor, are currently b

educated at Shashwat-supported schools in the village o Agh

while 23 have moved on to study at the Shashwat hostel.

11

Shashwats work is guided by the underlying belief that one must respect the people one workwith. Our vision and mission are not written on a board somewhere high above the office, the

are discussed; and the values we believe in fraternity, equality, freedom, justice, truth, love o

fellow human beings, and valuing physical labour are often brought up regarding day-to-da

matters, thus keeping this spirit alive.

Mr. Anand Kapoor, Founder, Shashwat


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Empowerment o women

Shashwat has ensured that women are ully involved in the activities

t supports. As one example, during the process o updating land

ownership documents to secure land tenure, the names o more than

500 women were added to land deeds as co-owners alongside their

husbands. Although initially only one member o each amily was

allowed to join the shing cooperative, this has been expanded to

nclude one woman rom each amily, making it possible or womeno participate alongside their husbands. Women have also assumed

eadership roles in governance and decision-making; there are now

hree women on the shing cooperatives board o nine directors.

Women have also acted as ambassadors or the community in

meetings with government ocials.

The ornamental sh initiative developed by Shashwat was spear-

headed specically with the income generation needs o local

women in mind. The activity provides a valuable source o income

or these women, independent o their husbands. In a good year,

women can earn up to INR 1,500 per month through it. The project

has also involved a great deal o capacity building and training or

ocal women and resulted in the creation o several more womensel-help groups.

POLICY IMPACTS

Lobbying, advocacy and successully petitioning government to

ecognize the rights and resource management capabilities o tribal

communities have all been areas o signicant accomplishment or

Shashwat. On multiple occasions, the organization has been able to

mobilize community members to infuence government policies,

everse unjust land and resource allocation decisions, and secure

avourable outcomes or the displaced tribal communities they

erve. Shashwat has excelled at bringing this previously socially

and economically marginalized population into the old o ormal

government programming and legal entitlements. Documentation

o community-based natural resource management capacity in the

orestry and sheries sectors has helped make the case to relevant

policymakers that local stewardship o biodiversity and ecosystems

can have positive environment and development benets.

Lease agreements

Such was the case when ensuring that resident communities

were granted the lease to sh in the reservoir: by successully

demonstrating the positive impacts o community-based sheries

management, and the compound benets this could have or local

ivelihoods and ood security, Shashwat was able to secure the leaseagreement or a reduced rate o INR 54,000 instead o the standard

NR 121,000. The same outcome was achieved when Shashwat was

able to demonstrate the ways in which communities could make

drawdown land productive.

nfuencing policy

Lessons learned rom Shashwats work with communities aected

by the Dimbhe dam are also inorming wider sheries policy

n the region. Based on its experience, Shashwat presented its

ecommendations on the development o overarching sheries

policy at a regional seminar in Goa in 2007 and at a state-

cooperatives conerence in 2011. Also in 2011, Shashwat m

a submission to the Indian Government Planning Commiss

Working Group on Fisheries or the drating o its 12th Five Year

(2012-2017).

The advocacy work done by Shashwat to enlist govern

support or the construction o paddy terraces had a ripple ee

government policy. The project marked the rst time that the pasystem o cooperative labour was accepted and ormalized u

the Maharashtra state Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

to the success o the project and the partnership arrangement

the state government, the method o using stone bunds on pr

armlands (those having slopes o between eight and 20 per

was subsequently sanctioned or 38 dierent villages in the Dim

dam area.

Securing land tenure

Shashwat also pioneered the practice o village camps or upgra

land ownership documents and has received strong support

government ocials in this activity. Between 2004 and 201

such events were held in the area by Shashwat and the governm

revenue department. The approach involves holding set days du

which depositions rom all claimants to village land are recor

The names o those currently cultivating the land are then reco

on the land title documents in place o their ancestors, which m

it easier or community members to access government sche

and legitimises their land tenure.

12


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13

Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYAlthough many o the projects Shashwat supports are not yet sel-

ucient either in terms o nancing or technical capacity the

rganization has achieved excellent results in developing sustainable

velihood options or tribal communities. Shashwat is dedicated

o ensuring that the organizational structure is democratic and

ommunity buy-in is strong enough to support the projects over the

ong term.

ather than governing projects directly, Shashwat invests substantial

ort into building community capacity so that the involvement

Shashwat can be gradually scaled back over time. With this inmind, Shashwat places strong emphasis on collective action and

trengthening community bonds. As an indication o the return on

his investment, Shashwat has been able to rely heavily on volunteer

orts; only nine sta members are employed, supplemented by

ignicant voluntary work by community members.

Partnerships between communities and local government

Much o Shashwats work ocuses on building relationships within and

etween tribes, through co-education o tribal children, promotion

collective labour, and the establishment o cooperatives. The

adkai system or the construction o paddy terraces is an excellent

xample o this approach, with armers sharing labour andquipment to achieve results that could not have been achieved

ndividually.

he sheries project is entirely managed by the cooperative

ociety. Participation in the cooperative is high and it is becoming

ncreasingly autonomous in managing its own relationships with

overnment agencies and partners. Although the sheries initiative

s not yet nancially sustainable, it is providing valuable livelihoods

o the local communities. The results achieved to date are a strong

emonstration to communities o the value o cooperation and

collective action. Also crucial or the long term sustainabilit

Shashwat and its initiatives, however, is continued collabora

with ocial government channels.

REPLICATION

Shashwat actively seeks opportunities to share the experienc

the Dimbhe dam communities with a view to developing si

initiatives amongst tribal communities in other areas o Mahara

and beyond. The organization makes use o a variety o m

and the shing cooperative regularly hosts educational visit

NGOs, scientists, and students rom sheries colleges across IRepresentatives o Maharashtras Department o Fisheries an

several nancial institutions have visited project sites, ultim

leading to elements o the project being promoted across

country. The design o the shing boats that Shashwat introd

to Dimbhe reservoir is being promoted and used by Maharash

Tribal Development Department and various NGOs in other pa

the state.

Participation in knowledge networks

The Oce o the Principal Scientic Advisor to the Governme

India approved a project in late 2012 wherein the Indian Institu

Technology (IIT) Bombay and Shashwat will collaborate to impthe structures o foating cages or aquaculture. The commun

are also hoping to share their experience and knowledge o u

cage and pen culture techniques with communities around

other large dams in nearby tribal regions.

Shashwat shares its experience and knowledge thro

membership in the Konkan Lokadhikar Manch, an association o

NGOs working in six districts to help Katkari communities dev

sustainable livelihoods through sheries in dam reservoirs. Bey

sheries development, Shashwats eorts to have the padkai sy


14/15

1414

or construction o paddy terraces recognised or government

mployment scheme unding has been highly infuential, with

milar schemes now being proposed or implementation in other

egions o Maharashtra.

hrough Shashwats Peoples Forest Research Institute, the

management o the orest by local communities is being documented

nd monitored. As well as providing a record o the regions fora,

his endeavour will allow or the replication o successul orestmanagement practices, based on sound evidence o their success.

hashwat plans to initiate similar work regarding the monitoring o

he reservoirs sh species.

PARTNERS

WISSAID India has been a consistent supporter o Shashwat

ogether with the Norwegian NGO Barnas Venner, which has unded

rojects in the areas o childrens education and womens health. The

otary Club o Pune Tilak Road has provided nancial support or

sheries development and the Village Development Council (UK)

as helped to improve the design o shing boats.

he Tech Mahindra Foundation has supported Shashwats school

nd hostel. The Government o Maharashtra has supported land

development in hilly areas, as well as providing boats and net

tribal shers. Most recently, the government sanctioned a hou

project or 22 Katkari amilies on land that Shashwat donated o

purpose. Trans Tech Turnkey Private Ltd. (Pune) provided a sta

grant or this project.

The Central Institute o Fisheries Education (CIFE) has been cruc

providing technical guidance or the development o the rese

sheries, and provides ongoing technical guidance, in collaborawith the National Fisheries Development Board, with respec

cage and pen culture techniques and the rearing o ornamenta

Maharashtra State has supported communities by providing s

boats, nets, and seed stocking o the reservoir, as well as assistin

land ownership and with irrigation equipment.

IIT Bombay has sent students to undertake internships

Shashwat or a number o years. This has proved to be a ru

partnership, with the students designing an irrigation channel

constructed with the help o local armers. Yashwantrao Cha

Academy o Development Administration (YASHADA), Maharash

Administrative Training Institute, and the Karve Institute o S

Service have also partnered with Shashwat in its developm

planning activities. Finally, a signicant number o local, indivi

donors have consistently supported Shashwats work.


15/15

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FURTHER REFERENCE

Shashwat Equator Initiative prole page: http://www.equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=win

detail&id=137&Itemid=683

A. Kapoor and B. Damse. 2011. Tribals Develop Fisheries in Dimbhe Dam. SwissAid. Accessed at http://www.swissaid.ch/sites/deault/

Dimbhe_Fishery_Case_Study_0.pd

A. Pathak. Pude gaon aahe. Documentary on Shahswhat. https://vimeo.com/11214586

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Case Studies UNDP: SHASHWAT, India