ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11-juliet - RCDC...

ANNUAL REPORT2010-11

Regional Centre for Development CooperationA/68, 1st Floor, Sahid Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751007, Odisha, India

ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11


A message from the Executive Director

Acronyms

About RCDC 1Who we are 2How we work 3Where we work 7

Thematic Areas

• Natural Resource Management 8- Forests & Land- Water

• Livelihoods & Governance 14- NTFP-based Livelihoods- Sustainable Agriculture- Mobilisation of Govt. Schemes & Programmes- Watershed Development- Bioresource Governance

• Climate Change & DRR 24

• Policy, Advocacy & Networking 27- Research- Advocacy & Campaigns- Media- Networking

Consulting Services 33

Publications 34

Financial Report 2010-11 37

Acknowledgments 40

Looking Ahead 41

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A message from the Executive Director

The year in review is the seventeenth in our existence and has been animportant year for RCDC. As a think tank, RCDC is striving to addresssocial problems; making critical difference to people's lives in differentpoverty stricken tracts of Orissa and India, focusing on results andeffectiveness.

During the year, RCDC has extended its horizon, covering 1015 villages,spanning across 37 C.D Blocks in 15 districts of Orissa and some pocketsin central and south Indian states. The organization has been able togenerate significant and praise-worthy achievements in its thematicdomains like forest, water and land, through synchronizing efforts interms of policy research, advocacy and campaigns, field basedinterventions, consulting and communications. The details of ongoingprogramme activities, strategies, bearings and major accomplishmentscan be overviewed from this small report.

This has been a smooth year, in spite of many odds and turbulence,owing to the work and commitment of RCDC's staff. I am proud of theway that the team continues to excel and to their credit; our donorshave shown their determination to continue our journey in a meaningfulmanner.

In fact we have made some real progress against our vision this year. Ilook forward to the challenges and opportunities the next year brings.

Kailash Chandra Dash

Executive DirectorRegional Centre for Development CooperationBhubaneswar


CBO Community Based OrganisationCFM Community Forest ManagementCFR Community Forest RightsCSO Civil Society OrganisationDFF District Forest FederationDFO Divisional Forest OfficerDLC District Level CommitteeDRR Disaster Risk ReductionEC Executive CommitteeED Executive DirectorFAFC Flood Affected Family CommitteeFECOFUN Federation of Community Forest Users, NepalFPC Forest Protection CommitteeFRA Forest Rights ActFSC Food Security CommitteeFSD Forestry Sector DevelopmentGACF Global Alliance of Community ForestryGP Gram PanchayatJFM Joint Forest ManagementIASU Oxfam India Agriculture Scale UpIAY Indira Awaas YojanaIEC Information Education CommunicationICDS Integrated Child Development SchemesIIFM Indian Institute of Forest ManagementIINRG Indian Institute of Natural Resins and GumIWRM Integrated Water Resource ManagementIUFRO International Union of Forest Research OrganisationsM&E Monitoring and EvaluationMBPY Madhu Babu Pension YojanaMDM Mid-Day MealMFP Minor Forest ProductsMGNREGS Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee

SchemesMGNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee ActMJMD Mo Jami Mo DihaNFBS National Family Benefit SchemeNGO Non-Governmental OrganisationNIRD National Institute for Rural DevelopmentNRHM National Rural Health MissionNRM Natural Resource ManagementNTFP Non-Timber Forest Produce

Acron

yms

Acronyms


OFSDP Orissa Forest Sector Development ProjectOJM Orissa Jungle ManchaOMFED Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation

LimitedOTELP Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihood ProgrammePACS Poorest Areas Civil SocietyPDC Panchayat Development CommitteePDS Public Distribution SystemPESA Panchayat Extension to Scheduled AreaPRI Panchayati Raj InsitutionRCDC Regional Centre for Development CooperationRTI Right to InformationRWSS Rural Water Supply and SanitationSANJOG A toll-free helpline numberSC Scheduled CasteSDLC Sub-Division Level CommitteeSEM Self-Employed MechanicSGSY Swarnajayanta Gram Swarozgar YojanaSHG Self Help GroupSMT Senior Management TeamSMPU Samuhik Marudi Pratikar UdayamSRI Systems of Rice IntensificationST Scheduled TribeVDC Village Development CommitteeWHS Water Harvesting StructureWORLP Western Orissa Rural Livelihood Project

Acronyms


VISIONRights Recognised -Resources Owned -

Poverty is Past.

RCDC was created in 1993 with the mandate to play a definitive rolein the development sector, to empower people to sustainably man-

age natural resources in order to bring about their own socio-economicdevelopment and environmental security. The organisation believes thatlocal communities are the best managers of local natural resources asthey have the highest stake in these resources, as well location specificand time-tested knowledge to do so, and that successfully doing this willaddress many of the development problems facing these communities.RCDC's work has enabled vulnerable and marginalised communities toassert their rights and develop their understanding of development is-sues in relation to natural resources.

Over the years, RCDC's core focus has been research and studies onnatural resource management; developing models of best practice anddisseminating gathered information to actors such as civil society, me-dia and government. The organisation has built and developed networksto enable collective action and advocate for appropriate policy changes.

In recent years, RCDC has expanded in size and diversified its program-matic areas, in order to reflect the complexity of developmental chal-lenges we face in Orissa, and beyond, today. RCDC is aware of the needto address increasingly worrying problems, particularly climate change.However, the organisation's vision and mission remain the same and westrive to achieve our vision in every element of our work.

MISSIONTo play a facilitative role in thestruggle for rights of the poor

and marginalised over re-sources, opportunities, institu-

tions and processes.

Abou

t us

About us

1


We are immensely grateful to our patrons and partners for recognisingour organisation as truly democratically, transparently and efficiently

governed, and the more than 100-strong staff base as focused, committedand professional.

Who we areWho we are

2


Guiding principleso Participatory and rights-based approach

o Executing projects with a pro-poor mandate

o Achieving excellence through professionalism and competency

o Earning trust and confidence of all stakeholders

o Creating a culture of sharing information

o Maintaining neutrality from any religious and political affiliation

o Scaling up of the scope and horizon of success through self-reflection

o Honesty, accountability and transparency at all levels

o Honour and mutual respect to the traditional knowledge system

Objectiveso Building the capacities of stakeholders on natural resource

governance through facilitating people's access to information

o Developing a solid database in the domain of land, water, forestand bio diversity through research, studies and publications

o Building sustainable models of development based upon naturalresources

o Addressing natural resource management issues throughdevising appropriate policies, laws, rules and other operativeframeworks in close collaboration with the community

o Promoting organizational growth, through developing capacitiesof people, staff and institutions for enhancing socio?legal andtechnical skills

Organisational strategyo Investing in marginalised sections of the society

o Promoting concerted efforts through forging partnership andcollaborations

o Adopting best practices and perusing new opportunities

o Integrating the interest of the poor and market economy

o Providing capacity building services for creating multiplepathways for community empowerment

o Focusing on generation and distribution of appropriate researchand development approaches regarding policy change

How

we w

orkHow we work

3


o Encouraging production of grassroots documentation

o Building public forums and citizen action groups for unleashingcollective pressure

o Mainstreaming gender as an organizational strategy in alldevelopmental intervention

Target populationso Poor tribal and scheduled caste communities

o Marginal and small farmers

o PRI functionaries

o Women and children belonging to poor families

o Forest protection communities

o District and sub-district level networks of FPCs

o Networks of NGOs and CBOs

How we work

4


Management compass

The governing board, comprising members from diversified disciplines,provides strategic navigation for RCDC in management affairs. Themanagement structure consists of two wings; the policy making domain,executed by the Executive Committee (EC) and operational domain,executed by the Senior Management Team (SMT).

o Policy Making Wing: At present, the organisation has 10members in the executive committee to assess and overviewactivities and performances, adhering to the mission and visionof the organisation. The policy making body is headed bysecretary, having a four year tenure, nominated by membersof Executive Committee.

o Operational Wing: This wing is spearheaded by the ExecutiveDirector, who looks after the entire gamut of organisationalaffairs, being supported by other members of SMT, directorsof various programmes, senior programme managers andprogramme managers.

Thematic areasWith a consistent focus on natural resource management and allied areas,RCDC continues to strengthen its work, which can be clubbed in fourbroad thematic segments. Due to the multi-faceted nature of most ofthese themes, there is generally a substantial amount of cross-over andinterlinking between the thematic areas and programmes. In order togain focus, RCDC's work has been clarified as:

o Natural Resource Management

o Livelihoods and Governance

o Climate Change and DRR

o Policy, Advocacy and Networking

How we work

5


Cross-cutting issuesBesides the core focus areas, there are some issues of significance thathave been mainstreamed into all our activites. These include:

• Human rights - The major premise of RCDC's interventions isbased on protection of rights and entitlements of socio-economically disadvantaged people. RCDC consistently buildsthe capacity of its target population, staff and CBOs tounderstand the human rights regime and how to respond toviolations of human rights. As a matter of principle, RCDC alwaysstands for the people whose legitimate voices are rarely heard.

• Gender - RCDC focuses on reducing the gender gap in all areasof its work. We understand the importance of involving womenacross all dimensions of development; without women, manyinitiatives would fail and gender disparities would remainingrained. RCDC aims to empower women in its grassrootsinitiatives and consider gender in the design of all its research,policy and advocacy activities. This year added another definitemomentum to the cause as the organisation adopted acomprehensive gender policy.

• HIV and AIDS - All of RCDC's programmes have HIV and AIDSincorporated into its plans. The issue is frequently raised atcommunity meetings in order to generate awareness.

• Migration - Some of the areas where we work are acutely proneto distress migration; it has become an integral part of ourwork in order to address the issue. We were immensely happyto have initiated action to release 75 migrant labourers,including 46 women and children, under pitiable bondageconditions from far away Karnataka state.

How we work

6


Through dedicated and focussed commitments, RCDC has carved adefinite niche in the development sector as a quality resource

organisation, which is now recognised at the national level. It operatesat several levels - with the primary target group, poor rural communitiesat the lowest grassroots level, and at the middle and top level to influ-ence policies and government. For the themes we work on, RCDC is themost well known state level organisation. At the grassroots level, RCDCmostly works in Orissa - a provincial state in the eastern part of theIndia. Activities are now spread over 15 districts and cover 1035 villages- the operational districts are identified in the map below.

To facilitate grassroots operations, we have decentralised field-levelmanagement by giving an amount of autonomy to three Regional Officesin Bolangir, Nabarangpur and Koraput, and to all our field offices.

In the domain of consultancy services, policy analysis and advocacy, RCDChas been engaged in states across central and southern India.

Where

we w

orkWhere we work

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The Natural Resource Management (NRM) thematic area includes someof our most extensive and longest running activities. RCDC has been

working on NRM since its inception and is considered a regional expert inthis vast and complex field. During 2010-11 our key areas of work in-volved:

• Forest and Land• Water

NRM plans have been established in a number of villages, ensuring aholistic approach to forest, land and water sustainability, managementand protection.

Target groups:• Marginalised communities

• CBOs, FPCs and other local institutions at various functional tiers

• STs, SCs and very poor families

We also engage with the following actors:

• Local, State and Union Governments

• Civil society organisations and networks• The media

Natural Resource ManagementNatural ResourceManagement

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2010-11

• SFM models were built in 10villages of Kalahandi andDeogarh districts using in-digenous community knowl-edge

• A block-level women's con-vention was held in March2011 at Dhansara village ofJunapani GP - around 200women from four GPs par-ticipated, developing soli-darity amongst women andgiving them a forum toshare experiences andachievements

• Bio?resource committeeswere formed in all the op-erational villages. Nearly1800 hectares of forest hasbeen protected, conservedand managed under NilavadiGP

• The felling of selected treesby the Forest Department inthe Royal Ghati forest areawas stopped, under OFSDP

• Homestead patta (gharabaripatta) was granted to 597households in Nilavadi GP

Helping secure forest andland rights:

"The training helped theparticipants to internalise howexisting laws and policies canbe used for the conservation ofresources within their area."

Forest and Land

Orissa's forests are rich in biodiversity and house some of the mostvulnerable populations in the state, including scheduled castes and

tribal groups. RCDC is passionate that people's rights to their traditionallands should be respected and protected, and this continued to bereflected in our work this year. Certain groups are particularly vulnerableto land grabbing, deforestation and privatisation of resources. It is anincreasingly worrying problem in Orissa as it continues along its path ofrapid industrialisation, at the expense of extracting natural resourcesfrom ancient lands traditionally and ancestrally belonging to suchmarginalised groups. This year, RCDC has continued its work across Orissato unite the marginalised forest-dependent communities to manage theirforest effectively, use the law to ensure their land remains theirs and toresist threats from forest mafia or corporate interests.

Through our research activities, we also captured invaluable data andinformation on forests in Orissa, which is used to reinforce our grassrootsactivities and give weight to our campaigns and advocacy work relatingto forests and land.

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)This year, RCDC continued to promote SFM across the state. Activitiesinvolved:

• encouraging communities to use traditional skills to manage theforest

• promoting silvicultural practices to maintain forest health

• encouraging lifestyles and livelihoods that reduce pressure on theforests

• boundary demarcation

• tree and plant species enumeration

• thinning, cleaning and planning for future plantation

• using indigenous knowledge to develop SFM models that can beapplied further afield

Community Forest Management (CFM)RCDC worked to ensure that communities are managing their forestsdemocratically, reducing chances of conflict over natural resources and

Natural ResourceManagement

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• For the effective implemen-tation of FRA, a mass rallywas organised at Chandrapurfollowed by the submissionof memorandums to theTahasildar

• A documentary film on theFRA has been produced

• Hundreds of claims under theFRA have been submitted inthe operational GPs andnearly 100 have received le-gal recognition

• A two day national level con-sultation on the FRA washeld in collaboration withECONET and was hosted bythe Kovel Foundation,Vishakhapatnam, in order totake stock of the implemen-tation of the FRA

• 30 master trainers, 150 vol-unteers from the commu-nity capacitated for imme-diate help in Bolangir

• 56 community claims and339 eligible individual claimssubmitted in Gandhamardanarea for 61572.1 acres

• A strong network of DLC,SDLC, PRI, NGOs, POsformed both at Block andDistrict level

ensuring adequate protection of the fragile forests. In 2010-11 we focusedon:

• capacity building for CBOs and PRIs and federating the CBOs

• strengthening Forest Protection Committees from village to apexlevel

• reorganising inadequately capacitated forest-protection efforts

• educating forest-protecting groups on policies and laws, and theirresponsibilities

• encouraging the involvement of women in CFM, engaging withwomen's groups, SHGs and youth clubs

Enabling people to assert rightsBy making people aware of their rights and enabling them to assert them,their traditional lifestyles and livelihoods can be protected by the law.This year RCDC activities involved:

• running awareness programmes for forest-dwelling communitieson, and helping submit claims, under the Forest Rights Act, theBiodiversity Act, MGNREG Act, OFSDP and PESA

• strengthening the Forestry Federation and mobilising CFR claims

• engaging with the DLC/SDLC to reduce bottlenecks

• leveraging government resources for the benefit of these groups

• resisting privatisation and commercialisation of forests, forestproducts and biodiversity

• preventing the felling of trees by the Forest Department in areasof special ecological or spiritual importance

Working on the gender gap:

"Both men and women of thevillage were divided into teamsand visited plots and decidedon the activities to be under-taken at village level meet-ings."


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• The materials and kitdeveloped for RCDC's SchoolWater Education Programmehave been shared with theGovernment of Orissa, whohas said it is willing tocirculate these in all schoolsin Orissa when it has thebudget to do so

• RWSS Nayagarh has takentesting of drinking watersources as a priority actionarea

• RWSS Balasore hasconsidered RCDC's GP-levelinitiative in Gopimohanpuron self-sustained operationand maintenance systems asa model for replication

• The Orissa State SecondaryTeachers' Association hasshown interest in carryingforward the School WaterEducation Programme

• Students in schools wherethe education programmehas been in place are

Working together"User group representatives andPRIs are regularly attending theGP level monthly meetings andthe corpus fund is regularlycontributed to by the villagers.The SEMs share theirrequirements and operationalproblems in the meetings. Anydispute arising out ofdistribution of water isaddressed in the forum."

Water

This year, RCDC continued its important and progressive work on waterand sanitation. In many areas of Orissa people still do not have

access to safe water and sanitation facilities - a basic human right thatstill eludes. With floods and increased precipitation in some areas, apreconception exists that there is an abundance of water, when the realityis that of acute scarcity in critical periods and quality access at othertimes.

There is a gap in the knowledge of communities on water and sanitation,due to poor education, and people do not always know how to accessgovernment schemes which are available to them. RCDC aims to fill thegap in knowledge and understanding through education activities andpromoting effective water resource management. We work across 30diverse GPs at the grassroots level on activities that synchronise withour forests, land and climate change activities.

With increasing grassroots operations and strong research anddocumentation network, the organisation has emerged as the leadingNGO in Orissa's water and sanitation sector. The quarterly newsletter'Jala Jeevana Sambad', an exclusive journal on water and the only of itskind in the state, has further increased its stature as reference materialfor professionals, practitioners, students and community members. Thejournal is playing a pivot role in information exchange on water issuesand catalysing community and environment-centric actions.

EducationRCDC understands that in order to effect long term change, educationhas the greatest impact. During the year, RCDC has really pushed itsschools and education activities, which include:

• implementing schools' water education programmes

• holding competitions relating to water and sanitation for schoolchildren

• holding awareness campaigns and workshops

• distributing education materials on topics such as rain waterharvesting

• disseminating awareness-raising posters and leaflets

• building, strengthening and educating district-level networks


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showing tangible increasedunderstanding and interestin issues such as waterquality, hygiene, climatechange and rain waterharvesting

• Hygiene practices have notonly improved in thestudents, but they arecommunicating the messageto their families, neighboursand relatives

• A student from Nayagarhwas selected in the DistrictLevel Children's Congresswith a model on rain waterharvesting, derived from anRCDC booklet

• A high school in Bolangirstaged a play on climatechange based on an RCDCbooklet, and secured firstposition in the circle

• RWSS Balasore has askedRCDC to be involved in itswater security planningactivities

• The District Water andSanitation Mission hasextended its support forRCDC's sanitation andhygiene awareness buildingactivities in Nayagarh andBalasore

• RCDC has successfullyestablished a niche for itselfon issues of water andsanitation both at local andstate level

Creating modelsRCDC understands that it should learn from its interventions and shareexperiences and best practice elsewhere, so that more people can benefitfrom our expertise. During the year, we have focused on developing GramPanchayat models for water and sanitation intervention activities thatcan be replicated widely. We have also begun advocating our models,particularly at the government level, to encourage their replication.

Community mobilisation and technologyWater quality has emerged as a big issue in Orissa. Fluoride, a hazardouscompound, is being detected in large quantities. RCDC tested watersources and, where they were needed, installed de-fluoridation technologyand encouraged behavioural changes among village communities to ensurehealthy drinking water for all. Use and efficacy of the newly installedtechnology is being monitored. Schools have been provided with testingkits in case they see symptoms of flourosis in students. We also bringthe flouride contaminated patches to the government's attention throughcommunity mobilisation.


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CASE STUDY

World Water Day

"On 22nd March 2011 (WorldWater Day), a mass awarenessrally was organised inGopimohan Pur GP of Balasoredistrict covering 740 womenfrom six GPs to sensitise peopleon drinking water, sanitationand hygiene. This was thelargest ever rally in the locality,which drew the attention ofcommunity, media and linedepartment of Balasore districtin general and Jaleswar blockin particular. The size of therally was 740 in the beginning,but as the rally went on,bystanders joined the rally andthe figure crossed the onethousand mark within a fewminutes. It was a grandsuccess."

Integration with the state government's programmes has been a key andnever compromised area. RCDC has enabled communities to getgovernment (RWSS) help where it is needed; through supplying water intankers where village technology is poor and by installing pipe watersupply systems. RCDC has helped villagers file memorandums in order toget the RWSS to provide raiser pipes.

RCDC helps build groups and forums which enables communities to relievedisputes, present a united front to government and to act together toimprove their water sustainability - thus carrying out their own initiativessuch as renovating the village pump house.

Influencing policyWhile intensive focus been on to ensure safe drinking water and hygienicenvironment, ensuring 'water rights' and 'water security' is the coreobjective. Thus RCDC is playing a leading role to make changes to theexisting 'State Water Policy' and 'State Water Plan'. As part of this, RCDChas played a very pro-active role in engaging with government and lawmakers to prepare the 'Climate Change Action Plan' and an 'IntegratedWater Resource Management Plan'.


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Livelihoods & Governance

This year our work on livelihoods and building effective local governance built on RCDC's past successes, aiming to provide a compre-

hensive programme that tackles a broad spectrum of issues with thor-ough and sustainable solutions.

• NTFP-BASED LIVELIHOODS

• SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

• MOBILISATION OF GOVT. SCHEMES & PROGRAMMES

• WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT

• BIORESOURCE GOVERNANCE

LivelihoodsRCDC understands that in order to make any developmental initiativework - be it forest protection, school education or installing a clean wa-ter pump - people need to be able to look after themselves and continueto reap the benefits of these interventions, without the presence of anNGO. In order to lift themselves out of poverty, having a sustainableincome is the first step. We work to ensure people can increase theirincomes for the long term, in a way that does not harm other people orthe environment. This year, we worked on several activities that aimed

Livelihoods &Governance

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Integrated community development

We aim to make our community development initiatives completelyintegrated - bringing a range of challenges and activities under

one umbrella. As community development is multi-faceted, so must ourinterventions be flexible and dynamic enough to reflect this - includingwork on livelihoods, governance and environmental protection. This yearwe continued to develop our expertise and carry out successful inte-grated grassroots activities.

Two of our regional offices (Bolangir and Nabarangpur) oversee our inte-grated community development activities, which include:

• community mobilisation and empowerment• institutional capacity building• leveraging government resources• livelihoods promotion, including encouraging entrepreneurship and

implementing MGNREGS• facilitating the creation of Annual Development Plans and NRM

plans• encouraging sustainable agricultural activities

to achieve this. For example, we enabled some of poorest members ofcommunities to get the 100 days work they are entitled to underMGNREGS.

GovernanceMany of our activities aim to build the capacity and effectiveness oflocal governance. Some activities work specifically to do this from thegrassroots level upwards. By getting people to work together, they aremore likely to achieve mutually beneficial goals and avoid conflict.

Target groups• Marginalised communities• CBOs, PRIs and other local institutions• STs, SCs and very poor families

We also engage with the following actors:• Local, State and Union government• Civil society organisations and networks• The media


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• Building on the previous years'successes, one programmehas now established: 12cluster-based NTFP micro-enterprises; 8 networks of 67FPCs overseeing 10645hectares of forest land; 8women's self helpcooperatives of 1845 membersin 125 villages in 4 districts

• A total number of 21 coopera-tives have developed theirown comprehensive businessplans, incorporating theground reality in terms of defi-cit finance management andmarketing strategies. Rs.21Lakhs was mobilized by 4 co-operatives so they are able toshare the business plans

• Until now, trade transactionsworth Rs.1, 43,93,716 on NTFP/ SAP have been undertakenby communities as well as re-volving funds for trade havebeen mobilized by 12 co-op-eratives

• The average annual income ofcommunity members in oneintervention area has risenfrom Rs.9000 to Rs.11500 aspart of a market accessproject

• People belonging to about7000 households from nearly120 villages in 4 districts aregoing to be the direct ben-eficiaries of one of RCDC's on-

"The whole idea of theintervention is to providesustained income to the forest-dependent communitiesthrough small scale community-based enterprise"

Case Study

Contribution to a national process

RCDC has been involved in the process of developing a mechanism foroffering the minimum support price (MSP) of MFP by the Governmentof India. In this context, RCDC was invited by the Ministry of PanchayatiRaj as an expert, and submitted a comprehensive set of recommen-dations to look into the aspects of MSP, value addition and marketingof MFP in scheduled fifth areas.

NTFP-based Livelihoods

By developing production of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) as alivelihood resource, pressure on forest timber as a source of income

is reduced - communities are able to have a more sustainable and forest-friendly livelihoods base. RCDC has become a leading organisation inOrissa on NTFP, with years of experience implementing NTFP-basedprogrammes and promoting it as a development initiative from thegrassroots to the international arena. Our current NTFP field operationsare based in Kalahandi, Nuapada, Koraput, Malkangi and Rayagada districtsof Orissa.

Market access & tradingThe objective is for primary collectors and their federated body to beable to control and manage NTFP and agriculture produce available intheir area and ensure their sustained livelihood. The key strategy is toreduce the number of intermediaries in the procurement and trade ofNTFP. RCDC helps the cooperatives to get involved in both raw materialtrading and also sale of value added products from NTFP.

RCDC aims to:• develop sustainable alternative marketing frameworks for NTFP• create and strengthen primary collectors and producers

Knowledge sharing & capacity buildingRCDC aims to enable communities, cooperatives and other stakeholdersto take part in active policy analysis and debates, put pressure ongovernment to change policy in relation to the promotion of NTFP as anenterprise. It also supports capacity building activities, and facilitatesenhancing the qualitative and quantitative production capacity throughvalue addition techniques.


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going NTFP activities, as a re-sult of community based man-agement and trade of NTFPthrough their co-operatives

• RCDC has been incorporatingtraditional community knowl-edge into the modern systemsof NTFP and forest manage-ment

• Cooperatives have been as-signed with responsibilities ofhandling institutional affairsand other market promotionactivities on their own.Monthly meetings, records,business plans etc., have beenproperly handled by each co-operative, being facilitated byRCDC - enhancing the confi-dence of beneficiaries, whichadds positively to thesustainability of the interven-tion

• RCDC organised an exclusiveworkshop on promotion of lac-based livelihood in the state,which brought together ex-perts, policy makers, primarycollectors, and artisans to dis-cuss the problems and pros-pects in the lac sector

• A research report 'NTFP PolicyRegime after FRA: A Study inSelect States of India' was pub-lished.

• The Right to Food campaignincluded in its resolution forthe first time the rights toforest produce in a processsupported by RCDC

• A two-day training-cum-work-shop on the management, op-eration and trade of Kenduleaf was held at Brahminijore,Bolangir

• A detailed study on Kendu leafmanagement, operation andtrade in the context of FRA2006 has been undertaken inthe central Indian states

Institutional developmentWe work on strengthening the self-help cooperatives engaged in the pro-duction and sale of NTFPs, and help them build linkages with marketingand financial institutions. RCDC took the distinguished initiative of form-ing the state-level association of the primary collectors, cultivators, andartisans of lac.

Sustainable managementRCDC understands the need to make NTFP income sources environmen-tally and economically sustainable. Through NTFP we aim to improve theecological health of the forest and make communities understand theneed for a sustainable approach. Our activities include training coopera-tives and creating protocols on sustainable harvesting. We also workwith communities to inventorise and document forest species.

BanajataThe website www.banajata.org aims to present all possible informationon NTFP management and trade mostly relating to Orissa and itsneighbouring states. The website not only emphasizes market relatedinformation but also scientific management of different NTFPs. The sitealso includes a list of NTFP booklets in Oriya which give detailed infor-mation on the phenology, cultivation, sustainable harvesting, process-ing, storage, commercial propagation, marketing, policies etc., relatedto different NTFPs.


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• 480 families have developedkitchen gardens afterprocuring subsidised seedsfrom the HorticultureDepartment with the help ofRCDC. Kitchen gardens helpthem not only increase theirvegetable intake but alsoleads to extra income for thefamily

• 7 farmers and 3 SHGs havebeen given an incentivesupport of Rs 2,500 each forpreparation of vermi-compost

• Training programmesexclusively on agriculture forthe farmers in Bolangirproject area, where 426 maleand 157 female farmersparticipated, aimed atmobilising opinion for vermi-compost other local manures,SRI and reverting to localresource based farming

• SRI methods weredemonstrated in 337 acres ofland comprising 22 villages inthe field of 476 farmers.Farmers were linked withgovernment schemes tofollow SRI methods

• RCDC facilitated theformation of 40 seed banksand trained the farmers intheir management

• 125 new vermi-culture pitswere supplied through directsupport from the project andlinkages with RKVY

• 32 farmers are now sellingtheir 178kg of vermi and 20quintals of compost to otherfarmers and the HorticultureDepartment

Sustainable Agriculture

RCDC believes in agriculture as a force in the development process.Practicing sustainable agriculture also improves food security. With

increasing climatic changes impacting agriculture and the influence ofmodern techniques, many farmers are now in debt and communities facefood shortages. The programme has so far been implemented in Bolangir,with plans to extend this to Nabarangpur in the near future. The droughtsituation in Bolangir has been creating hindrances in the developmentprocess of small and marginal farmers making them indebted. Initia-tives are taken to make the farmers self sustained and minimise thecost of agriculture by reducing use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.This year we got farmers back on their feet and ensured many vulnerableadults and children had enough nutritious food to eat.

Capacity building and income generationRCDC also enables people to generate income through agriculture. Vul-nerable families have been supplied with poultry and pig stocks, for ex-ample. They are guided in the practices and their progress is monitored.RCDC also facilitates the formation of, and strengthens, Farmers' Com-mittees, village FSCs and SHGs, with whom it runs training programmesand encourages entrepreneurial activities.

Traditional methodsRCDC understands that traditional agricultural wisdom and practices aremost friendly to people (in terms of health and cost) and to the environ-ment. We promote and capacitate farmers in:

• organic agriculture• vermi-compost (process of composting utilising various species

of worms) and liquid manure• SRI methods• small-scale self-sustaining farming• crop diversification• low-cost technology• quality seed replacement


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• Toll free help line numbersused by CBOs for lodgingcomplaints and comments onPDS, ICDS and SANJOG

• 119 farmers are practicingagriculture by applyingmanures and pesticidesprepared by them, 98 farmershave started gradualsubstitution of chemicalfertiliser and toxic pesticides,154 farmers are using mixcropping process, and 250farmers are cultivating theminer millet in 132 acres ofland.

Mobilisation of Govt. Schemes & Programmes

RCDC works extensively to enable CBOs and their apex bodies at Blockand Panchayat level to mobilise government schemes and

programmes, particularly relating to food, livelihood and social security.RCDC plays a supportive and catalytic role, facilitating dialogue betweengovernment department officials and the community, to ensure eligiblepersons get what they are legally entitled to.

Village micro-plans, which incorporate the list of eligible beneficiariesunder different food and social security schemes (namely MGNREGS, FRA,Vasundhara, Mo Jami Mo Diha, Indira Awas Yojna, Mo Kudia, etc.), areannually updated which helps in assessing the initiatives taken by suchvillage institutions. Based upon the village micro-plan, an annual plan isdeveloped and activities chalked out on the basis of their priorities andlevels - who will do what, when and how. The activities are then distrib-uted among the various CBOs (FSCs, SHGs, VDCs, Mahila Mandals) andlarger issues or issues involving two or more villages fall in the share ofPDCs. Thus, it helps the concerned CBOs plan their activities accord-ingly, and monthly reviews and action plans are developed on the basis oftheir annual plans. The plans allow them to articulate their problems andissues more easily and present their plans in Palli and Gram Sabhas.

Addressing food insecurity and healthIn some places where RCDC works, there is an immediate need to ad-dress the lack of availability of food for the people that live there. Someof our activities include:

• setting up kitchen gardens and nutrition education (usually inschools)

• linking eligible households to horticultural schemes, where theycan claim subsidies, training and operational help

• promoting herbal gardens

• promoting vermi-compost

• promoting SRI cultivation methods

• encouraging seed banks and grain banks

• engaging with SHGs to enable the above activities


19


The following projects, schemes and programmes were mobilisedby the institutions of RCDC’s intervention villages during 2010 – 11:

SN

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Scheme/programme/Act

MGNREGS and IAY

Food and Social Security

Schemes

FRA

Vasundhara and MJMD

Livelihood Security

NRHM

National Horticulture

Mission

Drinking water

Number

71 village roads and

47 new WHS

202450

98

310

97

11

17

39

58

34

07

116

18

33

551 individual claim

56 community claim

145

149

15

64

12

143

65

3

Remarks

118 projects approved in Palli and Gram Sabha, and projects

mobilised in the current year

Man days created

beneficiaries incorporated under Mo Kudia Yojna/IAY

(approved by Palli Sabha and sent to block office)

farm ponds/Mo Pokhari schemes mobilised

beneficiaries received APL/ration cards

Antodaya card

Arnapurna card

GR card

old age pensions mobilised

widow pensions mobilised

disabled pensions mobilised

MBPY mobilised

emergency feeding mobilised

families received NFBS

551 individual claims having 2067.6 acres and 56 community claims

having 61572.1 acres approved by Gram Sabha and sent to SDLC.

applications made, 90 families received titles

farmers mobilised seeds from agriculture dept @ 5 Kg kits

SHGs tagged with SGSY

SHG mobilised bank loans

SHG linkages with MDM

pregnant women and lactating mothers who were linked with

Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY)

farmers linked with the National Horticulture Mission to start

mango, banana and other fruits and vegetable cultivation.

3 villages were linked with RWSS department for drinking water

supply


20


HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2010 - 11

• One of the best examples oflinkage is relationship build-ing of a group with OMFED,through WORLP. The dairyfarmers of the watershedarea united in the name ofSri Ram Mahila DugdhaSamabaya Samiti and starteddairy farming. They werelinked with OMFED to selltheir milk and milk productsfor reasonable rates. Nowthey are growing by keepingmore cows for milk produc-tion. The profit sharingmechanism was also devel-oped and is being success-fully managed

• The Horticulture Depart-ment has begun working withwatershed committees toenable the benefits of differ-ent schemes under the Hor-ticulture Mission

• Exposure trips wereorganised to inspire Bolangircommunity members to fol-low sustainable agriculture

• Formation of a watersheddevelopment federation inBolangir (Palli VikashJalachhaya Mahasangha)

• Developing an RTI templatefor wider use across thewatersheds

• Under OTELP, out of 9 VDC,7 VDCs are now able tohandle the programme aswell as documentation of allrecords and registers - fundsare now channeled directlythrough these VDCs

• Support to publication of"Nutan Diganta" a quarterlynewsletter of District Water-shed Mission, Bolangir

• Successfully implementing anExit Protocol for WORLP incoordination with the wa-tershed committees

Case Study

Facilitating self-sufficiency"The watershed committee members are now able to prepare theirstatus report, accounting, asset registers and manage the decisionmaking process, including the resolution. They don't have to requestanybody's help, as they are self-sustained in this aspect. They aredocumenting success stories and inspiring others to practice the samefor success."

Watershed Development

Watershed development' refers to the integrated, holistic development of a geographical area, with a focus on community gover-

nance. One of our long-running programmes has been 'Western OrissaRural Livelihood Programme' (WORLP) - the development of a watershedarea in Bolangir district, implemented between January 2004 and March2011, for which one village won an award. This year, RCDC focused onwithdrawing WORLP, successfully using an Exit Protocol, so that the wa-tershed communities were self-sufficient and able to continue the ac-tivities of the programme on their own. Another programme, based inNabarangpur, is a multi-pronged long-term project named 'Orissa TribalEmpowerment and Livelihood Programme' (OTELP), which is due to runin the area until 2016. This year, OTELP focused on land, water, live-stock, aquaculture, rural finance services and community infrastructurefunds.

Watershed committeesRCDC has facilitated the creation of, and helped build the capacities of,watershed committees. The committees are responsible for making con-sensus decisions on livelihood initiatives and asset creation. This yearRCDC focused on:

• empowering committees to be self sufficient in record keeping,accounting, communication and documentation

• linking the committees with other agencies, institutions and cor-porations, enabling them to link entrepreneurs to market theirproducts

• linking the committees with relevant government departments• steps were taken to bring the watershed committees under one

umbrella and initiate joint efforts for development. The creationof a federation of committees is underway

• creating a platform to share success stories


21



• RCDC organized two districtlevel workshops onbioresource governance atBhawanipatna, and Rayagadaduring the first week of De-cember 2010

• RCDC also hosted two districtlevel capacity building andtraining for CFM groups andPRI representatives, in orderto strengthen federations inbioresource managementand governance

• 50 village level Food SecurityCommittees (FSC) werestrengthened and empow-ered to analyse the dimen-sions and raise concernsalong with initiating action.The food security commit-tees were again united andformed federations at GPlevel and regional level toaddress the issues emergingat that level, acting as pres-sure groups to push for bet-ter implementation of gov-ernment schemes

• 110 women's SHGs wereformed in Bolangir, whichhave now been federated atthe Panchayat and apex lev-els

• SHGs have facilitated linkagesof 143 pregnant women un-der Janani Suraksha Yojna(JSY) and all the SHGs arenow monitoring quality ofmid-day meals being providedin the schools and also foodsupplied by the Anganwadicentres under ICDS

Bioresource Governance

RCDC has been pursuing a bioresource governance programme inRayagada, Koraput, Kalahandi and Gajapati districts of Orissa.

Bioresource governance operates on four golden principles: ownership(of local bioresources); self-confidence (that these resources can aidsocio-economic development); sustainable management; and social jus-tice (sharing benefits). The progamme links with our work on non-bio-logical resources such as water and land, as these form the habitats forbioresources. By strengthening governance systems, it enables commu-nities to avail the benefits entitled to them under different governmentschemes and programmes. Linkages with local GPs and various govern-ment agencies have been established to create a conducive environmentfor realising the potential of communities to sustainably managebioresources and assert their rights.

Training and capacity buildingRCDC puts a great deal of energy and expertise into running workshopsand consultations with grassroots organisations on biodiversity andbioresource governance. This year, RCDC worked on:

• running orientation and training, including two awareness camps,for PRIs, FSCs, Education Committees, SHGs and other CBOs

• training RCDC volunteers and staff in community mobilisation andmethods to exercise their rights in relation to government schemes

• linking STs, SCs and very poor families for developing their farmland through MGNREGS

• exposure trips made, increasing the understanding of PRI mem-bers in governance systems and best practices in the PanchayatiRaj system

Creating modelsThis year progress has been made towards creating a model GP inbioresource governance. It is an ongoing activity in the form of regularGP level meetings.

Monitoring implementation of lawsWhile the core mandate of the programme is to facilitate better localgovernance of natural resources with special focus on bioresources, ithas also resulted in a wider awareness and debate at the state-level onhow exactly the Biological Diversity Act is being implemented in the states,


22


• Janani Anchalik Mahasanga(JAM), the SHG federation,organized a mega rally tomake people, especially thewomen aware and assertiveon issues of Kendu leaf priceand incentives to pluckers,liquor prohibition and in-creased participation in thePallisabha meetings

• After an exposure visit, agood rapport with the PRIswas established, and linkagescould be made for smoothimplementation of plans andprogrammes of government

• An exposure visit to Keralawas organised for programmestaff

where the Forest Rights Act suffers setbacks, and where the proposedWildlife Protection Amendment Bill 2010 need modifications so as to con-form to wider realities and requirements.

The role of womenRCDC has been giving due importance to the women in the governancedevelopment process. SHGs are formed and work in a self sustained way.They are trained to maintain their own records, promoted through banklinkages and initiating entrepreneurial activities. SHGs are also linkedwith the FSCs to participate in village development and advocacy ac-tions. They are oriented on updates of different schemes and programmesof government.

CASE STUDY

An extraordinary resolutionOn the basis of RCDC's awareness building, on the 2nd October 2010,the Gram sabha of Bhutigarh passed an extraordinary resolution thatstressed the following points:1. The local DFO should clarify to what extent the recommendations,

in the letter dated 21st May 2010 of the Secretary, Ministry ofPanchayatiraj, Government of India, that the state should bringits MFP regime in conformity with FRA, 2006; and the Forest De-partment would assist the Gram Sabha/GP to prepare a manage-ment scheme on MFP, have been complied with.

2. No plantation/afforestation activity in the area under the juris-diction of the Gram Sabha can be carried out without its approval.Details of existing plantations should be furnished to the GramSabha.

3. No contract farming or farming of non-food crops can be taken upwithout the approval of Gram Sabha. Details of such existing farm-ing are to be provided to the Gram Sabha.

4. The Gram Sabha is interested to form a Biodiversity ManagementCommittee as per the provision of the Biological Diversity Act,2002; and the State Biodiversity Board is requested to providenecessary support for this purpose.


23


Climate Change & DRR

2010 saw the beginning of a new era in RCDC's work, as we face thechallenge of increasingly erratic weather and the ensuing natural

disasters that threaten lives and livelihoods. Orissa has 480 kilometersof coastline stretching over six districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara,Jagatsingpur, Puri and Ganjam. On average, every five years a majorcyclone and several cyclones of minor intensity strike the coast - accom-panied by high winds, tidal waves and floods almost every year. RCDCunderstands that, as the biggest threat facing humanity, we must nowact fast to help vulnerable populations adapt to and prepare for the ef-fects of climate change. This year RCDC began work in:

• CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION & DISASTER RISK REDUCTION• DISASTER RELIEF

New initiatives 2010 - 11We began by responding to the unprecedented August 2010 floods ofNabarangpur. From March 2011, our partnership with Concern Worldwidewill continue on a long-term programme, PARIBARTAN - a climate changeinitiative which will run for 5 years. It aims to increase resilience, andthereby help reduce the risk of, coastal communities to climate changeand natural hazards in the Bay of Bengal. The programme is operationalin 8 GPs of Kendrapara and Jagatsingpur.

Climate Change &DRR

24


Climate Change Adaptation & DRR

PARIBARTAN has only just been launched, but we are already excitedabout the activities and expected results for the coming 5 years.The programme aims to achieve:

• Increased capacity of state and non-state actors• Increased capacity of target population to withstand, respond

and recover from disasters• Pilot projects to demonstrate a practical way for climate change

adaptation• Lessons learnt will be promoted and shared at larger forums

amongst practitioners


This year our key successeswere in Nabarangpur where weintervened after the floods ofAugust 2010:

• We organised the distribu-tion of relief supplies andmobilised the medical teamin order to prevent thespread of disease.

• RCDC provided shelter sup-port to 59 resource poorfamilies

• Country boats were pro-vided in Ghatguda villageto act as a community as-set

• Agricultural support wasprovided to 280 families -seed support led to sub-stantial income for farmers

• 80% of the rebuilt (moreflood-resilient) houses areready for occupation in allthe three villages

• Village committees weremobilized to demand theirrights and RCDC enabledthe villagers to get govern-ment compensation

• 40 youths were trained byan expert on warning, pre-paredness and mitigationof floods in Osadumdablock

Target groups:• Vulnerable communities• STs and SCs• Women and children• Other marginalised groups

We also engage with the following actors:• Local government• Disaster management authorities• NGOs and civil society organizations involved in DRR activities• The media

Cimate Change &DRR

25


Disaster Relief - Long term solutions

RCDC understands that communities are the first respondents in anycases of natural disaster and so there is a need to empower the coastalcommunities in order to reduce their vulnerability to such calamities.We also understand that in the wake of a natural disaster, people need tobe helped to get back on their feet, so we enable affected populations tore-establish their sources of income and livelihood support networks.

In our first immediate post-disaster intervention in Nabarangpur, RCDChelped with the immediate recovery, but focused on the long-term solu-tions that would enable affected villages to regain control of their liveli-hoods and build resilience to any future natural disasters. Our main ac-tivities included:

• undertaking a spot survey and assessing the damage• helping form village committees and FAFCs to enable better co-

ordinating and accountability with decision making• forming programme implementation committees and purchase

committees• building capacity of local institutions• disseminating information and recording meetings• converging with government programmes• providing shelter support• providing livelihoods support through seed provision and boat

making• training on community-based disaster planning

Climate Change &DRR

26


Policy

, Adv

ocacy

& Ne

twork

ing

RCDC aims to complement its grassroots interventions with integratedpolicy, advocacy and networking activities. We understand that in

order to get to the root of the problems we are trying to address, weneed to campaign and spread awareness in order to influence decisionmakers and bring the issues to a wider audience through the media. Ourresearch is used to reinforce our advocacy, campaigns and publications.We build and use existing networks to share knowledge and forge alli-ances that enable us to exert greater influence by acting as a unitedfront. We publish details of our research and grassroots activities for arange audiences, from educational materials in Oriya to English periodi-cals for those working in the sector. This year, our activities in this areaincluded:

• RESEARCH• ADVOCACY & CAMPAIGNS• MEDIA• NETWORKING

Policy, Advocacy &Networking

27


Research

During 2010 - 11, we are proud to say we have continued to conduct andproduce leading research across the variety of areas we work in. Ourresearch allows us gain a greater understanding of a broad range ofissues and is used to refine our activities, reinforce our campaigns,inform our publications and help us strategise for the future.

• Participatory action research was used to analyze different gov-ernance issues with natural resources, focusing on bio-resource,forestry sector development, land lease status, forest posses-sion/ diversion, and more

• A study on Kendu leaf management, operation and trade wasundertaken in central Indian states, with findings shared inworkshops and published in Community Forestry. A study onLac has been undertaken in selected pockets of Orissa

• Studies on indigenous knowledge to strengthen grassroots cop-ing strategies for climate change adaptation

• In order to know the prospects and constraints of contract farm-ing in Orissa, a study was undertaken in selected pockets of 7districts, covering 505 households

• A study on the functioning of PESA has been initiated in twoGPs each in three operational districts

• Policy research and advocacy was undertaken focusing on thelinkage between PESA and FRA, the magnitude of householddependency on NTFP, sustainable harvesting and product-spe-cific trade policies

• Primary and secondary information was collected on issues suchas climate change, ground water depletion, drinking water cov-erage and conflicts in distribution of water, and communityinitiatives

• Case studies were collected on sea erosion at Satbhaya, seaerosion at Pentha, interstate conflict of Polavaram, fluoridecontamination in Nayagarh (3 case studies), livelihoods de-pending on boat making, livelihoods depending on net weav-ing, water pollution by industries (2 case studies), good prac-tices of management of drinking water sources (2 case stud-ies), and achievements of school water education in Nayagarh


28


Highlights from 2010 - 11

• A second analytical study on the status of the implementationof the Biodiversity Act 2002, to further substantiate the find-ings of an earlier study on the implementation at ground levelin 4 states (Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and AndhraPradesh). The findings of the study were shared at a regionalconsultation in Dec 2010

• A study on the alienation of productive and/or ecologically sen-sitive land for unconventional cash crops, and the impactthereof on the livelihood of the original landholder

• A research study on climate change and its impact on: a) natu-ral resource management; b) the MGNREG Act

Advocacy & Campaigns

Advocacy and campaigns work is carried out to ensure our vision is pro-moted, the deprived masses can have a voice, an organised front ispresented and so we can exert legitimate pressure on the government.Our advocacy and campaigns have this year, as in others, been based onthe information and experience gained from the implementation of ourgrassroots activities.

Highlights from 2010 - 11

• A two day national level consultation on the FRA was held incollaboration with ECONET and was hosted by the Kovel Foun-dation, Vishakhapatnam, in order to take stock of the imple-mentation of FRA

• Training programmes and workshops were held to create aware-ness of the FRA - as a result 586 individual and 6 communityclaims were submitted, 35 people from scheduled tribe com-munities have had lands entitled and forest protection com-mittees were formed from village to apex level

• For effective implementation of the FRA, a mass rally wasorganised at Chandrapur followed by submission of memoran-dums to the Tahasildar

• RCDC attended a workshop by IIFM on the JFM resolution inNew Delhi and contributed substantially towards a pro-peoplepolicy resolution


29


• The Orissa Forest Sector Development Project invited RCDC tothe workshop on "Harmonizing JFM, CFM, FRA and PESA". RCDCinfluenced the policy decision and it was admired by the bu-reaucrats

• Advocacy workshops on various topics have been organized atdifferent levels with active participation of CBOs, PRI mem-bers, NGO representatives, media personnel and governmentofficials

• A one-day regional level consultation on biodiversity conserva-tion and bioresource governance was organised on 28th De-cember 2010 at Bhubaneswar. Two state level consultations wereorganized at Bhubaneswar on Mining and Industrial issues. Aone-day civil society consultation on the Wildlife (Protection)Amendment Bill 2010 was held at Bhubaneswar

• Three district-level workshops were organised in Rayagada,Koraput and Gajapati during November and December 2010 todiscuss the specific law/policies, practices, rights, entitlementsand governance issues in the management of natural resourcesin Orissa

• An apex federation in the Bolangir programme area - MaaDashamati Anchalik Mahasangha - is now taking a leading rolein awareness creation and campaigning

• The Government of Orissa has established a policy for Inte-grated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Orissa andsought the suggestions of Orissa Water Forum (RCDC is a mem-ber of it). RCDC contributed to a consultation on draft IWRMpolicy, though a technical presentation on disasters in Orissasuch as floods and droughts

• RCDC was selected to represent civil society in a consultationon "The impact of drought and flood in the water sector Orissa"convened by India’s Central Water Commission in Bhubaneswar

• Recently the state government has asked RCDC to give its opin-ion on the draft Climate Change Action Plan. RCDC gave itsfeedback in a consultation arranged by Focus Orissa Forum, ofwhich RCDC is a member

• RCDC has been continuing its effort to create a friendly atmo-sphere where the government administration feels comfort-able in working with NGOs and involves community membersin decision making


30


Media

This year we are proud of how we have pushed the profile of RCDC in themedia, which allows us to promote our activities and development is-sues to a broad audience. We recognise the power of the media as aneducational tool and as a means of exerting pressure on decision mak-ers. Our programmes, conferences, workshops, expert comments andopinion have appeared consistently in online, print and broadcast mediathis year. A key highlight from the year was a documentary film we madeon the Forest Rights Act.

Networking

By joining and building up networks, RCDC is able to gain and shareknowledge and work together with others in the sector to achieve goals.RCDC has a wealth of resources, including research data and field exper-tise, on a broad spectrum of topics that we share with others to spreadawareness and understanding. We use our networks to make stakehold-ers aware of provisions, issues and challenges of legislation, such as theForest Rights Act, so as to facilitate their proper implementation.

Highlights from 2010 - 11• RCDC is a member of the NTFP Exchange Programme of South

Asia, helping us to have greater involvement in the advocacycircle of network partners, acting as a united pressure group

• As a member of national and international networks like IUFRO,we have tried to address both legal and operational issues inregards to the FRA and other matters related to forest gover-nance at national level

• A strong network of NGOs, CBOs, POs and different movementshas been constituted for successful implementation of FRA


31


• RCDC networked on SFM with global organisations such asFECOFUN and GACF

• RCDC was nominated as a steering committee member forCAMPA

• RCDC worked with civil society organisations, particularly theRight to Food Campaign, participating in the fourth nationalconvention on the right to food.

• Formation of a federation of existing watershed committeeswas suggested and the creation process has started. A networkhas been built up with the DFF, SMPUB, Adiwasi Mahasangha,Food Security Committee, Education Watch and others

• An interface workshop in Bolangir was held, where the districtadministration, civil society, CBO representatives and mediadiscussed issues of food insecurity in Bolangir and the waysahead

• A strong network of DLC, SDLC, PRI, NGOs, POs formed bothat Block and District level in Bolangir

Besides a number of informal networks and partnerships, this year RCDCacted as a member of several formal and prestigious networks, such as:NTFP Exchange Programme South Asia, IUFRO, FECOFUN, GACF and PACS.


32


Cons

ulting

Servi

ces RCDC has been rendering consulting services to Oxfam for the lastthree years. During 2010-11, consulting activities involved:

• M&E learning systems in four development projects implementedby Oxfam partner NGOs operating in Orissa, MP, Rajasthanand Gujarat under the IASU programme

• A baseline study on women fishers' access to markets underthe Marine Fishery Project implemented by UAA, Ganjam, Orissa

• Income tracking of 200 fishery households on periodic inter-vals to study the project impact and quality of lives of benefi-ciaries

• The identification of milk routes, supply chain analysis andprocess documentation of a PRADAN-implemented dairy projectin Rajasthan

• Regular collection and analysis of information on different M&Eindicators related to the Inland Fishery Project implementedby VIKALAP, Madhya Pradesh. Also, the promotion of a feed-back system for further improvement of the project

• An impact Assessment of IASU Initiatives undertaken by Oxfamin Kutch, Gujarat

• Capturing best practices promoted at community level throughapplication of ICTechnology by VRTI, Nalia. Capacity building offield investigators and volunteers in periodic intervals for datacollection.

Consulting Services

33


Publications

RCDC has a strong history of producing quality publications and continued to develop and refine these this year - in the form of periodic

journals, newsletters, books, select articles, reports and ad hoc manu-als, modules, leaflets and posters. Our publications are created in orderto disseminate our learning, build awareness and advocate the issues wework on. Most of the publications are in the local language, the targetgroup being primarily confined to Orissa, but reports and event proceed-ings, etc., are usually available in English. Our publications serve notonly as an information base, but also as guides and a medium of inspira-tion for the target groups.

Journals and Newsletters

Jala Jivan SambadDuring the reporting period, 3 issues of Jala Jivan Sambad were pub-lished and disseminated covering broad issues, such as the impact ofclimate change on water resources of Orissa, intrastate water conflictsin Orissa and the impact of ground water depletion on both quality andquantity of drinking water in Orissa.

Community ForestryOne issue of this English journal was printed, focusing on climate change,and circulated to a broad audience locally and internationally.

Publications

34


Ama Jangal AmaraFour issues of these were printed, with 4000 copies of each, circulatedamong community groups involved in forest protection, civil society, lo-cal forest officials and the media.

Jangal Khabar (Forestry News)Six issues of this Oriya newsletter were published, focusing on forestrights and tendu leaf prices, and distributed to selected NGOs, RCDC’sfield areas and OJM members.

Jibika KhabaraTwo of these Oriya newsletters were published, relating to food and live-lihood security, and distributed in the Nabarangpur field area.

JhardarabFive issues of this Oriya publication, with 1500 copies each time, weredistributed to RCDC’s field areas, NGOs, government departments, localinstitutions. The newsletter focuses on issues related to NTFPs and SHCsand is circulated among primary members of cooperatives, PRIs and oth-ers involved in NTFPs.

SambhavanaThis informal newsletter promoting communication and collaborationbetween actors engaged in small farming, fishing, pastoralism and hunter-gathers in India and S/SE Asia was produced and distributed to partnerorganisations.

A livelihoods programme newsletter was also produced and distributed,highlighting government schemes, MGNREGS and Forest Rights Act 2006,RCDC's intervention and development challenges.

Leaflets & Posters• Booklets and posters related to local governance, MGNREGS, forest

conservation and protection were prepared and distributed tostakeholders including the administration, district level officials,journalists and community members of Bolangir District.

• Pictorial materials were developed for 20 government schemesto use in village and Panchayat level meetings and trainings.

Publications

35


Publications

• Leaflets and posters on fluoride and de-fluoridation were devel-oped and demonstrated in SWE rallies, children congress, othervillage events and GP level meetings.

• IEC materials on MGNREGS, PDS and FRA were published anddsitributed among target groups.

• A leaflet was produced for, and distributed at, a FD conferenceon 'combatting desertification' in June 2011

• A leaflet on gender issues was produced and distributed for In-ternational Women's Day, 8th March 2011.

Manuals & Modules• A training module was developed on different forest and NTFP

management options• Teaching materials on water issues were distributed in schools

36


Finan

cial R

eport

201

0-11

RCDC is proud of its proven commitment to transparency andaccountability. We strive to lead the way in getting value for money

for our donors and condemning any form of corruption. Our financedepartment run a tight operation, ensuring RCDC's income andexpenditure are processed in a thorough and ethical manner.

IncomeRCDC obtained its money this year from a number of sources likeinternational and national funding agencies, government and localcontributions.

ExpenditureWe are proud to say the majority of our expenditure goes directly intoour charitable activities - grassroots interventions, research and advocacy.

The scanned copy of audited Balance Sheet and Income & Expenditureaccounts as follows.

Financial Report2010-11

37

ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11 38


AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

RCDC is grateful for the generous support it receives from its partners and sponsors - our work would not be possible without them.

We take this opportunity to thank the following organisations for theirfinancial support during 2010-11:

• Action Aid

• Broederlijk Delen (BD)

• Concern Worldwide

• Dan Church Aid (DCA)

• European Commission (EC)

• Ford Foundation

• Keystone Foundation

• KZE (Misereor)

• Oxfam India

• Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF)

• SIMAVI

• Jamsedji Tata Trust (JTT)

• SIMAVI

• Government of Orissa and other donors

40


Look

ing Ah

ead

Prospective Plan 2011-2015RCDC is finalising its plans for the coming few years. We are aware thatthe organisation has reached an age and size where it needs to reflect,consolidate and ensure it matures in a way that builds on the vast workit has already achieved whilst adapting to the changing developmentscenario.

We are preparing a new organisational framework, to go in line withnew, more clearly defined thematic areas that will allow RCDC to secureits identity as a leading player in its field, regionally and nationally. Weare comprehensively integrating communications and fundraising as keyelements of the organisation, which will allow RCDC to grow and bringitself up to contemporary national standards. The plans are ambitiousbut, we believe, achievable. We are excited to take RCDC through thispositive change, which will enable us to take a step closer to our vision.

41

Regional Centre for Development CooperationA/68, 1st Floor, Sahid Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751007, Odisha, IndiaPh.: +91 674 2545250, Fax: +91 674 2545252E-mail: [email protected], Website: www.rcdcindia.org, www.banajata.orgRegd. office: 424, Sahid Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751 007, Odisha

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