1. ROLE OF COMMUNITY BASED INSTITUTION IN
ENHANCING FARM PRODUCTIVITY, ENSURING
FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY
International Food Security Dialogue 2014
“Enhancing Food Production, Gender Equity and Nutritional
Security in a Changing World.”
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
G.VENKATESAN, S.ABUBACKER SIDDICK,
E.D.I.OLIVER KING, V.BALAMURUGAN, K.MATHESH
Alleviating Poverty and Malnutrition in Agro biodiversity Hotspots Project,
M.S.SWAMINATHAN RESEACH FOUNDATION, Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, India

2. Community Institution – Tradition to Contemporary
• Traditional panchayat – Community Governance
• Panchayatraj systems – 1980’s
• Social capital building - SHGs movement in Tamil
Nadu – Since 1980’s
• Community institution - Self Help Groups, Farmers
club, Thematic groups
• Crucial role in sustaining through micro credit and
thrift/ savings
• Livelihood enhancement programs of the state
Hosted By:Sponsored By:

3. Community Institutions building process in Kolli Hills
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
 A decade old movement organized
community members in to a concept
based groups
 Concept based community institutions
to conserve traditional agriculture
system, Crops for Food and nutritional
security, herbal cultivation, local healers
and folk arts
 Promotion of organic farming and
Entrepreneurship Development for
sustainable livelihood
 Providing training on capacity building
for their livelihood
 Promotion of Small Scale on farm and
off farm Enterprises for the Small and
Marginal Farm Families
Community Mobilization
Group formation
Technology Transfer
System Management
System Management
KHABCoFED

4. Land Less
14%
Below 250
61%
250-500
20%
Above 500
5%
Household Land Holding Details (in %)
Demographic & Land Holding status in APM site,
Kolli Hills
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
Male Female
0-5
06-18
19 - 65
above 65
Demographic Details
Valappur Panchayat

5. Community Institutions Nurtured in APM context
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
Community Based Institution Purpose
Farmers Research Group
(FRG)
Assessment of constraints on cultivation practices,
Participatory research trials and
demonstrations, Vermi-composting
Conservation and Management of Nutritious
Underutilized crops
Farmers Club (FC) Seed bank, Pulverizer units,
Farm machinery utilization and maintenance
Self Help Groups (SHG) &
Women Farmers Club (WFC)
Community enterprise activities
Pond User Group (PUG) Carp fish culture in community ponds and
private wells
Community Action Groups on
Nutrition (CAN)
Nutrition awareness training
Behavioral Change Communication

6. Community Institution in APM site in Kolli Hills
2011-2014
PSC+VKCMC SHG FC FRG NAG
16
66
114
36
8
50
88
134
114
Gender Ratio in Community Based Institutions
Male
Female

7. Farmers Research Group
Constraints in Farming
• Limited access to quality seeds in time
• Reduced diversity of local food crops
• Lack of awareness on crop
management practices
Research Group as Solution
•Conservation and
multiplication of seeds of
local food and cash crops
•Seeing is believing (Field
exposures on improved
cultivation practice )
•Sharing traditional
knowledge with scientific
knowledge and
distribution of local land
races and improved
variety
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Marginal Farmers
Small Farmers
Medium
Big Farmers
Number of participants
FarmersCategoryBasedonlandholding
Farmers Participation in Agriculture Research Trials Male
Female

8. Farmers Research Group
Learning and Sharing Platform
•Enabling a learning and discussion platform for different class of
farm families
•Encouraging farm families on cultivation of nutritious and under
utilized crops
•Participatory assessment on constraints of cultivation practices
•Participation in varietal selection trials & demonstrations
•Selection of best varieties and multiplication of its seeds
•Introducing processing mills at locally
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
•Millet – 16 varieties observed for suitable variety selection
•Paddy – 8 varieties (Kharif) & 6 varieties (Rabi)
•Cassava – 11 varieties observed for selecting the best
•Banana – Integrated approach on pest & disease control
•Vermi-composting – 200 farm families trained and involved in
vermicompost & vermi-wash production

9. Farmers Club - Promising Pathway
Constraints of Farmers
• Lack of awareness on
conservation, multiplication and seed
storage
• Lack of awareness on collective
action on plant protection
• Limited access to get government
entitlement and subsidy schemes
Farmers Club a Forum to Discuss
•Collection and Conservation of seeds
on local food and cash crops at locally
•Multiplication of quality seeds and
distribution
•Promoting seeds exchange practice
among farmers
•Provision of farm equipments for ease
of access at limited cost
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
•Farmers Clubs – 11
•Total members – 154
(Female-88, Male-66)
•Total village seed
banks – 20
•Pulverizing units – 3
•Power tiller
operation &
management group
– 1 (F6, M6)

10. Pond User Groups
•Underutilized community ponds and private farm ponds
•Limited access and availability of fish
•Lack of awareness on fish varieties and fish farming
•Lack of awareness on cooking of fish foods among women
•Limited awareness about fish based nutrition
Sponsored By:
•Understand fresh water fish farming - Underutilized
community ponds brought in to optimal use on carp fish
farming
•Ensuring harvest and consumption at local level
•Participation in Fish dressing and Cooking demonstrations
•women in the group have a stake in decision
making, feeding, managing pond and selling of fish.
Hosted By:

11. Hosted By:Sponsored By:
Under-utilized water bodies and
Community Governance
0
5
10
15
20
25
MARGINAL
SMALL
MEDIUM
LARGE
LAND LESS
Land based category of - farmers participation in Pond User Group
FEMALE MALE
•Total number of Community Ponds – 4
•Total private farm ponds – 29
•Total number of Pond User Groups – 4
•Total members in the pond user group - 92

12. Community Action Group on Nutrition (CAN)
•Non diversified food menu
•Prevalence of nutritional deficiency diseases
•Lack of nutritional awareness among children and women
•Lack of awareness on healthy cooking practice
•Lack of awareness on anaemia among adolescents/ Mothers
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
Good Nutritional Practice (GNP)s
• Nutrition garden groups and Family Nutrition Education
• Establishment and Management of Home Nutrition Gardens
• Cookery Demonstration and Training
• Children Nutrition Clubs for awareness training on personal
hygiene among school children
• Anemia awareness training for Adolescent groups, PNC/ANC mothers
• Behavioral Change Communication programs for
target groups in villages
• Promotion of nutritive native food crops in home nutrition garden

13. Nutrition
Awareness
management of
Kitchen Gardens
Personal Hygiene
/ anemia control
Family
Nutrition
School
children
program
Cooking
Demo
Field Exposure
visits
Children Nutrition
Club
Nursery
Production
Processing of
Veg/ Fruits
Adolescent
girls Nutrition
Training and Awareness Program on Nutrition
Village Action Groups on
Nutrition
Female Male Total
Adolescent Girls group 67 0 67
Child Nutrition club 47 36 83
School Children Group 180 72 252
Nutrition Garden Groups 199 48 247
Below 15
15-30
30-45
45 & above
59
220
284
60
39
45
68
46
Age wise & Gendered Participation in
Nutrition Awareness Programs
Female Male

14. Entrepreneurial Groups
• Lack of local employment opportunities and unequal
access to income generating opportunities
• Increasing migration and poor access to nutritive food
• Lack of awareness on diverse income sources that build
upon local resources/crops and livestock
Hosted By:Sponsored By:
Actions Key Outputs
Power tiller operating
unit
Earned Net income =Rs. 15000/-Season
Country chicken
rearing in cage system
Earned Net Income =Rs. 15072/- from
one cycle (on going)
Country chicken
rearing in Shed system
Earned Net income Rs= 28012 from one
cycle, II batch taken up by the group
Stall fed Goat Rearing
unit (2 groups)
Number increased (birth to colts)
Expected Net income Rs.32000/ year

15. Community Feedback Mechanism
•Project Site Committee (PSC) -
advising on implementing project
activities
•Council of members from local
panchayat, lead farmers and SHG
representatives
•A forum to learn and share about the
adoption of implementing project
activities by the community
• Close monitoring and follow-up of
activities with project team members
Sponsored By:
Panchayat
Members
Lead Farmers
Women
Representatives
MSSRF
Representatives
Project Site Committee Members
Hosted By:

16. Community Based Knowledge Management
• Poor access to information and communication
• Lack of awareness on nutrition and food security entitlements
Sponsored By:
Panchayat
Representatives
School Teachers
Lead Farmers
(M+F)
MSSRF
Representatives
VKC - Management Committee
• Managing the knowledge centers and
supporting for its effective functioning
• Imparting scientific information and
knowledge through the knowledge
workers
• Computer and adult literacy to the
community
• Know about Government schemes and
social entitlements
Hosted By:

17. Farm Productivity Nutrition Training Fish - Training Enterprise
294
787
74
154
337
316
119
36
Gendered Participation in Major Training Program Organized Through
Village Knowledge Centre and Village Resource Centre
Female Male

18. Linkages - Activity and Sustainability
• Sustainability of the activity
• Imparting need based training to groups
• Promoting locally suitable livelihood activity
• Sustainability of the institutions
» Providing training on managing group
» Linking with research and training institution
» Linking with banks and National Development Agencies
for financial and training support
» Merging with KHABCoFED a unique body of Biodiversity
Conservers Federation for sustainable run
Sponsored By:

19. Hosted By:Sponsored By:
Thank You