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Use of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches
WORLP supports and follows GoI's Watershed guidelines, but
with extra resources for "watershed plus" activities:
capacity building, minor irrigation, drinking water, and livelihood
initiatives for the poorest. WORLP is part of a wider DFID
effort to help the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) improve
the effectiveness of watershed work Nationally and “watershed
plus” approaches developed in WORLP will be tested for
wider replication.
DFID
has provided:
• £23 million of local costs aid over 10 years;
• £9.75 million of TC funds to support capacity
building for government and NGOs and knowledge generation.
The
project started in the year 2000 in the two districts - Bolangir
(14 blocks) and Nuapada (5 blocks). A review of the first
phase implementation was done in January 2004. This review
has considered the issue of expansion into the new districts
of Bargarh (4 blocks) and Kalahandi (6 blocks);
The
four project districts are among the poorest in India, with
70% of their 4 million population below the poverty line.
They have suffered repeated droughts. Average rainfall at
1,200mm is higher than in many other parts of India, but is
erratic and water resources are only 10% used. Past development
initiatives have been hampered by inadequate implementation
capacity, and have focused more on physical asset creation
than on addressing the entitlement failures, which entrap
the poor.
This
project follows a "sustainable rural livelihoods"
approach and seeks to bring benefits to poor groups, rather
than confining itself to maximising overall income in the
area. The project analyses the constraints and opportunities
facing vulnerable groups and uses participatory micro planning
as a tool, which reflects the livelihood needs of the poorest.
The project has supported investments prioritised through
such planning to improve the productivity of land, provision
of water and improve drinking water and sanitation. For the
poorest groups it is promoting micro credit, and non-farm
activities. It is currently strengthening the capacity of
government organisations, local government and NGOs to work
together in addressing poverty. The project will identify
and address key policy issues which impact on the poorest.
MoRD,
Department of Land Resources (DLR) which is responsible for
its watershed programmes, administers project funds as grants
directly to district administrations as a new sub-scheme within
the Integrated Wasteland Development Programme. The Watershed
Mission of the Government of Orissa (GoO) Department of Agriculture
will supervise the project. The project is managed by Government
agencies in district.
(Summary
taken from DFID India website: www.dfidindia.org
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