LAND DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORESTATION

From End Of Poverty

6. LAND DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORESTATION:

Rural Development takes place within a physical environment of land, climate, vegetation and the animal order. The diversity of this environment presents opportunities and challenges in any effort at Rural Development. Land is the most vital resource for development in any part of India.

ASSIST tries to understand the following elements for consideration while taking up interventions related to land development and afforestation:

• First one evidently is its location – whether inland, coastal/transportation services; • Second one is the extent of land available owned by the community; • Third one is terrain – its nature, whether slope or plain; • Fourth one evidently is its access to fresh water – surface/underground; • Fifth one is type of soil – quality and its feasibility; • Sixth one is eventual hazards likely to be faced by this land – from floods, salt water, tides, etc.; • Seventh and last one is mineral resources available in the land – from soil testing;

Land Reclamation after Tsunami Disaster:

Fishing communities are frightened for the first time and they started thinking about alternate livelihood opportunities. It is more so as they have been experiencing dissatisfactory results in fishing after Tsunami. These people are of the opinion that Tsunami of 26th December 2004 has disturbed the environment in the sea in this region and the continual fishing might not yield prospective results.

At this juncture, the people have started looking at only other resource available with them i.e., land. These communities used to grow casuarinas trees and ground nut in their lands along the coast. But with the overflow of drainage water coming from Krishna River and other canals, the fishermen have started converting the lands to grow paddy and it used to give good results. In 1982, private enterprises have started experimenting aqua culture in these lands by using the back water coming from the sea. As the experiments have been successful, fishermen also have started converting their tiny lands into aqua farming in 1985 and the results have been satisfactory.

But, due to frequent cyclones, floods and indiscriminate use of fertiliser and change in climatic conditions, aqua farms started suffering with viral infections from 1995 and the aqua farming has failed miserably. However, because of the heavy investment, the fishermen families have been continuing their efforts hoping the situation would improve gradually.

The cultivable lands that were converted into aqua culture had become polluted and the salinity in the soil has increased and become hindrance for cultivation of agricultural crops. Tsunami hit in December 2004 has made the situation much worse as salt water entered into part of these lands in the coast in Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna Districts.

After having witnessed the support extended by ASSIST and Rotary in Prakasam and Guntur Districts, the villagers of Krishna District have urged for the land reclamation works so that these lands could be brought under cultivation and agricultural crops could be grown once again. Present project is designed exclusively to support twelve fishermen communities in 12 villages of Krishna District to bring 2,960 acres (1,184 hectares) under cultivation with agricultural crops.

Fishermen of 12 coastal villages affected under Tsunami in Krishna District are requesting for the reclamation of these abandoned lands converted under aqua culture as it would be an alternative livelihood for their survival after Tsunami. Private enterprises having the aqua farms have already converted their lands and started making use of their lands by cultivating agricultural crops. Hence, the villagers are convinced that their lands also could be converted by undertaking reclamation works and desalinising them with the use of gypsum and fresh water. Accordingly, abundant lands to the tune of 2,960 acres (1,184 hectares) owned by the fishermen community were identified in these 12 Tsunami affected villages under two mandals of Krishna District. All these families were hit by Tsunami and are not in a position to get their lands cultivable by investing huge amounts. However, they strongly feel they have to safeguard their tiny land holdings so that it could give guaranteed yearly returns while the fishing is not yielding satisfactory results after Tsunami disturbance in Bay of Bengal. It is more so desired and become a felt need as the fishing is not giving satisfactory results after Tsunami. Hence, the fishermen community are insisting to bring their tiny lands back under cultivation so that they could have assured annual income from the land resource.

The following functions have to be carried on to bring the land under cultivation in phased manner:

• The first task would be to remove and reduce the bunds with the use of small dozer and hollow spots have to be filled while laying the field channels to get the fresh water for cultivation purposes;

• Once the bunds are either removed or reduced to do the agricultural cultivation, the land has to be levelled with the use of tractor with blades. This will enable us to do the required levelling of the total land and the water flows freely to the entire land.

• After levelling, the total land will be ploughed with the cultivator attached to the tractor. It ensures the mixing of soil in the ground and fertility can be ensured.

• Water channels developed with the use of dozer are repaired and outflow of water with proper drainage system is ensured.

• Applying gypsum at the rate of 2 M.Ts. per one acre on an average (5 M.Ts. per one hectare) and wetting the land sufficiently and draining out the water to take away the salinity in the soil.

Whole operation will be done with professional experts by extending all the required technical guidance and assistance to bring the total land under cultivation.

Tree plantation:

This is another activity to be taken up by the POs to improve the vegetative conservation in the proposed villages. The plantation will be taken up in the vacant places, backyards and on the roadside. The POs will identify such places and the recommendations are to be obtained from the expertise from the department of Social Forestry before going for plantation. It is proposed to plant 150,000 trees in a project period of three years with the active involvement of the POs. Even after the plantation is completed the POs will take the responsibility to protect and grow the plants. They take care of watering and other safety measures required to ensure that the trees grow.