Puducherry, India
DelPHE Project
About DelPHE
This project looks into the livelihood security of livestock dependent WSHGs in South India in an attempt to identify the role of knowledge as an input to alleviate poverty. Further the project envisages to develop and test knowledge kits as appropriate levels of intervention that would benefit the WSHGs. The DelPHE Project gives scope for curriculum development in the important field of “Gender and Livestock Development”, faculty exchange programmes, professional capacity building and sharing/dissemination of experiences through workshops and seminars of this kind. The multidisciplinary team from Women Studies, Development Studies, Economics and Veterinary Extension alongside practitioners of development facilitates better understanding of the situation. The interactions with field level participations of developments have always been a learning experience that adds to the utility of research.
The project is a team built out of a network of seven investigators [5 in India and 2 in UK] lead by Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Puducherry. In the process various government departments (like SERP, DAH, social welfare, ICAR, DRDA), educational institutions and NGOs are getting connected to this network, in benefiting the achievement of objectives in a more inclusive manner. The pro-poor, pro-gender, pro-participatory approach will directly help in achieving the MDGs of alleviating poverty among poor.
Women self help groups (WSHGs) are increasing in numbers. Their numbers have gone up from about 400,000 in 2001 to a whopping 1,620,000 in 2005 and about 90% of them are WSHGs (NABARD, 2005). WSHGs are turning out to be reliable development intervention units for the Government and non Government agencies. Banks consider WSHGs as prompt in the repayment of loans (taken for income generating activities) and prefer to offer loans to these groups than to individuals. These attempts help the group members to get the benefits of micro finance aiding them to move out of poverty, which would not have been possible if the women were left alone. Of the various income generating activities women prefer livestock rearing, which helps in building up their assets.
Impact studies revealed the positive outcomes of SHGs in terms of reducing the incidence of poverty and the dependency of money lenders; ensuring empowerment to women etc., but raised the critical issue of sustainability mainly because of their dependency of subsidy. Sustainability could be ensured mainly through productivity of the assets acquired i.e. cattle in most of the case on which the livelihoods of the SHG members depend.
The studies with focus on distribution of benefits of livestock rearing and their contribution of poverty alleviation are scanty. Similarly the scope of SHGs as knowledge centres and their sustainability were not studied.
The present research work will study the dynamics of WSHGs involved in livestock rearing in terms of (i) distribution of benefits of livestock rearing (ii) understanding the knowledge processes, identify knowledge needs and develop methods of meeting those needs through poverty mapping and appropriately designed knowledge kits.
The study is to be carried out in four states of Southern India, in addition to Puducherry region. The research has an interdisciplinary approach involving the participation of the International and Rural development Department of University of Reading, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK, Centres for Women’s Studies in Bangalore and Coimbatore and the Departments of the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension of Veterinary colleges in Hyderabad, Waynad and Puducherry.
The results of the study will help in improving the livelihood security of WSHGs involved in livestock rearing through capacity building in gender awareness.