The ECO-CLUB is having a vast experience in implementing of the watershed development activities. The ECO-CLUB as a Project Facilitating Agency (PFA) under NABARD WDF Programme supported by the NABARD Hyderabad for facilitating the watershed activities in 4 Grama Panchayaths, 12 villages of Kondurgu mandal, Mahabubnagar District, A.P. Under this programme the covering area of 4000 ha. The main activities under this project are motivating the villagers to participate in Shramadhanam Activities, Natural Resource Management, Land Development, Soil & Moisture Conservation, Water Conservation & Management, construction of water harvesting structures, Improve the Vegetation in the villages, Horticulture & Agro Forestry, Sustainable Agriculture, Livestock & Dairy Development, Empower the poorest of the poor and improve the level of Livelihoods.

As per guidelines of NABARD & support of RSO the organization ECO-CLUB is involved to involving the villagers in effective implementation of watershed activities in their respective villages.

The Mahabubnagar District is located in the Central Part of Peninsular India. The agriculture activity is intensive and the groundwater resources are meager. Drought is ever persistent in Mahabubnagar District. The people’s adaptive and coping strategies have become a way of life. Seasonal migrations for alternative livelihood opportunities have become a tradition for some of the people.

Based on this situation ECO-CLUB as a taking initiation to address these issues. The organization selected as a Project Implementing Agency (PIA) under DPAP in Mahabubnagar District. Under this program we are implemented 11 Micro watershed programs were successfully implemented in Kondurgu Mandal. And also under APRLP watershed plus activities promotion of sustainable livelihood activities were taken up. Process monitoring; follow up activities and capacity building are carried for better quality of implementation of the programme. Self-Help Group Members and Watershed Committee Members, the villagers together are involved in the success of watershed programme.

Climate Change is a major global environmental problem today. The International scientific community has concluded that there is compelling evidence of climate change. Developing countries like India are considered particularly vulnerable to climatic changes due to their dependency on climate-sensitive sectors, such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, water, and other natural resources, and limited capacities to anticipate and respond to climatic changes. Most of the Indian rural population live in harsh climate regions of mountains, deserts, and river deltas, which makes them more susceptible to changing climate. The potential impacts of climate change are very broad.

Given the projected extent of climate change impacts, we need to prepare mechanisms that will help our society adapt. In the recent past, there have been efforts to mitigate climate change around the world. But this alone will not suffice and therefore need to be complemented by adaptation measures, which address the vulnerability to current and future climate changes and associated impacts.

The ECO-CLUB is the field-level facilitating organization in the implementation of the Programme an innovative project funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Global Environment Fund called “Vulnerability Assessment and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Regions of India” (V&A Climate Change Programme). This Action Research Study Programme is implementing in Kothur village of Midjil mandal and Srirangapur village of Kondurgu Mandal of Mahabubnagar Dist. It is the only programme in India. This program is basically a combined Research Program between Research Institutions and Farmers.

Goal

The core objective of this project is to secure the livelihoods of the rural poor and vulnerable communities affected by climate-related stresses.

Objectives

• Enhance the adaptive capacity of the local communities
• Improve delivery systems
• Promote multi-level policy dialogues and general awareness of climate-related impacts.

The main focused areas under this programme are

• Water
• Agriculture
• Rural Energy
• Livestock

Major activities carried out in this programme viz;

• This programme is implementing as per project guidelines.
• Create awareness through Kalajatha programmes
• Collection of Primary and Secondary data
• Situational Analysis
• Regular meetings and Interactions
• Trainings and Exposure visits to different places
• Establishment of Village Knowledge centers
• Installation of Weather Stations (Mini Agro met Stations)
• Formation of Smart Farmers Clubs
• Participatory Technology Development
• Construction of good stoves
• Renovation of water bodies
• Soil reclamation and etc.

The Agromet-Cell, Agricultural Research Institute, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad, is the coordinating agency for the Farmers Managing Climate Related Crop Production Risk in Andhra Pradesh, India supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australia.

The ECO-CLUB is a Local Level Implementing NGO. Implementing this programme in Srirangapur village of Kondurgu Mandal in Mahabubnagar district.

The main objective of this programme is creating awareness on Climate Change.

Objectives

• To evaluate the skill of seasonal climate forecasts to be issued by IMD for the 2008 Monsoon season.
• To assess crop management options in response to seasonal scenarios that capture the range of seasonal climatic variability.
• To develop and evaluate options for effective communication and adoption of climate forecasts and agricultural advisories.
• To report on the merits of a follow-on project.

ECO-CLUB is following the above aims and objectives of this programme and regular advices, weather forecast bulletins received from Agromet Cell, ANGRAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. We disseminate this information to the village farmers and display this information on the notice board at the Village Knowledge Centre.

This is a very useful programme for the farming community.

Promoting better livelihoods through increased yield in dry land cultivation through low external input in sustainable agriculture concepts (LEISA). This program has been implemented in 8 villages (Groups) with 160 farmers intensively and farming community in Kondurgu Mandal of Mahabubnagar district with the support of FAO & AME Foundation, Bangalore.

The main objectives of this program are the Formation of Farmer's groups, Provided Revolving Funds, trainings on IPM & NPM, Facilitating Sustainable Agricultural Practices through FFS (Farmers Field School), trainings on Soil and Moisture Conservation, Soil and Water Conservation, Bio-Mass Generation, Composting Techniques, Income Generation Activities.

Farmers Field School (FFS)

The concept of Farmers Field School is essential to rain-fed agriculture farmers to practice the systematical Sustainable Agriculture. It is a discovery learning process and an effective tool for enhancing the capacity of the farmer for crop management.

• To know the discovery process
• To know the Agri Eco System and Analyzation
• To enhance the decision making capacity
• To Identify the Pests and Predators
• To know the ICM (Integrated Crop Management) practices
• To effective utilization of local resources

Major Principles of FFS

• Grow a healthy crop, observe the field regularly, and Conserve Natural Enemies of crop pests, Farmers understand ecology and become experts in their own field.

This is a very useful program for the village farmers to be aware of their practices.

The ECO-CLUB is having master trainers to conduct the FFS program in the district.

A project on “Enhancing the capacity of farmers for improving rice production and improving water use efficiency” through SRI in Mahabubnagar District, Andhra Pradesh. It is funded by the ICRISAT–WWF Project, Patancheru, A.P. The ECO-CLUB, NGO is selected as an implementing agency to promote SRI programme at the grassroots level in 10 villages selected in Kondurg and Devarkadra mandals, Mahabubnagar.

The major activities implemented in this program are:

• Base line survey (BLS)
• Selection of farmers
• Awareness Building Wall Paintings
• Kalajatha
• Publications
• Exposure visit
• School Meeting Group Meetings
• Training to Farmers
• Nursery Raising
• Training on Transplanting
• Weed Management
• Water Management
• Training on NPM and IPM
• Distribution of Weeders and Markers
• Linkages with Government Departments
• Organizing Field Days
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Farmers felt happy about the SRI approach and they could compare the increase in grain yield and the number of productive tillers. More farmers came forward to take up SRI in the Rabi Season.

Most of them are interested in taking up the SRI approach in the cultivation of paddy for effective water saving and reduction in the cost of seed. They are of the opinion that the modified weeder efficiency was good and well suited to the soil. Hence, weed management became easy and reduced the labour charges.

Farmers expressed the need for a mechanized weeder and transplanting machine. It would help in reducing the cost of cultivation and dependency on labour. They also expressed the need for critical inputs to be provided in a timely manner to take up the activity on a priority basis.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh initiated the process of providing to the farmers benefiting from irrigation projects, a substantive management role in the operation and maintenance of the irrigation tanks.

The project development objective is selected tank-based procedure to improve agriculture productivity and water users associations to manage tank systems effectively and increase in area irrigated, improved water availability to tail-end farmers, increase in agricultural, livestock, and fisheries productivity and production from tank systems, and strengthening water users associations.

The ECO-CLUB had an opportunity to implement this programme in 11 tanks of 4 mandals in our district. The selected mandals are Devarkadra, C.C.Kunta, Dhanwada, and Kothakota mandals. We are creating awareness and strengthening the water users associations for sustainable tank development mode. Improve the agriculture productivity through effective water management and utilization and demonstrations.

National Green Corps (NGC) is an organization whose primary objective is to spread environmental discipline among students in the state, from school to university level.

NGC aims to involve students of all levels in the country in the environmental movement for conservation.

The organization is selected as a Local Resource Agency to facilitate the Andhra Pradesh National Green Corps (NGC) in Mahabubnagar District. Under this programme, the organization is providing facilitation and Monitoring & Evaluation of the selected Govt. and Private High Schools in Mahabubnagar District. And creating awareness among the environmental issues, water & sanitation, waste management, Clean and Green. We educate the students to identify the local environmental issues and conduct water & tree audits.

The Programme has been implementing with the support of D.M & H.O, Mahabubnagar since 2001 in 35 villages of Kondurg Mandal. Trained 35 Community Health Workers have been providing services to the community on preventive and curative methods of health, especially in immunization, post and pre-natal care, and giving referral services to the villagers.

The community health workers are participating in ongoing activities at the village level and disseminating information on immunization, family planning, institutional deliveries, and child health care activities.

The impact of this programme is gradually reducing the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternity Mortality Rate (MMR) in rural areas.

Mahabubnagar district is one of the low literacy rate districts. The ECO-CLUB has taken the initiative to provide education to out-of-school children by establishing Residential Bridge Course Centers for children below 14 years of age.

Under the National Child Labour Project and DPEP, we established two Residential Bridge Course Centers in Koilkonda mandal of Mahabubnagar district. We enrolled out-of-school children and never-enrolled children in the villages and provided educational services to these children.

Based on their abilities, we aimed to mainstream these children into regular schools and sought support from the Social Welfare Department for hostel facilities.

The programme was supported by PRIA, New Delhi. Our organization had the opportunity to work with the local bodies of Panchayat Raj Institutions (Grama Panchayats) in 29 villages of Kondurgu Mandal of Mahabubnagar district.

Main Activities

• Strengthen the Panchayat Raj Institutions
• Capacity building on roles and responsibilities of the elected representatives of the village
• Sensitize the citizen leaders and ward members
• Initiate them to prepare micro action plans for their respective villages
• Facilitate the villagers to organize the Grama sabhas
• Create awareness on the 73rd Constitutional Amendment on Panchayat Raj
• Linkages with the line departments for village development
• Facilitate them to form a network among citizen leaders and ward members
• Convergence of local CBOs and other committees into Gram Panchayat

Our organization completed this program with the support of local communities.

This is a welfare programme for the disabled in rural areas of Koilkonda Mandal. As part of strengthening, we formed them into small self-help groups and implemented the following activities:

• Disability awareness camps in all villages
• Development of concern and positive attitude towards persons with disability among the rural masses
• Counseling and mainstreaming of children with disabilities
• Motivation and formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) of PwDs and their kin
• Skill development for self-dependency among PwDs
• Promotion of networks for advocacy, lobbying, and rights

This program is supported by CAPART, New Delhi, and was successfully completed with the support of village Vikalangula Sanghas and mainstreaming through DRDA/Velugu, Mahabubnagar district.

With support from the Water Conservation Mission (WCM) Commissioner of Rural Development & APARD, this program was implemented in 374 water-stressed villages in Mahabubnagar district.

Mahabubnagar is a drought-prone district comprising 64 mandals with an extent of 18.45 Lakhs Ha and a population of 35.09 lakhs. Approximately 65% of the cultivable land depends on monsoons. The district’s average rainfall is 604 mm, and the groundwater level is very low, leading to migration from rural areas.

Given these conditions, ECO-CLUB initiated awareness programs and training sessions for the NRM committee members in the villages. With the support of members and the community, village-level micro plans for drinking water and irrigation water conservation and utilization were developed.

This program was successfully completed with the support of the local community and associated agencies.

ECO-CLUB is one of the implementing agencies for the Bio-Technology Project supported by APNL (Andhra Pradesh Netherlands – Bio-technology unit). This project focuses on promoting organic farming, with a primary concentration on establishing vermi-compost units in selected farms and setting up demonstration cum production units.

In this program, we identified 50 farmers in 5 villages of Kondurgu Mandal in Mahabubnagar district. These farmers are actively involved in maintaining vermi-compost units and utilizing the compost for their crops. The manure is applied in place of chemical fertilizers, leading to increased yields in vegetable cultivation at a lower production cost.

A central demonstration and production unit, maintained by the organization, supplies interested farmers with vermi-compost and conducts regular training sessions on the preparation and utilization of vermi-composting.