Annual Report 2006-2007

Foreword

Continued with a rigorous struggle with a funding restriction during three yrs from its inception, the    organization focused on small activities with a firm belief based on modesty and perseverance, yet with a firm focus towards future thrust and issues of concern.

 Surviving with the limitations, RCSD has been able to venture into training and capacity building of resource poor women entrepreneurs towards developing sustainable livelihood opportunities, which is actively linked to an area demonstration project for productivity enhancement in homestead gardens amongst resource poor farmers.

 With a purpose to assist the national rural electrification programme based on non-conventional energy sources for electrification of remote un-electrified villages, the organization undertook representative feasibility survey and prepared DPR in two district of Assam for Implementation of a GIS and KM tools for Capacity Development in partnership with Shree Shakti Alternative Energy Pvt. RCSD with an vision to popularize Pico hydropower in the Ne Indian Himalayas is undertaking the promotion of Pico hydro power in two selective sites in active collaboration with local stakeholders and building their capacities for up-scaling.

 Overcoming the bounds of restriction, RCSD has been competitive to qualify for final project under the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to develop community driven management plans for reconstruction of degraded and fragmented areas. In addition the organization has reached the final rounds under the India Development Marketplace 2007 of the World Bank with a concept of creating self-sustaining CBOs for management and protection of natural resources.  

 Another achievement during this period is the opening up of a field unit to smoothen activities of ongoing and upcoming field based demonstration projects in kamrup and Morigaon district of Assam.   

 The activities during this year has been governed by understanding the demands of our situation, the nature of time and knowing our own rule and carefully attending to details and acting with humility with few limited resources.  As we move ahead we are guided by the experiences gained from pitfalls and success in steering towards the vision and goals of RCSD. 

 

                                                                                 Randhir Singha, Executive Director

Sustainable Energy Efficient Technologies

Research

RCSD undertook feasibility surveys and prepared DPRs and uploaded GIS data at http://www.mapunity.org/projects/gvep/assam.php# for twelve un-electrified villages in Morigaon and Golaghat district of Assam under project entitled “Development and Implementation of a Geographical Information System (GIS) and Knowledge Management tools for Capacity Development at National Level for Remote Village Electrification Programs in India” under GAP Funding of GVEP in Partnership with Shri Shakti Alternative Energy Ltd. The overall objective of the project is to develop and implement, at national level, Web enabled Support Services for capacity development, GIS, knowledge management tools and monitoring and evaluation tools for Remote Village Electrification Programs of MNES and GVEP Partners' scale up projects. 

The project will provide the ICT tools to support country actions for providing access to energy services to the underserved and unserved.  The project will facilitate linking of actions to provide access to energy services to programs and priorities in other sectors such as education, health, socio-economic development. The GIS and KM tools Would be used to develop protocols for RVEP, document best practices and support Monitoring and Evaluation of the RVEP programme.  PGIS and KM Systems would enable communities to have a voice in their energy needs and make the RVEP truly people centric. The project is funded by ESMAP (Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme) of the World Bank under the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP).

The Indian Himalaya is rich in fast running streams, which can be harnessed

 for electricity generation and for mechanical shaft power. Even small

amounts of electricity can give substantial benefits: Lighting improves

educational opportunities and often leads to cleaner and healthier domestic

environments. Computers, TVs, videos and radios provide access to

information and reduce the sense of isolation. In light of the above RCSD     

with support from Depart of Science & Technology (DST) Govt. of India is

undertaking a study for setting up sustainable models of Pico hydro for         

enhanced rural energy services and village based micro enterprise                development in the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, with site potentials       Pico Hydro System having maximum demonstrative effect

The study will build awareness and confidence in pico hydro amongst the targeted beneficiaries and other stakeholders. Followed by community mobilization and detail discussion at the identified potential sites for the refinement of locally applicable productive end uses from pico hydropower. Technical pre-feasibility study would be undertaken in collaboration with the local community to incorporate indigenous knowledge and wisdom..  

Land Use & Water Resource Research

Research and extension

In Assam coconut palm is grown in the warmer foothills and the plains, and is mostly planted at the homesteads as other perennial horticultural crops and is neglected crop in the state. The only management practice undertaken by the farmers relates to cleaning of the crown before the monsoon and application of FYM to the palms by a few . The common problem associated with the coconut palm relates to crown-choking, ganoderma and stem bleeding disease.

Thus with an object to overcome the identified constrains to coconut farming in the state, a project on Integrated farming for productivity improvement amongst small and marginal coconut growers in eight revenue villages under kamrup district of Assam is being undertaken to improve production and productivity of small and marginal coconut farms through Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Integrated Water Management (IWM), Integrated Cropping system Management (IcsM) leading to an increase in the net-income from the unit area and undertake skill up-gradation, training, Quality Control, & product development in the identified clusters on coconut culture. The project is being implemented in collaboration with Coconut Development Board (CDB), Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, NE States office

       Banificiaries                                  Pest management                                  Management Practice

Human Resource Development

With an objective to promote unemployed women into meaningful entrepreneurs, RCSD in collaboration with CDB, NE States office organized five training programme and trained forty women representatives from different Mahila Samities and Self Help Groups in the area of food processing and oil extraction from coconuts. It is being envisaged that the trainees would further build capacities within their group for dissemination of the knowledge and further  upscaling.

 Training programme on food processing

Meetings attended

Attended  Stakeholders meeting in the Brahmatwinn project, “Twinning European and South Asian River Basins to enhance capacity and implement adaptive management approach” on 9^th September 2006  in Guwahati. Prof. S D Phukon, Mr. Randhir Singha, Mr. Debashis Sinha

Income & Expenditure: 

Partner in Sustainable Development