E-Paper
Green revolution with a difference
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and Utthan, a local NGO have proved that sincere efforts never go waste. They have not only succeeded in generating employment for the people in rural areas, but also improved the quality of land in villages near Allahabad. A project with bamboo as its backbone, which was launched jointly by the two organisations in 1996, has borne fruits now.
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and Utthan, a local NGO have proved that sincere efforts never go waste. They have not only succeeded in generating employment for the people in rural areas, but also improved the quality of land in villages near Allahabad. A project with bamboo as its backbone, which was launched jointly by the two organisations in 1996, has borne fruits now.
HT Allahabad Live caught up with J. Coosje Hoogendoorn, the Director General of INBAR on her visit to Allahabad recently.
"As bamboo can speed up the process of restoration of land, we thought of experimenting this project in Rahimabad and Kotwa villages near Allahabad. The project started in the year 1996 with the objective of not only to restore land of the villages affected by brick mining through the use of bamboo, but also take care of their socio-economic needs through livelihood development schemes," said Coosje.
The other objectives of the project were to identify and develop species of bamboo to suit the needs of the local communities, to provide training and instruction to the local people on the sustainable use of bamboo and to transfer lab-to-land nursery techniques to help farmers grow bamboo in an economical way, added Coosje.
On revisiting the site after few years it was found that bamboo grew in abundance. A great difference could be seen in the condition of the land as it became productive and people had begun farming once again (earlier, they had given up farming due to degradation in the quality of land).
Before the project started, dust storm and cyclone had become a common feature in the two villages, but following plantation of bamboo it was found that micro-climate also improved.
Now, with more and more jobs available in Rahimabad and Kotwa, the people, who had earlier shifted to other places in search for jobs, returned to the villages and got employment opportunities. Even women of the villages are now absorbed in small-scale cottage units where they make scent sticks and matchsticks from bamboo," said Coosje. Besides, villagers are found using bamboo in different ways. They use bamboo leaves as fodder for their cattle.
She said, from just two villages this movement had spread to 96 adjoining villages. She also claimed that bamboo was transforming the entire rural economy of the region.
"Green revolution has certainly changed lives of villagers," Coosje added.
"Though this project has been completed, we are making efforts to widen the scope of the use of bamboo by encouraging people to use bamboo in construction of houses as these houses will be economically viable," she added.
Coosje said: "India is an important country for INBAR as a producer and consumer of bamboo. We want to carry out such projects in India as well as in other countries".
