The project named as Livelihood Improvement Project for the Himalayas is operational in the State of Uttaranchal from 1st April 2004 with the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD). IFAD is an International funding agency and providing a loan to Uttaranchal State Government through Uttaranchal Gramya Vikas Samiti(UGVS : a society register by the Govt. of Uttaranchal)for implementing developmental activities under the project. The project is also being implemented concurrently in the State of Meghalaya.

Walking on our footsteps of "Collective Thinking" and "Collective Action" the present "Livelihood Improvement Project" with the support of International Fund for Agricultural (IFAD) is being implemented by SBMA in the following district and development blocks of Devprayag(Tehri Dist) and Ghat (Chamoli Dist) of Uttranchal since March 2005. This project which is in the pilot phase aims to cover 40% of villages in each block, with a total no of households-42700.

In this project SBMA is playing the role of ANGO (Area NGO) and FNGO(Field NGO) in its intervention areas. On this front SBMA seeks to build the capacities of various institutions with the assistance and co-ordination of PMU (Project Management Unit).

Project Strategy

For the Livelihood Improvement Project,SBMA has strategised a flexible, process-oriented and demand driven approach, responding to the emerging opportunities of micro enterprise development.Its strategies are resting on the following:

• Twin track implementation mechanism to ensure that the enterprise development component is handled in a business like manner. It would minimize the prevailing welfare oriented subsidy driven approach.
• The institutions building strategy aims to create community-owned organizations from the village level upwards, and gradually transfer project ownership and management to these institutions after suitably equipping them perform this role.
• Combining sub-sector analysis with business development services(SBS) strategy of SHG that would contribute to livelihood enhancement.
• UGVS(Uttaranchal Gramya Vikas Samiti) to be represented progressively by representatives of SHG federation from year-3 of the project onwards which would lead of UGVS management to be taken over by community institutions by the end of the project.
• A project gender strategy will be to introduce both indigenous and mechanize technologies that will improve efficiency and reduce women’s workloads. To build gender concerns into all economic and institutional capacity-building aspects.
• Backward, forward and horizontal linkage3s and their Development The project’s strategy recognizes that attention must be given not only to the enhancement of income generating activities at the grass roots level, but alsoto backward, forward and horizontal linkages and their development.

Objectives:

• To enhance the livelihood of vulnerable groups in a sustainable manner through promotion of improved livelihood opportunities and strengthening of local institutions concern with livelihood development.
• To promote sensitive design and implementation interventions
• To capacitate the local people for selection of livelihood opportunities increasing access to financial resources managing new technologies.
• Promote income generating cultivation systems and non form enterprises at the micro level.
• Establish appropriate delivery systems for inputs and for the maintenance of assets.
• To contribute its potential for capacity building on the following:
  • Community Based Organisations
  • Self-helf Groups
  • Enterprise Development
  • Project Management
  • Policy Learnings

    Approach:

• Form target households into institution building in their capacity to select livelihood activities with the aim of optimum utilization of the available local resources, skills and indigenous interests.
• To nurture "Community based organizations" through SBMA's livelihood interventions.
• To emphasize the role of women, expressing their needs to build in space for the them enhancing effective participation of women in local institution to involve them in decision making process.
• Increase people awareness of conservation and regeneration of natural resources in special regard to the Hill Communities.
• To build in a strong and effective delivery system, generating the flow for inputs through the process of savings, credit, microfinace and micro insurance in co-ordination with the multi-stakeholders, to foster a conducive environment for local entrepreneurships on livelihood initiatives.

Project Brief

Over the years, the largely self-sufficient survival system of Himalayan mountain communities has been seriously weakened. This has led to an accentuation of poverty conditions in mountain areas and, as a consequence, the degradation of natural resources, particularly land and forests.The project will target groups that fall either below or just above the poverty line, an approach aimed at preventing resentment within the larger community. In particular, it will :

(i) select blocks and villages that have a relatively high incidence of poverty and higher population ratios of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes;

(ii) Use available natural resources more productively through appropriate “small scale intervention; and

(iii) limit demonstrations to households living below the poverty line.

Participatory rural appraisals for poverty mapping, and identification of self-targeted activities and intensive sensitization programmes.It also aims to create community owned organization from the villages level upwards, and gradually transfer project ownership and management to these institutions after suitably building the capacities enabling them to perform role.