অসমীয়া   বাংলা   बोड़ो   डोगरी   ગુજરાતી   ಕನ್ನಡ   كأشُر   कोंकणी   संथाली   মনিপুরি   नेपाली   ଓରିୟା   ਪੰਜਾਬੀ   संस्कृत   தமிழ்  తెలుగు   ردو

Malkangiri Fighting Poverty and Virus Together

COVID19: Crossing boundaries of health disaster

COVID19 outbreak has led to many uncertainties across the world, some just going unnoticed and maybe uncared for. India, too, started to experience the impact of this pandemic in early March. Resultantly, all the efforts have thereafter been channeled to contain the viral spread. Most of the meetings and video conferences are health-centric. On one hand we are fighting with the global health disaster and on the other side are the people for whom uncertainties have exponentially grown due to livelihood vulnerabilities.

This is about the small and marginal farmers in District Malkangiri for whom life has halted with the nationwide enforced lockdown. They came into notice when they had freed their cattle to feed on the well-grown horticultural farm produce mainly consisting of fruits and vegetables. It was unusual yet thoughtful of the farmer because nothing could be sold anymore due to the transport disruption. District Administration recognized this as a critical issue which can be a potential threat to the poor in the coming months.

Together we can

Initially, vendors from premium markets in Vishakhapatnam, Raipur and Hyderabad were contacted to understand the demand scenario so that arrangements could be made to transport bulk farm produce to avoid farm losses for these farmers. However, it was found out after discussions with the vendors that there is a decline in overall demand of fruits and vegetables. There were many reasons cited by these potential buyers, closure of restaurants being the major one. Apparently, the bigger markets cater to the needs of the restaurants, street food and other eating joints which were mostly closed due to the lockdown situation.

This was when Block Development Officer, Mr. Umashankar Dhalai suggested that the perishable items like vegetables and fruits can be procured through women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and supplied at the doorstep of the public. This would solve multiple problems at one time. From the health perspective, this initiative is continuously helping to contain the viral spread by making available these daily essentials at the people’s doorsteps. Secondly from a livelihood viewpoint, it is allowing an active convergence between individual farmers and women Self Help Groups (SHGs). These were earlier seen as less profitable partnerships but during these tough times, this is the best community level solution.

Planning and Implementation

To materialize this idea, State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) network was tapped and activated. District Project Manager of Odisha Livelihood Mission took a lead in this and identified 69 SHGs across the district who acted as farmer producer groups to procure farm produce from farmers and supply to 22 SHGs whose members were made responsible for supplying the produce to the doorsteps of the public. So, these 22 SHGs started to act as selling points for the rest of the district. This was all done with the help of Community Resource Persons (CRPs) across the district.

Simultaneously, Agriculture Department also assigned Rural Agriculture Extension Officers to identify more farmers who were producing the vegetables and fruits. These two departments (NRLM and Agriculture) then collaborated and mapped farmers with the selected 69 SHGs to bulk-procure the produce.

Addressing the challenges

It was challenging to arrange transportation facility but the women from 22 SHGs came up with the idea of hiring the services of Auto Rickshaws to sell these vegetables and fruits. This made the local inclusive supply chain possible in very less time. Subsequently, three more SHGs in one of the blocks installed battery operated refrigerators in auto rickshaws to sell milk and milk products.

Present Impact: Guiding the future efforts

This multi-stakeholder initiative proved its worth as a win-win deal for all. This emergency response also guides the future possibilities of similar partnerships for sustainable development touching upon livelihoods, climate responsible transportation, inclusive supply chain and promoting local food consumption for good health. Till this date they have sold more than 500 (approx.) quintals of vegetables and more than 700 (approx.) quintals of watermelon fruits across the district.

Once the lockdown is over, this initiative can be scaled up with few technical inputs to amplify the efforts and expand the reach of the initiative to benefit the poor in an integrated way.  

Source : Case Studies of Combating COVID-19 pandemic in Aspirational Districts

Last Modified : 6/18/2021



© C–DAC.All content appearing on the vikaspedia portal is through collaborative effort of vikaspedia and its partners.We encourage you to use and share the content in a respectful and fair manner. Please leave all source links intact and adhere to applicable copyright and intellectual property guidelines and laws.
English to Hindi Transliterate