livelihoods. learning. sharing.

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July 2013

LIVEwireLIVEwireVolume 1 Issue 2

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on LIVEwireThis Month

The Livelihoods Learning Group (LLG) is an active nation­wideelectronic group with over 100 members representing differentorganizations, academic institutions, research institutes, civil societyorganizations, donor and promoter agencies, professionals fromNational Mission Monitoring Unit and State Rural Livelihood Missionsas well as practitioners working on livelihoods in formal and non­formal spaces. LLG is therefore an open learning platform whichseeks to share knowledge and help build a community of practice onlivelihoods.

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide a glimpse of the natureof discussions and knowledge regarding livelihoods in India. Thisnewsletter is being launched in the electronic format tocommunicate with and to the stakeholders in this ecosystem and isenvisioned as a quarterly e­newsletter.

Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) alongwith The Livelihood School (TLS), XLRI School of Management(XLRI), Entrepreneurship Development Institute India (EDII), TataInstitute of Social Sciences (TISS), Chaitanya, ManagementDevelopment Institute Gurgaon (MDI) and Indian Institute ofManagement Udaipur (IIM­U) have set up a consortium calledLivelihoods MANTHAN (Management Academic institutes Networkfor Transforming Human Resources through Action and Knowledge).

Supported by the Ford Foundation, this consortium is a collaborativeeffort to contribute to the development of livelihood professionalsfor serving the increasing demand from state livelihood missions,civil society organisations and livelihoods promotion agencies.Towards this effort, Livelihoods MANTHAN is involved in curriculumdesign for managers at the state, block and district level managers;training programs like certificate courses and ManagementDevelopment Programmes for senior decision makers; networkingand mentorship to bring young professionals into the sector;developing knowledge products and learning platforms to create anecosystem of actors and resources for livelihoods in India.

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National workshop on livelihoods curriculum ­ XIMBA two day national workshop on “Rethinking Livelihoods: Innovations in Teaching Livelihoods”was organized by Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar on March 13­14, 2013. Theworkshop was an effort to encourage collaborationsbetween academic institutions, practitionerorganizations, State Rural Livelihood Missions(SRLMs) and others to share curricula and addresspedagogical issues on training livelihoodprofessionals. The workshop saw participation fromover 40 organizations like IRMA, IIFM, TISS, MDI,APU, APMAS, TLS, Chaitanya, representatives fromNRLM, state missions from Odisha, Bihar andMaharashtra as well as others including schools andindependent consultants.

Watch the videos athttp://www.livelihoods­manthan.net/#!rethinking­livelihoods/c12xa

Rural Livelihood Internship ­ TISSTISS, Mumbai on behalf of Livelihoods MANTHAN initiated the second batch of “Rural LivelihoodInternship” programme for mentoring committed livelihood professionals from management andsocial science institutions. Following successfulcompletion of the scheme in 2012, twenty interns(ten from TISS, five each from XIMB and EDI) wereplaced with different SRLMs across India. Anorientation and induction workshop was held on April25­26 at TISS, Mumbai following which the internsworked on different assignments with the SRLMs. Theinterns have since completed their internships.

Learn more athttp://download.tiss.edu/announcements/Announcement_for_Rural_Livelihood_Internship_2013/Rural_Livelihoods_Interns_2013.pdf

National Workshop on Innovative Strategies for Livelihood Promotion ­ TLSThis workshop organized by The Livelihood School on May 1, 2013 was intended to reflect on itshalf a decade experience with livelihoods promotion and towards further developing itscompetencies in consultation with key professionals in different thematic areas. The participantsshared insights on how TLS can work further on promotion of Natural Resource­basedLivelihoods, Off­farm Livelihoods with reference to Agriculture Value Chains; and PRI –Decentralized Government and Livelihoods.

News updates from the Livelihoods MANTHAN consortium

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MANTHAN partners identified as capacity building organizations for NRLMThe Livelihoods School, Chaitanya and Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) have beenshortlisted as capacity building organizations for NRLM in the areas of staff inducation, capacitybuilding, social mobilization, institution building, financial inclusion, and capacity building ofcommunity institutions and cadres.

MANTHAN partners acknowledged in report to NACPartnerships with academic institutions and practitioner organizations were considered apositive step towards making NRLM successful, in a report submitted to the National AdvisoryCouncil (NAC). It was reported that partnerships with CSOs and management institutions likeXIMB, XLRI, TISS and MDI will help NRLM and SRLMs meet training and other requirements ofthe programme.

Read the full report at http://nac.nic.in/pdf/hr_flagship.pdf

Short film on Chaitanya’s coursesA short film has been made on the impact of Chaitanya's courses on Microfinance Development& Management (MFDM) and NGO Management.These certificate courses offered in association with TISS, Mumbai to offer specialized training indiverse management areas as well as values for efficient professional practice. All the modulesand manuals have been developed in­house and also used extensively in providing strategicorganizational planning training to other NGOs and CBOs.

Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEuBU6v2aK4

Future Leaders Program at IIM UdaipurIIM Udaipur in collaboration with Duke University has set up a summer school program that willtrain students and practitioners for leadership in the development sector. The 'Future LeadersProgram' is intended to attract talented students and practitioners from India as well asstudents from Duke. The full program will be launched in the summer of 2014, with a one weekpilot module being launched from July 21­27, 2013.

For more details, visit http://www.iimu.ac.in/future­leaders­program

XLRI's online forum on inclusive financeThis knowledge sharing and peer learning forum on inclusive finance was initiated at XLRIJamshedpur. The forum provides opportunities for the practitioners, academics as well as policymakers to share their experiences, research and innovative experiments in the broad areas offinancial inclusion.

Participate in this forum at http://inclusivefinance.in/

News updates from the Livelihoods MANTHAN consortium

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On SFAC's concept of Bharat Kisan Producer CompanyFollowing the request for feedback on Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium's (SFAC)concept note on setting up a potential Bharat Kisan Producer Company Limited (BKPCL),several members in the LLG responded with critical observations and suggestions.

Liby Johnson of Kudumbashree suggested that the proposed entity should protect the interestsof all kinds of farmer­producers since many farm productsare substitutes and compete against each other in themarket. It is also important that the different financialneeds (start up and working capital) are provided throughviable and decentralized processes, for example, throughinterest subvention by mainstream banks. Providingadequate market access, intermediate infrastructure andmeans to increase productivity will also be critical beforeimplementing a national level umbrella organization for allFarmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).

Others observed that the BKPCL should play the role of an incubator for grassroots FPOs ­provide financial support for some years, offer specialized training programmes for staff andencourage decentralized operational models.

Shashidharan Enarth added that operational issues of FPOs are seldom addressed. These needto be revisited in the BKPCL plan by building capacities of those who run the operations, andfind durable solutions to problems external to the FPOs. An apex level body, he said, shouldplay an enabling role right from their inception so that the FPOs in turn demand leveragingservices from the apex. This relationship can besustainable only if the apex body has transparent andaccountable governance mechanisms and remainsaccountable to the FPOs.

KV Raju of IRMA submitted that the BKPCL should playthe role of a promoter and analyze the resource, demand,industrial and institutional to evolve business models andoffer solutions to the FPOs. KS Gopal wrote that BKPCLwill have to clearly envision the basis and the outcomesfor its recommendations. This needs to be grounded onkey issues such as exploitation by middlemen and monopolies, information asymmetry, andprovide ways by which markets can be integrated for producer benefit.

Radha Gopalan of Rishi Valley mentioned that sustainability of farmers’ collectives need to bestrengthened through extension services ­ for technology, credit, and other inputs. In addition,support for exchange of experiences through exposure visits and pilot efforts will have to beprovided through existing infrastructure before going forward with a federated structure.

Opinions on policy matters, shared in the Livelihoods Learning e-group

Affordable credit,specialized training,extension services,technological inputs,and marketingsupport are key forstrengthening FPOs

Transparent,decentralized andaccountablegovernancemechanisms arecritical to an apexlevel body like theBKPCL

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On the National Policy and guidelines for FPOsA National Policy for the Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations has been announced as amainline activity under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). Revised FPO ProcessGuidelines have also been released and came into effect from April 1, 2013.

Sankar Datta of Azim Premji University suggested that existing processes of forming FPOsthrough budgetary allocations and providing strictguidelines for FPOs to adhere to need to be relooked at.The focus should be on promoting collective andcommunity leadership where farmers are encouraged tocreate their own local guidelines for administering FPOs.

Navin Anand of Solution Exchange emphasized the need toclarify the functional roles of FPOs at various levels: pre­cultivation, cultivation and post­cultivation. The NationalFPO Policy can then maximize benefits to farmers at alllevels of the value chain.

Others added that the policy should support the diversity of grassroots collectives so as tomeet the local needs. A centralized approach as envisioned in the FPO guidelines may erodethis diversity and may even eliminate the livelihood opportunities they were meant to support.Smita Premchander of SAMPARK urged that a distinct line needs to be drawn between policymeasures and incubation support on one hand, and building organizations with official supporton the other. The right incentives and purpose will ensure the creation and sustainabilty of theFPOs.

Opinions on policy matters, shared in the Livelihoods Learning e-group

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National FPO policyand guidelinesshould promotecommunityleadership andmaximize benefits forall farmers

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LIVEwire

CCoommmmuunnii ttyy EExxcchhaannggee

Poverty indices and sustainable livelihoodsLLG members discussed ongoing research methods for identifying the poor and theireffectiveness. The Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI) and its implications for the revisedguidelines of NRLM were discussed. Members also examined how the language of sustainablelivelihood approaches has changed over the past two decadesand is now being linked to discourses on resilience, politicaland social change rather than just a set of desired outcomes.

The emerging role of civil societyThe group discussed the constituents and role of civil societyfollowing the release of the 2013 WEF Report on “the Futureof Civil Society”. Members discussed that CSOs need toreposition their priorities with changing times. It was urgedthat the promotion of decentralization and autonomy amongthe poor and participating institutions has become critical forCSOs today.

The push and pull of skillingWith 15% of NRLM funds being allocated for financing skill development initiatives, memberswondered if the efforts of NRLM could be converged with the National Skill DevelopmentCorporation (NSDC). There was some concern that NSDC's focus is industry­oriented and notself employment in the "unorganized" sector. Issues like these and others such as the highattrition rate among the trainees who get placed need to beaddressed in the NSDC.

Experiences in forming cooperativesSmita Premchander reflected that the mainstream was losing hopein cooperatives and considered them expensive, time consumingand politicized. In response, Manjeet Kaur shared her experience informing a cooperative called “Nawa Anjore Silai Sahkari Samiti” in 2006 in Chhattisgarh. Thetailoring and knitting based samiti had participated successfully in several bids for variousgovernment projects, as long as there was mentoring support. Once the support was withdrawn,the efforts of the samiti also withered away gradually. While appreciating the experience sharedthe members acknowledged that unless cooperatives are encouraged to lead on their own, theymay not succeed in the long run.

Social innovations in ICT for livelihoods promotionInformation and Communication Technology (ICT) innovations in promoting rural and urbanlivelihoods were shared. The impact of video based training for promoting livelihoods educationand the utility of community radios for enabling communication in interior parts of India wereshared. More recently, the impact of interactive electronic games was also appreciated. It wassuggested that such innovations be showcased at the innovation forums promoted by differentSRLMs.

Dialogue and debate in the Livelihoods Learning e-group

The sustainablelivelihoods discourseis now linked topolitical and socialchange rather than asmall set of desiredoutcomes

Can the efforts ofNRLM and NSDCconverge?

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Do you have events, research or publications to share?Are you looking to collaborate with others?Would you like to be part of the Livelihoods Learning Group?

Email us at manthanlive@ximb.ac. in!!

If you have any comments or feedback on this newsletter, please email us. . .we would be happy to revise, refine and innovate in future editions ofLIVEwire.

The LIVEwire Editorial Team

Livelihoods MANTHAN SecretariatXavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar

LIVEwire

Research­practice tension in the MFI debateMembers discussed the widening gap between research and practice in sustainable livelihoods.The existing tensions in evaluating the conflict between the commercial and social goals ofmicrofinance institutions was discussed in particular. It was highlighted that practitionersgenerally highlight positive news while researchers belittlepractitioners' efforts without adequately engaging withthem. Increasing the interdisciplinary academicengagement on such debates was thus emphasized.

Writing case studies for livelihoods promotionThe members discussed that even if only one case was tobe documented from each district in India, then therewould be a repository of 600 cases! Consequently, some shared their plans to write first personcase studies. Dinesh Awasthi of EDI suggested a perspective plan to document these cases viaa case writing workshop to outline guidelines and then form teams to explore different regions.Some practitioners said that they were ready to host writers if they volunteered to visit thefield locations and dcoumented their stories. Suryamani Roul of ACCESS suggested a timelineto collaborate in writing cases and publishing them as part of the annual Livelihoods IndiaConference.

A future for rural management educationK V Raju shared a note on the future of rural management education and discussed teachingand learning principles for the same. This led to a discussion on what can strengthenmanagement education in the context of creating livelihoods professionals for rural India.

DDoo yyoouu hhaavvee ssoommeetthhiinngg ttoo sshhaarree??

Can we write a caseeach for each of the600 districts in India?

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CCoommmmuunnii ttyy EExxcchhaannggeeDialogue and debate in the Livelihoods Learning e-group

HHaavveeyyoouu rr ssaayy !!

LIVEwire

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Changes approved in Aajeevika (NRLM)Several key changes were made in the implementation of NRLM recently:(i) Improved targeting of poor by identifying through Participatory Identification Process (PIP)(ii) Enabling women SHGs to avail more loans and the award of additional 3% interestsubvention(iii) Financial assistance to be provided through a grant called Community Investment SupportFund (CISF) instead of capital subsidy linked to bank credit(iv) Setting up of an autonomous, national level society, the National Rural LivelihoodsPromotion Society (NRLPS) to implement NRLM in mission mode

Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB) Release No: 95655

50,000 jobs for youth in 24 extremist affected districts under Roshni schemeThe Ministry for Rural Development launched a new skill development scheme called Roshni, forrural youth from 24 districts in states most critically affected by extremism. The scheme will beimplemented at a cost of Rs 100 crore over the next three years.

Source: PIB Release No: 96474

Tamil Nadu livelihood mission gains momentumA pilot study of the NRLM was launched at Nagamalai Pudukottai. With the Puthu VazhvuProgramme (PVP) in place in Theni district, the community professionals from Theni would helpset up the Village Poverty Reduction Committee (VPRC) to implement NRLM in the pilot district.

Source: "A boon for the poor", The Hindu, May 16 2013

Haryana expansion of NRLMThe Haryana Government has decided to extend NRLM to cover all the 21 districts in the state.The extra 19 districts will now be covered from the state’s own financial resources.

Source: "Haryana mulling to expand scope of NRLM", The Economic Times, May 19 2013

Gujarat High Court rules that Centre cannot rule on cooperativesThe Gujarat High Court has declared that the Centre cannot enact laws or issue notification withrespect to cooperative societies as it is a state subject. The bench held that certain provisions ofthe 97th Amendment pertaining to cooperative societies violated the Constitution and hencehave been stuck down.

Source: "Centre can't legislate on cooperatives: Guj HC", The Economic Times, April 22 2013

Livelihoods related news and updates in the media

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Odisha repeals liberal Odisha Self­Help Cooperatives Act 2001The Odisha government repealed the liberal Odisha Self­Help Cooperatives Act 2001 bypromulgating an ordinance, thus bringing all cooperatives under the Odisha CooperativeSocieties Act, 1962. In effect, the cooperatives are now answerable to the state governmentwhich can take up audit and examine their books of accounts.

Source: "Ordinance in place to set right co­ops", The Economic Times, June 7 2013

Farmers have decreased, farm labourers have increasedThe 2011 census report has revealed that only 54.6% of total workers in India are now engagedin agriculture with a decline of 3.6% from 2001. However, there has been an increase of 44%and 24.5% in the number of male and female agricultural labourers. This suggests that thenumber of farmers in India has decreased by 8.6 million in the past decade.

Source: "Farmers have decreased, farm labourers have increased", Down To Earth, May 1 2013

Livelihoods related news and updates in the media

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EEvveenntt SSccaannUpcoming livelihoods events across the nation

Sitaram Rao Livelihoods Case Study Competition 2013Access Development Services and Fr. Arrupe Center for Ecology and Sustainability (FACES),XLRI Jamshedpur jointly announce the Sitaram Rao Livelihoods Case Study Competition 2013.The theme for this year is “Enhancing the Livelihoods of the Urban Poor”

2nd International Workshop on Inclusive FinanceXLRI Jamshedpur is conducting the 2nd International Workshop on Inclusive Finance duringSeptember 13­15, 2013. The workshop brings academicians, practitioners, microfinanceinstitutions and NGOs to deliberate on research as well as contemporary issues.

The Workshop 2013 ­ 17th Praxis Annual Commune on Participatory DevelopmentThe workshop is organized by Praxis Institute for Participatory Practices in Thrissur, Kerala from21­28 October 2013. It brings together development workers and policy makers from across theworld to share and learn about the latest in the field of participatory development. Participantsof this year's workshop will also get to attend a session by Robert Chambers from IDS, Sussex.

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