Mohan Lal lives in Antalia village of Kumbalgarh block. He owns a small farm, two bulls, one buffalo, twenty goats and three cow
s. Since he has a large number of animals, he is always concerned about the fodder. A few years back in Mohan’s village a piece of land (pastureland) was lying barren with no vegetation. In subsequent years, the land has been contested and many people had build barns for their livestock. The land was completely encroached upon by influential people. But it is not the end. Mohan says the story of our pastureland was turned around.
In 2008 under the MN REGA the pastureland was taken up for treatment. Some Jatropha plants were planted and a few check dams (to prevent soil erosion) were built. However, Mohan says, with inadequate funds the boundary wall was built only halfway through.
The villagers were concerned that if the boundary wall is not completed sooner, the land would be contested again. The issue remained a concern in their several subsequent village meetings. Eventually they decided to ask Seva Mandir to help them develop this pastureland. It was a good sign that everyone in the village was concerned about a piece of land which was mostly encroached upon. Mohan says, we had understood the significance of taking care of the land which will yield benefits to all of us in the village.
Therefore, the villagers made a proposal to Seva Mandir along with the full details of the land and the blue print of the work. Seva Mandir conducted a survey with the help of its engineers and estimated the resources required (cost was Rs. 2.85 lacs or USD 6,334). The work began including digging trenches and building check dams (to prevent the soil erosion and facilitate water percolation), building the rest of the boundary wall, digging pits, planting saplings and sprinkling grass seeds.
However there was another two hectares of land which was encroached upon. The villagers began a dialogue with the trespasser families. Eventually these families agreed to vacate their possessions. Therefore, villagers requested Seva Mandir to take up the remaining land for pastureland development. With Rs. 1.54 lacs (USD 3,422) the remaining two hectares of land was taken up for building the fence, digging trenches and pits, plantation of saplings. The pastureland was closely located to a road with a small bridge. This allowed the animals an entry into the pastureland. Therefore, a thorny (spiky) wire was installed to prevent animals entering into the pastureland.
The villagers decided to penalize (Rs. 501) those families whose cattle enters into the pasture. It helped. They also appointed one person to guard their pastureland. Every family pays 2kgs of wheat every year to the guard.
Mohan says, years ago the pastureland was a piece of stones and barrenness. Now when he looks at it, he sees greenery all over. It makes him feel serene. Earlier, he was concerned about fodder for his cattle and now he has plenty. Currently he is thinking of buying another buffalo.
According to Mohan if they haven’t developed this pastureland, in future his children would only see private encroachments and barns on the land. With their collective work on the pastureland they re-generated the land as well as produced enough labor work for everyone. Their cattle have an access to leaves and grasses now. Some fruit trees such as custard apple are of much delight to children. In future they can sell the surplus of the fruit and generate village revenue.
The villagers are also planning to grow more trees including Neem, Tamarind, Mango, and Bamboo. The pastureland is having a positive impact on the environment. In the region mining is growing and to Mohan pastureland like this will be the only greener areas around in future. The 145 families of his village will continue to reap benefits from this pastureland since the entire village has vowed to take care of their lands.
The story is written by: Kishanlal (Zonal worker, Seva Mandir Kumbhalgarh).
