Just got back from a great week in India, including my first attempt at a phone vlog (above).
One of the drawbacks of being a generalist is that you go somewhere, hear riveting stories of organization, resistance (and sometimes of course, of failure), but then never find out what happened next. But last week I managed to return to one of the places and stories that really got me thinking about how change happens – Tikamgarh, in Madhya Pradesh.
A decade ago, when I first visited to gather material for From Poverty to Power (the 2008 book, not this blog), the story of the fishing communities’ fight for the rights to ‘ponds’ (in reality, large lakes stuffed with fish) got me thinking about the interactions between technology, citizens, the state and NGOs: in brief, when people learned how to seed the ponds with fish fry, productivity rocketed, upper caste landowners smelt money and booted out the traditional fishing communities. They fought back, formed cooperatives, with the help of an upper caste former civil servant whose NGO, Vikalp, played a key role in supporting their organization, and started to win back control of a few ponds. They found allies in the state (a sympathetic fishing minister) and got new policies spelling out their rights. By the time I arrived in 2006, about 100 ponds were under their control.
This time round, we spent two days with the communities, talking and making a short video for the book website and Tikamgarhassociated MOOC. Filming makes you do stuff like actually catch go out with the fishermen (hence the wobble on the video – I was bobbing about in a small boat at the time).
So what’s changed since 2006 (apart from the omnipresent and irritating ringtones that interrupt every conversation)? The good news is that the fishing communities have carried on winning – they are now up to 250 ponds and have their eyes on the whole 2000. The government is now leasing the ponds to fishing communities rather than the upper caste landlords, at lower rates and for longer periods. The fishers’ organization, Machhuwara Sangathan, has consolidated itself and no longer needs NGOs to intercede with the authorities on its behalf.
The women were amazing. 23 of the ponds are now run by women’s cooperatives and everyone agreed they are more productive, because the women take care of the fish better and the police are more worried about incidents of theft involving violence against women, so react faster when thieves try and steal their fish. They spoke with remarkable ease and confidence in front of the men, and grilled me in some detail about the state of the fishing industry in the UK. At one point I was even forced to ask ‘can we hear from the men too please?’, which is certainly a first in my experience.
The fishing communities come from the lower Kewat caste, and the deep psychological roots of caste remain (people kept coming up to touch the feet of Vikalp’s Brahmin boss, Omprakash Rawat, during our meetings). But they say they feel prouder of their identity these days, celebrate the birth of their caste heroes, and both men and women stand for local elections, and win. All unthinkable until this process kicked off.
But it’s not all milk and honey. The upper castes are fighting back, seizing the fertile soil exposed when the dry season comes and the pond waters recede. Farming that land is crucial to the fishing communities in getting through the hard (and hot) summer months. Some communities told us they lacked the funding to organize the big rallies that won political support and kept the upper caste farmers at bay.
Then there’s the drought, now in its third year. Only about 10% of the ponds still had fish and water in them when we visited, and it’s still two months til the monsoon comes. Incomes drop, land conflicts break out, and some people have to temporarily migrate to the cities to find casual labour to see them through.
But what was striking was the greater self confidence these days. There was a drought when I visited in 2006, though not such a severe one, and people were very anxious about their future. Not this time – it made me look at that over-used word resilience in a new way. Through self-organization, these people have acquired greater resilience to both drought and attempts to destroy their livelihoods. In this case, an effective form of ‘disaster risk reduction‘ turns out to be empowerment and organization, something that I suspect is true much more widely. At least that’s what this new Oxfam framework on resilient development argues.
Brilliant visit, and big thanks to Nand Kishor Singh, Ranu Bhogal and the rest of Oxfam India for making it possible.
Here’s the full account of the Tikamgarh story from Neelkanth Mishra and Mirza Feroz Beg, published in 2011
Written by: Duncan Green, strategic adviser for Oxfam GB and author of ‘From Poverty to Power’. This personal reflection is not intended as a comprehensive statement of Oxfam's agreed policies.
We work towards fair sharing of natural resources and ensuring better livelihoods for forest-dependent communities
Read MoreAug 4, 2023 | Savvy
Jul 6, 2023 | Savvy
May 30, 2023 | Savvy
Mar 31, 2023 | Savvy
Mar 30, 2023 | Savvy
Mar 2, 2023 | Savvy
Jan 17, 2023 | Savvy
Mar 9, 2023 | Savvy
Dec 23, 2022 | Savvy
Dec 2, 2022 | Savvy
Nov 28, 2022 |
Nov 22, 2022 | Savvy
Nov 14, 2022 | Savvy
Oct 31, 2022 | mahika@oxfamindia.org
Oct 3, 2022 | Savvy
Sep 15, 2022 | Savvy
Aug 12, 2022 | Savvy
Aug 9, 2022 | Savvy
Jun 29, 2022 | Savvy
Jun 29, 2022 | Savvy
May 30, 2022 | Savvy
May 30, 2022 | Savvy
May 5, 2022 | Savvy
May 26, 2022 | Savvy
Mar 21, 2022 | Savvy
Feb 20, 2022 | Savvy
Feb 16, 2022 | Savvy
Jan 25, 2022 | Savvy
Jan 13, 2022 | Savvy
Jan 9, 2022 | Savvy
Dec 31, 2021 | Savvy
Jan 17, 2022 | Savvy
Dec 17, 2021 | admin
Dec 16, 2021 | Savvy
Dec 14, 2021 | Savvy
Feb 28, 2022 | Savvy
Oct 15, 2021 | Savvy
Oct 12, 2021 | Savvy
Oct 10, 2021 | Savvy
Oct 10, 2021 | Savvy
Oct 8, 2021 | Savvy
Oct 6, 2021 | Savvy
Oct 4, 2021 | Savvy
Sep 29, 2021 | Savvy
Oct 10, 2021 | Savvy
Sep 16, 2021 | Savvy
Sep 5, 2021 | Savvy
Sep 1, 2021 | Savvy
Sep 15, 2021 | Savvy
Aug 7, 2021 | Savvy
Jul 23, 2021 | Savvy
Jul 7, 2021 | Savvy
Jun 4, 2021 | Savvy
May 17, 2021 | Savvy
Jun 7, 2021 | Savvy
Apr 15, 2021 | Savvy
Apr 9, 2021 | Savvy
Apr 1, 2021 | Anisha
Mar 14, 2021 | Savvy
Mar 12, 2021 | Savvy
Mar 2, 2021 | Savvy
Feb 19, 2021 | Savvy
Feb 14, 2021 | Savvy
Jan 12, 2021 | Savvy
Jan 12, 2021 | Savvy
Dec 23, 2020 | Savvy
Dec 3, 2020 | Savvy
Jan 4, 2021 | radhika
Apr 1, 2021 | radhika
Dec 23, 2020 | radhika
Sep 30, 2020 | Savvy
Sep 30, 2020 | Savvy
Sep 30, 2020 | Savvy
Sep 30, 2020 | Savvy
Aug 25, 2020 | Savvy
Sep 30, 2020 | radhika
Aug 9, 2020 | Savvy
Aug 5, 2020 | Savvy
Aug 21, 2020 | radhika
Aug 4, 2020 | Savvy
Sep 30, 2020 | radhika
Sep 30, 2020 | radhika
Aug 1, 2020 | Savvy
Jul 17, 2020 | Savvy
Jul 15, 2020 | Savvy
Mar 5, 2021 | Savvy
Jun 30, 2020 | Savvy
Jun 30, 2020 | radhika
Jun 30, 2020 | Savvy
Jun 30, 2020 | Savvy
Jun 30, 2020 |
Jun 30, 2020 | radhika
Jun 24, 2020 |
Jun 24, 2020 |
Jun 30, 2020 |
Jun 15, 2021 |
Jun 30, 2020 | Savvy
Jun 30, 2020 | radhika
Jul 29, 2020 | Savvy
May 31, 2020 | Savvy
Jul 29, 2020 | Savvy
May 31, 2020 | Savvy
May 31, 2020 | Savvy
May 31, 2020 | Savvy
May 28, 2020 | Savvy
May 31, 2020 | radhika
May 31, 2020 |
May 31, 2020 | radhika
May 31, 2020 | radhika
May 31, 2020 | Animesh Prakash
May 31, 2020 | radhika
May 31, 2020 | radhika
Jun 3, 2020 | radhika
Jun 3, 2020 | Anisha
Jun 3, 2020 | radhika
Jun 3, 2020 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Jun 3, 2020 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Oct 23, 2019 | Anisha
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Oct 9, 2019 | radhika
Oct 9, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Sep 25, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Sep 25, 2019 | radhika
Sep 25, 2019 | radhika
Nov 21, 2019 | radhika
Sep 19, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Feb 20, 2020 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | Anisha
Aug 19, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | Anisha
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Aug 1, 2019 | radhika
Jul 31, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | Anisha
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | radhika
Dec 5, 2019 | radhika
Jun 27, 2019 | radhika
Jun 19, 2019 | radhika
Dec 18, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 27, 2019 | Anisha
Jun 19, 2019 | Anisha
Dec 18, 2019 | Anisha
May 27, 2019 | sanya
May 24, 2019 | Anisha
Jul 23, 2020 | ursila
Sep 9, 2019 | ursila
Sep 9, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 9, 2019 | ursila
May 13, 2019 | ursila
Sep 30, 2019 | ursila
Sep 19, 2022 | ursila
Sep 10, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Feb 20, 2020 | ursila
Nov 11, 2019 | ursila
Oct 30, 2019 | ursila
Jun 3, 2020 | ursila
Nov 18, 2019 | ursila
Sep 27, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
May 31, 2020 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Apr 5, 2019 | ursila
Nov 18, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 27, 2019 | ursila
Feb 20, 2020 | ursila
Sep 9, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Sep 23, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 10, 2019 | ursila
Sep 27, 2019 | admin
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 31, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Apr 5, 2019 | ursila
Feb 20, 2020 | admin
Sep 9, 2019 | ursila
Apr 5, 2019 | admin
Sep 9, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | admin
Oct 7, 2019 | admin
Oct 24, 2019 | admin
Oct 24, 2019 | admin
Apr 5, 2019 | admin
Oct 24, 2019 | admin
Oct 7, 2019 | admin
Oct 24, 2019 | admin
Apr 5, 2019 | admin
Sep 27, 2019 | admin
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Apr 5, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 24, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 27, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 12, 2022 | admin
Apr 5, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 1, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 30, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | Anisha
Apr 5, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 10, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 30, 2019 |
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 1, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 27, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 1, 2019 | ursila
Nov 14, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 1, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 24, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Apr 5, 2019 | ursila
Nov 18, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 9, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 10, 2019 | Anisha
Nov 21, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 10, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 27, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Sep 20, 2022 | Anisha
Nov 11, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 24, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 1, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 10, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 24, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 30, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 1, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 30, 2019 | ursila
Oct 30, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 1, 2019 | ursila
Sep 27, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Sep 27, 2019 | ursila
Nov 18, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Sep 10, 2019 | ursila
Oct 7, 2019 | ursila
Nov 11, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 24, 2019 | ursila
Nov 11, 2019 | ursila
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | Ravi
Oct 1, 2019 | Ravi
Sep 27, 2019 | Ravi
Oct 7, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | Anisha
Sep 10, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 7, 2019 | Ravi
Sep 27, 2019 | Ravi
Dec 5, 2019 | Anisha
Oct 24, 2019 | Avantika
Jan 9, 2020 | Avantika
Oct 24, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 24, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 1, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 1, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 24, 2019 | Avantika
Sep 10, 2019 | Avantika
Nov 18, 2019 | Avantika
Sep 9, 2019 | Avantika
Sep 9, 2019 | Avantika
Sep 27, 2019 | Avantika
Sep 27, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 24, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 24, 2019 | Avantika
Sep 10, 2019 | Avantika
May 13, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 1, 2019 | Avantika
Apr 5, 2019 | Avantika
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 1, 2019 | Avantika
Nov 14, 2019 | Avantika
Sep 27, 2019 | Ravi
Oct 24, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
May 27, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Dec 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Jun 12, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 3, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Nov 18, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 19, 2023 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Nov 6, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Dec 16, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Nov 18, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Feb 20, 2020 | ursila
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Jan 9, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Nov 21, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Nov 15, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Jan 9, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Dec 16, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Nov 18, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | Avantika
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Jan 9, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Feb 20, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 3, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Dec 16, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 3, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Dec 5, 2019 |
Nov 18, 2019 |
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 9, 2019 |
Oct 7, 2019 |
Oct 24, 2019 |
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Nov 15, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin