POST INDEPENDENT PROGRAMME

FIRKA DEVELOPMENT, ETAWAH PILOT PROJECT, NILOKHERI EXPERIMENT,

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, NATIONAL

EXTENSION SERVICE

Course: Dimensions of Agricultural Extension

Dr. Arpita SharmaAssistant Professor,GBPUA&T, Pantnagar

FIRKA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (1946) Selection of Firka: On the basis of their

backwardness. Possibilities for creating the production of

handloom clothes and other cottage industries. Objectives:1. To tackle the rural problem as a whole.2. Formation of Panchayats and organization of

cooperatives.3. Long term plan to make the area self

sufficient through Agricultural, irrigational and livestock improvement.

4. Development of Khadi and cottage industry.

NILOKHERI EXPERIMENT (1948) It was started to settle the 7000 displaced

persons and later integrated with 100 villages surrounding Nilokheri.

This scheme was called “Mazdoor Manzil”.Objectives: Self sufficiency for rural cum urban township

in all essential requirements of life. Making provision of work and training for the

people according to their native background. To enable transactions between the

consumer and the producer, to approach a vertical order.

ACTIVITIES Polytechnic training for BDO and SEO

and VLW. Housing and marketing facilities. Management of schools, hospitals and

recreation centre. To make the cultivable land of all 700

acres of Swampy land. Cooperative credit facility. Small scale industries were run on

cooperative basis.

ETAWAH PILOT PROJECT The second name of this project is “

Average district project”. Started in 1948.Objectives: To develop the mental power of people. Arousing their interest and initiative. Improving crops and livestock. To encourage panchayats. To build up the sense of self help in

villagers.

METHOD OF WORK Villagers should be educated instead of

working with them. Education should be given through

demonstration and persuasion. Trained personnel were employed in

following jobs for demonstration of better practices: Scientific Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Rural life Analysis, Better seeds, manures, implements, public health, village industry.

PROGRAMME Construction of sanitary walls. Agricultural Demonstration. Construction of roads. Supply of seeds and manures. Horticulture. Reform of cattle breeds.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (1952)

Meaning:

The Planning Commission of India “Community development is an

attempt to bring about a social and economic transformation of village life through the efforts of the people themselves.”

CONCEPT The term community development

appears to have originated from Cambridge in England.

In 1948, the Cambridge Summer Conference on African Administration:

“ Movement designed to promote better living for the whole community with active participation”

CONCEPT Community development is a process of

change from the traditional way of living of rural communities to progressive way of living as a method by which people can be assisted to develop themselves on their own capacity and resources as a programme for accomplishing certain activities in field concerning the welfare of rural people and as a movement of progress with a certain ideological content.

Was launch on 2 Oct 1952 with 55 community development projects.

Each project has operational area of about 400 to 500 square miles comprising 300 villages and population is about 2 lakhs.

Project area was divided into 3 development blocks, each consisting about 100 villages and a population of 60 to 70 thousand.

Project was headed by project officer and Subject matter extension officers.

Each project had about 60 multi purpose Village Level Workers one for each group of 5-10 villages.

OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

In India, the objective behind the community development programme is to develop the resources of the people and to assist each village in planning and carrying out the integrated agricultural production.  Like this, the major objectives of this project are:

To change the outlook of all village people. To improve existing village crafts and industries and organizing new ones,

providing minimum essential health services and improving health practices. Providing required educational facilities for children and adults as well as

recreational facilities. Improving housing and family living conditions of villagers. To develop a responsive village leadership, village organization and

institutions. To develop village people so that they become self reliant and responsible

citizens. To help people that they can increase their income and quality of life. Organizing or arranging trainings for voluntary local leaders like members of

panchayats, village and block advisory committees etc.  and professional community development workers like village level workers, extension officers, block development officers.

PHILOSOPHY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

1)  Work based on “felt needs”

The programme should help the community to solve some of the problems which it feels are existent.

2)  Work based on assumption that people want to be free form poverty and pain:

It is assumed that the members of the community want a standard of living that allows them to be free form pain caused by lack of sufficient social side.

a) security b) recognition c) response,

3)  It is assumed that people wish to have freedom in controlling their own lines and deciding the forms of economic, religious, education and political institutions, under which they will live.

4)  People’s values given due consideration. It is presumed that co-operation, group decision-making, self initiative, social responsibility, leadership, trustworthiness and ability to work are included in the programme.

5)  Self-Help

The people actually plan and work on the solution of their problems themselves.  If the problems of the community are entirely ameliorated through the efforts of some outside agency, then the development of such things as group decision-making, self-initiative, self-reliance, leadership etc.  will not be forthcoming and it cannot be said that the community is developing.

6)  People are the greatest resource It is by getting the participation of the people in improvement activities that they become developed.

7)  The programme involves a change in attitude, habits, ways of thinking relationship among people in the level of knowledge and intellectual advancement of people, changes in their skills, i.e. practices of agriculture health etc.

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

1.  Harnessing Community Tensions:

For changes to occur there must be a tension in people’s mind between the way things are and the way people want them to be. There must be a desire for change and a desire to work together to create the change.

2.  Facilitating Consultation about Community Realities and Needs:

for community development to work successfully, there has to be awareness about community needs as decided upon by the community themselves, not as decided upon by outsides.

3.  Maintaining Unity and Healthy Human Relations:

It is important to build respectful healthy relationship between members of the group and to work on managing conflicts as they occur so as to maintain a collective vision.

4.  Developing a Common Vision of Sustainable Future:

If community development is to work, it must be sustainable and the process must include everyone.  Stories abound of development processes failing because the resources or the process were not sustainable or well devised or were done without consultation.  We have all seen pictures of computers lying unused because the hardware or software broke or just because people in the community didn’t actually see need for computers.

5.  Supporting Core Group Development:

It is essential to encourage and support your group.  Get to know the people in your group.  What are their interests and skills?  How much time can they dedicate to the group’s activities?  Everyone needs to be clear about their capacities and the limits to their time and energy that may exist.  Encourage and build up a strong support base so that the group is not dependent upon only one or two people.  Make sure the group is as representative of the community as it can be-that means including and listening to the needs of women and children as well.

6.  Personal Revitalization and Healing:

Good community development processes provide an opportunity for people to become empowered, energized and to undo some of the harms of the past.

7.  Facilitating Learning:

The entire development process is a learning experience.  People can become aware of their environment, their social and political reality and can learn how to make the steps necessary to change and improve their situation.

8.  Building Effective Organizations:

Formalizing the initial volunteer group is crucial part of the development process.  Creating and implementing formal organization structures creates legitimacy and respect for the organizations and lets the community know that you are serious about your endeavours.  It helps keep people unified and accountable and is part of the process of developing and implementing plans and activities.

9.  Networking with Resources and Allies:

Creating the networks between like minded individuals who then form a group who then network with other groups in order to learn and share skills and resources and knowledge is a crucial part of the community development process.  The most effective groups are those that are well networked and work on co-operation with others in their area.  Find out whether your area has a friendship school or rotary club or other group that is already working.

10.  Programme Development:

It is important to have a clear programme.  An ad hoc approach to community development processes will not work.  A programme must be developed in conjunction with the community and be about community needs and priorities. They must adhere to realistic timelines and have inbuilt monitoring and evaluation processes so that changes can be tracked.  The prorgramme acts as a map to signal where it is the group going.

11.  Reflection on the Process: Monitoring and Evaluation:

Monitoring and Evaluation is very important as it allows the group to track progress, identify problems, and improve upon community development processes.

12.  Protecting the Process:

Community development processes are dependent upon a rant of other processes: the good will of those involved, the continuation of funds, a secure political environment, a lack of violence.  Once any of these dynamics is disrupted, then negative change and conflict may occur.  It is important to have risk management strategies built into your process Less well developed processes might have fallen victim to the conflict and insecurity.

STAGES OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTThere are three stages that community development processes go through:

Stage One: Relationship Building: Building relationships of trust and developing friendships are crucial to

successful community development.  Getting to know the people in your own group and the groups with which you are working is the first stage in the process of creating a sustainable working relationship.  Take time to get to know the people in your Friendship group.

Stage Two: Process Development: Once good relationships have been developed, groups can begin to plan

activities.  This will involve sharing ideas, dreams, aspirations and visions, and learning about the community in which you are working.  What are their strengths?  What are their needs?  What are their aspirations?

Stage Three: The Consolidation of Structures and Mechanisms: At this stage commissions, committees and task forces or interest groups

are formed to plan and implement the activities and programs that have been collectively decided upon.  These structures are also responsible for keeping the information flowing between the groups and out into the wider community, and often carry out the monitoring and evaluation processes that keep the programs and activities vibrant and sustainable.

NATIONAL EXTENSION SERVICE

The National Extension Service programme was formulated in and it was inaugurated one year after the community projects that is, on October 2, 1953.

INTER-RELATION BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME AND NATION EXTENSION SERVICE The National Extension Service is a permanent

organization and will cover the whole country.  It provides the basic organization, official, non-

official and a minimum financial provision for development.

The National Extension Service and the community development programmes have uniform unit of operation which is called a development block.

It represents on an average 100 villages, with a population of 60,000 to 70,000 persons spread over an area of 150 to170 square miles.

OBJECTIVES To prepare farm plan of farmers. To supply the chemical fertilizers,

improved seeds, insecticides and pesticides.

To bring the cultivated area under package programme.

Thanks