Local Leadership Development efforts and Local Leadership Conference in July, 2024

 

Realizing this potential of local leadership, WIN and ACT set up a target plan before two years for local leadership development, with a premise that such local leaders will be key to scaling up innovations and change. This involved identifying local leaders and then providing a platform, where they interact and get inputs and support for their plans. 

These leaders are also expected to inspire others in surrounding villages to spawn a viral movement for such development. In future, we may try to evolve a more formal training or coaching of these local leaders, to expand the pool of such effective leaders, and to create greater support structure driven primarily by peers among them.
 

As one of these activities, ACT and WIN organized a Local Leadership Conference recently at Kutch University, Bhuj. This received excellent response, with around 100 local leaders participating from village to district levels. They discussed initiatives, challenges and the way forward. Some of the achievements and challenges discussed by local leaders as presented below, demonstrate clearly the potential of local leadership.

Mahendrabhai Gadhavi, former Chairman, Kutch District Panchayat Working Committee
 

The check dam era started  in the nineties.This helped recovery of local water bodies, many of which were encroached or not even registered as water bodies in land records. Subsequently the recharge era began, recognizing the importance of Kankavati aquifer, led to greater role of local people, who were otherwise, earlier dependent on the Kutchi business community in Mumbai.

The District Panchayat committee coordinated with the state government to use local methods and approach to drastically reduce cost per recharge. Through active coordination with Sarpanchs, including a padyatra across villages, Sarpanchs were asked to decide on location of one recharge borewell. Local studies were also used to decide on depth of each recharge borewell. 260 sites were accepted by the state government. This has resulted in improving groundwater levels and substantial reduction in TDS. It has resulted in substantial increase in value of horticulture including mangoes, dates, pomegranates, dragon fruit etc.

Janaksinh Jadeja, President, Kutch District Panchayat

Local leaders working together resulted in lower costs and better quality control of the work being done by contractors under the state government scheme. If local leaders come together then path breaking and large scale work can be done.

Chandrikaben Rangani, Sarpanch, Kanakpar gram panchayat

Our water committee is composed entirely of women members. Every house has a water meter. Our recharge structure was created in 2019. Water harvesting is implemented in every house. Sewage water is used in agriculture. All these are managed by the women of water committee..

Bharmalbhai Gadhavi, Former Sarpanch, Kathda gram panchayat

Ours is a coastal area. Through public contribution to the extent of 50% of cost and "shram daan" (contribution through labour work) by those who could not give money, 11 local water bodies were strengthened and 100 million litres of additional storage capacity created.

As farmers become better off, they may move towards organic farming.
We, local leaders should take initiatives and also motivate 10-20 others to do so.

Amrutbhai Chhabhaiya, Community leader, Patidar Samaj

We led a fundraising campaign from borewell owners and implemented 200 borewell recharges.

Maganbhai Ahir, progressive farmer

Adopted natural farming, and also changed crops, watering, sowing pattern. Strengthened two water bodies by own efforts.

We also did two more detailed interviews with two of the stalwarts, given in the next part.