Greetings from MP and some 'news' from Samaj Pragati Sahayog

[kshiti gala]

Dear Indiafest Junta,

One of my tasks at Samaj Pragati Sahayog (http://www.samprag.org/) is to write about the goings-on in every programme at SPS and to help with impact assessment studies.

We come out with a quarterly newsletter which is circulated among donors, friends, well wishers and anyone who interested. This is the first newsletter that I have worked on.

Please read it (its really short)! Feedback on both the stories will be appreciated.

"The newsletter tells the story of a devastating monsoon for the people of our area this year. Water levels in the river Narmada and its tributary rose several metres high in one night - fast, furious and frightening. A deluge burst through the walls of people's homes, sweeping away their carefully gathered belongings. Though it is located close to the river, the affected villages are not in the flood-prone zone. The question can then be asked: what led to these sudden floods? The underlying story seems to indicate how human interventions in the natural hydrological cycle and river flows may have created new problems. 

This newsletter also covers the story of how excessive rain has destroyed kharif season crops, especially soybean, again affecting livelihoods of many people. This story underlines the importance of a diversified cropping pattern, to enhance the resilience of farming communities lending them power to withstand climate-related risks. In a typical rainfed situation, risk minimization rather than high yield should be the objective to pursue. For this the essential pre-requisites are moving away from mono-cropping and from dependence on a single variety."

Love,

Kshiti

PS - I hope you peeps are doing really well! A big 'heylo' to everyone!