Leveraging Traditional Indian Rural Prcatices and Existing Capabilities to Enhance Livelihoods
Leveraging Traditional Indian Rural Prcatices and Existing Capabilities to Enhance Livelihoods
Authors : Vinod S Kapur and Anisha Singh
Meet Anjali Maiti from 24, South Paraganas, West Bengal. She is a middle aged woman who is the sole bread winner of her household comprising a bed-ridden husband and aged father-in-law. She lives in a single room kutcha hut which she shares with 50 Kuroilers! Kuroiler rearing contributes to almost 50% of her income and she gives it credit for ensuring that they have enough to eat. Since she started keeping Kuroilers, her belief in herself has increased, her social standing has improved and she is confident that her Kuroiler-based livelihood will generate enough income even if her husband does not contribute. In her words “Kuroiler Nahin To Jeevan Nahin”.
Anjali’s story above aptly summarises the impact of Keggfarms’ promoted Village Bird called kuroiler in alleviating chronic poverty among the poorest of the poor by ensuring stability of income. While this is a poultrybased intervention, it derives inspiration from the belief that sustainable development is possible only by upgrading existing systems, through acceptable, manageable and affordable inputs within the capabilities of rural households. An approach that calls for adoption of practices that they cannot, in practical terms, understand or financially afford, is not likely to achieve significant and lasting results. Hence since the early 1990’s,Keggfarms is working very closely with the community, across 13 states, to provide them a high-yielding, low-cost village bird at their doorstep thereby converting a non-remunerative traditional poultry rearing activity into a means of additional and sustainable income.
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