Engaging with Self Help Groups in South
Asia: ILRI's example of leveraging existing
social capital to reach under-served
farmers.
CSISA Objective 1 Planning Meeting
Kathmandu, Nepal
23 - 25 January, 2013
Arindam Samaddar, Nils Teufel, Michael Blummel, Iain Wright, Purvi Mehta
International Livestock Research Institute

ILRI CSISA Activities
CSISA I – Better integration of livestock in the cereal system
through residue use efficiency
Field based
• Development of feeding strategy - Effective utilization of used and
underutilized straw (different crops) into feeding trials
• Training on feeds and feeding of dairy animals
• Data collection of farmers perception on straw and stover quality
Laboratory based
• Analysis of straw in coordination with research platform
CSISA II – Up scaling interventions and training

Bihar CSISA-ILRI Activities
• Feed assessment
• Analysis of nutritional balance in
dairy ration
• Develop feeding strategy
• Training on feeds and feeding of
dairy animals (emphasis on under
and non utilized residues as feed)
• Balanced feeding trial: improved
feed

Bihar approach
• Collaboration with PACS for farmer led
experimental feeding trial
• Looking for options to include women in
different activities
• Inclusion of women with the help of SHG, milk
producer samiti and PACS

Present status
• Lakshmi Alp Bachat SHG: leading improved feed
preparation and distribution
• 400 farmers participated from 21 PACS and 31
SHGs
– 109 women farmers
– 255 farmers purchasing new feed
– 72 farmers adopted outside trials
– 142 women participated in training
– 64 farmers adopted new practice after training
• More demand of new improved feed :
impossible to handle by manual mixing

On-going work plan
• Main collaboration with SHGs
– Finding facts and figures of SHGs
• 2000 SHGs in Samastipur district: NABARD, NGOs, Foundations, Mithila Milk
Union, Banks, welfare departments
• Major activities: Dairy, Goatry, Poultry, tailoring, bee keeping
• But only 1250 SHGs are active
• 9 out 31 is operating with Bank
– Current strategy
• Choosing best SHGs: Business plans and support establishing Mixer grinder for
feed manufacturing
• Arrangements of revolving funds to meet the demand
• Technical backstopping from CSISA
• Exit strategy within 30 months
• Reviving non-active SHGs
• Expanding other block and district with SHGs
– Tajpur block [50(29Active)] of Samastipur & Muraul block [205(15Active)] of
Muzaffarpur
• Finding potential SHGs: Jeevika, Kisan Club, COMFED, Bank

Scope
• Identify potential SHGs – capacity, interest
• Developing business plans and innovation
platform for technology prioritization,
upscaling and outscaling activities:
– Holistic approach: crop-livestock integration in the
mixed farming system
– Smallholder households
– Targeting gender
– Targeting scale