1. PRESENTATION FOR CSISA & DIGITAL GREEN WORKSHOP
PATNA 25TH MARCH 2012
ABOUT VARRAT
VARRAT is a Voluntary Organisation founded by group of Social Workers started as an
activist organization during the year 1983 which tried to visualize the problems of locality;
feelings of people at micro level & raise voice for people. But in due course of time, the
spirit of activism got over-shadowed by harsh reality of people’s minimum materialistic
gain that essentially ensures ones own survival, witnessing fast changes and aftermath of
changing attitudes, there aroused the need for a change in operational modalities to
emphasize more on developmental aspects. Even then VARRAT’s prime objective to empower
the village people and particularly the vulnerable section of people in the community like
women and children are the focus. Since 1986-87 VARRAT is busy in working for two
Districts of Odisha i.e. Kendrapara and Keonjhar. In both the areas VARRAT has promoted
livelihood activities concentrating on Agriculture and Allied activities based on the local
resources.
Keonjhar in particular where VARRAT with the support of Digital Green has started the ICT
based intervention to promote agriculture is regarded as citadel of primitive tribes i.e.
Juanga, Munda, Santal, Kolha, Saunti, Bhuyan etc. 52% of the total population belongs to
tribes and 27% are Schedule Caste. Particularly the Blocks we are working Patna, Sadar
and Ghatagaon are thickly populated with tribal. The area is covered with depleted forest.
Scarcity of water living apart a limited area in the District is precarious. Still there is
enough scope for improving the agriculture during Kharif season and in early winter. With
little effort the perennial sources can be usable for farmers. Baitarani and Kainjhari are the
real resources of the Blocks. Hence Illiteracy & Ignorance deprives them from gaining
knowledge to grow and improve their productivity and excluded from the improved means
and appliances of agriculture.
PARTNERSHIP WITH DIGITAL GREEN SINCE 2010
YEAR 2010 opened up a unique, new and innovative approach for improving the
agriculture and increasing the productivity of rural Small and Marginal farmers with
support of Digital Green has become a land mark in Keonjhar District. Over a period of two
years 130 villages in Patna, Keonjhar, and Ghatagaon Blocks of Keonjhar District have been
operationalised. Dissemination of Videos has been undertaken in all the 130 villages and
7929 farmers have participated in the disseminations. Disseminations 2-3 times in every
SHG have been undertaken on a monthly basis. Taking the local famers as actors of the best

2. practices they are doing 150 videos have been produced on farm and non farm activities.
45 CROPS on agriculture and 5 on allied activities have been covered. The kind of support
and technology imparted by Digital Green has been a landmark in agriculture/green
revolution in our area and even the agriculture department has understood the difference
of the Classical System agricultural extension and ICT intervention. The on the site support
of Digital Green in popularizing the ICT has encouraged our village level workers and SHGs
to make this a movement among the small and marginal farmers of the area. Process has
been initiated among the SHGs to contribute for the dissemination what ever small may be
the contribution is. A environment has been built and the SHGs have started owning the
process.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The major accomplishments lies with the acceptance and adoption of the Positive Deviance
approach of ICT based intervention. The figure of adoption i.e. 15823 against the
disseminations has reached 57-58%. Again as studied the adoption of practices has
enhanced the production to a tune of 20-40% which varies from crop to crop. The major
landmarks include the capacity of Villages Youths (Male & Female) to manage ICT activities
like identification of themes and farmer, shooting by village youths, mediated
dissemination among the SHG members by the village youths and again recording the
adoptions/ success stories by the same band of people is really great. The editing of the
video documents with computer by the so called informal educated youths is marvelous.
This has not only empowered the village youths but made the SHGs confident of sustaining
the process for their improvement. In a period of 2 years around 12000 disseminations
have been done in 130 villages and 676 farmers groups of 3 blocks.
PICTORIAL PRESENTATION
POTENTIAL AREAS OF INTEREST
There is scope for evaluating and enhancing our knowledge base
Strengthening the Process
Enriching the communities to enhance the risk taking abilities
New technologies to be introduced to diversify the cropping pattern to increase the
productivity and income.