This is presentation about My Feet on the Ground Leadership Campaign with youth in grave situations of Maharashtra Drought and Farmers' suicides .

1. Feet On The Ground
Shetkari Wachawa Network
Leadership Campaign in Marathwada
Harshavardhan Purandare

2. Shetkari Wachwa Padayatra: Recap
Youth decided to act !
• Maharashtra is facing its worst ever drought.
No rains, no crop, our rural economy is dead!
• The farmers are in deep debt for consecutive
years now, they are not able to repay anymore.
The farmer suicides due to stress of this debt
have escalated into social crisis now.
• In Beed and Parbhani, group of young
volunteers decided to March against this crisis
with MF’s support. The march is now popularly
known as Shetkari Wachawa Padayatra.
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3. Shetkari Wachwa Padayatra: Recap
Gramsabhas and Jan Dnyaan Kendra
• They walked across the villages - conducting
meetings (Gram Sabhas) with farmers,
discussing debt and suicide issue openly,
assuring them ‘you are not alone’.
• The campaign created social solidarity
against debt and suicides. We have steady
outreach to 31 villages now, no suicide is
reported from those villages.
• Center of Shetkari Wachawa Padayatra – Jan
Dnyaan Kendra (JDK) team- is networking
with Govt, NGOs (like NAAM), Experts -
initiating and implementing social and
developmental projects together.
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4. Shetkari Wachwa Padayatra: Recap
Local youth connected on Social Media
• The Facebook page for Shetkari Wachawa
Padayatra got 8000+ likes, Use of Facebook and
WhatsApp is highlight of this youth movement.
https://www.facebook.com/Shetkari-Wachawa-
Padayatra-1635094360072374/
• We have team of 75 volunteers that can be
accessed thru virtual means for our activities on
regular basis.
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5. Shetkari Wachwa Padayatra: Recap
The reasons beyond agrarian economy
• The narrative of drought and farmers’
suicides focusses just on economic crisis,
but Padayatra found that Social and
Environmental factors are at backdrop of
farmers’ debacle.
• Dowry Traditions, False Caste Pride ,
Growing Inequality, Non equitable water
distribution, Corruption, Environmental
Degradation and Inaction to Go Greener ,
Lack of Scientific Knowledge are damaging
factors –Its not just about business.
So our actions on these issues will help ..
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6. Shetkari Wachawa and I
• Shetkari Wachawa Padayatra is my brain child, Its
purpose is to create strategic networking platform for
all stakeholders , with active and thoughtful local
youth at its center.
• I visited Beed and Parbhani for almost 2 months in
August -September. I conducted strategy camps to
initiate the discussion and action with youth. I have
been guiding them ever since.
• I organized a Press Conference, Created FB Page,
Connected Padayatra group to key people in local
government, media and social movements. Set up the
volunteer group to run Jan Dnyaan Kendra (JDK)
• Now I plan to take my work with Shetkari Wachawa
Padaytra to next level, looking forward to involve
myself in much Solid action and make Shetkari
Wachawa Network socially more enterprising, much
more impacting.
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7. What is the ground situation Now ?
Water and Work have vanished !
• In Spite of Solidarity created against farmers’
suicides, the accelerating drought is much much
bigger challenge in villages during next summer
months. Farmer’s suicide issue and Drought issue
both are merging now .
• Drinking water is reportedly getting over in
Month of March only, we can imagine the ground
situation from this single BIG indicator.
• There are no jobs and wages available anymore.
Many families are contemplating “Sthalantar”,
which shud be stopped. All businesses
dependent on agrarian economy are coming to
halt.
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8. What is the ground situation Now ?
Admin not up to this challenge !
• Maharashtra State Govt’s rural
administration which controls state
resources and govt bureaucrats who have
prime responsibility to address the
economic crisis - are inefficient and
corrupt (with some exceptions!).
• Next monsoon might be good, but
because ‘no cash at hand’ -farmers may
not be ready to buy seeds or plow fields
and be prepared to take advantage.
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9. What is the ground situation Now ?
Weaker in society are suffering most!
• Laborers , Small farmers , Women , Lower
Castes and Dalits are suffering most.
• We had cases of young girls committing
suicide under pressure of dowry.
• Small farmers and laborers have existential
threat .
• Cattle is facing starvation and death ,
families can only watch helplessly.
अंत झाला अस्ताआधी जन्म एक व्याधी
वेदनांची गाणी म्हणजे पोकळ समाधी !
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10. Why leadership campaign ?
Who will solve the crisis ..
• Will govt be able to solve the crisis?
Unlikely! But Govt has big role to play as only
Govt has big money.
• Will Economy Spring back?
We are facing absolute disaster. We have to wait
for next monsoon to see first positive
improvements.
• Will NGOs fix this mess?
NGOs can provide alternative approaches and
create Problem-Solution Models.
Our Leadership Campaign is One Such Approach.
People have to rise and fix their own problems
with help of others.
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11. Why leadership campaign ?
Bring youth leaders to forefront!
So MF’s best strategy is to analyze and focus on
underlying issues, partner with Govt and NGOs,
get socially enterprising young grass roots
leadership on forefront. Make them more
knowledge and Ideas Driven through training,
orienting and brainstorming.
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12. Why leadership campaign ?
Questions that are getting discussed!
• We are making rural young people think and think
differently - By asking questions like:
Why more dangerous droughts in Africa are not causing
suicides and in Marathwada it’s a big trend now?
How do we disconnect Money matters from Suicide with Social
Solidarity and functioning Social Security?
How can we attack illiteracy and backwardness of peasants in
context of present crisis ?
How do we want ambitious Govt schemes like JALYUKTA SHIVAR
and MGNREGA to be reformed with RTI, CELL PHONES -
INTERNET from your side?
How do we take advantage of Govt Investments, New Agro-
Knowledge, Tech for bouncing back of Agrarian Economy?
How do we create Social Security Net during drought months
putting pieces together?
What do we do with the fact that certain castes and women in
Rural Maharashtra are affected more by drought?
• Answers to all these questions create Projects that begin
the Collective Action for Social Change against suicides
and Drought.
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13. How will we train youth leadership?
Our camps create local game changers
• We orient and train the youth in series of training
camps which run overnight for 2-3 days and have
typically 40 participants.
• JDK Teams give them Shetkari Wachawa Action
programs on specific issues and train them with
solutions we already know and information we
already have from work in first phase.
• We make them present their village specific issues and
then brainstorm together to find solutions. We come
up with village specific action plans, target at least one
big problem per volunteer group.
• We organize group discussions during the camp, Right
to Information applications to govt officers are
prepared collectively if needed.
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14. How will we train youth leadership?
Connect, Learn , Exchange !
Widen their Access
• We invite experts, local administrative
officers, social and political leaders,
journalists to orient and offer their
solutions.
• The training camp is two way process of
knowledge and information exchange with
participants and organizers .
• It is an important event where villagers
network to widen their access with the
systems .
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15. Actions and Solutions
Method of Movement
• The volunteers will start working on action plans as
decided in camps , they will be constantly
networked with JDK.
• If their actions require resources , they will try to
raise locally or network with other agencies.
• If the need for resources for collective project
coming from several villages , then JDK will create a
Project and seek Funding from partners (like MF US )
.
• Results of those actions will be shared with JDK and
other villages so that problem-solutions replication is
possible horizontally and also for quality
improvements.
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16. Media and Social Media
• The idea that “We Marathi Diaspora in US” are
thinking and ready to get our “Feet on the Ground” ,
gets immense appreciation and attention from
villagers . We shud use our positive branding to
impact.
• We will focus on local print media, as it is important
to frame issues, bring out cases in local media and
connect with more people using them. As we grow,
we will connect to Marathi TV channels.
• Social Media can be game changer in this drought.
We have proposed 2 youth training camps for Use of
Social Media, Cell Phones and Training volunteers
with orientation and production skills that are
needed .
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17. My Campaign Program
• Training Camps – 4 camps of average 40
participants
• Farmer Gatherings – 2 Farmer Gatherings
• Press Conferences -2 (Beed and
Parbhani)
• Social Media Camps 2 and Campaign
• Improve Functioning of JDK Teams
Continuously.
• Meeting with Govt Officers and Local
Leaders to build partnerships
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18. What will be the tangible outcome?
• The leadership campaign project is prototype of war
against drought we are proposing in the whole
drought scenario.
• We intend to develop 40 committed young leaders
with Support from 160 more working volunteers –
Team of 200 volunteers acting against drought and
saving farmers on our platform.
• We will fight drought in and around 30 villages thru
this program, Create local projects and social-
economic infrastructure for Saving the Farmers
• We will create Social Media Campaign, Using
Facebook, Twitter and Whats app.
• We will initiate program of Developing Model
Village in at least 7-8 villages.
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19. Actions and Solutions
What are the big ticket solutions we as MF can get
implemented/Initiate during my leadership campaign?
• Solidarity campaign against Suicides, Debt Restructuring (Continued)
• Campaign Against Dowry and Samudayik Vivah [MF US Branded
Project] Targeting long term institutionalization with others organizing
similar events]
• Annihilation of Caste (Fighting False Caste Pride , Discrimination and
Promote True Emancipation)
• Right to Work Movement (MGNREGA) with Social Media and Internet
• Jalayukta Shivar Partnerships (Watershed Development)
• Disaster Mgmt. : Drinking Water Scarcity Or Water Conflicts Mgmt.
• Training on local governance for women representatives [Panchayat
Raj ]
• MF US Branded ambitious ‘Social Media Against Drought’ Initiative
(In Synergy With Our New MF Web Site)
• Building Model Villages (Long Term)
• Scaling Up in International Social Markets (UN Consulting Status)
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20. Projects for MF Funding through
Donors and Partners
[First 3 Proposals Are Written , emailed to Projects Team :
• Leadership Campaign (6-8 Weeks)
• MGNREGA Against Drought
• Samudayik Vivah and Anti Dowry Campaign
Some more Projects For Shelf
• Disaster Management : Drinking Water
• Annihilation of Caste
• Jalyukta Shivar for People
• Social Media Against Drought and Farmer Suicides
• Local Governance for Women Reps Training
Training Module and Participatory Camps
• Promoting Innovation and Social Ventures [As per the proposals]
• Building Model Villages Long Term Work (2-3 years)
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21. MF Drought Intervention : Web Of Projects
My vision for our drought intervention is web of several
projects that we can try to make happen together as a
team. These projects will feed into each other and
counter the drought and farmer’s suicides.
Can we become Marketplace for this projects ?
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22. Thanks
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