The 7th Annual National Conference of STARS Forum was hosted by CORD (Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development) at their Sidhbari (Himachal Pradesh) campus. In this talk, Shri Narendra Paul - Chief Operating Officer of CORD - introduces CORD's work through community based organisations.

1. Multipronged approach through
Community Based organizations
(CBOs) enriches comprehensive
development including livelihood
1
Narender Paul,
Chief Operating Officer CORD
Office of National Director and CORD Training Centre Sidhbari, Kangra, H.P, India,
Email: cordsidhbari@gmail.com

2. • 70% Rural India
• Agrarian Economy
• Marginalized groups
• Multifaceted problems
• Panchayati Raj Institutions
• Welfare, Development,
Rights & Climate change
• Globe as a village
•Inequality and Injustice
Participation, Integration, Networking and Sustainability
Context

3. FROMFROM MATERNALMATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH…AND CHILD HEALTH…
CORD started in 1985 as a health
program
CORD’s work began in
1985 as an isolated
health program with
focus on maternal and
child health care
It also provided
training of community
health nurses and
traditional birth
attendants

4. Health was not a standalone
issue…
……TOTO HOLISTIC TRANSFORMATIONHOLISTIC TRANSFORMATION

5. CORD’s holistic transformation is based on a
set of Integrated Participatory Programs
• Primary
health
• Disability
treatment
• Social
justice
• Legal cell
• Trainings
• Economic
• Governance
• Education
• Environment
• Preventive
health
• Rehabilitation
for disabled

6. Gram Sabha
of a Panchayat
Up-Gram
Sabha
Ward 1
Up-Gram
Sabha
Ward 5
Up-Gram
Sabha
Ward 2
Up-Gram
Sabha
Ward 3
Up-Gram
Sabha
Ward 4
CBO
Women &
Men
CBO
Women &
Men
CBO
Women &
Men
CBO
Women &
Men
CBO
Women &
Men
CORD’s Process Model is to Mainstream
So that empowered rural India awakens to its gigantic
potential!
Government Schemes & Programs
Empowering Elected Leaders & Community Based Organizations

7. visible empowerment of poorest of the
poor, marginal, AND small women farmers
in rural India

8. 8
STARK REALITY
• Land distribution inequality (80:20) – fragment and scattered
• Rain-fed agriculture: 80% & Irrigated:20%
• Women constitute more than 50% of Indian farmers and 60%
of the workforce in the farming sector.
• Only 9% of rural Indian women have land in their name
• In Indian Himalayas,
- a pair of bulls works 1,064 hours,
- a man 1,212 hours and
- a woman 3485 hours in a year on a one hectare farm
Source: FAO, NSSO (India) and The Women Farmer's Bill 2011

9. MISSION
To institutionalize the poorest of the poor, marginal, and small
women farmers in collectives to become a visible force to be
reckoned with in agriculture and allied sectors in rural India
9

10. 10
WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
CYCLE

11. Objectives
• Visibly empower women in agriculture
• Develop women’s community
institutions
• Create sustainable livelihood
opportunities in agriculture and livestock
• Ensure household food and nutrition
security
• Increase women’s confidence and
productivity
• Reduce drudgery
• Build decision-making capacity of
women farmers
• Increase efficient use of local resources
• Establish best practices for the poor in
farm and allied sector in mountainous
region of South Asia
11

12. Targeted Beneficiaries
• 3500 poorest of poor, marginal, and small women
farmers
Himachal Pradesh

13. Institutional Model for livelihood promotion
13
Panchayat
level Women
Farmer Group
(PLWFG)
Women’s
Farmer
Group
(WFG)
Women’s
Farmer
Group
(WFG)
Women’s
Farmer
Group
(WFG)
Women’s
Farmer
Group
(WFG)
Women’s
Farmer
Group
(WFG)
Women Group
(WG) and Self-
Help Groups
(SHG)
Ward 1
Cluster /
Block level
WFG
Women Group
(WG) and Self-
Help Groups
(SHG)
Ward 2
Women Group
(WG) and Self-
Help Groups
(SHG)
Ward 5
Women Group
(WG) and Self-
Help Groups
(SHG)
Ward 4
Women Group
(WG) and Self-
Help Groups
(SHG)
Ward 3
*Institutional model is in convergence (not parallel) with Up-Gram Sabhas and Gram
Sabhas model of Panchayati Raj Insitution (PRI) for local self-governance in rural
India!

14. Livelihood Design
14
LIVELIHOOD
IMPROVEMENT
LIVELIHOOD
IMPROVEMENT

15. Livelihood Design Focus
• Individual household food and nutrition security
• SCI (System of Crop Intensification) - rice and wheat, pulses, millets,
vegetables
• Sustainable agricultural practices
• soil and water conservation
• low-cost practices
• seed management and control
• mitigation of risk exposure
• climate change – resilient practices
• organic practices
• Earning from inputs and surplus
• marketing outlet model to harness power of the collectives
• incremental increase in income from savings from self-sufficiency:
grain, dairy, poultry, goats
15

16. CRP – Community Resource Person
16
Marketing
Outlet
Marketing
Outlet
CRPCRP
Government
and other
agencies
Government
and other
agencies
Facilitated
by CORD
Facilitated
by CORD
FUNCTIONS
•Relationship with Wholesale
Marketers
•Community Mobilization
•Managing Collection Centers
•Trainings & Capacity Building
FUNCTIONS
•Relationship with Wholesale
Marketers
•Community Mobilization
•Managing Collection Centers
•Trainings & Capacity Building
Farmers will
exchange
inputs and
produce with
marketing
outlets
Livelihood
Im
provem
ent
Design

17. MARKETING OUTLETMARKETING OUTLET
PLWFGPLWFG PLWFGPLWFG PLWFGPLWFG
WF
G
WF
G
WF
G
WF
G WF
G
WF
G
WF
G
WF
GWF
G
WF
G
INPUTSINPUTS OUTPUTSOUTPUTS
EXCHANGEOFINPUTS
CRPCRP SaleswomenSaleswomen
17
• Fertilizer
(vermi
compost)
• Azolla
• Cattle feed
• Tools
• Seeds
• Vegetables
• Dairy
• Fruits
• Grains
EXCHANGEOFPRODUCE
Marketing outlet committeeMarketing outlet committee

18. Key output/outcomes
18