Activities

Formation and strengthening of Farm Club’s

During the past PASSS has been involved in facilitating formation and strengthening self help groups of small farmers (including women) called Farm Club’s. At present there are 200 Farms Club’s with a total member ship 20000 farm house holds in the three districts of Pathhanamthitta, Kollam & Alappuzha. The Farm Clubs are supported in their development initiatives. Main form of support are training financial and materials resources.

Formation and Strengthening of Credit Unions

PASSS has been involved in facilitating formation and strengthening of savings and credit groups during past. More than 100 savings and credit groups are already formed and functioning with a total member of 6000. Majority of the members are women. Responses from the villages are encouraging and it is hoped that more than 200 savings and credit groups will be in operation within the next 2 years.

Facilitation of Participatory Development Processes

PASSS has been facilitating participatory development processes among the Farm Clubs for planning and implementation of development activities and also for empowering them as actors in development activities of their micro – environment. (For facilitating the participatory development processes PASSS has a team of trained staff)

PASSS has been also been maintaining clause linkages with Government Departments, Panchayat Raj institution and Research Institutions for complimenting each other’s activities and learning from each other’s experiences in participatory and de centralized development initiatives.

Promotion of Appropriate Technical Activities

PASSS has been involved in promoting technical activities appropriate for the small farm families for improving their socio- economic position. Main activities promoted by PASSS during the last 25 years are the following.

(a) Land Improvement

PASSS has been involved in improving the marginal and hilly areas of the small farmers thorough promoting soil and water conservation measures. During 1990-1996 more than 10000 Acres of land could we improved with participation of 40000 small farmers. During the next 5 years it is proposed to improve another 15000 Acres of land with participation of small farmers.

(b) Sustainability of Small Homesteads

Kerala agriculture is dominated by small homestead gardening. Therefore agriculture development and improvement of the living conditions of the small farmers in Kerala are possible only through strengthening and sustaining the farming system of homestead gardening. With these objectives PASSS has been involving in the following activities in the sector of small homestead farming in Kerala:

• Sustainability of the traditional farming system and bio-diversity
• Promotion multiple cropping of food crops, fruits, vegetables and spices
• Promotion of dairy, poultry and goat rearing suitable for the homesteads
• Promotion of horticulture and floriculture
• Promotion of the use of organic manuring and other appropriate farming practices
• Supporting establishment of community based plant nurseries
• Promotion of medicinal plants cultivation
• Promotion of income generating programmes for women

More than 1, 50,000 small farm households have participated in the above activities during the last six years. Some of the specific sub-activities include: (1) improvement of Cattle housing (30,000 families); (2) establishment of village level poultry rearing centers (60 Units with a capacity to rear 30,000 birds at a time); (3) establishment of hatchery to produce chicks and introduction of planting materials of fruits, vegetables and spices (worth more than Rs.20 million); and (5) introduction and improvement of better breeds of local goats. PASSS has also initiated an action-research programme to improve the local breeds of goats and poultry in Kerala.

(C) Augmenting Drinking Water Supply:

(i) Development of Natural Springs: For the first time in Kerala, PASSS has introduced development of natural springs for supplying safe drinking water to the remote and hilly areas, with active participation of the user-communities. So far 750 springs could be developed for use of more than 30,000 people. The per capita cost of supplying water is found to be only one-tenth of that of piped water supply. There is enormous potential and need for disseminating the technology among other remote areas of Kerala. PASSS plans to provide technical support (mainly in the forms of training and consultancy) to other NGOs and local institutions in Kerala, in addition to continuing its own activities of development of the springs.

(ii) Improvement of traditional water sources (wells): More than 60 percent of the rural population in Kerala depends on traditional sources (mainly open wells) for their requirement of drinking water. Unfortunately till now there were no major efforts on the part of the Government to improve these sources for supply of safe drinking water. Almost all Government efforts were to introduce piped water system, which is very expensive and often not viable and possible. In this context PASSS has initiated a programme with the support of the self-help groups (farm clubs) to improve the traditional sources for supply of safe drinking water for the rural population.

(iii) Water Testing Facilities: To support its aim of supplying safe drinking water to rural areas. PASSS has established a water testing laboratory in its campus. It is being used for testing the water samples of the traditional sources of water and educating the users on improving the water quality of the sources.

(d) Improving Rural Housing and Sanitation:

PASSS could construct more than 200 low cost houses for the weaker sections. It has also been involved in proving rural sanitation through awareness creation and supporting construction of low cost latrines. So far it could support construction of nearly 1000 low cost latrines.

(e) Dissemination of Smokeless Chulhas:

PASSS has been involved in disseminating the use of smokeless chulhas in rural areas with the support of the Agency for Non - Conventional Energy and Rural Technology for the last seven years. So far it could support installation of more than 50,000 chulhas in different parts of Kerala. It has also a trained team of volunteers of installation of the Chulhas.

f. Entrepreneurship Development:

PASSS has been providing training and support in entrepreneurship development among the villagers, in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Development Institution of Ahmadabad. So far 300 villagers could be trained. Nearly 70 percent of the trained villagers started their own enterprises.

Human Resources Development

PASSS has been involved in providing training in technical and non-technical subjects to staff and volunteers of the NGOs and self-help groups, and farmers, for the last five years. To support the training programme it has (a) established a training centre with adequate facilities and (b) formed a team of trainers. PASSS is providing training especially on the following topics: (1) management of self-help groups; (2) participatory planning; (3) entrepreneurship development; (4) water supply and sanitation; (5) poultry rearing; (6) raising of plant nurseries; (7) installation of smokeless chulhas and (8) institution development.

Western Ghat Development Programme - WGDP

WGDP watershed projects Pazhakulam Social Service Society –PASSS acting as implementing agency of Watershed projects in Pathanamthitta & Kollam District since 2002.

List of Watershed projects we are implementing is shown below.

Sl. No.	Name of Watersheds	Panchayaths	District
1	Payanalloor Watershed	Pallickal	Pathanamthitta
2	Pannickampara Watershed	Konni	Pathanamthitta
3	Chiravayal Arukalickal Watershed	Ezhamkulam	Pathanamthitta
4	Choorakodu Moozhickal Watershed	Erathu	Pathanamthitta
5	Kollottil Watershed	Enadimangalam	Pathanamthitta
6	Neervilakam Watershed	Aranmula	Pathanamthitta
7	Elamanoor -1 Watershed	Enadimangalam	Pathanamthitta
8	Melood Watershed	Pallickal	Pathanamthitta
9	Kundayam Watershed	Pathanapuram	Kollam
10	Athamkodu Watershed	Pathanapuram	Kollam
11	Niranelloor Watershed	Kulakkada	Kollam
12	Ambara Watershed	Pavithreswaram	Kollam
13	Aithottuva Watershed	West Kallada	Kollam

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee

Scheme - MGNREGS

In Kollam and Pathanamthitta Districts, Project Reports were prepared under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Scheme after conducting detailed PRA. For the preparation of Watershed Master plan. PASSS extend their service as supporting organization.