Amrol

Village PRA Report

January, 2016

Prepared by

Prof. Shyam Singh

&
Siddhartha Dabhi

Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA)

Anand, Gujarat- 388001
 Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Mr Chetan Jha and his team at FES for facilitating the PRA
studies. We would also like to thank the villagers of Amrol for sparing their time
and for actively participating in the different PRA exercises and sharing their
knowledge with us. Last but not the least, we would like to thank the students of
PRM 36 for their painstaking efforts in facilitating the PRA, even during rains.

Prof. Shyam Singh and Siddhartha Dabhi

Date: January 28, 2016.

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 Table of Contents
1.1 About Amrol .................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Resource Map................................................................................................................ 4
Objectives: ...................................................................................................................................... 4
The process of resource mapping: ........................................................................................ 5
Key features of the resource map: ......................................................................................... 6
Findings:.......................................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Social Map ...................................................................................................................... 7
Objectives: ...................................................................................................................................... 8
The process of social mapping:............................................................................................... 8
Key features of the social map: ............................................................................................... 9
Findings:........................................................................................................................................10
2.3 Venn Diagram ............................................................................................................ 10
Objectives: ....................................................................................................................................10
The process of preparing Venn Diagrams: .......................................................................11
Key Features of the Venn diagram: .....................................................................................12
Findings:........................................................................................................................................13
2.4 Transect Walk ............................................................................................................ 14
Objectives: ....................................................................................................................................14
The process of data collection through transect walk: ................................................14
Findings:........................................................................................................................................16
2.5 Seasonal Calendar and Crop Calendar .............................................................. 17
Objectives: ....................................................................................................................................17
The process of preparing Seasonal/Crop calendar:......................................................17
Findings:........................................................................................................................................19
2.6 Historical Timeline .................................................................................................. 20
Objective: ......................................................................................................................................20
Process of preparing the Historical Timeline: ................................................................20
Timeline: .......................................................................................................................................22
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 22

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 Amrol Village PRA Report

1.1 About Amrol

Amrol, a small village near the river Mahisagar, is situated on the borders of
Anand and Vadodara districts in the Anklav taluka. A family Parmarsfleeing
from a neighbouring village to escape a feud had founded Amrol in early 1900.

Amrol is located 24 kilometers south of the district headquarters in Anand. The

village has a population of approximately 5268 people comprising 1578 families
and is largely inhabited by the Rajput community with a minority presence of
other castes and communities. Wage labour is the main source of livelihood. A
small percentage of people are occupied in agriculture.

1.2PRA Tools Used

Resource map
Social map
Venn diagram
Transect walk
Seasonal Calendar
Historical timeline

2.1 Resource Map

The village resource map is an information tool regarding the resources
available to a given community and its knowledge and understanding of the
latter. Resource mapping also happens to be a very effective ice-breaking
exercise. The prime objective is not to develop an accurate map but to acquire
useful information regarding the local perception of resources. An additional
benefit of preparing a resource map is the availability of very minute details
including the condition of roads and other types of infrastructure, which is not
possible through systematized maps like Google Maps. The data generated from
this exercise may be used to make decisions regarding optimal and cost effective
utilization of resources.

Objectives:

To study the existing resources in and around the village

To evaluate the abundance and scarcity of different resources

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 To study the relative importance of resources to the villagers
To analyze the problems associated with resource distribution and
availability.

The process of resource mapping:

Around 20-25 villagers were present for preparing the resource map. These
were males aged between 20 and 75 years. Most of them were involved in
agriculture barring a few who were involved in business in the near-by Anklav
town. Some of the participants being social and political workers commanded
good knowledge of the village.

Activity started around 9.30 a.m. Before starting the PRA, the students group
had invited the villagers to attend the PRA activity. Around 300 people including
men, women, and children had been invited to participate in the resource
mapping at the Mahadev Temple with very few actually turning up. The low
numbers may be attributed to the sowing season.

The resource mapping was done inside the Mahadev Temple, which is situated at
the centre of the village. In addition, the temple premises are capable of
accommodating a large number of people at any given time.

The villagers drew up the resource map with the help of Anuj Bhatia, Ankit
Mudgal, Anoop KG, and Apoorv Kumar. The villagers drew the map over the
temple floor with the help of coloured chalk. Initially, the villagers were given a
little push by the facilitators but gradually they became engrossed in the
exercise.

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 Figure 1 Resource Map

Key features of the resource map:

Resource Number and/or Importance

Pakka Roads Pakka roads connect the village to the highways.
Kuccha Roads The internal roads of the village are kuccha roads
causing issues of water logging during monsoons.
River The neighbouring river Mahisagar provides livelihood
to fishermen and also helps farmers with irrigation.
Canal The canal built in the village is fairly long and facilitates
irrigation for farmers. Its importance is particularly felt
during times of monsoon deficit.
Umeta Dam The Umeta Dam is built near the village. This dam
provides indirect benefits like maintaining the
underground water table.
Bridge Two bridges built over the Mahisagar enable
connectivity to nearby villages and towns. However,
these bridges are at some distance from the village.
Tube wells There are approximately 28 tubewells in the village.

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Jet Pumps There are approximately 16 jet pumps in the village.
Hand Pumps There are approximately 5 hand pumps in the village,
which have now dried out.
Water Tanks The village has 2 water tanks
Farms Most farmers have small land holdings. A majority of
farms are located near the river and canal. The riverside
is brodered by several farms belonging to a
businessman from Baroda.
Grazing Land The grazing land, mostly used for grazing cattle, is also a
source for acquiring firewood. However, the villagers
still need to buy firewood from the local market (at the
rate of Rs 4/kg). Amrol dwellers are largely dependent
on firewood since very few houses have LPG
connections. Grazing land, also an avenue for a better or
alternative utilization, covers a large area of the village.
Pond There are three ponds in the village, all located around
the canal.

Table 1 Features of Resource map

Findings:

Need for pakka Roads in the village. This will improve the village
infrastructure and also help reduce health problems caused by water-
borne diseases caused by water logging.
Installing solar panels along the canal for producing electricity could
further diversify the use of the canal.
A new bridge over Mahisagar could improve the villages connectivity
with other villages and towns.
The village has several tube wells and jet pumps, but these are privately
owned. Thus, there is scope for intervention regarding developing
infrastructure, which could benefit all villagers.
The grazing land, which is fairly abundant, could also be put to alternative
uses leading to employment or services generation.
There is a need to ensure water safety in the village the present
infrastructure of water tanks being ill managed.
The ponds in the village could also be developed and made useful for
livelihood activities.

2.2 Social Map

Social mapping is a tool used to facilitate the process of mapping social and
physical conditions of the village. A social map provides insights to the habitation
patterns, institutions, and other socio-economic characteristics including
demography, class and caste distribution, livelihoods, employment, health,

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religion, etc. Information provided by social maps can be very useful for
preparing policy interventions and also for forecasting implementation hurdles.
Social maps also make the villagers aware of their own social conditions and help
them perceive the barriers in their social development.

Objectives:

Identifying different social groups based on caste, class, and religion.

Understanding social stratification.
Learning about the different institutions of the village and their
importance for the villagers.
Learning about government policy interventions or government schemes
for the village.

The process of social mapping:

Social mapping was done with the help of about 21 villagers, which included 10-
12 women, 5-6 men and 2-3 children. This group also included about 4 elderly
men and women of the village. The social mapping was done at the Panchayat
Bhawan, which is constructed like a hall capable of accommodating a large
number of people. The PRA team invited many villagers to participate in the
activity, although only a few were actually able to do so because of the rains and
also because most were busy in their fields in sowing activities. Although very
few people turned up to participate during the social mapping activity, the
participants were very well informed and keen. A majority of the participants
being women it was very interesting to learn about their understanding of the
social dynamics in their village. The social mapping lasted about 3 hours. Alok,
Amol Mohan, Aman, and Ankit Bazad facilitated the PRA.

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 Figure 2 Social Map

Key features of the social map:

Social Institution/ Observation

Features
Land Ownership A large number of the villagers are landless. They
work as daily-wage labourers in nearby villages
and towns.
Occupation/Livelihoods A small percentage of people cultivate farms. A
majority of the people work as daily wagers in
neighbouring villages and towns. Diverse sources
of livelihood are observed like tailoring, carpentry,
hair-cutting, bidi-rolling, small businesses, etc.
Housing There is a majority of kuccha houses with very few
pukka houses in the village. About 30 houses have
been built under the Sardar Patel Aawas Yojna and
a few under the Indira Aawas Yojna.
Education The village has one primary school and two middle
schools. The condition of education is poor in the
village. Most people have not passed class 10. A
majority of the people are educated only up to
class 5. The number for women enrollees is much
lower.

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Caste/class classification
Important institutions
Table 2 Features of Social Map
Rajputs are in a majority constituting almost 85%
of the population. There are also Rajputs, the
Darbars and Chauhans from the upper class. The
Chamars, Dhobis, Parmars, Doms, and Harijans
comprise the lower classes. The village has a very
small migrant population from Bihar working as
labourers.
Panchayat, health centre, post-office, dairy (milk
collection center), temples, schools, anaganwadi,
and the SahkariSevaMandali.

Findings:

From the social map and secondary sources used for triangulation we
learnt that Amrol has a population of 5268 persons with 1572 families.
Nearly 70% of the houses are kuccha houses and about 30% houses are
pukka.

Religious homogeneity notwithstanding caste heterogeneity was evident

via village politics including the selection of the Sarpanch and resource
distribution concerning water, sewage systems and so on. Besides, the
houses of people from the Harijan community and migrants are clustered
in one corner of the village.

The social map also reveals severe problems with sanitation. Toilets are
largely missing in the village and open defecation is widely prevalent.
Also, there is a need for improvement in the health care provisions of the
village with the villagers complaining of absentee doctors.

2.3 Venn Diagram

Venn Diagram is an institutional map depicting institutions in and around the
village and their influence on the villagers. Through the Venn diagram we gained
insights into peoples perceptions about the institutions and their socio-political
relations with the people.

Objectives:

To learn the importance attached by people to the various institutions

and institutional heads.
To understand perceptions of the people regarding the nature of
relationships between people and institutions.

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 To understand the power dynamics between people or the Reflect group
itself.

The process of preparing Venn Diagrams:

Fifty-six villagers prepared the Venn diagrams including 32 men and 24 women.
The genders were divided into two separate groups in order to gain two
different perspectives for the institutions in their village.
Once the groups were formed the process of preparing the Venn diagrams was
explained to them. After drawing up a list of institutions existing in the vicinity
they were asked to broadly rank these institutions based on their perceived
importance.

The participants were then asked to draw circles representing the institutions.
The circle sizes depicted the institutions (perceived) scale of importance while
the intersection between the circles depicted the perception of inter-relatedness
between different institutions.

This activity was conducted at the Mahadev Temple and was facilitated by Ajit
Panwar, Arkajyoti Dhar, Arnab Bhattacharya, and Atash Shah.

Figure 3Venn Diagram (Men)

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 Figure 4Venn Diagram (Women)

Key Features of the Venn diagram:

Institutions of Importance Institutions of Importance

(Men) (Women)
Gram Panchayat/Sarpanch Gram Panchayat/ Sarpanch
Dairy Revenue Office
Primary School Cooperative Health Group
SahkariSevaMandali Anganwadi
Post office Health Centre
GEDA Training Centre Primary School
Fertilizer Centre Dairy
GIDC Nandesari Self Help Group
MahadevMandir Traders
Anganwadi Natural well
Kerosene Depot Grinding Mill
Police Station Money Lender
108 Emergency Service 108 Emergency Service
Legislative Assembly Police Station
Anklav Market
Bank
Public Toilet
Temple
Cremation Centre
Pan Shop

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 Post office
Table 3 Features of Venn Diagram

Findings:

The two Venn diagrams prepared by the men and women throw light on some
interesting aspects of peoples understanding of institutions including gender
variations.

Significantly, lesser institutions emerged as more important for the men. They
cited the Gram Panchayat/ Sarpanch as the most important. Other institutions
that ranked closely included the primary school, dairy, post office, GIDC training
centre, Sahkari Seva Mandali, and the Mahadev Temple. The men perceived
inter-relationships between the Gram Panchayat, Sahkari Seva Mandali, primary
school, and the dairy in varying degrees. Other institutions of importance to the
men included the police station, 108 emergency service, and the GIDC
Nanadesari.

A slightly different picture emerged with the women respondents. For a start,
they listed a higher number of institutions deemed as influential or important.
They saw the Gram Panchayat, Revenue office, self help groups, Sahkari Seva
Mandali, Anganwadi, school, and the health centre as very important and also
that these institutions were directly and indirectly related to one another. Other
important institutions listed by the women included the moneylender, police
station, 108 emergency service, Anklav market, bank and traders. Institutions
deemed as less important included the tailor, natural well, pan shop, grinding
mill, and public toilets.

The Venn diagrams also show that men see institutions of economic and political
as more important while the see women institutions of social and economic as
having greater importance.

It is interesting to see that men attach importance to temples as an institution

while something as important as a public toilet\s does not appear to merit the
same consideration. Interestingly, the reverse was true for the women!

A commonality involving both genders pertains to the perception of the

Sarpanch (Manubhai in this case) as the most important. The villagers see him
as a good administrator who has shown generosity in helping build the village
temples.

The younger generation showed greater clarity and a richer understanding of the
institutions in their village. For example, they see the Sarpanch as more
important in their lives than the school, because it is only through the approval
of the Sarpanch that schools are built.

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2.4 Transect Walk
The transect walk is a method involving group members walking through the
village area to gain an understanding of the topography, biodiversity, natural
resources, infrastructure, institutions, and the overall geography of the village.

Objectives:

To understand the socio-economic and geographical conditions of the

village
To observe the problems faced by villagers
To interact and discuss with villagers their problems.

The process of data collection through transect walks:

Transect walks were conducted over two days of the field visit. Heavy rains,
however, shortened these walks and interfered with their precision.

Day 1.

Figure 5 Transect Walk (Day 1)

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9.30 am - Transect walk from Panchayat office, visiting houses belonging to the
Parmarcaste en route. Also visited the primary school and interacted with
students and teachers and ended the transect walk at the Mahadev Temple at 11
am.

3.30 pm Transect walk towards the canal with a shopkeeper. En route, visited
villagers living in the Rathod Colony and the colony built under the Indira Aawas
Yojna. Migrant labourers inhabit this area.

Day 2.

10 am Transect walk towards the outskirts of the village and visiting the
houses of the Bharwad community.

2.30 pm Visit to the colonies built under the Indira Aawas Yojna and the Sardar
Patel Aawas Yojna. Migrant labourers, Parmars, Parihars and Rabaris largely
inhabit these colonies.

3.00 pm Walk in the opposite direction towards the Harijan habitation.

Figure 6 Transect Walk (Day 2)

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4.00 pm Visit to the river and observation of water-related infrastructure like
canal, water tanks, and tube wells. Interaction with the village water supply
operator.

Findings:

Geography: The village being in close proximity to the Mahisagar gets adequate
water for irrigation purposes. The village has a favourable location for
agriculture.

Infrastructure: The village gets 24-hour electricity supply. The fields are
irrigated through tube wells and jet pumps. But these are privately owned. The
village has 2 hand pumps, now dried out. While there are2 water tanks water
safety is a major issue here because one of them does not have a lid. Besides,
there are issues with pipe-related leakages .The village is connected by pukka
roads to the highways yet its internal roads are kutccha. These kutccha roads, in
conjunction with a poor drainage system, cause water logging during the
monsoons giving rise to hygiene issues and problems related to water-borne
diseases. Also, there is no proper waste disposal or garbage collection system in
place. Another major problem is the lack of streetlights in the village.

Housing: Most houses in the villages are kutccha with very few pukka houses. It
also has colonies built under the Indira Aawas Yojna and the Sardar Patel Aawas
Yojna. The colonies are mainly inhabited by the Harijans and the migrant labour
communities. Most houses do not have toilets and open defecation is prevalent.

Health: The village has only one Public Health Centre (PHC), which is looked
after by a nurse who has to take care of three different PHCs in three villages.
Absentee doctors are a major problem in the village. Also, due to poor sanitation
and poor infrastructure health problems are a major issue here.

Education: The village has 1 primary school and 2 middle schools. There is a
need for a higher secondary school because children have to travel 5-10
kilometres from their homes. This problem is directly evident in the educational
levels of the villagers.

Social problems: During our discussions with the villagers and teachers we
learnt of the rise in crime rates in the region. There is a need for improved
security in the village. Also, a major social evil that that crept into the village is
that of alcoholism. People complained about the easy availability of alcohol,
which had caused high alcoholism. Some villagers also complained about the
present Sarpanchs getting elected because of his connections with liquor
suppliers.

Livelihoods and Employment: The main source of livelihood is agriculture with

wheat, bajra, paddy, tobacco, and other vegetables as the main crops. The
average land holding is 1-2 bigah. Many families, including the Rabari
community, keep cows and buffaloes in their houses. The other source of

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livelihood is fishing. Amrol has a small community of fishermen who fish in the
Mahisagar. People are also engaged as farm labourers and as labourers in
small/big factories in nearby towns and cities like Vadodara and Ahmedabad. A
small population of villagers is engaged in small businesses.

2.5 Seasonal Calendar and Crop Calendar

The seasonal calendar is one of the most important components of the PRA. It
allows researchers to understand the allocation of resources throughout the year
while helping deduce the under or over utilization of resources. It also aids the
understanding of employment and livelihood patterns of people throughout the
year. This is done with the help of a two-dimensional matrix representing the
activity on the vertical axis and the month or season on the horizontal axis.
Seasonal calendars are very useful in terms of learning about employment,
livelihoods, migration trends, crop patterns, rain patterns, household
expenditure, credit availability, etc.

Objectives:

To understand the crop pattern, rain pattern and non-farm employment.

To understand the income expenditure pattern of the families.
To learn about food, water, and credit availability.

The process of preparing Seasonal/Crop calendar:

The activity started at 2 pm at the Mahadev temple. The group consisted of

farmers, women, and some village elders. Nearly 25 people comprising 15 men
and 10 women had gathered for this activity. The group consisted of people
engaged in different sources of livelihood and employment such as farming,
animal husbandry, labour, etc. Brijesh Kaira, Chirag Khajanchi, Deepak Gupta,
and Deepak Thakur facilitated this activity.

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Figure 7 Seasonal Calendar

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 Figure 8 Occupational Trend

Findings:

Agriculture: It was observed that the farmers of Amrol cultivated nearly 13

different kinds of crops and vegetables. Of these, paddy, bajra, tobacco, and
banana were the major crops. The rest were grown for securing some additional
income or self-consumption. The two major hurdles faced by farmers in Amrol

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are non-availability of credit and the inability to secure better prices for their
produce.

Animal Husbandry: The Rabari community and some other farmers are engaged
in animal husbandry. Some of the issues faced in animal husbandry include
fodder shortage in November and December and risks to cattle health during the
monsoons due to water logging in the village.

Migration: The marginal farmers and daily wage labourers become unemployed
between July and September. During this period they have to migrate to towns
and cities like Vadodara, Anand, and Ahmedabad in search of labour.

2.6 Historical Timeline

The historical timeline is a timeline of major events that occurred in the village.
The timeline is usually prepared with the help of village elders in a bid to
chronicle events including natural and man-made calamities, infrastructural
development, the establishment of institutions, and other events which,
according the villagers, have shaped the village and influenced their lives.

Objective:

To create a timeline to depict the history of the village and chronicle

events that shaped the village.

Process of preparing the Historical Timeline:

Nearly 20-22 participants gathered on the premises of the community hall of the
Mahadev Temple to prepare the historical timeline. Among them were about 15
men and 12 women from various age groups. The village elders were very
helpful in terms of providing some important historical facts regarding the
establishment of the village and other events while the younger generation
helped us identify the latest events to have shaped this village. Information
provided by the participants was later triangulated with officially available data
aided by interviews with other villagers.

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Figure 9 Historical Timeline

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Timeline:

Year Events
1900 Village established by Parmars.
1954 Establishment of bidi udyog.
1947 Panchayat was established. Mukhiya was selected by consensus.
1964 Milk Cooperative Society started in the village
1965 Primary school established in the village
1972 Village is affected by drought
1973 Floods in Mahisagar affect the village and damage the
agriculture.
1975 Road connectivity established with the city
1980 Construction of pakka road
1985 First telephone installed in the Dairy
1987 First TV installed in the Dairy and first dairy cooperative Mantris
elected
1992 First hand pump installed in the village
2000 Road construction initiated by the Modi government

2002 Kailashiben elected as the first womens representative at the

Zila Parishad
2004 First overhead water tank constructed in the village
2005 First Self Help Group called Seva Sansthan started by Khuman
Sinh
2006 Mobile phone services started in the village
2011 Leelaben elected as the first woman Sarpanch of the village
2012 Financial credit facility started in the village
Table 4 Historical Timeline

Conclusion
Challenges faced by the Amrol village mainly involve sanitation facilities. There
is an urgent need to build public toilets and to encourage and raise awareness
regarding their importance inside the village homes. The village also needs to
develop a mechanism for waste management. The non-existence of well-
constructed roads causes water logging during the monsoons. However,
community efforts can help solve this problem. The Gram Panchayat needs to
play an active role in helping improve the village infrastructure. Alcoholism is a
major social evil prevalent in the village. This may be combated by spreading
awareness and better community monitoring. Also, the Gram Panchayat could
play a role in controlling the negative elements promoting alcoholism. The
village needs to make efforts to ensure that the PHC functions smoothly and
there are no absentee doctors.

Some of these issues may be tackled through improved participation of the

villagers in the administration of the Gram Panchayat. Women should be
encouraged to participate more in these matters.

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Under-utilized resources like grazing land may be put to alternative uses to help
generate more employment opportunities and reduce out-migration.

Efforts are required to improve social cohesion in the village. This will foster
unity among the villagers and help combat social evils like alcoholism and tackle
security issues like robberies.

Amrol offers immense scope for improvement regarding the issues pointed out
by villagers during the PRA through awareness creation and cohesion fostered
by working together on these issues.

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