Joint Project on Social

Responsibility
International student
exchange programme between EAE Business School, Spain
and SDMIMD, India

Group – 5
Project on Dairy activities

Submitted to:
Prof. C.V. Sridhar

Submitted on:
22nd July 2019

Submitted by:
Gongalla Aishwarya

Contents
Executive Summary...............................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgement.................................................................................................................................2
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................3
Review of Literature..............................................................................................................................4
Primary and Secondary Data.................................................................................................................5
Primary Data Collection.....................................................................................................................5
Interview of the beneficiaries:.......................................................................................................6
Secondary Data collection.................................................................................................................8
Learnings from the Project..................................................................................................................11
Individual Impressions - Markus Weikinat...................................................................................11
Individual Impressions - Katrin Ziska............................................................................................12
Individual Impressions - Nikola Wessels......................................................................................13
Individual Impressions – Yashank Uthappa K R............................................................................14
Individual Impressions – Abhirami J.............................................................................................15
Group-based learning from the project...............................................................................................16
References...........................................................................................................................................17

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Executive Summary
As a part of International Student exchange program between EAE Business School, Spain
and SDMIMD, India. We were put into groups of two SDMIMD students and three EAE
student to work on a mini joint project on social responsibility. Our group was assigned with
Dairy farming under animal husbandry programme of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural
Development Project, popularly known as SKDRDP

This report is mainly divided into two parts. First part consists of Introduction, literature
review, Primary and secondary data collect and analysis. In introduction SKDRDP and its
history is explained. How SKDRDP as a whole work and contribute in the development of
the society. SKDRDP have many programs and activities which is helping people especially
women in rural areas to develop themselves and making them self-sufficient. The report
contains how the SKDRDP is helping financially as well as non-financially for the betterment
of the society. We have also collected, and analysed Primary and secondary data related to
our projected topic from the executives of SKDRDP and few dairy farmers from the model
village of SKDRDP Mysore

In the second part of our report we have reported our individual experience, learnings and
How everyone has been sensitised from the project and social responsibility related issues.
We have also included collective learnings as a group in the collaborative mini project with
EAE Business school students and SDMIMD Mysore students

Acknowledgement
We also wish to acknowledge Dr. Nilanjan Sengupta Faculty and chairman-CDS at
SDMIMD, Mysore, and also Mr. Sridhar C V for their guidance and support they extended
throughout the duration of this project. The acknowledgement would be incomplete without
extending our gratitude to the Director of SDM-IMD, Dr. N.R. Parasuraman who has been
the driving force behind the Socially Relevant Project and who enlightened us about the
importance of doing this project at Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project.
We would also like acknowledge the principal and staff od SKDRDP, Mysore centre and
Prof. Dr. Alexia faculty at EAE Business School, Spain as well as Prof. Alexia faculty at
EAE, Spain for their support.

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Introduction
Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project also known as SKDRDP is a
charitable trust promoted by Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade. SKDRDP focuses on the
empowerment of people by organizing Self-help Groups (SHG) on the lines of Joint Liability
Groups (JLGs) and provides finance through micro credit for the rural people. SKDRDP
encompasses all aspects of enriching the rural life and in Women empowerment.

SKDRDP also acts as a banking correspondent and business facilitator and takes an active
part in the financial inclusion program of the government. For the Self-Help Groups
SKDRDP acts an intermediator to get loans from the banks. SKDRDP stands as a guarantee
for the loans taken by the Self-Help Groups and has tie-ups with banks such as IDBI Bank,
Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Syndicate Bank, State Bank of India,
Vijaya Bank and Pragathi Krishna Grameen Bank. There are various schemes for dairy
activities provided by the SKDRDP.

India ranks first among the world’s milk producing Nations since 1998 and has the largest
bovine population in the World. Dairying has become an important secondary source of
income for millions of rural families and has assumed the most important role in providing
employment and income generating opportunities particularly for marginal and women
farmers. Animal husbandry is an agricultural practise of breeding and raising livestock. Many
farmers are of the opinion that animal husbandry is not necessarily profitable as farmers look
for direct benefit such as milk and meat and ignore indirect benefits like manure and gobar
gas. SKDRDP conducts regular awareness camps and demonstrations for farmers across
villages. The organisation also educates farmers on the full range of products that can be done
from animal husbandry. It also provides training on various activities involved in in dairy
farming.

( http://skdrdpindia.org/programmes/agriculture/#animal )

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Review of Literature

The following will describe and compare the German dairy farms and the Indian dairy farms,
which we have seen in the village as part of the “Mini Project”. At the second day of our
“Mini Project” we went to different dairy farms. They differed greatly from the German, as
they are much smaller with 5 to 10 cows and are by far not as automated and as advanced as
in Germany. One of the farms had a milking machine and they wanted to expand to 40 cows.
Instead of the automatization the dairy cows in India have much more space and fresh air
than the most dairy cows in Germany.

In Germany, it is common in industrial milk production that each farmer has at least about 60
dairy cows. The milk price in Germany is about 34 cents per litre, but this is not profitable
for dairy farmers. Therefore, the dairy farmers are subsidized by the state. However, the
subsidies also have disadvantages, as they often lead to overproduction of milk and dairy
products. As a result, excess milk and the resulting products are thrown away. Another way
to make milk production more profitable for farmers is to produce organic milk that can be
sold at high prices, in the moment about 48 cents per litre. In Germany, the trend in recent
years has been more and more on organic products, because people have realized that
“cheap” is not everything.

Due to this trend, the Solidarity Agriculture project was started near Heilbronn. Here, citizens
from the region join and support the farmer with a fixed amount per month, they receive in
each case the vegetables and fruits of the season. In addition, members can help to cultivate
the crops any time with their family and see the ripening process of the vegetables and how
the vegetables look in their original form. For the farmer, the focus is on sustainability
instead of profit, since this concept does not pay by the kilo price and the risk is spread
amongst all members. Micro funding, as practiced in India, does not exist in Germany. In
Germany it is possible to get money for example as a start-up via crowdfunding. The social
aspect that the organisation SKDRDP pursues with micro funding is lacking in Germany
because one gets a return as an investor.

(
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dairy_farming_in_Germany )

( http://dahd.nic.in/about-us/divisions/cattle-and-dairy-development )

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Primary and Secondary Data

Primary Data Collection: During the visit to the Head office of SKDRDP in Mysore, the
work of SKDRDP and its activities was shared with students in the form of lectures and
presentations by SKDRDP staff. The structure of a Self-Help Group (SHG) is designed in
this manner. There is a person in charge called as Principal who keeps track of all the SHG in
Mysore, under the principal there are 12 circles, which is managed by a field supervisor. Each
circle has 9 sub circles. Each sub circle has 5 to 10 SHG’s.

During the field visit to Kamanakere hundi village and Kesare village, we found out how the
SHG functions. When a SHG is created, its members are usually people who known each
other, they may be family, friends or neighbours. A minimum of 10 members are required to
form a SHG. A book called “Neene Pustaka” is kept where the various details of the SHG is
entered. A monthly report is generated for every member by SKDRDP. The SHG uses
technology in the form of tabs. When the SHG number, member number is entered in the tab,
all the details are available. Based on the loan repayment history of the SHG, the loan amount
that can be borrowed is up to is 10 lakhs per SHG, provided the business is good and the
SHG is 6 years old. The amount of loan that can be borrowed is based on how old the SHG
is; a 3-year-old SHG can borrow up to 4 lakhs; 5-year-old SHG up to 6 lakhs. Members get
into dairy farming after borrowing loans from the SHG. The advantage of borrowing loans
from an SHG is the low interest rate. The interest rate is 15% per annum in a SHG without
any paperwork, whereas if borrowed from money lenders it is 10% per month and if
borrowed from banks it involves lots of paperwork.

Many members do not do dairy farming as a sole business but do it as supplementary

business along with their various businesses. This way their sources of income is diversified.
SKDRDP also trains the farmers in Dairy farming activities free of cost. This training
involves how to treat cows, what is the first aid, how to maintain its health, medicines to be
given, how to maintain a shelter or shed, how to select the breed of a cow. After purchasing
the cow where to sell the milk, what are the value-added products that can be created by milk
such as cheese, chocolates etc. Another important aspect is the usefulness of the by-products,
for example that the cow dung can be used for alternative energy production or as a fertilizer
for fields.

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( http://skdrdpindia.org/programmes )

Interview of the beneficiaries:

Name of the beneficiary – Sachin: He takes care of the dairy farm which was passed down
from generation to generation. After coming back from college every day, he works on the
dairy farm. The name of the SHG his mother belongs to is called Chamundeshwari. He is part
of another group called Jente Bhathyatha Sangha. After getting trained from SKDRDP, if
there are any health issues with the cow, he can give first aid and the medicine himself
instead of going to the vet which saves him money. He also knows what healthy food that has
to be fed to the cows. They now own four cows and two calves as well as modern equipment
for the efficient production of milk such as an automatic milking machine.

He has borrowed a loan from the government to buy cows, so the cows have an ear tag which
shows that the cow is registered under the insurance scheme of the government, in case the
cow dies due to health issues the government will pay compensation money. He also told us
that the cows they have are cross breed cows and not if a single breed like jersey.

(Photo courtesy – Clicked by us during the field visit to Halekesare)

Name of the beneficiary – Mamatha:

After taking a loan from her SHG named as Murdeshwara, she bought one cow at a cost of
Rs 50,000. She also told us that the cost to buy cows varies from Rs 50,000 to 75,000 in the
market. She also has 60 sheep’s in her farm as well. As of now she has 5 cows in her farm.
She sells the milk at Rs 25 to Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) which is the second largest
milk co-operative in India or to local buyers for Rs27. Each cow produces around 25 – 30
Litres per day. Totally the 4 cows produce 150 litres of milk per day therefore earning

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revenue from their milk production of about Rs 3750 rupees per day. By earning money with
their dairy farming business, they have been able to steadily grow their business over the
years and buy more and more cows. They also grow the food for the animals on their own
fields and storing it in large batches next to the stable.

The breeding process was explained as well. After insemination the cow gives milk till 7
months, after which there is 2 months of dry period where the cow gives no milk and rest is
given to the cow, so after 9 months a calf is born, after which the next 3 months milking can
be done. Then insemination is done, and the process is repeated. So, a cow does not give milk
only 2 months in a year.

She follows a 1 calf per 4 months cycle so that there is no gap while milking cows. This
ensures that there is no loss of income due to lack of milk and labour costs are covered.

(Photo courtesy – clicked by us during the field visit to Halekesare)

Name of the beneficiary – Suroja: She has taken loans from the SHG and used it for
multiple purposes and is running multiple businesses. The first loan she took was Rs 10,000
which was used to fund for her children’s education. The next loan of Rs 50,000 was taken to
buy a cow, after selling its milk and from her savings she bought 3 more cows. If the cow
gives birth to a bull, she sells it and earns income from this as well. Each cow gives 25 litres
per day and she sells it at Rs 26 locally. Now with her savings and income she runs a
provisional store and has bought a site for Rs 1.5 lakhs.

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 (Photo courtesy – Clicked by us during the field visit to Halekesare )

Secondary Data collection: Animal Husbandry is an agricultural practice of breeding and

raising livestock. Many farmers in India are of the opinion that animal husbandry is not
profitable as farmers look for direct benefits such as milk and meat and ignore indirect
benefits like manure and gobar gas. SKDRDP conducts regular awareness camps and
demonstrations on animal husbandry to educate farmers on the full range of products that
animal husbandry can be used for. SKDRDP constructs low cost sheds, compost and vermi
units and gobar gas units. The organisation also introduces modern technologies and exotic
breeds and high yielding fodder grass varieties such as Azola in order to increase the income
of farmers. SKDRDP has also expanded its services to become a corporate agent of National
Insurance Company and has formally popularized animal insurance for cattle.

To bring in structure into the dairy farming industry and aid with setting up dairy farms, the
Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries launched the “Venture Capital

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Scheme for Dairy and Poultry” in 2005. The scheme provided for interest free loans for
setting up dairy units. As of 18th May 2019, nearly 16,000 dairy farms have enjoyed interest
free loans up to Rs.146.91 crores in India. Following the success of the Venture Capital
Scheme for Dairy and Poultry, the Government in 2010 decided to launch the Dairy
Entrepreneurship Development Scheme through NABARD as well.

(https://www.nabard.org/content.aspx?id=591 )

(Photo courtesy – Clicked by us during the field visit to Halekesare)

The following is some of the assistance provided under the NABARD subsidy for Dairy
Farming scheme:

Type: Establishment of small dairy units with crossbred cows/ indigenous descript milch
cows like Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Gir, Rathi etc. / graded buffaloes upto 10 animals.

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 Investment: Rs 5.00 lakh for 10 animal unit – minimum unit size is 2 animals with an
upper limit of 10 animals.

Subsidy: 25% of the outlay (33 .33 % for SC / ST farmers) as back ended capital
subsidy subject to a ceiling of Rs 1.25 lakh for a unit of 10 animals (Rs 1.67 lakh for
SC/ST farmers,). Maximum permissible capital subsidy is Rs 25000 (Rs 33,300 for
SC/ST farmers) for a 2-animal unit.

Type: Rearing of heifer calves – cross bred, indigenous descript milch breeds of cattle and of
graded buffaloes – upto 20 calves.

Investment: Rs 4.80 lakh for 20 calf unit – minimum unit size of 5 calves with an
upper limit of 20 calves.

Subsidy: 25% of the outlay (33.33 % for SC / ST farmers) as back ended capital
subsidy subject to a ceiling of Rs 1.20 lakh for a unit of 20 calves (Rs 1.60 lakh for
SC/ST farmers). Maximum permissible capital subsidy is Rs 30,000 (Rs 40,000 for
SC/ST farmers) for a 5-calf unit. Subsidy shall be restricted on a prorata basis
depending on the unit size.

Type: Purchase of milking machines /milk testers /bulk milk cooling units (upto 2000 lit
capacity).

Investment: Rs 18 lakh.

Subsidy: 25% of the outlay (33.33 % for SC / ST farmers) as back ended capital
subsidy subject to a ceiling of Rs 4.50 lakh (Rs 6.00 lakh for SC/ST farmers).

Type: Purchase of dairy processing equipment for manufacture of indigenous milk products.

Investment: Rs 12 lakh.

Subsidy: 25% of the outlay (33.33 % for SC / ST farmers) as back ended capital
subsidy subject to a ceiling of Rs 3.00 lakh (Rs 4.00 lakh for SC/ST farmers).

Government of India is making efforts for strengthening infrastructure for production of

quality milk, procurement, processing and marketing of milk and milk products through
following Dairy Development Schemes:

 National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD)

 National Dairy Plan (Phase-I)

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  Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS)
 Support to Dairy Cooperatives
 Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF)

( https://www.indiafilings.com/learn/how-to-get-nabard-subsidy-for-dairy-farming )

Learnings from the Project

Individual Impressions - ------

When we got the possibility to contribute to the Mini Project of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala
Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), I was very interested to know what the project was
all about. After being organised into teams, we exchanged information about the project and
about ourselves. Everybody received a plan, how the following days are being structured and
we got a briefing by Dr. Nilanjan Sengupta about the project activity. In the afternoon we
visited the SKDRDP office. There we saw a video about the SKDRDP project, where the
different programmes were presented. The different programmes are: agriculture programs
(giving farmers knowledge as well as financial support to the people that need it), community
development programmes (improve the infrastructure of villages), women empowerment
activities (giving loans to improve their lives), health insurance (financial help to the people
that need it), business correspondent (microfinancing – granting small loans to help people
come out of poverty) as well as rehabilitation (movements against alcohol and drug
addiction). After the video, we got detailed information about the programmes along with a
presentation. We got the opportunity to see the activities in the office and talk to women who
had computer learning sessions as well as sewing learning sessions which was informative
and helpful. They told us that they form small groups to strengthen the solidarity and to reach
their objectives better together. We got also the chance to get detailed information about the
different programmes by talking to the organisers who gave us the presentations. Our group
project was about the dairy production, so we had several interviews with women who were
under the dairy project. They told us that the main objective of the dairy project is that poor
people are receiving small loans to buy cows, sheep and goats. They are taking care of the
animals; the animals are producing milk which is being sold to local shops to receive money.
The people also produce cheese, butter, ice cream from the milk and sell it as well. With the
received money for the products they can pay back the loans and the remaining money is the
income which they use for their daily expenses. Another possibility is the making of
medicine from the urine of the cows. The animals are also producing dung, what is being

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used for the glober gas plants for gas production. This gas can is being used for gas cooking,
heating and electricity.

On the second day we visited the Kamanakere hundi village, Kesare village where we could
see how the women empowerment, the dairy production as well as the glober gas plants are
working. The whole area was clean, and the people were very hospitable and friendly. They
showed us everything we were interested in and answered us every question we had. The visit
was a very good experience to really get in touch with the people and see how everything
works in practice. All in all, it was a very nice journey that I will never forget and will always
keep a positive image in my mind as I learned a lot about different cultures and people.
Special thanks to our group members.

Individual Impressions – --------

By doing the "Mini Project" I got a good idea of the social projects, the organisation
SKDRDP is supporting. In the first day we went to the head office of the organisation
SKDRDP in Mysore. There we watched a video about the different social projects they are
supporting. Afterwards we saw how, they teach women to use computers as well as a sewing
machine. The aim of this concept is, that the women get more self-confidence and
independent of their husbands to earn income. Afterwards we had a short interview with one
of the employee of the organisation SKDRDP. She told us that they do not just give the poor
people money, they also train and teach them how to utilize the money and how to earn
money to repay their loan back. As it is common in India the group is more important than
the individual. For this reason, they have different concepts to increase their farming
activities, which are all based on teamwork and helping each other. The organisation not only
cares about farming, but also about empowerment of women in India. The "Mini Project" of
my group is dealing with dairy activities. During our interview with the principal of
SKDRDP, she told us that the organisation gives loans to the rural people to buy cows and
teaches them how to create many more products from the cow other than just milk like butter,
ice cream, yoghurt, cream and so on. But you can also produce medicine from the urine as
well or produce biogas, which you can use for heating or electricity. Therefore, you have a lot
of opportunities to earn money. Making medicine from urine was also a new concept for me.
On the second day we went to a village, which gets support by the organisation SKDRDP . I
was really surprised, because I had imagined everything much dirtier and thought that people
were totally undernourished. But it was not like that. There was just as much waste on the

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roads as in the city and the people looked healthy and even had smartphones. Another
positive aspect was the silence compared to the city.

First, we visited a self-help group of women, who meet every week to look through their
finances and to decide who can get a new loan. Because if somebody is not able to pay the
loan back, it has to be repaid by the whole group. Afterwards we went to different dairy
farms. They differed greatly from the German, as they are much smaller with 5 to 10 cows.
One of the farms had a milking machine and want to expand to 40 cows. In the end of the day
we saw a small biogas plant, which consisted of a concrete hole in the ground filled with cow
dung. They use this for heating their houses as well as for electricity, because a lot of houses
and villages in India have no access to electricity.

Individual Impressions – ------

Before visiting the office of the Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project
(SKDRDP) in Mysore, we had the chance to inform ourselves about the work that they do to
help out local communities. While reading the information-handout about what they do and
the different projects they promote, I remember how impressed I was by the variety of
opportunities they provide to the people involved in the programs and how it really impacts
their lives. Their programs range from women empowerment and community development to
dairy farming and alternative energy sources, just to name a few, and involve micro-lending,
self-help groups and classes at the SKDRDP-office.

At the office, we heard a very interesting presentation about SKDRDP’s work, giving us
more details and touching upon a few success stories of the program. It is truly remarkable
how they help impoverished people to be able to provide for themselves and their families by
means of educating and teaching them in different areas and providing micro-loans so they
can build up their own businesses. Since our project was about dairy farming, we were
especially interested in the process involved in this specific program. We were told that dairy
farmers are first of all educated in taking care of the cows, about how to grow the food, what
to do in case of illness and how to use the by-products of dairy farming. After completing the
training, they receive microloans to start their small business. We were able to visit two of the
dairy farms the following day and had the opportunity to talk to the owners. This was a
fascinating experience, they explained to us that by means of the microloans they were able
to buy one cow, then the next one the year after and the next one after two years. They

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steadily grew their business by taking good care of the animals and selling their dairy
products to larger companies to earn a living. One of the dairy farms had been handed down
generation by generation, and by now they were even able to afford a milking machine to
produce milk more efficiently. It was a great experience to be able to talk to them and how
SKDRDP has helped them develop a profitable dairy farming business.

Aside from our dairy farming project we also visited the Kamanakere hundi village, Kesare
village, where we gained insights into a typical meeting of women as part of their self-help-
group. In such meetings, the women will explain what they have been able to achieve with
the money provided, if they want to make new investments and other matters concerning the
group. The microloans and self-help-groups really empower the women to be able to stand on
their own and be successful businesswomen.

I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to witness first-hand how an organisation such
as SKDRDP can truly make an impact on the local communities and change lives for the
better. I hope that they will continue their inspiring work and create even more success stories
in the future!

Individual Impressions –Gongalla Aishwarya

I had heard about SKDRDP earlier and how it provides micro finance loans to the rural or
people who are below the poverty line and how it helps them to come out of poverty by
supporting them financially and providing the people with training to help them in their
various ventures which may be either agriculture, renewable sources of energy, animal
husbandry, rural skill development and women empowerment.

In the first day, we went to the SKDRDP office, where the staff gave us a presentation about
the various activities and how the organisation helps the people to come out of the cycle of
poverty. In the office, they also give skill development programs like training in sewing and
computer courses, at the end of the course the students are issued certificates which will help
them to get employed. In the second day, we visited a model village in Kamanakere hundi
village and Kesare village. There we saw how the Self-Help Group’s operates and functions.
SKDRDP has used Information Technology to keep record of the group and its members
through which they can monitor their status.

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We also interviewed the members of the Self-Help Group, through this interaction we got to
know they have benefited after joining the group. All the members were women. They did
not have confidence, were dependent on their family members. Even though they wanted to
setup a business no one would provide them financial support, even if they got a loan the
interest rate charged was very high. After joining the group these women are now
independent, earn money for their livelihood, have more confidence as they have deployed
the loans into productive occupations and have repaid the loan back and now are making
profits. After setting up one business successfully they have now diversified into various
other sources of business such as cultivation of mushroom, taxi services, poultry, stitching of
bags, beauty parlours and now they have multiple sources of income.

In our project that is dairy activities, dairy activities are usually not done alone but it is done
alongside with other business or ventures and is used as a supplementary source of income.
Milk is sold locally or to KMF. Along with dairy other animals like sheep’s, goats are breed
and sold for meat and wool. Even poultry is done and the eggs and meat are sold. SKDRDP
has provided loans and training for dairy activities such as buying of cows, building shelters,
buying milking machines and because of this program of SKDRDP the people are now able
to earn income, sustain themselves and come out of poverty.

Individual Impressions – Abhirami J

To any organisation it may be just a philanthropic work, but for SKDRDP it is much more
than that. It is the faith and belief by the people of that region which has kept the work going
on for ages. It was the dream of Dr. Veerendra Hegde that has led to such a huge organisation
success. It has motivated me in many ways as a management student. It was after coming
here I could make out how an organisation can be made into such a cult organisation with
such precision. The support from the people is immense. But the support by the organisation
for the society is immeasurable. So all in all it was experience where I was able to meet the
official who are working behind the scenes and some number of locals who were more than
happy to talk about their much loved organisation. The lesson learnt will always help me as
organisation. For a student like me who is doing his MBA graduation it was astonishing to
see how they hired very common people from the village and built and managed such a huge
organisation. For current generation where technology and degree play a huge role so as to
manage a organisation, SKDRDP showed how to build it from scratch. After coming here,
we were asked to meet the officials from the organisation, and it is important to note that
every one of them were more than happy to help and guide us. After this we were asked to go

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on a survey, from this survey I could easily find out the answers for which we came here. It
was sated at the beginning that the organisation has 99% loan recover and that was the main
element we wanted to check in the survey and the answer we could find out was that the
organisations follow up and peer pressure being the main reason. All in all, it was experience
I would be cherishing throughout my career and life. It taught how to manage people and
organisation while continue to reach the organisation goals. This was a fascinating
experience, they explained to us that by means of the microloans they were able to buy one
cow, then the next one the year after and the next one after two years. They steadily grew
their business by taking good care of the animals and selling their dairy products to larger
companies to earn a living. One of the dairy farms had been handed down generation by
generation, and by now they were even able to afford a milking machine to produce milk
more efficiently

Group-based learning from the project

This overall experience should give a short summary about the lessons learnt from the group
project. There are several experiences we learned from the Mini group project.

We only spent a few days together to get in touch with the project and to get to know each
other. First of all, it was very good experience to get in touch with students from another
country and communicating in a different language which helps to improve one’s language
skills. As not everyone speaks English daily, it was something new in a positive way. We
have completed the project together and the communication was very good, so everybody
could understand each other. It was very motivating to share information and discuss how
everything works for the group project as well as sharing personal information on how to get
to know each other better. We discussed about the various languages spoken in India as well
as how well the good network coverage for the mobile phones, compared to Germany the
network coverage in India is outstanding. The social learning was also interesting as there
was not only one right solution to a problem, as a team we could find out different solutions
for a single problem.

After we visited the SKDRDP office on the first project day, our knowledge and information
exchange was very high, as we talked a lot about the different programmes of the SKDRDP
in detail. Especially our part, the dairy project, was very well discussed in detail. We shared
information about the differences to the dairy production in Germany compared to India. In

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Germany the dairy production is a very big industry as there are only a few local small
farmers who have huge number of cows producing milk. It was very interesting to see, the
various differences between the countries. When we arrived in Kamanakere hundi village and
Kesare village we shared information in our group and discussed the current subjects and
questions concerning the project and also various personal questions. We also learned from
the group project to get in touch with new people from different cultures without prejudices
and help each other in any problems that are occurring.

The collaboration, the high amount of perceptions and experiences will help everyone of us
to evolve and help in being open minded for new intercultural projects.

References
http://skdrdpindia.org/programmes/agriculture/#animal
http://dahd.nic.in/about-us/divisions/cattle-and-dairy-development
http://skdrdpindia.org/programmes
https://www.nabard.org/content.aspx?id=59
https://www.indiafilings.com/learn/how-to-get-nabard-subsidy-for-dairy-farming

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