Necessity of Community Activities for Younger Generations
Satoko CHATTERJEE (India)
West Bengal accounts for but 2.7% of India’s total area yet it must support 8% of thecountry’s people. Agriculture centered on rice farming is the main industry accountingfor 50% of the state’s income. Compared to other states, a high percentage (94% versus anational average of 78%) of the state’s population consists of small land farmers who
have less than 1 hectare per household (0.85 hectare versus a national average of 1.55
hectare). The fact that about 70% of the state’s population is related to agriculture andagricultural villages is an important background for community activities. *Our NGO -- Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC) -has been engaged in the regional development of agricultural villages including thecontinuous diffusion of agriculture in this state for nearly 25 years. One thing wenoticed was that, in order to improve the standard of living and environment in the local
area, it is important to look not only from the perspective of adult residents but also
from the perspective of the next generation’s children. Especially in small scale farming,
we believe it to be effective for young persons, to learn the significance and techniques ofenvironment-emphasized agriculture that identifies and effectively utilizes local
resources for agriculture. Along with these ideas, the DRCSC began environmental
education projects for rural areas some 7 to 8 years ago. At the same time, otherorganizations were providing training to younger generations.
Amongst these cooperating organizations was a women’s NGO known as Nisththa.
Founded in 1975, Nishtha conducts multilateral activities aimed at improving thehealth, education, child labor issues and revenue of women. One of those activities has
been a “continuous agriculture class” offered every Sunday over the past 5 years to girlstudents age 14 to 16. The children also receive instruction from a DRCSC specialist
twice a month. The truth of the matter is that women perform the bulk of the farm work,
but the male head of the house reaps more of the produce and revenue. Men are called“farmers” but women are not. The objective of this “class” is to increase the number ofwomen farmers in the area with sound skills and also aggressively promote farming asa future job option. It will prevent marriage at a young age and the migration of young
women to urban areas in pursuit of low wage jobs. Above all, Nisththa is a rural village
on the outskirts of Calcutta, therefore, other issues exist such as the sale of farmland forcommercial or industrial use and the excessive use of agrochemicals. However, iforganic farming that protects the environment does well, income should rise because of
the nearby city. Already, more than 100 girls have been through the year-and-a-halftraining course. Amongst these 100 students, they have emerged as young trainers toteach other women in their villages. These women are beginning to think of themselves
as being “engaged” in agriculture rather than just lending a hand. This attempt by
Nisththa to foster in women the ability to take responsibility for agriculture and makedecisions has been suggested as one effective way to develop communities.
* Sources:
1）“National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning”, Soils of West Bengal forOptimizing Land2）West Bengal/CMIE at www.cmie.com/database

Nishtha's “continuous agriculture class” is a year-and-a-half course for 20 female
students. Participants learn techniques at the demonstration fields of the organization.

After completing the course, the 20 women break up into 5 groups to teach what theylearned to their mothers, relatives and other women in their villages. They also learned
communication and teaching skills in the course.