QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
REFLECTIONS ON THE INTERVENTION FOR UNUCHING MARMA
Shiree Q2 Research on Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh
Author
Nikhil Chakma
Institution
ECo-Development
CMS1 Reference
Interviewee name
203-14-15-6-0128
Unuching Marma
Sex
Female
Union, Upazilla and
Zilla
Before the Intervention:
3 no. Sadar union, Bandarban Sadar,
Bandarban Hill District
Dates of Interview
May 6, 2013
Age
48
Ethnicity/Religion
Marma Adivasi/ Buddhist
End of ROI (1)
3 no. Sadar union, Bandarban
Sadar, Bandarban Hill District
Before the intervention May 2012
May 2013
Well-being Status
Working extreme poor (2)
Working Extreme Poor (2)
Livelihoods before
and
after
the
intervention
Unuching
1. Jhum cultivation
2. Daily labouring
Unuching
1. Gathering forest products
2. Jhum cultivation
3. Day labouring
Productive Asset or
IGA
owned
working capital
1.
2.
Marital status and
household
composition
Keywords
Got access two 2 acres of traditional
land for Jhum cultivation without
registration, Provided by Mauza
Headman
Got access to 40 decimals of
hilly land for cultivation of
Jhum from local community
leader
3. Turmeric seeds 80 kilograms
4. Basak-1700 cuttings
Separated
Separated
Son (24)
Son (25) – Day labourer - now
Younger Daughter (15)-studying class 4
married and moved to father in
law’s house
Elder daughter is pregnant and so
returned with husband to Unuching
until baby is born.
Younger Daughter (16) – Stop
studying and works as housekeeper
in her aunt’s house.
Chronic illness, gambling addiction, few working member, collecting forest
products, heavy rainfall, savings account in the bank, damaged productive
assets, poultry disease, and Chittagong Hill Tracts.
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
INTRODUCTION
This is the first reflection on the intervention for Unuching Marma, a beneficiary of ECoDevelopment of EEJMP (Economic Empowerment of Jhumiya People through Medicinal Plant
Cultivation) project. This paper attempts to draw out the reasons behind the changes in her
livelihood in this first year since the project intervention. More information on her life history and
recent past is available on the Shiree website:
http://www.shiree.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Unuching-Marma-LH.pdf
LIFE HISTORY AND REC ENT PAST
From her life history, we find that Unuching has not been struggling with extreme poverty all
her life. During her childhood, her family had a lower earning non-poor status, but she got
married early and her husband was extreme poor. There were no productive assets in their
household as her husband was addicted to alcohol and gambling. The wellbeing status of the
family became more vulnerable when children were born in consecutive years and rats
destroyed their agricultural production. This left no food in their household and forced them
to move into her parents’ house for survival. After receiving food support from her parents, she
returned to live at her husband’s house. However, he never stopped drinking and they always
argued about this. As a result, she separated from her husband, migrated to another village
with her children, and fell into extreme poverty. To survive she sold her paternal land property
and sent her son to work for another family as a domestic servant. On top of this, health
problems forced the household to take loans, and made them reliant on neighbours and the
wider family.
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
NGO GRADUATION DESIGN
Figure 1: Graduation Pathway of ECo-Dev BHHs
The project is designed to economically empower the extreme poor Jhumiya people through
commercial cultivation of medicinal plants and establishment of medicinal plant marketing at
the local and national level. The project targets extreme poor Jhumiya households in remote
Bandarban who have an annual income below BDT 25,000 and are solely dependent on Jhum
or agricultural labour for their livelihood. The aim is that a total of 750 (first year 400, second
year 350) Jhumiya households in Bandarban Hill district will have lifted themselves out of
extreme poverty by 2014.
Cultivation of medicinal plants
The project will motivate and improve the capacity of the BHHs to earn from the systemic
cultivation of medicinal plant. Each BHH will be provided with inputs and labour costs for the
establishment of a medicinal plant garden of Basak, Kalomegh, Arsaghanda, Simul and
Turmeric in one acre of land. Investment in each BHH is worth 16,000 taka which will be
provided as initial financial support
It was found that each medicinal plants garden will require eight to ten months of cultivation
before it is ready to be harvested. To ensure short-term earning prior to the harvesting period,
5100 taka of input support will be provided to each beneficiary household for poultry rearing
and integrated vegetable gardening. Thus the total value of input support for each beneficiary
is 21,100 taka. Simultaneously medicinal plant cultivation training and awareness raising
sessions will also be provided to the BHH. Five months of first year will be an inception period
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
which will include a baseline survey, beneficiary selection, land selection, skills and capacity
building of selected beneficiaries and staff, demand creation and communication with
project stakeholders. Thus the project will start planting from March of the first year and have
its first production on November of the second year of the project.
In proportion to the growth of the Bashok plants, the harvest and subsequent income will
progressively increase each successive year. The BHHs will keep seeds for Kalomegh,
orsaghanda and turmeric for the following year’s cultivation, and so the farmers will get a
sustained source of income from the medicinal plant garden.
Pay back capital to extend on to new beneficiaries (revolving investment)
After investing the medicinal plants, vegetable gardening and poultry rearing for 400 BHHs,
they will get economic returns by selling them. 350 beneficiaries will be covered in 2nd year
from revolving investment of 1st year. The first year beneficiary will return 75% of their
investment in cash and kind after harvesting of their first production to new beneficiaries to be
selected for involving cultivation activities. They will return rest 25% of their investment in next
year after having their second time products.
ECo-Development will be responsible for proper management of revolving said returns. Thus
during the project period a total of 750 beneficiaries will be involved in the interventions of the
project which will enable them to lift out extreme poverty the same process. Eco-development
will assist the BHHs in cultivating products and other related activities including selling of
products.
Marketing
The project team will assist the beneficiaries to form a network amongst themselves which will
form a platform for regular marketing of their products. For this purpose a network
management policy will be developed. The network members will collect the products from
the beneficiaries and preserve them in the sale centers, with each project office being used
as a sale center. The project will facilitate the network members in developing linkages with
local and national buyers with the cooperation of a sale center for market promotion.
WHAT HAPPENED?
THE INTERVENTION SEQ UENCE
The project was designed to select extreme poor Jhumiya people or agricultural labourers in
Bandarban Hill district in order to economically empower them through medicinal plant
cultivation and integrated vegetable gardening as well as poultry rearing. In December 2011,
the targeted beneficiaries were selected through meetings with local leaders and were
included in the project after verification. After selection of the beneficiaries, 40 medicinal
groups and 40 purchasing committees were formed among the 400 BHHs. Medicinal plants
groups were formed consisting of five executive members and purchasing committees were
formed consisting of three members. The field staff acted as secretary for the purchasing
committees to facilitate the marketing of the product. Group savings accounts were also
opened by the committee to transfer the cash amount from the project of which President,
General Secretary and Treasurer were the bank account signatory.
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
An agreement was signed between each beneficiary and the project management before
cash transfer to each medicinal plant cultivators group. The main features of the agreement
were to refund all the received inputs from the project after one year to the next beneficiary.
Then two days extensive training on medicinal plant cultivation was given to the BHHs before
supplying the input supports. In March 2012, 16000 taka was transferred to each beneficiary
from the project in order to buy chickens and construction of poultry houses (5000 taka), and
for integrated vegetable gardening (1000 taka), banana saplings (600 taka) and medicinal
plant land preparation cost (Jungle cutting-2000 taka, land preparation-2000 taka and
plantation purposes 5000 taka). The money was transferred through a beneficiary group
savings account. Purchasing committees bought the chickens, vegetables and banana
saplings and distributed evenly to the each beneficiary.
A meeting was held with the group members before withdrawing money from the group
savings account. Then the group executive committee members wrote an application with
attachment of meeting minutes to the Project Manager for approval, which was facilitated by
the concerned field staff. Afterwards the Project Manager justified their claim and approved
the withdrawal of money from the group savings accounts. In March 2013, executive members
of the group withdrew 9000 taka for each member of the group savings account to carry out
the activities at the field level.
In late March 2013, group executive members distributed 4000 taka for land preparation cost
(jungle cutting- 2000 taka and land preparation 2000 taka) and 1500 taka for establishment of
poultry house from the group executive member to each group member. Simultaneously
purchases committee bought chickens from the local market and distributed evenly to each
group member. Concerned field staff attended during the delivery process of both cash and
inputs.
In May 2012, through meeting within the group members, executive members distributed 2000
taka to each group member for the plantation of banana and turmeric. In the meantime the
purchase committee bought banana saplings and vegetable seeds to distribute. Each group
member received banana saplings (60), bean seeds (50 grams), chili seeds (250 grams), ladies
finger seeds (100 grams), brinjal seedlings (100 pieces), pui shak seeds (50 grams), cucumber
seeds (50 grams) and sweet guard seeds (50 grams). Simultaneously, medicinal plants were
supplied to the BHHs according to the groups from the project. The Medicinal plants were
Basak (3000 cuttings), Shimul (1 kilogram), Kalomegh (500 grams), Arsaghanda seeds (1
kilogram) and Turmeric seeds (100 kilograms). After supplying the inputs support, the project
staff continuously visited the BHHs medicinal plant plots and monthly awareness meetings were
held with the BHHs medicinal plant groups.
In July 2012, each group member received 3000 taka for the maintenance of medicinal and
vegetable gardens from the group executive members in which field staff facilitated the
distribution of the money. In order to increase savings tendency of beneficiaries, project staff
encouraged the opening of individual savings accounts in formal banking institutions.
In September 2012, 5100 taka transferred to each group savings account in order to maintain
medicinal plants, vegetables gardening and to buy fertilizer and pesticides. In the meantime
medicinal plant marketing network group consisting of 20 members was formed to monitor
and collect the medicinal plant products as well as linkage with local and national local
medicinal plant buyers. ECo-Development assisted beneficiaries in forming the marketing
network group and helped to link them with buyers for marketing the medicinal plant products.
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
In December 2012 winter vegetables were supplied to each BHH. The supplied vegetables
seeds were radish (139 grams), brinjal (22 grams), bean (167 grams) and ladies finger (250
grams). The main reason was to recover the destroyed some medicinal plants and vegetables
due to heavy rain and landslides during the monsoon season.
The below table is shown intervention sequences of the project for Unuching.
Date
Assets/Inputs
NovemberDecember
2011
January 2012
Identification of vulnerable groups and selection
Cash
Received
0
Purchased By
0
February 2012
Final selection and Group formation and group based purchase
committee
Opening Group Accounts
March 2012
Received 2 days training on Medicinal plant cultivation
0
31 March 2012
16000
Purchase committee
0
Office
June 2012
Transferred cash amount to the BHHs group savings accounts and
each beneficiary received 1600 to purchase chickens and
establishment of poultry house, Jungle cutting, spading,
plantation and integrated vegetables gardening.
Basak-3000 cuttings
Shimul-1 kg,
Kalomegh- 1 kg,
Arsagandha -500 gm,
Turmeric-100 kg
Awareness raising meeting on medicinal plant cultivation
July 2012
Opening individual bank account
0
September
2012
9 September
2012
17 December,
2012
Total
Maintenance cost for planting medicinal plants, vegetables and
fertilizer and pesticides
Formed medicinal plant Marketing Network Group
5100 taka
Radish seeds-139 gm, brinjal seeds-22 gm, bean-167 gm, ladies
finger-250 gm.
0
25 May 2012
0
0
Own cost, Individual, project
staff facilitated her to open
the Bank account with 600
taka
Purchase committee
0
Project
21,100
NARRATIVE
EARLY STAGES
In December 2012, Unuching was enlisted by the ECo-Dev project with a view to cultivate
medicinal plants and integrated vegetable gardening as well as rearing poultry. To perform
the project activities a medicinal plant cultivator group was formed of which five members
selected as executive member. Unuching was selected as treasurer for the group executive
committee. Then another purchasing committee was created to buy and deliver the project’s
input support to the group members. A group savings account was also opened at the Bank.
Unuching was included as a member of the medicinal plant cultivator.
In March 2012, Unuching attended a two day training session on systematic cultivation of
medicinal plant in the Jhum field before supplying the input supports. The training was
facilitated by project staff. In late March 2013 she received 1500 taka for the establishment of
a poultry house and seven chickens from the purchase committee. At the same time she also
received 2000 taka for jungle cutting, and 2000 taka for land preparation for the cultivating of
medicinal plants plot and vegetables gardening. She did the jungle cutting by hiring the
labour.
Unuching was able to get access to 40 decimals of hilly land from local leaders (see Mongsi
key informant interview below) on which to plant the medicinal plants and vegetables. After
that she received seeds of cucumber (20 grams), sweet guard (50 grams), chili (100 grams),
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
ladies finger (100 grams), brinjal (100 g), Puishak (50 grams) along with 60 banana saplings
which would allow her to establish a vegetables garden. She cultivated the seeds and banana
sapling in the Jhum field and received 2000 taka for the plantation of banana and turmeric
seeds. Simultaneously, medicinal plants were supplied to the BHHs from the project. The
Medicinal plants she received were Basak (3000 cuttings), shimul (1 kilogram), Kalomegh (500
grams), Arsaghanda seeds (1 kilogram) and Turmeric seed (100 kilograms). After supplying the
input support, the project staff continuously visited the BHHs medicinal plant plots and monthly
awareness were held with the BHHs medicinal plant groups to inform importance of medicinal
plants, economic benefit of planting medicinal plants, harvesting and storage of medicinal
plants. Besides savings, health and sanitation sessions were also held while conducting
awareness raising meeting at the village level. In July 2012, Unuching received 3000 taka for
the maintenance of her medicinal plant and vegetable garden. Then she opened an
individual savings account at the Pubali bank ltd. Bandarban sadar upzila of Bandarban
district and started to savings. Project field staff helped her open the savings account.
Illnesses challenged her work on her field
She started working hard on cultivation, but in late July 2012 she became infected with an
abscess and struck by fever which meant she was unable to visit her Jhum field for one month.
The Jhum field was 3 kilometres away from her house. As a result she was forced to take a loan
of 1000 taka (without interest) from her employer (who is a local community leader) for
treatment. During her illness her son provided money for family expenditure through day
labouring. Members of the community also donated rice in order to help the family meet
subsistence.
MIDDLE AND LATER STAGES
Son married and left home – financial shock and loss of labour
In August 2012, Unuching suffered another financial shock when her son got married. To pay
for the marriage ceremony, she had to take a loan of 2500 taka. Her son also bought a solar
panel from the Grameen Shakti office which cost a total of 12000 taka. He could not afford to
pay for this outright and instead paid 1200 taka upfront and 400 taka in monthly installments.
While interviewing with Unuching said that her son bought the solar panel was to satisfy the
future bride’s expectation.
House well-being was reduced further when her son left the house and went to live at his
father-in-law’s house with his wife. She also suffered further setbacks in the same month when
all her chickens died due to Ranikhet, an infectious poultry disease.
In September 2012, she received 3500 taka to pay for maintenance of her medicinal plants
and vegetables garden from the project along with fertilizers and pesticides (26 kilograms of
urea, 9 kilograms of MP, and 15 kilograms of zipsam, one packet of zinc, 38 kilograms of TSP,
one packet of Daimen M and one liter of daizinon). She was shown how to use this fertilizer by
the field staff, and then applied it to her crops in the Jhum field.
In late September 2012, she started to harvest the Jhum crops. She was unable to harvest a
high yield due to heavy rain and landslides, and only got 15 Hari1 of paddy and no other surplus
crops to sell. However she did get three Mon’s of papaya from the previous year which she
1 1 Hari =10-12 kg (average)
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
sold in the local market and got 750 taka. This money was used to pay the monthly solar
installment. In order to provide food for the family, she frequently collected natural resources
from the forest and sold them in the local market.
In December 2012, she received vegetables seeds from the project including 139 grams of
radish seeds, 22 grams of brinjal, 167 grams of bean and 250 grams of ladies finger. She was
given these seeds in order to recover the losses from the medicinal plants and vegetables that
were damaged due to heavy rain and landslides during the monsoon season. She was able
to get access to 40 decimals of land from the local leader (who is also an employer) to
cultivate the winter vegetables.
In January 2013, she started to harvest turmeric, but was only able to get five mounds of raw
turmeric seeds. She sold one mon of dried turmeric (3 mounds of raw turmeric seeds is equal
to 1 mon dried turmeric seeds) and received 1500 taka, but preserved two mounds of turmeric
for future cultivation.
In February 2013, she had to borrow five Hari’s of rice from the employer due to shortage of
food in the household. Besides, her younger daughter stopped to go school due to lack of
money. While discussing her younger daughter she said, “My daughter stopped going to
school, she did not pass the class five exam. However I did not pay her educational expenses
such as tuition fee. Then I sent her to aunt’s house as housekeeper.”
In this month, she was engaged in the harvesting of medicinal plants. Unuching got two
kilograms of Kalomegh dried leaves, six kilograms of shimul roots, and six kilograms of Basak
dried leaves and received 175 taka, 360 taka and 240 taka, respectively after selling the
medicinal plants. Further she stocked two kilograms of dried kalomegh leaves and three
kilograms of dried shimul roots to sell in the future.
In March 2013, she was able to get access 40 decimals of land again from the local community
leader for cultivation of Jhum. In the meantime she harvested winter vegetables and got 30
sweet gourds which she sold for 600 taka. The family consumed the rest of the vegetables.
In late March 2013, her eldest daughter and her husband came to her house for nursing the
upcoming baby. During discussion she said they will stay in Unuching’s house until the baby is
born.
In April 2013, she prepared the land and received one Hari of rice from her employer to
cultivate in the Jhum field. During discussion she said that she will plant rice, vegetables and
turmeric in the Jhum field. However she was able to refund one mound of turmeric seeds and
60 banana saplings to the next beneficiary as per the project agreement.
SUMMARY OF CHANGE IN KEY INDICATORS SINCE INTERVENTION
The well-being status of the family has not significantly improved after the intervention due to
chronic illness, the destruction of medicinal and vegetable gardens by heavy rain and
landslides and the separation of her son from the household. In addition to this, Unuching
suffered additional misfortunate when all her chickens died from an infectious disease.
Although she is now able to afford three meals a day accompanied with salt and vegetables,
during the lean period this is still reduced to just two meals per day. She is also only consuming
fish, eggs and meat every six months.
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
The only productive assets she currently has in her household are Basak and turmeric from
which she will receive income. She is only able to adequately provide for the family by
collecting forest products from the forests to sell in the market and through receiving additional
support from others. Due to chronic illness she is unable to work frequently enough as a day
labourer to earn enough money. Her younger daughter also went to aunt’s house as
housekeeper.
Indicator
Just before the Shiree
intervention
End of ROI (1)
Household Livelihoods
ranked in terms of
contribution to that
years’ income :
Unuching Marma
Son age 25
Extreme working poor
Extreme working poor
Extreme working poor
Two rice meals per day, meals
including leafy vegetables
and seasonal fruits mixed up
with shrimp paste Fish once a
month.
Income (average 1950 Tk per
month)
1. Daily labour
2. Jhum cultivation
3. Selling forest products
Day labour
Extreme working poor
Extreme working poor
Extreme working poor
Three rice meals per day accompanied
with salt and vegetables mixed up with
shrimp paste, although reduced two
meals during lean period, fish or eggs
6months interval
Income (average 2250 Tk. per month)
1. Selling forest products
2. Jhum cultivation
3. Support from others
Daughter age 13
School class four
Productive assets
ranked in terms of
value (and key owner)
Got access to two acres of
land only for Jhum cultivation
without legal rights provided
by Mauza Headman
House and
homestead:
Ownership or tenure
and condition of
house.
Own bamboo house with a
roof made from sungrass and
tin, but no permanent
ownership or legal documents
Well-being category of
Unuching Marma
Son
Daughter
Diets*
Day labour (married) stayed in his father
in law’s house
Stopped studying, working in her aunt’s
house
1. Got access to 40 decimals of land
from the local community leader only
for Jhum cultivation, no permanent
legal rights
2. Basak tree -1700 cuttings
3. Turmeric seeds 80 kg
Same house, and still not permanent
ownership or legal documents
Notes:
Diets: Although she had three rice meals with vegetables mixed up shrimp paste in her
house, she took also meals at a local community leader’s house two times in a month. The
local community leader is her employer. Sometimes she went to work in other households
without receiving money but the employer arranged meals for those who worked. While
taking meals at her employers she consumed protein.
Income: Her main income source is to collect forest products and Jhum cultivation. She
went to the forest an average of three times a month and earned an average of 1200 taka.
However, she did not go day labouring frequently due to chronic illness. She earned an
average of 1050 taka from day labouring, for a total income of 2250 taka per month.
Asset ownership: She has no permanent ownership of the land where she planted medicinal
plants. However, she has a strong relationship with the landowner using the land. She
obtained all her assets through the project.
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING
INTERVENTION M AP FOR UNUCHING M ARMA (48 YE ARS OLD) FROM DATE OF INTERVENTION TO APRI L 2013
2011 (December) Enlisted
by Eco-Dev Shiree project
Wealthy elite
Middle elite
Lower
Born in a lower
Earning, NonPoor family
Early marriage, husband
poor, addicted in
alcohol and gambling,
no permanent land
property
earning
4non-poor
Moderate poor
3
Working
Extreme poor
5
Destitute
Jan-Feb 2013: Harvested turmeric and
earned 1500 taka after selling the dried
turmeric and preserved 2 mounds for
future cultivation.
December 2012: Received
winter vegetables from the
project and was able to get
access 40 decimals of land from
the employer
February 2013: She
borrowed 5 Hari’s of rice
to meet family
consumption
Went to parent’s house
for survival and another
three children were
born
5
5
Received 80 Hari’s of
paddy after
separation from
parent’s house and
return husband house
July: Received 3000
taka for
maintenance of
August: Son bought a
medicinal plants and solar panel for 1200 taka
vegetables garden. on credit. Monthly
Infected with abscess installments of 400 taka.
and forced to take He then got married
loan from the
and took loan 2500 TK
employer.
for marriage purposes.
Sept 2012: Received cash support
for the maintenance of medicinal
and vegetables garden. She
harvested rice and papaya. She
received 750 taka after selling the
papayas.
Birth of children in1985,
1986 and 1988 cause
strain on household.
Whole Jhum crops
destroyed by rats in
1986, no foods relief
1965
1980
May: Received input supports of integrated vegetables
gardening, banana saplings and medicinal plants
Separated each other
from husband in 2003
and migrated another
village with children
1995
Could not work
due to illness
2010
2012 (March): Received training and working
capital for establishment of medicinal plants, and
chickens from the project through group
executive committee
S Mar’12
May
10
August
March 2013: Harvested winter
vegetables which she sold for 600 taka.
2013 (April): Got access to 40 decimals of hilly
land for Jhum cultivation. She is planning to plant
turmeric, rice, vegetables and banana saplings
Nov
Feb’13
May’13
QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION
TRACKING- ROI (1)
DISAGGREGATED ANALYS IS
MATERIAL EMPOWERMENT :
BEING
CHANGES IN ABILITY TO COMMAND MATERIAL WELL-
The well-being status of Unuching’s family has remained almost the same in the first year if of
the project intervention. Chronic illness and a reduction in the number of working members
have reduced household income. However, she was able to manage land by cultivating
medicinal plants and establishing a vegetable garden. Initially her son helped during the
cultivation season, but after he got married, he went to live at his father-in-law’s house. This
left Unuching to work alone in the field and she became unable to visit her medicinal plot
regularly. Due to her illness, she has also hardly been able to go for day labour and has often
had to rely on support from others. Currently, her main source of income is collecting natural
resources from the forest, which she sells at the local market. This reduction in income meant
that although Unuching was able to afford three meals a day, these usually only consisted of
rice with salt and vegetables. This decreases to two meals a day during the lean period.
Unuching’s lack of income has meant that she has been unable to increase her stock of assets.
Although she was given some chickens by the project, an infectious disease killed them all.
She currently only has the 1700 Basak trees and one mon of turmeric seeds as productive
assets. The condition of her house has also deteriorated due to heavy winds in April 2012, but
she feels relatively secure, as there is no threat of eviction.
Unuching has no savings and recently got some liabilities, as she has to help pay 400 taka as
monthly instalments for the solar panel purchased by her son before his wedding (note she
contributed to both solar panel and the ceremony). She has also not yet paid back the money
she borrowed money from her employer.
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QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION TRACKING- ROI (1)
SEASONAL LIVELIHOOD MAP - DIVERSIFICATION
Available labour
opportunities
Shiree PE agricultural
production
Shiree PE nonagricultural income
cycles
JAN
FEB
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUG.
SEPT.
OCT.
NOV.
DEC.
Harvesting
Turmeric
from Jhum
field.
Harvesting of
Turmeric from
Jhum field.
Slashed the
forest for
cultivation of
Jhum
Day
labouring
Land
preparat
ion for
cultivatio
n of
Jhum
Sowing
the Jhum
crops
Weeding
at the
Jhum
field
Weeding
at the
Jhum field
Harvesting of
chilies, maize,
leafy
vegetable,
cucumber
from the Jhum
field
Harvesting
of rice
Harvesting
Aman
paddy
Day
labourin
g
Harvesting
ginger and
turmeric
Slashing
the forests
for
cultivation
of Turmeric
and other
jhum crops
Land
preparat
ion for
cultivatio
n of
medicin
al plants
Sowing
the Jhum
crops and
cultivation
of
medicinal
plants and
vegetable
s garden
Weeding
the jhum
crops
Weeding
Harvesting of
chilies, maize,
leafy
vegetable,
cucumber
from the Jhum
field
Harvesting
of Jhum
paddy,
chilies and
vegetables
Medium
Gathering forest products
High Gathering forest
products
12
Harvesting
of turmeric
Medium
Gathering forest
products
QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION
TRACKING- ROI (1)
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITUR E: WHAT DID SHE SPEN D HER SAVINGS ON?
Unuching expenditures are documented in the following table.
Purpose of expenditure
1.
Amount
in BDT
12000
2.
Household consumption
(rice, shrimp paste, salt, fuel,
dried fish, oil and spices)
Solar panel
3.
Monthly solar installments
400
4.
5.
6.
Son’s marriage
Treatment
Travel purposes
2500
1000
500
Income from day labour
and marketing of
agricultural products
Income from son’s day
laboring
Income from Son’s and
Unuching’s day labouring
and selling forest products
Took a loan
Took a loan
Income from day labour
and selling of forest
products
1200
Total
How financed
Who is the
primary
decider?
Unuching
Her son
Son
Unuching
Unuching
Unuching
17600
Key asset sales
Item Sold
Amount
to whom
Why?
Who was the
key owner
Dried
turmeric
seeds
1500
Local
businessman
Unuching
White guard
600
Unuching
Unuching
Medicinal
plants
775
At Bandarban
sadar, local
buyers
Marketing
network group
through buyers
For family
expenditure and
to pay for solar
panel
For family
expenditure and
school fees
For income
Who was the
primary decision
maker in deciding
how the profits are
spent?
Unuching
Unuching
Unuching
Total
2875
The crops were sold to make money in general to buy basic food and to afford the monthly
installments for the solar panel.
Key productive asset purchases
Item
purchased
Amount
How Financed?
Why?
Who is
the key
owner?
Solar panel
1200 taka, they paid
1200 taka in
advance, and have
monthly installments
of 400 taka per
month)
Income from son
and Unuching’s
day labor, selling
forest products.
Son’s
expectation
and light
Son
13
Who is the
key decision
maker on
how income
is spent?
Son
QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 INTERVENTION
TRACKING- ROI (1)
RELATIONAL EMPOWERME NT:
POLITICAL RELATIONS
CHANGE IN POWER IN S OCIAL, ECONOMIC AND
The family members living in Unuching’s house have changed in year 1. After her son got
married, he went to live with his wife in her father’s house. Afterwards, he became involved
with tobacco cultivation, and only occasionally came back home to help his mother. At
present, his main income source is day labouring. He also said he will come back home within
few days and help his mother again.
Her youngest daughter went to her aunt’s house as a housekeeper. Therefore, Unuching is
only living with her eldest daughter and husband who are only living there temporarily until the
baby is born.
Unuching’s relationship with her employer is good. As a result, she was able to get access to
land for cultivation of Jhum and was able to borrow rice from them during periods of food
scarcity. She was also able to take a loan without interest from them for treatment of her
abscess and to pay for her son’s wedding. She also had a strong relationship with the local
political leader to get access productive land by negotiating for cultivating of vegetables
garden.
The relationship she had with the Grameen Shakti office was not good because of the irregular
payment of the monthly instalment for the solar panel. Sometimes the Grameen Shakti staff
demands that she brings the solar panel to the office to repay the loan.
COMMUNITY GROUPS EMPOWERMENT
According to the project design, the project staff developed medicinal plant cultivator groups
and a purchase committee with a view to empower the cultivators through marketing,
purchasing, and linkage development. Unuching is the treasurer in her medicinal plant
cultivator group.
In addition, ECo-Development formed a marketing management network group consisting of
20 members. The main future of the network group was to collect the beneficiary medicinal
products and liaise with the medicinal plant buyers to secure a fairer price. The ECoDevelopment project management has been assisting the network group throughout the
entire process. Now all the groups are functioning and the network group has already initiated
their activities.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWE RMENT
Despite intervention, Unuching’s livelihood is still fully dependent on the collection of forest
products and support from others. Her illness has reduced her earning capability and after her
marriage, her son stopped contributing to household income.
At present, she is
psychologically depressed due to having her monthly solar panel repayments, loans, and
household food insecurity.
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However, she has some survival strategies, which are able to prevent her from falling into
despair. She has been able to manage land for future Jhum cultivation and negotiated with
her employer to take a loan in advance. Since the intervention, she has also been able to
afford to start having three meals in day. Unuching said, “I have gained a lot experience since
the intervention of the project, notably working as treasurer at the medicinal plant cultivator
groups, communication, and negotiation with the buyers, which was very important for me.”
GENDER EMPOWERMENT
Since the separation from her husband, Unuching has been living with her children and
meeting the family needs through Jhum cultivation and day labouring. Due to a lack of
support, she was only able to afford her daughter’s tuition fees up to primary level, and now
her daughter has stopped going to school due to a lack of money.
After harvesting the product, she was able to sell turmeric product to buyers although
previously she did not have any such experience. Further, she said that she would sell the
product in the future to the buyers. However, she was able to get access land by
negotiation with local leader for cultivating the Jhum crops, establishing the medicinal and
vegetables garden, she had to go through Mongsi (see below).
INDIVIDUAL’S ECONOMI C EMPOWERMENT:
OF THE INTERVENTION
OTHE R FAMILY MEMBER’S EX PERIENCE
Labour shortage and chronic illness
Unuching’s son said that, “This support helped us to cultivate more crops, along with the
establishment of a medicinal plant and vegetables garden." However, he assisted with
cultivation of medicinal plants and vegetables gardening only for two months before getting
married and moving to live at his father in law’s house. Further her son said, “My mother could
not work alone in the medicinal plants plot which is also 3-4 kilometers far away from the
house. Nevertheless my mother has chronic illness which is not sufficient to look after the
medicinal plant properly.”
SUBJECTIVE BENEFICIA RY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT CONSTITUTES GRADUATION
Unuching said the project has helped her to grow more diversified crops and establish a
medicinal plant garden, but she was unable to produce due to chronic illness and the few
working members of the household.
When asked about her graduation she said, “It will be very good for me to graduate from
extreme poverty by providing pigs instead of poultry and supplying agricultural inputs and
necessary working capital prior to harvesting of crops”.
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF HOUSEHOLD’S SUSTAINABILITY
In the first reflection on the intervention ROI (1) from May 2012 to May 2013, we find that
Unuching’s wellbeing status remains almost constant after intervention. The major challenges
for Unuching Marma were chronic illness of pain on her heel, an abscess on her back and the
marriage of her son. The illnesses impaired her ability to do work regularly in her own crop field
and has reduced her production. In addition, landslides destroyed her medicinal plants during
the monsoon season and her poultry died from the infectious disease, Ranikhet. Despite the
intervention she still has to rely on collecting forest products to sell them in the local market.
She goes to the forests once in a week and is able to collect enough to raise 500 to 600 taka.
However this requires walking a long distance in the forests which is difficult considering her
poor health. Her income is also not high enough to allow her to afford additional expenses,
and she had to take loan to cover the cost of her son’s wedding
Labour capacity of her household has been a key problem for Unuching who was quite reliant
on her son, as the household’s well-being status deteriorated when he left the house after his
marriage. Furthermore, her youngest daughter stopped studying and went to her aunt’s house
as a housekeeper. Therefore, Unuching’s future wellbeing is fully dependent on her own
working capacity and good health. Though she was able to access to traditional land for
cultivation of crops, her illness meant she was unable to spend enough time caring for and so
she did not get a good yield. She has able to preserve some turmeric seeds for future
cultivation, which means that she should still be able to benefit from intervention next year.
One of the major positive sides of her intervention is the inclusion of formal bank institution. She
opened a savings account at the Pubali Bank Ltd, Bandarban sadar upazila of Bandarban.
She seems to have developed good relationships with political leaders and her employer,
which have meant she has been able to get access to land for crop cultivation. Although her
production is not high, she has become sufficiently empowered to negotiate with the traders
to get a higher price when marketing her produce.
Her children’s future sustainability also does not look good, as her younger daughter has been
removed from school due to the family’s financial situation. She has gone to live at her aunt’s
house as a house keeper and also helps them care for the children. Although this is helping
Unuching’s family cope at the moment, it may reduce her daughter’s earning potential in the
future.
Overall Unuching’s household is extremely vulnerable in terms of labour and land available
for agricultural production, productive assets (poultry) and chronic illness.
PROGRAMME IMPLICATIONS
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1.
Land Access – jhum and longer term land access
Establishing the commercial cultivation of medicinal plants garden, such as Basak plantation,
which can be harvested yearly, requires secure land for long term harvesting and economic
return. However, most of the extreme poor did not have permanent registered land on which
to cultivate the medicinal plants, they have been cultivating Jhum crops on Jhumland which
where once cultivation and harvesting of Jhum crops, farmers left the land as fallow in order
to restore fertility, then select other Jhum land for cultivation.
Moreover, some have no access to even Jhumland. For instance, Unuching during beneficiary
selection did not have any traditional land or own land, so Mongsi (a large landowner
employer) lent her 40 decimals of land to cultivate the medicinal plants and vegetables
garden without any terms and conditions. According to the traditional customary laws, every
CHT ethnic minority peoples should have land access for cultivation of Jhum. It is
recommended that the programme advocates to ensure this land access for extreme poor
ethnic minority people in CHT.
2.
Working Capacity of the ill, elderly and sole breadwinners
The major challenges she faced were chronic illness, falling labour capacity of household as
her son left. As Unuching is a separated woman (age 46), she is quite unable to operate
medicinal plant cultivation alone which is required high labour and new practices in the
field. Therefore, the programme should be re-designed especially those who are unable to
operate (female managed household, elderly people and widow). Otherwise, these
particular groups will remain same as working extreme poor.
3.
Labour capacity and productivity of the extreme and moderate poor
The most significant difference between the extreme poor and moderate poor is their working
capital and the working capacity of adult earners in the household. During the cropping
season, extreme poor people work in the crop field and do day labouring in order to earn
money as their stocks are gone and they need wages for food. As the moderate poor have
relatively more money available, they are able to work in their own crop field without doing
additional day labouring. As a result, the moderate poor tend to produce a higher yield than
the extreme poor do.
4.
Landslides
The project intended to achieve graduation from extreme poverty by building their capacity
to cultivate medicinal plant along with vegetable gardening and poultry rearing, and do so.
Overall, the graduation process was progressing well but then was delayed when heavy rain
and landslides destroyed most of the beneficiaries’ medicinal plants during the monsoon
period. The threat of future landslides/heavy rains endangers threatens future production. As
a result, the affected beneficiaries could not produce expected production. However, the
unaffected medicinal plants grew well, and received a good price at the market.
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5. Storage facilities and access to agricultural expertise
Other major problems include the lack of a storage facility and the fluctuation of product
prices such as turmeric. Another problem is that the project is solely an agricultural related
project. However, there were no agricultural staff.
One of positive initiative of the project is the inclusion of extreme poor in the formal bank
institution, opening individual savings account where beneficiary could save money.
SOCIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE
After the intervention, more beneficiaries in the region were working more on their cultivation
than on the labour market. As a result, there was a reduction in the number of available day
labourers during the cropping season and the non-poor had to pay a higher price to hire the
day labour, and wages rose.
KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEW
Name: Mongsi Marma, 43 years old (Male)
Occupation: Large-scale farm employer of labour
Date of interview: May 7, 2013
Place of interview: His house, Bandarban Sadar Upazila, Bandarban
KEY RE ASON FOR INTERVIEWING THIS PE RSON
Mongsi Marma is a large-scale farmer at the Bandarban Sadar union who grows different kinds
of fruit. He also has more than ten acres of land where he planted Teak and other timber.
Before becoming a large-scale farmer, he was a Union council member for eight years, from
2002 to 2010. Sometimes he acted as Chairman of the Union in the absence of the Chairman.
During beneficiary selection, he helped to select the extreme poor people in the village.
Unuching often borrowed rice from him in the crisis season, which is why she was selected as
a key informant.
FINDINGS
Mongsi said that Unuching is a separated woman who lives with her son and daughter. Her
main livelihood is collecting and selling natural forest resources, although sometimes she also
does day labouring. He said that last year Unuching borrowed 30 kilograms of rice and 2500
taka during the crisis period and paid the money and rice back by selling forest products. She
also went to his house and had lunch frequently.
He said that during beneficiary selection he nominated her because she did not have any
land. Therefore, I have given her 40 decimals of land to cultivate the medicinal plants and
vegetables garden without any terms and conditions. Unfortunately, during the cultivation
season she became afflicted with an abscess and was unable to visit her cultivation plot
frequently.
He also gave her productive land on which she could cultivate winter vegetables. This year
Mongsi gave her another 40 decimals of hill land for cultivation of Jhum to graduate the
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poverty. Mongsi helped her to graduate the poverty by giving hilly land, money, and
productive assets. While interviewing with Mongsi, he said,
“Unuching is my neighbour and has lived more than 15 years in the same village. Most of the
community people are poor; Unuching is even poorer compared to most community people.
However, she works in my fields and the household frequently. As she is part of the same ethnic
community and living in the same village I am trying to help her to move out extreme poverty.”
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