AFPRO is supporting 75 families of Dalit and backward class Communities of villages Borkhed and Mangwadgaon in Beed District, Maharashtra for developing 85 ha of common lands that are now their possession. These lands are quite degraded which had rendered cultivation impossible. An innovative method of support to farmers for land and water resource development activities in the form of loans from a revolving fund is being used in this project. The loans are transferred in the form of direct payments by the local partner NGO or VDC for labor and material utilized. AFPRO is providing technical and facilitation support to the farmers.

The nature of activities being undertaken includes organizing and capacitating the benefiting community for effective implementation of the project. This includes building their knowledge and skills on natural resource management for the regeneration and sustainable management of their common resources. This will eventually increase their earnings and quality of life.

A unique learning being sought in this project is the integration of development initiatives and the struggle for land rights. The benefiting community in this case was initially landless and had encroached degraded village commons in order to meet their livelihood requirements. These village commons are usually wastelands kept separate for grazing livestock of these poor people. The lands were regularized due to the efforts of the local implementing partner, Janvikas Samajik Santha, Kaij, Beed District.

(Field Unit: Ahmednagar, Maharashtra)