New hopes for <i>monga</i> mitigation?

PHOTOS BY Syed Mahfuz Ali (Top Left) and Mumit M/ Real Picture

As the cold weather sets in and the nation waits for the final harvest of the year, the northern region of Bangladesh is stricken by the annual seasonal food shortage: the dreaded monga. In this exclusive special feature, the chairman of Research Initiatives Bangladesh, Dr. Shamsul Bari, draws an inspirational and heartening picture of what can be done to bring year-round food security to the monga-affected north and offers new ideas for the paradigm shift already underway in some places to accomplish this transformation.
Media reports on monga were with us again last month. Disturbing pictures of hungry people scavenging for food reappeared on TV screens. That such a desperate situation should recur annually, despite government and non-governmental efforts for its eradication over the years, should be a matter of deep concern for all. The need for serious rethinking on the efforts themselves and search for new ways to find lasting solutions cannot be overstated.
In an article entitled: "Mora Kartik to Bhora Kartik: Scaling Up Comprehensive Monga Mitigation," which appeared in The Daily Star of October 31, Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, a well-known development researcher of the country, has underlined the need for "a scaled-up comprehensive monga mitigation strategy." Among other things, he has called for "a paradigm shift on monga mitigation away from a relief focus towards a comprehensive transformation of monga realities ..."
The objective of this article is to offer some new ideas for the paradigm shift called for. These are based on experience gained from research that Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB), an organisation I am associated with, has supported in monga-affected areas in the north.
For those who are not acquainted with the work of RIB, it may be useful to mention briefly that RIB is a research-support agency which seeks to promote research on poverty issues in Bangladesh that particularly seeks to understand and present the points of view of the poverty groups themselves. It has become known since its founding more than five years ago for its penchant for collaborative action research. The aim is to demonstrate the value of such research in complementing conventional quantitative research that decision-makers, both of the government and donor agencies, normally rely upon for poverty-alleviation and development planning.
I had the occasion to visit, in late October, two areas in Laxmichap and Khokshabari unions of Sadar upazila under Nilphamari district where RIB had funded, since last year, an integrated research project to explore new possibilities for monga mitigation. The area belongs to the "ecologically vulnerable parts of northern districts" mentioned by Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman in his article. As with most other projects supported by RIB, an added objective was to involve ordinary people in collective exercises aimed at understanding the realities of their situation, identifying their strengths and weaknesses and deciding upon activities that they themselves are able to take to ameliorate their situation.
The measures identified by the people of the two unions for their research were not only to deal with the exigencies of monga but also their poverty situation as a whole. They included: 1) cultivation of BRRI Dhan-33; 2) cultivation of lakkha (lacquer); 3) planting of boroi (sour plum) trees which serve as host trees for the lakkha insects to live upon; 4) the setting up of rudimentary lakkha factories to process lakkha for value addition; 5) turning some of the boroi plants into more profitable apel kul (apple plum) plants through grafting; and 6) setting up of community-run pre-schools for their children to prepare them for enrolment in local primary schools.
RIB's involvement in the process was limited to funding the animators who facilitated the discussions and bearing the small costs for weekly gatherings of the people for this purpose. All other costs relating to implementation of the activities were to be borne by the people themselves.
Some background information on the activities will make them more contextual. BRRI Dhan-33 is a new variety of rice developed by scientists from Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). It has been known for some time for its shortened gestation period compared to traditional aman varieties. It is thus considered to be suitable for monga mitigation since crop harvesting can be advanced by one month, from November to early October, the critical month for monga, when there is acute shortage of employment opportunities for agricultural workers.
The population of the two unions was introduced to BRRI Dhan-33 through an exercise in 2006, described in an article I wrote for The Daily Star of March 7 entitled: "Consigning Monga to the Museum." I had mentioned in that article the combined efforts of large number of agricultural scientists of the country, government agricultural extension officials, NGOs working in the north, selected farmers from the region and others, including RIB, who had gathered at a meeting held at RDRS in Rangpur in March 2006 to consider ways and means to bring the cultivation of BRRI Dhan-33 to farmers in selected monga regions during the 2006 aman season.
I had also mentioned how the decisions of that gathering were implemented in different parts of the region through an alliance between scientists, government officials, four NGOs, and real farmers. And, of course, I wrote about the very encouraging results that followed. RIB was happy to have been involved in it not only as the funding agency but also as part of the coordinating team and more importantly as promoter of collaborative research.
An important aspect of the 2006 project was the fact that the participants included farmers from Laxmichap and Khoksabari unions where the research under consideration is located. It was the positive experience of these farmers which had encouraged other farmers to join them in the cultivation of BRRI Dhan-33 in 2007.
Similarly the decision to undertake large-scale cultivation of lakkha (lacquer) was based on experience of some 800 households with a RIB-supported project in the same unions in 2005. The results of that project had shown that the cultivation of lakkha is not only very simple but also very profitable. It also provides a rich harvest during the monga months and its marketing is easy because buyers come directly to producers' homes and are willing to pay well for their produce. Reportedly the farmers had earned between Tk. 2000 to Tk. 6000 per tree, depending upon its size, during the height of the monga season in 2006.
The enthusiasm generated by the success of lakkha in the earlier years motivated the people, almost all women, to decide upon planting thousands of new boroi (sour plum) trees which, upon maturity in two years, would serve as host trees for lakkha insects. To implement the plan, they had employed local children to collect boroi pits (seeds) from neighbouring villages. They had paid the children one taka per hundred pits. With these they raised in 2006 some 20,000 seedlings in small bags for transplantation on roadsides in 2007. The required permission for this purpose was easily obtained from the local Union Council office because of the involvement of the chairman himself in the process.
The positive experience of the farmers with the sale of lakkha in 2006 had also encouraged them to establish in 2007 two rudimentary lakkha factories at two central places to process lakkha harvested in the entire region. They had learnt from buyers and from market surveys that a slightly processed lakkha which turns raw lakkha into shiny lakkha shellacs (tablets) fetches a much higher market value. For example, if raw lakkha is sold at Tk. 190 per kg, the shellacs would sell for around Tk. 500 per kg. The idea of setting up the factories came from lakkha farmers in neighbouring Rajshahi district where lakkha farming once flourished.
Linked to the planting of boroi trees, the farmers undertook the horticulture project aimed at turning some of the boroi plants into much more profitable apel kul (apple plum, which is fast becoming a very popular fruit in the country) plants through grafting. When ready, they would plant some of these on their homesteads, putting others on sale in the local market.
The other activity, though not directly related to monga mitigation, but nevertheless considered important by the people, was the establishment of two Kajoli Model pre-schools to be run with their own fund. They had learnt about the model from the animators. Some had even visited existing Kajoli Model Centres in the region. Subsequently, they had sent two local women to participate in a regional teacher training workshop organised by RIB.
Having set the context, it may be useful now to describe the process through which the activities were identified. The process is known as "gonogobeshona" or people's research. The term was coined to find a popular expression for the heavier term "participatory action research" or PAR which it represents. Since its inception, RIB chose PAR, which is well-known to many other parts of the world, as the primary focus of its research activities.
PAR is more than a methodology; it is considered as a philosophy of development itself. It is based on the principle that people, even those living in abject poverty, are bearers of relevant knowledge and are capable of creating new knowledge themselves, including consideration and adaptation of outside knowledge to make it their own. When properly unleashed and utilised, such knowledge enables the people to undertake innovative and collective measures for their own benefit. While it doesn't mean that they are thereby able to transform their lives entirely, without outside support, it does prepare them to take the initial steps to do so.
Through gonogobeshona people are able to understand the hard realities of life and realise that outside help will never be enough to pull them out of their dire straits unless these are filtered through processes of their own collective analysis and combined with their self-initiatives. In gonogobeshona people are the subjects of research and not merely its object, as is normally the case in conventional research.
Being convinced about the immense transformative qualities of gonogobeshona, RIB decided to put it to use for the integrated monga mitigation project. The task was facilitated by a number of animators, as they are popularly known, who had earlier been sensitised at RIB-supported PAR workshops on the principles and objectives of gonogobeshona. The animators got together with the people concerned who, upon collective deliberations, decided upon the activities mentioned above.
A few words now on the outcome of the initiatives. RIB was invited to join the paddy farmers for the harvesting of BRRI Dhan-33 in early October this year. The lakkha farmers wanted us to join them in planting the boroi trees on the road sides and inaugurating the lakkha processing factories. And the parents of children attending the Kajoli Model pre-school centres wanted us to see their progress.
Unfortunately, we could not be there in time for the BRRI Dhan-33 harvest. But we arrived soon thereafter in late October to participate in the festivities that followed. These were organised by the people themselves to celebrate their achievements and to share their joy and pride with all concerned. The spirit of freedom from monga was also in the air. My colleague, Prof. Md. Anisur Rahman, and I were overwhelmed by the reception the people gave us for simply being with them. While reaching their villages and the venue for the celebrations we saw that the villagers had paved the mud roads, wherever necessary, with earth fillings to smoothen the ride for the visitors, with their own voluntary labour. They had also dug up hundreds of holes for our planting of the boroi plants. The planting ceremony and the enthusiasm of hundreds of women involved in the process -- from carrying the large number of plants to the holes, to filling the holes with manure and watering the plants after planting -- was a developmental experience that will be permanently etched in our minds.
The festivities were organised in the form of a mela or people's fair for two full days and evenings under an old banyan tree in front of the temple in Laxmichap. Apart from the opening ceremony and the meeting that followed, there was endless presentation of songs, jokes, dramas, plays, and the like. There were stalls around the mela compound displaying items/products related to the activities. Thousands of villagers from near and far came in their best attire to be soaked in the joyous atmosphere that had engulfed the whole place. Who would say that in the previous years the same area was perhaps sunk in despondency and devoid of men-folk who probably had gone elsewhere in search for employment and earning?
In the meeting that followed the inauguration of the mela by the district commissioner of Nilphamari, Khondoker Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, one after another the people took the microphone to share their experience with us and tell us about the transformation that had taken place in their minds and hearts and in their lives as a whole. They claimed to have driven monga away from their areas for good. Paddy farmers told us about increased aman harvest and the employment it generated for agricultural workers who would normally look for jobs at other places. They mentioned how surprised they were by the success of the new variety of rice. Average per acre yield for BRRI Dhan-33 this year, they told us, was 2.13 tons as against 1.47 for BR-11 in previous years. This was music to our ears.
The lakkha farmers told us about their income from lakkha cultivation and their hopes for the future. They were already planning, they told us, to use lakkha waste to make textile dyes and also to use it for making traditional alta which village women use to decorate their feet for festive occasions. They told us how delighted they were to learn that lakkha is used for lipstick making and many other products. It was clear that they were already dreaming of other lakkha products they would produce in the future. They dreamt that their region would become a hub for economic and other activities. If dreams are the stuff for development and progress, we touched that dream that day.
There were other equally exhilarating experiences. Our visits to the Kajoli Model centres filled us with high hopes for the children of the region. We were impressed by the simple bamboo huts they had built for the centres and the arrangements made to pay for the teachers' salaries of Tk. 500 a month. We saw at the two centres we visited, two rickshaw vans that the villagers had bought with their own savings. These are rented out for Tk. 20 a day and the proceeds go to pay for the teachers' salaries. We saw the two van pullers waiting with their vans in front of the two centres. They seemed happy to be part of an exercise which will promote education of the children in their area. We came back reasonably convinced about the sustainability of the centres. Since no outside help is involved and the people seemed convinced about the value of education, there is no reason why they should not continue for ever.
The commitment of the two local Union Council chairmen towards people's initiatives was almost palpable. The expression of support and solidarity by the district commissioner appeared genuine. He sounded sincere when he mentioned in his statement as the chief guest: "The concept of 'mass research' (he was referring to gonogobeshona) bears significance as finding out the ways for better living through group discussion contributes to the development of the country as a whole." (See report in The Daily Star of October 28). He was clearly touched by the enthusiasm of the people he is to serve. We came back with the sense that he will continue to be supportive of people's initiatives.
Equally impressive was the commitment of the regional agricultural scientist, Dr. M.A. Majid, who had advised the farmers on different aspects of BRRI Dhan-33 cultivation, from sowing to harvesting, to seed preservation for the next sowing. His contributions demonstrated the importance of collaborative efforts in enhancing motivation of all concerned in development activities. Dr. Majid told us that he enjoyed working with these people mainly because they were clearly so well-motivated.
What then are the lessons learnt from the exercise? To begin with, the importance of motivating the people to be directly engaged in ameliorating their own situation has been clearly underlined. Through such involvement they realise that only they can be the best agents for their own development. Policy-makers too must realise this. They have to find ways to involve ordinary people in identifying and undertaking initiatives for their own development.
That charity and doles, so far the main measures for monga mitigation, are not the answer is well-established. The failure of government efforts over the past so many decades bear testimony to this. Doles can only provide temporary relief to people but they also condemn them to perpetual dependence and marginalisation. This is why those at the bottom of the poverty trap have remained there for ages. Some say their situation has even worsened. The need for new ideas to correct this situation cannot be over-stated.
Can it be said that monga will be mitigated everywhere if the above recipe is followed? Not really. I am told by agricultural scientists that the cultivation of BRRI Dhan-33 is not suitable for all types of land and that only some 25-30% of total amon areas in monga-affected districts in the north could be brought under BRRI Dhan-33. But they also say that this would generate sufficient number of employments for the hired agricultural workers in the region during peak monga months. Others also think this is doable. Couldn't a beginning be made with this 25 to 30% of land? And what about lakkha cultivation as an alternative source of income? Couldn't this too be extended to other monga-prone areas?
All these may appear small and insignificant steps to macro-economists. But aren't they worthy of consideration simply as first steps to make a beginning and to complement conventional approaches? RIB's experiences from gonogobeshona have shown the value of initiating the development process of marginalised communities in the minds of the people first. Without their own involvement and initiatives, their situation can never change as a lasting phenomenon. This has been proven through experience in our country. The contrary too has been proven in many places. The World Bank has recently been conscientised about the importance of listening to the "voices of the poor." But, alas, with no follow up measures yet! More and more people all over the world are recognising the need for special attention for the "chronic poor," "missing poor," "ultra poor," etc. But there is hardly any zeroing-in on what exactly ought to be done.
RIB too believes that there can be no true poverty alleviation without a desegregated approach to different poverty groups. Our experience has shown that while some poverty groups in Bangladesh have forged ahead with the help of government support and micro-credit, those at the bottom of the poverty scale, and in particular so many with special occupation-based or historical community identities that have kept them segregated from the rest of the country's population, have not been able to do so. These could probably only be helped through collaborative approaches that will help them to identify and unleash their own abilities and efforts and, at the same time, to demand and utilise government support by means of their collective strength and initiatives.
Finally, let me add that in promoting collaborative approaches, great care must be taken to prepare the animators and the people concerned and, in particular, to ensure that a patron-client relationship is not created between the people and outsiders who help the process. True collaboration can only be built upon equal partnership. The people of Laxmichap and Khokshabari Union in Nilphamari have raised new hopes not only for monga mitigation but also for poverty alleviation generally. Let us learn from their experience.
Dr. Shamsul Bari is Chairman, RIB.