ORGANIZATIONAL ACTION COMPONENT WOMEN’S DAIRY COOPERATIVES
Submitted by Amrita Sharma (23006) Rahul Singh (23037)
Faculty guide: Prof. Ila Patel
HOST ORGANISATION (S): DEEPAK CHARITABLE TRUST
OTS (PRM 2002-04)
Institute of Rural Management Anand 2003
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The present study provided us the opportunity to understand and appreciate the contributions of the Women’s Dairy Programme towards the empowerment of women. It also gave us an insight into the factors limiting the participation of women in the dairy cooperative movement and understand the inner dynamics of the process of social change. We would like to thank Deepak Charitable Trust (DCT) for giving us the opportunity to conduct the study. We would also like to thank our OTS coordinator, Prof. Shailesh Gandhi for his efforts and support and Prof. Ila Patel, the faculty guide for her guidance and valuable inputs to the study. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the director of Deepak Charitable Trust (DCT), Ms. Aruna Lakhani for providing us with the required support and guidance throughout the project. We are also thankful to our reporting officer, Mr. Ashok Makwana for providing us with required data and guidance. We would also like to thank the Deputy Director, Ms. Anupa Mehta and the entire DCT staff for the support they provided us throughout our stay in DCT. We are also very thankful to Ms. Ankur Srivastava and Jaswantbhai for helping us in our fieldwork by facilitating our understanding of Gujarati. We need to especially mention Mr. Mehul Verma who even helped us with organising the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The present acknowledgements would be incomplete without thanking the villagers of Damapura, Dodka and Sakariyapura for their valuable time and inputs for conducting the study. Amrita Sharma (23006) Rahul Singh
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(23037)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Student’s Name: Amrita Sharma (23006) & Rahul Singh (23037) Organisation: Deepak Charitable Trust (DCT) Reporting Officer: Mr. Ashok Makwana Faculty Guide: Prof. Ila Patel Project Title: Women’s Dairy Cooperatives Part A: A Study of Three Women Dairy Cooperative Societies The Objectives were as follows1. To assess empowerment of the women through the dairy cooperative. 2. To identify the constraints faced by the women members to participate in the activities of the dairy 3. To identify the reasons behind the sub-optimal financial performance of the dairies Scope of Study Our study was confined to three villages of Dodka, Damapura and Sakariyapura in the Nandesari region of Vadodara district. Methodology Qualitative and Quantitative techniques, comprising of semi-structured interviews, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, with members of the dairy cooperative, their husbands and non members were used for data collection. Sources of Data The primary sources of data were interviews and focus group discussions conducted with the villagers. The secondary sources of data comprised of the financial records and other documents from the Dairy Cooperative Societies and Deepak Charitable Trust. Major Findings Part A: The intervention of starting Women Dairy Cooperative Societies in the Nandesari region under the aegis of DCT, as a tool for furthering women’s empowerment at the village level has not been able to bring about the desired results. The programme has proved ineffective because of several reasons – 1. The desired level of participation and involvement from the side of women is still missing in the dairies. Men are handling the management of dairy societies in the names of women.
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2. The economic empowerment of women has not led to change in their social status. They are still confined to their houses. 3. There are several constraints to participation of women like illiteracy, lack of confidence and existing social norms in the community. Other problems facing the dairies are stiff local competition (Damapura and Dodka dairies) and indifference of management towards the members leading to increased dissatisfaction and efflux of members from the dairy (Dodka village). Major Suggestions 1. It is important to reach out to all the members and make them aware about their role in the proper functioning of the dairy. The efforts are limited to the level of secretary, president and other staff at the Dairy Cooperative Society.
2. Develop role models from women Dairy Cooperative Society members to motivate other rural women. 3. Interlinking of literacy programme with dairy is essential to enable women’s participation in the management of the dairy. 4. Supervise the staff of the Dairy Cooperative Society and monitor their activities as it is needed to reinstall the confidence of villagers in the dairy and address their complaints. Part B: A study of Artificial Insemination Programme at Deepak Charitable Trust (DCT) Objective: To identify the reasons for low success rate in Artificial Insemination keeping the recent survey as the source, and suggest corrective measure for improving it. Scope of the Study The study included all the 12 villages where Artificial Insemination services are provided by Deepak Charitable Trust (DCT) Methodology The methodology included: 1. Interviews with 32 cattle owners which were identified as problem cases in a baseline survey conducted by Baroda dairy Union and Deepak Charitable trust. 2. Interviews with cattle owners across different villages
Major Findings
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Many cattle never reach puberty or are not able to conceive because of lack of proper feeding and medication. Treatment from veterinary Doctor of Baroda dairy is elusive to people. Only 30 % Artificial Inseminations (AIs) are successful as time lag is high between reporting for AI and the services provided. Major Suggestions There is a need to create awareness amongst the cattle owners towards proper animal health care.There is also a need for increasing the charges of AI services in order to prevent its misuse. The quality of services should also be improved. There is need for manpower in the AI programme as the workload on the only AI worker is excessive leading to inefficiency.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5
Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………1 Executive Summary………………………………………………………………..2 List of figures……………………………………………………………………....8 List of tables………………………………………………………………………..9
Part A- A Study of Three Women Dairy Cooperative Societies Sr. No.
Topic
Page No.
Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Women’s Empowerment……………………………………...............11 1.2 Women Dairy Cooperative Leadership Program………………………13 1.3. Deepak Charitable Trust & Women’s Dairying Program……………..14 1.4 Rationale of the Study………………………………………………….15 1.5 Objective of the study………………………………………………….15 Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Promoting Women’s Empowerment in Indian Dairying Context…………………………………………...16 2.2 Participation of Women in Cooperative Development ………………...17 2.3 Need for voluntarism and cooperation………………………………….18 2.4 Impact of Development Programs for Women Dairy Farmers………....19 2.5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..19
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Chapter 3: Methodology 3.1 Selection of the Villages……... ……….……………………………….20 3.2 Data Collection Tools…………………………………………………..21 3.3. Empowerment Framework by Sara Longwe…………………………..22 3.4 Limitations of the Study………………………………………………..23 3.5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..23 Chapter 4. Assessment of Empowerment of Dairy Members 4.1. Profile of the Respondents……………………………………………23 4.2 Activity Profile of Women………………………………………….....25 4.3. Inference from the Dietary Pattern …………………………………...26 4.4 Women and Dairying Activity ………………………………………...26 4.5 Impact of Cooperative Dairying……………………………………….26 4.6 Summary and Conclusion……………………………………………...41 Chapter 5: Dairy as a Business Institution 5.1 Governance Structure………………………………………………….43 5.2 Critical Linkages………………………………………………………45 5.3 Operating System……………………………………………………...46 5.4 Patronage system……………………………………………………...46 5.5 Micro environment……………………………………………………50
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5.6. Summary……………………………………………………………..53 Chapter 6: Suggestions 6.1 General Measures……………………………………………………...53 6.2 Specific Measures for Dodka Cooperative…………………………….55 6.3 Specific Measures for Damapura Cooperative………………………...56 6.4 Suggestions for Deepak Charitable Trust……………………………..56 Chapter7: Conclusion………………………………………………………………56 ANNEXURE 1……………………………………………………………………..66 ANNEXURE 2……………………………………………………………………..68 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………..74
Part B: A study of Artificial Insemination (AI) Program at DCT Sr. No.
Topic
Page No.
Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………59 Chapter 2: AI at Deepak Charitable Trust………………………………………...59 Chapter 3: Research Objective…………………………………………………….60 Chapter 4. Methodology…………………………………………………………...60 Chapter 5: Findings of the Study…………………………………………………..60 Chapter 6: Inferences ……………………………………………………………...63 Chapter7: Suggestions …………………………………………………………….64 8
Chapter8: Conclusion………………………………………………………………65
LIST OF FIGURES
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Topic
Page no.
1. Process Model of Gender System Maintenance………………………………..11 2. A Village Cooperative as a System………………………………………….....41
LIST OF TABLES Sr. No.
Topic
Page no. 10
1.Profile of the Three Women Dairy Cooperative Societies………………………21 2. Participation of women in general household matters………………………..…31 3. Participation of women in economic matters……………..……………………..31 4. Comparative List of Services Availed by the Members in the Year-2002………………………………………………….35 5. Perception of women on general household and social matters…………………32 6. A Comparative View of the Financial Ratios of the Three Dairies for the Year- 2002-2003……………………………………….47
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1. INTRODUCTION In spite of several constitutional provisions on women’s equality and continual emphasis on elimination
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of all sorts of discrimination against women through government and voluntary programs gender discriminations persist in the Indian society. While it is true that the situation of women has improved in retrospective to the pre-independence times with respect to literacy, life expectancy and maternal mortality rates, they continue to occupy a secondary position to men in all spheres of life- economic, social and political. A number of explanations have been put forward by various scholars, who have attributed it to reasons like social conditioning of women through ages, gender based division of labour and absence of women from the public space in the highly patriarchal society. In the following section (sec.1.1.) we try to elucidate how a system of gender stratification is maintained and reproduced over time in any given society and what is required to make the women empowerment process successful. The subject matter further in the section comprises of the Women Dairy Cooperative Leadership Program, Deepak Charitable Trust and Women Dairying Program, rationale and objectives of the study.
1.1 COERCIVE ASPECTS OF GENDER SYSTEM MAINTENANCE In this section we try to investigate how the gender division of labour recreates itself, first through the household level processes and then processes at the macro i.e. at the societal level. Since the inception of agrarian and pastoral forms of economic production, there has been extensive amount of gender stratification. In the gender stratified society the gender division of labour has disproportionately placed males, relative to females in work roles that generate direct access to resources (Ref: Chafetz, J.S; 1990, ‘The Coercive Bases of Gender Inequality”). Men have been engaged in productive tasks generating food and other resources while women have been involved in tasks like child bearing and family household maintenance. Her first priority is to work in the domestic sphere which creates skewed access to capital, education, opportunities and resources. In the following figure we see how this broad gender division of labour has marginalized women to gains of employment and societal decision making processes.
Figure 1: Process model of Coercive aspects of gender system maintenance
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Wifely Male
micro
resource power
with
compliance
Micro
husband’s
of
extra-domestic work or
labour
micro
the macro level
Female acceptance of male
definitional power
Macro level
Wives’ absence from
division
demands
Male
level
partner’s definitions of reality
gender division of labour
Negative Male incumbency in elite roles
worker
Unequal distribution of
attributes for women and
opportunities
positive for men
and
rewards in non domestic work roles Social
definitions
Legitimisation that
value traits associated with
of
unequal distribution of opportunities, rewards
maleness over
Femaleness
Devaluation women’s work
Source: Chafetz, J.S; 1990, ‘The Coercive Bases of Gender Inequality”
The macro level division of labour acts as a coercive base maintaining the discriminatory aspects of gender system in the society. The absence of women from the macro level i.e. the public sphere leads to the dominance of men even at the household or the micro level. In terms of the exchange theory, men bring majority of the material resources needed for the survival of the family. To balance the exchange women are seen complying with their husband’s demands leading to the micro level division of labour which further leads to their absence from the public arena. This dominance at the household level also provides men with the definitional power who further go on to form the social elite and come up with social definitions, which are more in favour of men than women. Thus, the resource power of men available to them because of the gender based division of labour gives
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of
them an edge in all spheres of life. What is required is to work towards: •
Enhancing women’s access to and control over productive endowments
•
Increasing the productivity of women’s labour and productive resources through expanding their access to extension services, credit, education, information and training and influencing the process of knowledge creation.
•
Increasing women’s control over their income and their ability to use it for their own survival and security and for that of other family members.
•
Increasing the ability of women to gain control over their bodies, fertility, sexuality and their identities. Empowering women means enabling them to realize and utilize their full potentials to take part in
decision making, to exercise control over their own lives and circumstances around them, to break free from outdated derogatory customs, beliefs and practices to take active part in the process of social, economic and cultural development, to contribute towards the societal and national development. Women’s active participation in development has become a national need and priority.
1.2 WOMEN DAIRY COOPERATIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (WDCLP) The Women's Dairy Cooperative Leadership Program (WDCLP) was started by NDDB in 1995 as a pilot programme with the objective of strengthening the dairy cooperative movement by significantly increasing women’s participation as active members and as leaders in the governance of cooperative societies, unions and federations.(Ref: Baseline Survey by ORG center of Social research for NDDB; 2000). The mission drew great inspiration from the worldwide emphasis on making the cooperative movement a tool for women’s empowerment“For women in India who have been socialized to accept directives from men, the opportunity to maintain egalitarian work relationships within a cooperative structure can be a transformative experience that is both energizing and empowering” (Source: Singhal, Papa, Ghanekar, Papa, 2001, Pages 5-6)
The specific objectives of the programme were as follows1.
Increase participation of rural women as members of DCS, in AGM and in pouring milk in DCS.
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2.
Improve the economic status of women by facilitating acquisition of net assets by women dairy farmers, opening of thrift cooperatives and increased decision making on expenditure on family education, health care and essential commodities.
3.
Enhance social status of women by increasing awareness of decision making abilities in the care and management of milk animals, increasing opportunity for utilization of education and health services and changing the attitude of men towards woman’s competence as dairy farmers, cooperative members and leaders.
4.
Increasing membership & participation of women in governance of cooperatives.
(Source: Report by EDA rural systems prepared for NDDB)
1.3 DEEPAK CHARITABLE TRUST AND WOMEN’S DAIRYING PROGRAMME Deepak Charitable Trust (DCT) is a Gujarat based NGO running several programmes in the field of health, education, women’s empowerment and livelihood generation. It is a ‘Corporate NGO’ run by the Deepak Group of Industries in the Nandesari region near Vadodara city. The Women’s Dairying program was started by Deepak Charitable Trust (DCT) in the year 1995, with the help of Baroda Dairy Union under the Women Dairy Cooperative Leadership Program (WDCLP). The NGO aimed at providing village women with a continuous source of income. Dairying was identified as a possible opportunity where women could generate better returns through formation of cooperatives, without adding much to their drudgery. Sakariyapura dairy was the first Women Dairy Cooperative Society (WDCS) established in the year 1995. It brought national and international acclaim to the organisation. As village women proved that they could manage a dairy successfully, more dairies came up in the adjoining villages. Dodka and Damapura Dairy Cooperative Societies were started in the year 1998. Presently eight Women Dairy Cooperative Societies are running in the Nandesari region with the help of Deepak Charitable Trust. Deepak Charitable Trust plays a role of a facilitator in the operation of the dairy societies. The major activities undertaken by it under the dairying project are as follows: •
Arranging for training of women to run the management of the dairies
•
Giving technical inputs in order to increase milk production with the help of Baroda Dairy Union
•
Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities to increase membership and milk collection of the cooperatives
•
Linking the women’s cooperatives with the Baroda Dairy Union
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•
Linking the members with the Self Help Groups to promote the habit of savings and providing access to loans
1. 4 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY In rural India women perform 85 per cent of the job related to dairying but constitute only 16 per cent of the total membership in Indian Dairy Cooperatives. The money that comes from dairying also goes into the hands of men. Even after being the rightful owners of the dairy income, virtually they have no control over it. Clearly, this male dominated situation is inappropriate in the light of cooperative principles that stipulate that the members and officers must be the primary milk producers. As women in India perform most of the dairying work, they should be the members and the leaders of their cooperative societies (Source: Singhal, Papa and Ghanekar, Papa, 2001 Page No: 3). The primary objective behind increasing the involvement of women in dairy cooperatives, especially formation of exclusive Women’s Dairy Cooperative Societies (WDCS) has been to facilitate the process of overall development of women. They not only serve as an important source of income generation but also play an important role in the process of social mobilization. In the present study we take a look into cases of two Women Dairy Cooperative Societies –Damapura and Dodka and try to understand how the initiative of formation of the WDCSs has actually led to economic and socio-cultural empowerment of its women members. Also we take the case of the first WDCS established with the help of DCT Sakariyapura, which has drawn national and international acclaim to act as a benchmark while assessing the performance of the above mentioned dairy Societies.
1.5 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objectives of the study are as follows: •
To assess the empowerment (economic and socio-cultural) of the women through the cooperative
•
To identify the constraints faced by the women members limiting their participation in the activities of the dairy
•
To identify the reasons behind the suboptimal performance of the dairies We have divided our study into two sections. The first section (Chapter 4) deals with the impact of the
Women Dairy Cooperative Societies on the lives of its members and the various factors which limit the full
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participation of women in the management of the dairy. The second (Chapter 5) section looks at the Women Dairy Cooperative Societies as business entities and the reasons behind their suboptimal performance.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW In order to develop a better understanding of the issues related to women empowerment through dairying we present a literature review of some publications by eminent authors working in the area. In the introduction section we mentioned how even after continual emphasis, the attempts for women’s empowerment have not been able to give the desired results because of the gender stratification and gender based division of labour existing in the society. Here we extend the argument further with a focus on Women’s Dairy Development Programme. The literature review centers on some major issues like;(i) Promoting women’s empowerment in the Indian Dairying context (ii) Participation of women in cooperative development and factors limiting their involvement in the functioning of the cooperatives (iii) Need for voluntarism and Cooperation in the Dairy movement and (iv) Impact of various programs for women dairy farmers.
2.1 PROMOTING WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN THE INDIAN DAIRYING CONTEXT Within the women’s movement, there is general agreement that grassroots organisations of urban and rural poor women are vital instruments for women empowerment. These organisations provide collective strength, bargaining capacity and collective articulation of women’s interests (Wayangankar; 1994, Page No. 17). In India, NDDB carried out programs like Women Dairy Cooperative Leadership Program (WDCLP) and Cooperative Development Program (CDP) to promote women’s empowerment, specifically among Indian women dairy farmers, as a part of a larger effort to strengthen India’s dairy cooperatives. As mentioned earlier, majority of tasks related to dairying are carried out by women and it is not possible to develop the dairy sector without the proper representation of women. The Women Development Program (WDP) sponsored by Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD), Government of India has also promoted setting up of All-Women Dairy Cooperatives in selected states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan (Wayangankar; 1994, Page No. 27).
2.2 PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT In the words of W.P.Watkins (ICA Congress Bournemouth, 1963) “The cooperative movement can
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become one of the instruments of women’s liberation from ignorance, poverty, drudgery and social inferiority”. However, because of many social customs and cultural and religious traditions, women are serving too passive role in cooperative movement. As a prerequisite to their active participation in cooperative development women should be able to participate in all the areas of their cooperatives. Moreover, they should be fully associated in the implementation of the development programmes, which are designed for them. However, it is widely seen that women are considered to be mere users of cooperative services, or passive observers of programmes, which have the potential to radically change their living conditions. Here we focus our attention to some of the reasons that act as a deterrent to the active participation of women in the functioning of the cooperatives1. Prejudices: Across the globe it is seen that formal and informal prejudices exist about what women can and cannot do. These sometimes prevent women from full participation in cooperative activities. They may not be employed for certain tasks or allowed to attend and speak at meetings where men are considered incapable of handling money. 2. Laws and rules: Laws, and even cooperative rules and by-laws, sometimes hinder women’s membership in cooperative societies .For example in some agricultural cooperatives is restricted to owners, tenants or usufructuaries of land and these are invariably men and not women. Rules like these reflect the fact that cooperative by-laws, copied from European countries, have not been adapted to the conditions existing in specific developing countries. Religious rules and traditions may also impede women’s participation in cooperatives. 3. Heavy workload and lack of time: Rural women in India often have to work long hours-many a times from 5 in the morning to 9 or 10 at night. They also have the main responsibility for the well being of the family. This includes providing water and fuel, often carried long distances and used for cooking, cleaning and washing. They also bring up their children and take care of old relatives. A long list of community participation activities like weddings and funerals also falls under their area of responsibility. They are also seen working on the fields to grow the food needed by their families, which entails a lot of hard labor. The working day of rural women in developing countries leaves little time for active participation in cooperative activities. 4. Lack of means: Women have minimal amount of resources at their disposal. Even the employed women fall under the lower income groups so it is difficult for them to take out any money or contribute towards any such cooperative activity as the income is spent on a priority basis on the general household expenses, education of children, their clothing etc. This lack of means limits the opportunities for becoming members of
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cooperatives where membership fees have to be paid. 5. Lack of influence: The relative minor presence of women in the public sphere and the lower access to material resources with respect to men prevents them to have any kind of influence on the activities of the cooperatives. 6. Lack of training: A certain degree of knowledge is essential to enable people to take an active part in the management of cooperatives. Women in India generally lack basic education, which is necessary for further training. The reasons behind less participation of women in educational and training activities are several like financial constraints of parents who consider education of a boy child far more essential than that of a girl child when they have to exercise one of the two options, also women are not allowed to travel, stay overnight in hotels or not being able to leave their children.
2.3 NEED FOR VOLUNTARISM AND COOPERATION According to a study done by Samakhya, an NGO working for women’s empowerment much of the failure of the cooperative movement in India is due to the fact that the cooperatives do not encourage the spirit of voluntarism and cooperation. •
Illiteracy is a crucial factor inhibiting women’s participation, due to which women may fail to understand the potential of the cooperative movement for their own employment.
•
Facilities for cooperative education and training are not adequate, as a result of which women are not entering the cooperative movement as much as they should. Those who do not enter, lack the confidence and training to participate fully and even where participation is high, success is not necessarily assured due to poor training.
•
There is a lack of proper leadership in the existing cooperative. Often, a voluntary agency may organize women workers into cooperative, assisting them with registration and other problems, and remain attached to the cooperative as an advisory body. However, due to lack of leadership training and development of the workers, their role in decision-making remains minimal and the relationship between the voluntary agency and the cooperative develops into the employer-employee mode.
•
At the government level, the specific schemes of financial assistance for the women cooperative are of ad hoc nature. There are various schemes and agencies for providing financial assistance to the women cooperative but women generally do not make use of it because of the technicalities, complexities and inordinate delays involved in the procedure. On their own part they lack knowledge, about the various
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schemes available and their relative benefits.
2.4 IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN DAIRY FARMERS There have been several studies done to study the impact of the development programs for women dairy farmers. The studies done by NDDB, to assess the impact of Cooperative Development Program show that the program led to change more in women’s rather than men’s behaviour. Women were seen contributing more milk and were more consistent and loyal to the Cooperative i.e. they did not switch on to the private milk buyers in “lean seasons” for higher returns. Also, they were seen using more cattle services provided by the dairy and participated more actively in self-help activities. (Wayagankar, 1994). A similar study was done by Wayagankar, 1994 to measure the empowerment of women resulting form the Cooperative Development Program in India and also its effects on the effectiveness of Dairy Cooperative Societies in eight villages in Kolhapur district. The study came up with the findings that, the women in the villages where this particular program was being carried out were more empowered in terms of better decisionmaking power and higher control over dairy income. Also, there was a positive impact of the program on the Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS) in terms of increase in business volume and participation of women in the activities of the DCS. One of the major aspects that was highlighted during the study was that empowerment is associated with effective communication. Effective persuasion can lead to attitudinal and behavioral change. In stark contrast are the findings of EDA Rural Systems which states that the interventions for increasing women’s participation in the management and governance of the Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS) have not been very effective. The Women Dairy Cooperative Societies which are meant to be run solely by women are still in the hands of men. Other than factors like illiteracy and heavy workload the study identifies numerous flaws in the approach of these programs and in their basic design like less scope for participation of common members, highly complicated methods of financial record-keeping etc.
2.5 CONCLUSION All these studies done by numerous scholars till now have great implications for action and future research. They help us identify the problem areas like lack of education, resource power, and training opportunities etc. and also possible solutions. For example, in his study of the Cooperative Development Program, Wayagankar pointed out, that the program had a strong impact on the members because of its design and special emphasis on the communication strategy adopted in which the implementers of the program worked
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‘with’ the women rather than working ‘for’ them. This shows that effective designing and planning with participation of the beneficiaries can lead to better results.
3. METHODOLOGY The present chapter includes a description of the methodology followed during the study. It consists of a detailed account of the method of village selection, data collection tools, framework used for content analysis and limitations.
3.1 SELECTION OF VILLAGES The villages were identified by the organization were it believes that Women’s Dairy Cooperatives have not been able to achieved the desired aims even after 5 years of its inception. The villages were Damapura and Dodka in the Nandesari region. These villages were also dominated by the Gohil (Rajput) community. In Dampura the management is solely in the hands of the men and women president, secretary, committee members were totally defunct although it was in better economic condition than Dodka village economically. In Dodka, dairy cooperative was not functioning properly although the management was in the hand of few women who were functioning in autocratic way. Both the villages had private competitors to contend with who were taking away half of the milk produced in the village. Another cause of concern for DCT was the fact that economic empowerment through Women’s Dairy Cooperative has not led to social empowerment for the women in these villages. The study of Sakariyapura village was also conducted using same the tools as it was understood to be a model village in terms of success of Women’s Dairy Cooperative and hence was taken up as benchmark to compare with the findings of two above mentioned villages. Given below is a profile of all the three dairies.
Table 1: Profile of the three Women Dairy Cooperative Societies
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Variables Year of formation No: of share holders No: of milk pourers Committee members President (Education)
Dodka 21/1/1995 58 211 11 Manjulaben Dhirubhai Gohil (4th pass)
Damapura 1/3/1998 51 145 11 Ramilaben (7th pass)
Secretary (Education) Current milk production Private competition
Dakshaben Kusumben (10th pass) (12th pass) 500 liters 300 liters Yes, two mava-making Yes, one private dairy bhattis and one private of the Sarpanch, dairy-account for 50 per accounts for 50 per cent of the milk cent of milk production in the production in the village village Source: Records of Dairy Cooperative Societies and Interviews with the Members
Sakariyapura 1/3/1998 78 199 11 Shardaben Bachubhai Gohil (Uneducated) Lalitaben Hathisingh Gohil (7th pass) 500 Liters None
3.2 DATA COLLECTION TOOLS The study is a mix of and quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative part comprises of semi-structured interviews conducted with the members of the three cooperatives as well as their husbands. Some non-members are also interviewed in order to gain an insight into the reasons for the suboptimal performance of the dairy. The plan followed in the study has been explained below. Five in depth interviews were conducted with the members of the dairy society. These women were selected in a way that all the falias (hamlets) were covered by atleast one of them and in the case of Dodka village all caste groups were taken into consideration. The sample size was kept small as there was homogeneity in the villages in terms of caste and class and the second reason was that it was difficult to get respondents in day time as women also worked in fields with men. Two Focus Group Discussions in each village (One with men and one with women) were conducted. Again the unavailability of people in daytime was the reason for less number of FGDs. We also conducted semi structured keeping in mind the quantitative aspect of our study. The semi-structured interview also had some open-ended question with scope of probing the respondents for further information. We conducted fifteen semistructured interviews with Dairy society members in Dodka and Damapura and ten in Sakariyapura. Apart from these we also had semistructured interviews with husbands of these members to understand their point of view. We had five such interviews in each village. Since we were also had to study the performance of dairy and the competition it faces from private players we conducted five interviews with non-members (mostly men) in Dodka and Damapura . In sakariyapura there is no private player hence no non-members.
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All through out the study care is taken to include people from all sections and all hamlets. Although villages were mostly homogeneous with people of one clan dominating the villages, we tried to cover the economic disparities through the selection of the respondents.In order to do content analysis we have also used the Sara Longwe’s Framework for empowerment. In the next section we give a brief description of Longwe’s framework.
3.3 EMPOWERMENT FRAMEWORK BY SARA LONGWE The Longwe’s framework centers on the concept of five ‘levels of equality’, which indicate the extent to which women are equal with men, and have achieved empowerment. (March.C. et.al (1999), “Women’s Empowerment (Longwe) Framework”). The levels of equality can be used to assess the likelihood of particular development interventions promoting equality and women’s empowerment. The levels of equality are as follows: 1. Control: This indicates women’s control over the decision making process. Equality of control means a balance of control between men and women, so that neither side dominates. 2. Participation: It highlights women’s equal participation in the decision making process, in policymaking, planning and administration of the project. 3. Conscientisation: It is understood as raising awareness about gender issues and that the gender roles can be changed. 4. Access: This is defined as women’s access to the factors of production on an equal basis with men. This translates in the form of equality of opportunity to both the sexes. 5. Welfare: This takes acre of women’s material welfare and is concerned with factors like do women have equal access to resources such as food supply, income and medical care. These levels of equality are hierarchical in nature, with welfare part at the bottom and control at the top. An intervention, which caters to the higher levels, is more likely to increase women’s empowerment. In our present study we have assessed the findings keeping the Longwe’s framework of women empowerment in mind, trying to study the impact of the dairying programme on the five levels of empowerment as defined by Longwe.
3.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
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The major limitation in our study was the language barrier that we faced in the field during data collection. It was quite difficult for us to build rapport with the villagers being non-gujarati speaking people. This factor might have led to our loosing out on some of the useful information. Also, as the women’s dairying programme did not have any separate staff the required support was lacking at times. We also faced problems while mobilizing people for FGDs.
3.5 CONCLUSION Methodology was adopted keeping in mind the requirements of study. It is primarily a qualitative study but substantiate our findings in a more pronounced way, we also adopted certain quantitative tools like graphs and tables from the data we gathered from the semi structured interviews. The tools were useful in providing a comparative study as the figures we received from different village provided support to our inferences. Qualitative study was done to capture the nuances of the people especially the rural women who are not able to provide information in conventional interview type format.
4. ASSESSMENT OF EMPOWERMENT OF DAIRY MEMBERS The present section is a summary of our findings related to the impact of Women Dairy Cooperative Societies on the life of its members and the reasons behind the less participation of women in the management of the dairy. It also includes a brief outline of the demographic and socio-economic status of the members, the activity profile of dairy members and their dietary pattern.
4.1 PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS This section gives a brief overview of the demographic and socio-economic status of the members and their husbands.
4.1.1 Demography In Dodka and Damapura there is a large variation in the age of the dairy members, varying from 25 yrs. to 70 yrs. However, women from the higher age group dominate the membership. There is a conspicuous lack of participation from the younger women because it is not considered proper for them to move out of their houses and get involved in any community level activity.
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The literacy level of dairy members was extremely poor, with only 13.33 per cent in case of Damapura and 20 per cent in Sakariyapura. Relatively, in case of Dodka the literacy level was high among women at 33.33 per cent. On being asked whether they would like to study if given a chance almost all in Dodka and Damapura denied, saying that there was no point in studying at this age and they were too busy in their household work. Male opposition was also one of the reasons behind the poor literacy rates among women, who did not want their women to move out of the houses. Another concern was availability of a teacher. In Sakariyapura the uneducated women were more than willing to study but expressed their inability to further their interest in the absence of a teacher. In case of men the literacy rate on an average was at 82.7 per cent. Out of these 53.8 per cent had studied till 7th standard. However, as far as higher education is concerned the picture is different in Dodka, where 19.3 per cent are educated more than 10th standard. On the other hand in Sakariyapura only 9.6 per cent of husbands had studied more than 10th standard.
4.1.2 Social Structure In Damapura and Sakariyapura villages majority of the population belongs to the Rajput community, specifically Gohil Rajputs. There are very few Harijan families and the society is dominated by the Rajput community. In Dodka the population is more heterogeneous in nature as it consists of Rajputs, Patels, vankars and Brahmins. However in Dodka too Rajputs are the dominant caste with better economic and social status. The mobility of women in these higher Rajput communities was very less as they were generally confined to their houses. It was not considered proper on the behalf of women to move out of their houses and participate in social activities. There was also a high prevalence of Dowry system in these communities. Among other things there were numerous social customs which even an impact on the income and expenditure pattern of the villagers. For example, a large part of expenses, though occasional in nature were incurred on weddings and “mosala” (gifts given by mother’s brother at the time of the weddings of the niece). These customs were very significant in these Rajput communities, where fear of the society’s wrath was so intense that villagers had to incur these expenses at any cost.
4.1.3 Economy The major sources of livelihood are dairying, farm labour and contract labour. Villagers had small landholdings, mostly 1-2 bighas and the produce was meant for home consumption only. Dairying was a major activity meeting the daily household expenses. The villagers found it to be a profitable business. There were
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instances where people had bought buffaloes after the opening up of the DCS. Generally they owned 1-2 buffaloes and earned Rs. 600-900 per month from the dairy. It is a substantial part of their total income, which is on average Rs. 3081 for Sakariyapura, Rs. 3000 for Dodka and Rs. 2600 for Damapura. The milk poured at the dairy is in the range of 4 litres on an average in Sakariyapura, 2.5-3 litres in case of Dodka and 3-3.5 litres in Damapura. A small amount of 250-500 gms. of milk is kept for home consumption. In Sakariyapura women kept higher amount i.e. approx. 1 litre for consumption at home. Almost all the villagers took short term loans generally in the range of Rs. 200-500 for buying household goods, education of children and medicine. The sources of credit were friends, relatives, shopkeeper and the dairy. Most of the loans were in terms of commodities from the shopkeepers, which they used to pay after getting the payment from the dairy or after a time interval of 1-2 months.
4.2 ACTIVITY PROFILE OF WOMEN The in-depth interviews of women revealed that they are engaged in the household activity from dawn till the dusk. The women described that their day starts by dairying work i.e. cleaning the cattle-shed, cattle and pouring milk in the dairy. After this work the women invested their time in household chores like sweeping and mopping the floor, washing clothes and utensils, fetching fodder and cooking food for the whole family. Milking cattle, pouring milk in the dairy and making dinner, again mark the evenings. Dairying was ranked as the most difficult and time consuming activity by the dairy members. It can be observed that the whole day was spent in household activities and dairying, the returns of which were diminutive. Sometimes the women were also involved in farm labour which was a seasonal occupation and brought them a minimal amount of Rs. 20 per day. The inference which can be drawn by observing the activity profile of women is that women invest their time in all the important activities of home and supportive income generation activities (dairying and farm work) but their efforts go unrecognized. Majority of women complained about the drudgery of fetching fodder for the cattle as the grass load is very heavy and they have to travel long distances, as the grasslands are located far away. These aspects call for some mechanism by which the drudgery of women could be reduced. Probably the best place to start with will be the households where with better cooperation and understanding from the side of the husbands the burden on women could be reduced.
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4.3 INFERENCE FROM THE DIETARY PATTERN This parameter was also considered in the study, as proper health care and awareness towards it are very important aspects of empowerment. In general there was a lack of consciousness about proper diet-intake and healthcare among women. Even the educated women were not seen taking proper care of these aspects. The diet mostly consisted of tea and bhakri in breakfast, rotla and shakh in the afternoon meal and kadi- khichadi at night. Intake of seasonal fruits was also not seen. Milk or milk products though so easily available were also not consumed widely as it was a commodity of money generation. Milk kept for home consumption, generally not more than 250-500 gms. was either used for feeding children or for making tea. This minimum level of nutrition, lacking in proteins, vitamins and minerals was an indicator of nutritional deficiency like anemia, which was very prevalent among the women in the region.
4.4 WOMEN AND DAIRYING ACTIVITY The study revealed that all the activities related to dairying right from cleaning the cattle, cleaning the shed, fetching fodder to milking of the buffalo was majorly carried out by women. In case of few households men were seen helping by fetching fodder for the cattle but that was a rare occurrence, once or twice a month. Some women were also helped by their mother-in-laws. In general, dairying was considered a women’s job. When it came to going out and pouring milk at the dairy and collecting the payment, the same trend followed however with lesser intensity, children and elders were seen helping in many cases. The decision making power regarding the spending of the dairy income also lied with women. As women carried out all the work so they looked at it as their right. In few households women and men together took the decision on how to spend the dairy income. In cases where women took the decisions alone they were asked to give an account of the expenses. Generally, where men worked as contractual laborers they came home late, so women had to take all the decisions related to dairying and spending of the dairy income.
4.5 IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE DAIRYING Under this section we study the various aspects of empowerment achieved through the cooperative dairying programme. As mentioned earlier, the Longwe’s framework, which talks of welfare, access and control over resources, women’s participation and conscientisation levels of empowerment, will be used for the content analysis.
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4.5.1 Economic empowerment It is an established fact that one of the reasons behind backwardness of women is a lack of means. The WDCS programme aims at increasing the self reliance of women by providing them with access to the dairy income. However, whether this access to dairy income has in any way contributed to their welfare can be understood by taking a look in to the usage pattern of the dairy income and the savings.
4.5.1.1 Usage of dairy income In Dodka and Damapura a large part of the dairy income was being used to repay small loans from the kirana shops where villagers took household commodities like oil, spices, vegetables, sugar etc. on credit. The villagers acknowledged the fact that such loans were easily available to them as the shopkeepers knew that it would be repaid after they get the payment for their milk from the dairy. A major part went into feeding the buffalo. Other expenses supported by dairy income were education of children, medicine, traveling, clothing etc. In Sakariyapura village, women were seen spending some money on themselves unlike Dodka and Damapura. At times they would go out to watch some movie or go to some fair and buy some sari or similar goods for themselves. Here, the dairy income was also used in paying for irrigation in the fields, seeds and fertilizers. Thus the women were seen actively contributing to the economy of the family almost at par with the men.
4.5.1.2 Impact on savings In the opinion of the villagers the dairy had brought a great difference to their lives. Now they were able to save some money, which was not possible earlier. In most of the cases the savings were in the range of Rs. 50-100 which was a reasonable amount in the perception of the poor households. The visibility of money had increased as one of the members from Damapura dairy puts it -“Mahina paisa dekhai, kharcho nikdo jai, pehle paisa jatu rahtu thu” meaning that now in a month money is visible and all the expenses are met, earlier it used to slip of our hands without our even knowing it. However there were a few members who said that no savings were possible as supporting cattle was very expensive now days. Major part of dairy income went in buying daan (cattle feed) and a minimal amount of Rs. 200-300 that was left got used in buying vegetables and other household item. Apart from all this there was one thing to take note of i.e. the savings made by women were generally kept at home. Very few reported that they had bank accounts in their name or they saved at the village SHG. In
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Dodka four out of fifteen women interviewed had bank accounts in their name of which only two knew how to operate the account while three were saving at the village SHG. In Damapura none of the women interviewed had a bank account in their name and only two were saving at the village SHGs. This points out at one major drawback in the savings habit of the members. The money saved has a very short life as reflected in the regular credit taking habit of the villagers. In order to make these savings an asset in the hands of women and more importantly to increase their control over the savings, it is important for them to have bank accounts in their name. Otherwise the basic assumption of the Women Dairy Cooperative Program stands blemished that access to the dairy income will bring about economic empowerment of women and increase their bargaining power. To serve this purpose women should be encouraged to save through formal channels like bank accounts or Self Help Groups.
4.5.2 Decision making power of women Participation in the decision making process regarding issues in the family both at the household level and the community level is an important aspect of women’s empowerment. In our study we tried to assess the decision making capacity of women dairy members relating some issues like education and marriage of children, agriculture, purchase of cattle etc. Women as well as husbands of few members were asked separately about who took the decision. Here we have divided the issues under two major headings. The first part focuses on the decisions related to general household matters and second part on the decisions related to economic matters (Table nos: 2 and 3). The general household issues which we focus on are education and marriage of children and family planning. The economic matters include decisions regarding agricultural issues, spending of the dairy income, purchase of cattle and buying goods for personal use. Education of children: The women said that in this case most of the decisions were taken by men in consultation with their wives, 47 per cent in case of Dodka, 40 per cent in Damapura and 44 per cent in case of Sakariyapura (Table 2, page no. 26). In Damapura 53 per cent of men were seen to take the decisions alone. Men also said that mostly they took the decision in consultation with their wives. In Damapura more men were heard saying that they took the decisions alone. Marriage of children: In case of marriages of children as can be seen in Table no. 2, both men and women said that the decisions were again taken mostly by men with consultation of their wives -73 per cent in Damapura, 77 per cent in Sakariyapura and 47 per cent in Dodka. Men and women both went to see the bride or the groom and decided together. During the interviews it came out that the immediate parents of the children had little say in
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the matter of marriages, generally such decisions were taken by the elders in the house. Family planning: Men largely took In Damapura decision regarding family planning alone (40 per cent). While in Dodka and Sakariyapura the situation was different, in Dodka the decision was either taken by women in consultation with their husbands (47 per cent) or men in consultation with their wives (40 per cent). In Sakariyapura majorly women in consultation with their spouses (55 per cent) took decision about family planning indicating higher autonomy and control over their bodies. However, in cases where women took the decision the condition of having at least one boy child had to be fulfilled before getting the operation done. Agricultural activities: Women had negligible say in matters related to agriculture. Both men and women said that decisions like what crops to grow in the fields and what equipments to use etc. were taken majorly by men alone (Damapura 80 per cent and Dodka 73 per cent). Here Sakariyapura showed major contrast where women had a say in agricultural matters too. Around 71 per cent women (Table3, page no.27)said that their husbands in issues related to agriculture consulted them. As mentioned earlier they even contributed their earnings from the dairy in agriculture. Purchase of cattle: In Dodka, women said that the decision regarding sale or purchase of cattle was taken by men alone (40 per cent) or women in consultation with their husbands (33.33 per cent). While most of the men said that they took that they took the decision alone and the women did not have any role in these matters. In Damapura it was done either by men alone (60 per cent) or men in consultation with their wives (33.33 per cent). Sakariyapura dairy members had higher say in these matters as 60 per cent of women decided about sale or purchase of cattle in consultation with their husbands. One member’s husband in Sakariyapura said that –“I always ask my wife and daughter-in-law before buying cattle i.e. whether they are ready for a new cattle, as it is them who have to take the burden of maintaining it.” Spending of the dairy income: This matter was majorly in the hands of women in the case of Dodka. In Damapura men and women were seen deciding on the matter in consultation with each other. As can interpreted from the figures in Table 3, in Damapura there the distribution is more even, it was either women in consultation with their husbands(33.33 per cent), men alone (26 per cent) or men in consultation with their wives( 26 per cent). However, wherever women had a control over the earnings from the dairy they were asked to give an account of the expenses by their husbands. Buying goods for personal use: Decisions about buying goods for personal use were largely made by women alone in all the three villages. Petty articles like bangles, vermillion etc. could be bought without asking the husbands but for costlier articles like jewellery women had to take their husband’s permission.
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The study of the decision making power in the three villages reflected the fact that still majority of the decisions are finalized by the consent of men only. Women are increasingly becoming a party to the process of decision making, as shown by the statistics where men and women both said that in many issues men in consultation with the spouse take the decisions. However, to what extent women are involved in the entire process is still a matter of doubt. Whether they are just informed after taking the decision or are duly consulted by their spouses is something that needs a thought. For example, in our study we came across many instances where women considered being informed about the decision the same as participation in the decision-making process. Education brought women more say in household as well as external matters. Educated women were seen having more of decision-making power, as they were perceived as capable enough to handle any issue. We take the case of a lady from Dodka village to illustrate our point.
Case 1: Literacy is a precondition to complete empowerment “Women work harder than men but they are left behind because they are illiterate” -Hemlataben Hemlataben is a resident of Dodka village. She has a S.Sc. degree and is one of the most well educated and respected women in the village. Currently she is working as an Aanganwadi worker managing the Aanganwadi run by DCT in the village and earns Rs.1000 per month for the job. Her husband has a T.V./radio repair shop in Baroda. In his absence she takes care of the house and all related matters. After the opening of the women’s dairy cooperative she decided to buy a buffalo and pour milk in the dairy. She is also a committee member in the dairy. All the dairying work at home is done by her and she has full right on the dairy income. She considers the dairy and Aanganwadi income her own money and nobody in the family enquires about how she spends it. She has bought a gas cylinder and a bicycle for the house with her income. At times she even gives money to her husband in case of requirement. She decides about her son’s future and has plans to send him for doing graduation in Commerce to VidyaNagar (nearby city). She says that her husband has full faith in her and leaves many things on her to decide. She owes it all to her being literate.
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Table 2: Participation of women in general household matters Issues
Women alone
Women in Men alone Men in consultation with consultation with spouse spouse Da 1 0 8 6 Education of (0.06) (0.00) (0.53) (0.40) children Do 3 2 3 7 (0.20) (0.13) (0.20) (0.47) Sa 1 2 2 4 (0.11) (0.22) (0. 22) (0.44) Marriages of Da 1 0 3 11 children (0.06) (0.00) (0.20) (0.73) Do 2 2 4 7 (0.13) (0.13) (0.26) (0.47) Sa 0 1 1 7 (0.00) (0.11) (0.11) (0.77) Family Da 2 3 6 4 planning (0.13) (0.20) (0.40) (0.26) Do 0 7 2 6 (0.00) (0.47) (0.13) (0.40) Sa 1 5 1 2 (0.11) (0.55) (0.11) (0.22) Note: figures in parentheses indicate percentages. Da-Damapura Do-Dodka, Sa-Sakariyapura Source: Semi-structured interviews
Total 15 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 9 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 9 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 9 (1.00)
Table 3: Participation of women in economic matters Issues
Women alone Da
Agricultural activities
0 (0.00)
Women in consultation with spouse 0 (0.00)
Do
Men alone 12 (0.80)
Men in consultation with spouse 3 (0.2)
2 1 11 1 (0.13) (0.06) (0.73) (0.06) Sa 2 0 0 5 (0.29) (0.00) (0.00) (0.33) Purchase of Da 0 1 9 5 Cattle (0.00) (0.06) (0.60) (0.33) Do 3 5 6 1 (0.20) (0.33) (0.40) (0.06) Sa 2 6 0 2 (0.20) (0.60) (0.00) (0.20) Spending of Da 1 5 4 4 the dairy (0.06) (0.33) (0.26) (0.26) income Do 6 1 5 3 (0.40) (0.06) (0.33) (0.2) Sa 4 4 1 1 (0.40) (0.40) (0.10) (0.10) Buying Da 6 3 1 4 goods for (0.40) (0.2) (0.06) (0.26) personal Do 7 4 2 2 use (0.47) (0.26) (0.13) (0.13) Sa 7 1 1 1 (0.70) (0.10) (010) (0.10) Note: figures in parentheses indicate percentages. Da-Damapura Do-Dodka, Sa-Sakariyapura Source: Semi-structured interviews
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Total 15 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 7 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 10 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 10 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 15 (1.00) 10 (1.00)
4.5.3 Perceived Benefits from the dairy Veterinary aid, balanced cattle feed and bonuses were the benefits that the members valued the most in all the three villages. In Damapura balanced cattle feed and veterinary aid were ranked equally by the members while in Dodka veterinary aid was ranked higher. The members also felt that dairy had brought them great relief by acting as a regular source of income, a safe and sure place where they can pour their milk and get duly paid for it without any hassles –“Time se doodh bharta hai aur time se paisa milta hai” says Bheekhi behen of Damapura dairy. The villagers now felt sure that all their milk will be taken. Earlier they said that the private buyers would take the milk according to their convenience and leave the rest. At the dairy they had this assurance that all the milk that they bring will be bought. It also ensured them higher price for their milk. Among the other benefits mentioned by the members were ready availability of ghee, pure milk for local purchase and short-term loans. Interestingly, around fifty per cent respondents in Damapura and Dodka first denied the fact that there are any benefits from the dairy. The first response we got was-“Su phayda! Kasu phayda nathi!” meaning that there are no benefits from the cooperative. On probing they replied –“We are being charged for all the services, then where is the benefit?” It was more of a business transaction rather than any service. However later they acknowledged that all the services were subsidized and it had brought them some convenience. This situation indicates that there is a lack of understanding among people regarding the purpose of a cooperative or its functioning. There is a much larger and bigger mission behind it. It is neither just one more outlet for selling milk nor a charitable institution where they get services for free. It is a tool meant to empower them and to make them self-reliant. When NDDB started this programme, it intended to spark women's empowerment by encouraging self-development activities and cooperative action. Cooperation and Collective action have been identified as great tools for empowerment of people, where they can handle their problems on their own by pooling their resources and plan for their future. When people collaborate with one another to create their own social rules, opportunities for individual and collective empowerment are said to emerge (Singhal, Papa, Ghanekar, Papa, 2001, Pages 25-26). This power of collective is yet to be felt by the people. Running programmes for increasing awareness of people towards the functioning of cooperative, its scope, member rights and responsibilities would help them realize its true potential.
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4.5.4 Women’s participation in the dairy cooperative As mentioned earlier, the desired level of participation from the women in the operation of the Dairy societies is still missing. The mission behind the formation of exclusive women dairy cooperatives gets defeated under such circumstances. This section includes a study on the level of awareness of the members about the issues related to the DCS and their involvement in the functioning of the dairy.
4.5.4.1 Knowledge about fat testing Almost half of the respondents did not have any knowledge about the reason why fat testing was done or what is the significance behind the test (47 per cent in Damapura and 53 per cent in Dodka). The situation was much better in Sakariyapura where 80 per cent of women knew why it was done, indicating greater involvement in dairy activities. However, on asking how they can increase the fat content in the buffalo’s milk 80 per cent of women in Dodka village said that it can be done through better feeding, by giving the buffalo more of balanced cattle feed, green fodder, bajri and its cobs etc. Some even said that giving the buffalo water thrice a day, and keeping it under clean and hygienic conditions is also important.
4.5.4.2 Knowledge about A.I. When asked about the benefits of A.I majority of women said they had no knowledge about it. The situation was better in Damapura in comparison to Dodka where some women said it resulted in higher milk production, faster pregnancy and better progeny. In Sakariyapura also women were not aware about the benefits of A.I.
4.5.4.3 Responsibility towards the dairy In Dodka 60 per cent of people said that supplying milk regularly to the dairy was their primary responsibility towards the dairy. They said that it was the only way to keep regular income flowing to their houses. It appeared that the reply was more out of economic concern rather than out of a sense of duty or responsibility. In Damapura 66.67 per cent people openly denied that they had any responsibility towards the dairy. In their opinion all the responsibility for the better functioning of the dairy lied with the president and the secretary, their only job was to pour milk and get the payment. Contrastingly, in case of Sakariyapura, the members said that it was their responsibility to ensure that the dairy is running well. This was because
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Sakariyapura dairy members were more involved in the day today management of the dairy.
4.5.4.4 Attending meetings at the dairy In Sakariyapura 70 per cent of women attended the meetings regularly. The statistics were not so heartening in case of Damapura (37 per cent) and Dodka (40 per cent). In the opinion of women in all the three dairies, workload was the major reason, which held them back form attending the meetings. They either had an option of leaving the work at home and let it get spoiled or come to the meetings. Men in Sakariyapura accepted that their opposition had been a major reason behind less attendance of women at the meetings. But, after the success of the dairy their perception had changed and they stopped putting any restriction on their wives. On asking whether they were free to attend the meetings on their own 67 per cent women in Damapura and 47 per cent in Dodka said they had to take permission from their husbands. In contrast 80 per cent women in Sakariyapura reported they were free to attend meetings on their own will.
4.5.4.5 Knowledge about responsibilities of the governing body The responses to this question were very much diverse, like- ensuring regular payment, conducting regular meetings, increasing the membership, addressing the problems of members and guiding them properly etc. In the opinion of majority it was running the DCS honestly and taking care of its overall vahivat (management). However, unlike Sakariyapura around 40 per cent people in Dodka and Damapura did not know about the responsibilities of the secretary, president and the managing committee. On asking whom should you go to in case of any problem, in Dodka and Sakariyapura maximum people replied that they go to the secretary, president or talk to dairy employees or any member of the managing committee. In Damapura where the secretary and the president are defunct, people went to the accountant Suresh bhai and Daulu kaka who handle the management of the dairy. Here again reasons like workload, male resistance and illiteracy came up as the main factors deterring the participation of women. There was a general lack of knowledge about the proceedings at the dairy and the members displayed disinterest in the management. In their opinion all the responsibilities regarding dairy matters belonged to the managing committee and the dairy staff. This situation again pointed at a serious flaw in the system where people were indifferent towards the dairy cooperative. In order to strengthen the operating structure and maintain proper checks and balances on the governance of the cooperative it was important for the members to be more proactive and demanding. Otherwise there was a possible threat of the dairy falling in to
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the hands of few rather than being a community resource.
4.5.5 Usage of dairy services Members in all the three dairies were well aware of the services they received from the dairy and made use of it in case of need. For example leaving one or two cases all of them bought 50-100 Kgs. of balanced cattle feed from the dairy in a month. It was a supplement to green fodder and other type of cattle feed like corn and its cobs, cotton “khor”, bajri and its cobs etc. They considered it very important for the health of the cattle. The use of veterinary facilities was made in case of need. Usage of A.I. was also prevalent. People also bought “ghee” from the dairy but it was only during festivals. In Damapura not many people made use of the insurance facility. However as seen in Table 4, Sakariyapura and Dodka Dairy higher number of members took insurance from the dairy. In Sakariyapura 50 per cent members had got insurance both for themselves and their cattle. In Dodka 33 per cent had insurance both for self and their buffalo. Around 20 per cent had either for their buffalo or themselves. It was widely seen that many members in the dairies took insurance earlier but later discontinued as a result of inability to pay the installments.
Table 4: Comparative list of services availed by the members in the year-2002 Usage of Services Number of members taking insurance
Sakariyapura
Damapura
77 25 Number of veterinary visits 207 125 Ghee sales (Rs.) 3900 19921 Sale of Balanced cattle feed (Rs.) 333500 213850 (Source-Records of Sakariyapura, Dodka and Damapura Dairy Cooperative Societies)
4.5.6
Dodka 152 159 58900 130200
Conscientisation Conscientisation is an important indicator of empowerment according to Sarah Longwe’s framework
which can be understood in terms of awareness of people that the gender roles can be changed. It also involves a belief that the division of labour between men and women should be fair and agreeable to both sides and does not involve the economic or political domination of one sex by the other. A belief in sexual equality is the basis of gender awareness, and of collective participation in the process in the of women’s development. In order to assess the extent to which this level of empowerment has been addressed by the women’s dairy programme we asked the respondents to give their opinion on certain commonly held perceptions both at the micro (household) and macro (community) level. A small number of husbands (5 in each village) were also
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asked to give their opinion on these matters. The findings of the study have been discussed, in Table 5 and the following section.
Table 5: Perception of women on general household and social matters Opinions
Sakariyapura (%of women members)
1. During meetings, women should not speak in the presence of men.
2.Women loose respect in the working outside their home
society by
3. Women are not well-equipped to handle the management of the dairy.
4. Women’s dairy has better management than the erstwhile dairy of men.
5. Women’s dairy has increased the status of women in the society.
6. Boys and girls should be given equal opportunity for studies.
Agree Disagree No opinion Agree Disagree No opinion Agree Disagree No opinion Agree Disagree No opinion Agree Disagree No opinion Agree Disagree No opinion
12 80 8
Dodka (%of women members) 40 60 0
Damapura (%of women members) 35 60 5
10 80 10
20 80 0
40 45 15
0 90 10
25 67 8
38 58 4
90 0 10
92 0 8
40 45 15
80 0 20
74 16 10
44 40 16
80 20 0
100 0 0
100 0 0
Source: Semi-structured interviews Statement No: 1 During meetings, women should not speak in the presence of men Women in Sakariyapura were quite against the tradition of women speaking less in front of men (refer table 5). In Damapura one lady said that the elder women can speak but not the younger ones. Also in some cases people said that they were unable to understand what goes on in the meetings therefore they were unable to say anything-“Ane meeting ma kasu khabar na pade to su boliye (i.e if do not understand anything in the meeting what do I say). Leaving Dodka, men in both the villages disagreed completely to the statement and said that it was important for women to voice their concerns. However serious dichotomy was visible in this case where men while answering the question took it as a matter of pride that the women generally do not speak in front of men. Sureshbhai from Damapura village said that they were Rajputs and unlike other villages, the women of
37
Damapura had some “maryada” i.e. shame left in them and because of that they were not very vocal.
Statement No: 2 Women loose respect in the society by working outside their home. Women in Dodka and Sakariyapura strongly disagreed with the statement that women loose respect in the society by working outside their home. As one woman from Dodka puts it- “loko ne jo kahtu hoye to kahiye ame saari naukari/kaam manse to ame jaisu” (let people say what they want to say but if I have any work outside I will definitely go). In Damapura many women agreed with the statement saying that in the Rajput community this was like this only and they could not challenge the system and the traditions. Some women in Dodka said that as they belonged to higher castes they were not supposed to go out much, all the outside work was performed by men. “Ame to gohil ane gaam ma aur koi kaam rahe che jo daru pidela hoye etla mate gaam ma na jaiye.sabji leva pan dhani jaye che”- There are drunk people roaming on the roads in the village. We belong to the higher caste (Gohils), so I do not go in the village. The male opinion was divided on the matter and even the ones displaying progressive thought seemed to struggle with the situation. As many of them answered –“it should not happen but people do look down upon women who work outside home and even if we are willing we do not send our women to work”. Also, there was another concern which bothered them that once their women go out who will take care of the children and the house. It was important for them to stay back and take care of the household work. The case of Meenaben, a member of Damapura dairy is worth mentioning here. She is one of the most educated women in the village of Damapura having studied till 12th standard. Her husband on talking revealed why he does not let her work outside home“The dairy is not handled by women. So I do not want my wife to go there and work with men. They asked her to work at the Balwadi too. But I did not allow. Also I have small kids, who will take care of them?” These facts point towards a vital need for involving men more actively in the women’s empowerment programs. In the rural households men are still the primary decision makers and it is not possible for women to go against the wish of their husbands. So, any women empowerment program needs to be designed keeping these facts in consideration.
Statement No: 3 Women are not well-equipped to handle the management of the dairy. In Sakariyapura as seen in Table 5, almost cent percent women refused to accept the statement that
38
women were not capable to handle the dairy, exhibiting considerable level of self-confidence. In Damapura too where the management of the dairy was being done by men, women replied that they were capable of handling the dairy. Interestingly, during the Focus Group Discussion women said that the men could run the affairs of the dairy better so they had left it to them. They were not confident to run the dairy on their own. “There are many things that women can’t do, for example -Who will handle the accounts? Who will carry the milk
canes
on
the
bicycle
to
the
milk
van?
Will
women
ride
bicycles?
“
-Hansaben, Damapura dairy In Damapura they said that there were many things for which women would need the help of men, for example carrying the milk to the dairy and also carrying big cans to the union truck ( as a large contribution to the dairy comes from a a nearby village, Gohilpura) therefore it was foolish and ignorant to believe that dairy could be managed by women alone. The level of conscientisation where women start believing that gender roles can be changed does not seem to have been achieved here. In the discussions it came out clearly that there was a certain set of beliefs that people were still closely adhering too. Women were given the so-called ‘freedom’ and a ‘public space’ but due to the feeling of inferiority and inability the opportunity was still to be used in an effective manner. This was majorly due to the fact that they were illiterate. They repeatedly said that since they were not literate how they could manage the dairy. Leaving Damapura, men in the other two villages felt that the women were capable to handle the dairy. However, many of them pointed out that there was a serious need for educating women to enable them more for performing their jobs even better.
Statement No: 4 Women’s dairy has better management than the erstwhile dairy of men. The history of Sakariyapura and Dodka dairy, where initiatives made by men towards running a dairy cooperative had failed, stood as a testimony to the response of the members as they strongly agreed to the statement that Women’s dairy had better management than the erstwhile dairy of men (90 per cent in Sakariyapura and 92 per cent in Dodka, Table 5). In Sakariyapura Savitaben said that the women handle any kind of problems much better. Men used to start fighting over any issue. Women handle it better through negotiations. Shardaben, the milk collection in charge of Sakariyapura dairy enumerated a number of things that was better in the WDCS in comparison to the earlier DCS. In her opinion the new dairy was much better than the earlier one on a number of counts-It was running in constant profit, there is no souring of milk and milk reaches in time to the union. She was proud of the fact that with their savings they have bought a number of equipments
39
like the AMCS and also constructed a building for the dairy“We have become more aware now. Earlier we did not understand the procedures of the cooperative like fat testing etc., and it was very arbitrary. Now we understand that at this much fat content we would get this rate for our milk.” In Damapura more women (44 per cent, Table 5) said that there is no difference as today also it is run by men only. They were also quite satisfied with the management of the dairy and had no problems even if men under their names were running it. For example, the secretary of Damapura dairy, Kusumben said that she had no problems with her father-in-law (Daulu kaka) running the dairy. In her words the dairy job was a big headache as there were lots of conflicts in the dairy related to fat readings and competition with the private dairy. She preferred to stay away from these issues. In her opinion women’s job was to take care of the house and not to get involved much in social matters. This stark difference in attitude between the three cooperatives indicated that Damapura had a long way to go in order to achieve the mission of the WDCS. Men too had similar opinion as they said that the dairy was doing much better presently in comparison to its status when it was in the hands of men.
Statement No: 5 Women’s dairy has increased the status of women in the society As seen in Table 5, women in Sakariyapura (80 per cent) and Dodka (74 per cent) dairies agreed to the fact that the Women’s dairy has brought a difference to their lives. In Damapura fewer women (44 per cent) agreed to the above mentioned statement. However, most of the women referred to the economic aspect of the change and were not able to relate it much with any change in their status at the household or community level. A number of women in Damapura said their lives have not been much affected by the coming up of the dairy. In the opinion of men the dairy has been of a great help by giving women the opportunity to move out from their houses. Now their confidence has increased because of interaction with the outside world. The successful running of the cooperative has increased their confidence as well as changed the perception of men regarding their capability. Also, the dairy income has helped them raise their standard of living. As the secretary of Sakariyapura dairy puts it“Earlier women did not used to come out of their houses when anybody came from DCT or somewhere else. Earlier they had to ask for permission and the husbands used to object. Now the perception of people has changed. Now husbands allow us to go anywhere we are called. For example if we get a call from Baroda dairy for any meeting we can go right no.”
40
Statement No: 6 Boys and girls should be given equal opportunity for education Women in all the three dairies (Table 5) agreed that girls and boys should be given equal opportunity for studies. On asking the reason women said that it is even more so important for a girl to be well educated so that she can manage her life well in case she is not treated well at her in-laws place or if any mishap occurs like death of the spouse. Few educated women in Dodka village said during the FGD that it was only due to education that they were able to understand things that were told in the meetings. Men also felt that girls and boys should be given equal opportunity to study. However in case of Sakariyapura few men were of the opinion that there is no need for educating girls too much- “Studies till 10th standard are enough for girls, there is no need to educate them as much as boys because anyway they are not going to take up any jobs”.(Men FGD, Sakariyapura) It can be seen that the foundation where the gender roles can be challenged has been set in these communities. However there were differences across the three dairies which call for some investigation. Why was it so that in case of women in Sakariyapura dairy felt more capable and confident of handling the management of the dairy and not in Damapura? What were the social conditions, practices that enabled women in Sakariyapura? The answers are not easy. Both these villages inhabited by the same Gohil Rajput community with similar traditions, customs and beliefs but still there is a wide disparity. The problem may lie with the less degree of participation of women in the dairy and less interaction with the world outside their homes because of which they are still to discover the power of the collective.
4.5.7 Access and control over resources Women in the three villages have access to all the resources like land, cattle, money, jewellery and commodities in home like utensils, food grains. However the control aspect is altogether missing. Even the jewellery that is adorned by women is not completely owned by her, the decision pertaining purchase and sale of jewellery lies with men only. The landholding and its ownership predominantly lie with men only because of the patriarchal system prevalent in the area. The ownership of livestock also lies with men even when women do all the cattle care.
41
4.6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The present section summarises the findings related to the impact of Women’s Dairy Cooperative Program on the lives of the dairy members in Dodka, Damapura and Sakariyapura villages. It also identifies the major factors limiting the effective participation of women in the Dairy Program.
4.6.1 Economic empowerment This aspect of empowerment was quite readily visible as members voluntarily accepted that the dairy has brought great difference to their lives. The differences as mentioned by them were mostly economic in nature. The economic impact of the dairying impact is as follows: •
Dairy has assured the villagers of a regular supply of income. With the closing of industries and many people loosing their jobs, dairying has also come up as a good alternative. There were instances of people having bought buffaloes after the opening up of the dairy cooperative.
•
Dairy cooperative has also assured the people of better milk prices increasing their profits from dairying.
•
Creditworthiness has increased- Women accepted that now they were able to get frequent loans.
•
Increase in savings
•
Expenditure on self- In case of Sakariyapura women were seen spending money on recreation and buying items for personal use from the dairy income.
•
Women seen contributing towards family expenses, like agriculture, education of children, marriages etc.
4.6.2 Social empowerment The changes on this ground are not very visible, mostly in the case of Dodka and Damapura dairies. However in case of Sakariyapura, people accepted that the dairy has affected the social status of women to some extent: •
Women accepted that their mobility has increased after the dairy ahs come to their village.
•
Due to increase in mobility their interaction with the outer world has increased. This was helping them become more aware about the issues and happenings.
•
More say in family decision taking in matters like education of children, marriage of children,
42
family planning, purchase of cattle, spending of dairy income etc. 4.6.3 Factors limiting the participation of women In the literary review section we had mentioned several factors identified by different scholars which affect the participation of women. In the present study we also came up with similar conclusion about the major deterrents to effective participation of women: •
Illiteracy: This was one of the main deterrents affecting the participation of women in the dairying activity. Women openly expressed their concern that since they were uneducated they could not handle the accounts and take care of the management.
•
Lack of confidence: The lack of exposure to the outer world and illiteracy lead to lack of confidence among women who are not willing to take up the management fearing that they would fail.
•
Heavy work load: Many women said that they are too busy with their household work, so it was not possible for them to take out time to handle the dairy.
•
Close adherence to macro level division of labour: Women still consider that their job is to take care of the house and children. Rest of the issues is to be handled by men.
•
Social obligations: In this region most of the people o
belong to the Rajput community, which is quite conservative in nature. The village society doesn’t approve of women going out of their houses to work outside.
5. DAIRY AS A BUSINESS INSTITUTION In order to understand the given WDCSs in greater length and assess their performance as business entities we take the help of Tushar Shah’s model. The model identifies several components (refer Figure 2) in a cooperative which if designed and administered well would result in good performance. In our study we tried to assess the given WDCSs using the above mentioned design concept. The intermediate variables, which are the determinants of the performance of the five subsystems of the cooperative, were studied with the help of indicators based on member perceptions, actual business results and our understanding of the micro environment. The member perceptions were studied by asking the respondents to give their opinion on the quality of services provided by the DCS, the fairness, independence and efficiency of
43
the governance structure and the competitiveness of the dairy vis-a- vis local competitors. We used statements reflecting the performance of the subsystems and the members were given options like agree/disagree/no opinion. The actual performance of any village cooperative relative to its design potential for performance of five components/subsystems which in turn, is affected by a set of intermediate variables as given in the figure below.
Figure 2: A Village Cooperative as a System
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
Internality of locus of control
Performance demands &support CRITICAL LINKAGES Competitive Advantage
Selective Insularity
Patronage cohesiveness OPERATING SYSTEM
Patronage responsiveness integrity of membercooperative relation
MICROENVIRONMENT
Local competition
PATRONAGE SYSTEM Member non-users
Member users
Non-member users
5.1 GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
44
Non-member Non-users
The governance structure refers, essentially, to the board and the chairman of the cooperative. Two features of the cooperative governing structure are essential for its high performance- “Internal locus of control”, meaning the extent to which a cooperative’s governance structure feels responsible and empowered to take and carry out decisions necessary for ensuring proper functioning of the cooperative and “Patronage cohesiveness” meaning the extent to which the governing body is able to adhere to issues important to its members. In all the three villages members were asked about their satisfaction with the leadership of their DCS; whether the committee and the staff was capable enough to run the operation of the dairy on their own or their decisions were influenced by any external agency.
5.1.1 Internality of locus of control In all the three dairies it was found that there was a considerable presence of men either openly or at the backstage: •
In Sakariyapura the operation of the AMCS and account-keeping was done by the husband of the secretary, Hathisinghbhai.
•
In Damapura all the operations of the dairy were being carried out by men only, women were mere milk pourers at the society.
•
In Dodka too, where Dakshaben, the secretary of the cooperative was running the cooperative at the fore but villagers said that the husband of the chairperson, Dhirubhai had an invisible hand and clout in the dairy. Also, the chairperson, Manjulaben seemed quite oblivious of the dairy management and sought her husband’s guidance in every matter.
•
Also all the three dairies depended on DCT and its staff for maintaining proper accounts especially before audits.
5.1.2 Patronage cohesiveness Sakariyapura DCS members rated their governing structure quite high on patronage cohesiveness. There were minor complaints from some corners in Damapura where people complained of not being informed about the meetings. However in Dodka we came across major criticism against the present leadership. There were cases where people had left the cooperative because of their grievances, which were either left unaddressed or taken in wrong spirit.
45
Case2: Dodka Dairy- Lack of Control of the Members on the Management of the Dairy Dayabhai Chaturbhai shifted from the dairy cooperative recently to the private dairy after being disappointed with the management. His complaints regarding the low fat readings, he said, were not being listened properly. He said that the dairy people mixed water in the milk and gave faulty fat readings. The president, Manjulaben does nothing, she is just a dummy. “The women do nothing but just run the machines, all the management is done by Dhirubhai”. “We were not called for the meetings always. The major reason for less attendance in the meetings is that people are not informed. When I went to Baroda dairy to complain, Dhirubhai colluded with the lower level staff and made me the culprit, saying that I wanted to get the dairy closed and was conspiring against it. They did some settlement within themselves about which none of us know. After this I no longer go to the dairy. There are lesser profits at the private dairy but at least there are no hassles.” Yashodaben Shankarbhai said that the president, her husband, the secretary and some of the staff have formed a team and run the dairy in an autocratic manner, even the committee is defunct. “I have been portrayed as somebody who wants to get the dairy closed. Dhirubhai tells this to the Sahab from Baroda dairy. This when I gave 20 liters of milk everyday .I suggested the committee not to have computer first but the makan(building). But Dhirubhai and Dakshaben got a computer without asking the people and the committee.”They also complained about no clarity about the functions of the dairy, which caused great frustration. The earlier management was better when it was in the hands of Prabhaben, slowly it declined. “Today the dairy is a property of few and we know that they are making a fool of us.”
5.2 CRITICAL LINKAGES It comprises of the special linkages that the cooperative has which help it reap benefits like access to better technologies and techniques, distant markets and new value adding opportunities. It gives the cooperative an edge over the local competition by offering better terms of business, normally called as global distinct competitive advantage (gDCA). Baroda District Milk Producer’s Union is a constant guide to the three cooperatives helping the villagers to establish the Dairy Cooperative Society initially by providing all the technical inputs and training
46
facilities. To add on is Deepak Charitable Trust which has acted as a facilitator for the three dairies since the beginning. Though never meddling with its operation it has always been there in times of need. The villagers acknowledge the support of Baroda union and Deepak Charitable Trust with unanimity.
5.3 OPERATING SYSTEM Interacting with all the other subsystems is the operating system of the village cooperative which is in the charge of its manager/secretary. The cooperative’s performance depends to a considerable extent on its operating efficiency and the patronage responsiveness of the operating system meaning the extent to which the operating system is responsive to the patronage needs of the members and the integrity of the membercooperative relationship.
5.3.1 Operating efficiency Under this section we compare the performance of the three dairy societies in terms of turnover, bonus given to members and their overall financial health. Sakariyapura dairy has been performing quite well in comparison to other two dairies, with a consistent rise in the net profit. For example its profit has risen from Rs. 48,136 in 1998 to 2, 21, 500 in the year 2002. While Dodka Cooperative has faced ups and downs falling within the range of Rs.50000 to Rs.1, 00,000. Damapura has also shown consistent increase from Rs.18, 462 to Rs.76, 228 but it is far less in comparison to Sakariyapura. This increase in profits has reflected in rise in member’s bonus (refer Annexure 1). The trend of net profit has been shown in the graph below. Graph 1: Net Profit of the Three Dairy Cooperatives across Last Five Years
Sakariyapur a 2002-
2001-
2000-
Damapura 1999-
250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0
1998-
Net profit (Rs.)
Net profit across the years
Dodka
Years
There has been a steep rise in the administration costs in Sakariyapura and Dodka due to construction of dairy building in the period 2001-2002 and the subsequent increase in the maintenance. In Damapura the administrative costs are low as the activities of the dairy are carried out in a rented building. Graph no. 2 shows
47
the trend of increase in the administrative costs.
Graph 2: Administrative Costs in the Three Dairies across Last Five Years
150000
Sakariyapura
100000
Damapura
50000
Dodka 20022003
20002001
0 19981999
Administrative costs
Administrative costs across the years
Years
Sakariyapura dairy has also fared well in terms of turnover and number of members across the years (refer Annexure 1). We have also used ratio-analysis technique for better understanding of the financial performance of the dairies. Ratio analysis involves establishing a relevant financial relationship between components of financial statements. Two business entities may have earned the same amount of profit in a year, but unless the profit is related to sales or total assets, it is not possible to conclude which of them is more profitable.
Table 6: A Comparative View of the Financial Ratios of the Three Dairies for the Year (2002-2003) Ratios Sakariyapura Damapura Profitability ratios 1. Profit margin 3.741 % 2.732% 2. Asset turnover 4.605 6.287 3. Return on assets 17.230% 17.180% 4. Return on equity 52.231% 58.918% Solvency ratios 1. Debt to equity ratio 1.180 1.765 2. Interest coverage ratio 106.529 160.614 Liquidity ratios 1.Daan inventory turnover ratio 10.413 10.739 (Source: Financial Documents of the Three Dairy Cooperative Societies) 5.3.1.1 Profitability ratios
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Dodka 1.091% 4.569 4.985% 13.555% 1.395 23.481 No data
It measures the degree of operating success of the dairy in an accounting period. The commonly used ratios to evaluate profitability are: 1. Profit margin: As we can see from the table above Sakariyapura is earning maximum profit per rupee of sales. Dodka shows a very dismal picture of a profit margin in comparison to the other two dairies, just 1.091 per cent (Table 6). 2. Asset turnover: It is the measure of the efficiency with which assets are utilized. It is same in case of Dodka and Sakariyapura at approximately 4 per cent. Damapura shows better efficiency in terms of asset utilization at 6.287 per cent (Table 6). The reason behind may be lesser amount of fixed asset as it doesn’t have a dairy building and a computer unlike the other two dairies. 3. Return on assets: It is a measure of profitability from a given level of investment. It is an excellent measure of overall performance of any business entity. Dodka shows a very poor performance here with a ROA of only 4.985 per cent in comparison to 17.230 per cent in case of Sakariyapura and 17.180 per cent in case of Damapura. 4. Return on equity: This is the measure of profitability from the standpoint of the shareholders. Damapura shows high performance in this respect. Dodka again has very poor figures of only 13.56 per cent in comparison to Damapura (58.918 per cent) and Sakariyapura (52.231 per cent).
5.3.1.2 Solvency ratios The long term solvency of any business entity is affected by the extent of debt used to finance its assets. The presence of heavy debt in the capital structure is thought to reduce the company’s solvency. The important indicators of solvency are: 1. Debt to equity ratio: In order to attain an optimum capital structure it is advantageous on the part of the cooperative to reduce the debt part i.e. borrowings. In fact, the optimum capital structure of a cooperative enterprise is nothing but to become a self reliant society where the cost of capital is at a minimum, the risk premium at nil and wealth maximized. Sakariyapura shows better performance in comparison to others because of the higher amount of reserves it had been able to generate through these years. 2. Interest coverage ratio: This is a measure of the protection available to the creditors for payment of interest charges by the company. The ratio indicates whether the business entity has sufficient income to cover its interest requirements by a wide margin. It is again quite high in Damapura and very low in comparison in Dodka. The implications are that if need be for credit Dodka would have the least degree of creditworthiness.
49
5.3.1.3 Liquidity ratio It is the ability of the business entity to meet its short term obligations when they fall due. A higher liquidity reflects the financial soundness of an institution by indicating its higher credibility. 1. Daan ( balanced cattle feed) inventory turnover ratio: This ratio shows the number of times a company’s inventory is turned into sales. Here we take the Daan inventory. It is almost the same in case of Damapura and Sakariyapura.
5.3.2 Patronage responsiveness In Damapura and Sakariyapura dairy members were happy with the management of the dairy. They accepted that their problems were nicely heard by the concerned persons and then given satisfactory treatment. However, in Dodka there was large-scale dissatisfaction with the management of the dairy. People complained that the secretary was very indifferent to their problems. Even if the problems were expressed no action was taken so the people either stopped complaining or left the cooperative. Complaints regarding low fat readings were rampant. One of the dairy staff too exhibited a rude attitude towards such complaints“All these people keep cribbing over low fat and we have got tired of explaining them. Once I told one member that you people always cry over low fat readings but who pays when you bring poor quality or sour milk. There is always a fight going on, rest of the staff doesn’t say anything, only I have to fight. Had I and Dhirubhai not been here, the dairy would have closed. It’s only because of me that the dairy is running.”
5.3.3 Integrity of member-cooperative relationship This reflected the trust that the members placed in the operating structure. Members in all the cooperatives felt that all the accounts were handled with integrity and there was enough transparency in the system. The only complaints that came up were related to the fat readings. Leaving Sakariyapura people had problems with the fat readings in both the cooperatives. The problems were more intense in Dodka where people made open accusations on the secretary, saying she purposefully showed low fat readings so that they can add water later on and make profits. The ex-Sarpanch of Dodka village said“I have never poured milk in the cooperative because I heard from the people that they cheat while taking out
50
the fat reading. They have made some arrangements in the fat testing machine so that the fat reading comes low automatically.” There were few cases where people showed mistrust in the bonus calculation too. For example, one non-member in Dodka village who recently shifted to private dairy said- “How is it possible? In 5 months I received a bonus of Rs. 1000 only, even after pouring 20 liters of milk everyday!!!”
5.4 PATRONAGE SYSTEM Two characteristics of the patronage system which affect the design potential for performance of the cooperative to a great extent-One, Patronage potential meaning the volume of business the cooperative can potentially command under reasonable performance and the second Centrality potential suggests how central the cooperative can become if it is managed well. It depends on the importance of the business in which the cooperative deals to the domain’s overall economy. In all the three villages dairying occupies a very important position in livelihood generation. Most of the villagers indulge in dairying occupation. Agriculture is reduced to a small scale as people have small land holdings and the produce goes majorly in home consumption. Earlier, many of the villagers were occupied in the nearby industries in Nandesari but with the closedown of many factories and large scale downsizing many of them started dairying as other means of generating income. Therefore, the dairy cooperative enjoys a large degree of patronage and centrality potential in all the three villages.
5.5 MICRO-ENVIRONMENT This includes the socio-economic and political dynamic of the domain in which the cooperative is operating. Also, a major component of this subsystem is the intensity of competition faced by the cooperative. Sakariyapura does not have any private dairy/bhatti running in the village. Dodka and Damapura dairies face the local competition. A large amount of the total milk production of the village goes to the private local players, which is a matter of concern to the dairies. The dairy though has competitive advantages in terms of better cattle care services and access to markets (gDCA) but the private players obtain local distinctive competitive advantage (lDCA) by catering to villager’s needs in a better manner through frequent loans and relaxation in time of milk collection (in case of Dodka dairy). Dealing with the private competition is a serious challenge in front of Dodka and Damapura dairies. We present cases of Dodka and Damapura dairies to get a better insight into the existing competition.
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Case 3: Damapura Dairy- Private Competition “Agar hum cooperative mein doodh denge to woh sarpanch humein apni seedhiyan nahin chadne dega” (If we start pouring milk at the cooperative the sarpanch will not let us step at his door, says one non-member in Damapura village) The Damapura dairy cooperative started with the initiative of few village women, who were actively involved in the Anganwadi programme run by DCT in the village. The village had a dairy cooperative around 10 years back which later closed down due to mismanagement. During the period the villagers poured milk at one private dairy run by the Sarpanch of the village. Today also, 40-50 per cent of the village milk goes to the Sarpanch’s dairy. The private dairy owned by the Sarpanch has a granary running along with it where people can get all the household requirements and cattle feed in exchange of the milk poured and also on credit. The price of the commodities is deducted later from their accounts. This is seen as a great advantage by the villagers. The private dairy also offers them convenient loan, whenever they require. “Today if my cattle dries the Sarpanch will give me Rs. 10000 and ask me to go and buy a buffalo and start pouring milk again. He gives loan to me even when some previous amount is pending and does not say anything. I can pay on my own convenience. Why would I not pour milk at the private dairy? Wherever I see profit I will go, says husband of an ex-member of the cooperative, Manguben. The Sarpanch has a clout in the village and the villagers are dependent on him for several reasons. He owns a tube-well and tractors which he gives on rent to the villagers. A big reason for non-participation of the women is the fear of the Sarpanch. Also, the village has a homogenous community, the Gohil rajputs and many of the villagers have family relations. Some of the nonmembers said that they have family relations with the Sarpanch and they cannot quit just like that for need of better services. Villagers, who do not have family relations with the Sarpanch have slowly developed one in the course of 10 years, as their parents have been pouring in the private dairy since a long time. So it was difficult to severe their relations, also it would be not in their interest to go against the Sarpanch of the village. In the opinion of the dairy personnel they have had to fight against the power and influence of the Sarpanch to establish the cooperative. As one of the dairy staff puts it:
52
“The Sarpanch is running two businesses together and making profits in both. He gives people loans and obliges them to pour milk at his dairy. People do not understand that ultimately they are at a loss. For an amount of 10,000 he is making much more than that, but people do not understand. If we have our own dairy building we would also begin one granary to cater to the needs of the villagers. But, the Sarpanch does not want us to grow; he has acted as a roadblock in the formation of the building by not providing us with land. However, we are happy that seeing the cooperative the private dairy also started giving bonus, which is good for the villagers.”
Case 4: Dodka Dairy- Private Competition Dodka village has a capacity of producing around 1200 liters of milk everyday. The dairy cooperative was established in the year 1998 on the request of few villagers with the help of Baroda dairy and Deepak Charitable Trust. Over the years the milk procurement of the cooperative has increased from 210 liters per day (l.p.d.) to 500 l.p.d. The number of members has also increased from 75 to 246. However a large portion, i.e. around 50 per cent of milk still goes to the private bhattis and private dairy. There are two private khoya making bhattis which have been in the village since a long time. The private bhatti came up recently i.e. in the last year. The bhattis make khoya of the milk collected and sell it in Baroda city which is just few kms away from the village. Milk price is given on the basis of its khoya content. On an average a good quality milk gives around 200-250 gms. of khoya and fetches Rs. 10-11 for the dairy farmer. The khoya market, the bhatti owners say, is a very unpredictable one and the prices of khoya vary with season. They do not have any fixed customers in the city and many a times they have to return with their khoya unsold. But, since the khoya does not spoil for 2-3 days they take all the milk that the farmers give. However during marriage and festival seasons they said, they were able to fetch good prices and paid accordingly to the farmers. The two bhatti owners came from Uttar Pradesh long back and settled their business with the permission of the Sarpanch. At that time there was no dairy functioning in the village and they had no problem in setting up their business. With the passage of time they have developed good rapport with the villagers and collected a lot of wealth. Both of them have good pucca houses in the village and maintain high living standards. The bhatti owners offer daily payment for milk, which is seen as an advantage by many villagers. A number of people pour milk at the bhatti and the private dairy because of the inconvenient collection time of the
53
dairy cooperative. As a reason of growth in family size many villagers live at the farms, which is quite far off from the dairy. The milk collection at the dairy is done as early as 6 am in the morning and the villagers find it very inconvenient to wake up early, milk their cattle and rush to the cooperative. One of the other reasons for staying near the farms is convenience in getting the fodder. Earlier they had to carry fodder from the fields to their homes, which was a difficult job so they shifted to the farms with their cattle. Therefore the timings of the dairy do not suit them. On the contrary the bhatti owners do not have any fixed timings. Many villagers recognize the fact that the benefit are more in the dairy cooperative but as many get only small amount of milk from their cattle in their opinion so much of pain is not worth taking. Also, the bhatti owners give villagers loans as and when required. The villagers also find the newly formed private dairy profitable as it gives higher fat readings and fetches them higher profits. The private dairy owner is also more receptive to their complaints, if any.
5.6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION After taking a look at the WDCSs in all the three villages we can say that most of them are lacking on some or the other ground. The internality of locus of control eludes all of them, as still men are very much active in the management of the dairy. Damapura and Sakariyapura fare well on the performance of the subcomponents like governance structure, operating system where people are quite satisfied with the management of the dairy. While in the case of Dodka members have serious grievances against the management and the governing body. In order to re install the faith of the people in the dairy a good monitoring system needs to be put in to action. Dodka and Damapura face local competition, which affects their patronage. The requirements of the people need to be brought in front and addressed properly to increase the membership.
6. SUGGESTIONS Based on our study we try to make a few suggestions to make the women dairy cooperative program more effective. The first part, long-term measures, consists of general recommendations, which apply to all the cooperatives. In the latter we have made village specific suggestions for Dodka and Damapura in response to their particular problems.
6. 1 GENERAL MEASURES 54
The measures mentioned in this section are applicable to all the three Dairy Cooperative Societies. They are generally long term in nature as they would require some amount of planning and strategising. They can be divided majorly under some broad headings like measures for increased participation both in terms of management and governance and measures for addressing issues of economic empowerment and social status.
6.1.1 Measures for increasing participation of women members •
Reach out to the people as the objectives of cooperative dairy programme are more likely to be achieved when there are sincere efforts the wider community, developing the understanding and involvement of individual members, and ensuring that the ‘spirit‘ of women’s membership and cooperation is the priority rather than merely the ‘letter’
•
Develop role models from women DCS members to motivate other rural women. As we can see in Sakariyapura, Lalitaben is role model for others. If we can present such strong woman in villages like Damapura, other women will also take leaf from their book
•
Members can be asked to help cooperative increase its members, due recognition or incentive can be provided.
•
Developing IEC material, targeted at both men and women, to highlight the benefits of DCS as most of the target audience is illiterate we can add a lot pictures to make things easy to understand.
•
Proper follow up before any meeting is conducted – people say they are not informed about the meeting so they don’t turn up. As the secretaries, president, committee members who support the dairy call only those people to the meetings who they are comfortable. People who pour milk in the dairy, even if they are genuinely interested will not come up to the meeting if they are not called, especially when the members happen to be women
•
Recruit village women as extension workers with some incentive as small percent of the total profit from dairy. Their job would be to spread the cooperative values, benefits from dairy cooperative and to increase members to dairy. These workers should be given proper training and exposure visit
•
Members should be encouraged to pour milk at DCS and collect money themselves so that they can become aware of practices in coop as some of them not even know how dairy activities done.
6. 1.2 Measures for increasing social and economic status of members •
Sensitizing women towards gender concerns and social issues. Right now women are pro status quo.
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They have accepted the things the way they are without questioning any injustice that is done against them. We need to tell women and make them understand that things can change, by them only, in their life time and they can experience the change •
Interlink literacy program with dairying - literacy of women is a necessity for achieving the desired objective of women’s empowerment because this the biggest excuse women have for all their ignorance
•
Every literate women member should be given the task of making at least two more women literate in a given time frame, they can be given some incentive in bargain
•
Counseling to the husbands of literate women along with their wives should be provided to encourage them to get involved in the dairy activity as these husbands are the major road blocks in the issue of their wife coming forward. When questioned about it they conveniently blame the ‘society’ for everything. Also the movies showing the benefits of the cooperative should not only be shown to women only but with men too.
•
Women should be encouraged to save dairy income, incentive in form of health insurance and educational facilities can be given
6. 2 SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR DODKA COOPERATIVE •
Check the staff of the DCS and monitor their activities. As there are lot of complains of their high – handedness and rude behavior. They have started believing that they are indispensable to the DCS
•
If need be some changes can also be made in the staff. This requires finding out other suitable candidate to take over the work. During our study we came across one lady Pushpaben vankar, who is 10th pass and displayed a great deal of understanding about the benefits of the cooperative and the related issues. Also, her enthusiasm made us feel that if approached and given some exposure and training, she could be a suitable candidate to get involved in the dairy management.
•
Reinstall the confidence of people in the dairy, address their complaints. This something which is not happening of late, even the people of the Baroda Dairy listen only to the staff
•
Some arrangement for bringing milk from field to the DCS in time. This will not only increase the milk collection but instill the feeling among the people that the dairy is theirs, and meant for their benefit
•
Encourage people to adopt dairying in a big way so that it can be central to their economic activities.
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Presently people have one or two cattle so when it gets dry they are cut off the cooperative. If villagers have 5-6 cattle they will be pouring milk round the year and will be more interested in dairy activities, monitor the DCS more as it would more central to their earnings and hence more dear to them
6.3 SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR DAMAPURA COOPERATIVE •
Grocery shop is an immediate need as it is the only way of countering the benefits provided by the private dairy owner.
•
Creating atmosphere for women to take lead. The process can be initiated by involving some welleducated women field level staff who can encourage women to come out and be counted
•
Encouraging women of younger generation (mostly daughter in laws) to take charge as they are young, literate and more willing to challenge the set moulds then the elderly women who have lived their lives in even worse conditions
•
Making sure that the men who are supporting the dairy do not hijack the cause of the dairy. Dholukaka’s support to dairy is appreciable but his daughter in law who is the secretary is defunct. She can not participate in the dairy meetings as he is around so in a way its like killing the purpose of these dairy
•
Extension workers can spread the benefits of cooperative as against private dairy, cooperative education
•
Encourage at least two-three literate females to come up take the management of dairy others will follow-it’s a threshold which need to be crossed
6.4 SUGGESTIONS FOR DEEPAK CHARITABLE TRUST •
There is a need for increase in the staff strength in the Women's Dairy Program. Presently, there is no staff in this project apart from Ashokbhai Makwana who also has many other commitments. Although it is not a funded project it needs more people to reach the desired level of success.
7. CONCLUSION Our study of the status of women after the intervention of Women’s dairying programme came into effect in the three mentioned villages provides us with important insights-
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•
It is expected in the development world that –“Economic empowerment leads to a broader range of political, social and psychological empowerment. For example, once women become members of their village DCS, they can run for election to the DCS managing committee or fulfill another leadership position within it. Also, once they join the women's club (mahila mandal), women dairy farmers can participate in a variety of village development and empowerment activities.” (Papa, Singhal, Ghanekar and Papa, 2001, Page 15). This assumption stands contradicted in the above case of Dodka and Damapura dairies and to some extent in Sakariyapura dairy too. Women here still closely adhere to the old customs and beliefs and are hesitant to move out of their houses without the permission of their husbands. There is a lack of participation and understanding about the matters related to the operation of the cooperative at many corners. Through the intervention a public space has been provided to women but they are still to make use of the given opportunity. The present findings indicate that there is a need for making more women come out and take interest in the management of the cooperative to make the movement a success.
•
There are many barriers to the participation of women in the cooperative movement. They have been summarised in our study earlier. Lack of literacy serves as a serious obstacle. Literacy campaigns needs to be given major thrust before we expect higher participation and changes in the social status of women.
•
The access to dairy income does not necessitate increase in bargaining power of women. An important prerequisite is to increase her control over the income. In most of the cases men and women both were seen to decide on how to spend the dairy income. This situation is in any case better than when women had no say in these matters. However the amount of control she can exercise in the decision making process is a matter of doubt seeing her ignorance and submissive attitude in the conservative Rajput community.
Also there is a need to motivate women to save in banks or Local SHGs for the future use. •
The failure of the intended empowerment through the dairying program in case of Damapura cannot be attributed solely to the conservativeness of the community in the village. The same Gohil Rajput community has shown much greater acceptance of the change brought by the programme in Sakariyapura dairy.
•
There is a conspicuous lack of understanding among people regarding the objective of the cooperative.
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At many places the purpose has been hijacked as its ownership has become concentrated in the hands of few villagers (Dodka). The lack of monitoring and people’s indifferent attitude towards the problems of the cooperative. This indicates an immediate need for cooperative education for the villagers.
At the end we would like to say that the process of women’s empowerment is a slow process and is marked by various paradoxes- where the final stamp on how to spend the dairy income is still laid down by men in many cases, where women do all the dairy related work and in spite of continual emphasis men go to collect the payment at several places, where women say that the dairy belongs to the ‘Mahila Mandal’ and thereby is ‘women’s dairy’ but still do not know what goes on in the dairy or in the meetings, since they have never visited the dairy…. How do we explain these contradictory and paradoxical explanations that women have offered during the study? One such explanation offered by Papa, Singhal, Ghanekar and Papa, 2001) is that paradoxes and contradiction are inherent to the process of social change. As the established patterns of thought and behaviour are difficult to change so people engage in such kind of contradictory activities until new behaviour patterns are fully internalized.
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1. INTRODUCTION Artificial Insemination is a method of deposition of semen in the female reproductive tract by artificial means. Artificial Insemination (AI) has many advantages over natural method of reproduction being adopted for cattle. In 1780, an Italian scientist, Prof. Lazzaros Spallanzani , did the first AI ON dogs successfully. But first large scale organized artificial insemination program was implemented by Prof Perry in New Jersey in 1938. In India, the first AI. was done by Dr Sampat Kumar at Bangalore Palace in 1939. Ever since Government and private agencies had taken up AI Program in different ways but it got impetus only with the Operation Flood where it was taken up by producers oriented dairy unions. Frozen semen in straws is kept in nitrogen cylinder to take it to the site of operation. The straw is placed in an AI gun, which is inserted in the vagina of cattle in heat. The semen is deposited in cervical canal.
2. ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN DCT Intervention for cattle health care was started by DCT in the year 1992-1993 in Nandesari and surrounding villages. Most of these villages did not have dairy cooperative societies and hence were denied the vetinary services from Baroda Dairy. The prime objective was to augment milk production and thereby bring more income for the women. DCT in tandem with Baroda Dairy brought artificial insemination (AI) of cattle. One of the village locals, Bhim Singh was trained for AI at Surat milk union. Currently, DCT caters to 14 villages in the Nandesari area. Apart from AI, Bhim Singh also provides pregnancy tests and assistance during deliveries in cattle and inputs for general cattle care. Buffaloes are the only cattle used for milking practices in these villages. Affectionately called ‘doctor’, Bhimbhai is always in demand as he caters to a population of more then
60
3500 cattle in these villages, which are in a radius of 10 kms of DCT-DMF office at Nandesari. Though this program has been of great help to the villagers with nominal charges of Rs 20 for AI and Rs 10 for a check up of the cattle, the success rate of the AI program has been quite low. The success rate in the year 2002 was as less as 33.29 percent when 1029 cases were taken up. The health worker, Bhim Singh himself estimates a success rate of 40 percent for the AI he is doing presently. The ideal success rate for AI in dairy cattle in our country is around 60-70 percent. A recent survey conducted by DCT in consultation with Baroda dairy showed 32 cases of cattle, which could not attain pregnancy even after repeated AI, or they never came to heat.
3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE To identify the reason for low success rate in AI keeping the recent survey as the source, and suggest corrective measure for the same
4. METHODOLOGY 1. Interviews with the owners of all the 32 cattle were done which came out as problem cases in the recent survey conducted by DCT. These cases were identified across all the 14 villages where the services are being provided. It was done with the following objective •
To identify the reason behind the failure to conceive even after repeated AI and Natural Inseminations were done
•
To study the level of awareness of the cattle owners and the feed they provide the cattle as input
•
To take a stock of medical assistance provided by Baroda Dairy and DCT to cure the anomaly.
2.
In addition to these, interviews with other cattle owners across different villages were also conducted. The additional interviews were conducted on cattle-owners who do not figure in the list of problem cases and have atleast once taken the benefit of cattle care services provided by DCT. The aim was to check the following •
The satisfaction level among villagers with respect to the services provided as also with the animal health worker, Bhim Singh
•
The level of awareness towards innovative animal husbandry practices
5. FINDINGS OF THE STUDY: PROBLEMS RELATED TO AI 61
The major problems that came up prominently in our study of the 32 cattle cases were. The problems can be categorized into two prominent categories
5.1 PHYSIOLOGICAL PROBLEM They are those, which occur due to inability of cattle to reach estrus, failure of ovum fertilization and death of developing embryos. This problem figured in the following ways in our study.
5.1.1 Cattle not coming to heat This was the major problem in this area as majority of 32 cattle were not coming to heat and hence not reaching estrus. Their owners claimed that the buffaloes did not show any signs of heat even once though they have reached the age of reproductive maturity, which is about 3 years. Bhim Singh attributed this to lack of nourishment and has been giving mineral powder, deworming tablets, tablets to achieve estrus in cattle and advising owners for better nutrition to cattle. Some cattle have also been given vitamin injection from the veterinary doctor of Baroda Dairy. While few cattle have shown improvement only one has actually started coming to heat.
5.1.2
Failure to conceive even after repeated AI is done Many cattle in our study could not conceive even after AI has been performed for 5-6 times. They
were also given natural insemination through bulls with no success. The failure was attributed to lack of development of the uterus, which again is due to malnutrition and hormonal imbalance. This could also be attributed to insemination of buffalo, not in estrus, which results from inefficient or inaccurate detection of estrus. Fertilization failure occurs in only 13 percent cattle if inseminated at proper time. Cattle especially buffalo also show silent heat wherein there is no signs of heat so there are always chances of misjudgment. Few cattle have shown success after proper minerals, deworming tabs and food intake was provided. One case of Dineshbhai Dhulabhai (Road Fajalpur) is worth mentioning wherein the cattle conceived after proper cure in terms mineral intake and medicine was provided. Because of the feed intake, which is deficient in nutrients and hormonal imbalances, many cattle never reach puberty; those who do are not able to conceive. Lack of awareness and improper medical care are the reason for this. Many cases require treatment from veterinary of Baroda Dairy but those farmers who don’t pour
62
milk in cooperative can’t avail it. There is an urgent need to provide these cattle with expert medical advice as these problems of infertility and sterility can be because of following reasons 1.
Congenital or hereditary factors like •
Malformation leading underdeveloped sexual organs
•
Endocrine or hormonal disturbances leading unpronounced estrus and aberration in estrus pattern. Hormonal disturbances can also lead to disturbances in ovulation causing early embroyal deaths
2.
Acquired or environmental factors like •
General disease influencing the sexual functions
•
Malfunctioning like underfeeding, overfeeding, faulty feeding, lack of vitamins, minerals and trace elements
5.2 FUNCTIONAL PROBLEMS Apart from physiological problems there are few functional problems, which are specific for the region of Nandesari and adjoining areas.
5.2.1 Large population As mentioned before Bhim Singh, the animal heath worker at DCT has a large population of cattle to cater to. He performs as many as 10 AI in a day in different villages on an average. Though he has got support from a helper but that is confined to only one village as the other nitrogen cylinder is large (35 liter) and hence immobile. Apart from AI, he has to do pregnancy check ups, deliveries and general health care. When he goes to different villages for assigned jobs, other villagers insist for AI and check ups of their cattle, for which Bhim Singh is not able to deny. This leads to his not reaching or being late to reach the people who called him formally. Also those who have phone can ring him at the office and register their name and address but others have to personally come in the evening to register their problem, only then can he see them next day. All this leads to delay in addressing the AI cases, which further leads to below par success in AI results. Many respondents complained of Bhim Singh not coming to their place even after repeated requests.
5.2.2 Over eagerness of the cattle-owners
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In order to bring their cattle to milk quickly people want to get them pregnant as soon as possible. Generally buffalo in these areas reach reproductive age at around 3yrs. But many villagers start getting anxious even when their buffalo has reached 2yrs and 6months. Some cattle take more time to reach the reproductive stage and some who are not fed properly even more. People compare them with other cattle and insist on AI, which is of no use as the cattle is still to reach puberty. Also as the charges of AI are kept very less by DCT (Rs 20), the villagers want AI done on their cattle even when it is no more in heat. They are ready to risk Rs 20 but don’t want to take the trouble of calling him again. In course of our study, we have seen Bhim Singh deny people the services because either the cattle are not in heat or it’s too weak. But sometimes he agrees to oblige on their insistence, which leads to low success rate.
5.2.3 Improper AI practices Although the animal health worker is trained for the job, he does not follow all the AI practices as strictly as it needs to be done. Lack of resources and time are primary reason for it but lack of latest technique cannot be overlooked.
6. INFERENCES Because of the feed intake, which is deficient in nutrients and hormonal imbalances, many cattle never reach puberty; those who do are not able to conceive. Lack of awareness and improper medical care are the reason for this. Many cases require treatment from veterinary of Baroda Dairy but those farmers who don’t pour milk in cooperative can’t avail it. There is an urgent need to provide these cattle with expert medical advice as these problems of infertility and sterility can be because of following reasons 1. Congenital or hereditary factors like •
Malformation leading underdeveloped sexual organs
•
Endocrine or hormonal disturbances leading unpronounced estrus and aberration in estrus pattern. Hormonal disturbances can also lead to disturbances in ovulation causing early embroyal deaths
2. Acquired or environmental factors like •
General disease influencing the sexual functions
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•
Malfunctioning like underfeeding, overfeeding, faulty feeding, lack of
vitamins,
minerals and trace elements The functional problems are specific to these region but they lead to low success rate. As Bhim Singh himself said that most of the cattle take two AI operations in order to attain pregnancy. According to him 30 percent get pregnant in first go and of the remaining 70 percent, 20 percent reach pregnancy after the second AI. So we can say that some causes of failure are the ways in which AI is done and the time (heat period) it is done.
7. SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE PRESENT STATUS The suggestions for bringing out better results through AI are enlisted below: 1. There is an urgent need of reducing the workload on the animal health worker, Bhim Singh. The basic cause of the problem is that Bhim Singh cannot attend every cattle in time of heat. 2. There is also a need for increasing the charges for artificial insemination services. Right now it’s very low in comparison to other agencies, which provide it. So the villagers don’t realize its value. 3. There is a need to create awareness towards proper health care amongst the cattle owners. Generally people don’t provide their cattle with mineral powder as it’s costly but the mineral powder acts as important supplement to the intake of cattle. People need to be made aware of this and other healthy practices. The Dairy Cooperative society needs to take responsibility of this. 4. More people should be encouraged to join the dairy cooperative society so that they can avail the expert veterinary facility from Baroda Dairy Union which is very necessary in many of the 32 cases. 5. Dairy cow should be given alternative 60 days rest before rebreeding. Longer rest period may be needed in case of weak buffaloes for gaining health and size. During dry period the cattle will recoup its health and will be fit for next lactation. 6. While performing AI services following precaution should be taken care of •
Thawing of frozen semen should be done in water kept at 34 deg centigrade in a thermos for 15 to 30 seconds
•
Each straw should be thawed separately
65
•
The straw after thawing should be quickly dried and fitted into gun previously warmed by vigorous rubbing. This should be done as near the site of operation as possible
•
Any fall in temperature after thawing should be avoided
•
Before insemination clean the vulva of the animal. If water is used for cleaning then posterior part of the cattle should be dried with clean cloth.
•
The tip of the inseminating gun should not come in contact with water.
•
Deposit the whole dose at a point in the cervical canal or about 5mm inside the uterus.
8. CONCLUSION Though one cannot question the commitment of Bhim Singh towards his job, there is a need for his exposure to more training sessions so that he can be abreast to latest developments in this field. As Bhim Singh does the pregnancy test too, he is well aware of the success of the AI he has done but there is a need to follow the cases of all cattle, which don’t get pregnant in first try. Proper cure should be given and regular check ups made for monitoring the progress
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ANNEXURE 1
GRAPHS INDICATING FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF THE DAIRY COOPERATIVES
GRAPH 1: TURNOVER OF THE THREE DAIRIES ACROSS LAST THREE YEARS
Turnover (Rs.)
Turnover across the years 4000000 3000000 2000000 1000000 0
Sakariyapura Damapura
2000- 2001- 2002Dodka 2001of members 2002 across 2003 the years Number Years
400 No: of members
200
GRAPH 2: NUMBER OF MEMBERS ACROSS THE THREE YEARS
0
Sakariyapura Damapura
2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 67 Years
Dodka
GRAPH 3: MEMBER BONUS IN THE THREE DAIRIES ACROSS THREE YEAR
Member bonus (Rs.)
Member bonus across the years 150000 100000 50000
Sakariyapura
0
Damapura 20002001
20012002 Years
68
20022003
Dodka
ANNEXURE 2
GUIDELINES FOR THE SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS 1.
Socio-demographic and economic profile1.1. Name 1.2. Age 1.3. Family Size 1.4. Education 1.5. If uneducated do you want to study in future if given a chance? 1.6. Religion/caste 1.7. Occupation 1.8. Number of buffaloes/cows owned 1.9. Daily milk contribution to the dairy 1.10. Monthly Income of the household 1.11. Monthly Income from dairying 1.11. Monthly expenses
2.
Activities related to dairying-
2.1. Who performs the above mentioned duties like cleaning the shed, cleaning the animal, feeding and milking?
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Who
According to
According to Husband
According to Wife 1. Only wife 2. Both 3. Only husband 2.2. Who goes to pour the milk and collect the money from the cooperative? Who
According to
According to Husband
According to Wife 1. Only wife 2. Both 3. Only husband 2.3. Who has the decision-making power regarding the spending of the dairy income? Who
According to
According to Husband
According to Wife 1. Only wife 2. Both 3. Only husband 2.4. Who decides where to pour milk (cooperative or private dairy)? Who
According to
According to Husband
According to Wife 1. Only wife 2. Both 3. Only husband 3.
Economic empowerment and savings from dairy 3.1. On what activities is the income from dairy spent? (Rank in terms of priority in ascending order) 1.
Daily household expenses
2.
Education of children
3.
Health care
4.
Festivals / marriages
3.2. Do you need to take any loans to carry out your expenses? If yes, how much and for how long? 3.3. How much are you able to save in a month? Is there a change in your savings after the WDCS formation? Clearly indicate. 3.4. Do you have a bank account in your name?
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3.5. If yes, who operates it? 4.
Decision-making power of the women . Mark the right choice
Issues Women alone
Women consultation spouse
Who decides with Men alone of
Men consultation spouse
with of
1.Education of children 2.Marriages of children 3.Family planning 4.Agricultural activities 5.Purchase of cattle 6.Spending of dairy income 7.Buying goods for personal use 5. Awareness towards the dairy 5.1. To whom does the dairy belong?( mark the correct answer) 1.
All members
2.
Chairman/Secretary
3.
Government
4.
Others
5.
Don’t know/can’t say
5.2. What are the benefits of forming a dairy cooperative? (Rank in terms of priority) 1.
Artificial insemination
2.
Balance cattle feed
3.
Fodder seed
4.
Veterinary aid
5.
Knowledge about cattle care
5.3. What are the benefits of carrying out artificial insemination? 5.4. What is your responsibility towards the dairy cooperative? (Rank in terms of priority) 1.
Supplying milk regularly to the DCS
2.
Get fat content checked
3.
Attend the meetings regularly and express one’s concerns to better the performance of the dairy
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4.
Supply clean and unadulterated milk to the cooperative
5.
Others
6.
Don’t know/Can’t say
5.5. For what purpose is the fat testing done? 5.6. What can be done to increase the fat content of the milk? 5.7. What are the roles and the responsibilities of the president, secretary and the managing committee? (Rank in terms of priority) 1.
Ensure regular payment
2.
Address the problems of the members and guide them
3.
Run the DCS honestly and manage its operations in a transparent manner
4.
Conduct regular meetings
5.
Others
6.
Don’t know/can’t say
5.8. In case of any dissatisfaction with the dairy who should be approached and what should be done? 5.9. How frequently the use of DCS services is made?
6. Level of involvement in the Dairy 6.1. How frequently you attend the dairy meetings? 6.2. Are you free to decide whether to attend the meetings of the cooperative or do you need to seek permission? 6.3.
Reasons for the negligible attendance of women in the meetings. (Rank in terms of priority)
1.
There is opposition from the men in the family
2.
Women do not have time
3.
Meetings are of no use to them
4.
Women do not understand the intricacies of the dairy business
5.
Others
6.
Don’t know/can’t say
7.
Attitude based questions (Agree / Disagree /Can’t say or Don’t know)
Opinions 1. During meetings, women should not speak in the presence
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Men
Women
of men. 2. Women loose respect in the society by working outside their home. 3. Women’s primary responsibility is to take care of the household chores. 4. Women are not well-equipped to handle the management of the dairy. 5. Women’s dairy has better management than the erstwhile dairy of men. 6. Women’s dairy has increased the status of women in the society. 7. Boys and girls should be given equal opportunity for studies. 8. Some performance variables for the WDCS: (Agree/Disagree/Don’t know or can’t say) 1.
The cooperative provides all the services to its members that can be expected of a cooperative of this type.
2.
The quality of services offered by the cooperative is of a very good quality.
3.
The terms of business offered by the cooperative are competitive with the alternate channels available in the village (private traders).
4.
The cooperative provides the members the support they need in terms of technical and other inputs for enhancing their productivity and other outputs.
5.
It is the women secretary who runs the affairs of the cooperative.
6.
The managing committee is very impartial and effective in sorting out any problems facing the daily operation of the dairy.
7.
The transactions between the cooperative and the members are honest.
8.
The cooperative receives the required support from the higher up authorities like DCT and Baroda dairy union.
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REFERENCES 1. Shah Tushar, Making Farmers’ cooperatives work-Design, governance and management, Sage publications India Pvt. Ltd., printed at Delhi(1995)
2. March.C.et.al “Women’s Empowerment(Longwe) Framework”(1999) Teaching Aid Unit material, Gender Issues in development, Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA)
3. Chafetz. S.J. “Gender Equity: An Integrated Theory of Stability and Change”(1990) Teaching Aid Unit material, Gender Issues in development, Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA)
4. Bal Vidya “Status and Role of Women”. Cooperative Perspective(1992),Period Jul-Sep,Volume 27, Issue 2, Pages 5-8
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7. International Cooperative Alliance(ICA). Report on regional meeting cum-workshop for Representatives of national Cooperative Women’s committees/national Coordinators of Cooperative Women’s activities. Galle, Sri Lanka (1982),Published by ICA
8. International Cooperative Alliance(ICA) .Experts’ consultation on Cooperative member education (1979), Published by ICA
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12. AIMS research Pvt. Ltd., Women Dairy leadership program(WDCLP) –A baseline study submitted to NDDB, Anand (December, 2000)
13. Reddy B. Ramachandra, Financial management in cooperatives, Printwell , Jaipur (India) 1992 14. Wayagankar Arun, The empowerment of Indian Women Dairy Farmers, A project submitted to University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, December 1994
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