Visit to Kurdikeri village

“We know it is not good ,but we are not having any other alternative for it”told by a village lady when I entered the village KURDIKERI by passing the open defication area.I used to think that villagers do not have much knowledge about cleanliness ,the bais was broken by the village lady.This was the first unlearning for me in the village stay. I have done transect walk with villagers in which I could meet Anganwadi teachers,Nurse, Headmaster of governament school, Chairman of Panchayat, Priest, SHG members, Shopkeepers,farmers & so on.
Let me brief about village KURDIKERE:
LOCATION:Kurdikeri is around 20km from Hubli.It is surrounded by Kardikoppa in south,Kamplikoppa in east,Surshettikoppa in north,Bagekoppa in west.

HISTORY OF VILLAGE:Around 300years back a family came from Unkal to this place to stay,they had a blind women with them.Later this village develop.People started recognising this village with the name of the blind women(in kannada Kurudi means blind) & the village got the name as Kurdikeri.

LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES :
• 80% of people have their own land, so agriculture is the main occupation.
• Sheep rareing.
• Brick making.
• Dairy.

CROPS Grown:
• Soya
• Maize
• Cotton
• Vegetables
• Alasandi
• Greengrams & many other finger millets

EDUCATION FECILITIES:
• 2 Anganawadi
• 1Higher primary school

FACILITIES NEEDED:
• Drainage system.
• PHC
• Bank
• Toilets
• School building
• Medical shop

PROJECTS IMPLIMENTED:
• SARVODAYA KHADI GRAMODAYA PROJECT
• BAIF PROJECT
• SUJALA PROJECT
• LEISA(Low external input sustainable agriculture)
PRA tools used:
• Trasect walk
• Social mapping
• Matrix analysis
• Seasonality mapping
• Time line
• Focused group discussion

MATRIX ANALYSIS
CROPS INCOME YIELD MARKETING RESISTENCE STORAGE
SOYA 5 3 5 5 5
MAIZE 4 3 4 3 1
JOWAR 1 2 2 4 3
COTTON 2 1 4 1 4
VEGETABLES 3 3 1 1 0

SEASONALITY MAPPING

MONTH JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JULY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
RAIN - - - 1 2 5 5 5 4 2 - -
INCOME 4 - - - - - 2 2 3 3 4 4
EMPLOYMENT 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4
MIGRATION 5 5 5 - - - - - - - - 5

CHALLENGES FACED:
• Gathering of people
• Power cut in the evening
• Availability of place for FGD
• Getting people for trasect walk
• Involment of women in mapping

OPPORTUNITY AS A SOCIAL ENTERPRENEUR:
• Markenting for vegetables
• Storage of vegetables
• IG activities for migrating people
• Fecility of toilets