The India Field School Programme: A Joint Collaboration between PRIA and Uvic

Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) in collaboration with University of Victoria (UVic) organised the first International Field School in India. The Field School is a seven week programme, with some weeks preceding the actual visit to study and a week after the field exposure to work on a paper. The initial preparation for the International Field School commenced in December 2010 and the first India field School commended in August 2011.The field school provided UVic students with an opportunity for overseas study. PRIA received a group of 20 graduate students, from the Department of Geography, University of Victoria with two staff members. The group was accompanied by the Chair, Department of Geography and a Teaching Assistant. The group was accompanied by two PRIA colleagues who acted as facilitators throughout the programme.

The key objectives of the program was to introduce students to the Geography of India; learn about Indian approaches to governance and participatory development; be exposed to participatory research methodologies and tools with PRIA's vast experience in the field; understand challenges associated with conservation planning in a crowded world and experience inter cultural perspectives. The Field school provided students’ from the Geography Department UVic with an opportunity to learn from and engage intensively with grassroots reality. Classroom interaction before visiting the field helped them gain a nuanced understanding of numerous themes/issues. One of the key themes for the field exposure was on Ecological Conservation with a thrust on National Parks and Sanctuaries and Tiger Conservation. The group also visited Rajaji and Sariska National Park.

A welcome ceremony was held on 4 August 2011 for the team. While in Delhi the group was oriented to the concept of participatory research, PRIA’s work on citizen’s participation and democratic governance, India’s culture and wildlife conservation in India. The following themes were touched upon; participatory research in practice, strengthening citizen’s participation in local self-governance, orientation on gender and gender mainstreaming in development, participatory approaches to women’s empowerment, female foeticide programme and people and conservation, with a particular focus on Tiger conservation. The opening session with Dr.Tandon on democratic governance and participatory development helped raise some critical questions about participatory approaches. The students thought this introductory session to be really valuable as they were introduced to the idea of participation in development. The group participated in an interactive session with senior staff of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment & Forests (GOI) before leaving for the field visits.

The participants visited field sites in three different states in India i.e. Haryana, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. The field exposure was to Sonipat in Haryana, Rajaji National Park, Dehradun, Naugaon (Uttarkashi), Sariska National Park, Alwar (Rajasthan) and Jaipur. In Haryana, the group was exposed to PRIA’s work on Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership (WPEL), Prevention of Female Foeticide Programme, and other citizen participation initiatives. The group observed participatory exercises in the form of daily time analysis and social mapping in two different villages. The students got a chance to compare between their own daily time analysis and that of men and women at Leharda village in Sonipat. Students were made aware about the role played by self-help groups as a tool of participation, engaging women in development work.

During their visit to Uttarakhand the group was briefed on the evolution of the Himalayas. A session at the Wildlife Institute of India was truly enriching with all the information on conservation, illegal trade in wildlife, participatory models in protected area management, eco-development, eco-tourism, development versus conservation, and concerns about rehabilitation. The group was briefed about Rajaji National Park by the Park Director and the Principal Wildlife Conservator, Utarakhand, they shared that pollution of all kind was a major challenge along with man-animal conflict at Rajaji national park. Some compelling questions were raised during discussions on conservation and relocation of villagers on - who decides what is good for someone? What defines a good life? Is formal schooling always essential? Would relocation from the buffer zone help reduce problems or create more? Students visited a village located in the buffer zone and interacted with people and got to understand their concerns directly. Such interactions with the community generated a lot of thought provoking questions throughout the field trip and discussions would follow within the group. These interactions were one of the best ways to share thoughts/perspectives and engage in dialogue furthering the whole learning experience. Apart from this students were encouraged by their Chair, Prof.Dearden to give a book review at the end of each day and participate in discussions around the book. This served as a good reflective exercise. In Rajasthan the group visited Sariska National Park to understand the conservation debate and the challenges faced for Tiger conservation and developing a park management plan. One of the significant challenges faced by the park authorities (which the group experienced first-hand) was the park-pilgrim interface. The group interacted with community members to see the park relationship with local communities. The students got insight into the theme of developing a Park Management Plan. They could study the numerous and sometime varied challenges faced in the two national parks. They also got to see some of the changes implemented to address some of these challenges.

During the field visit to Uttarakashi district the group was stationed in village Naugaon, the field centre of Himalayan Action Research Centre (HARC), a close partner of PRIA and travelled (sometimes trekked) to the neighbouring villages to study innovative agricultural practices, understand issues of water management. The students got to visit and better understand the functioning of livelihood promotion programme, crop diversification and farmer’s cooperatives being facilitated by HARC. HARC shared from its vast experience of working in the field that it focuses on “empowering people through knowledge building”. Discussions were held with farmers about their ways to solve the market competition in order to get a better understanding of rural marketing linkages. On India’s Independence Day, August 15th after flag hoisting early morning the group took part in a sapling/tree plantation exercise in a neighbouring village.

While in Rajasthan the students also visited Alwar and Jaipur. They got an insight into the rich cultural heritage of the state of Rajasthan as also looked at the impact of tourism. The students interacted with an engineer to understand water management in the desert state of Rajasthan. The students’ were briefed on the Bisalpur dam and questions were raised around causes of groundwater depletion, contamination, impact of tourism on water resources.

On their return from the field exposure the group gave presentations on numerous themes studied during the course of the month long travel within India. During the presentations colleagues were present from the High Commission of Canada along with PRIA colleagues. Presentations were followed by discussion on each theme cluster.

1. Development and Participatory Action Research

• participatory planning and agriculture
• women’s empowerment/ education
• social mapping
• PAR and conservation

2. Resource Management 

• waste management
• water management

3. Conservation and Protected areas

• Management plans in protected areas
• Buffer zones in protected areas
• Relocation in protected areas

Throughout the field exposure one of the themes that was reiterated again and again was the need for more inclusion of participatory planning in all spheres; be it women’s political empowerment, campaign against female foeticide, management planning, or tiger conservation. Effective participation of stakeholders is essential as resonated in PRIA’s work as well. Self-help groups as a participatory tool can be effective in empowering communities, especially women while working on issues of conservation, generating awareness/ educating people.

What the students experienced through this month long field visits around India is well summed up by one of the students where she talked about change being constant. To sum up the change that the group experienced in this one month in India in Kayla’s words “Political paradigm change, Social paradigm change, External development change, Structural economic change and Habitat pressure change” and “participatory research facilitating this change.” Empowerment of people can help bring about positive change!

To view the blog by Crystal Tremblay on the India Field School follow…http://www.crystaltremblay.com/