Adam Changa SHG - Ways and Means of Livelihood Promotion

Publication Date: 2005
Document Type: Case Study (Microsoft Word)

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How did the Adam Changa self help group alter the lives of the villagers?

This paper discusses the formation and activities of the Adam Changa self help group (SHG) in the remote village of Puncia, in Orissa, India.

As per the paper, the villagers were:

• Not united;
• Dependent on agriculture and wage labor;
• Migrating to other areas in search of wage labor.

The paper states that with the persuasion of the Gramin Vikas Trust (GVT), 15 villagers got together to form the “Adam Changa SHG”. It highlights the following aspects of the SHG:

• Main features:
  • There were 13 male and 2 female members;
  • All the male members were farmers;
  • The female members were wage laborers;
  • There was no source of income during the “off-season”;
  • The motto of the group was to avail timely credit for alternative occupations;
  • Most of the group members were illiterate and all of them were married.
• Functioning:
  • GVT trained the members in record keeping;
  • The group held meetings once a month;
  • It prepared action plans with the consent of all the members.
• Achievements:
  • Villagers were introduced to and trained in growing high yielding and hybrid varieties of paddy, which substantially increased the production and productivity of paddy;
  • They were trained in vegetable cultivation;
  • They began rice trading;
  • Dairy and goatery firms bought by the members, increased their asset position;
  • They are building a rice mill with a loan got from The Bank of India.