DR. RAJESH KR. SINGH,LIVESTOCK CONSULTANT,JAMSHEDPUR
Empowering Rural Women Through Pashu-Sakhi (पशु सखी): A friend of small ruminants & A Model for Doorstep Animal care services
Pashu Sakhi, which means ‘friends of animals’, is a woman from the village trained to handle routine medical requirements for animals in the village, including cows, buffaloes, bulls, poultry and goats. While they are not trained to handle surgical interventions, they can identify diseases, provide medication, vaccinations, and suggest remedial or preventive actions.
Pashu Sakhi is a Community Animal care Service Provider (CASP) which will enable the last mile coverage in rural areas where clinical services for livestock is not available on time or expensive to afford for rural poor. Pashu Sakhi is envisaged to create awareness and capacity building of the community on livestock based livelihoods activities and facilitates aggregation and marketing of the livestock products.
Pashu Sakhi is not an employee of JSLPS, they are Community Agriculture care Service Provider (CASP) selected by VO/CLF. For sustainable livestock based livelihoods at SHGs/household level, Pashu sakhi model has proved to be useful and fruitful. A pool of identified Pashu Sakhi shall provide the basic technical support/treatment to the rural livestock rearer. Pashu Sakhis will be developed through structured training programmes by the livestock experts conducted by JSLPS. They will act as medium of interface between Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department and rural poor by linking the HHs to the nearest Veterinary aid centre at the time of need.
Objective:
The objective of this model is to make livestock based livelihoods sustainable and viable enterprises for the rural poor. There will be specific focus on the ultra poor households who have limited or no access to land or other factors of production. It would build a strong extension network of livestock workers who are the community based practitioners and are accountable to the community institutions. The model would aim at strengthening the existing livelihoods of the rural poor by bringing in a clear impetus on livestock related activities.
The Challenge
Small livestock, like goat, sheep, pig and poultry is a critical source of livelihoods for rural poor, especially for women, in developing and underdeveloped countries, including India. Small livestock are perceived to have several benefits. According to field studies, small livestock serve as a source of income, as assets which could be encashed in times of emergency, as source of nutrition (milk and meat), as a source of medicine (milk), and as gifts during ceremonies.
One of the many problems that the livestock farmers have been facing is high mortality and morbidity of animals. High mortality and morbidity of goats leads to economic, social and mental stress, making rural households highly vulnerable. Women are the worst sufferers of such tragedies owing to their high involvement with small livestock. Also, they take care of ailing animals, which consumes significant time and energy. Families try to cope with such loss of livestock by selling food grains. In extreme cases, it may lead to even stopping child education and opting for long distance migration. Several other challenges for livestock farmers are genetic degradation of goats, feed scarcity, seasonal stress, absence of transparent system of price estimation of goats, inefficient trading, high costs of aggregation and low adoption of information technology. Besides, lack of access to timely, low cost, door step livestock health care, first aid and knowledge support has been a key constraint in livestock production.
Pashu Sakhis – community led livestock extension service
Responding to such a situation, an alternative community led livestock extension service mechanism has been tried and promoted. Through this community based approach, women are empowered through technical training and hand holding support to take lead in generating demand for inputs and provide services to livestock farmers.
Uniqueness of approach
Alternative livestock extension services had been a felt need over last five decades. Many experiments around promoting and nurturing such service delivery mechanism had been tried at various points of time, with limited success. Major shortcomings of existing programs were – the trained rural youth responsible to cater to 8-15 villages often focused on treatment, mostly on large livestock, rather than preventive practices and awareness building. Conflicting interests resulted in the neglect of small livestock and the poor farmers. Secondly, high costs of travel resulted in the neglect of close monitoring and administering first aid, which was in itself not lucrative for the youth. The trained youth who were men most of the time, had a social and psychological barrier in reaching women, who are the caretakers of livestock.
Based on learning from past limited success and some failure, an alternative process was conceptualized and implemented on scale to assess feasibility and impact of Pashu Sakhi model. In this initiative, semi literate women are trained as Pashu Sakhi. Prior to training, the women are selected by the community, their roles and responsibilities are briefed by involving the family heads. The process is followed to enhance community ownership and family support for effective functioning of Pashu Sakhi. Once nominated by local goat farmers, a systematic orientation is organized, followed by 5 day residential training. A participatory training process adjusted with the pace of learner, was evolved to have multiple training methodologies around key knowledge, skills and attitudes required to function as Pashu Sakhi.
Besides treatment, Pashu Sakhi training module focuses on management practices and sharing of best practices. Pashu Sakhis essentially are small livestock farmers and adopters of best practices, rather than just propagators. This enhances knowledge and creditability of Pashu Sakhi as a best practice propagator and local leadership.
Role of Pashu Sakhi
Pashu Sakhi performs three kind of complimentary functions –
- Extension of improved practices and knowledge sharing,
- providing door step first aid and counseling services for disease prevention and management and
- Demonstration of best practices and enterprise management in her own house.
Pashu Sakhis also work as monitoring and support service provider for the project. They visit each goat house and assess the condition. A regular monitoring on disease spread and decrease in frequency of morbidity (disease) is kept through data analysis. They provide critical feedback on adoption and suggest appropriate practice, technology or input based on the relevance and feasibility.
Pashu Sakhis through awareness and training motivate farmers to adopt good practices which boosts demand for new inputs. To meet the demand locally, Pashu Sakhis are trained to take up entrepreneurial activities too. In fact, Pashu Sakhis sustain on entrepreneurial initiatives of input supply for goat farming rather than by providing services alone (eg., providing treatment and first aid).
In a nut shell, Pashu Sakhi works more like an Anganwadi worker and ANM in human health management. The only difference is that here she becomes an input supplier, a self business promoter, and also a service provider, making the system sustainable and more effective over a period of time.
Eligibility Criteria for Pashu Sakhi:
*She should be a native and residing in the same GP (Member from women SHG). * The age of the Pashu Sakhi should be between 20-45 Years. * She should be a good livestock (Small ruminants and poultry) rearer of the GP at least having 1-2 cattle and/or 2-3 sheep/goat and/or 2-3 pigs and/or ten poultry birds with him/her and having basic knowledge on Animal Husbandry. * She should have functional knowledge of writing and reading of local language. She should be minimum class 8 th Pass, however higher educational qualification and knowledge of writing and reading of English language will be preferred. *. She should have a good and hygienic livestock housing system. *She must be in a position of differentiating healthy and sick livestock. *She must have knowledge on heat diagnosis of ruminants. *. Having knowledge on animal first aid will be preferred. *. She should have good motivational and communication skill. *. She should have no mobility constraints to provide handholding support to the livestock of the GP. *. She should be willing to undergo different trainings and exposure (within/outside the state) organized under NRLM/other organisation or institutes.
Process of Selection:
Village Organisation with the help of its livelihoods sub-committee will aware the concept of Pashu Sakhi among the villagers. The Pashu Sakhi identification process will be done at the VO level by the Livelihoods Sub-committee where BPM/BC will be facilitator of the team. VO will organise a meeting on identification of Pashu Sakhi and the livelihoods committee along with President and Secretary of the VO will conduct the identification process. The local Veterinary Assistant Surgeon (VAS)/Extension Officer-Veterinary/his representative may be invited in the meeting. The panel of member’s of livelihoods Sub-committee in consultation of BPM, President/Secretary of the concerned VO and along with the Veterinary Assistant Surgeon (VAS)/Extension Officer-Veterinary/his representative will select the Pashu Sakhi for the said area based on interview/written test. At present, one (1) Pashu Sakhi per 50 mahila kishan will be selected. After completion of selection process, VO/CLF will send the detail profile of the selected pashu sakhi to BMMU for record and uploading the data in MIS.
Roles and responsibility of Pashu Sakhi:
The intention of creating Pashu Sakhi is to guide the poor households technically and bridge the gap between Veterinarian & livestock households. i. To collect necessary information of each individual farmer/producer Group member and update the data on number of livestock at HH level, nearest veterinary aid centres and practitioners. ii. To prepare monthly activity plan for livestock interventions. iii. Provide Technical assistance to the livestock based HHs. iv. Disseminate knowledge and information on improved practices to the animal grower v. To demonstrate various steps of the improved practices, feed and fodder program and treatment. vi. Ensure timely vaccination to the livestock within the assigned areas. Actively participate for de-worming and vitamin and mineral supplementation program of the available livestock of the assigned areas. viii. Identify the breed able livestock and breed them effectively. ix. Ensure the Artificial Insemination Practice (AI) in animals. x. Introduce weaning practice. xi. Maintain breeding male for mating and creating awareness among the farmers for practice of rotation of breeding male among the village. xii. Ensure the Castration of male animals at right and post care. xiii. Guide on feed and fodder program to the producers xiv. Guide the HHs on best nutritional practices of the resource available. xv. Motivating the farmers for developing fodder area for the livestock of the village xvi. Educate the producers on captive and rotational field feeding xvii. Aggregation/identification of the animals for marketing in seasonal condition xviii. Monitoring of marketable products and market linkage xix. To ensure insurance coverage of the individual livestock. xx. To ensure monthly meeting of the livestock producer group. xxi. All the day to day activities need to be recorded in the prescribed diary and time to time reporting of the activities as and when required by the VO at present (later to Producer Group). xxii. Any other assignment periodically assigned by the livestock Producer Group/ VO / CLF / BMMU officials at present (later to Producer Group). xxiii. Report to the nearest Veterinary Aid Centre in case of emergency, other necessity or any casualty.
Area of operation:
Initially, for better implementation of the activities and sustainability of the Pashu Sakhi a minimum of 500 small ruminants/small animals and 1000 poultry stock has to be monitored under her within assigned areas.
Capacity building and exposure to the Pashu Sakhi:
Pashu Sakhi are to be trained enough on good rearing, housing, nutrition, breeding, disease control, vaccination and marketing activities. H/She will also organize the training programs for the stakeholders with the help of resource persons of the line department as and when required. They can directly support the HHs on Animal Husbandry practices, Veterinary first aid and help to bridge between the veterinary experts. The training of the Pashu Sakhi will be conducted in phase manner at various levels by the resource persons.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
- Work done of Pashu Sakhi will be on the basis of assistance given to members of Livestock Producer group /animal attendant. ii. All the day to day activities need to be recorded in the prescribed diary and should be signed by the member of Livestock Producer group whom she has assisted or whose animal has been treated. Consolidated report of work done should be submitted to VO for the release of payments. iii. VO will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of the work done by Pashu Sakhi. Time to time reporting of the activities should be done as and when required by the VO at present (later to Producer Group). iv. Minimum days of visit should be twenty (20) and households to be contacted are 50 numbers per month.
Way forward
The alternative community based extension model in East Singhbhum District is successful and sustainable. Factors like high density of small livestock and lack of access to knowledge and basic services have played a crucial role in the success of this model. The JSLPS is now exploring market opportunities, facilitating market linkages and building the capacities of Pashu Sakhis in estimating and assessing live body weight pricing of small livestock. The model of Pashu Sakhi is being extended to other livestock too. It has been tried for poultry, successfully. It is yet to be tested for large ruminants, on a scale.
Reference- Basic Livelihoods Training Module under ASRLM
Image credit-GAON CONNECTION
https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/a-handbook-for-paravets-pdf/pashu-sakhi-hand-book/
https://aajeevika.gov.in/en/content/pashu-sakhi-module
