Caste politics holds down the poor in Tuticorin's farms

Caste politics determine the economic independence of the Scheduled Caste farmers and agricultural labourers in and around Tuticorin district. Even though they are more in number, the “upper caste” Nadar maintain a strict control over their wages and entry into agriculture.

In the villages of Peikkulam, Palayamkottai, Sawyerpuram, Arumugamangalam, Nattathi and Arel, banana plantations account for the majority of cultivated land. Spread over more than 2,000 acres out of the total 3,500, they are irrigated by water from the Thamirabarani River and 100 bore-wells. The remaining land is used for paddy and drumsticks cultivation.

Agriculture has been the main occupation in these villages for the past 140 years and has been paying good returns on investment. However, caste politics have an iron grip over the livelihood of the Scheduled Castes to the extent that they continue to get suppressed.

The Peikkulam Farmers’ Association represents all farmers and farmland-owners over the 3,500 acres, and claims responsibility for “arranging for” assistance in times of need. However, according to Mr. Paramasivan, a farmer belonging to the Scheduled Caste, “When the price of DAP jumped from Rs. 12,500 per ton in April, 2011 to Rs, 18,000 per ton in October, 2011, the cost per acre of paddy cultivation jumped from Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 25,000 for small farmers.”

“All this while, the Association stood back despite demands for the regulation of fertilizers purchases and redistribution of income.” In the same period, the membership fee for these small farmers, mostly of the Scheduled Caste, was increased from Rs. 400 to Rs. 600 per acre citing “technical issues”.

Mr. M. Murugesan, the Secretary of the Association, and his colleague, the President of the Association, Mr. S. V. P. S. P. Sundarapandian, are the leaders of the local Nadar community. They have been traditionally administering its duties for as long as agriculture has been practiced in the region: 140 years. Mr. Sundarapandian admitted that even though elections are held amongst the farmers for various offices in the union every year, the posts of secretary and president have always been inherited by Nadar leaders.

When asked about the wages for the people employed on the farms, Mr. Murugesan responded, “The men do the more specialized tasks of planting the seeds, digging the irrigation channels and grafting, and they are handpicked from our community from the neighbouring villages. They are paid Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 a day.”

As for the women, he said that they “are engaged only in slicing the leaves, picking the fruits, mixing and sowing the fertilizers and pesticides, and in other coolie tasks. They are also from the neighbouring villages, but since they will be performing tasks that everyone can, they are paid Rs. 140 to Rs. 150 a day.”

While many have considered withdrawing from the Association, its added benefits are costlier to procure without its support. Two such benefits are insurance against disasters – which is sustained by donations made to the Association’s coffers – and bargaining power against the government. A third aspect, that of loans, hinders the “lower caste” population from turning into landowners.

“Two banks that operate in rural Tuticorin and that have affordable interests for small farmers, Canara Bank and the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, are dominated by Nadars,” says Mr. V. Perumal, a farmer employed by Mr. Sundarapandian. “When we seek loans to buy land and operate our own farms, there are significant delays in processing the loan. One of my kinsmen was denied a loan even though he had just returned from Tirunelveli town with all his savings.”

Such unionism is well-established in the seven villages. There are government initiatives that are aimed at increasing the representation of the Scheduled Castes via quotas in universities and government offices, and the Rajeev Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana scheme that subsidises electricity supply. However, the ground-level situation remains harshly inconducive to economic independence for the poorer sections.

Even after extended decentralization of authority in the form of the Gram Sabha and employment opportunities through the NREGA, being of a “lower caste” still pushes these people to live between debt and more debt.

Taking tech. to the common man the Gandhian way

A lot has been said about technology shrinking the world, bringing its peoples closer and making all information more accessible. However, there are two problems concerning the deployment of technology.

1. Devices that use technological innovation are often functionally inaccessible to certain groups of users. Also, it is often that these are the users who need it the most. For example, when it comes to making life easier, the elderly become the most eager consumers of developments. At the same time, those developments are rendered meaningless if they aren’t user-friendly. This is the “Type 1” problem.


2. Often, the services born of technology come at a price that is unaffordable for those whose productivity can be increased by using them. Tools like computers, the internet, progressive communication systems and mobile telephony can boost our farmers’ crop output as well as keep them up-to-date on the latest developments in the agricultural sciences and government schemes. This is the “Type 2” problem.

On that note, it is heartening to know about the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s (MSSRF) Village Development Program (VDP) that currently covers over 300 villages, mostly in Puducherry and some in Maharashtra. The foundation, by employing a community-ownership model that increases villagers’ participation, has set up an information distribution network together with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and other partners, such as Microsoft and Intel, who also provide some of the funds.

[caption id="attachment_20444" align="aligncenter" width="355" caption="The partners of MSSRF for the VDP"][/caption]

The MSSRF offices in Taramani, Chennai, function as a node for a national level hub that connects various technical, agricultural and veterinary universities across India, apart from NGOs and government offices in the vicinity of the villages. The knowledge these universities wish to share is uploaded into the hub’s content management system, which in turn is monitored by the foundation. The next step is to use the ISRO’s uplinking and downlinking capabilities, provided with the help of some of their satellites, which facilitate data-transfer to and from the node.

The final tier can be divided into two:

1. VRC – The Village Resource Centre (VRC) operates at the mandal level and usually addresses the distribution of information into a cluster of villages. The VRC is operated by local communities. Because of the encouragement of community-ownership, members of the community are involved in maintaining the centre while the partners of the programme provide the infrastructure.


2. VKC – The Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) operates just like the VRC except in that it addresses the needs of one village at a time. In other words, it functions as a sub-node that disseminates local, specific and demand-driven information. The communication between the VRC and the VKC happens through a local area network (LAN).

[caption id="attachment_20445" align="alignleft" width="148" caption="At Thankachimadam"][/caption]

Using this three-tier system (node-VKC-VRC) and by actively engaging with the villagers, the program conclusively addresses the Type 1 and Type 2 problems. By maintaining and running the nodes and data centres, the villagers are acclimatized to technology and technological innovation in a way that directly impacts their livelihood. By teaming up with partners eager to bring technology to the common man, MSSRF has brought the best in the world to the villages of Puducherry and Maharashtra, apart from freeing up their knowledge pool to be accessed by those who need it the most. This goes to demonstrate the importance of efficient and effective deployment of technology in order to make it useful.

The content generated by the universities, agencies and government offices can become overwhelming. Therefore, the effectiveness of the VDP is determined by how quickly and efficiently it is able to get that content to the right people. It must be noted that there is also a content generation process in place at a much more local, and more significant, level. Frequent debates between experts and the farming/fishing/animal-rearing communities are organized, and the questions and answers raised therein are integrated with the existing databases.

Also, apart from the VRCs, a mobile network is in place that delivers five relevant audio messages daily to subscribers of certain networks, including Airtel, Qualcomm and Tata. The advantage of employing mobile telephony is the ability to gather feedback statistics such as usage rates, response rates, etc., which can be used to improve the quality of the services provided. A help-desk has been set up at MSSRF’s Chennai office to address complaints that any users of the mobile communication networks might have.

What about inter-village communication? That has been addressed, and quite thoroughly to note, by a public announcement system (PAS) that incorporates both loudspeaker arrangements as well as a web-based notice-boarding system. In order to facilitate audio-conferencing, a multiple closed-user groups have been created such that calls to other people within the same group are free of cost. Finally, an INCOIS public display board has been installed that can be used with a GPRS device.

At the heart of all of this lies the need-assessment system, a single glance at which summarizes the entire VDP, its principal participants and its goals. While the VRCs are demand-driven and therefore reflective of the villagers’ needs, the villagers do have to be trained and made aware enough to know their rights, what they can and can’t demand, and what their options are. In order to empower them, the MSSRF enables them to interact with stakeholders of the entire program and familiarizes them with the principal tools. At the same time, a farmers’ database is compiled that is shared responsibly with government agencies, local banks and NGOs that have products and services of value on offer.



Essentially, the VDP is a stellar example that neither bargains with nor purchases profits at the cost of technology but engages with it directly to remove socio-economic barriers. It is clear that India’s sustainable development is uniquely tied in with the prosperity of its farmers, at least for now, and these farmers continue to face such barriers. By bringing the farming, fishing and animal-rearing communities together, the foundation has only spotlighted how much we stand to lose if we don’t divert our technologies away from gain.

Taking tech. to the common man the Gandhian way

A lot has been said about technology shrinking the world, bringing its peoples closer and making all information more accessible. However, there are two problems concerning the deployment of technology.

1. Devices that use technological innovation are often functionally inaccessible to certain groups of users. Also, it is often that these are the users who need it the most. For example, when it comes to making life easier, the elderly become the most eager consumers of developments. At the same time, those developments are rendered meaningless if they aren’t user-friendly. This is the “Type 1” problem.


2. Often, the services born of technology come at a price that is unaffordable for those whose productivity can be increased by using them. Tools like computers, the internet, progressive communication systems and mobile telephony can boost our farmers’ crop output as well as keep them up-to-date on the latest developments in the agricultural sciences and government schemes. This is the “Type 2” problem.

On that note, it is heartening to know about the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s (MSSRF) Village Development Program (VDP) that currently covers over 300 villages, mostly in Puducherry and some in Maharashtra. The foundation, by employing a community-ownership model that increases villagers’ participation, has set up an information distribution network together with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and other partners, such as Microsoft and Intel, who also provide some of the funds.

[caption id="attachment_20444" align="aligncenter" width="355" caption="The partners of MSSRF for the VDP"][/caption]

The MSSRF offices in Taramani, Chennai, function as a node for a national level hub that connects various technical, agricultural and veterinary universities across India, apart from NGOs and government offices in the vicinity of the villages. The knowledge these universities wish to share is uploaded into the hub’s content management system, which in turn is monitored by the foundation. The next step is to use the ISRO’s uplinking and downlinking capabilities, provided with the help of some of their satellites, which facilitate data-transfer to and from the node.

The final tier can be divided into two:

1. VRC – The Village Resource Centre (VRC) operates at the mandal level and usually addresses the distribution of information into a cluster of villages. The VRC is operated by local communities. Because of the encouragement of community-ownership, members of the community are involved in maintaining the centre while the partners of the programme provide the infrastructure.


2. VKC – The Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) operates just like the VRC except in that it addresses the needs of one village at a time. In other words, it functions as a sub-node that disseminates local, specific and demand-driven information. The communication between the VRC and the VKC happens through a local area network (LAN).

[caption id="attachment_20445" align="alignleft" width="148" caption="At Thankachimadam"][/caption]

Using this three-tier system (node-VKC-VRC) and by actively engaging with the villagers, the program conclusively addresses the Type 1 and Type 2 problems. By maintaining and running the nodes and data centres, the villagers are acclimatized to technology and technological innovation in a way that directly impacts their livelihood. By teaming up with partners eager to bring technology to the common man, MSSRF has brought the best in the world to the villages of Puducherry and Maharashtra, apart from freeing up their knowledge pool to be accessed by those who need it the most. This goes to demonstrate the importance of efficient and effective deployment of technology in order to make it useful.

The content generated by the universities, agencies and government offices can become overwhelming. Therefore, the effectiveness of the VDP is determined by how quickly and efficiently it is able to get that content to the right people. It must be noted that there is also a content generation process in place at a much more local, and more significant, level. Frequent debates between experts and the farming/fishing/animal-rearing communities are organized, and the questions and answers raised therein are integrated with the existing databases.

Also, apart from the VRCs, a mobile network is in place that delivers five relevant audio messages daily to subscribers of certain networks, including Airtel, Qualcomm and Tata. The advantage of employing mobile telephony is the ability to gather feedback statistics such as usage rates, response rates, etc., which can be used to improve the quality of the services provided. A help-desk has been set up at MSSRF’s Chennai office to address complaints that any users of the mobile communication networks might have.

What about inter-village communication? That has been addressed, and quite thoroughly to note, by a public announcement system (PAS) that incorporates both loudspeaker arrangements as well as a web-based notice-boarding system. In order to facilitate audio-conferencing, a multiple closed-user groups have been created such that calls to other people within the same group are free of cost. Finally, an INCOIS public display board has been installed that can be used with a GPRS device.

At the heart of all of this lies the need-assessment system, a single glance at which summarizes the entire VDP, its principal participants and its goals. While the VRCs are demand-driven and therefore reflective of the villagers’ needs, the villagers do have to be trained and made aware enough to know their rights, what they can and can’t demand, and what their options are. In order to empower them, the MSSRF enables them to interact with stakeholders of the entire program and familiarizes them with the principal tools. At the same time, a farmers’ database is compiled that is shared responsibly with government agencies, local banks and NGOs that have products and services of value on offer.



Essentially, the VDP is a stellar example that neither bargains with nor purchases profits at the cost of technology but engages with it directly to remove socio-economic barriers. It is clear that India’s sustainable development is uniquely tied in with the prosperity of its farmers, at least for now, and these farmers continue to face such barriers. By bringing the farming, fishing and animal-rearing communities together, the foundation has only spotlighted how much we stand to lose if we don’t divert our technologies away from gain.