1.  INFORMATION ABOUT CCD:

Centre for Culture and Development
2/58. Gandhi Road, Brindavan Colony, Gillnagar, Chennai.600094. India
Phone: 91-9444076120
Organization President and Director: S.A.Samy

CCD will be responsible for administering the grant.

What is your organization’s connection with Subud or Susila Dharma?

The Director Mr.S.A.Samy is one of the active member in Subud and served as the SD chair of India and presently one of the trustee of the Subud house Trust in India

Person responsible for project and their contact information:

S.A.Samy
Centre for Culture and Development
2/58 Gandhi Road, Brindavan Colony, Gillnagar, Chennai.600094 Tamilnadu. India
samyindian@gmail.com


2. AMOUNT REQUESTED IN THIS APPLICATION:

Amount requested: Total 6,99,500 Indian rupees    

The best ways to communicate with CCD are email and phone

3. AIMS AND IDENTIFICATION OF INTENDED RESULTS

1. Raise awareness of health and environmental issues in relation to current use of chemical methods of food production.
2. Raise awareness on the different types of health problems in the village and give training in the preparation and use of herbal remedies.
3. Impart an understanding of organic agricultural practices and teach specific skills enabling the practice of organic cultivation and the promotion of low-cost farming methods.
4. Encourage the creation of kitchen gardens for householders which will enable them to become self sufficient in vegetable production. This will reduce costs in their budget and provide them with toxin free food that will safeguard their health.
5. Give on-farm demonstration and hands-on experience for farmers and landless laborers in the making of organic fertilizers and pesticides.

3.1 Problem Analysis and Long-term Results

Briefly describe the needs or problems this project is trying to address?

1. One important problem encountered by the rural communities is the new kind of health issues not previously encountered. The cancer deaths and different types of skin problems and unbearable bone and joint pains and diabetes are some of the new threats faced today. The emergence of these illnesses coincides with the rise in use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides without knowing their harmful effects on land, water and the human body. In every village one can see the open storage of these poisonous chemicals inside houses, next to the food and water. Lack of any safe refuse disposal services means containers containing chemical residues are thrown into the streets and often handled by children. The rain water washes these residues directly into the main water bodies of the villages, contaminating groundwater. While it might be possible to lessen the harmful effects of chemicals through appropriate training, local communities simply lack the infrastructure and resources to make the safe handling and disposal of products a reality.
2. Apart from the obvious health risks, the widespread adoption of chemical farming practices is now recognized by the FAO to be environmentally unsustainable and damaging, and alternatives must now be found.
3. The next important issue identified by villagers is the ever increasing cost of farming associated with the use of purchased chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Not only are these costs constantly rising, but their damage to the soil quality leads to reduced yields. During our informal meeting with farmers express a loss of 200 to 400 rupees loss per acre in terms of financial loss. The loss means the total investment is more than the cost of the yield. Hence they are longing for some alternative low cost agricultural practices that will be profitable for the people. When we suggested the various methods of organic farming practices that does not involve high input costs the people showed interest and agreed to learn and practice.
4. The long term result will be to convert present chemical farming methods into organic, sustainable farming practices, where farmers are in control of the production of safe and effective fertilizers and pesticides, which do not harm their health and nature.

3.1.2 Who will benefit from this project (Please give specific details and numbers by – age, gender, location, etc.)

The beneficiaries include 100 families in the village

• Total number of families -450
• Age group -up to seventy years old
• Male and Female and children. Numbering 1200
• Name of the village-Perumbedu, in the district of Kanchipuram, in the state of Tamilnadu in south India.

Kancheepuram district is situated on the North East coast of Tamil Nadu. It is bound by Bay of Bengal in the East, Vellore and Thiruvannamalai districts in the west, Thiruvallur and Chennai districts in the north, and Villuppuram district in the south. It lies between 11° 00' to 12° 00' North latitudes and 77° 28' to 78° 50' East longitudes. The district has a total geographical area of 4,43,210 hectares and a coastline of 57 km.

The pre-monsoon rainfall is almost uniform throughout the district. The coastal regions receive more rainfall than the interior ones. The district is mainly dependent on the monsoon rains. Failure of monsoon leads to distress condition. Northeast and Southwest monsoon are the major donors, with 54% and 36% contribution each to the total annual rainfall. During normal monsoon, the district receives a rainfall of 1200 mm.

How are the beneficiaries and or the community being served by the project participating in identifying the needs you are addressing?

The villagers showed interest in all our introductory meeting on studying the problems and the present situation of farming in the village. The questions they raised during the meetings indicated the level of their commitment in identifying the problems and seek solutions to the same. The women of the villagers were very keen on learning the various methods of producing organic fertilizers and bio pesticides. The willingness to give garden spaces for demonstration garden is a good indicator for further cooperation and participation in the project.

What are long-term results or changes that you would like to see (say, over the coming 10 year period?

The overall change that we would like to see is that a profitable and sustainable farming methods where people with good health and would be happy to get engaged in farming instead of migrating to cities to end up in slums.

3.2. Past Results

Describe your activities and results over the past 12 months:

The awareness about organic farming has increased to a basic level among a section of people in Perumbedu village. The need for changing to organic farming was felt by the farmers who attended the meetings based on the reasons of heavy input cost and low financial returns and also on the safe food without poison with health awareness.

What lessons did you learn that will help you improve your activities in the future?

The regular meetings and continuous follow up with the farmers are the important aspect to have the desired results. We learnt that we are not supposed to teach them agriculture instead we have to help them to learn a process by which the farmers can develop their own agriculture. We also felt that unless we have a qualified staffs and organizational and infrastructural facilities it is not possible to see the desired result.

3.3. Results for the Period Covered by the Grant Request

What is the time frame for this grant application (1 year – 3 years)?

Two years –November 2011- November -2013

Describe below the project activities for the period that this grant will be used for, and what you expect to see as short and medium term results:

Project Activities:

1. Village surveys
2. Awareness program
3. Regular meetings with project participants
4. Demonstration plot construction

Immediate results (first year)

1. Fertiliser production
2. Demonstration plot under cultivation
3. Some villagers start using methods taught
4. Safe use of chemicals fertilizers and pesticides

Medium-term results (second year)

1. One hundred families will start producing vegetables in their own kitchen gardens
2. Fifty farmers will gain the skills of preparing bio fertilizers and plant protection methods
3. A high level of understanding within the village about the value and significance of organic farming including:

4. MEASURING RESULTS

How will you measure if you have achieved the short-term results of your activities?

1. Demonstration plot construction- photos, written records
2. Fertiliser production – photos, written records
3. Demonstration plot under cultivation, photos, records of outputs i.e. quantities grown
4. Some villagers start using methods taught - photos, written records

Who will do this and how?

1. Demonstration plot - Name of person incharge- Mr.Samy
2. Fertiliser production – Name of person Mr Raj
3. Demonstration plot under cultivation – .Mrs.Renuka Devi
4. Some villagers start using methods taught-

How will you measure the medium-term results of your activities?

1. Increase uptake of methods in kitchen gardens – photos, written records
2. Bio- fertilizer and bio-pesticide production- photos, written records
3. Understanding of sustainable and organic production systems – feedback from villagers, interviews, uptake of future programs.
4. Outputs from the Demo plot will be measured in terms of the quality and quantity of the vegetables, growth rates (time span of each crop),quantity and types of inputs of bio-fertilisers relating to yields and plant protection measures for pest and disease prevention.
5. Outputs from selected village kitchen gardens will also be measured.

Who will do this and how?

The field staff who visit the village regularly will carry out the recording by way of individual and group interaction and also through questionnaire. The different types of demonstration and bio plant preparations will be captured through photo and written record and the level of understanding can be recorded through on the spot interaction with the groups and individual members. The growth and the yield of the demo garden will be recorded in photo and written records.

What risks do you see that could endanger the success of these activities?

• Monsoon failure or excessive rainfall.
• Lack of understand and/or care of villagers
• Loss of confidence if yields are lower than expected.
• Pests and/or diseases attack

How do you plan to mitigate these risks?

• Water management techniques will be taught.
• Regular motivational training will be imparted to families to take care of their gardens.
• The continuous field visit and monitoring of activities may reduce the risk factors.

5. KEY TASKS AND ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME

List the tasks to be undertaken to complete the project by the end of the funding period.

Tasks	Persons Responsible	Paid or volunteer	Completion date
The overall  details of the village on total farm land and other livelihood resources	S.A.Samy	volunteer	31-11-2011
Detailed  baseline survey of farmers and their households for facts and figures on  the socio economical conditions	S.A.Samy	volunteer	25-1-2012
Formation of Farmer groups –These small groups will help in working with the villagers closely for intensive training programs.	S.A.Samy	volunteer	25-2-2012
Summary of the problems and solutions with the farmers.	S.A.Samy	volunteer	15-2-2012
Knowledge of various Bio input preparation methods learnt through Demo gardens .	Mr.I. Raj	paid	30-12-2012
Existence of Kitchen gardens to help them to have the organic vegetables and with the skill in preparing for Bio inputs at field level application	Mr.Subbu	paid	30-11-2013
Nursery garden with the vegetables saplings to be distributed for the villagers	Mr.I.Raj	paid	30-11-2013

6. PROJECT RESOURCES

Existing Non-Financial Resources

Human Resources: Please list the core team for the project and their professional background. Is there a bookkeeper/accountant in place? Have there been changes in key staffing in the past year?

We hire the auditor annually and the books are audited by the recognized auditor for tax filing. We do not have a accountant at the moment .

Mr. S.A.Samy, project director who has more than twenty five years of experience in grassroot level development activities in various capacities and expert in mobilizing people and resources for field oriented implementation. His expertise includes planning and execution of field based activities in rural areas. As a sociologist and communication expert he can identify the living conditions of the poor people and devise programs to seek ways to come out of poverty. He has authored many articles with the view to bring about the culture as well as the indigenous resources of the people which is fundamental to the very idea of development.

Mr. I Raj an expert in the farming who has a working experience in the field of farming as a trainer with the St.Josephs farm in Trichy is the very good field worker who can make good dialogues with the farming communities in terms of motivation and evaluation and monitoring the field based activities.

Mr. Subbu who was a senior organic farmer in the region who knows about the area and the people is a very good trainer in organic farming methods .He has the extensive knowledge in preparation of bio inputs and soil conversion techniques. He is part of the federation of organic farmers association. His convincing talk and commitment has attracted many farmers in to organic farming.

Students from Great Lakes Management Institute are also coming to the project as volunteers to learn about the village life and help in our activities. These students have a programme to be volunteers to help around the projects near their campus in the name of Karma yoga. They will be helpful in organizing meeting and arrangements etc.

Mrs. llona from Israel who lives in Auroville has an organic farm where she is experimenting different alternative crops of the region and also specializes in seed collection. She is willing to be our adviser and part of the monitoring team.

Dr. Saraaswathi a women trustee of CCD who is specialized in women studies and cooperative movements will guide the project in the women related areas for forming up cooperatives and marketing products.

Prof. Kennedy Fernandez the trustee of CCD who is in the academic field doing his research in Micro finance has keen interest in the project and will guide the in the marketing areas.

What other non-financial support do you have? (Space, materials, equipment, volunteers, etc.)

The office with the training hall facilities .volunteers from time to time forms a nearby educational institutions.

What is the contribution of the local community to make these activities a success?

The space for demo garden is given by the local communities and the meeting venue is also arranged by the local communities.

What other financial or in-kind support do you have from the local community or authorities?

The village meetings will have the halls and with electricity that they do not charge and it is the contribution from the side of local communities.

6.2. Financial Resources

List existing financial resources that will contribute to the achieving these goals, including SD organizations, government and other funders.

Is any of the support you are currently receiving ongoing?

The SD New Zealand and SD Norway and SD USA have supported our project
From individual local donors and international donors        

Have you applied for a grant to other funding or government agencies? Please name them.

We have not applied to government agencies as there is no provision for the govt to support organic farming methods.

7. BUDGET

What is your organization’s fiscal year?

From April Ist to March 31st -

How much financial support are you requesting of Susila Dharma organizations in the application?

Total amount requested 6,99,500 Indian rupees

Please include your detailed budget for the whole project, and indicate which portion will be covered by this grant request.

Perumbedu village Budget 2011-2013	INR
1. Monthly meetings
Resource person – 750 x 24	18,000
Travel	10,000
Food and beverages—2000x24	48,000
Preparatory expenses	24,000
Sub Total	100,000
2. Farmers second level meeting	10,000
3. Farmers meeting for summarizing and solutions	10,000
4. Village level and family expenditure survey
Travel	2,500
Resource person	5,000
Report and survey with expert	10,000
Sub Total	17,500
5. Demo Plot (approx 2500 sq ft)
Clearing and levelling the land	15,000
Fencing and wiring	7,000
Nursery Seedlings and plants	10,000
Organic manure and vermicompost
Panchakavya, Amitha karaisal etc	10,000
Organic pesticides - Aiyanthilai karaisal
Neem cake, five oil preparation	10,000
Demo plot caretaker (1500 x 24 )	36000
Maintenance expenditure	10,000
Farming equipments	15,000
Trainer Expenses (500 x 30)	15,000
Sub Total	128,000
6. Kitchen and herbal garden nursery expenses
Seedlings and plants	10,000
Care taker	1500 x 24
Garden equipments	10,000
Sub Total	56,000
7. Administrative expenses
Office rent with electricity (2500 x 24)	60,000
Communication expenses (1000 x 24)	24,000
Field staff (2) (4000 x 24 )	192,000
Travel expenses (2000 x 24)	48,000
Office staff with book keeping (3000 x 24)	72,000
Sub Total	396,000
Grand Total	717500
Exchange rate at 17.10.11
INR 1000=£12.93; €14.75; $20.48
Currency equivalents =£7,762; €8,853; $14.332

The contribution from CCD

The volunteers travel and food expenses (2000x24)	48,000
The organic seed distribution 500x24	12,000
The external visitors and govt formality expenses	10,000
Auditing expenses	5,000
Unforeseen expenses	5,000
Stationary expenses	10,000
Information pamphlets and fact sheets	10,000
Total Indian Rupees	100,000

8. BANKING INFORMATION OF RESPONSIBLE ORGANISATION

Is your organization legally allowed to receive funds from international sources?

Yes .The organization has got the legal permission from Govt of India to receive funds from abroad.

Please provide the following banking information:

Address:
The Name of the account Holder: Centre for Culture and Development
Account number – SB -404578143
Name of the bank – Indian Bank
Address of the Bank – 4/12 Trust Puram III cross ,
Kodambakkam. Chennai.India
Swift - CODE of the bank : IDIBINBBMAS



ADDRESS of the Receiver:
Centre for Culture and Development
2/58 Gandhi Road, Gillnagar , Chennai.94 . INDIA

We affirm that the information contained in this application form is correct to the best of our knowledge.

Signed: S.A.Samy
Position: Project Director
Date: 25th October2011

Logframe Matrix below

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Project summary
Long term expected results:	Indicators of achievement	Means of verification	Risks and Assumptions
Enable sustainable agricultural livelihoods for farmers. Improve and maintain soil health and quality to withstand the effects of climate change. Prevent population migration to cities	More productive land and healthier crops Village populations better fed and healthier, farmers stay on land	Continued measurements of inputs and outputs of farming activities. Continued measurements of family incomes and health Interviews with stakeholders	Climate change is not too severe. Herbal remedies are effective. Bio – inputs are effective.
Medium term expected results:	Indicators of achievement	Means of verification	Risks and Assumptions
The Awareness on health matters increased. The establishment of successful demo plot Farmers are convinced by the demonstration of effective techniques and commence using organic methods. Capacity of villagers is increased.	Decreased use of toxic and poisonous chemicals. Demonstration plots produce significant results in terms of yield and quality of produce. Numbers of families start growing organic vegetables in kitchen gardens. Numbers of villagers demonstrating problem solving and improving their situation by their own efforts	Observations during visits Conversation with villagers Written reports Clear record keeping of inputs and outputs both organic and non organic farmers. Photos. Reports. Photos. Reports. Interviews.	People engage and are committed. Raising awareness takes longer than anticipated.
1.Level of understanding of  methods and their usage is improved. i.e. low cost methods of farming	Increase in engagement of villagers. Quality of discussion	Reports of meetings	Villagers lose interest
2. Greater understanding of causes of problems	Increase in engagement of villagers. Quality of discussion	Reports of meetings	“
3. Increase in ability to problem solve	Increase in engagement of villagers. Quality of discussion Solutions to problems identified and proposed	Reports of meetings	“
4.Greater knowledge of economic and health  situation of villagers. Greater knowledge of the impact of current cultivation on natural resources and livestock.	Baseline survey complete	Photos report	Villagers do not give accurate data
5. Fertiliser and bio-pesticides production underway Organic cultivation underway in demo plot Uptake of methods  by villagers Chemical fertilizers and pesticides used safely	Numbers of people producing bio fertilisers Amounts of crops observed Numbers of people taking up methods demonstrated Chemical stored safely. Villages demonstrating safe application	Photos reports	Slowness in uptake
6.Increase in awareness of herbal remedies Villagers instructed in use of plants for specific ailments	Medicinal plant production established Start of use of medicinal plants	Photos reports conversations with villagers	Lack of trust in efficacy of remedies
Key Activities: (tasks)	Indicators of achievement	Means of verification	Risks and Assumptions
1.Monthly farmers meetings x24	Numbers of people attending meeting Numbers of people starting to use methods Quality of discussion about the progress of the project	Report. Photos. Copies of materials and receipts. Informal feedback from villagers.	Preliminary research is correct and there is sufficient interest Funding is received
2.Problem Analysis meetings x 1	Numbers of people attending meeting	Report. Photos. Copies of materials and receipts	No interest
3.Farmers meeting summarise and solution finding x1	Numbers of people attending meeting	Report. Photos. Copies of materials and receipts	No interest
4.Village level Survey x 1	Baseline survey on village.	Report.  Photos.	Villagers give inaccurate data
5.Create demonstration plot infrastructure Plan use of demo plot Purchase farm equipment -  see below Clear and level land Fencing -  see below Build shed for organic inputs- see below Purchase plants and seeds -  see below Collect manures  - see below Create composts -     “ Create pesticides -    “ Start vegetable production Use bio fertilisers etc. Hold demo days – weekly on Sundays	Caretaker/worker Mrs .Kanniammal Design  of cropping plan Used according to schedule Used as necessary The garden is maintained on daily basis by care taker	Diagrams,  Workplan Timesheets Photos receipts Photos receipts Photos, recipes, receipts Maintenance schedule Photos, recipes, receipts Receipts Photos written records Receipts Photos  written records
6. Create Kitchen Garden Purchase Seedlings and Plants - see below Purchase Garden Equipments -  see below	Caretaker	Time sheets Receipts Receipts
7. Administration  24 month period	Project coordinator Field staff ( two) Office manager /rent/utilities Communication costs Travel	Time sheets accounts “                “ Receipts Receipts Receipts