RUAF-CFF programme started in South Asia beginning with Hyderabad as the first pilot city in the year 2005. Keeping in mind the involvement of multi stakeholder in action planning and policy design pertaining to UPA an enabling team was formed with Mr. Bheer Singh Parsheera, the agriculture production commissioner for Andhra Pradesh as the chairperson. Two enabling team meeting were organized as an introduction and for sensitization process to the various line departments such as Department of Agriculture, Horticulture, HUDA, MCH, Department of Livestock and Fisheries.

Partners in the City:

Following Institutions are the Partners of IWMI in Hyderabad

• NAARM : National Academy of Agriculture Research Management
• EPTRI : Environment Protection Training and Research Institution
• HMWSSB : Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewage Board
• IRDAS : Institute of Resource Development And Social management.
• HUDA : Hyderabad Urban Development Authority
• Forest department, Government of Andhra Pradesh
• Horticulture department, Government of Andhra Pradesh
• Animal Husbandry department, Government of Andhra Pradesh
• Department of Fisheries, Government of Andhra Pradesh
• Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad
• Department of Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh

A training of trainers workshop was organized followed by a training programme for the enabling team members on the multistakeholder and partnership process. A suitable municipality has been identified to carry out the implementation of a strengthening process to Urban and Peri urban agriculture in Hyderabad. After two consequent inception meetings, the exploratory study is in progress. Draft Declaration and TOR has been signed and agreed upon by few stakeholders and others are in the process of signing it. Collection of secondary data of the municipality is completed. The land use map for the municipality is ready for ground truthing exercise with students of JNTU involved. Similarly the students from a local social works college have been involved for carrying out a scenario in which UPA is taking place and what are the future potentials available for such opportunity.

About the City

Hyderabadis the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated in the region of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad has an estimated metropolitan population of 6.1 million (61 lakh), making it India's sixth-largest metropolitan area. Hyderabad is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique character as a meeting point for North and South India, and its multilingual culture, both geographically and culturally, is also one of the most developed cities in the country. It is now a hub of information technology and biotechnology.

The city's population in 2006 was estimated to be 5.7 million, while the population of the greater metropolitan area was estimated at over 8.3 million. Hinduism and Islam are the most widely practiced religions in the city. The main languages spoken are Telugu, Urdu and Hindi. English is widely used in business, commerce and governance.

Hyderabad and Secunderabad are the twin cities, separated by the Husain Sagar (bound by the 'Tank Bund'), a man-made lake.

Climate

• Summer (May): Average maximum Temperature: 40 degrees Celsius. Average minimum: 25 degrees Celsius.
• Winter (December): Average maximum Temperature: 28 degrees Celsius. Average minimum: 13 degrees Celsius.
• Highest ever recorded: 45.6 degrees Celsius; Lowest ever recorded: 6.1 degrees Celsius.
• Annual precipitation: About 79 cm.
• Geological system: Archean.
• Soil: Red Sandy, with areas of Black Cotton soil.
• Surrounding terrain: Rocky/hilly. (The region around Hyderabad is known for its beautiful rock formations. There are many rock formation enthusiasts in the city.)
• Climatic: Tropical Wet and Dry (Koppen).

Training Programme on
Home Gardening & School Gardening

Programme Schedule

1. November 01st, 2007        -           Nursery bed preparation & management
2. November 17th, 2007        -           Field preparation
3. November 30th, 2007        -           Planting, Fertilization, Irrigation
4. December 15th, 2007         -           Fertilization, Inter cultures, P.P. measures
5. December 20th, 2007         -           Harvesting

1. Nursery bed preparation & Management

Training program in Home garden took place in Surabhi colony on the 1st of November in a selected plot in Surabhi Colony at around 10.30 AM

Nearly 38 women from the colony participated in the program organised by IWMI-RUAF-CFF team Saba Ishaq, MPAP and Training Officer, K.B.Suleman, KIM Officer and A Venkat Radha, GIS Associate, with technical support from Dr. Suryanarayna Principal Scientist, and Dr. R. V. S. K. Reddy, Sr. Scientist, Vegetable Department, Acharya N G Ranga Agriculture University.

The theory and practice was narrated and demonstrated respectively as part of the training on Nursery bed preparation & Management is the first module of training

The objective of the training was to share with the residents the importance of growing food at home and how to begin doing it.

A one hour lecture on different types of vegetables, their seasonality, the process to initiate the plantation and preparation of nursery beds was given by the agriculture university experts.

This was followed by practical on making of nursery bed.  Women from the colony came forward and actively participated in bed preparation as per instructions given by the experts and sowed Tomato and Brinjal seeds to prepare the transplants which would be then used as saplings for plantation in individual households. The next training on 15th November, 2007 on Field preparation.

Awareness program on School Garden was held in AP Residential School Gopanpally Tanda, in Serilingampally Zone on 1st Nov, 2007, the program saw the participation of School Principal, Vice Principal and other teachers along with around 25 girl students from Ninth Standard of Section A.

The awareness class was the first step in sensitizing the school towards kitchen garden program in the school where student and teachers will participate in the training and maintenance of school vegetable garden as part of demonstration project

Speaking on the occasion School Principal P. Chudamani said that she was highly enthusiastic about such a program as it will make the school self sufficient in certain way. The students and teachers will participate in the program and will look into the operation and maintenance however she expressed that school will not be able to make any contribution in terms of monetary resource for the program.

Saba Ishaq, introduced the concept to the audience and expressed the advantages of participation in such a program which runs into a number of dimensions from pedagogical importance to environment conservation and self sustainability.

Dr. Suryanarayana spoke to the students on the advantage of growing own food in an era where everything is unhealthy and polluted. While Dr. V. S. K. Reddy, Sr. Scientist, Vegetable Department, threw light on how to grow  vegetables and maintain them.

The logistic arrangements and initial preparations were taken care of by, K B Suleman, Knowledge & Information Management (KIM) Officer and A Venkat Radha, GIS Assciate RUAF-CFF for the program.

July-2006

Field visit in Hyderabad:

Seriligampally Municipality is a fast growing muncipalitry in Ranga Reddy district and part of Hyderabad urban agglomeration. Spread across 98.00sq Kms covering area of around 23 villages. Located in the western fringe about 21 Kms away from the Hyderabad metropolitan city. As a part of RUAF a team of  15 students along with a social work lecturer from Roda Mistry College of Social Work, 3 students of Geographical Information System  from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,  and two social workers from the Municipality which are part of UPA enabling team for Hyderabad along with the RUAF team of IWMI visited the municipality on 19th July 2006 to have an overview of the landforms, the existing agriculture in the area and interacted with family members of the  households located in three wards which are dominated by agrigarian class and still are involved in the process of agriculture. The field visit was to get the students familiarize with the municipality in general so that preparatory action for the exploratory study can be made based on the observation. 

Capacity Building workshop:

A two days workshop was organized on 26th and 27th of July for the 15 students of masters of social work (community development) from the Roda Mistry College of Social Work on Research tools as part of the capacity building for the exploratory study under RUAF –CFF. The college is a part of the UPA enabling Team and has expressed interest to participate in the MPAP process for Hyderabad. The 15 students of IInd year, Masters in social work were oriented on four areas namely RUAF-CFF,  participatory Action Research(PAR),  Exploratory Study and research tools like PRA and qualitative and quantitative data collection. The main objective of the two days workshop was to familiarize the students who will take part in the primary data collection process as part of the exploratory study to the approach to be adopted in the RUAF-CFF process.

The students were oriented on how to approach with a participatory action research project like RUAF-CFF where the partners involved have a multiple role to play from being researchers to actors to evaluators and advocate. It was emphasized that in such action research how important the role of primary qualitative and quantities data collection and use of various appropriate research tools like survey questionnaire and PRA methods is to see that the knowledge and information is documented and is made accessible to the different actors who are directly or indirectly involved in the process of urban and Periurban agriculture so that necessary actions and intervention of policy can be taken. Not only this gap in the knowledge, information and skills could also be addressed through capacity building based on the needs of the actors involved.

The students were given two tasks

1. How they would develop an action plan for a household nutritional security through kitchen gardening under a participatory action research framework.
2. To develop a quantitative and quantitative questionnaire for mapping water requirement of agglomerate of families in an area

The students will present the task on the second phase of capacity building to be held 2nd and 3rd of August when the specific orientation on the primary data collection for exploratory study begins.

More information on Hyderabad

Training of Trainers Workshop [13-16 October 2005]

This training program was to give the trainers an orientation to RUAF-CFF program and to enable participants to refresh their knowledge on adult learning principles that will make them more effective facilitators, modify their modules to the local situation of the participating institutions and urban and peri-urban agriculture context of Hyderabad. The strategy adopted by IWMI-IND is to undertake a training of trainers workshop in each of the pilot cities with 1-2 of the trainers from the 1st Pilot City – Hyderabad facilitating the training in Bangalore and subsequently trainers from the first two ToT workshops facilitating in the 3rd Pilot City. Budget savings in 2005 should facilitate this process. The ToT Workshop in Hyderabad was held at ICRISAT. The objectives of the Training of Trainers [TOT] workshop in Hyderabad were to support a number of selected trainers

• To broaden their subject matter knowledge regarding urban agriculture
• To introduce the concept of Multi-stakeholder Policy Design and Action Planning [MPAP] process and training program
• To enhance their capacities regarding participatory and gender sensitive adult learning methods.
• To help them adapt the available training materials to the specific conditions in Hyderabad and the specific needs of local stakeholder groups that will be involved in the MPAP trainings.
• To discuss and homogenize concepts related to urban agriculture, monitoring and evaluation, including outcome mapping and other technical issues.
• To further develop the training program for the MPAP training.

The different sessions of the ToT were:

1. Sessions in which the Cities Farming for Future [CFF] program was explained.
2. Sessions in which we discussed and homogenized the concepts related to UPA, MPAP and Outcome Mapping (what is it, how to do an MPAP)
3. Sessions on how to mainstream gender in training and monitoring and evaluation
4. Sessions in which the trainers discussed the principles of adult learning and participatory training skills
5. Sessions in which the RUAF modules were adapted to local conditions and specific training needs of stakeholders.
6. Sessions in which participants designed monitoring instruments and planned the organizational and logistical aspects of the trainings to be implemented in the region.

The TOT workshop thus served as a preparation for the MPAP training workshop held in December, 2005.

MPAP Capacity Building Workshop: 12-16, 22-23 December, 2005, Hyderabad

The target groups of the workshop were multi stakeholders identified for implementing UPA in Hyderabad and partner cities like Bangalore and Katmandu (Nepal). The workshop was organized by IWMI South Asia office. Team members were, Dr. Robert Simmons, Ms. Gayathri Devi, Ms. Saba Ishaq, Ms. Sweta Agrawal with administrative support from Ms. Roja Rani, Mrs. Raghupathi Navanitha and Mrs Judith Christiana.

The MPAP capacity building workshop was held for seven days and was divided into three modules namely, Module 1 (2 days), Module 2 (3 days) and Module 3 (2 days) (Annex II: MPAP capacity building workshop schedule).

Participants were government officials from various departments, NGOs including as mentioned above representatives from Bangalore and Kathmandu.

Purpose of workshop:

• To sensitize participants to urban and peri urban agricultural issues.
• To provide an orientation to RUAF-Cities Farming For Future program.
• To analyse the receptivity of the participants in regard to MPAP process
• To build capacities of all the participants in MPAP process.
• To seek the co-operation and commitment of all participating institutions for successful implementation of MPAP process.

Expected outcomes:

• To build the capacity of the stakeholders in regard to UPA.
• To develop network and contact with different line departments concerned with planning and execution of UPA in Hyderabad and partner cities.
• To initiate policy advocacy and lobbying with policy and decision makers
• To initiate platform for Multi-stakeholder forum and pilot project integrating gender mainstreaming.

Learning outcomes of Module 1

• The participants were able understand and appreciate the RUAF-CFF project and the objectives of MPAP capacity building workshop.
• The participants were able to understand the context in which RUAF-CFF came into being and they were able to understand the objectives and strategies of RUAF-CFF.
• Participants were able to describe in their own words the concept of UPA, identify forms of UPA and factors influencing UPA.
  · Participants were able to assess the different resources required for UPA.
• Participants understood the importance and utility of wastewater in UPA and could explain the impact of wastewater reuse in UPA in Hyderabad.
• Participants were able to appreciate the importance of separating organic and inorganic waste at source and how organic waste can be recycled for UPA.
• Participants were able to recognize the municipal solid waste problem and options for reuse in UPA.
• Participants understood the importance of UPA in solving problems of food security and nutrition and to mitigate the impact of AIDS.
• Participants were able to describe the importance of UPA in employment generation, income generation, waste recycling and the need for institutional support.

Learning outcomes of Module 2

• Participants were able to understand what is meant by stakeholder, what are multi stakeholder processes, the concept of the MPAP process, what are its principles, potentials and limitations.
• Participants were able to describe the elements of MPAP and preparation required for MPAP.
• Participants were able to broadly describe the different phases of MPAP and what each phase of MPAP entails and how much each of them can play a role to make MPAP a success in Hyderabad. (Some of the participant were of the opinion that the MPAP was a slightly complex term to understand and remember and should be simplified for the people. Also suggested was that the MPAP algorithm should be simplified).
• Participants were able to identify the different stakeholders and their linkages and need for new linkages.
• Participants were able to map different land uses in the city and understand GIS maps and how to interpret them. (This section also needed improvisation made according the scope of UPA).
• Participants understood the importance of participatory tools and could identify different PRA tools that can be used at different stages of MPAP. (This session needed improvisation with regards the scope of PRA tools for evaluating UPA in a city. Additional participatory exercises were undertaken to make the participants understand the difference between the rural context and urban context).
• Participants were able to describe the different steps involved in action planning.
• Participants can describe in their own words the concepts and principles of effective decision-making and strategies for conflict resolutions.
• Participants were able to describe in their own words methods to finance UPA activities.
• Participants were able to describe the potentials and constraints and key issues in UPA.
• Participate were able to describe different strategies for policy lobbying. (There should be a separate two-day workshop as far as policy and strategies discussion is concerned since it is the key issue of MPAP. Policy makers and experts from all over the country should be invited for a discussion after a through exploratory study)
• Participants got a view of different policies related to SWM

Learning outcomes of Module 3

• Participants were able to identify different gender issues in UPA and understood gender specific constraints and problems in the context of UPA in Hyderabad.
• Participants were able to describe different gender planning and analysis tools and got an orientation on how to mainstream gender in projects and institutions.
• Participants were able to describe in their own words the importance of M&E and how to mainstream it in MPAP·
• Participants were able to describe different steps in outcome mapping.

Product Released

Handouts on various sessions: Interactive CD-ROM on the workshop sessions, PP Presentations, proceedings and learning materials

Support to awareness raising at policy level, participatory policy formulation and action planning

In Hyderabad awareness raising of UPA at a policy level and the role of MPAP in the implementation and inclusion of UPA in city planning has to date centered on the MPAP/UPA enabling team. The 1st meeting of the MPAP/UPA enabling team was held on June 6th 2005. This meeting was chaired by Mr. Bir Singh Parsheera, (I.A.S) Agricultural Production Commissioner & Principal Secretary to Government, Agriculture and Cooperation Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

This meeting was attended by representatives of the following organizations, Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH), Commissionariate of Agriculture, (CoA), Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Department of Fisheries (DoF), Department of Animal Husbandry (DoAH), Forest Department for Andhra Pradesh (FD-AP) and IRDAS a local NGO partner.

This main aim of the 1st meeting of the MPAP/UPA enabling team meeting was to inform all relevant government departments about the RUAF-CFF (Resource Center for Urban Agriculture and Food Security – Cities Farming for Future) project and increase awareness of UPA and the role of MPAP in the implementation and inclusion of UPA in city planning.

The primary outcome of the meeting was that Mr. Bir Singh Parsheera agreed to be the chair of the MPAP/UPA enabling team for Hyderabad and nominated officials from following departments to be members of the MPAP/UPA enabling team

• Department of Horticulture (DoH)
• Department of Animal Husbandry (DoAH)
• Department of Forestry (DoF)
• Department of Agriculture (DoA)
• Department of Fisheries (DoF)
• Hyderabad Urban Development Authority – Urban Forestry wing
• Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH)
• Institute of Resource Development And Social management (IRDAS)

As a follow up to the 1st meeting of the MPAP/UPA enabling team a Briefing Note on UPA in Hyderabad was developed with inputs from IRDAS, HUDA and MCH and circulated to city partners.

The 2nd meeting of the MPAP-Enabling Team for Hyderabad was held on 28th of November 2005. Based on the lessons learned from the 1st Meeting, at the 2nd Meeting a series of documents were prepared and circulated to all partners of the MPAP/UPA Enabling Team as listed below

1. Briefing Note on RUAF-CFF Project & Role of UPA in the context of a ‘Sustainable City’
2. Schedule/Program for the MPAP/UPA Capacity building workshop 12-16th and 22-23rd of December, 2005
3. Draft Declaration
4. Draft Vision Statement
5. Draft Definitions of UPA

The 2nd meeting of the MPAP-Enabling Team was a half day meeting to provide sufficient time for presentations and discussions. In addition, the expected outcomes of the meeting were clearly stated in the Agenda Document namely,

1. All participants fully briefed on the RUAF-CFF Project and role of UPA in the context of a ‘Sustainable City’
2. Accepted definition of UPA in the context of Hyderabad
3. Clarification of the constraints and opportunities for UPA in Hyderabad
4. Official confirmation of the MPAP Enabling team and Signed Vision Statement
5. Confirmation that participating departments/agencies will nominate representatives to attend the MPAP/UPA Capacity building workshop

Key outcomes of the meeting were that the members present agreed on UPA activities that could be considered within the core urban area of Hyderabad include

• Home/Roof/Backyard gardens
• Mushroom cultivation
• Cold Storage Plants
• Research and Diagnostics [veterinary services]
• Nurseries
• Fruit trees in backyards
• Fisheries [in urban tanks/ponds
• Landscaping/Parks
• Floriculture
• Vermi-composting/Composting
• Solid Waste Recycling

Further, UPA activities that can be considered in Peri-urban areas of Hyderabad include

• Dairy farming/fodder cultivation
• Grain production to feed livestock
• Sheep rearing and piggeries
• Poultry (commercial and backyard)
• Backyard and commercial cultivation of vegetables
• Nurseries
• Vermi-composting/Composting
• Orchards
• Fruit processing plants [Peri-urban]
• Water treatment and utilization by end-users

An interactive CD-ROM which contains all the presentations, handouts and minutes of the MPAP Capacity Building workshop has been prepared and distributed to all the participants and members of the MPAP enabling team for Hyderabad

Case Studies

In 2005, Dr. Stephanie Buechler formally of IWMI-IND was contracted to undertake two a Gender Case Studies of wastewater users along the Musi River Corridor in Hyderabad.

The first case study “Highlighting the user in wastewater use research: Gender, caste and class in the study of wastewater users in Hyderabad, India” (S. Buechler and G. Devi, 2005) looks at the critical need to focus on the actors whose livelihoods depend on wastewater. The study incorporates location along a wastewater delivery system and user gender, class/caste, and religious affiliation as important variables in the study of wastewater. These factors were studied by means of a livelihoods approach. The multiple uses put to wastewater by men and women of varying characteristics at multiple sites along the Musi River near the large twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, India were studied. The case study indicates that the gender, caste/class and religious affiliations of the actors in combination with the quality of the natural and macro-economic environment determined the type of use made of the wastewater. A purely technical or economic analysis misses the importance of other factors that determine patterns of wastewater use. A multi-disciplinary livelihoods approach helps to ensure a more integrated analysis of untreated and treated, formal and informal wastewater use which can inform a more appropriate set of recommendations. The second case study Gender Dimensions of Urban Agriculture A Case Study of Hyderabad City, India (S. Buechler and G. Devi, 2005) investigates the gender issues in urban food production and household food security in Kachiguda area of Hyderabad and to identify the strategies that International Water Management Institute (IWMI), South Asia regional office would apply to mainstream these issues in the RUAF-CFF Program and in IWMI’s future research projects and policy recommendations.

Regional MPAP workshop: 20th to 25th of June

6-day workshop: Regional partners from three pilot cities namely, Hyderabad (x2), Bangalore(x1) and Gampaha, Sri Lanka (x6 (x3 male x3 female)). Participants included the Mayor of Gampaha. Purpose of the workshop was to;

• Sensitize other city partners on the MPAP and project activities/objectives.
• Exchange Visit: Mayor of Gampaha met with Municipal Commissioner of Serilingampally, Hyderabad & visited Suryapet Municipality to observe the SWM program as a basis for improving the situation in Gampaha.

Pilot Project development: Surabi Colony: Kitchen Gardens