TIST
March 2005
CHEZHUMAI ©
Balaji Small Group of Mel Kodangalur
The members of this small group are conscious about the global warming. They love growing trees. Since one year they have been growing trees in more and more numbers as a TIST Small Group. They do not go for large number of trees, instead they plant variety of trees, and more over they choose the species, which helps them in long run. Primarily, they have planted cotton trees.
A member of this small group, Mr.Sridhar says that, “one of the main reasons for planting cotton trees is because cotton trees yield during March to June, which is the time for paying school fees to his children and this yield gives him a great hand”. In about 10 acres of land, there are 935 trees, all are of good and useful species like, agathai, drum stick, teak, cotton, etc., and they also have 350 teak seedlings. Utmost care is taken for all the seedlings. Unless the seedlings are in good height and strength, they are not transplanted, for example, the seedlings are kept in the polythene bags till they reach 4-5 feet in height and attain 5-10 cm in stem thickness. At this healthy state if the seedlings are transplanted, they will sustain even the acute summer. Overall, the activities of this small group are well planned.
Do Not Burn Them
It is not only the trees, which reduce the CO2, even the plants. The plants intake CO2 and by the process of photosynthesis they produce energy to grow. At the same time, excessive CO2 damages the yield and plants as well. Sugarcane being an annual crop reduces CO2 round the year for photosynthesis. Once after the harvest, the leaves are trimmed and burnt resulting in addition of CO2 to the atmosphere. Whatever CO2 reduction the cane did for one year is mounted up again in just few minutes by burning the leaves. Do not burn them, put them on the soil along with the crops. They will protect the manure from being burnt by the direct sun light. Mr.Sridhar, a member of Balaji Small Group of Mel Kodangalur says that they never burn the unwanted leaves, they put them over the manure, and the soil below the leaves are always wet and moreover the farmers friend, earthworm does a great job in such wet state.
Avoid Single Species
Thazhamboo, Malligai, Velavan, Brindhavanam and Roja Small Groups are the five newly registered small groups of Chittoor. They are with the TIST since three months and have come out with great numbers of eucalyptus trees. These five small groups planted more than 72,000 eucalyptus trees. Overall, small groups of Chittoor all put together have more than 1,80,000 trees, out of which 1,50,000 trees are eucalyptus. This activity of going for single species is away from TIST Best Practice. Every small group should have at least 3 different species of trees in their groves. This is strongly recommended to avoid the negative impacts associated with monoculture plantations. The Balaji Small Group of Mel Kodangalur is earning Rs.10,000/- in addition to the TIST Voucher payment by selling the yields of their drum stick and cotton trees. TIST insists all small groups of Chittoor to start a nursery with minimum 1000 seedlings of fruit bearing and other by product yielding species before the next voucher payment.
Track Data of the Groves
All these days, your TIST Quantifier/Auditor was taking the count and colleted data on growth of your trees and seedlings. From January 2005, one additional detail about your tree grove is being collected - calculating the area and drawing a map, i.e., drawing the shape of your tree grove with the help of the Global Positioning System (GPS). If you see the India Map or your District Map, you can see the marking of your village as a small circle. TIST is drawing a map of your tree grove in your village map.
The Quantifier will walk clockwise along the perimeter of your tree grove by holding the Palm and GPS properly connected together. As the Quantifier walks along the tree grove perimeter, the GPS draws a map that traces the steps of the Quantifier. When the Quantifier completes walking around the tree grove and comes back to the starting point, a closed loop tract is displayed on the Palm, which represents the perimeter of the tree grove. After collecting the track data, the Quantifier takes a photograph corresponding to the particular track data with the name board clearly visible. Every tree grove should have a name board erected, stating the name of the small group, grove name and village. In future, even if the small groups forget the site of their tree grove, TIST will help them in identifying their tree grove. This way of collecting tract data on the tree groves will avoid confusion between two small groups. Please cooperate with your Quantifier and show him your entire tree grove by walking with him along your tree grove parameter.
Good Small Groups Earn their Voucher Payment through:
1. Regular submission of SGMRs at the Node meetings. Eligibility for a voucher requires that your Small Group submit 3 SGMRs in a row.
2. SGMRs should be submitted for the month that has ended. For example at the February Node meeting, your Small Group should submit the SGMR for the month of January wherein you should report your Group’s activities during the month of January.
3. Regular attendance at Node Meetings by at least 2 members of the Small Group.
4. Proper care of Nursery seedlings and trees in groves.
5. Regular updates of group activities in their Log books by small group members.
6. Good cooperation extended to TIST staff during their visit.
7. Planting of variety of tree species. No one species should be more 1/3rd of your entire plantings.
8. Ensure that your group’s groves are quantified every quarter by requesting TIST staff at Node meetings to arrange for quantification of your group.
Question and Answer
TIST is coming out with a new column in the Chezhumai – “Question and Answer”. If your Small Group members have any queries with regard to TIST Project activities, they can be presented to the TIST staff during the Node Meeting. The TIST staff will do their best to answer your queries right at the Node meeting and in some cases may have to get back to your group with an answer. If you feel that your queries should be made known to all the small groups of Tamil Nadu, so that, every member will be educated with the answer, write your question on a piece of paper and hand it over to the TIST Staff, and upon review the same will be published in the Chezhumai. Before putting the question, discuss with the other small group members of your village and come out with one main question. We have seven Node Centers and we look forward to have only one question from every Node to publish it in the Chezhumai.
TIST India
Mr. Prabakar Srinivasan, Project Manager
Mr. A. Joseph, TIST Coordinator and Correspondent
Schedule for Node Meeting
Node Villages Covered Group Center Day Session From To Chamundi Chamundi, El Endathur, Agili Mel Kodungalur 1st Sunday 06.03.2005 03.04.2005 Morning 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Mel Kodungalur Singapalli, Ulundhai, Mel Kodungalur, Kattukolli Mel Kodungalur Kunnavakkam 1st Tuesday 01.03.2005 05.04.2005 Evening 5:30 PM 7:30 PM Peruvalayam Peruvalayam, Melapulam, Mottur Melapulam 2nd Saturday 12.03.2005 09.04.2005 Morning 9:00 AM 11:00 AM Kattiampandal Kattiampandal, Vellaputur Kattiampandal 2nd Sunday 13.03.2005 10.04.2005 Morning 9:00 AM 12:00 AM Chitoor KeeraNallur, Chittoor, Molachur, Nandhimedu, Singadivakkam, Marutham, Jambhodi Molachur 3rd Sunday 20.03.2005 17.04.2005 Afternoon 3:00 PM 5:00 PM Kandoor Sokandhi, Kandoor Molachur 3rd Sunday 20.03.2005 17.04.2005 Evening 6:00 PM 8:00 PM Aandiseruvallur Vedal, Aandiseruvallur, Kottavakkam, Melpadavur, Seruvallur, SeruvallurMettucolony Vedal 4th Saturday 26.03.2005 23.04.2004 Afternoon 3:00 PM 5:00 PM
