Jisudan Disari: Collectivising to conserve shared resources
39 years old
Barakutni Village, Semiliguda Block, Koraput District, Odisha
Dedicated to forest conservation and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, Jisudan Disari is a pillar of strength for his community in the Barakutni village of the Koraput district. His journey from a traditional cultivator to a community leader advocating for ecological balance reflects his deep understanding of the intricate relationship between nature and human survival.
There is a bluntness, an intensity as Disari speaks, which conveys the urgency of the matters at hand. “The heat is rising, pollution is increasing. So our approach is - we protect the water, forest, and land; we protect our livelihoods; we progress in this way.”
For Disari, conserving the village commons is deeply intertwined with his community’s cultural heritage. “All the festivals are connected with the water, forest, and land,” he explains passionately, illustrating the inextricable ties between cultural and natural
Commons. This cultural connection fosters a sense of responsibility and reverence for the environment, motivating collective action to protect their forests.
Disari started working for the conservation of forests at a very young age. He worked with his community on the formation of a village institution, collectively devising rules for controlled grazing, reducing forest fires, and the collection of NTFP. He led forest regeneration through water conservation and planting of native species. Systems such as, ‘thengapalli’, wherein each family takes turns to guard the forest, were instituted.
The efforts slowly began to show results with a visible increase in the forest cover and improved biodiversity.
We need to protect our forests - that’s how we’ll survive, isn’t it? We are saved by the forests, by the water, by the environment. This is divine to us. We don’t have books and such knowledge. But we have stories, we have songs.
Restored forests improved water flows in the uphill streams, and Disari was prompt to see the opportunity for sustainably using it for household and agriculture needs. Implementing the Diversion-Based Irrigation (DBI) system, the community diverted a portion of the water from the hills to the village through gravity flow.
This saved the women a couple of hours, which they otherwise spent going up and down the hill to fetch water, every day. It also provided critical irrigation to monsoon crops (Kharif) and supported cultivation of two crops (including a winter crop) a year instead of leaving the land fallow, thereby improving crop productivity and household incomes. The success of these efforts motivated the community to further restore upper catchment areas and reduce shifting cultivation to improve vegetation cover and maintain perennial water flow.
However, increased water availability also meant increased responsibility and Disari understood this very well. Slowly but steadily, he steered the community towards
sustainable agricultural practices, promoting the cultivation of low-input crops suitable to the area.
Understanding that community stewardship also requires clear rights of communities over resources, Disari led the efforts to secure Community Forest Rights (CFR) over 1,000 acres of community-managed forest. The claim is in the final stages of verification, and the community expects to receive the CFR title soon.
Today, Barakutni is a model for protecting, restoring, conserving, and managing its Commons. The village is largely self-sustained, relying on external markets only
for essentials such as salt and oil. The community’s commitment to forest conservation earned them the prestigious “Prakruti Mitra” recognition in 2022, along with INR 20,000 cash reward.
Disari emphasises the role of information sharing and training in this transformation. “Earlier, we did not know about the schemes available to us,” Disari notes, underscoring the gap. Training on restoration, water harvesting, agricultural techniques, and information about government schemes empowered the community to utilise available resources effectively.
While celebrating progress, Disari acknowledges ongoing challenges, such as the need for better education facilities and proper fund utilisation for environmental restoration.
He remains focused on the future and envisions writing a book to preserve and share traditional knowledge. “We have to conserve our knowledge and pass it on,” he asserts,
emphasising the importance of passing down wisdom to younger generations. As a true guardian of the forests, Disari continues to inspire and lead his community towards
a harmonious coexistence with nature. Listen:
Commenti