Read the given passage carefully and answer the five questions that follow.
Jhabua district is located in the westernmost agro-climatic zone in Madhya Pradesh. It is, in fact, one of the five most backward districts
of the country. It is characterised by a high concentration of tribal population (mostly Bhils). The people suffer due to poverty which
has been accentuated by the high rate of resource degradation, both forest and land. The Watershed Management Programmes funded
by both the ministries of ”Rural Development” and ”Agriculture”, Government of India, have been successfully implemented in Jhabua
district which has gone a long way in preventing land degradation and improving soil quality. Watershed Management Programmes
acknowledge the linkage between land, water and vegetation and attempt to improve livelihoods of people through natural resource
management and community participation. In the past five years, the programmes funded by the Ministry of Rural Development alone
(implemented by Rajiv Gandhi Mission for Watershed Management) have treated 20 percent of the total area under Jhabua district.
The Petlawad block of Jhabua is located in the northernmost part of the district and represents an interesting and successful case of
Government-NGO partnership and community participation in managing watershed programmes. The Bhils in Petlawad block, for
example, (Sat Rundi hamlet of Karravat village) through their own efforts, have revitalized large parts of Common Property Resources
(CPR). Each household planted and maintained one tree on the common property. They also have planted fodder grass on the pasture
land and adopted social-fencing of these lands for at least two years. Even after that, they say, there would be no open grazing on these
lands, but stall feeding of cattle, and they are thus confident that the pastures they have developed would sustain their cattle in future.
An interesting aspect of this experience is that before the community embarked upon the process of management of the pasture, there
was encroachment on this land by a villager from an adjoining village. The villagers called the Tehsildar to ascertain the rights on the
common land. The ensuing conflict was tackled by the villagers by offering to make the defaulter encroaching on the CPR, a member
of their user group and sharing the benefits of greening the common lands/pastures.
Which among the following was not used by Bhils to revitalise Common Property Resources?
Correct Answer :
Open grazing
Solution :
The correct option is Open grazing.
Explanation:
Based on the provided passage, the Bhil community in the Petlawad block of Jhabua used several specific methods to revitalize the Common Property Resources (CPR). Let's examine these details from the text:
1. Plantation of trees: The passage states, "Each household planted and maintained one tree on the common property." Thus, this method was actively used.
2. Plantation of fodder grass: The text mentions, "They also have planted fodder grass on the pasture land..." Hence, this method was also utilized.
3. Social-fencing: The passage notes that they "...adopted social-fencing of these lands for at least two years." Therefore, social-fencing was employed.
4. Open grazing: Regarding grazing practices, the passage explicitly highlights that the villagers agreed "...there would be no open grazing on these lands, but stall feeding of cattle...".
Since the community explicitly prohibited and avoided open grazing to protect and sustain the pastures, it was not a method used to revitalize the Common Property Resources. Instead, they adopted stall feeding.
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