a case study on the warana wired village project

8/2/2019 A Case Study on the Warana Wired Village Project

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A Case Study on The Warana Wired Village

Project: Cooperatives Empowers Youth

Warana

Warana, a small district of Maharashtra state in India is a well-developed rural area. Much ofWarana's success is due to the presence of a strong co-operative movement. About 50,000farmers live in 100 villages spread in the 25,000-kilometer

2area covered by the scores of

cooperatives. The main economic activity is sugar cane growing and processing. Emerging fromthe cooperative movement, The Warananagar Cooperative Complex in India has become famousas a precursor of successful integrated rural development, youth using technology. Since 1956,The Warana Sugar Cooperative has led the movement, resulting in the formation of more than 25

successful cooperative societies in the region that generated great social economy in India.

Co-operatives in Warana

The sugar cane factory, which produces 110,000 tons of sugar per year, employs 8,000 wor

kers and collects sugar cane from about 35,000 farmers, is the main source ofincome for the Warana community. Warana Cooperative Complex is hub of economic activitiessuch as a dairy unit, a food-processing unit, a chain of department stores, poultry farming, and aseries of women's co-operatives. The dairy employs 1,200 workers and collects 280,000 litres ofmilk per day from the 125 milk societies belonging to the dairy co-operative. The dairy co-operative, in turn, provides a series of services to its members; from veterinary aid to cattle sheddesign, from insemination to subsidy on animal purchases.

A central poultry unit provides layer birds, feed, veterinary facilities, and marketing of eggs forabout 500 small units producing 13 million eggs each year for an income of $90 million. Anexport-oriented food-processing unit (the Warana Agricultural Goods Processing Society)employs 400 workers, and produces fruit pulp and purees from fruit purchased from Warana(bananas) or from other parts of India (mangoes). The chain of department stores (the WaranaBazaar) has 350 employees working in 2 stores and 30 retail outlets in and around Warana.Finally, several co-operatives wholly controlled and managed by women are active in theproduction of snacks and baked goods, school uniforms, containers and labels for dairy products,and employ hundreds of women. The total turnover of these societies runs in millions. WaranaNagar has an electronic telephone exchange, connecting nearly 50 villages, which has permitteddial-up connections from village kiosks to the servers, located at Warana Nagar. There are manyinfrastructure facilities in and around Warana Nagar. About 80% of the population is agriculture-

based and an independent agricultural development department has been established by thecooperative society. The region is considered to be one of the most agriculturally prosperous inIndia.


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Potential - Young community

The region is substantially rural comprised of farming community. One third of the population isyouth; the cooperative leaders visualize great potential in youth. The villagers are more literatecompared to other region of the state, but if youth has been given technological knowledge andtools, they can be change agent for sustainable development agent. The cooperative leadersthought that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) could be used as an effectivetool for rural development. Using ICT to streamline the operations connected with sugar canegrowing and harvesting. This is benefiting small farmers, both in terms of transparency and timesaved on administrative transactions, as well as the cooperative, in terms of monetary gains. ICTwas brought as collaboration between the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the Government ofMaharashtra, the Education Department and the Warana Cooperative Complex. The rightconditions to bring ICT to Warana exist both in terms of human development and of

infrastructure.

Empowering Youth

Finding people with the right mix of skills and motivations is a necessary condition for anyproject to succeed in bringing ICT to rural communities. In the case of Warana, young operatorsat the information kiosks generally come from the grassroots, and have a great faith in thepotential of ICT to improve the standard of living of their community, especially of the ruralyouth. They feel that the Internet will allow young people to find information about educationaland job opportunities, and they see IT as the best sector where to find stable and well-paidemployment. Many operators have the capability of teaching computer skills and software tochildren and youth, and would be willing to provide training if given the necessary incentives.Furthermore, some of the operators have good programming skills; in the village of Tope, forinstance, an operator has developed a database to manage the local store's orders and purchases.

Some of these young operators have had job experiences in the city and decided to return to theWarana for the strong attachment to their community. If they are given the necessary incentives,these grassroots operators can become champions for ICT in their villages, easing access toinformation for farmers, providing training to children, and creating new economic opportunitiesthrough software development.

Goals of the Project

The Warana "Wired Village" project was initiated in 1998 by the PrimeMinister's Office Information Technology (IT) Task Force. The stated goal of the project is not

only to increase the efficiency and productivity of the sugar cane co-operative, but also toprovide a wide range of information and services to 70 villages around Warana. The project aimsin fact at giving villagers access to information in local language about crops and agricultural

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market prices, employment schemes from the government of Maharashtra, and educationalopportunities.

The project is likely to start distance learning at IT centers, the digitalization of land records, andthe connection of all of the cooperative's "business centers." Information on sugar cane growingand agricultural prices lies unutilized and has not been updated since 1998; this information wascentrally provided by NIC, and local staff was unable to update it independently.

How it operates

There are fifty-four functioning village information kiosks that are facilitating the sugar caneproduction process at three stages: first, during the yearly registration for plantation whenchanges to property are recorded; second, with the issuance of harvesting permits; and third, with

payments information. Farmers can go to the village information kiosks to receive payment slips.The sugar co-operative pays them for their crops in four installments that are credited directly totheir bank accounts. The co-operative publishes payment dates on a local paper, so farmers know

when it is their turn to go to the kiosks. Moreover, farmers can purchasefertilizer at deposits located next to the kiosks in cash or by using credit. If they buy using credit,they get a receipt for their purchase at the kiosk. Money spent on transport of the crop to thesugar factory is also entered in the system. Village information kiosks have operators who feedthe data into the computers, and are generally open between daytime. Depending on the size ofthe village served by a kiosk, between 30 and 100 farmers visit the kiosk daily. Village kioskshave a PC with a printer and most are connected to the sugar administrative building via wirelesstelephony. Some of them though, are now saving information on floppy disks and bringing the

disks to the sugar administrative building because they cannot afford big telephone bills. Kiosksalso have email and Internet access, although connections are often very slow. Some kiosks arebypassing the sugar factory computer center and connect to the Internet through privateproviders.

Warana's village booths supports supply chain management through coordinating the growth andharvesting of sugarcane for the local sugar cooperative. Additional transactional services includeemail services, digital photography, and astrology. Informational services are accessed throughthe Internet and include agricultural best practices, market rates, local news and politicaldevelopments, employment news, and information on children's education.

The village booths offer few eGovernance services, though they are widely demanded.

y Information on cultivation practices and crop disease controly e-Governance Health information, government programs, services and contact

information, land records, licenses, birth and death certificates, submission ofgovernment forms online and emails to government officials about grievances.


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y Utilizing IT to increase the efficiency and productivity of co-operatives by setting up astate-of-the art computer network, providing agricultural, medical and educationalinformation to the villagers at facilitation booths in their villages;

y Providing communication facilities at the booths to link villages to the Waranacooperative complex, bringing the world's knowledge to the villagers' doorsteps throughthe Internet via the National Informatics Centre Network (NICNET), and establishing ageographical information system (GIS) of the surrounding 70 villages, leading to greatertransparency in administration especially in matters related to land.

y Employment and agricultural schemes and government procedures;y Automated assistance in completing applications for government documents such as

ration cards and birth and death certificates;y Crop information; bus and railway timetables; medical facilities; and water supply

details.y From the booths villagers can interact with the Warana management to register

grievances and seek redress. Agricultural marketing information is available from theWarana web-server, giving market arrival and the daily prices of various regulatedcommodities. It is also possible for students to access educational and vocationalinformation from the booths.

Other applications include the management information system for sugarcane cultivationdeveloped by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which leads to speedy and accurate dataexchanges between the factory and the farmers, using the village facilitation booths. Thisinformation is essential to the farmers. The land records application permits villagers to view andprint extracts using data from a land database stored on a compact disc, or from the website ofthe talukto which they belong, right at their village booth (a talukis a sub-division of a districtconcerned with tax revenues). A Geographical Information System (GIS) has also beendeveloped. It includes a base map of the 70 villages involved in the project, socio-economicinformation, e.g. about schools, population, land under cultivation and linking cadastral maps in

local language. ICT has act as catalyst in development of the rural area and making happy andrich farmer community. Thanks to Cooperative leadership, whose faith in youth has resulted intosustainable development.

Details of the Wired Warana Village Project


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Source: Enabling ICT for Rural India, Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University

Reference:

Information and Communication Technology in Agricultural Development, by Shaik. N. Meera,

Anita Jhamtani, and D.U.M. Rao

Warana: The Case of an Indian Rural Community Adopting ICT, by Simone Cecchini, MonicaRaina


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Featured Co-operatives

Syinurayi Collective Farming Co-operative

Cashel Valley, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

Membership: The co-operative has 24 members and is situated ina community of just less than 100 people.

Activity: The objectives of the co-operative are:

y to develop agricultural inputs in the area,y improving the living standards of the members,y to become self reliant,y processing farm produce to finished goods.

Organisational Form: The Syinurayi Co-operative operates on a one-member one-vote system,with an equal share of decision-making power held by each member. For the purposes ofpractical management the co-operative elects a management committee of seven people eachyear at a general meeting of the co-operative. All major decisions regarding the co-operativesfuture would likewise be decided by the collective at a general meeting.

Date Formed: Registered on the 30 th of November 1982 .

A rea Served: The small Syinurayi Co-operative has replacedthe former commercial farm. Located 88 km south of Mutare in the Manicaland Province .

Structure: All the money the co-operative earns is divided equally between members. There are

no wages for members. The monthly family income hovers around $100. The co-operative hasset aside a small amount of savings, but has no assets, nor debts, as all infrastructure andequipment is owned by the state.


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The Alma Mater Society Bicycle Co-

operative

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Membership: The AMS Bicycle Co-operative consists of almost 500 members of the Universityof British Columbia 's undergraduate and graduate student population as well as the university'sstaff, faculty, and other community members.

Activity: The Bike Co-op is dedicated to making the University of British Columbia (UBC)campus a better place for cyclists and their bikes through improving the cycling environment.This is accomplished through providing public bikes, operating a bicycle shop, educating people

about bicycling issues and advocating upgrades to bicycle planning and policy.

Organisational Form: The AMS Bicycle Co-op was incorporated as a student club through theAlma Mater Society (AMS) at the University of British Columbia , (UBC) Vancouver , BC inMay, 1998.

Date Formed: May 1998.

Structure: The Co-op is a student-run club of the Alma Mater Society of UBC,

and is thus primarily responsible to its "parent" organization. As a result, the current executivestructure has a President, Vice-President and Treasurer, in addition to up to seven Directors-at-large. Even with this framework, the co-op's actual practice is to use consensus among memberspresent for decision-making and to share responsibility for the various projects and activities.

Most of the daily Bike Co-op administration and co-ordination takes place at the Hub where theyemploy one full-time and four part-time workers. Some Board members do take paid positions,depending on the available.

Autumn 2001, the fleet had increased to a total of 230 bicycles. In a university community thathas a population of 37,000 undergrad and graduate students, it is clear that cycling is, for manypeople, the most sensible mode of transportation to, from and around the campus.

FeesUBC StudentMember

ExternalMember

Full Year(Sept 1 - Aug31)

$10 $20

2/3 Year(Jan 1 - Aug 31) $7 $15Summer(May 1 - Aug31) $5 $10


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There are no shares in the AMS Bicycle Co-op. Rather, the Bicycle Co-op charges an annualmembership fee that costs twice as much for other members as it does for registered UBCstudents.

Additionally, members who wish to have

access to the fleet of Purple and Yellow public bikes are asked to contribute at least three

volunteer hours learning

International Co-operative Alliance

The International Co-operative Alliance is an independent, non-governmental association whichunites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide.

The ICA was founded in London in 1895. Its members are national and international co-operative organizations in all sectors of activity including agriculture, banking, energy, industry,insurance, fisheries, housing, tourism and consumer co-operatives. ICA has more than 230member organizations from over 100 countries, representing more than 760 million individualsworldwide.

In 1946, the ICA was one of the first non-governmental organizations to be accorded UnitedNations Consultative Status. Today it is holds the highest level of consultative status (GeneralCategory) with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Aims

The major objective of the ICA is to promote and strengthen autonomous co-operativesthroughout the world. Through actions taken at the international, regional

and national levels, the ICA also seeks to


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y promote and protect co-operative values and principles;y facilitate the development ofeconomic and other mutually beneficial relations between its

member organizations;

y further the economic and social progress ofits members and their communities.In order to achieve its aims, the ICA organises international, regional and sectorial meetings,thus serving as a forum for the exchange of experience and information among its vastmembership.

Methods

Information on all facets of co-operative development, resources and statistics are also collectedby the ICA and provided to members and other organizations involved with co-operatives.

The ICA has a documentation centre and produces publications on specialised topics, as well asperiodicals, including the ICA's official journal, the Review of International Co-operation.

Through its Headquarters and Regional Offices, the ICA also provides technical assistance forco-operative development in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern and Central Europe.

Sectoral organizations and thematic committees are also created by the ICA to address technicalissues in specific economic and social sectors.

The ICA collaborates with the United Nations and its specialised agencies, and non-governmental organizations with similar aims.

Starting a Co-operative

According to the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), the national voice for co-operativesin English-speaking Canada, the seven steps in forming a co-operative are:

PHASE I - DEVELOP THE CO-

OPERATIVE BUSINESS IDEA

Step 1: Assemble a group of interested people

Step 2: Conduct a feasibility study


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PHASE II - CO-ORDINATE THE PRE CO-

OPERATIVE'S ACTIVITIES

Step 3: Hold an organizing meeting

Step 4: Conduct a viability study

PHASE III - ORGANIZE AND START UP

THE CO-OPERATIVE

Step 5: Organize the association

Step 6: Organize the enterprise

Step 7: Hold the initial general meeting

Youth: The Future of Co-operation

The youth of today are finding a natural home in the values and principles of co-operatives andcredit unions - the same values and principles espoused by our ancestors in building the co-operative movement.

Support for youth in the co-operative movement can be found around the world.

The story of how a group of young Canadian mountaineers, stormbound on Mount Baker in thespring of 1970, conceived of and then implemented a co-operative for quality outdoor gear, islegendary. Today, Mountain Equipment Co-op has nearly two million members and isCanada's largest supplier of outdoor equipment. A large part of MEC's success has been the co-op's ability to tap into issues that resonate with today's young people. These issues - concern forcommunity, democratic member control and ownership, autonomy and independence, and co-operation - are the very foundation of Canada's co-operatives and credit unions.


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. Youth: The Future of Co-operation

The youth of today are finding a natural home in the values and principles of co-operatives andcredit unions - the same values and principles espoused by our ancestors in building the co-operative movement.

Support for youth in the co-operative movement can be found around the world.

The story of how a group of young Canadian mountaineers, stormbound on Mount Baker in the

spring of 1970, conceived of and then implemented a co-operative for quality outdoor gear, islegendary. Today, Mountain Equipment Co-op has nearly two million members and isCanada's largest supplier of outdoor equipment. A large part of MEC's success has been the co-op's ability to tap into issues that resonate with today's young people. These issues - concern forcommunity, democratic member control and ownership, autonomy and independence, and co-operation - are the very foundation of Canada's co-operatives and credit unions.

In the small News Brunswick community of Rexton, the local credit union and high schoolteamed up to encourage current leaders to get involved with youth in a meaningful way. Theresult was the Rexton "Bengal" Credit Union, located in the high school. It didn't take muchconvincing for students to realize that getting involved in their high school credit union was rightfor them. Recruitment of membership was immediate and students campaigned to gain votes tobe elected to the new Board of Directors. Through this initiative, the credit union and communityare creating a generation of youth who are empowered by the co-operative principles and possess

the experiences and skills required to take their place as future community leaders.

The Co-operative Retailing System in western Canada comprises nearly 300 autonomous retailco-operatives; they are owners ofFederated Co-operatives Ltd (FCL). At the system's fallconferences, each region invites young people to attend under either the Future Leaders Programor the Young Persons Program. The goal of these programs is to get young people involved,interested in their retails, and serving on local boards of directors. FCL and its retail membersalso offer a Student Development Program that provides students of post-secondaryinstitutions with summer employment as well as the first step in training for a managementcareer in the system.

Many Ontario young people are learning about careers in the co-op sector through the Co-operative Internship Program. A partnership between the Ontario Co-operative Associationand Human Resources Development Canada, the internship is a wage subsidy program providingco-operatives and credit unions with interns while building the skills and knowledge of a newgeneration of leaders.


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The Co-operators Group Ltd is a strong advocate for leadership development and education,and supports youth-serving agencies and initiatives through financial and in-kind contributionsincluding donations, sponsorships, scholarships and bursaries, employment, and mentoringopportunities. Partnering with the Canadian Co-operative Association and the various co-operative affiliates also provides a link with youth focused activities.

With support from local, regional and national co-operatives and credit unions, provincial andregional co-operative associations offer a variety of programs and activities aimed at youngpeople. For three-quarters of a century, these innovative programs have been helping youthstrengthen their self-esteem, solve problems, learn teamwork, leadership, and

communication skills, as well as receive encouragement to become active members incommunity and co-operative organizations.

The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) has developed a youth actionplan to recruit young adults to housing co-ops and to develop a new generation of leaders. Eachyear a Youth Forum is held as part of CHF Canada's annual meeting. It includes workshops,discussion groups, social activities, and a representation to the plenary.

In 2004, Credit Union Central of Canada launched an award recognizing an individual whohas demonstrated leadership competencies, including management of a major credit unioninitiative and participation in community initiatives. TheNational Young Leader Award ispresented each May.

The annual Building Co-operative Futures conference provides young people from around theworld with an opportunity for youth to learn about co-operative ideals and to provide the toolsnecessary to think of co-operatives as an alternative business model.

Youth sit on co-op boards, join credit unions, support local retail co-ops, are employed by co-ops,t participate in co-op activities, study co-ops and find innovate ways to create new co-ops.The youth of today are active participants Canada's co-operatives and credit unions, and will leadthe co-operative movement into the future


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Training

Featured Training Programs

Internship Program: The North American Students of Cooperation

The Cooperative Internship Network places talented student cooperators in jobs withcooperatives and cooperative organizations. Each spring, the Network seeks to bring togetherstudent applicants with Internship sponsors for summer employment in a wide range ofcooperatives and cooperative organizations. Past internships have included: a summer internshipwith a low-income credit union in Appalachia; an internship with the National CooperativeBusiness Association; and an internship with the member services department of an optical

cooperative in Detroit. Most internships are paid and some include room and board as well.NASCO works with internship sponsors to identify qualified applicants, assists in setting upinterviews, and provides assistance throughout the hiring process.

Why Should You Participate

Experiential Learning- Put knowledge into action and complement your academic studies andco-op background with practical work experience.

Skill Development- Develop professional skills that are crucial in todays job market andessential for making a difference in your community.

Career Options - Discover new and interesting career opportunities accessible to you in thecooperative sector.

Network Development- Build a valuable network of mentors, potential future employers andcolleagues in cooperative industry.

Awareness and Education - Learn about cooperative values and principles and gain exposure tovarious types of co-op organizations.

How does the Internship Network work?

Send your application with your resume and three references to the NASCO Internship Networkindicating your field of interest. Once the deadline for submission has passed, we will beginforwarding your information to suitable hosts within your areas of interest. The hostorganizations will then contact you about interviewing and hiring.

What Could You Be Doing?

The job descriptions of the internship are as diverse as the host organizations but here's a sampleof what you could be doing:


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y Setting up an accounting system in a small food co-opy Developing marketing materials for a retail co-opy Designing a newsletter and other publications for a housing co-opy Preparing curriculum and acting as facilitator for a youth co-op leadership campy Creating a web page for a co-op umbrella organization

Compensation

Compensation for internships varies widely. It is determined by the host organization although,at a minimum, we require that adequate compensation be provided to cover the living costs ofthe intern.

Internship Application Form

The application process is easy. Mail the completed application to NASCO, along with:

y Cover letter and resume for each internship to which you are applying y List of three references with contact information

NASCO will send confirmation that the application has been received and will contact you

regarding available internships.


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Building Co-op Futures...in a CarbonNeutral World

The BC Institute for Co-operative Studies and the

British Columbia Co-operative Association wouldlike to thank all of the presenters, technicians,

regional forum organizers, sponsors and the

participants in Vancouver and around the world

who helped make this years Building Co-

operative Futures conference such a success.

Would you like to organize the Building Co-

operative Futures conference for 2009? Are you

interesting in hosting a regiona forum? Are you

interested in sponsoring a forum? Check out the

write-up below to see how we did things thisyear and to find out what is involved.

June 2nd and 3rd, 2008

The annual Building Co-op Futures youth conference is back again and this time it's goingCarbon Neutral AND going live around the world! Through regional forums, live videoconferencing and webstreaming, youth from around the world will have the opportunity toparticipate in the Building Co-op Futures conference through forums in their own region or onthe internet.

Quick links: Live Webstream * BC Forum * Karachi Forum * Buenos Aires * Ontario Forum *Saskatchewan Forum


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Taking on sustainability.

With daily reports of glacial ice and permafrost melting beyond the most extreme predictions ofleading climatologists and graphs showing that Peak Oil was reached in 2006, the shape of ourfuture is on the verge of changes on a scale beyond anything we have seen before. Few can arguethat young people face a future entirely different than the world we live in today. People aroundthe world are asking: What kind of a world will this be? What do we want it to be? How will wework together? And most importantly, how can we build a sustainable co-operative future?

These questions cannot be taken lightly. While youth involvement in the co-op movement todayis significant, we all know the future of the co-operative movement will be in the hands oftodays young people. Yet is the way in which the co-operative movement organizes itself rootedin a petroleum-based economy that itself is on the verge of collapse? Is the success of the co-operative movement reliant on this economy?

Previous youth conferences have emphasized sustainability and Fair Trade as the way of thefuture. This year we want to ask:

y How can we, as young people, further sustainability in our communities and our co-operatives?

y How can we organize ourselves and adapt our methodology to align with these goals ofsustainability?

y What are young people around the world doing to create sustainable communitiesthrough co-operation?

y What do we need in order to further this work?International video conference

The online video conference will be a live interactive conference with participants and presenters

ocated in regional forums around the world: Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Pakistan, Ontario,Saskatoon. The video conference will consist of 1 four-hour session with time before and afterfor activities organized at the regional level. Each regional forum is organized to meet the needsof youth in that region's co-op movement. During the conference, participants will be able toview the presenters from the other regions via video projection, ask questions in real time andpresent best practices in their region. The co-ordinating regional forum or bridging will takeplace in Vancouver.

Regional Community Forums

The regional forums may be as large or small or as short or long as the local organizingcommittee desires. For example, the forum may be a 3-day forum with 60 people or a 1-dayforum with 15 people. The video conference/plenary portion of the forum will be 6 hours, splitinto 2 sessions. Due to time zone limitations, some regions may choose to participate in only oneof these sessions. The timing will ensure that all regions will be able to attend at least one of thesessions during daytime hours. Regional forum organizers are encouraged to compliment these


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plenary sessions with interactive discussions, local co-op mentors, workshops and/or tours oflocal co-operatives.

Consumer

Co-operatives on Hornby IslandSusan Ritchie

Hornby Island is a community steeped in volunteer and co-operative traditions. Members of theIsland's community, from the 1800s to the present day, have known that co-operation is animportant aspect of living in such a small, isolated community. This focus has led to the

establishment of many co-operative ventures, including a credit union, a consumer co-operativestore, community...

Kootenay Country Store Co-operativeColleen ShepherdKristen Sinats

Date of Incorporation: 1975

Lake Cowichan Consumers' Co-operative SocietyLloy Wylie

Date of Incorporation: 1950

Vanderhoof Co-operative AssociationLloy WylieEast End Food Co-operativeNicole Chaland

Date of Incorporation: March 3, 1975Membership: 3294 (year end 1999)Activity: East End Food Co-operative is a consumer owned, natural food and grocery storeLocation: Commercial Drive area, East End

Dawson Co-operative UnionNicole Chaland

Date of Incorporation: May 28, 1921Membership: approximately 10 000Activities: Consumer-owned groceries, hardware, clothing, lumber, agro and petroleum productsArea Served: Dawson Creek, BC


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a case study on the warana wired village project

Documents