MID-TERM PROJECT REVIEW AND PLANNING MEETING
BY SHABERI DAS• JULY 30, 2024
Fig. 1: A discussion on the vision and mission of the organisation and the project objectives.
The review and planning meeting held on 16th and 17th July 2024 at the office of Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC), commenced with the DRCSC staff members from the field units in Kakdwip, Sandeshkhali I, and Hingalganj Blocks in attendance introduced themselves, which was followed by a brief introduction on the vision and mission of DRCSC and their alignment with the project objectives by the Programme Officer.
The field staff were encouraged to share their own aspirations regarding any initiatives they wanted to undertake in their respective fields for the remainder of the project term (1 year). Responses ranged from action to continue working for income diversification of the communities to reducing forced migration and ensuring that communities are empowered to the benefits of affirmative action and primary healthcare is accessible to them. The purpose of this activity was to identify which initiatives and interventions are most meaningful to the indigenous communities in the project villages and which require additional focus. Given that the field staff regularly interact with these communities, they are expected to advocate for the communities’ best interests during such meetings.
Figs. 2 & 3: Presentations by the field teams.
The field teams presented updates on the progress made in their respective areas since the start of the project. These updates included the formation of women’s and youths’ mutual cooperation groups, capacity-building training for these groups, initiatives for sustainable livelihoods, dissemination of weather forecasts and agro-advisories, promotion of nutrition gardening and climate-smart agriculture using indigenous seeds, crop diversification etc., participatory shore protection efforts, and the establishment of block-level information hubs.
Fig. 5: Prof. Sugata Hazra from the project team discusses explains maps of model agro-farms to the field staff.
Based on the updates provided, a discussion was held to strategize the execution of field operations. This included a detailed review of land mapping with soil test results for establishing model integrated farms, with one farm planned for each project block. The team also issued agro-advisories to the field staff regarding the use of organic inputs to address specific issues like soil salinity. Additionally, the mid-term monitoring and assessment survey questionnaire, which had been under preparation, was discussed with the field teams, and their feedback was incorporated into the final version.
The meeting concluded with a session aimed at clarifying technical and accounting questions to enhance the staff’s understanding of the financial and technical aspects of the project.
