V&A programme to be implemented in Mahabubnagar, Udaipur

Mahabubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh and Udaipur district in Rajasthan have been chosen for the implementation of the 'Vulnerability Assessment and Enhancing the Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Semi-Arid India' (V & A programme) by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC).

A national consortium comprising MSSRF (M S Swaminathan Research Foundation) in Chennai, and Hyderabad-based Action for Food Production (AFPRO) and National Institute of Agriculture Extension Management (MANAGE) would be implementing the four-year programme during 2005-08.

The V & A programme, budgeted at Rs 8.58 crore, seeks to secure the livelihoods of the poor and marginalised farmers through the creation of 'Knowledge Centres' to enhance their capacity to cope better with disaster preparedness in the wake of the adverse impacts of climate change.

The actual programme cost works out to Rs 5.14 crore, the remaining being earmarked for training and management, said Sai Bhaskar Reddy, lead consultant, AFPRO.

Two mandals in Mahabubnagar district "� Midgil and Bijanapally "� have been selected based on a priority rank for the implementation of the programme which includes establishment of knowledge centres to collect the best practices, management or success stories in the three areas of water, agriculture and energy.

"With the environment and climate remaining the same in both the districts, Udaipur and Mahabubnagar shall serve as a source of lateral learning to compare other factors such as illiteracy, governance etc," Reddy said. He said the initial phase would be a situational analysis, the next on the delivery systems and the final phase will be a period of consolidation and advocating policy change on water, agriculture and energy.

The programme is being funded by the Global Environmental Facility Fund (GEFF) that was established on funds from developed countries on the 'polluter pays' concept, Reddy said.

The fund is being facilitated by the Swiss government through SDC. SDC is part of the international consortium consisting of two Swiss-based agencies "� Intercooperation, Bern and INFRAS, Zurich "� formed on the United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC).