PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 11 REFLECT in practice: literacy and change in India

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 11 REFLECT in practice: literacy and change in India N. Madhusudan Introduction decade, traditional food crops had been undermined by the government policy of subsidising rice, which led to outside companies YAKSHI is a small NGO based in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is `selling' cash crops. Tobacco and cotton were committed to working with grassroots introduced with many promises and in the early organisations to promote participatory years, people made large profits and planted all approaches to development. Over the past five available land with the new crops. In later years, input costs rose as more fertiliser and pesticides years, YAKSHI has offered technical support to were needed and when prices slumped on Girijan Deepika (GD), an independent tribal international markets, over 80% of households peoples' mass organisation working in East Godavari District, and run by local people. This fell into debt. The impact on community life support has focused on finding practical means was devastating, as most rituals and cultural for strengthening participatory processes. practices had been linked to the rhythm of the land, particularly the planting and harvesting of traditional food crops. There was no longer the YAKSHI and GD ...