Social development in plantations through mobilization

N. Yogaratnam- PhD (London) Tree Crops Agro Consultants

Continued from October 29

If the community is mobilized to some extent and knowledgeable about the housing development activity, the regional office staff would be able to handle the issues through meetings and discussions.

A supportive middle level estate staff is also a pre-requisite for the second approach.

Practical consideration

* The time period of the feasibility and mobilization phases has to be short.

* Feasibility of a project depends on two important parties ; the community and the estate management - both parties to work together from the inception of the project.

* Advantages and disadvantages of top-down and bottom-up approaches in plantations should be given due consideration.

* There is a need for the understanding of the difference between general mobilization and specific development-oriented mobilization.

* The benefits of improved social determinants, the details of packages available through the PHSWT and other agencies, loans and repayments are some of the key issues that need to be discussed in detail with the community.

* The selection of mobilization approach for a specific project has to be in accordance with the environment in which the worker community and the management operate.

* Visits to the line-rooms for informal one to one meetings with worker families would be very effective in the mobilization process.

* If the workers are backward and do not show an interest on the specific social development determinant, the animated model would be better suited. But for the implementation of such a strategy the stating point has to be the management both at estate and the corporate office level. As a result it becomes a top-down approach to a certain extent.

* On the other hand to work with the people directly without intermediate animators, has to fulfill some prerequisites. The worker community has to be knowledgeable and mobilized to some extent. The middle level estate staff (Welfare supervisor and / or Field officers) should be willing to take certain responsibility. The Regional Trust staff needs a counterpart at least to coordinate activities on the estate.

* Small meetings in the compound of line-rooms are very effective in mobilizing people to improve their living conditions as against the formal gathering.

* Approaching workers through animators has been recognized as the key vehicle to carry out the mobilization activity.

* Training educated but raw estate youth on mobilization methods should be made mandatory, before sending them to the field. Given the required skill, they are capable of handling the task expected from them.

* Mobilization through group meetings of the worker families is usually a common approach followed in social development activities in plantations.

* The Estate Social Mobilization Group (ESMG) may comprise of (1) An assistant superintendent (2) Regional social mobilizer, (3) Welfare supervisor (4) Estate medical officer (5) Mid-wife (6) Field officers (7) A representative of PHSWT (8) Every line-room or cluster of houses to nominate one representative, each. A group with about 25 members would be well represented unit.

* Initially, monthly meetings of the ESMG would be useful and the worker representatives should be provided with opportunities and encouragement to speak freely at these meetings, although decision- making is the responsibility of the committee.

* Communication gap between the committee members and other workers should be eliminated.

* The management should be aware of the importance of using the emerging social development proposals as an efficient tool in human resource management.