RESEARCH AND OUT-REACH

PUNARCHITH also engages in continuous research on themes and issues that are pertinent to rural India. To date the following research studies have been completed:
  • Review of Community 2012 : Kannada
  • Review of Rural Youth in Chamarajanagar 2012 Kannada
  • Study of ‘new lease agriculture’ in a dry belt. Kannada / English
  • Angarike Maala: Green Print English
  • Essay on Drought: 2017 Kannada / English
  • NEJARU: ADIVASI JEEVANA MATHU SHIKSHANADA STHITYANTARU (Nejaru: Adivasi Life and the Conditions of Education). Rupa Prakashan: Mysuru.
  • ‘The Displaced Threshing Yard: Involutions of the Rural’. Development and Change, Sage Publications. 2019.
  • ‘School Differentiation’, The India Forum, May. 2019.
Other research in progress includes a study of the drought conditions in the district and an essay on ‘Abandoned Land’ that focuses on the significance of the growing volume of uncultivated land. A handbook on teaching social issues to adolescents, and an analytical overview titled “Pedagogy and Practice” are forthcoming outputs from the Integrated Learning Programme.

[Publications by individual members are listed under the members’ names.]

UPPASARU is our compilation of local recipes (collected by the ILP learners and core team members) and consists of recipes using local edibles. The book was designed by Abhisheka K and is meant to promote local cuisine as a way to also sustain local food cultures and ensure food sovereignty.
Group Photo: June 18th, 2017 after the open-house on land restoration at Angarike Maala.
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
From 2011 to 2017, PUNARCHITH has conducted training and short courses for the following institutions: Association for Persons with Disabilities, Bangalore; Terre de Homme, Davanagere; Spoorthi, Mukhanpalya high school; Govt. Degree College, Mobility India, Chamarajanagar.
In addition to these activities, team members have participated in and contributed to discussions and fora related to education, agriculture, drought conditions, democracy, new economic ideas, conservation etc. PUNARCHITH is also an active supporter of and participant in the activities of the Network for Rural and Agrarian Studies (ruralagrarianstudies.org).

We continue to conduct research on issues related to agriculture, rural issues, youth and democracy. With Badri’s book on Ashramshalas published, he will update and revise some case studies of government schools. Based on our observations on the increase of ‘runaways’ (youth who enter into inter-caste or inter-religious marriages and who leave home), we are documenting such cases and attempting to understand the changing family, gender and aspirational mobility forms in rural India. The details of the state of natural resources and the impact of climate change in the district will be documented for out-reach and advocacy purposes. After the March end meeting on democracy with the youth of the district, we have decided to conduct such meetings and discussions on democracy on a regular basis at the district level. A handbook on democracy and the challenges in India will be developed over the coming year. Members of the team continue to write and publish on a range of themes including current socio-political conditions and trends, sociology of education, and agrarian issues. Regular out-reach work with farmers on sustainable agriculture (monthly meetings and demonstrations), with residents of Nagavalli village on water conservation, waste management and home gardens, and with the youth from our ILP programme on decentralised democracy continues.

RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY ON CLIMATE EMERGENCY :
Based on our observations on the state of natural resources and on the manifestations and impact of climate change in the region, we decided to undertake collation and analyses of data pertinent to the Chamarajanagar region. Secondary data related to changes in temperature, rainfall, soil conditions, evapotranspiration, water (especially ground water) availability, agriculture and cropping patterns, and drought frequency have been compiled and broad overviews and future scenarios on the state of natural resources in the region and its impact on livelihoods and conditions of living are being developed. Complementing the secondary data we have conducted interviews with local farmers to understand their own constructions and impressions about climate change, the strategies that they are deploying and their life conditions. Plans are to share this data and its analyses with a range of administrators, elected representatives, and with the larger farming community.