收入增加 科技保障婦女未來
策劃、編譯■成怡夏
Technology Trans-forms Rural Women
摘要
25歲的拉塔過去只是印度中部地區一個小村落的家庭主婦，當然她
也要工作貼補家用，不過她是個文盲，又沒有工作經驗，她的丈夫也
不希望她出外和陌生男人一起工作。
然而今日的拉塔一個月賺一千盧比（美金一元等於47.5盧比），她每
天在村莊中心使用最先進的科技產品，調製醬油、果醬、果汁和各種
醃菜，工作時間一天3到4小時。她的丈夫對她的收入也很滿意，因
為這費薪水保障了穩固的未來。
就像拉塔一樣，印度中部的查哈提斯開和印度東部的阿可漢德2千5
百個村落、超過30萬個家庭的男男女女，都受惠於農村改造的科技
應用計劃（Science and Technology Applied for Rural Transformation，
START）。這項計劃由聯合國發展規劃（United Na-tions Development
Programme，UNDP）發起，使用簡單卻恰當的科技協助社會發展。
START透過科技發展中心和資源中心的網絡運作。舉例來說，在馬
德亞帕德西，地區研究實驗室（Re-gional Research Laboratory，RRL
）就成為科技中心，而當地非營利組織則提供資源中心的空間。每一
個科技中心則進一步發展為較小型的非營利組織和當地婦女主導之自
助團體的網絡，以執行這項計劃。這項計劃是在印度政府科技部門的
指導下進行。
「我們堅信社會發展是在人們肚皮填飽後開始的，」RRL的莫西博
士說：「這項計劃實現了兩個巒生的目標，一是大量運用這個地區的
自然資源，另一個是使用科技作為提昇競爭機會的工具。」
一開始，他們就村莊的資源和公共設施來著手，當地非營利組織訓練
村民著手進行調查，了解一地的農產量、農田規模、家戶數目、牛隻
和當地水井的數目。這些資訊之後紀錄到印度科技研究院的地理資訊
系統（GIS）軟體，以作為繪製印度村莊資源地圖的預備。莫西博士
說，這些地圖成本低、準確度高，不只作為計劃繪製地圖之用，也是
政府制定福利藍圖時的重要依據。
基於以上訊息，當地科技中心裝備了訓練工具以讓村莊裡的資源獲得
最大的收益，因此對當地人口進行了永續的職業訓練。拉塔就是在這
樣的情況下接受訓練。她居住的地區有豐富產量的蕃茄、橘子、辣椒
、胡蘿蔔和其他時令果菜，過去A級和B級的水果由盤商挑去後，
低品質的產品就任其爛掉。現在，科技發展中心會買下所有的產品。
拉塔和其他婦女受訓使用機器調製食品，並攪拌準備果汁、醃菜和果
醬。
科技資源中心也推廣種植藥用和芳香植物，低成本的溫室、蘑菇栽培
和家禽養殖。有些START中心也發展製作衛生紙巾，在有些地區惡
劣的月經相關保健條件導致鄉間和原住民婦女病的盛行，因此消毒過
的衛生紙巾是非常重要的必需品。
資源中心也有逐漸變成諮詢與服務中心的趨勢，許多會員常在那裡討
論並解決問題。小型銀行也出現在某幾個中心內，還有人在中心擔任
兼職教師。（資料來源／indiatogether.org）
原文
Hoshangabad, (WFS) - Lata (25) used to be just another housewife in a
small village in Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh (central India).
She wanted to work to supplement her family income, but she was
illiterate, inex-perienced and her husband didn't want her to go out among
strangers, especially men.
Today Lata earns Rs 1,000 (US$1=Rs 47.5) a month. She works three to
four hours every day processing sauces, jams, juices and pickles using
modern machines installed at the village centre. Her husband is happy too
as her in-come promises them a secure future.
Like Lata, women and men from more than 300,000 families in 2,500
villages of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (central India) and Jharkhand
(eastern India) have benefit-ed from the Science and Technology Applied
for Rural Transformation (START) project. Initiated by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the project us-es simple but
appropriate technology for social develop-ment.
START operates through a network of technology de-velopment centres
and resource centres. For example, in Madhya Pradesh, the Regional
Research Laboratory (RRL) in Bhopal acts as the technology centre, while
local block-level NGOs offer space for resource centres. Each technology
centre develops a network of smaller NGOs and women-dominated self-
help groups (SHGs) to imple-ment the project. The project is executed
under the guid-ance of the Department of Science and Technology, Gov-
ernment of India. "We strongly believe that social develop-ment is
possible only when people's stomachs are full," says Dr M V R L Murthy
from RRL. "This project fulfils the twin objectives of productively using
the natural re-sources of the region and using technology as an enabling
tool to enhance opportunities."
Initially, a comprehensive mapping of village re-sources and infrastructure
is undertaken. Local NGOs train villagers to conduct surveys indicating
agricultural production of the area, farm size, number of households, cattle
and wells in the region. This information is then fed into a Geographical
Information System (GIS) software at the Indian Institute of Technology,
Mumbai, to prepare village resource maps. "We spent around Rs 500 for
mapping each village. These low-cost precision maps are not only useful
for the imple-mentation of our own projects, they are also in great de-
mand for planning and execution of welfare schemes by government
departments," says Dr Murthy.
Based on this information, the local technology centre is equipped with
training inputs to put village resources to best use, thereby creating
sustainable employment oppor-tunities for the local population. Take the
centre in Kesla block, Hoshangabad, where Lata works. The area has a
rich produce of tomatoes, oranges, chillies, carrots and other seasonal
fruits and vegetables. While the 'A' and 'B' grade produce is picked up by
the market, farmers are left with a huge lower quality stock that would be
left to rot. Now, this produce is bought by the technology development
centres at competitive rates.
Lata and other women are trained to work on food pro-cessing machines
and churn out ready-to-market juices, pickles, sauces and jams. The food
processing machines include pulpers, double-jacketed steam kettles (for
cook-ing), pulverisers, dryers and corking machines.
Each product is put through rigorous quality checks, im-plemented by
SHG members themselves. 'Surbhi', their brand of pickles and other items,
already has a huge de-mand in the vicinity. The Kesla centre hopes to get a
li-cense to market products in urban centres. "I sell more than 30 kg of
pickle every week," says Pushpa Sahu, member of the Kesla centre.
"People are addicted to its taste. I earn Rs 150 every week," she adds
happily.
Other technology resource centres have also taken up activities like
growing medicinal and aromatic plants, planting low-cost nurseries,
mushroom cultivation and poultry farming. Two major activities being
pursued at most centres are detergent-making and producing ver-mi-
compost. While SHG members themselves use most of the vermi-compost
produced at the centres, deter-gent-making has proved to be more
revolutionary. Packed in small 100 gram packets, priced at Rs 2, the
detergents are a big hit with local shopkeepers, tribal people and in
neighbouring markets where SHG members set up tempo-rary stalls.
Many START centres have also started manufacturing sanitary napkins. In
a region where poor menstruation-re-lated hygiene causes mammoth
health problems for rural and tribal women, the sterilised sanitary napkins
(Rs 3 per pack) are an affordable necessity.
A heartening trend has been use of technology centres as counselling and
aid forums. Members frequently discuss and solve mutual problems as
they go about their work at the centres. Small banks have also started in
some centres. Each member of the Kesla centre deposits Rs 30 per month
with the youngest member of the group, Manju Chauhan. The money
saved is loaned at three per cent interest to members in need. Chauhan also
operates as part-time teacher in the centre.
START project leaders are now plan-ning to work on easy credit facilities,
professional rural marketing and standardised packaging for members.
They also propose to cash on the high demand of organic products in the
market. They hope to make START into a self-sus-taining project.
indiatogether.org
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