Saukaash Jaa

Saukaash Jaa is a community driven participatory multimedia project that looks at the impact of the erratic south-west monsoons on the cultivation of rice in three villages of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India.

This body of work has been curated, illustrated and narrated by members of the farming self help groups - small land owners who have continued their ancestral tradition of cultivating paddy in the biodiversity rich Konkan region of Maharashtra, India:

Bharat Ratna Purush Bachat Gat
Krushi Ratna Bachat Gat
Krushi Vikas Bachat Gat
Shri Ganesh Shetkari Utpadak Bachat Gat

With the south-west monsoon increasingly being characterised with short intense bursts of rainfall interspersed with long dry spells, I set out to understand how a staple crop like rice (that is known to withstand a lot of water) fares in the face of extreme rainfall and rapidly changing climatic patterns.

View Photo Essay

Given the nuance and complexity that the intersection of changing climate, land, traditional knowledge and livelihoods bring; I opted for participatory methodologies to supplement my photography and understanding of the subject. This effort and conversation with the communities led to the development of a visual research framework that sought to elevate farmers voices ie. their scientific and traditional understanding of the land as well as weather conditions that they have historically dealt with. The farmers time, efforts, willingness to share their knowledge and perspectives has made Saukaash Jaa possible.

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Credits:
Animated by Paus.
Translations by Anuvaad Solutions.
With special thanks to People's Empowerment Movement, Sangmeshwar.
This project was supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society.
With special thanks to David Y. Lee and members of National Geographic Society and National Geographic Magazine for their immense patience and insights, along the way.