Project Detail

Program for promotion Indigenous knowledge for bio-diversity conservation and its applications for health and livelihood security among tribal communities in India with a demonstrative intervention in orissa

Sambandh has been in existence since 1992 and has been working with the vision of an ecologically sustainable, self-reliant and gender-sensitized society that has access and control over resources and is in harmony with nature. The goal of the project is documentation, preservation, protection and replication of traditional knowledge, skills, innovations and practices of the indigenous community that have been developed outside the formal education system over the generations for food security, health, education and natural resources management with greater means of achieving social integration and entitlement. The specific objectives of the project are popularization of bio-diversity based folkloric indigenous knowledge through documentation, sharing and networking with SGP partners and other stakeholders in India and equipping community trainers with skills and participatory training tools and new methods for promotion of indigenous knowledge at community level and preparing a manual for community level trainers for documentation. Documentation and preservation of indigenous knowledge and creation of community level knowledge registers will be done.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Sambandh

Country:

India

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 3

Grant Amount:

US$ 46,409.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 171,217.75

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 10,021.00

Project Number:

SGP/GEF/IND/OP3/1/05/OR19

Start Date:

10/2005

End Date:

5/2008

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Capacity - Building Component

Community based capacity including CBOs for poverty focused and gender equitable approaches to management of resources has been enhanced in the project area through series of interactive meetings. CBO networks in the project area, bolstered by technical support under the project, have remained committed to working with project groups, and have been able to identify government support through the Panchayati Raj. Appropriate measures have been taken into the planning process for ownership of the assets and infrastructure by the local level institutions with transfer of responsibility and capacity-building.

Policy Impact

Documentation, preservation, protection and replication of traditional knowledge, skills, innovations and practices of the indigenous community were major components of the project. This has been developed as a system outside the formal education system over the generations for food security, health, education and natural resources management with greater means of achieving social integration and entitlement.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples participation is not the focus of the project.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Major impacts of the project lie in identifying an appropriate mix of ?escape routes? from poverty through generation of sustainable livelihoods. Elements of natural resource (NR) based intensification, activities largely on-land based and non-farm strategies, productivity of land and water developed in a sustainable and equitable manner in the watershed program, creation of herbal home gardens with decentralized nurseries, value addition to non-timber forest produce through community owned enterprises for livelihood security have been drawn in for this purpose.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The community in the project area was made aware of issues regarding intensification, protection and over-exploitation of natural resources. Trainings were conducted on identification and use of local medicinal herbs and plants and their importance in the environment.

Notable Community Participation

The objectives have been achieved by strategizing choices with needs-based priorities of supporting rural livelihoods, building local capacity, focusing on entitlement failures, and establishing mechanisms to feed back into planning processes. This had been achieved by strengthening local level institutions (CBOs, SHGs etc.) and work through self-help groups of women and complimenting government efforts and programs for the development of this area.

Gender Focus

The project had laid emphasis on involvement of women in all activities and women Self Help Groups were promoted in the area. These groups were initiated into thrift and credit activities and bank linkages were established. These groups were trained in nursery raising and small enterprises were initiated. The process led to financial and social empowerment of the women in the project area.

Replication of project activities

The project will build capacities of NGOs/CBOs from all parts of the country to identify, document and revitalize the use of traditional knowledge with special emphasis on health. An association of these organizations will be formed for networking and Sambandh will give hand holding assistance and guidance to replicate the process of conservation and documentation of TK in the respective areas.

Project sustainability

The project would be implemented through the community. Community knowledge register would be prepared which would be owned by the community and they would be benefited from the knowledge. Traditional knowledge and practices will be documented and validated in order to sustain such knowledge.

Project Results

?The project received Best Entrepreneur Award, and Healers and Community workers were also recognised.
?1 regional workshop and 1 national level workshop on documenting the indigenous knowledge across India have been organized. Around 60 organizations have participated in these workshops and an association has been formed with specific working groups to take the replication activities. A website on IK and networking across India and South Asia has been created and is being successfully managed by Sambandh. E-journal on TK is under regular circulation to all the partners of the TK association. Training of trainers in two phases on documenting the indigenous knowledge for 25 participants in two batches has been done in Orissa with local indigenous healers. The process of validation and testing is ongoing for local remedy of malaria in the state of Orissa with the help of FRLHT. Preparation of Manual in English on documenting indigenous knowledge is underway. Indigenous community-wise identification of local healers and traditional farmers and non-timber forest gatherers has been done in 4 villages and institution building process in being taken up. PRA with the target groups, especially women prioritizing of top 10 primary health care related conditions, their remedies and list of medicinal plants used has been done in 4 villages and 229 herbal home gardens have been established with the community. Forest mapping exercise and village meetings have been done in 4 villages. The project has until now benefited 697 women, 651 men and 108 children in the rural community.

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Indicators

Biophysical

Number of globally significant species protected by project 100

Biophysical

Number of local policies informed in biodiversity focal area 1

Empowerment

Number of CBOs / NGOs formed or registered through the SGP project 4

Empowerment

Number of indigenous people participated/involved in SGP project 60

Livehood

Number of households who have benefited* from SGP project 40

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