- In the beginning of the project, about Few Indigenous people joined the program and now the number has increased and they are involved in cultivating the organic farm in more than 3 villages. Everyday more farmers and villages are adopting the simple techniques of organic farming.
At present, much of the plant material used in traditional medicine or for commercial purposes are harvested in the wild by gatherers, without regard to how the plants will survive for the future. Many medicinal plants are under threat due to over-collection and destructive harvesting practices. The project will nurture and sustain biodiversity to enhance livelihoods by creating awareness about medicinal plant biodiversity in the region.
Notable Community Participation
Communities will have a close, decisive and participative role in various aspects of this project. Selection of medicinal plant varieties for planting and observation in the demonstration plots will be done in consultation with farming community and farmers experience and market conditions in the area. Communities will work through their village and janpad panchayats to set aside common land for a medicinal plant garden, and so create a network of village medicinal plant gardens for local community use. Communities will have a close, decisive and participative role in various aspects of this project. Some examples of which are: Selection of medicinal plant varieties for planting and observation in the demonstration plots will be done in consultation with farming community and farmers experience and market conditions in the area. Communities will work through their village and janpad panchayats to set aside common land for a medicinal plant garden, and so create a network of village medicinal plant gardens for local community use. Vaidyas (local healers) and other knowledgeable local community members are to be invited as resource people for jadi booti yatras and melas.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
Demonstration of sustainable farming alternatives and creation of local institutional support to develop medicinal plants into crops for small scale farmers by supporting the processes of sustainable harvesting, value addition and marketing of medicinal plants. Presently, the cultivation of medicinal plants in the region is almost entirely in the hands of large farmers. Part of the reason for this is the inaccessibility of information on farming practices, planting material and market information. JATAN will address issues of social, economic equity while harnessing benefits of biodiverse and organic farming practices for harvestable medicinal plants. The project will create community ownership of assets, promote networks of small farmers and women farm workers to promote self reliance based on local knowledge, resources, use-value and commercial potential.
Policy Impact
JATAN will work in co-operation with the local offices of the Forest Department, Park Director, Satpura National Park, Horticulture Department and village and janpad panchayats. Resource people will also be accessed from the following Govt./ academic institutions among others.
Gender Focus
Men and women are equally given priorities and were involved in the development and field testing of the organic materials used for "organic cultivation
Project sustainability
NGO will form a network of small farmers and growers groups (SFG) for sustainable farming alternatives. At individual farmer level it will facilitate on low input costs, planting material available from ?seed bank?; at community level - the establishment of village level medicinal plant gardens will be facilitated and organic cultivation, preservation of medicinal bio-diversity in the adjoining areas of the Satpura national park and associated forests.
Replication of project activities
The network of small farmer groups (SFG?s) set up at various levels; will handle common concerns of medicinal plant cultivators.
The specialised support is provided by the community wide organisation, which acts as a farmer training and development centre, and raises awareness of conservation and sustainable farming alternatives.
This two tier system is easily adapted for all areas suitable for medicinal plant cultivation.
Planning non gef grant
The organizatiosn is working closely with the Forest Department and the local Panchayats to scale up the activity in the adjoining villages and to take up conservation and sustainable harvest of medicinal plants on a larger scale.
Capacity - Building Component
The project will educate farmers and facilitate access to information and farming techniques through a medicinal plant education center; which will also provide cultivation, post production and marketing support to facilitate small farmer access to wider markets.
Project Results
The projected outputs are:
? The resource centre for medicinal plant cultivation will be established. This will demonstrate, through regular on and off campus programmes, how to grow medicinal plants in an organic, chemical free and commercially viable way. The target groups of this are farmers from Piparia, Bankhedi and Sohagpur blocks of Hoshangabad district.
? A herbal (medicinal plant) garden, an ex-situ medicinal plant bio-diversity conservation site. This will acquaint farmers, villagers and other visitors with the plant diversity of the region. It will run regular out reach programmes for awareness generation about the cultivation potential and successes of medicinal plants.
? A network of village medicinal plant gardens, maintained jointly by JATAN and village panchayats.
? A network of small farmer groups (SFG), located in Piparia, Bankhedi and Sohagpur tehsils of Hoshangabad district and adjoining Satpura region of Chhindwara district
Demonstration plots have been developed over 5 acres at the JATAN Centre where over 100 varieties medicinal plants have been grown organically. This medicinal plant nursery will serve as the basis for future propagation. Field level expertise has been developed amongst farmers in growing appropriate varieties, their productivity and profitability and to develop marketing and distribution links through intensive training and demonstration. Composting and other methods to provide organic fertilizers have been introduced amongst farmers from four Panchayats for the cultivators at the village level. Documentation of the process for dissemination amongst small farmers has been done. Education and dissemination activities were structured to include print and audio-visual material for use on-campus as well as in farmer melas, etc. A ?Seed bank? has been developed at the Jatan Campus. ?Seed-capital? is being provided in kind (as seeds) on a returnable basis, to enable poor farmers to start medicinal plant cultivation in their small holdings. Small Farmers and Growers (SFG) co-operatives have been facilitated in village clusters. The cooperatives have memberships of both women and men, since 50% of the farming activity is done by women. The agency is keeping in touch with certification agencies, follow market trends, big institutional buyers, and local traders to provide farmers associated with the SFGs with the best available price for their produce. In order to do this, it may also act as a produce-bulking center to be able to negotiate better with buyers. The herbal garden and demonstration plots on the JATAN campus has acquainted over 100 farmers, villagers and other visitors with the plant diversity of the region. These activities have been designed to increase small farmer awareness and involvement in medicinal plant cultivation. This has been accompanied by five sammelan?s (meetings / get-togethers) of local and regional specialists, healers, ?vaids?, doctors experienced in identifying, growing and using medicinal plants. JATAN has established co-operation with the Forest Department, Horticulture Department, State Medicinal Plant Board and village and janpad panchayats. As part of awareness generation programme, JATAN is trying to get village institutions to set aside public / common lands to create village medicinal plant gardens for local use. It will also network with other organisations carrying out similar work and to disseminate experience and knowledge gained through the project. Where ever possible, JATAN will try to integrate medicinal plant cultivation with existing schemes, and emphasize the participation of marginalized farmers, the landless poor, and women will be emphasized.
