mssrf 2016 brochure

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Core Grant to Community Agrobiodiversity Centre M S Swaminathan Research Foundation

No. SP/RD/002/2009. Dt. 17th March, 2011

Long Term Core Support - Technological Advancement for Rural Areas (TARA) Department of Science & Technology Division: Science for Equity Empowerment and Development (SEED) Ministry of Science & Technology Technology Bhavan, New Delhi – 110 016

Program Working Title: Livelihood Enhancement, Agriculture and Food Security (LEAFS)

Program Title: ‘Food and Nutritional security and Livelihood Enhancement of marginal farming communities through interventions in Agriculture with a 4 C approach of conservation, cultivation, con-sumption and commercialization-in bio-resource management’

This scheme under SEED programmes is essentially to provide long term core support to Science based Voluntary Organizations/field institutions to promote and nurture them as “S&T Incubators” / “Active Field Laboratories” in rural and other disadvantaged areas to work and provide technological solutions and effective delivery of technologies for livelihood generation & societal benefits.

WAYANAD, THE PROGRAM SITEWayanad, one of the backward districts of Kerala, lies between north latitudes 11° 26’ 28” and 11° 58’ 22”

and east latitudes 75° 46’ 38” and 76° 26’ 11” and is situated at a height of 700 to 2100m above sea level. Of the total 2131 Sq. Km of area, 37% of land (788 Sq. Km) is covered by forest. And1142 Sq. Km of the total area (54%) is used for agriculture. Basically Wayanad has an agrarian economy with cash crops viz., coffee, tea, cardamom,rubber and pepper dominating the sector and of which, coffee takes the lead. Wayanad has the largest popu-lation of tribal communities in the state and the major communities inhabiting the district are Paniya (44.77%), Kuruma (17.51%), Kurichya (17.38%), Kattunaikka (9.93%), Adiya (7.10%) and Urali Kuruma (2.69%).

SPECIFIC PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMThe very purpose of this program is to show the way forward for transformation of an agricultural

hotspot of the country into a happy spot. The program envisages the strive for enabling Livelihood improve-ment; Agriculture (small and marginal diverse farming) development; and ensuring Food Security in four pover-ty ridden villages of Wayanad district.

THE THREE-PRONG OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: (i) Enhancing the ecological foundations essential for sustainable agriculture (ii) Enhancing productivity and reducing the cost of production through higher factor productivity (iii) Examining opportunities for agro-processing and value addition to the bio-resources like medicinal plants, roots, tubers and legumes, spices like black pepper and ginger, and medicinal and aromatic rice

WHY THIS PROGRAM?Unprecedented incidences of erosion of biodiversity, declining purchasing power and economic depri-

vation of the of the marginalized communities, paradigm shift from subsistence farming to cash crop farming and resultant food insecurity status, increasing unemployment, large-scale displacement of women labor from the farms etc are the principal factors instrumental in floating this project.

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Food and Nutrition Security InitiativeKey deliverables: 1) Germplasm and Field Gene Banks with collections of the important Roots & Tuber Crops (RTCs)

and species and the Seed Legumes

2) Data Base & Multimedia Documentation of RTCs and Seed legumes (In English and Malayalam )

3) Nutritional Profile of all the RTCs and Seed Legumes

4) Seed Banks (4-5) for multiplication of Seed and Planting material production of 10-15 RTCs

5) Nutrition gardens in 600 marginal households

6) Value added products of RTCs & Seed Legumes in the market

Core Area 1:

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Highlights from Core Area 1:Food and Nutrition Security Initiative

Core area 1:

Contact Person:Dr C. S. ChandrikaPrincipal ScientistPh:04936-204477

Through this Initiative it is planned to analyze the nutritional properties of indigenous tuberous and legumi-nous crops and to explore the potential of establishing ‘Home Nutrition gardens’ for addressing the issues of food scarcity, malnutrition and hidden hunger.

• Home nutrition gardens (470 families) and community conservation plots for Tuber and legume crops (7) in 7 tribal hamlets in 4 panchayaths • A baseline household study report on socio economic status of 200 Adivasi families; food habits and nutrition

status of 107 Adivasi families.• 2 mushroom production units involving 8 HHs with an average production of 300 Kgs of Oyster mushroom.• A poly house precision farming unit maintained exclu sively by Adivasi community; 3 groups involving 9

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Poly house precision farming unit run by Adivasi community.

Potential Enterprising Activity Identified and Promoted

HHs; with an average production of 1050 Kg of vegeta bles per year.• A Germplasm plot at the Centre with a collection of 20 species/varieties of legumes and 14 species/varieties of tuber crops. • Analysis of nutritional value of 6 traditional tubers, 7 legumes and 3 leafy green varieties.• Thirty capacity development training programmes on specific areas of nutrition gardening, Germplasm gardening and management, mushroom farming, precision farming, nutrition and balanced diet, health and hygiene, marketing, leadership skills and women

empowerment • Two workshops for policy advocacy on consumption of agro biodiversity and nutritional security; role of women in family farming• A case study published on Paniya tribal women’s innovative livelihood development endeavors.

Core area 1:

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Key deliverables: 1) Scientific Validation of 2 or 3 Ethno- Veterinary Medicinal Plants

3) Cultivated Farms of high value medicinal plants (8-10 spp) of primary health care and ethno-

5) Commercialization of 3-5 raw/semi processed herbs

6) Medicinal Plant Training Manuals (printed as well as in digital form) on location specific package

of MPs for common ailments

Ethno Medicinal & Veterinary Plant Initiative

Core Area 2:

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Highlights from Core area 2:Ethno Medicinal & Veterinary Plant Initiative

• A baseline study on socio economic status and home based healthcare practices of 400 HHs.• Two hundred home herbal gardens with 10 species of medicinal plants.

This initiative is aimed at promoting primary health care traditions through conservation and sustainable use of a set of common medicinal plants and to promote the preparation and sale of herbal formulations of nutritive and cosmetic values thereby contributing to the improved livelihoods of especially the women belonging to marginalized sections.

• A Tissue Culture lab for undertaking micro propagation of high value medicinal plants• Phyto-chemical profiling of nine medicinal plant species in collaboration with CSIR-NIIST,

Contact Person:Mr V. V. SivanSenior Scientist04936-204477Core area 2:

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Field level medicinal plants nursery to cater the growing demand of propagules with an average production of 5,000 seedlings per year.


Thiruvananthapuram and validation of a three ethno veterinary claims in collaboration with Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookode, Wayanad.• A storehouse for semi-processed herbs and a semi-processing unit for medicinal plants at the Centre. • A Nodal medicinal plant Nursery at the Centre with regular seedlings production of 125 species of medicinal plants; an average production of 60,000 seedlings per year.• A database of 212 Ethno veterinary practices.• A database on the availability of 36 raw drugs (Non Timber Forest Products).

• Forty-six trainings, 3 topics (11‘herb based’ primary healthcare products; Ethno-veterinary medicine preparation; home herbal gardening); 1123 participants (188 Men+ 935 Women).

Core area 2:

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Key deliverables: 1) 10 seed villages of medicinal and aromatic rice varieties

2) Pure line selection of 5 specialty rice varieties (Navara, Chennellu,Gandhakasala, Jeerakasala &

Mullanchanna) for developing nodal seed plot at the Centre & 10 community seed plots.

3) On farm Demo plots for conservation for 5 varieties in10 villages.

4) Training 400 farmers (approx 100 farmers/year).

5) Training and communication materials on various aspects of the 5 varieties;

6) Cultivate 5 traditional Rice varieties in more area

7) Increased number of consumers of 5 rice varieties

Medicinal & Aromatic Rice Initiative

Core Area 3:

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Highlights from Core area 3:Medicinal & Aromatic Rice Initiative

Contact Person:Mr Prajeesh ParameswaranSenior Scientist04936-204477

This initiative is majorly to conserve and value add the indigenous rice germplasm.

• A Baseline survey on cultivation of rice in Wayanad with special focus on specialty rice varieties, details of farmers cultivating them and area under each of the varieties.• Seed purification (by pure line panicle selection) of selected 10 varieties (Adukkan, Thondi, Gandhakasala, Jeerakasala, Choma la, Veliyan, Chennellu, Kaima,

Chenthadi and Kalladiaryan). 5934 Kg of purified seeds given to the Seed Villages for multiplication.• Ten seed villages meant for conserving traditional rice varieties with a network of 105 HHs (73 adivasi HHs, one adivasi women group).

• Facilitation of informal seed exchange between

Core area 3:

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Branding and marketing of specialty rice varieties which has recently linked to the Farmer Producer Organization programme of NABARD


farmers (10 rice varieties, 3070 kg seeds reached to 121 Farmers, cultivated in a total area of 102 Acres.• Promising results for System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in indigenous varieties.• Facilitation of linkages between farmers and seed villages for marketing of seeds (4000 kg).• Facilitation for the primary processing and marketing of 2884 Kg paddy from seed villages. • A study to assess the effective pricing and value chain for specialty rice varieties & red rice varieties.• Package of practices for traditional rice varieties integrating scientific and traditional Knowledge (on-farm).• Facilitation of the Plant Genome Savior Community Award (of rupees 10 Lakhs) by the Protection of Plant

Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India) to Kurichya and Kuruma communities of Wayanad for their efforts in the conservation of traditional rice cultivars. • Facilitation of Farmer Variety registrations (16 rice varieties ) by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority

Core area 3:

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Key deliverables: 1) Bio-inputs supply & demand study report

2) Large scale production of potential bio-inputs viz, Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, and Beauveria

4) Demonstration plots for the usage of the bio-inputs

5) Training Manuals on Bio-inputs

6) Facilitating marketing units of the selected bio-inputs

Bio-Inputs Supply and Marketing Initiative

Core Area 4:

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Highlights from Core area 4:Bio-Inputs Production, Use and Marketing Initiative

Core area 4:Mushroom-Training

• Two and a half tonnes of bio-inputs (bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers) has been produced in the Microbiology laboratory during the period and reached to more than 1200 farmers of the district. • The two women SHG’s formed for the production of bio-inputs have took up bio-input production as an

Contact Person:Mr Joseph JohnScientistPh:04936-204477

This initiative is based on our studies revealing the growing gap between demand and supply of quaity bio-in-puts for agriculture in the district

additional income generation activity.• Mushroom spawns of 7 tonnes were produced and dis tributed to more than 2000 mushroom farmers of the district• Native strains of beneficial microorganisms such as Pseudomonas fluorescence, Trichoderma sp.,

Core area 4:

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Production of bio-inputs (bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers) in agriculture Mushroom Cultivation


Bacillus sp. and Phosphate solubilizing bacterium have been isolated from the soils of Wayanad district.• Two plant based formulations in the control of major agriculture diseases of the district (foot rot in pepper and wilt in vegetable crops) have identified and trials are progressing.• Nine scientific publications have been brought out related to bio-inputs and phytochemical characterization, 1book on success stories in agriculture, 8 radio talks and 5 pamphlets on five bio-inputs were prepared.• Students are benefitting out of the laboratory and 6

Vermicomposting

Value Addition-Trianing

MSc. Dissertations have completed during the period and some students has got national level recognition for their work

Core area 4:

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Key deliverables:1) Live Collection of wild species and landraces of pepper and ginger from the Malabar eco-region (5

districts- Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur & Kasaragod)

2) Field Gene Banks for Conservation of the collected varieties

3) Nursery for the multiplication of the promising varieties;

4) Increased farm areas with cultivation of the promising varieties

5) Printed and digitized communication and training materials on the traditional varieties of pepper

and ginger

Production Enhancement of Pepper and Ginger Initiative

Core Area 5:

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Highlights from Core area 5:Production Enhancement of Pepper and Ginger Initiative

Contact Person:Ms C. S. DhanyaScientistPh:04936-204477

• A database of 23 cultivars of black pepper and 9 cultivars of ginger from Malabar eco-region

• A Germplasm and three community conservation plots with 21 indigenous and 11 improved varieties of pepper; 9 indigenous ,5 improved cultivars and 4 wild species of ginger

• A comprehensive report on the prospects and problems of pepper cultivation in Wayanad district

• Demonstration and popularization of rapid multiplication, serpentine methods, Piper colubrinum- grafted pepper, seedlings through orthotropic shoots etc for propagation of promising indigenous pepper

Core area 5:

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Bush pepper nursery for the household gardens

Potential Enterprising Activity Identified

cultivars• Evaluation of 15 indigenous cultivars of pepper in 5 pepper cultivating zones from the district• Portray method of multiplication and pot cultivation of ginger for increased production with decreased pest/disease incidence. • Distribution of bush pepper for household gardens (1650) and traditional pepper seedlings (1780) to needy farmers

Core area 5:

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Four intervention sites

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Programme Supported by

Technological Advancementfor Rural Areas (TARA)

Department of Science & TechnologyDivision: Science for Equity Empowerment

and Development (SEED)Ministry of Science & Technology

Technology Bhavan, New Delhi – 110 016

M. S. Swaminathan Research FoundationCommunity Agrobiodiversity Centre

Puthoorvayal, P.O. Meppadi, Wayanad,Kerala - 673 577, India

Tel ; 04936 204477, [email protected]

Programme Run By