spirit of anonymous creativity - sristi2).pdftamil nadu 625 010 india ... no state or private...

Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

Honey Bee Vol 11(2) April-June 2000

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EditorAnil K Gupta

Assistant EditorsPradeep K Singh, Ketki Desai

Editorial TeamRiya Sinha, Vijaya Sherry Chand,

Kirit K Patel, Shailesh Shukla, Joona SheelShrestha Sarkar, Sudhirendar Sharma

Graphics & DesignD T Padekar, Palash Graphics, Unnikrishnan,

Satpal Chabra

Administrative AssistanceR P S Yadav, R Baskaran, Bala G Mudaliar,

Kinnari Shah, Nisha Antony

Editorial AddressHoney Bee

C/o Prof Anil K GuptaIndian Institute of Management

Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015 India

Tel : 91-79-6307241Fax : 91-79-6307341

[email protected]@iimahd.ernet.in

Home Pagehttp://www.sristi.org

http://csf.colorado.edu/sristi

Honey Bee Regional Collaborators

Abeja (Spanish)Mario Mejia Gutierrez

Carrera 43 No. 10-50 Apto. 502,Telefono: 336 8531 Cali, Valle, Colombia

Hittalagida (Kannada)Dr T N Prakash

Dept of Agri Economics University of Agri.Science, GKVK Bangalore, Karnataka - 560065

India

Loksarvani (Gujarati)Dilip Koradiya, SRISTI P O Box 15050

Ahmedabad, Gujarat - 380 015 India

Makhir (Pahari)Dr. A. Chandan, ERA, Khundian

District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh 176030 India

Num Vali Velanmai (Tamil)P Vivekanandan

45, TPM Nagar, VirattipathuTamil Nadu 625 010 India

Sujh-Bujh Aas Paas Ki (Hindi)Shalini Sharma

H-12 ODS Flats Lajpat Nager 4New Delhi 110024 India

Tenetiga (Telugu)Prof (Mrs) P Geervani

201 Dream Apartment, Road No.3 Banjara Hills,Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500 034 India

Spirit of Anonymous Creativity

With the recent fifth Shodhyatra from Kasana village in Gujarat till Koba inRajasthan, we have walked about 1200 km in last three years in different partsof Gujarat and a part of Rajasthan. After next Shodhyatra, which shall be fromNavsari in Gujarat to Nasik in Maharastra (Dec23-Jan2, 2001), we would startmoving into other parts of the country. Purpose is to scout and celebrate grassrootsinnovations and outstanding traditional knowledge, local conservation ethic andthe spirit of anonymous creativity.

We came across time and again, outstanding knowledge experts who serve localcommunity without being often known outside their own locality. No primary orsecondary school textbook ever mentions about these unsung heroes of our society.No state or private research institution ever takes notes of their experiments, innovationsand traditional knowledge wealth. The local environmental conservation ethic isseldom built upon in national programmes and policies for natural resourceconservation. Let me illustrate. We met Shri Dhanjibhai Laljibhai Kerai, a polioaffected young person of Karagodha village of Kutch district in Gujarat during fourthShodhyatra. He had designed a small sitting attachment to a two-wheeler scooter.Once enabled to sit over it, he could drive it all around on his own. During the fifthShodhyatra we met Shri Durga Shankar Nagar of Kanela village Banswada district,Rajasthan, a teacher who had been struggling with the problem of young seedling oftree drying due to termite problem. He recalled that he had met a man more than 35years ago who seemed to know something about it. He contacted him and learnt aninteresting solution. Putting ash of burnt teak tree (Tectona grandis) leaves, wheymilk and cow urine in the pit before planting new seedling seemed to solve thetermite problem. Other people in his village did not know about it. Nor did farmersin neighbouring villages know about this solution. Why could not such a solutionbecome widespread? May be because entire machinery of state extension system isdevoted to subsidizing chemical pesticide industry by popularizing their products.Agricultural program on television and radio do likewise. Durgabhai when asked,why didn’t he ever talk about it in his class, the reply was very evocative. He said,“If the context of such a discussion hadn’t emerged today, I would not have recalledit, much less talk about it to others even today”. That is precisely the issue.

Why does not ‘context’ for discussing local experiments, innovations and explorationsget created in our communities to unravel such attempts? Why does pursuit of localexperimenters remain anonymous? Why does not literacy programmes for adults andyoung not include content, which is creative, based on solution to local problemoriginating wherever? We met in this Shodhyatra as we did in others, large numberof women like Jamnaben and farmers like Durgabhai, who had either solved aproblem through their experimental knowledge or by using indigenous material. Yet,none of them is a point of reference in our current polity! Will National InnovationFoundation, set up in March 2000 change this situation?

Depends whether you readers can take this as a challenge. No matter wherever youare located, you will have to find some such unsung heroes of our society and bringthem into light or just write about them to us. NIF has also announced nationalcontest for scouting innovation (see page 8). Together we can do it.

Anil K Gupta

A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation


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The medicinal interaction between humanand animals (zootherapy) has beenprevalent both in indigenous and westernsocieties for a long time (Weiss 1947;Rosner 1992). Popular remedies wereelaborated from parts of the animal body,from products of its metabolism (corporalsecretions and excrements), or from otheranimal materials (nests and cocoons). Anearly record for animal-based medicinecan also be traced back toTobias’ Book(Catholic Bible), in which Raphael theAngel prescribed the use of a fish’s livercontent for the treatment of ophthalmicproblems (Marques 1995).

The phenomenon of zootherapy hasrecently aroused the interest of manyresearchers from different branches ofscience, who have recorded this unusualcultural practice and sought compounds

with pharmacological action (oftenwithout any reciprocity. :Ed.) (Werner1970; But et al. 1991; Faulkner 1992).Today out of 252 essential chemicals thathave been selected by the World HealthOrganization, 11.1% have plant origin,while 8.7% come from animals (Marques1997).

Zootherapy in Artisanal FishermenCommunity of Siribinha Beach

Brazil accounts for 300 animal species,which are used as medicines. Marques(1995) records a total of 66 fish speciesin the folk medicine of fishingcommunities from 13 Brazilian States. Astudy was conducted in Conde, a coastalcity of State of Bahia, Brazil to documentthe cultural/indigenous information ofSiribinha artisanal fishermen community

�� Eraldo Medeiros Costa-Neto1

1Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Km 3, BR 116, Campus Universitário, CEP 44031-460, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil, E-mail: [email protected]

on zootherapy. It included interviewingthe people, collection of raw materials andorganisms and their identification.

Fifty-five animal species have been re-corded as having some therapeutic use asfolk medicine (see table 1). These are dis-

tributed in ten scientific taxonomic cat-egories, such as fish (44%), reptiles(17%), crustaceans (9%), mammals (7%),birds (5%), insects (5%), echinoderms(5%), mollusks (4%), annelids (2%), and

Table:1 Folk prescription of zootherapeutic resources as used by artisanal fishermen from Siribinha Beach, State of Bahia, Brazil

Phylum Common Name Scientific Name Body part used Disease Treated Mode of use/administration

Arthropoda Ghost crab, Ocypode quadrata Whole animal Asthma, Haemorrhage Tea of toasted & ground crabHermit crab, Eupagarus sp. in womenJellyfish crab

Mangrove crab Ucides cordatus Fat Haemorrhage in Drink made of fat mixed withwomen white wine

Mollusca Squid Loligo sp. Stone (internal shell) Asthma Tea of toasted stone

Octopus Octopus sp Arms Asthma Tea of toasted arms

Skin Headache Inhaling smoke of burnt skin

Echinoderms Sand dollars Mellita sp. Whole animal Asthma Tea of toasted animalStar fish Luidia senegalensisSea urchin Echinometra lucunter

Pisces Remora Echeneis naucrates Sucking dish Bronchitis & Asthma Tea of toasted and groundsucking disc

Queen triggerfish Balistes vetula Scale, Skin Stroke & Asthma Inhaling smoke of burnt skin

Fat Stroke & Earache Applying liver fat in the ear

Globe of eye Against its ownvenom Rubbing the eye

Spur Against its ownvenom Tea of toasted spur

Trahira Hoplias malabaricus Fat Toothache, Wound Using raw and toasted fatConjuctivitis, BoilBleeding, Snakebite

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Toadfish Thalassophryne Eye, Miolo (soft Against its own Rubbing eye/miolo on affectednattereri head parts) venom area

Whole animal Against its own sting Eating saltless-roasted fish

Electric ray Narcine brasiliensis Fat Toothache Applying fat

Two spot Astyanax sp. Whole animal Alchoholism Drinking mixture of whiteastyanax rum & ground fish

Curimata Prochilodus sp. Fat Boil Plaster of fat

Sharpnose shark, Rhizoprionodon sp Fat Asthma, Drinking toasted liver fat,Smalltail shark, Carcharhinus sp. Wound rubbing fat over woundsHammerheaded Sphyrna lewini Rheumatismshark

Fin Inflammations

Sting ray Trygon sp. Spur Asthma, Toothache Tea of toasted spur/apply spurpowder on tooth

Fat Asthma, Wounds Drinking toasted fat, applyingon wound.

Atlantic tarpon Tarpon atlanticus Scale, Fat Headache, Asthma Inhaling smoke of burnt scale,Bang drinking tea of toasted &

ground scale

Puffer fish Colomesus sp. Fel (liver content) Toothache Applying liver content on tooth

Hide Wound Applying on wound

Cod Hide Furuncles Covering boils

Cascarudo Callichthys Whole animal Asthma, Umbilical Consuming the animalCallichthys hernia

Fidalgo catfish Bagre bagre Eye Against its own sting Rubbing the eye on theUrutu catfish Sciadeichthys sp. affected areaMangrove catfish Netuma (barba) sp.

Croaker Micropogonias Otolith Against its own sting Tea made from otolithfunieri

Sea horse Hippocampus reidi Whole animal Asthma Tea of toasted & ground animal

Snook Centropomus Fat Leg oedema Rubbing toasted fat on the legundecimalis

Reptiles Hawkbill, Eretmochelys imbricata Fat Bronchitis, Cough, Applying fat on wounds &Loggerhead, Caretta caretta, Bang, Asthma, aching tooth & drinkingOliver ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea, Backache, Influlenza toasted fat

Rear feet Stroke Inhaling burnt foot

Shell Asthma Inhaling burnt shell

Egg (shell) Asthma Drinking water containingtoasted & ground egg shell

Egg (whole) Diabetes Consuming eggs

Mammals Whale Physeter macrocephalus Fat Asthma Drinking warm fat

Vertebrae Backache Sitting on the vertebrae

amphibians (2%). A total of 86 raw mate-rials ranging from scales, to spur, shell,fat, skin, globe of the eye, tentacles,otolith, and others, are used to treat lo-cally diagnosed ailments. They are givento the patients in the form of plasters, teas,smokes, as well as diet items. The animal,

cines. The former is prescribed for bron-chitis and to make an infant child walksooner. The latter is recommended forasthma and umbilical hernia. By splittingswamp eel into their mouth and leavingthem alive in the river, one believes thatthey take bronchitis and asthma away; a

its consumptive part, the diseases forwhich it is being given and the form inwhich it is administered are given intable 1. Besides the practices given in thetable, fishermen also use live fish, suchas swamp eel (Symbranchusmarmoratus) and cascarudo as medi-



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child is thought to walk sooner by rub-bing swamp eel over its legs; andcascarudos are recommended as food forthe treatment of umbilical hernia.

Zootherapy and Modern Science

Several compounds have been extractedfrom fish and employed as remedies in the

official medicine. Finkl (1984), forexample, refers to Eptatretus stoutii,Dasyatis sabina, and Taricha sp., assources of cardiac stimulants, anti-tumor,and analgesic, respectively. Tetrodotoxin(TTX), a water-soluble guanidiniumderivative, is an example of a bioactivecompound produced by marine organismssuch as puffer fish “that resemblesprocaine in its ability to inhibittransmission in nerve cells” (Colwell1997). When diluted, it acts as anextraordinary narcotic and analgesic(Bisset 1991). This could be the reasonwhy Siribinha fishermen use the liver’scontent of puffer fish (Colomesus sp.) forthe treatment of toothache, although it isa lethal venom. Federal University ofCeará, in Brazil, has developed threeproducts that are extracted from discardedcrustacean shells (lobsters, shrimps, andcrabs). The biopolymers chitin, chitosan,and glucosamin are combatingcholesterol, obesity, as well asregenerating cartilage and burnt tissues(Nogueira 1999). Pharmacological studieshave shown the presence of anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic, and anti-tumorsubstances in the bodies of crabs (Croft1986).

Pharmacological studies have also shownsome important active compounds inechinoderm species like Actinopygaagassizi (anti-tumor), Acanthaster planci(anti-viral), and Asterias forbesi (anti-

inflammatory) (Finkl 1984). Accordingto Aliño et al. (1990), there are studiesindicating that the use of sea urchins asvermifuge might have scientific basis.Echinoids have also been used to makeartificial blood veins (Russel andMallmann 1996).

Clinical and pharmacological researchescarried out on mice, with alcoholicextracts of Hippocampus has shown aweight increase of the uterus and ovariesbesides a prolongation of the estrogenperiod in females, while in males it hasshown an increase in the weight of theprostate and testicles, and a prolongationof the time of erection (Botsaris 1995).

Cultural boundaries:A tool forachieving sustainable zootherapy

The cultural perspective of a given humannature interrelationship includes the waypeople perceive, use, allocate, transfer,and manage their natural resources(Johannes 1993). In this way, discussingthe relationship between foods providedby the environment, their trophic use, thephysiological consequences resulting

from their eating, as well as the supportingsocial-economic structures are some of thekey elements to achieve sustainability(Bahuchet 1997). However, the demandfor natural products from marineorganisms can become a serious problemif collectors overexploit the typicallysessile organisms (Norse 1993). Suchactivities demand conservation measuresand making laws but decision makersshould view the human-nature interactionswithin a cultural dimension so that suchlaws do not debar the local communities

from using animal for medicinal purposes.The responsibility of negative impacts onbiological diversity should not only berestricted to the traditional users, but alsoextended to the pharmaceutical industries(Marques 1997). A suitable alternative forthe recovery of species under threat canbe to turn them into manageable resourcesby using both folk and scientifictechniques (Fitshugh and Wilhelm 1995).But an effective conservation programwill only be achieved if ethnozoologicalknowledge of vanishing cultures is studiedand respected (and also rewarded? :Ed).

References

Aliño, P. M., G J. B. Cajipe, E T. Ganzon-Fortes,W. Y. Licuanan, N E. Montano and L. M. Tupas.1990. The use of marine organisms in folk medicineand horticulture: a preliminary study. SeaweedInformation Center Newsletter, Leaflet 1.

Amato, I. 1992. From ‘hunter magic’, apharmacopoeia Science 258, 1306.

Bahuchet, serge. 1997. Ethnoécologie. In http://l u c y . u c k . a c . u k / S o n j a / R F / D i v d o c s /Ethnoecologie_S._Bahuchet.html

Bisset, N.G. 1991. One man’s poison, another man’smedicine. Journal of ethnopharmacology 32, 71-81.

Botsaris, A. S. 1995. Fitoterapia Chinesa e PlantasBrasileiras. Editora Icone, Sao Paulo, p. 550.

But, Paul P.-H., Yan-kit tam and Lai-ching Lung.1991. Ethnopharmacology of rhinoceros horn. II:Antipyretic effects of prescriptions containingrhinoceros horn and water buffalo horn. Journal ofEthnopharmacology 33:45-50.

ColwelL, Rita R. 1997. Microbial biodiversity andbiotechnology. In Marjorie L. Reaka-Kudla, DonE. Wilson And Edward O. Wilson (eds.) BiodiversityII: Understanding and Protecting our BiologicalResources. Joseph Henry Press, Washington, DC,77-98.

Croft, J. E. 1986. Relief from Arthritis: The NaturalWay. A safe and Effective Treatment from the Ocean.Thorsons Publishing Group, Great Britain.

Faulkner, David J. 1992. Biomedical uses for naturalmarine products. Oceanus 35(1):29-35.

Ferreira, S.H. 1993. A descoberta academica e osdireitos de propriedade intelectual. Ciencia Hoje15,43-44.

Finkl, Charles W. 1984. Os medicamentos do mar.In JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU (ed.)Enciclopédia dos Mares, vol. 1. Salvat, Rio deJaneiro, 74-75.

Fitshugh,H. and A.E. Wilhelm.1995. Value and usesof indigenous livestock breeds in developing nations.In M. L Oldfield and J.B. Alcorn (Eds.),Biodiversity: Culture, Conservation and

Contd... on page 18



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hooves, is found to be curative1. Leaf pasteof Clerodendrum phlomidis applied oninfested hooves gives relief to the animal2.Extract of primordial of Pongamiapinnata3; crushed hot fruit paste ofDiospyros cordifolia applied on infectedhooves4; oil derived from fruits ofSchleichera oleosa5; resin from Buteamonosperma6 applied on hooves as wellas inside the mouth of diseased animals-all give recovery to a level of about 70per cent within a week’s treatment. Oil ofBrassica campestris rubbed on affectedhooves7; bark decoction of Dalbergiasisso8 and leaf paste of Terminaliacrenulata9 applied on wounds and ulcers

are recommended for curative remedy ofthe disease.

Using Plants in Combination

Several different plants are also used incombination in traditional treatment ofFMD. Leaf paste with equal proportionsof Aristolochia bracteolata and Annonasquamosa applied to the infectedhooves10; paste of pulverized parts ofAcorus calamus and Sesbaniagrandiflora applied on infected bodyparts; paste of fruits of Tamarindusindicus in ‘gingelly’ oil applied in themouth11; paste of fruit of Aegle marmelosalong with gum of ‘golar’ tree applied oninfected hooves12 and rhizome bulbs of

FMD primarily affects the cattle duringmonsoon. Common symptoms includehigh body temperature and developmentof ulcers in the hoof as well as in themouth. The infected animal stops eating,starts limping, and constantly rubs andtaps the hooves. The productivity of theanimal is severely affected since infectedanimal stops eating and milk output isreduced by 60 to 70 per cent. Forty- fiveisolates of the virus causing FMD havebeen separated (Lombard 1987).Generally, some farmers are very reluctantto use vaccine since it has adverse sideeffects and medicines are not found to beeffective once the disease sets in (Lorenz1998). The alternative veterinary healthcare system is very popular among farmersin many regions indicating itscontemporary relevance. Although earlyquarantine is effective in containing thedisease occurrence and spread, traditionaltechnological knowledge involving use ofvarious plants and animal residues alongwith few locally available chemicals,helps to achieve nearly 70 per cent cureof the disease without any ill effects onlivestock health. Farmers’ alternativesinvolve external application of herbal andother locally available materials onwounds and ulcers and also oral intake ofherbal extracts.

Using Plant Concoction alone forExternal Application

Extract of a single plant part or parts ofseveral plants in combination, is the mostpopular application on wound and ulceron the foot, between the hooves, andinside the mouth of diseased animals.Floral primordial of Capparis decidua,boiled in oil and tied between the infected

Allium sativum warmed in oil of Brassicacampestris applied on muzzle region andmouth13 offer various degrees of curativeeffects.

Oral Intake of Plant Concoction

All oral formulations-bread ofPennisetum typhoides grain along withany edible oil and bulb of Allium cepa14;crushed bark of Commiphora mukul andButea monosperma15; suspension of 50gTrachyspermum ammi seed, 100gjaggery, 25g tea powder in half litrewater16 are traditional medicines fed to theailing animal to cure FMD (and/or toreduce secondary infections). Traditionalveterinary practices as described in thebook ‘Periya Mattu Vadagam’ suggestsformulation constituting “sukkunaripal”(a type of grass), cakes of Madhucaindica, leaves of Pergularia daemia,Calotropis gigantea, Azadirachta indicaand Santalum album be fed orally17.Shivcharan Sharma, a traditionalveterinary practitioner from Rasoolgarh,Uttar Pradesh, India, prescribed aquaticgrasses (‘Chopattia’) to be mixed withflour or water and fed to the diseasedanimal. This remedy not only cures thedisease but also prevents it if given tohealthy animal18. Bark decoction of thethorny variety of Butea spp.19; fruit ofMusa paradisica soaked overnight in oilof Ricinus communis20 (castor),decoction of Butea monosperma leavesand Azadirachta indica bark21 and extractof Ocimum sanctum 22 are prescribed aseffective oral medication to cure FMD.Several farmers from the Rural Medak,Andhra Pradesh, in India are usinggrounded root of Withania somnifera,powdered bark of Butea monosperma;

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Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is an infectious and epidemic viral cattle disease. The disease has been a serious sourceof mortality in cattle. We have documented more than fifty different farmers’ technological and institutional innovationsfor curing FMD. Similarly, farmers have also developed several interesting institutional mechanisms to prevent spreadof the disease. The interplay of technological and institutional innovations is important in controlling this disease. Here,a synthesis of some selected practices evolved by farmers and drawn from Honey Bee database are presented so asto appreciate the range of farmers’ creativity in containing this disease.

Generally, some farmers are veryreluctant to use vaccine since it hasadverse side effects and medicinesare not found to be effective oncethe disease sets in.



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Trigonella foenum- graecum leaves andMusa sapientum fruits; Coriandrumsativum leaves and Musa sapientumfruits; leaves of Vitex negundo andTrigonella foenum- graecum with Musasapientum fruits; fruits of Aeglemarmelos and leaves of Cassiaauriculata- to control FMD23

Using Animal residues and Plant partstogether

Mainly fish, including fish washings andother animal residues are used alone or inconjunction with plants for curing FMD.Dead animal carcass washing whenpoured over the infected hooves andsprinkled over the feeding stall controlsthe disease prevalent in irrigated areas24.People in Central Gujarat place scales offish in the manger, burn fish scales oncethe disease spreads out25 and spray thewater in which dried fish had been soakedin the cattleyard26. Fresh milk is pouredbetween the diseased hooves27; left overwater after soaking dried fish is appliedon hooves28 and smoke of burnt fish29 issupposed to protect animals from FMD.In a unique practice, smoke from burntspines of dead Hedgehog (Hemiechinusauritus) is believed to cure animalssuffering from FMD, when exposed30 toit. Application of ash of burnt leathermixed with equal amount of groundnut orsesame oil on the affected hoof31;fumigation of cattle-yard and affectedanimals by burning leaves of Azadirachtaindica, rhizome of Curcuma longa anddried fish waste32 are also reported to healthe diseased animals.

Use of other Local Materials

Besides residues from the living animalsand plant parts, some locally availablematerials are also used for curing FMD.Wine poured on the blisters33; applicationof salt solution on the ulcers inside themouth and between the affected hooves34;jaggery rubbed inside the mouth ofaffected animals35; lime water36 orkerosene

37 poured between the hooves;

affected parts washed with alum solution38

and fumigation by burning discarded outercovering of horse’s hoove39 have been

advocated to prevent/cure FMD.Sometimes diseased animals are made towalk on hot sand40 or paste made out ofbark of Acacia nilotica applied on theaffected hooves or roasted fruit ofEuphorbia spp. with alum applied to allbody parts afflicted with an internalwound41 for curative purposes.

Homeopathy for treatment of FMD

Homeopathy, considered to be one of thesafest methods of animal treatment, iseffective in controlling FMD throughexternal application and oral feed. NATMUR 30C and MERC SOL 200C are bothgiven to cure foot sore and BORAX 30Cfor mouth sore. HIMAX ointment isapplied on the sores externally to preventflies and worms from entering the wound.KALI IODATUM 200 is fed primarily toprevent the disease and VARIOLIRUM30 is used as paxoral vaccine42

Review of both preventive and curativetraditional measures for FMD provides apowerful context to formulate integratedmanagement of FMD (Dora, 1984).Seventeenth Conference on Foot andMouth Disease held in Paris (1986)suggested the use of vaccines prepared bygenetic engineering for FMD control.Comments given by Technical Committeeon Livestock and Veterinary science,Gujarat Agricultural University seems toprovide the scientific justification in mostcases of the traditional practices. Thefunctionality of traditional technology isa reason enough to warrant scientificattention and trial that might provide costeffective ways of dealing with this dreadeddisease affecting thousands of animalsevery year in different parts of the world.

Referencess1. Chaturbhai Patel, Surendranagar, Comm:

Kirit K Patel, HB2(1):20,19912. Manibhai Bhagore, Sabarkantha, Comm:

Thakore Ramsinh, HB2(1):20,19913. Dahyabhai Makwana, Panchmahal, Comm:

Subhas V Parmar, HB3(2):20,19924. Jadav Rambhai Keshabhai, Kheda, Comm:

Padhiyar Ramji M, HB3(2):21,19925. Mosubhai Sonubhai, Dang, Comm: Ratilal

R Ganvit, HB3(2):21,19926. Comm: Pramod K Jain, HB5(2):13,19947. Comm: Pramod K Jain, HB5(2):13,19948. Gambhirbhai S Vasava, Baruch, Comm:

Sukabhai S Vasava, HB8(1):11,19979. Dharambhai Mugdabhai Damor,

Banaskantha, HB10(1):15,199910. Ravjibhai Somabhai, Bhavnagar, Comm:

Dhandhalya Bhargav, HB4(1):13,199311. Periya Mattu Vadagam, HB5(2): 13, 1994

Managing FMD throughinstitutional innovations

Institutional solutions either alone orin conjunction with technologicalpractices help communities in not justcontrolling FMD but also inpreventing from spreading. In Bhutan,people appoint guards outside thevillage, on main entry routes, whenFMD breaks out. These guards aresupposed to warn the caretakers ofthe passing by herds about FMDinfection outbreak in the village andadvice them not to enter the village(Gupta and Karma Ura, 1992).

In Sembalpani village of NorthGujarat, local community hang someleaves outside the house of those whohave infected animals to indicate needfor quarantine. They have also evolvedsome rules for the same. When onlyone or two animals are infected,diseased animals are confined tocattleshed. When several animals areinfected and stall-feeding becomesimpractical, farmers decide on aparticular area of the forest andcommon place for drinking water forinfected animals. When majority ofthe animals in the village are infectedthen arrangements are made to informall neighbouring villages. Care is alsotaken to ensure that infected animalsdo not visit the grazing land at thesame time when healthy animals visitin the village as well as outside.

There are many other ways ofquarantine followed by farmers toprevent diffusion of infection fromFMD affected animals to others.Assumption always is that such abehaviour will be reciprocated byothers. Rest of the references shall be carried

in the next issue.



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The International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD), Rome organised thefirst International Competition forscouting grassroots innovations insurvival technologies in association withSRISTI and Honey Bee Network. Lastissue of Honey Bee carried the entry thatwon first prize in the contest. ManiamSitaraman won third prize for hisinnovative practice for controlling ricehispa. Prof. Anil K Gupta and DilipKoradiya of SRISTI met him at SecondGlobal Knowledge Conference held inMarch 2000 in Malaysia. The criteria forevaluating the entries for awarding prizeswere uniqueness of practice, novel use ofingredients and their apparenteffectiveness, use of locally availablematerial, prospects for research anddevelopment and wide applicability.

Third Prize: Biological Control ofRice Hispa

Rice hispa is a dreaded plant disease thatcauses immense loss of rice yield in Southand South East Asia. Maniam Sitaraman,a tribal farmer from Andhra Pradesh inIndia, has been practicing biologicalcontrol of rice hispa pest (Dicladispaarmigera) through his innovative use ofa poisonous plant, for the last twelve yearswith effective results. This plant locallycalled ‘kodisa’ (Cleistanthus collinus), is

found abundantly in forest area, all alongthe Eastern Ghats. He learnt the use of‘kodisa’ from his father- a cattle rearer byprofession- who was a repository ofknowledge on poisonous plants. However,a traditional practice of using crushedleaves of the plant had been in use forquite some time, by the Khoya tribe ofAndhra Pradesh, to which Sitaramanbelongs. The paste made out of leaves isused as an external application to cure

ulcers on animals and humans. Further thepulp of the bark is used to treat woundsof domestic animals.

Sitaraman first learnt about the pesticidalproperty of the plant when he noticed dead

rice hispa larvae along the water channelin paddy fields where the leaves of theplant were floating. Since then he startedputting cut branches of this plant in hisrice fields and observed that the damagecaused by rice hispa pest had considerablyreduced. The cost of controlling the pesthas also gone down compared to the costof chemical pesticides for which he usedto spend Rs 1000 per acre.

Sitaraman is a small farmer with two anda half acre of land, which he plans toutilize more profitably by growing rice intwo acre and leaving the rest half acre forgrowing sesame, lentil and other crops.He gratefully acknowledges thecontribution of his wife Raktamma, whohelps him in paddy plantation andsuggests areas where ‘kodisa’ branchesare to be fixed. The ‘kodisa’ tree occurswidely in Africa and Malaysia other thanin India. Although there exists amplescope of developing it in to a herbalpesticide, Sitaraman admits the mainconstraint in using this innovativetechnique is that it is effective only whenused in the early stages of diseaseincidence.

Farmer: Maniam Sitaraman, Thummaghodamandalam, Chinnalguda, Khammam, AndhraPradesh, India

Comm: Vijay Chandra, ITDA, AgriculturalOfficer, Bhadrachalam, Khammam, AndhraPradesh, India

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Second International Competition

SRISTI, Honey Bee Network andIIM Ahmedabad announce SecondInternational Competition forScouting Grassroots Innovations inSurvival Technologies, Institutionsand Education

The award winning entries will bepublished in Honey Bee Newsletter,and the awardees will be invited toHoney Bee network meeting in Indiain February, 2001.

Anybody who has come across someinnovations attempted by farmers,artisans, fishermen and women, slumdwellers, workshop mechanics,primary or secondary school teachers,local communities in managing naturalresources, biodiversity, developing newfarm implements, herbal pesticides,curing diseases, building houses,reviving culture, or improving primaryeducational performance, or any otherfield of human knowledge, survival andlivelihood may participate.

How to participate?

You may send as many entries as youwish on plain paper providing genesisof innovation, background of innova-tion, innovator/s, origin of idea, accom-panied by photographs and/or videosif possible.

Where to send the entries?

SRISTIP.O. Box 15050, Ambawadi,Ahmedabad 380015, India. http://www.sristi.org

Or

Prof Anil K GuptaCoordinator, SRISTI and Honey Beenetwork, Indian Institute ofManagement, Ahmedabad India380015. [email protected]

Last date for submission: November30, 2000.



8

The National Innovation FoundationIn collaboration with

Honey Bee Network & Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

National InnovationFoundationThe Department of Scienceand Technology, Governmentof India, constituted theNational InnovationFoundation, with an aim torecognise and support creativepotential of innovators at thegrassroots to help make Indiaself-reliant and a leader insustainable technologies. TheFoundation enables grassrootsinnovators to (a) build linkageswith science and technologicalexperts; (b) forge linkages withentrepreneurs and (c) pursueintellectual property rightsprotection and get venturepromotion support for smallinnovators.

The CompetitionThe NIF solicits entries aboutinnovations attempted byfarmers, artisans, fishermanand women slum dwellers,workshop mechanics, localcommunities in managingnatural resources, biodiversity,developing new farmimplements, herbal pesticides,curing diseases, construction oflow cost environmentallybenign houses or any otheraspect of survival in urban andrural areas.

The AwardBased on a rigorous screeningprocess the first threeinnovations would be awardedRs. 50,000, Rs. 25,000 andRs.10,000 each. There wouldbe 500 consolation prizes ofRs.1,000 each depending uponthe number of entries andincremental inventiveness.

The award winning entrieswould also be published in theHoney Bee Newsletter, andincluded in the KnowledgeNetwork on SustainableTechnologies and Institutions.Intellectual Property Rights ofgrassroots innovators will beprotected. The winners of thefirst annual NationalCompetition will be invited toHoney Bee network andinnovators meeting at theIndian Institute of Management,Ahmedabad in February 2001.

How to ParticipateIndividuals or groups may sendas many entries on plain paperproviding genesis of innovation,background of innovation andinnovators, accompanied byphotographs and/or videos ifpossible and any otherinformation that may help inreplicating innovations bycommunities or individuals. Thelast date for the First AnnualCompetition is November 30,2000. Entries for the SecondAnnual Competition will beaccepted all year round tillSeptember 2001.

Where to send EntriesAnil K. Gupta, Vice Chairperson, National Innovation Foundationand Professor IIM - Ahmedabad 380 015 GujaratOrContest, National Innovation FoundationPO Box 15051, Ahmedabad 380 015 Gujaratemail : [email protected]

CompetitionFirst National AnnualAnnounces

Innovationsfor Scouting GrassrootsTechnological

Space courtesy: SRISTI



9

11201 Flower dropping in Chiliesand Tomatoes

Two kg of neem seeds are ground welland diluted with water and then filtered.To this filtrate, ten kg of fresh cow dung

is mixed thoroughly. This is sufficientfor spraying on one acre of land byadding required quantity of water tostop flower dropping.

See Honey Bee 5(2):16,1994; 6(2):10,1995;9(2):7,1998; 10(3):9,1997 for practices oncontrolling flower dropping.

Farmer: Ramachandra Gounder, 2,Keelendapatti, Palavadi (PO), Dist.Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, India

11202 Control of nematode inbanana

Before planting banana suckers, applyabout 60 cart loads of well rottencompost manure per acre and preparethe field by repeated ploughing for sixtimes. Then prepare beds and plant thesuckers six feet apart on either side.Mix neem cake and castor cake in equalproportion and apply 25 to 30 g aroundeach sucker after 60 days of planting.Field should be irrigated regularly.

During the eighth month, apply 50 g ofgroundnut cake. This will ensureprotection of banana plants from thedamage by nematodes.

See Honey Bee 3(3&4):16,1992;7(4):15,1996; 4(4):16,1993; 9(3):10,1998 forpractices on controlling nematode inbanana.

Farmer: Sankaralingam, Kanjanaickanpatti,Aruppukottai Taluka, Dist. Virudhunagar.

11203 Trap crops and Herbalextracts for pest management

(1) For control of nematodes in vegetable

��

Num Vali Velanmai(Tamil Version of Honey Bee)P Vivekanandan, Editor, SEVA, 45, TPMNagar, Virattipathu, Madurai 625010, TamilNadu. email: [email protected]

crops like tomato, chilies, ‘chamanthi’(Chrysanthemum coronarium) (aflowering plant) is raised on the borderof the fields. (2) For control of red leafspot disease in paddy, the seeds aresoaked in 20 per cent ‘pudina’ leafextract (Mentha sativa) for 24 hours.This also increases the germination rateand vigour of the seedlings. (3) Forcontrol of damping off disease in tomatonursery ‘kahithapu’ leaf extract(Bougainvillea glabra) is used. About20 ml of leaf extract is mixed in onelitre of water and the seeds are soakedin it for six hours.

See Honey Bee 4(2&3): 19,1993; 3(3&4):9,1992; 8(4): 3,1997; 9(1): 4,1998 forpractices on pest management in sugarcane,castor and pulse respectively.

Farmer: S.Kuppusamy, Gandhinagar,Dist.Vattalakundu, Tamil Nadu, India

11204 For controlling Aphids

About ten kg of dried cow dung isground into fine powder and mixed with

ash (obtained from the brick kiln/burningof firewood) and dusted in the earlymorning.

See Honey Bee 8(3): 12,1997; 4(4): 16,1993;5(4): 17,1994 for practices on aphid control.

11205 Stomach pain in Cattle

Sometimes, while grazing animals mightstop feeding due to pain in the stomach.To give relief, bark of ‘pungam’(Pongamia pinnata) is dried and a

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Marigolds can replace chemicalpesticides.

Scientists have now proved somethingmost of us knew all along. Accordingto a report in Harrowsmith CountryLife 1998, researcher with AgriculturalCanada have found that a marigold(Xeromphis uliginosa) crop used inrotation on farms will reduce parasiticnematodes to less than threshold level.

And in water solution, marigold willeven control mosquito larvae. It issuggested to intersperse vegetableswith marigolds and at the end of theseason, pull them up and mulch themarigolds into vegetable bed that willprovide excellent protection againstnematodes for at least a year.

See HB 8(1):15,1997; 10(4):7,1999 forother practices using marigold.

Source: The Smallholder, Spring 2000, #92. Contd.. on page 11



10

Hittalagida(Kannada version of Honey Bee)T N Prakash, Editor, HittalagidaDept. of Agri. EconomicsUniversity of Agri. Science, GKVKBangalore - 560 065 Karnatakaemail: [email protected]

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11207 Cow urine as growth en-hancer

Due to insect problem the tender and topcrown leaves of coconut start rotting, turnyellow and fall down. It is advisable toremove the tip by the time it starts turningyellow. If it cannot be removed at thatstage, then with a strong iron rod the tipof the tree is pierced and then removed.Further, one litre cow urine, 250g neemoil, 500g wheat flour are mixed andpoured on the tree from its apex. This actsas an effective growth enhancer andwithin two months new shoot/leavesreappear. It is suggested that care shouldbe taken so that water does not get intothis treated area. So during rainy seasonthe top tip of the tree has to be keptcovered.

See Honey Bee 3(1): 15,1992: 7(2): 15,1992;10(2): 8,1999; 10(4): 7,1999 on practices ofusing cow urine in pest management.

Farmer and Comm: Basavaraja Santhe-shivara, Dist. Hasan, Karnataka, India

11208 Compost from coir pith andbonus of weed control

Coir pith waste thrown by coir industrybecomes good manure for crops. Thiscoir pith can be efficiently converted intomanure in the following way: Coir pith isfirst spread in the cattle shed. Thisbecomes a comfortable mat for the cattleto lie down and sleep on. Moreover, thecoir pith mat soaks urine and dung

keeping the cattle dry and clean and overtime the menace of lice disappears. Thenthe layer of coir pith is removed and freshone is laid out every day. The removedcoir pith from the cattle shed is filled incompost pit. This way coir pith getsconverted into good manure within ninetydays. Coir pith in combination with urine

11206 Dropping of immature nuts

Reduction in the size of coconuts, fall ofimmature fruits and oozing out of brownliquid from the trunk of the tree are someserious problems in coconuts. Theseproblems also occur in those gardens

where (a) an immediate shift is made fromrainfed to irrigated conditions, (b) gardensare near a lake/pond, and (c) the watertable keeps fluctuating. To overcome theseproblems a trench, one to one and half feetdeep is dug at a distance of about four feetfrom the tree. The trench is filled withfive kg neem leaves and 25 kg green leafmanure and is covered with soil. This iswatered regularly for three months. As aresult dropping of tender and immaturefruit stops and size of coconut increases.Application of lime on the trunk up to sixfeet from the base stops oozing.

See Honey Bee 4(2&3): 7,1993; 8(1): 14,1997;9(2): 15,1998; 10(1):7,1999 for practices oncontrolling dropping of immature fruits. Alsosee HB 8(4): 16, 1997 for Bhaskarbhai Save'spractice of trenching in coconut.

Farmer & Comm: Basavaraja Santheshivara,Dist. Hasan,Karnataka, India

and cow dung builds up heat in thecompost pit and thus at the hightemperature, seeds of weeds also getkilled. Single cattle can provide sufficientmanure for an acre.

See Honey Bee 9(3): 10,1998; 11(1): 4,2000for practices on using coir pith in preparingcompost.

Farmer: Basavaraja Santheshivara, Dist.Hasan,Karnataka.

11209 Rat control

‘Gubasi mullu’ (Barleria buxifolia) isplanted around the grain storage areaand also around the crop fields. Theseplants being full of thorns keep rats

away from the area. Kankapura farmershave experienced that these thorns whenspread near the mouth of rat holecompletely drive them away.

See Honey Bee 2(1): 16,1991; 4(1): 12,1993;5(3): 13,1994; 11(1): 20,2000 for practices onrat control.

Comm: G. Krishna Prasad, Karnataka, India

11210 Enhancing soil fertility

Leaves of ‘neem’(Azadirachta indica), and‘honge’ (Pongamia pinnata) are mixedwith soil a month prior to sowing of cropand ploughed into the soil. After a monththe practice is repeated but this timeploughing is done from different direction.By following this practice of applyinggreen manure not only the soil fertility isenhanced, but strength of plants to resistthe disease also increases.

See Honey Bee 3(3&4): 13,1992; 8(3): 7,1997;7(4): 7,1996; 10(3): 14,1999 for practices onenhancing soil fertility.

Farmer: B.H. Basavarajappa, DistTarikere,Karnataka, India



11

institution and its management. A wardenis also employed for the coordination ofthe ‘kanjhod’. He takes care of the animalsthat are incarcerated in the ‘kanjhod’.Enough water and fodder is madeavailable to the animals in the ‘kanjhod’.The money raised through the auction ofthe animals is used either for themaintenance of the ‘kanjhod’, purchasingof animals, or for developmental work inthe village. In the year 1997 and 1999,Rs 4,155 and 2,200 respectively werecollected through the auction of theanimals. In the year 1999, a buffalo waspurchased and a room was built in theschool village with the money raisedthrough such auctions.

Some people thought that squabblesamong the villagers would increase dueto this institution. But the fear provedwrong. The reason being that the villagersthemselves made all the rules andregulations for the coordination of theinstitution and therefore were ready toabide by them. As a result, the institutionhas run smoothly for last three years. This‘kanjhod’ saves grain worth lakhs ofrupees according to Badri Gurjar of thevillage.

Comm: Aman Singh, 5/218 Aravalli Vihar,Alwar, Rajasthan - 301001 India

Sujhbujh Aas Pas Ki(Hindi version of Honey Bee)Shalini Sharma, EditorEEG, J-50, ODA FlatsLajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi 110024

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11211 Kanjhod : An Institution

Seven years ago when Agricultural andEcological Development Institute startedworking in Bakthpura village of Alwardistrict in Rajasthan, there were manyproblems related to farming and animal

husbandry. The village is adjoining to theSariska Sanctuary. Gurjar communitydominates the village and rears buffaloes,goats and sheep. There are a large numberof both, domestic and wild, animals in andaround the village. Farmers of this villagefaced a serious problem of protecting theircrops from the damage caused by

domestic cattle let loose by farmers.These animals destroyed the fields bytrampling as well as by grazing. Thevillagers decided to find an indigenioussolution to the problem.

Trigger of the Idea

It was observed that the villagers,especially the Gurjar community, did notalways keep watch on the movement oftheir animals and they trespass intosomeone’s field and destroy the crop. Thisresulted in fight among the villagers,which increased day by day. The eldersof the village decided to meet one day and

ponder over a possible solution. As aresult the institution of ‘kanjhod’ wasconceived. ‘kanjhod’ is a stockade for thetrespassing animals.

Rules and Regulations

To finalize various rules and regulationsregarding this institution number ofmeetings took place. It was finallydecided that all the villagers have to keepa check on their animals’ movement. Ifan animal is found in someone else’s farmthen the farm owner can put the animal inthe ‘kanjhod’. The owner of the animalmust pay Rs 50 per day for as many daysthe animal is captive in the ‘kanjhod’ inorder to get their animal back. If no onecomes to take possession of the animalwithin three days then the animal isauctioned.

Maintenance

A committee of nine members of theselected people from the villagecoordinates the ‘kanjhod.’ This committeetakes all the decisions regarding this

decoction is made. For two daysabout 350 ml (two tumblers) of thisdecoction is given to the ailing animalper day.

See Honey Bee 3(2): 20,1992; 8(1);14,1997; 4(1): 3,1993; 11(1): 15, 2000for practices using Pongamia pinnata forpain in cattle.

Farmer: S.Pandurangan, 30, Kovil Street,Papparapatti, Dist. Dharmapuri.

Stepping Lightly On Earth

“If ants are invading your home…first,locate the place where they are comingfrom. Next, squeeze a lemon at thatspot and leave the peel.” Ants willalso retreat from lines of talcumpowder, chalk, bone meal, charcoaldust, and cayenne pepper. For a freecopy of ‘Stepping lightly on Earth,’which contains environmental homeand garden tips, write to: GreenpeaceInformation, 250 Dundas St. W, suite605b, Toronto, Ont. M5T 2Z5.

Source: The Smallholder, Fall1999, #91

Contd.. from page 9



12

Loksarvani(Gujarati Version of Honey Bee)C/o SRISTI, Post Box No. 15050, Ambawadi,Ahmedabad - 380 015

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11212 Intercropping for diseasecontrol in Groundnut

‘Tikka’ (Cercospora arachidicala)disease of groundnut is caused by a fungusand appears at flowering stage and reducesyield drastically. Intercropping ofgroundnut and greengram (Vigna radiata)in the ratio of 4:1, controls ‘tikka’ diseasecompletely. Ashvinbhai encountered thispractice accidentally. Once he plantedgroundnut with greengram and observedthat his field was free from ‘tikka’ diseasewhile it had affected fields of otherfarmers in the village. From that yearonward he started intercropping of thetwo. He is practicing it for the last fiveyears and slowly other farmers of hisvillage are also trying it out.

(Will state agriculture university, ICAR andother research institutions including ICRISATtake note of it and honour Ashwinbhai? Ed.)

(See HB 6(3): 9, 1995; 9(1): 4, 1999 onpractices of intercropping for disease control)Farmer: Ashvinbhai Kalayanbhai Thakarsiya,Motathavada, Dist Bhuj. Comm: JayendraVaghela.

11213 Ginger and ‘aakdo’ for eachother

To save ginger (Zingiber officinale) frominsect pest, ‘aakdo’ (Calotropis spp) isplanted randomly in the field. The smellfrom this plant acts as a repellant forinsect/pest. Bachubhai has been using this

technique for last four years. On inquiringwhether other farmers face problem fromrepelled insect pest affecting their fields,

this farmer claims that almost everyonein the village follows this practice, so thequestion of any problem does not arise.

(See HB 4(2 & 3): 20, 1999, 2(1): 16, 1991,3(3 & 4): 16, 1992; 3(1): 11, 1992; 5(4): 17,1994; 6(1): 10, 1995 11(1): 2000 for practicesof using Calotropis spp for pest control.)

Farmer: Bachubhai M Pandor; Sunodha,Bhiloda, Dist Sabarkantha. Comm:Sardarbhai Kesarabhai Solanki.

11214 Improving quality of dates

To improve the quality and quantity of‘kharek’ or dates (Phoenix sylvestris),Kantibhai prunes 50 per cent of theflowers as soon as they set in. Theremaining flowers bear bigger fruits. Hefurther claims that these fruits last longand fetch higher price in the market. Helearnt it from his father, who used tosay, that if they shall be left as it is, plantwould not be able to nourish all thefruits. Not many farmers follow thispractice because on the face of it, itlooks quite risky to pluck almost fifty

per cent of the flowers. They are notready to assume that eventually the yieldwill be higher. He could not explain thereason why the fruits should be sweetercompared to trees of other farmers notfollowing this practice. He was not awareof the technique of pollinating ‘kharek’developed by Naranbhai Gadvi or hismachine that helps in shortening theprocessing time of ‘kharek’. He waskeen to learn this new method ofpollinating if given a chance.

(See HB 10(4): 3, 1999; for practice onimproving quality of Phoenix sylvestris.)

Farmer: Kantilal Derjeebhai Patel, Talvani,Mandvi, Dist. Bhuj. Comm: Chiman Parmar

11215 Water and soil from forest forfarms

The forest cover in Gujarat is declining.Due to this, water from hills flow downwith tremendous speed and washes awaywith it the top fertile layer of soil.Maheshbhai Lakhabhai Damor ofKaliyakua village in Meghraj Taluka hasmade a unique step like canal and hasdiverted the flow of water from theforest to his farm. He is of the opinionthat because of this stream-like flow hisfarm gets water and fertile soil that thewater brings with it. As a result he getsgood crop. Moreover, the extra waterfrom his farm is diverted again to otherfarms. This step like canal has increasedthe fertility of the soil and yield fromthe farm.

(See HB 3(1):11,1992, 2(1):18,1991,5 (4):3-6,1994 for water management practices)

Farmer: Maheshbhai Lakhabhai Damor,village Kaliyakua,taluka Meghraj, GujaratComm: Kantibhai DamorSource: Loksarvani 5(3):5,2000

11216 Butea Increases soil fertility

Fertility of soil decreases as more andmore cash crops are grown year after yearwithout replenishing the soil withnecessary nutrients. Kadabhai uses leavesof ‘khakhra’ (Butea monosperma) toincrease the fertility of his farm soil. Hegathers the leaves of ‘khakhra’ from theforest and spreads it in the field, wherepreviously he had grown wheat. Then heburns these leaves along with the residueof dried stalks of wheat. This ash whenmixed with soil increases fertility of soil.Several farmers use this practice in Dantaregion of North Gujarat.

(According to Dr.K.D.Solanki,GAU, thepractice of using Butea monosperma leavesfor increasing soil fertility is well known. Dr.T.N.Barvadiya says that the ash providespotassium. According to the NAPALERTdatabase leaves of Butea monosperma havepesticidal properties. What we will like to knowis whether GAU has ever recommended thisto farmers. : Ed)



13

(See HB 8(3): 7,1997, 10 (3): 14,1999, 3(3&4):15,1992 for more practices on soil fertility)

Farmer: Kadabhai Keshabhai, Miravas,Danta Taluka, Banaskantha District.Comm: Ganpath Solanki.

Animal Husbandry

11217 Indian Curry for Skin Infection

‘Kharajva’ is a skin disease which ischaracterized by hair loss, itching andhardening of skin. ‘Kadhi’ (Indian Curry)if applied on the affected skin can cure itin within three to four days. On inquiringas to how he started using this practice,the farmer narrated a very interestingincident. Once he was bringing lunch forhis father working in the field. He wasriding his old horse which was infected

with this disease. On the way due touneven road some ‘kadhi’spilled from thelunch box on the horse. After four dayshe observed that the portion of horse backon which the curry had fallen was curedof the infection. Thereafter he applied the‘kadhi’on whole of the affected portionof the horse and as expected his horse gotrid of the disease. Initially not manypeople used this practice in his village.Veterinary doctor who used to visit thevillage told that it might be turmeric(which is a major ingredient of Indiancurry) that cured the horse. A few farmershave started following it since then.

Farmer: Patel Bhudarbhai Purshottambhai,Chandranagar, Viramgam, Ahmedabad.Comm: Pravin Rohit/ Pradeep K Singh

11218 Tobacco for skin disease

Animal infected with ectoparasitesbecomes irritated. To control this parasite,25g tobacco powder is dissolved in oneand a half-litre of water. This mixture is

(See HB 3(3 & 4): 19, 1992; 9(1): 10, 1998;4(4); 17, 1993; 9(3): 17, 1998 for practices oftreating yoke gall.)

Farmer: Laxmibhai Makwana, Changda,Khambat, Dist Anand. Comm: Pravin Rohit/Pradeep K Singh

11220 ‘Aakdo’ for wound healing

Bark of ‘aakdo’ (Calotropis spp) plant ispound very well and mixed with 50g of‘ghee’ (clarified butter). This mixture isapplied only once on the wound of theanimal and bandage is kept for 15 days.He learnt this practice in his childhood.Therefore could not recollect from whomhe learnt it. Another farmer of this villagetold that ‘aakdo’ helps in cleaning thewound of any germs while ‘ghee’ helpsin healing the wound.

Farmer: Maljibhai Desai, Dharisana, Dist.Ahmedabad. Comm: Rajesh K Patel

11221 ‘Jaiphal’ for milking reluctantanimal

Hungry or thirsty animal refuses to getmilked. It is also the case when calf dies.Other reasons for animal showingreluctance to give milk are internal orexternal injuries or change in the foodpattern, milking person or the place ofmilking. The farmer faces drastic cut inhis source of income. Shri GhemrbhaiBecharbhai Chaudhari of Jadiya villagein Sabarkantha, recommends the use of‘jaiphal’ (Myristica fragrans) to solve thisproblem. By rubbing the ‘jaiphal’ fruiton a stone a fine powder is obtained. Thispowder mixed with fodder is given to theanimal. This method seems to give instantresult. This practice if followed will allowregular milking. Shri OharajbhaiBhimjibhai Chaudhari, of the samevillage, also uses this practice for milkinghis animal.(According to Dr. Jayvir Anjariya, due to theintoxicating property of Myristica fragransthe animal remains quiet and stands still. But,why not keep the animal happy and care forher needs too? We will like to hear from otherreaders too on this practice. Ed.).

(See HB 6(1): 4,1995, 9(3): 11,1998 for morepractices using Myristica fragrans)Farmer: Ghemrbhai Becharbhai Chaudhari.Comm: Ramesh Bharthri. Source: Loksarvani5(3): 8, 2000

kept for three hour and later diluted withtwenty litre water. The animal is bathedwith the diluted mixture properly byscrubbing it with cotton cloth. This is

followed till the animal is completelycured of the parasite. Ishwarbhai has beenusing this practice for the last seven years.

Farmer: Patel Iswharbhai Babubhai,Chempura, Jadur, Dist Banaskantha. Comm:Ishwar Kiradiya

11219 For Treating yoke gall

(a) Coconut shell is ground very fineand mixed with butter. This mixture isapplied on the neck of bullock sufferingfrom gall. The wound is healed withinfive to six days. He learnt this practicefrom his father.

(We have a very large quantity of such shellswasted outside big temples and South Indian

hotels. May be some entrepreneur will lookat this potential. :Ed.)

Farmer: Mukhwana Manabhai Parkhanbhai,Khedbrahma, Dist. Sabarkantha. Comm:Bambhi Samarbhai Dalabhai

(b) Mixture prepared by boiling camphorin groundnut oil is applied on gall, threetimes a day for three days. The gallheals completely by this practice. Helearnt this practice from his ancestorsbut was unable to recollect particularlyfrom whom.



14

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Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)

Erosion of biodiversity and associatedknowledge systems has been causingconcern around the world. To facilitateconservation of globally significantbiodiversity, Global Environment Facility(GEF) was set up as a follow up ofConvention on Biodiversity Conservationor Rio Summit. SRISTI has been pursuingconservation of biodiversity in wild aswell as domesticated environmentsthrough various participatory approaches.

SRISTI undertook development of a GEF/UNDP supported project entitled“Conservation and SustainableManagement of Dryland Biodiversity ofNorth Gujarat” . The full project of fiveyears is intended to conserve globallysignificant biodiversity in the dry arid andsemi arid ecosystems of northern Gujaratto be supported by Global EnvironmentFacility.

This project is unique and different fromother GEF Projects in terms of selectionof area, methodology and activities. Theproject revolves around ParticipatoryPatient Learning Interaction Approach(PPLA) and has been very successful increating a community based conservationmodel. Building partnership with localcommunities in project design andimplementation is an important feature ofthis project. For this purpose, besidesMinistry of Environment and Forests,Forest Department of Gujarat State,prestigious Institutes and Universities ofthe country, the major stakeholders are thelocal communities residing in and aroundthe project area. Their knowledge base hasbeen very useful in formulating datacollection approach and in understandingthe interaction among social andecological systems. Existing network ofprotected areas has to be complementedwith community oriented strategies toconserve sloth bear and other endangeredwild life and agro-biodiversity. Networkof sacred groves, community forests,Knowledge Forests (Gyan Van) and

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grasslands has to be developed to buildupon local institutions as well asconservation ethic. Work in twodemonstration project sites, namelyJessore and Balaram-Ambaji Sanctuaries,will strengthen local institutions,innovations and add value to traditionalas well as contemporary knowledgesystems. This will ensure conservation andsustainable use of biodiversity andadditional income generation for the localcommunities.

Findings: (a) Flora: The ecological studyon flora helped prepare an exhaustive listof plants found in the two sanctuaries.This kind of work has never been at-tempted in the past in these sanctuaries.A total of 406 species of plants (90 trees,47 shrubs, 33 climbers, 194 herbs, 31grasses, six pteridophytes, two bryo-phytes, one epiphyte, and two fungi) havebeen recorded in Jessore Sloth Bear Sanc-tuary and 483 species of plants (107 trees,58 shrubs, 49 climbers, 219 herbs, 40grasses, four pteridophytes, three bryo-phytes, one epiphyte, and two fungi) inBalaram-Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary. Allthese tree species are known to belong to13 families, similarly shrubs belong to 15,herbs 11 and climbers belong to 13 fami-lies. Some globally important species,which fall in the IUCN category of threat-ened species, are also recorded from here.These include four rare species namely,Pavonia arabica, Tecomella undulata,Caparis cartieaginea andDendrocalamus strictus; two threatenedSterculia urenas and Phoenix sylvestrisand one endangered species Ceropegioadorata. The most exciting discovery wasthat of six species endemic to India. Theseare Anogeissus sericea, Chlorophytumborivilianum, Sterculia urens, Tecomellaundulata, Phoenix sylvestris andDendrocalamus strictus. Out of the totalplant species found here, 89 plants are re-corded to have medicinal properties.

(b) Fauna: The study on animals includedinventory preparation, habitat evaluation,

food spectrum and an estimation of den-sity and abundance of major phyla alongwith threats they are exposed to. The studyon the herpetofaunal group in these sanc-tuaries represented a range of orders vis-à-vis Anura, Chelonia, Squamata andcoocodilia. A total of 17 species of am-phibians and reptiles have been spotted,14 species each in Jessore Sloth Bear andBalaram-Ambaji sanctuaries.

According to International Union forConservation of Nature and Naturalresources (IUCN), ‘Indian Python’(Python molurus), found here, is declaredas an endangered species. According toZoological Survey of India (ZSI),‘Flapshell turtle’ (Lissemys punctata) isunder vulnerable category and ‘Muggar’(Crocodylus palustris), ‘Python’ and‘Varanus’ (Varanus bengalensis) are inendangered category. The major threatfaced by the herpetofaunal species is thescarcity of water points, which are verycrucial for their activities. It has beennoted that amphibians are less diversethan the reptiles indicating water as alimiting factor for the amphibious modeof life. The other threats are casualtiesby the heavy moving traffic, hunting ofFlapshell turtle and Varanus for flesh andcatching of Varanus, Cobra and Ratsnakes for earning livelihood by the snakecharmers.

Studies on birds indicated the presence of151 species in both the sanctuaries, 105

in Jessore Sloth Bear and 133 in Balaram-Ambaji Sanctuaries belonging to 46families. There are 43 species of water

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15

birds in the two sanctuaries. Many of themare migratory and choose these places asa halting site making the sanctuaries thusimportant for conservation.

‘Redspur fowl’ (Galloperdix spadicea) anendangered species is found here. Fourbird species viz-a-viz, ‘Grey jungle fowl’(Gallus sonneratii), ‘Whitebelliedminivet’ (Pericrocotus erythropygus),‘Indian black ibis’ (Pseudibis papillosa)and ‘Painted stork’ (Mycturia

leucocephala) are under the nearthreatened category and six species -‘Whitewinged black tit’ (Parus nuchalis),‘Asian openbill’ (Anastomus oscitans),‘Asian whitebacked vulture’ (Gypsbengalensis), ‘Long-billed griffon’ (Gypsindicus), ‘Indian black vulture’(Sarcogyps calvus) and ‘Redneckedfalcon’ (Falco chicquera) are in thevulnerable category of IUCN Red Datalist.

The major threat encountered by birdspecies is habitat deterioration. It couldbe due to a) overgrazing which depletesthe ground cover, b) quarrying whichcauses a lot of noise pollution and settlingof dust on the agricultural lands, c) loppingof wooded trees like Butea monospermaand Prosopis juliflora which reduces theroosting and breeding sites as well ashamper the feeding habits of the birds d)invasion of Prosopis juliflora which hascaused a great deal of damage to theground vegetation, thereby reducing thehabitats of most of the ground dwellingbirds and e) hunting of a few birds like,‘Redspur fowl’, ‘Peafowl’, ‘Bulbul’ etc.

Mammalian fauna found here include 20different species, of these, ‘Indianpangoline’ (Manis crassicaudata) and

‘Sloth bear’ (Melursus ursinus) are nearthreatened and vulnerable according to theIUCN Red Data list respectively. Themajor threats faced by them are thescarcity of water, hunting and habitatdestruction due to human populationpressure.

Formal/Informal Knowledge

The most interesting feature in the floraland faunal studies had been that theecological findings through sophisticatedtechniques matched well with theknowledge of the local communities basedon their own careful observations. Theinventory of species recorded by puttingtransects (lines of references about whichthe data is collected) matches with the oneprepared with the help of localcommunities. For the purpose ofinventorizing the plant diversity,biodiversity contests were held in theproject area. Children were given oneweek’s time for collecting as many plants’

parts as they could. They were to compileinformation on the uses of the plants fromvarious sources such as books, their ownobservations and the knowledge of oldergeneration. This serves two vital purposes.One, it helps transfer indigenousknowledge about the species from older

to younger generation. Two, it createsinquisitive attitude in children. It wasfound that the knowledge of local

communities about plants was immense.Where the ecological survey yielded thepresence of 107 species of trees, 58species of shrubs, 49 species of climbers,220 species of herbs, 40 species of grassesand nine species of lower plants, theresults of biodiversity contests exhibitedthe presence of 168, 81, 75, 247, 40 andnine species of the respective groups.

A similar kind of study was conductedamong the adult population of the localcommunities to collect information onanimals. The team surveying the projectarea spotted 17 herpetofaunal species asstated earlier as against 13 species seenby the local communities. Similarly, thelocal people informed about the presence,through local knowledge, of 69 avian and23 mammalian species and the researchteam discovered 151 avian and 20mammalian species.

Another interesting aspect of theecological study made in collaborationwith the local communities was thefinding on the food and habitatpreferences of the Sloth bear, the mainspecies of the project area. People ofdifferent communities residing in the areawere contacted and their insights about theanimal behaviour, its diet preferences,habitat requirements were collected.Through local consultations, it emergedthat the diet spectrum of Sloth bear is quitewide. It can consume up to 48 food items,which include various types of fruits,vegetables, tubers, shoots, flowers, ants,termites and honey. To understand thedietary pattern of this animal, 29 scatsamples were analyzed between Marchand July of 1999 by the research team,which revealed the presence of 13 fooditems also identified by the localcommunities.

The next step of this study was to elucidatethe habitat preference of Sloth bear bycomparing the information gathered fromlocal people on its movement with theestimated preferred food abundance inthat area. The areas defined in this contextwere biodiversity zones homogenous intone, texture and colour reflectance fromthe vegetation obtained through remotesensing but distinct from other such zones.

The most interesting feature in thefloral and faunal studies had beenthat the ecological findingsthrough sophisticated techniquesmatched well with the knowledgeof the local communities based ontheir own careful observations.

Whitebellied minivet(Pericrocotus erythropygus)



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(NFBP). Four major enterprises aresuggested and their feasibility is workedout. These enterprises are (1) Non-edibleoilseed milling (2) Cassia tora beveragemaking (3) Herbal medicine preparationand (4) Fabric manufactured from eri-silkthat is silk based on castor crop leaves(introduced for the first time in Gujarat).Based on the indigenous knowledge of thelocal people, enterprises are suggested,which include activities like (i) scoutingof knowledge (ii) adding value throughresearch (iii) intellectual propertyprotection and (iv) licensing of the localIPR (Intellectual Property Right/s) etc.

(d) Local Consultations: Under theParticipatory Patient Learning Interactionapproach seven local consultations wereorganized in different villages of thesanctuaries. This was a major step toinvolve local people and make them astrong partner in the project right fromthe inception stage all throughout theimplementation phase of the project.Senior level district officials from forestand other development departments,representatives from NGOs and otherstakeholders including village panchayatleaders participated in this exercise. Theoutcome of such consultations has broughtto light the perceptions of local peopleabout the problems and prospects ofrestoring health of natural resources in thesanctuaries. The deep anxiety amongpeople about possible relocation is quitevisible. Though forest department deniesany such plans. People did not seem tohave any reservation about leaving spacefor wild life untouched. But they did feelalienated. Their concern is that theyneeded to be assured of their right to staywhere they have been living for ages. Thiswill help them co-operate whole heartedlyin conservation efforts of forestdepartment.

A high demand of cultivable land due tohuman population pressure, non-availability of irrigation water, difficultyin fodder/pasture cultivation in summerand winter, increase in the population ofstray cattle, encroachment on commonvillage lands (including wastelands andgauchars) are some of the problems whichhave increased the dependency of tribals/

There are ten such biodiversity zonesdispersed all over the project area. Acomparison was made between thepresence of most favoured food items andevidences of Sloth bear using a particularzone as observed by local people andresearch team. A definite correlation wasfound between evidences of usage of aparticular zone and the diet items of Slothbears found in that zone. The biodiversityzones which are rich in fruit treesespecially Ficus glomerata andDiospyoros melanoxylon (these are verysweet fruits and preferred most by Slothbears) and also show the presence ofhoney, ants and termites have been foundto be visited by the bears to the maximum.The ones, which have the paucity of fooditems, show less number of evidences ofSloth bear visits.

(c) Non Forest Biodiversity Products(NFBP): The complexity of issuessurrounding a participatory approach tothe management of protected area isoverwhelming. This collaborativeresearch study with GIAN (GujaratGrassroots Innovation AugmentationNetwork), a sister concern of SRISTI, isan attempt at providing some alternativesto solve at least one of the problems ofprotected area management i.e. reducingthe dependence of the people on theforests. It is a widely recognized fact thatin order to reduce the biotic pressure fromforests, it is important to identify, establishand develop alternatives to extraction ofbiomass. This can be facilitated either by(a) widening people’s range of choices,(b) increasing their income, thus reducingtheir exigency to exploit forests, or (c)providing specific alternatives to forestresources.

Enterprise Approach to Conservations

The outcome of this study shows that theenterprise based resource conservationmay be one of the strategies to reducethreat to the biodiversity of the protectedarea. Economically viable value additionthat reduces threat to biodiversity andpromotes improved management ofresources can aid in the development ofenterprise based resource conservation.The enterprises suggested are all based onNon Forest Biodiversity Products

villagers on forest for grazing theiranimals. Due to lack of institution buildingefforts by public and voluntary agencies,the consciousness about rotational grazingor managing pasture has not beengenerated. Therefore, the project hasemphasized the identification of localinstitutions, which prohibit grazing incertain pockets and aim to promote,maintain and replicate these institutionsin other parts of the protected area.

(e) Network of Sacred Groves: Fifty-sixsacred groves have been recognizedwithin and around the sanctuaries. Thesacred element worshipped range fromnon-living (stones, river, landscape,waterbed temple, terracotta horses, flagsetc.) to living (plants and animals) things.A detailed study was conducted to studyhistorical account of rules for managingboundary, access, governance, conflict-resolution, resource-allocation, threatsand ecological-cultural interfaceassociated with sacred groves (detailreport to follow in the next issue). The

study divulged reduced reverence ofthese groves in some places, increasedpilgrim visits and grazing pressure asthreats to the cultural and ecologicalintegrity in other places. This studyseeks to evolve framework for a majorproject through participatory knowledgeintensive approaches. Hope is that anetwork of existing and prospectivesacred groves can provide refuge towildlife and in near future mobilizeconservation ethic for protecting notonly the groves but the entire wildlifeand ecosystems.



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Ethno veterinary Prac-tices in Sheep

Dinesh KumarCentral Sheep and Wool Re-search Institute, Aviknagar,Rajasthan.

This is a comprehensive study report on“Ethno veterinary practices in Sheep” con-ducted in three districts of Rajasthannamely Jaipur, Ajmer and Tonk. Method-ology of the study involved random se-lection of ten villages from each district.Five farmers were interviewed from eachvillage. A unique feature is that the docu-mented practices were further assessed fortheir scientific relevance. The study con-tains around thirty references on the sub-ject.

A total of 182 practices for treating vari-ous ailments in sheep have been recordedfrom one hundred and fifty sheep farm-ers. Treatments include the use of medici-nal plants, common edible items andchemicals. Some of the innovative andinteresting practices from the book arementioned below:1. Mixture of Commelina benghalensis,

whey and common salt is fed to treatjaundice. Its scientific relevance scoreis 0.38.

2. Solution of Mustard (Brassicacampestris) oil, ‘kachari’ (Cucumiscallosus), common salt and whey isdrenched for curing bloat. Its scien-tific relevance score is quite high at0.72.

3. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) mixed inrice starch is fed to treat diarrhea. Thescientific relevance score for thispractice is 0.54.

Documentation of these practices is aworthwhile attempt in saving them frombeing eroded. It also helps in building upinterest among researchers, developmentworkers and the scientific community inthe traditional systems of healing the sickanimals. It seems to be a hurried workfrom the point of proof reading. Never-theless, it is good beginning in the direc-tion of documentation of the indigenouspractices. Most regrettable aspect of

course is that knowledge providers haveneither been cited nor acknowledged bytheir names and addresses. In that sense,this publication carries on the unfortunatetradition of unaccountable research inEthno veterinary medicine worldwide. Wehope that the writer will try to acknowl-edge local experts next time. We will haveto keep stressing this till it becomes partof official policy of ICAR and other for-mal research institutes.

Mountain Biodiversity,Land Use Dynamics, andTraditional EcologicalKnowledge

P S Ramakrishnan, U M,Chandrashekara, C Elouard,C Z Guilmoto, R K Maikhuri,

K S Rao, S Sankar, K G Saxena (Eds.), Ox-ford & IBH Co., New Delhi.

This book is an outcome of the joint re-search and initiative on ‘Biodiversity Con-servation within the context of TraditionalKnowledge and Ecosystem Rehabilita-tion’ with UNESCO and the fundingagency McArthur Foundation. Extensivereports from three case studies conductedin different mountainous ecosystems ofthe Indian subcontinent viz. Kodagu dis-trict in Karnataka, Chinnar Wildlife Sanc-tuary in Kerala and the buffer zone ofNanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR)in the Central Himalayas have been verywell documented. The comparative studylooks at the dynamics involved in naturalresource management, both over spaceand time, linking it up, with traditionalecological knowledge. The volume con-tains sixteen chapters organised into fiveparts.

Part one consists of two introductory chap-ters which sets the ground for the initia-tive on biodiversity conservation incorpo-rating concern of local community forconservation of resources, related knowl-edge systems. Part two deals with theKodagu region and discusses the issue oflandscape management in the context ofcoffee plantation economy, developedthrough forest conversions. Part three dis-

cusses the issues arising out of deforesta-tion linked to the traditional and intro-duced land use practices in the Chinnarsanctuary. Part four emphasises upon thesustainable livelihood concerns of the tra-ditional societies living in the buffer zoneof the NDBR, in the context of their tra-ditional village ecosystem functions. Theconcluding chapter includes the outcomeof this initiative in the contemporary in-ternational context.

The Chinnar tribals exhibit a considerableamount of wisdom in manipulating agri-cultural activities. For instance, the qual-ity of the secondary fallow vegetation is acriterion for site selection based on soilfertility. Farmers prefer to slash and burnthe abundant Chromoleaena odorata togenerate soil fertility through ash depos-its. This is believed to be an effective wayof using this exotic weed. Likewise, mixedfarming with finger millet or the conver-sion of monocropping of lemongrass intoan agroforestry system with the incorpo-ration of tree component shows the localfarmers willingness to innovate and ex-periment.

Similarly in NDBR the tribal communi-ties have rich ethno-botanical knowledge.Out of approx 173 plant species valuedby local people, 142 plant species are con-sumed by the tribals for medicine, veg-etables, construction, fuel, fodder etc. intheir day to day life. For example, barkof Taxus baccata, resin of Betula utilisand Bergenia ligulata (leaves) boiled inwater/‘ghee’ (clarified butter) are used astraditional tea; oil extracted from Cedrusdeodara for curing skin disease in sheepand so on. It would have added a greatdeal more to the merit of the book if thelocal communities/farmers who being thetreasure trove of knowledge, could havebeen acknowledged by revealing theiridentity even if that knowledge is welldistributed in the community. However,the book is a very useful contribution tothe field of Natural Resource Manage-ment and is strongly recommended to ev-ery scholar interested in environmentalconservation and development.

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prepared extracts, which were thesolvents etc. In this affidavit hementioned that he is the first person inthe world to launch neem-based productcalled “Neemark”. Dr Ketkar providedthe monograph on Neem by Dr C RMitra (1963) and other relevantdocuments for filing this affidavit. Thismonograph mentions the presence ofsulphur in neem oil and sulphur is knownto have fungicidal activity. At a hearingin Munich, he proved that he had beenusing an extract of neem tree oil for thesame purpose as described in the patent

several years before it was filed. Hissubmission was enough to prove the“prior art”. On the issue of novelty andauxillary request (submitted on the dayof hearing by the proprietors) related tothe concentration of neem oil, whichclaims that 0.25 percent concentrationcontrols 81 per cent of diseases. WhileMr Phadke’s claim of 0.40 to 0.80 percent

Contd... from page 4

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gave the same results of 60 to 90 percent control of disease. For this reasonthe EPO declared that the patentchallenged lacks novelty and could notbe patented. Campaigners are heraldingit as a victory in the fight to stop bigbusiness exploiting plants and genes atthe expense of poor people in thedeveloping world. The neem tree has beenused for centuries as a medicine,insecticide and contraceptive. Pressuregroups hope that it might be harder inthe future for multinational companies topatent plants and genes ( though this issueof patenting gene and plants has noconnection with the patent revoked).

Around 70 patents have been taken outon products from the neem tree alone.Genes from nutmeg and camphor havealso been patented with the aim ofproducing their oils artificially – a movewhich would hit producers in developingcountries. The issue however, must bekept in proper focus. There are severalpatents on neem based compounds inwhich prior art can be demonstrated andthus helping in invalidating the same. Theuse of Neem tree for its traditional usesby local communities was neither affectedby any patent before nor has it undergoneany change with this revocation. It willalways remain unrestricted no matter whatany body may claim (See HB 6(4): 6-7,1995; HB 7(1): 4-6, 1996; HB 6(3): 6-8, 1995for articles on Neem patents).

The use of Neem tree for itstraditional uses by localcommunities was neither affectedby any patent before nor has itundergone any change with thisrevocation. It will always remainunrestricted no matter what anybody may claim.

Ecodevelopment. Michigan University Press, pp.102-116.

Johannes, R. E. 1993. Integrating traditionalecological knowledge and management withenvironmental impact assessment. In J. T. INGLIS(ed.) Traditional ecological knowledge: conceptsand cases. IDRC, Ottawa, pp. 33-39.

Launet, Edouard. 1993. Dans les fôrets, à larecherche des médicaments de demain. Science etVie 904:86-91.

Lazarus, L.H. and M. Attila. 1993. The toad, uglyand venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in hisskin. Progress in Neurobiology 41, 473-507.

Mallmann, Maria L. W. 1996. A Farmacopéia doMar: Invertebrados Marinhos de Interesse Médicoe a Etnomedicina Alagoana. Monografia(Especialização em Zoologia), Universidade Federalde Alagoas, Maceió.

Marques, José G. W. 1995. Pescando Pescadores:Etnoecologia Abrangente no Baixo São FranciscoAlagoano. NUPAUB/USP, São Paulo.

Marques, José G. W. 1997. Fauna medicinal: recursodo ambiente ou ameaça à biodiversidade? Mutum1(1): 4.

Nogueira, Danielle. 1999. As qualidades ocultas doscrustáceos. Ciência Hoje 25(148):47

Norse, Elliot A. (ed.). 1993. Global MarineBiological Diversity: A Strategy for Building

Conservation into Decision Making. Island Press,Washington, D.C.Rosner, Fred. 1992. Pigeons as a remedy (segulah)for jaundice. New York State Journal of Medicine92(5):189-192.Sach, I. 1993. Estrtegias de transicao para oseculo XXI. Sao Paulo, Nobel/FUNDAP.90 p.Weiss, Harry B. 1947. Entomologicalmedicaments of the past. Journal of the New YorkEntomological Society 55: 155-168.Werner, David. 1970. Healing in the Sierra Madre.The Natural History 79(9):61-66.Zwhalen, Robert. 1996. Traditional methods: aguarantee for sustainability? IndigenousKnowledge and Development Monitor4(3):1-7.

Six years ago the European Patent Office(EPO) granted a patent to the USDepartment of Agriculture andmultinational agriculture company W RGrace on 14th September 1994. It covereda method of using the neem tree oil forfungicidal purposes. The EuropeanPatent Office has revoked this patent.Neem tree whose scientific name meansthe ‘free tree’ was symbolically “freed”from patents for public use by adelegation of scientists from India andSri Lanka. Dr Ketkar, a pioneer in Neemresearch, of Neem Mission, ResearchFoundation for Science, Technology andEcology, IFOAM, former Green memberof the European Parliament andenvironment Minister of Belgium lodgedthe legal opposition to the patent fiveyears ago. First affidavit by Mr AbhayD Phadke of Ajay Biotech, India wasprepared on 27th August 1996 in therequired format against European PatentApplication No.902503919-2. Affidavitmentioned that, “his research in the year1985-86 proved the insecticidal andfungicidal properties of neem. Effects ofhexane and methanol extracts of neemkernel were exhibited to farmers. Hewishes to oppose the grant of this patentfor ‘Fungi Controlling Properties’ ofneem seed extract which were knownprior to the filing of application by M/s W R Grace and Co., USA. He gavesecond affidavit on 14th May 1998disclosing information about how he



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SRISTI & Honey Bee network havebeen working for the last eleven yearsamongst grassroots innovators. Thenetwork encountered several problemsin speedy information flow to and amongthe innovators. The Honey Beenewsletter published in several languagesdid bridge the gap. But the turn aroundcycle for feed back on any innovationwas very long. The question was canapplication of IT help speeding up theprocess of maturation of an innovationthrough online learning among peers.SRISTI is taking a giant leap throughInfoDev project for creation of“Knowledge Network for AugmentingGrassroots Innovations (KnowNet-grin)”.The project has funding support ofWorld Bank and is jointly implementedby SRISTI & Indian Institute ofManagement, Ahmedabad.

By connecting knowledge-rich,economically poor people around theirknowledge base in real time can createopportunities of entrepreneurship andeconomic development. The project willoperationalize an electronic KnowledgeNetwork (KN) of grassroots innovatorsscouted through various channels such asHoney Bee Network and SRISTI,Grassroots Innovations AugmentationNetwork (GIAN), National InnovationFoundation (NIF) and a global registry ofinnovations. Apart from the opportunitiesfor linking innovation with investment andenterprise, the Knowledge Network willalso help in building bridges betweenformal and informal science, education,and learning communities. Real timeconnectivity, through databases andmultimedia technology across languageand cultural boundaries, may increasesocietal capacity to spur, spawn, stimulate,and sustain grassroots innovations. Aregistry of inventions and innovationsaround the world may also help secureIntellectual Property Rights (IPR)protection for small innovators whocannot afford costly IPR system as it existsat present.

A Wide Area Network known as theKnowledge Network (KN) will beestablished among four or five ruralGandhian Institutions in Gujarat (eachacting as a node), already participating inthe Honey Bee Network. Each node willalso have a stand-alone multimediadatabase & will publish a wall magazinefor computer shy members. Separatearrangements will be made for womenlooking at their convenient time and placefor participation. Inaccessible sites will belinked utilizing remote accesstechnologies such as VSAT using mobilekiosks. The KN will democratize theknowledge by overcoming gender, clan,caste, literacy and other barriers.

Stockholm Challenge Award

The Stockholm Challenge Award is a non-profit initiative of the city of Stockholmin partnership with the EuropeanCommission. It offers IT pioneers fromaround the world a unique opportunity toshowcase projects of excellence, whichcan be private, public, academic or non-profit. The Stockholm Challenge Awardis the successor to the Global BangemannChallenge-the successful IT award thatattracted international participation andrecognition from 1997 to 1999.

This year there were as many as sixhundred and twelve participants vyingfor the award in different categories likeculture, education, public services &democracy, health & quality of life,equal access and environment. Themajority of participants were from thefollowing ten countries: United States(88), Sweden (70), France (28), Australia(27), Canada (27), UK (27), Italy (22),Russia (21), Germany (17) and Egypt(16). Honey Bee Network was one ofthe four entries from India and the onlyone dealing with grassroots innovations.

Sixteen finalists were selected from thetotal entries. Honey Bee Network wasalso one of the finalists in the challenge

awards and was invited to show casethe multi language multimedia databasein Stockholm on 5th June 2000 for theaward ceremony. One of the awardeeswas Gyandoot, a participant from Indiaworking in the field of public servicesand democracy through Wide AreaNetwork for land records in Dhar dist.of Madhya Pradesh.

Fifth Shodhyatra

The fifth Shodhyatra, for the first time,gave us an opportunity to discover theoutstanding traditional knowledge ofpeople from two different States. Thefifth Shodhyatra took place from 20th

June to 28th June, 2000. It started fromKasana village in Gujarat and ended inKoba village in Rajasthan. We covereda total distance of 137 km on foot inGujarat and Rajasthan.The journeycovered 46 villages, 6 Talukas and 4Districts.

Inspired by this Shodhyatra a number ofvillagers, teachers and students joinedin. As many as 160 people participatedin the Shodhyatra. During theShodhyatra, eight Biodiversity contestwere held. 130 students including 90boys and 40 girls participated in the

contest. Patel Dhavalkumra Ishwarbhaiwho won the first prize in the contestheld at Meghraj Taluka. He could identify61 plant species. A small competitionamong the women to scout expert inembroidery was also organised.During the Shodhyatra 48 localinnovators were honoured and giftedwith certificates.

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Can we have marwari languageHoney bee??

[email protected]

I read about your newsletter Honey Beein the Echo net pages and became veryexcited about it. Your newsletter may bea crucial source of relevant information.Is it published in Marwari language?

I have been living in the desert nearJaisalmer with a family of semi-nomadicsheep and goat herders. Together we aretrying to regenerate their depleted rangeby planting trees and are alsoinvestigating ways to make their farmmore productive so that it will providea more stable food supply for their ever-growing group.

Can I have a copy in Marwari language(so that my host can read it to me), orin English (so that I can read it to him)sent to Jaisalmer? Because of the droughtthis year my friend has no money at allso I will pay the subscription for him.

(Dear Rosie, You must have received by nowthe Hindi Sujh Bhuj and also copies ofHoney bee. We will be delighted if farmerswith whom you work will like to bring outa Marwari language version of Honey Bee.Looking forward to see what comes out ofyour efforts. :Ed)

Needed soil and waterconservation knowledge andinnovations

Shree PadreJournalist, Vaninagar, Via Perla, Kerala,India.

I am documenting and publishing successstories in soil & water conservation,traditional water harvesting &management. This, in fact, is acontinuation of the work we haveinitiated at ‘Adike Patrike’, a uniquefarmers’ magazine in Kannada, running

��!"� in 12th year. I am keen on exchanginginformation with like-minded activistsfrom anywhere. I shall be grateful ifreaders of Honey Bee can provide meaddresses of persons and associationsdevoted for the above cause. This willfacilitate more dissemination of need-based information and the process oflearning from each other.

(We request readers to send any example ofinnovations in soil and water conservationto Shree Padre. Please, send a copy to ustoo. Shree Padre, please share an articlebased on innovations that you collect withHB readers too. :Ed)

Celebrating records ofinnovations

M K JosLimca Book of Records (LBR), VGCommunications, Enkay Tower, Udyog ViharV, Haryana 122 106

We just happened to see a news story(Indian Express, 1 March 2000) aboutJagdish Prasad Pareek of Sikar districtin Rajasthan who has developed an allseason cauliflower variety and producedthe biggest cauliflower. Honey BeeNetwork had presented him the SRISTISanman award.

We at LBR are interested to feature theabove record in the next edition of ourbook. Would you be able to provide uswith more details, with a colourphotograph of the biggest cauliflower?

We are also interested to highlight similarachievements elsewhere in the country.I am sure your grassroots network is arepository of such amazing facts aboutthe ordinary people in the villages.Could you be of help to us? We willbe happy to acknowledge your

contribution in the book.

(We will be happy to send you the informationyou requested. We have the photographs ofthis and many more innovations. Please donot forget to mention Honey bee and itsaddress when you publish such stories. Maybe you could also sponsor some specialprizes to be given at the time of Honey Beenetwork meeting held annually. :Ed)

Learning from bird behaviour

Dr. Salomi TopnoCentre for Women’s Development, TapkaraRoad Topra 835227, Dist Ranchi Bihar,India

This is in response to a box item inHoney Bee 10(3). I am not very sure

that the bird intentionally used the leavesof Indoneesilla echioides, but when Iwas doing my research work for myPh.D. degree entitled “Studies on plantsused in traditional herbal medicinesystem of Khunti subdivision ofChotanagpur, I happened to meet severalvillage ‘vaidyas’ (tribal medicine men)and other elders of the remote villages,almost all of them told me the use ofthis plant in snakebite. When I correlatethe information about the use of thisplant gathered from different medicinemen and elders of different villages, andthat very incident, I am compelled tothink that the birds and animals havesuch intuition.

It by no means confirms the commonbelief of the people that many herbalplants have been discovered by suchcoincidences.

(We had received several letters after wepublished your insight about bird behaviour.Please, keep sending us such unusualinsights, even if these are open to questionand are controversial. :Ed.)

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then this was sprayed on the crops thatthey were eating. If fruits are there, neemis not added. It worked successfully. Weare still practicing it every year.

(Is not it really great, what you have achieved.You converted the knowledge about theproblem itself into a source of solution. Thismight work for ‘Neel Gai’ or Blue Bull also.Keep it up. We hope readers will use thissolution and try it in their regions. :Ed)

Rats do not like plantation, Why?

Crispino LoboExecutive Director, Indo-German WatershedDevelopment Programme, Ahmednagar,Maharastra, India.

I would like to place for yourconsideration a problem to which we areurgently looking for a solution. In theassured rainfall area of Akole Taluka(around 1000 mm rainfall) where we havedone a lot of plantation work, there is amajor rat infestation. These rats destroy alarge number of growing plants byburrowing into the root zone and eatingthe tender roots. We have tried bothtraditional and non-traditional methods ofcontrol with little effect. Does anyonehave a solution to this problem? We wouldgreatly appreciate any workable andproven ideas.

(Crispino, We are looking forward to hearfrom you as to what was the result of thepractices we sent to you. We have publishedscores of local solutions on rat control. Ofcourse, unless we stop use of chemicalpesticides and thus stop killing snakes, thereis not going to be any permanent solutionto this problem. :Ed)

Will young readers beencouraged?

B Suresh ReddyTraining Associate, DDS Krishi VigyanKendra. P.B. No. 214, Zaheerabad - 502 220Medak Dist, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Greetings from DDS-KVK

I am regular reader of Honey Bee andworking in DDS KVK as TrainingAssociate (Agrl. Extn) since its inception.The DDS KVK feels privileged workingwith local farming community inexploring the traditional knowledgesystem of the region for sustainablelivelihood of farmers. KVK is planningto conduct a series of workshops ondifferent aspects of agriculture todocument traditional knowledge. Tobegin with I have conducted a workshopon “soil type and farmers crop choice”which is the basis for farmers of anyregion for adopting different croppingsystems.

I hope you will encourage young peoplewho are constantly involved in exploringdocumenting and propagating the vibranttraditional technologies practiced by thefarming community.

(Sure, Suresh. The precise purpose of HoneyBee network is to encourage young peoplein formal and informal sectors to experiment,innovate and create new alternatives thatare compatible with ethical andenvironmental values of HB network. Dosend us news of what you learnt in theworkshop. :Ed)

Local knowledge being importedback

Sanjay DoctorSat Research and Consultancy Private Ltd.,131 Silver Beech, Suryavanshi Hall,Bombay,India.

We introduce ourselves, as biodynamicagriculture trainers and publishers of the‘Biodynamic Agriculture PlantingCalendar’ enclosed for your perusal issome resource material on the work wedo and a copy of the latest biodynamiccalendar. We look forward to your

guidance and assistance in the dispersionof this knowledge within the Honey BeeNetwork.

(It is interesting to see your calendar. EarlierPanchangs used to provide such calendar.We discontinued the use of that tradition forwhatever reason. The concept of lunar cycleand its effect on crops is well known in Indiaand there is very rich stock of folkloreavailable on it. Need is to test these ideasin different agroecological conditions andadapt the same for day to day use. We havepublished several examples of the way localcommunities already use such knowledge inIndia and abroad. If you take up someexperiments on the same, HB readers willbe happy to know about the results. :Ed)

What if a problem is thesolution!!!

SabarmateeSambhav, Rohibank - 752090, Nayagarh,Orissa

The land where SAMBHAV (an NGO)is located was completely barren just tenyears back. Hardly any grass was there.Now it is a 90-acre farm ecologicallyregenerated. For last three years, alongwith innumerable birds, insects, smallanimals and snakes, three varieties ofantelopes started staying inside ourcampus. We decided not to drive themout. In 1997, they destroyed our entiregreen grass, blachi gram, brinjal, andcucumber and string bean crops. We didnot know what to do. The challenge wasto prevent deers from eating our crops.Philosophy was non-violent action. An

idea struck was that no animal eats itsown excreta.

We collected their excreta in a bucket. Itwas mixed with water and crushed tenderneem leaves. This was further diluted.Allowed it to settle for 4 to 5 hours and

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Corpus Contribution

A sum of Rs. 1,00,000 is contributedby ‘friends of SRISTI’ in Singapore,for the purpose of establishing awardsfor innovators. The interest accruedshall be distributed as three annualprizes to outstanding grassrootsinnovators. The corpus contribution hasrecently been transfered by Mr VAnantha Nageswaran. We sincerelythank SRISTI well wishers forrecognizing grassroots innovators andthe unsung heros.

spirit of anonymous creativity - sristi2).pdftamil nadu 625 010 india ... no state or private...

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