Seventh Annual Report 1996 - 97

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Front Cover

Left Cosciniurn !ennes/fa/urn (Gaertner) Caleb .• an endangered medicinal plant collected from the forests of Wayanad, Kerala

Right Commemorative sculpture associated with the 1996 Blue Planet Prize awarded to MSSRF

Back Cover

Top Left Water harvesting in 'the Pulse Village' (Kavadipatti, located in a dry zone of Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu)

Top Right Hybrid rice demonstration in a farmer's field (Kizhur village, Biovillage Project)

Bottom Residents of Pichavaram (located near the mangrove forest) preparing a resource map during a Participatory Rural Appraisal interaction. --~-l

Seventh Annual Report 1996 - 97

M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundatien Centre for Research on Sustainable. Agricultural and Rural Development Chennai, India M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation Centre for Research on Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development 3rd Cross Road, Institutional Area, Taramani, Chennai 600 113 Telephone : +91 (44) 2351229 +91 (44) 2351698 Fax: +91 (44) 2351319

E-mail : [email protected] Visit us on the World Wide Web at http://www.mssrf.org

Cover Design: The Frontline, Chennai

Printed at : Reliance Printers, Chennai

Citation : Seventh Annual Report, 1996-97, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, 1997. Table of Contents

I ntrod uc tion ii

Programme Area 100 Coastal Systems Research 1

Programme Area 200 Biodiversity and Biotechnology 20

Programme Area 300 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture 63

Programme Area 400 Reaching the Unreached 98

Programme Area 500 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building 115 , Publications 140

About the Foundation 148

The Foundation Staff : 155

List of Donors...... 163

Sources of Project Support 164 r

Introduction

1997 marks the 5th anniversary of the • between resource extraction and ec- UN Conference on Environment and ological sustainability Development held at Rio de Janeiro in • between market economy and "mar- 1992 and the 25th anniversary of the UN ketization" of society Conference on The Human Environ- •. between greed and need ment held at Stockholm in 1972. A report prepared by the United Nations Only that kind of development which for consideration at a special session can help to resolve such tensions, will of the UN General Assembly convened be sustainable in the long run. Many in New York in June 1997, to review non-governmental organisations aro- the progress made since 1992 in giving und the world are successfully oppos- operational content to the concept of ing un-sustainable development. What sustainable development, warns, "the however is equally important is propos- state of the global environment has con- ing sustainable development options. tinued to deteriorate. Reversing the This is particularly true of population- trend is more urgent than ever." rich but land-hungry countries like In- dia where millions suffer from extreme Also: according to UNDP's 1997 Human poverty and deprivation. We therefore Development Report, the human devel- need an ecology of hope and action, opment index declined during 1996 in since inaction is the greatest enemy of 30 countries, more than in any year sustainable development. since the first report was issued in 1990. The major focus of the work of MSSRF is the testing and standardisation of The world is thus still in search of sustainable options in the areas of ag- methods of giving practical shape to riculture and rural livelihoods. The the concept of sustainable and equita- strategy involves making the conserva- ble development. To achieve this, sev- tion and sustainable use of natural re- eral forms of tensions such as the fol- sources the pathway for sustainable lowing need to be resolved : food and livelihood security. In other words, the aim is the creation of an eco- • between individual gain and common nomic and social stake in conservation. good Since the integration of gender dimen- • between short-term opportunism sions in such work is vital for achiev- and long-term stability ing this goal, the following two major steps were initiated during the year:- • between job-less economic growth and the livelihood security of the • Organisation of a Resource Centre poor for Gender and Development l

Introduction

• A detailed analysis of the gender di- strategy built into the design and im- mensions of biodiversity manage- plementation of all of the Foundation's ment in India. programmes. Simultaneously, efforts to build a corpus fund to insulate core It was a source of encouragement to the activities from the vagaries of project scientists, scholars and staff of the support were redoubled. The funds Foundation when their work on link- associated with the Blue Planet Prize ing the ecological security of an area helped to accelerate the process of with the livelihood security of the com- building a corpus. munities living in that area received recognition through the award of the The financial sustainability of a volun- 1996 Blue Planet Prize. The text of the tary R&D organisation is vital for both acceptance speech delivered at Tokyo staff morale and programme continui- on November 1, 1996 sets out the strat- ty. Without a critical mass of financial egies. followed to reach the goal of pro- stability, an institution will be tempt- moting job-led economic growth in ru- ed to chase funds and in that process ral areas, rooted in the principles become a donor-driven organisation. It of ecology and gender and social equi- is the firm conviction of MSSRF that ty. money should not be allowed to define its' mission. Rather, money should be During 1996-97, the Trustees and staff sought to achieve the fulfilment of its of the Foundation initiated a process mission from those who share the vision of consolidation and concentration of of a more equitable and hunger-free their efforts in the areas of participa- world. tory, policy and action research, capacity building, networking and advocacy. Fostering an ecology of hope is the mis- Such a step became timely, since two sion of MSSRF. Such a mission can be major projects supported by the Swed- achieved only by enlarging the concept ish International Development Co-op- of sustain ability from a purely econom- eration Agency (SIDA) and the Govern- ic perspective to an inclusive one mentof Italy through the Internation- which embraces the environmental, al Plant Genetic Resources Research gender and poverty dimensions.. It Institute came to an end. SIDA's gen- would be useful to review briefly the erous support played an important part work done during 1996-97 from this in helping the Foundation not only in angle. Since the details of the results organising its community Biodiversity achieved are described later, attention Programme, but also in developing its is drawn in this Introduction only to a research and training infrastructure. few highlights. The conclusion of these projects was managed without disrupting the im- In Programme Area 100, dealing with pact of the work started under their coastal systems research, all on-going auspIces, because of the withdrawal programmes were unified under a r Annual Report 1996-97

project on Coastal Mangrove Wetlands • Empowering local communities to Conservation sponsored by the India- deal with issues like "prior informed Canada Environment Facility. A co-or- consent" by training youth from such dinated programme for the conserva- communities and organising them in tion and sustainable management of the form of an Agrobiodiversity con- mangrove forests along the East Coast servation corps. of India, covering the States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and • Developing multimedia databases West Bengal, was initiated. The pro- for taking up with the designated au- gramme aims to understand the pre- thorities the question of recognising the contributions of tribal and rural cise causes for the degradation of mangrove wetlands, identify and test suit- families and compensating them for able remedies for the identified mala- their efforts in genetic resources con- dies and develop a system of Joint Man- servation and enhancement from the grove Forest Management involving proposed National Biodiversity and Community Gene Funds. . the coming together of the Forest De- partments and the mangrove forest de- • Operating a Community Gene Bank pendent communities into a symbiotic and Community Herbarium for serv- partnership. ing as authentic reference sources.

• Linking conservation and commer- Programme Area 200, dealing with Bi- cialisation in a mutually reinforcing odiversity and Biotechnology, was also manner so that an. economic stake in reorganised during the year. All the conservation replaces the prevailing ongoing work on biodiversity was economic interest in unsustainable brought together in the form of'a Tech- exploitation. nical Resource Centre for the implementation of the equity provisions of • Organisation of Trainers' Training the Convention on Biological Diversi- programmes for representatives of ty (TRC-CBD). This TRC-CBD, dedi- non-governmental organisations and cated to tribal a.nd rural women and servicing a NGO-community Biodi- men and inaugurated by Mrs. Elizabeth versity Conservation Alliance. Dowdswell, Executive Director, Unit- ed Nations Environment Programme The TRC-CBD undertook the following in July 1996 has the following compo- four major studies during the year and submitted detailed reports to the spon- nents: soring agencies:

• Working with tribal and rural fami- • Priorities for the Global Environ- lies to promote the revitalisation of ment Facility (GEF) in the area of their in-situ, in-situ-on-{arm a:p.dex- agrobiodiversity conservation - re- situ conservation traditions. port for GEF. r l Introduction

• Operationalising the concept of funds. Concrete steps have been sug- Farmers' Rights - Report for FAO. gested for this purpose.

• Integrating Gender Dimensions in With the help of an endowment grant Biodiversity Management - Report made by the MAHYCO, a chair titled for FAO. "RR. Barwale Chair in Community Biodiversity" has been established to • Implementing the Equity provisions provide continuity in leadership to the of CBD - Report for the United Na- work of TRC-CBD. Also, a National tions Environment Programme Action Plan for saving lives by saving (UNEP). plants was developed at a Consultation on Medicinal Plants organised in Jan- Based on these studies, the organisa- uary 1997, with the support of the Min- tion of an All-India Coordinated Action istry of Environment and Forests and Research Project on Gender and Bio- the Foundation for the Revitalisation diversity Conservation and Manage- of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT). ment has been recommended. Similar- ly, practical methods of implementing The infrastructure for the activities of the equity provisions of CBD and the TRC-CBD was strengthened by estab- Farmers' Rights concept of FAO have lishing a community Agrobiodiversity been recommended to the concerned centre {JtKalpetta, Wayan ad District, Ministers of the Government of India. Kerala. The work of the TRC-CBD is The following are the recognised meth- guided by a National Policy Advisory ods of conserving biodiversity: Committee.

• In-situ conservation through a Pro- In the area of biotechnology as related tected Areas Network to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, the on-going pro- • Ex-situ conservation in Gene Banks grammes were consolidated into the and Botanical and Zoological Gar- following four discrete but interacting dens. activities, with programme support from the Department of Biotechnolo- • In-situ on-farm conservation of land gy, Government of India: races of neglected crops by tribal and rural women and men. • Genetic enhancement with particu- While the first two forms of conserva- lar reference to tolerance/resistance tion are supported from public funds, to coastal salinity the on-farm conservation efforts of tribal and rural families are yet to be rec- • Bio-monitoring of ecosystem health ognised and rewarded. Since their efforts benefit the public, their work also • Micropropagation of Red Data Book deserves to be supported from public species and Mangroves

v Annual Report 1996-97

• Standardisation of community bio- Among the significant activities under- prospecting procedures based on taken by the B.V. Rao Centre for Sus- principles of ethics and equity. tainable Food Security, the following merit mention: The work of the biotechnology group is guided by a Bio-safety and Bio-eth- • A detailed report on priorities in the ics Committee, which has among its food and nutrition sector for UNDP membership a representative of the • A report on operationalising the con- World Conservation Union (IUCN). cept of Small Farmers' Agri-business Consortium (SFAC) in the Dhar- The work in progress under Pro- mapuri district of Tamil Nadu for gramme Area 300 was reorganised un- UNDP der the following two major centres : • Developing a programme jointly • J.R.D. Tata Ecotechnology Centre, with the Central Food Technological established with generous financial Research Institute (CFTRI) for the support from several Tata trusts in-situ-on-farm conservation of nutri- • B.V. Rao Centre for Sustainable Food tious grains (these are minor millets Security, set up with an endowment unfortunately christened by FAO grant from the Venkateshwara and government agencies as "coarse Group of Companies. grains") by linking their use in the preparation of processed foods The programme priorities of these two centres are shown in Figures 1 and 2. • Assisting the Tamil Nadu Govern- A building to house the J.R.D. Tata Eco- ment in the development of an inte- technology Centre is currently under grated implementation strategy for construction in land generously made the Chief Minister's programme for available by the Government of Tamil the eradication of poverty-induced Nadu. The building of the J.R.D. Tata hunger. Ecotechnology Centre will be dedicat- The J.R.D. T-ata Ecotechnology Centre ed on July 29, 1998 on the occasion of concentrates on promoting sustainable the birthday of the late Bharat Ratna livelihood opportunities in rural India. JRD Tata. It services the Asian Ecotechnology Network sponsored by UNESCO and The Biovillage Programme in progress theCousteau Foundation. The B.V. in the Union Territory of Pondicherry Rao Centre strives to promote public with the support of UNDP, will be policies which can help to end endem- placed on a long-term foundation by in- ic and silent hunger in the country. tegrating its work with the core activities of the J.R.D. Tata Ecotechnology The work under Programme Area 400 Centre. is being reorganised under the Re-

vi Dr. B.V.Rao Centre for J.R.D. Tata Ecotechnology.- Centre Sustalna¥d Security 11 ! rr! Policy Research Action Research and Capacity Technology Pioneer Capacity Asian Development Projects Building Ecotechnology Building and Network Incubation (UNESCO-Equipe l Cousteau)

...<:: I ... ~ l l 1 Strengthening Voluntary Biofertilisers Training NGO- Strategies for Rural Professional Biopesticides Network Sustainable Livelihoods Support Service for Eco-acquaculture Womens'Skill Food and through Landless the Hunger1ree Eco-horticulture Empowerment Nutrition Security Labour/Small Area Programme of Farmer Poultry the Government of Database on Eco-jobs Tamil Nadu Wasteland Development Estates and Tamil Nadu Media workshops Councilfor Enterprises Agro-processing Water Harvesting cum Sustainable Pulses Villages Livelihoods Seed Villages Integrated Intensive ~ Farming Systems ..•.. =to; Villages o Biovillages ~ ~ ..•..=..... o .Fig. 1 and 2 = Apnual Report 1996-97 source Centre for Gender and Devel- CESS strives to advocate investment \ opment. This Resource Centre will be in children, the training modules pre- headed by the person holding the Smt. pared for empowering the elected Uttar a Devi chair on Gender and De. women and men members of Village velopment. Gender equity and justice and MandaI Panchayats and Nagar Pa- constitute the core of MSSRF's strate- likas to prepare socio-demographic gies for sustainable societies. An im- charters for their respective areas, are portant activity of the Centre was the designed to create conditions where organisation of a National Consulta- children are born for happiness and not tion on the gender dimensions of MSS- for mere existence. RF's programmes in the areas of biodiversity, ecotechnology and biovillages. Programme Area 500 deals with training, information and communication. The activities of Project ACCESS, From the foregoing it will be evident which coordinates the Tamil Nadu Fo- that seemingly impossible tasks can be rum for Creche and Child Care Servic- accomplished by activating the power es (TN FORCES) through its project of partnership. Hence, the 1997 Inter- Children on the Agenda (COTA) have disciplinary Dialogue was on the theme had considerable impact at the field of Building Partnerships for Sustaina- level. The maximum impact was ble Food and Livelihood Security. Part- achieved by the communication strat- nership ensures that irrespective of the egies adopted for advocacy. With the individual strengths of the different continued cooperation of the Doordar- partners, their collective strength be- shan Kendra, Chennai, several video comes considerable. spots on gender issues and burden-free The Informatics Centre of MSSRF is education are being frequently shown now acknowledged as one of the best on television. The series Messages that of its kind in the world. One of the new Move did indeed move many parents databases being developed by the Cen- to change their attitude towards the tre, focuses on eco-jobs. Such informa- education of their children and make tion will be helpful in promoting a them realise that children must not be green productivity movement in agri- denied their childhood. Voicing Si- culture and industry. The Informatics lence, a programme sponsored by The Centre also helped the International Hunger Project-India, continued to Crops Research Institute for the Semi- draw significant attention from the arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to design and public and media for its efforts to com- commission its world-wide web-site. municate gender issues through theatre. Another important activity relates to The major aim of all these programmes the mapping of science in India in the is the promotion of the welfare of wom- areas of agriculture and biology en and children. While Project AC- through analysis of publications.

VLLL Introduction

Finally, two steps were initiated dur- the expression of their dormant profes- ing the year for women's technological sional training and talents. Based on and economic empowerment and for the experience gained from the Chen- mobilising the voluntary services of nai Park, it may be worthwhile spread- professionals for. the elimination of ing suc'h~pportunities in other major endemic hunger. Following an Asia- cities and, towns. Pacific Conference of Women Scien- tists and Technologists hosted by MSS- An effort to revitalise and strengthen RF in December 1996 in collaboration the spirit of voluntarism in helping to with UNDP and UNIFEM, steps were overcome endemic hunger was taken to organise a Women's Biotech- launched in June 1997 with the promo- nology Park in the Chennai area. This tion of a Voluntary Professional Sup- park will provide opportunities for port Service to assist in the effective professional women to take up a ca- implementation of the Hunger-free reer of self-employment in a wide range Area Programme of the Government of of biotechnological enterprises. The Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the first response has been overwhelming and state in the country to introduce a Nu- over 250 professional women have ex- tritious Noon Meal Programme in all pressed interest in starting enterpris- the schools of the State, which has been es in the Park. The Women's Biotech- in operation since 1981. The multiple nology Park will be supported by the benefits conferred by this visionary po- Department of Biotechnology, Govern- litical decision are now well known. In ment of India and the Government of 1996, the State took the next major step Tamil Nadu through the Tamil Nadu to fulfil the goal of "Food for All" when Industrial Development Corporation. the Chief Minister, Dr. M. Karunani- Marketing opportunities and arrange- dhi, announced the initiation of a Hun- ments guide the choice of the technol- ger-free Area Programme to eradicate ogies for introduction in the Park. poverty-induced hunger. MSSRF When established, this will be the 'first helped to co-ordinate the preparation Womens' Biotechnology Park in the of a seven point action plan for imple- country. menting HFAP. The components of this plan are: The Women's Biotechnology Park initiative has also revealed that in urban • Identification of the ultra-poor by areas professionally qualified women, local communities themselves. who could not take up full time employment during the reproductive stage of • Information empowerment through their lives because of home/child care a household entitlements card. and other responsibilities, are longing for intellectually stimulating and eco- • Eliminating protein-calorie under- nomically rewarding opportunities for nutrition.

ix r

Annual Report 1996-97

• Eliminating silent hunger caused by posia and workshops. Several were deficiencies of micronutrients. sent abroad for training in specialised areas. Staff were encouraged to publish • Improving the biological absorption their work in peer-reviewed journals. and retention of food through the pro- They were also encouraged to include vision of safe drinking water and the excluded in knowledge and skill environmental sanitation. empowerment and communicate their • Improving the purchasing power of results in Tamil and local languages. the ultra-poor through micro-enter- Our sincere gratitude goes to the na- prises and micro-credit. tional and international donors listed • Ensuring that special programmes in the Report, but for whose financial intended for women and children support and encouragement the work reach them. described in the following pages would not have been possible. Our thanks go It is obvious that such an integrated to the many eminent scientists, admin- hunger elimination strategy needs for istrators and other professionals for its success the whole-hearted cooper- the time they have so generously spared ation of society and mass media. The to serve on different committees and Voluntary Professional Support Serv- guide our work. ice is designed to provide the expertise and assistance of professionals, We thank Dr. V. Balaji and Dr. (Mrs.) who are willing to give their time and Nandini Iyengar who served as Editors talent in an honorary capacity to offi- of this Report. Particular thanks are cial agencies. The response for enrol- due to Mr. N. Ram, and the staff of ment in this service has been over- Frontline, for designing and printing whelming. The spirit of voluntarism the cover of this Report. Above all, we promoted by Mahatma Gandhi is strong are deeply indebted to tribal and rural and is being harnessed on the occasion women and men and farm families for of the 50th anniversary of India's inde- their whole-hearted co-operation, guid- pendence to fulfil Gandhiji's vision of ance and affection. Programmes like a country where everyone will have op- Biovillage and Voicing Silence are de- portunities to earn his or her daily signed to promote the emergence of bread. new leaders and voices among resource poor rural families, particularly among The Foundation continues to accord the women. These new leaders and new highest priority to promoting the pro- voices help us to believe that achiev- fessional growth of young researchers. ing the integrated goals of natural re- Several of them have registered for sources conservation and poverty alle- their Ph.D. degree. Many participat- viation in rural India are attainable ed in national and international sym- objectives.

x Programme Area 100 - Coastal Systems Research

he focus of this programme continued to be on the . integrated development of coastal zone with 11concurrent attention to the ecological security of coastal areas and the livelihood security of Coastal Communities. A programme for the conservation of coastal mangrove wetland ecosystems along the east coast of India was launched during this year with support from the India- Canada Environment Facility.

101 Coastal Wetlands: Mangrove Conservation and Management 2 102 Biodiversity Conservation Prioritisation Programme - Coastal Sites and Stretches onthe Indian Mainland 11

103 Rejuvenation of Degraded Mangroves at Bhitarkanika 14

104 Monitoring the Breeding Habits of Olive Ridley Turtle 19 Annual Report 1996-97

Sub Programme Area 101 of many mangrove wetlands throughout Coastal Wetlands: Mangrove the world. Mangrove resources can be utilised on a sustainable basis if development Conservation and Management and restoration activities are integrated with conservation policies. Importance of Mangrove Wetlands With the objective of enhancing national Mangrove wetlands, the fragile but dy- capacity and national action in the con- namic ecotone found between land and sea servation and sustainable management of on tropical and subtropical coastlines, are coastal mangrove wetlands, a project was an important ecological asset and an in- launched in May 1996, known as "Coast- valuable economic resource to the coastal al Wetlands: Mangrove Conservation and communities. They act as a barrier against Management". This project is being fi- cyclonic storms, restrict the inland entry nanced by India Canada Environment of saline water during storm surges and Facility, New Delhi, for a period of 5 years act as a buffer against floods, thereby and is operating in the mangrove areas averting soil erosion in the coastal zone. listed in Fig. 1.1. Coastal wetlands provide nursery ground for many of the commercially important Causes of Mangroves Degradation prawns, fish and crabs. In -addition, they enhance the productivity of fish in adja- In the first phase of the project, causes cent coastal waters by providing large for the degradation of mangroves and the quantities of organic and inorganic nutri- potential for restoration in the six sites ents. Besides, they provide habitats for (Fig. L 1) are being identified tlirough sur- wildlife ranging from migratory birds to veys and Participatory Rural Appraisals, estuarine crocodiles. Their economic val- review of published literature, consulta- ue stems from a variety of products: tions with local communities, forest officials, scientists and non-governmental or- • wood products ranging from timber and ganisations who have been working in this poles to firewood; area. Degradation is found to be caused • non-wood products such as fodder, hon- by the dual phenomena of physical chang- ey, wax, tannin, and dye es and human induced stresses.

• aquatic products like fish, prawns, Physical Causes crabs, clams, molluscs and oysters. 1. Changes in topography : In certain sites, a major cause for the degrada- The Project tion of mangrove wetlands has been A variety of biophysical and human in- identified as reduction in the quanti- duced stresses, resulting from unsustain- ty and periodicity of freshwater inflow, able activities both within and outside the allochthonus sediment and consequent mangroves, cause the rapid degradation changes in the topography and tidal

2 Coastal Systems Research

PROJECT AREAS

Tamil Nadu • Pi::havaram (1,400 ha) • Muthupet + (13,000 ha) 360. 720km. Andhra Pradesh • Krishna Delta (16,500 ha) • Godavari Delta (33,000 ha) Orissa • Bhitarkanika (15,500 ha) • Mahanadi Delta (4,000 ha) West Bengal • Sunderbans Bay of Bengal (2,00,000 ha) B. (l

" ,',

, AMILNADU Indian Ocean

Fig. 1.1 : Project Areas

flushing pattern. In Pichavaram man- The shoreline is undergoing severe groves, the main cause of degradation erosion. If this rate of erosion contin- is increase in soil salinity, caused by ues, mangroves will soon be exposed changes in the topography of the wet- directly to the sea, where the wave land by formation oftroughs, which fa- action is high. This may result in the vour stagnation of tidal water. Field uprooting of trees that are exposed to studies indicate that this factor is re- high wave energy. Regeneration will sponsible for nearly 60% of the degra- be adversely affected as the waves dation of Pichavaram mangroves. wash away the seeds. On the other hand, due to geomorphological chang- 2. Changes in the configuration of the es leading to formation of sand bars coastline : Various changes have been as in Pichavaram, and oyster beds as occurring in the physical features of in Muthupet, the tidal water flow into the shoreline bordering mangroves. the mangrove wetland becomes less,

3 Annual Report 1996-97

leading to increased salinity of the nutrient input and sediment supply, stagnant water due to evaporation. which adversely affect the water re- Less than optimal environmental con- gime and quality of water. ditions such as these result in loss of Human induced stresses have a great biodiversity. impact on the ecosystem as shown in Fig. 1.2. Human Induced Stresses Human induced stresses include the fol- The physical and human-induced causes lowing: vary in intensity (Table 1.1)in the six sites that are being studied. 3. Felling of mangrove trees for fuel, , charcoal and occasionally for timber Preparation of GIS - Maps for and implements Planning 4. Grazing by domestic and feral cattle In order to identify the status and extent 5. Diversion of land for agriculture, hu- of vegetation, forest cover, wetland and man settlements, saltpans and aqua- other land use, the regions are being culture mapped in consultation with user departments and Space Application Centre (In- 6. Indiscriminate fishing and collection dian Space Research-Organisation, of prawn seeds Ahmedabad). These maps provide the ge- 7. Diversion of fresh water flow, leading omorphologicalconfiguration and wetland to reduction in inflow of fresh water, status. Maps of Pichavaram and Muthu-

Table 1.1 : Intensity offactors causing degradation

Cause * Pichavaram Muthupet Krishna Godavari Bhitarkanika Mahanadi site site site site site site

1 H H M L L X 2 H H M LL L 3 M H H H L M 4 M M M M M H 5 X M M L H H 6 L M M L M M 7 H M M L L M

* Physical and human induced causes as on page 2-4 H - high, M - medium, L - Low, X - Nil

4 Coastal Systems Research 1 H Changes in U water regime Changesin water Loss of protective M • regime barrier against A Land cyclones, storm, N Changes sediment • quality Reclamation surges, erosion influx • topography Loss of renewable I • soil & pore water N salinity & quality aquatic resources D Erosion in genetic ULand & water use Reduction'inperiodicity variability C practices in the and quantityof fresh E watershed area water Loss of renewable D forest resources Diversion of fresh Reductionin water flow S nutrient supply Death of T sensitive species R Reductionin Poor E regen~ration sediment supply capacIty S S Clear felling ------Poor growth E Reduced Overexploi- Selective felling ------S biomass tation Reduced Grazing ------biodiversity

Fig. 1.2 : Results of Human-induced Stresses

pet in Tamil Nadu , Krishna and Goda- entered in GIS for adding other spatial vari in Andhra Pradesh and Bhitarkani- data like drainage, watershed etc. along ka mangroves in Orissa have been pre- with non-spatial socio-economic data. Uni- pared, using satellite data by visual in- versities and other academic institutions terpretation technique. Validations of have been contacted to collect available these maps have been carried out by extensive ground truthing. Detailed vegeta- data on flora, fauna and hydrology rele. tion survey has been initiated in these vant to mangroves. To understand the sites with the help of the GIS maps and shoreline changes and the specific impact satellite imagery. IRS Ie LISS III sensor on the mangrove wetlands, 1970-S01 topo- imagery have been procured for all the maps and recent IRS data are being ana- mangrove sites for the preparation of the- lysed usingArc/lnfo GIS software. On the matic maps (Fig. 1.3). basis of this analysis, shoreline change The validated maps and Survey of India maps of 1:50,000 scale are being prepared (SOl) base maps are being digitised and (Fig. 1.4).

5 Annual Report 1996.:.97

Anthropogenic Dimensions Some tribes practise non-conventional ~ishing methods in these areas. Fishing The objective of the project is to build IS not the traditional occupation of a tribe enough capacity in local communities, the called Vedars living in Pichavaram. Some Forest Department and other government of them follow an innovative method in agencies, voluntary organisations, grass which a mud embankment of 30 to 50 cm -rootlevel democratic institutions (pancha- height is constructed 6 to 10 m from the yats and Nagarpalikas) and MSSRF to edge of the mangroves. It has a narrow conserve, restore and sustain mangrove opening in 3 or 4 places. During the spring wetlands in an integrated manner high tide, tidal water, along with fishes through participatory research, training and prawns, enters through these open- and extension. bigs in the embankments. When the wa- In order to establish the dependency on ter begins to recede during the low tide, the mangrove forests and to determine the the openings are blocked with nets which socio-economic profile of the mangrove allow only the tidal water to pass through. forest-dependent communities before All the fishes and prawns are thus trapped making any specific intervention in the and are later collected. Some of the Ve- mangrove areas, a benchline survey has dars even construct small embankments been conducted in Pichavaram and Muth- around individual trees of Rhizophora to upet mangrove areas of Tamil Nadu. trap the fishes and prawns. The mud em- Besides, Participatory Rural Appraisals bankments are usually constructed at an are going on in various sites for resource elevation of 25 to 30 cm from the low tide mapping and for understanding the are- level and hence the total height ofthe mud as ofconcern ofthe peopleas the entry point embankment exceeds the level of spring for seeking community participation. high tide. The normal flow of tidal water is severely affected by these embankments The preliminary results of the surveys which, in turn, adversely affects the soil show that the main occupation of the peo- condition. ple is either fishing or farming. Those who live inside or very close to the mangrove Community Mobilisation forest areas depend heavily on the man- The surveys revealed that in order to have grove forest for fuelwood, fodder and fenc- full support and participation of the coming, thatching and fishing material. Aqua- munity, action has to be taken on the fol- culture has made inroads in the land-use lowing lines : pattern in the coastal tracks adjoining • Generating an awareness of the bene- mangrove forests. Fuelwood collectionand fits of mangroves and the devastating selling to the nearby semi-urban commu- effects of their degradation nities is a ~ource of livelihood in some areas like Muthupet in Tamil Nadu and Cor- • Providing alternative sources of fuel- inga in Godavari District, Andhra wood,fodder, fencing and thatching ma- Pradesh. '. terial

6 I Coastal Systems Research

Fig. 1.3 : IRS - 1C Liss - III of Godavari Mangroves Satellite Imagery

• Creating an economic stake in conser- sites for joint action. In Tamil Nadu a vation workshop was conducted near Pichavar- • Conserving mangrove forests through am in which 8 NGOs and one representa- participatory management. tive from the Forest Department participated. The causes of degradation of man- NGOs groves were identified and probable solu- Non-governmental organisations have tions discussed. In Tamil Nadu and And- been identified and shortlisted in all the hra Pradesh shortlisted NGOs have pre-

7 Annual Report 1996-97

6. Role of women in natural resource User Promotion Activities management. One of the major outcomes of this project Considering the enormous responsibility will be a plan for sustainable management vested with MSSRF and the magnitude of mangroves involving the local commu- of action to be taken at different levels by nity, Forest Department and other gov- different stakeholders, committees have ernment agencies and NGOs. As people been formed at various levels. At the na- have to be oriented towards using this tionallevel the Project Management Com- plan, user meetings are being conducted. mittee offers policy guidance and super- Such meetings help the project staff to understand the specific requirements of vises the execution of the project. Techni- the users and to collate relevant informa- cal Advisory Committees for monitoring tiOIiavailable with the user departments and evaluation of the project at the state and agencies. level have been formed for Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Joint Working The First User Interaction meeting (for Groups are being formed with the district Tamil Nadu state) was conducted in De- collector as the Chairperson. A syllabus cember 1996.Seven potential downstream committee has been formed to prepare a user departments participated in the training manual to train : meeting. Specific requirements of users were identified, for example, the State • Forest officials Forest Department showed interest in • Planners and policy makers (MPs, using the mangrove zonations map pre- MLAs and senior administrators) pared from IRS lC data. Information on the availability of relevant spatial and whose decisions directly affect the man- non-spatial data with different user de- groves and related resources such as partments was gathered. Discussions water resources, irrigation, agriculture, were held on Remote Sensing and Geo- fisheries, land-use, environment, fi- graphical Information System work plan nance and energy. with the officials of State Forest Depart- I • Local communities and others who di- ments at Pichavaram, Kakinada and Bhi- rectly use or indirectly influence man- tarkanika. For conducting short term user groves. training programmes on RS and GIS applications with particular reference to The basic structure of the curriculum for mangroves and also for producing man- the courses/workshops and training pro- grove wetland atlas and GIS database for grammes is being worked out by three sub- the user community, the process for en- committees consisting of members of the tering into MoU with the Space Applica- syllabus committee. tions Centre has been initiated.

10 Coastal Systems Research

Sub Programme Area 102 1. It is a good representative example of Biodiversity Conservation a wetland. Prioritisation Programme - 2. It supports an appreciable assemblage of rare, vulnerable and endangered Coastal Sites and Stretches species or subspecies. on the Indian Mainland 3. It is of special value as a habitat of plants and animals at a critical stage This programme was initiated in Septem- of their biological cycle. ber 1996 and the main objectives are: 4. It is a wetland of substantial socio-eco- • To prioritise sites and stretches ofcoast- nomic and cultural value. al ecosystems on the basis of their bio- Details of the selected sites are provided diversity and socio- economic value. in Table 1.2. Information on each site, in • To identify strategies for conservation accordance with these criteria, was to be of biodiversity. gathered within a timeframe of three months. • To develop, use and describe a participatory methodology for such conserva- The second workshop was held in May tion activities. 1997 in order to evaluate the information and the selection of sites. A select group A working group was formed, comprising of scientists who had rich experience and representatives of various scientific, gov- who could aid the process of final evalua- ernment and non governmental agencies tion of the sites were invited for this exer- such as ZSI, CMFRI, NIO. Universities cise. Tabulated information on the sites working in coastal areas and researchers and species was presented at this meet- working in specific fields such as watering. The sites were classified into four fowl,coral, sea grasses and mangroves are broad divisions to enable evaluation. It also represented. Some biodiversity - rich was noticed that the economiccriterion was coastal areas were selected from a list of the least studied and that information on 43 coastal wetlands. The work was dis- social relevance of a site was also peorly tributed among the group and it was de- represented in the research studies. cided to use published documents and per- A set of criteria site prioritisation were sonal communications rather than field developed at a workshop held in Novem- visits to collect information. It was also ber 1996 (Table 1.3). These criteria are decided that the group would correspond based on the work of the Commission on with experts on either site or species, to National Parks and Protected Areas. obtain information. If necessary, the nod- al agency would send a person to collect The future plan is to gather more infor- the information. mation on the social and economic values of the sites and to prepare strategies to The criteria for the selection of the test conserve and enhance the rich biodiversi- site are as follows. ty of these coastal sites.

11 Annual Report 1996-97

Table l.~ : Sites selected for conservation

Biogeographic Criteria Ecosystem Important Name for subtype groups subdivision inclusion

Gujarat Gulf of Kutch Saharo Sindian 1,2,3,4 Mud flats, Sea grasses, coral reefs marine algae and corals Gulf of Khambat Kathiawar 1,2,3,4 Mudflats Mangroves

Maharashtra Malvan Konkan 1,2,4 Estuary and Mangroves, rocky beaches marine algae and corals

Karnataka Kundapur Malabar 1,2,4 Estuary Mangroves/ Mangroves Strand Vegetation

Kerala Kottam palli Malabar Lagoon Sea grasses Swamps

Tamil Nadu Gulf of Mannar Coromandel 1,2,3,4 Coral Reefs Sponges, Corals, Circa Balanoglossus and Dugong Kaliveli Tank Coromandel 1,3,4 Estuary and Avifauna Circa Lagoon Pulicat Lake Coromandel Circa Lagoon Rsheries and Avifauna

Andhra Pradesh Coringa Coromandel 1,3,4 Estuary Mangroves Mangroves Circa Kakinada Bay Coromandel 1,3,4 Bay Benthic fauna Circa

Orissa Chilka Lake Utkal 1,2,3,4 Lagoon Avifauna

Bhitarkanika Utkal 1,2,3,4 Estuary, Mangroves, Mangroves Sandy beach Turtles, Avifauna and Salt water crocodile

West Bengal Sunderbans Bengal 1,2,3,4 Estuary, Mangroves, Sagar Island Mudflats Avifauna and Salt water crocodile

12 Coastal Systems Research

Table 1.3 : Criteria for prioritisation of biodiversity conservation

Biogeographic • presence of rare biogeographic qualities or representative of "type"

Geomorphology • unique or unusual geological features

Ecologoical • essential part of a process or life support system

• the degree to which the area by itself or in association with other protected areas encompasses a complete ecosystem

• the variety of habitat

• habitat of rare and endangered species

• nursery, juvenile areas, feeding, breeding or rest sites

• rare or unique habitat for any species

• genetic diversity and keystone species

Naturalness • extent to which the area has been subjected to human induced changes

Economic importance • existing contributions

• (recreation, subsistence of traditional users, appreciation by tourists, nursery area or a source of economically important species)

• potential contributions

Social importance • value to local and national communities for its heritage, historical, cultural, educational or recreational use

• value for research and monitoring

International I National • potential as a world heritage site, biosphere reserve, Ramsar site, significance or is subject to an intemational or national conservation agreement

Practicality I feasibility as • degree of insulation from extemal destructive forces a protected area • social and political acceptability (community support)

• compatibility with existing users

• accessibility for education, tourism, recreation

• ease of management or compatibility with existing management regimes

13 Annual Report 1996-97

Sub Programme Area 103 Monitoring the Growth Rate of Mangroves in Plantations Rejuvenation of Degraded Mangroves at Bhitarkanika Mangrove seedstock/hypocotyles planted during 1995-96 are doing well and the growth rate is tabulated (Table 1.4). The Evaluation of Storage Life of plantation is being damaged by buffalo Mangrove Seeds and Propagules grazing and crab and prawn collection by The storage life ofthe seeds of5 mangrove local people. In addition to this, damage species was studied. Non-infected, non- due to barnacles is also noticed in Rhizo- malformed and properly matured seed- phora mucronata and Rhizophora apicu- stock from each species was collected from lata. Barnacle damage is more pronounced parent trees and kept in a polyhouse. The in seedlings growing close to the low tide germination and establishment of 100 of mark. Care is being taken to plant this these were tested at regular intervals af- year's seedstock beyond this point, to- ter planting them in plastic bags. They wards the higher stream bank. Restora- were watered regularly. tion of dieout patches was also done during the current season. It was found that the Rhizophoraceae members, especially Kandelia candel and Plantation of Mangrove Propagules Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, showed maxi. in 50 ha of Degraded Land mum ability to withstand a storage peri-. od of 45 days, along with Pingamia pin- A total of 32 ha have been planted during nata. Avicennia (Avicenniaceae) spp. and the current plantation season of 1996-97. Heritiera fomes (Sterculiaceae) showed 13 species of mangroves have been plant- minimum storage life of 15 days. ed in the area adjacent to and continuous

Table 1.4 : Growth rate of 13 month -old mangrove seedlings (n=50)

Height Diamterof SINo. Species No. of leaves Infection % (em) stem (em)

1. Bruguiera parviflora 28.16 4.88 16 28 2. Bruguiera cyJindrica 40.57 2.36 12 36 3. Ceriops decandra 12.77 2.12 11 100 4. Avicennia spp. 48.10 3.07 >90. 100 5. KandeJia candel 61.4 3.07 16 100 6. Xylocarpus granatum 70.8 3.31 9 12 7. Rhizophora apiculata 69.85 3.69 16 96 8. Rhizophora mucronata 75.43 6.11 61 20

* All the trees had more than 90 leaves

14 Coastlll Systems Research

with last year's plantation. Species selec- nal value. Table 1.5 gives in detail the plan- tion was done keeping in view the present tation activity during the current season. and past natural vegetation in this area and in consultation with the forest offi- While planting, the spacing between cials. Two species which are not reported seeds was maintained at 1.5 mts, 2.0 mts. in this area, Amoora cucullata and Pon- and 2.5 mts. Two nurseries, one at Dan- gamia pinnata, have also been introduced. gamal and the other at Jagatjori, provid- The former is a rare species and the lat- ed seedlings of 7 species out of the total ter has economic importance and medici- 13 species planted.

Table 1.5: Detailed list a/mangrove species planted during the season 1996-97

Collected Planted Total No. Rejected Species Planted Rejected From Through Collected %

Aegialitis Kansaridiha Direct 51 46 5 9.80 rotundifolia

Xylocarpus Bhitarkanika Nursery 261 235 26 9.96 granatum Kansaridiha

Pongamia Bhitarkanika Nursery 390 390 0 pinnata

Ceriops Kansaridiha Nursery 487 390 97 19.91 decandra Bhitarkanika

Amoora Bhitarkanika Nursery 450 450 0 cucullata

Bruguiera Kans, Nursery, 2,635 2496 139 5.27 gymnorrhiza Bhitarkanika Direct

Heritiera fomes Bhitarkanika Nursery 2300 1900 400 17.39 Kandelia candel Kansaridiha Direct 13,350 12,626 724 5.42 Bruguiera Kansaridiha Direct 19,375 17,982 1,393 7.18 parviflora

Aegiceras Kantilo, Nursery 39,000 28,000 11,000 28.20 corriculatum Kansaridiha

Rhizophora Kansaridiha Direct 64,896 62,544 2,352 3.62 apiculata

Bruguiera Kansaridiha Direct 93,142 83,558 9,584 10.28 cylindrica

Avicennia spp. Tanda Direct 3,19,400 2,98,400 21,000 6.57 (Broadcast)

15 Annual Report 1996-97

A cheaper method of raising nurseries on found to produce coppicing shoots but the beds and digging out the seedlings when response varied with different hormonal desired was followed in the case of 4 spe- concentrations. Heritiera fames produced cies, Xylocarpus granatum, Pongamia pin- roots through treatment of growth hor- nata, Amoora cucullata and Aegiceras cor- mone IBA. About twenty rooted stemcuts niculatum. The field transfer of such bed were transferred to polypot condition from raised seedlings was found to be success- the plastic containers and were hardened. ful. However, mass multiplication of man- Those that survived during hardening groves has to be cheaper if it is to be eco- were transferred to the soil. The other five nomically suitable to the local people. species sprouted but did not produce roots. Hence the experiment is being repeated A total of 8.48% of the collected seedstock with different hormonal combinations. was rejected either due to malformation, The following species have also been in- insect damage or because of the presence cluded in the experiments during the of roots in the case of seedslhypocotyles year: Ceriops decandra, Aegialitis rotun- picked up from the ground. The total area difolia, Amoora cucullata, Aegiceras cor- restored this year through plantation ac- niculatum, !ntsia bijuga, Bruguiera parv- tivities is 40 ha. For planting the remain- iflora and Pongamia pinnata. ing 10 ha during the current year an ad- ditional20,000 seeds of Pongamia pinna- Horticultural Propagation of ta have been collected and sown in the Mangrove Species nursery. Further,10,000 seeds of Thespesia populnea have been sown in the Eight mangrove species were chosen to try nursery for the distribution of plants to out horticultural methods of propagation. local villages. Out of these, M.angulata and C.manghas are endangered species which have a very Induction of Rooting in Stem low natural regeneration capacity in situ. Cutting and Propagules by using Plant Growth Hormones Air layering was done by making a bark opening of 2-3 mm in a ring. Soil (silty Induction of rooting in stem cuttings of 8 clay) and moss were tied over the incisions mangrove species was undertaken in pol- with a polythene wrap. The results are yhouse, using plant growth hormones awaited. during the reporting period. The species taken up and their response to the differ- As an experimental control stem cuttings ent growth hormones and to different dos- of the following 8 species are being grown es are summarised in Table 1.6. It was in a mixture of cow dung and sand (1:3) : found that out of 8 species tried for induc- Avicennia alba, Heritiera fames, Xylocar- tion of rooting, two species X.molluccensis pus molluccensis, Bruguiera gymnorrhyza, and M. angulata did not respond to any !ntsia bijuga, Sonneratia apelata, Ponga- growth hormone. The other species were mia pinnata, Amoora cucullata.

Annual Report 1996-97

School Children's Mangrove been trained at two sites, one at the plan- Awareness Programme tation at Jagatjori and the other at Kho- ja, Bhitarkanika mangroves. Two schools near the restoration site were identified for imparting mangrove conser- 46 trainees from 5 villages (Kantilo, Gul- vation awareness. Students of age group dia, Kalatunga, Kharianta and Kansar) th th 14-16, studying in 8th, 9 , and 10 stand- have been trained through the on-field ards (High School) were selected and a training programme at the plantation site. detailed discussion on the importance of They have been taught to identify man- environment, forest and mangroves, with grove species that are found in Orissa, special reference to degradation and con- their importance and the threats. They servation necessities were elaborated have been engaged in restoration planta- upon. The two schools are 1. Badapali tion work. Both direct plantation and High School, Badapalli, (PO. Suniti, Via. nursery method of mangrove plantation Mahakalpara, Dist.Kendrapara, Orissa) were described and these techniques were and 2. Gugua-Chakada High School, Vil- put into practice during field plantation. lage Gugua, Via. Mahakalpara, Dist. Ken- drapara, Orissa. 60 trainees from 9 villages (Dangamal, Bankual, Lalitapatia, Rajandranarayan- Mter the programme, an informal discus- pur, Iswarpur, Jambusagar, Dighi, Righ- sion with the students in the presence of agarh, Govindapur) were trained at our teachers ofthe schoolwas organised. Var- second site at Khola, Bhitarkanika. The ious questions were put forward for par- trainees were engaged in the propagation ticipatory discussion. The teachers were of mangrove species through the nursery required to discuss these issues in their phase. The preparation of nursery beds, classrooms later. A feedback response tak- keeping in mind inundation, watering, en from the teachers was used to evalu- methods of seed sowing etc, were de- ate the programme. scribed to them and the trainees followed these techniques in the field condition. Training Programme on Nursery They were paid allowances for their par- Raising and Mangrove Plantation ticipation in the programme. Techniques The trainees of our programme were al- Training programmes on mangrove nurs- most exclusively engaged by the forest ery raising and field plantation techniques department in the restoration ofmangrove were undertaken, keeping in mind the areas at Jagatjori. The project has been prospects of income generation for locals able to contribute to the income of locals and involving them in mangrove protec- and to involve them in mangrove conser- tion work. A total of 106participants have vation.

18 Coastal Systems Research

Sub Programme Area 104 matha beach. An additional 1,30,000 turtles nesting in Rushikulya about 300 kms Monitoring the Breeding south of Gahirmatha were discovered re- Habits .0£ Olive Ridley Turtle cently by the researchers of the Wildlife Institute of India. During the breeding The coast of Orissa is currently the larg- season of 1997 there was no mass nesting est breeding ground of the Olive Ridley of turtles in either of the rookeries in Oris- turtle (Lepidochelys oliuacea) that has sa. Therefore the targeted 15,000 turtles been internationally recognised. Between could not be tagged. Nevertheless a total 3,00,000 to 6,00,000 turtles breed along of3,000 have been tagged between the two this coast annually. In order to conserve sites. It has been confirmed (at least in a and monitor the breeding populations a few instances) by resighting marked fe- project was launched by the MSSRF in male turtles that the same female nests collaboration with the Wildlife Institute more than once during the same breed- ofIndia, Dehradun. The primary objective ing season in different beaches. is to mark individual turtles with special- ly made metal tags and monitor the pop- As part of the project, efforts are being ulation. made to create public awareness directly and through the local newspapers. A This is a project sponsored by the NORAD number of local youth have been involv- in which the mandate is to tag 35,000 sea led in the census, tagging and measure- turtles along the coast of Orissa over a 3 ment of sea turtles. Some of these volun- year period. The project was sanctioned teers patrol the beach during the nights in December 1995. The tags however ar- and report the arrival of turtles for nest- rived for field use only in May 1996. Dur- ing. The Rushikulya rookery that was re- ing the period starting March 1996 till cently discovered has been brought to the now two breeding seasons have been mon- attention of the State Government. The itored. Government of Orissa has expressed its In the year 1996 an estimated 3,50,000 intention to declare this rookery as a sea Olive Ridley turtles nested in the Gahir- turtle sanctuary.

19 Programme Area 200

uring the year, this Programme centred around the standardisation of transparent and practical Dmethodologies for implementing the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity relating to equity and ethics in benefit sharing. A Community Agrobiodiversity Centre was set up in the Wayanad District of Kerala. The gender dimensions of biodiversity management were studied in different parts of India. Work on genetic enhancement with reference to tolerance to salinity, biomonitoring and micropropagation of endangered plants was intensified.

201 Technical Resource Centre for the Implementation of the Equity Provisions ofthe Convention on BiologicalDiversity 21

202 Saving Endangered Plant Species and Habitats 42 203 Conservation of Endangered and Medicinal Plants 46

204 Biomonitoring 50

205 Molecular Mapping and Genetic Enhancement 58 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Sub Programme Area 201 • Chronicling the contributions of tribal and rural families to the conservation Technical Resource Centre for and enhancement of plant genetic re- the Implementation of the sources. Equity Provisions of the • Organisation of an Agrobiodiversity Convention on Biological Corps of tribal and rural youth. Diversity • Revitalization of the on-farm genetic conservation traditions of tribal and Since 1990, MSSRFs programmes in the rural communities. area of biodiversity have foccussed on the • Maintenance of a Community Gene following three aspects : Bank and Herbarium. • Conservation of genetic resources. • Development of multimedia databases • Sustainable utilisation. on the IPR contributions of tribal and • Equitable sharing of benefits. rural families for the purpose of getting them recognition and reward from the The various sub-programmes dealing with proposed Biodiversity and Community the above aspects were unified into an Gene Funds. integrated programme during 1996 in the form of a Technical Resource Centre (TRC) • Harmonising conservation and com- for the Implementation of the Equity Pro- mercialisation by creating an economic visions of the Convention on Biological stake in conservation through symbiotic Diversity (see box). This TRC was formally social contracts between the conservers dedicated to tribal and rural families by and public and private sector industry. Ms. Elizabeth Dowdswell, Executive Di- rector, United Nations Environment Pro- The TRC brings together the programmes gramme on July 18, 1996. The work car- earlier reported under the N.!. Vavilov ried out under the TRC during 1996-97, Centre generously supported by the Swed- fall under the following six broad catego- ish International Development Coopera- ries (see also Fig. 2.1): tion Agency (SIDA).

-..... ~ ~ ~ Information / benefit .~ -~ Chronicling & (l) Sharing frame work "C Ethonobotanical ~ o ~ Studies .... ~ ~ Q') ~ -.1 I CGF I communication Inter govern- l-.:l l-.:l mental Community Genebank & Agencies Herbarium

TRAINING NBPGR

Biodiversity Alliance / Forum / Policymakers / Media / Universities

Fig. 2.1 : Iechnical Resource Centre for the Implementation of the Equity Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Chronicling of the Contributions of of disappearing due to the pressure of al- Tribal and Rural Families to the ternative land use practices such as the Conservation and Enhancement of cultivation of tapioca and high yielding Plant Genetic Resources rice varieties.

Tamil Nadu Documentation of the traditional crops and tribal knowledge is hence of interest The Kolli Hills area in Namakkal Rajaji in this area. Another major component district is of critical importance as most of the study is to place emphasis on in of the traditional crops and associated situ on-farm conservation activities in agricultural practices are under threat pockets where threats to agrobiodiversi-

23 Annual Report 1996-97 ty have been identified. Our emphasis has 4. A few of the traditional crops like var- been on arresting the decline in cultural agu (Paspalum scrobiculatum) have al- knowledge about traditional crops and most been lost. Consequently, there practices and on revitalising their role in is a danger oflosing knowledge relat- in situ on -farm conservation of their tra- ed to these crops. ditional foodcrops particularly minor mil- 5. The displacement of traditional crops lets like Thinai (Setaria italica) and Sa- has adversely affected the household mai (Panicum milliare). nutritional security, as rice has re- To get an insight into the issues affecting placed the nutritionally rich pulses. the traditional paddy and millet varieties information was gathered from general Revitalisation of in-situ Conservation Tra- field surveys in 31 villages. During the ditions in the Kolli Hills survey, farmers, both men and women, During the documentation process it was were interviewed. The information gath- felt that this situation could be salvaged ered and observations made during the to some extent, with immediate interven- general survey may be applicable to oth- tion. People have shown their interest and er parts of Kolli Hills with certain varia- cooperation in retaining the traditional tions. varieties and reviving the crops which A summary of the information and data have become rare. gathered is given below. People came forward to revive the crops 1. Traditional crops, particularly minor that have not been cultivated by them for millets such as samai (P. milliare), some years. Taking advantage ofthis, two thinai (S. italiea) and panivaragu varieties of S. italica, Koran thinai and (Panicum milliaeeum), are giving way Senthinai, were re-introduced in Arippa- lapatti village, consisting of 32 house- to more renumerative cash crops like holds. A traditional rice variety known tapioca and HYVs. as Samba has found its way again to this 2. More than 50 per cent of the people village after nearly twelve years. It is a interviewed are of the view that de- small beginning which we hope to extend cline in cattle population (for want of and strengthen further. grazing land and persons to tend them) The study has helped to revive the inter- is one of the major factors contribut- est of the locals in traditional crops and ing to the displacement of the tradi- associated cultivation practices. It has tional upland crop varieties. motivated us to intensify our efforts to 3. Another discouraging trend is the de- rediscover the value of indigenous trees, cline or disappearance of some of the fruits and their multiple uses and save traditional agricultural practices and them from becomingthe "lost crops ofKolli associated indigenous knowledge. Hills".

24 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

The minor millets should more appropri- Hoyvever, the tribals still depend on sev- ately be referred to as "nutritious grains" eral edible fruits, green leaves and wild rather than being classified as "coarse tubers from the forests to supplement grains". This will help to change the mind their food requirement. An interesting set of the public as well as policy makers. point is that they depend only on nature There is potential to increase the produc- for their needs. Though the walls ofhous- tion and utilisation of traditional varie- es are constructed with mud, the roof is ties, particularly minor millets, which can made of timber, or bamboo and thatched be realised by supporting research activi- with wild grasses and/or sal leaves. Their ties that increase yield, food quality and agricultural implements are made of wood processing technologies. Further, the use and they have very specialised knowledge of minor millets in commercial food prod- about the different plant species that are ucts should be explored and an efficient to be used for specific agricultural imple- marketing system developed. With the ments (Table 2.1). They have knowledge rapid rise in demand for processed and about the plant species that make good or semi-processed foods in urban areas, these bad fuel. nutritious grains offer great scope for fa- 'cilitating balanced diets. The tribal people have very detailed knowledge of medicinal plants for curing Orissa humans and animals. They have precise knowledge about plants that are used as Seven tribal districts, namely Mayurb- insect and pest repellents, fish poison and hanj, Keonjhar, Phulbani, Rayagada, Ko- other usages such as for making bows, raput, Nabrangpurand Malkangiri dis- arrows, ropes, brooms, musical instru- tricts, were covered for documenting eco- ments etc. Thus, the tribals depend upon nomically useful plants. The major tribes hundreds of plants for their food and of these districts are Kandha, Saara, Para- health security. ja, Godaba, Kaya, Banda, Bhatara, Juang, Bhuiyan, Munda, Saunti, Bhatudi, Kol- Detailed information about these plants, ha, Santal and Ganda, who belong to dif- the purpose and method of their usages ferent ethnic stocks. They depend on the including beliefs and taboos of the people, forest flora for their livelihood, i.e., food, was recorded. Further details on the ways timber, fibre, medicine, fuel, agricultural in which various plants are used by the implements, insect and pest repellents tribal people of Orissa are provided in etc. In recent years, the forest flora is be- Tabels 2.2 - 2.3. ing depleted because of over-exploitation. Rice and minor millets formed their sta- pIe food but in recent years their food habit Andhra Pradesh is changing because of over-emphasis on rice and neglect of minor millets by the The tribes: Konda Reddy and Konda Kam- Developmental Agencies. mara of the East Godavari District.

25 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.1 : Some of the plants used for agricultural implements by the tribal families of Orissa

Implement Local Name of the Plant Botanical Name Tribes

Plough sal Shorea robusta Kondha, Paroja, Sahaja Terminalia a/ata Bhatra, Bija Pterocarpus marsupium Gadaba, Kusuma Sch/eichera o/eosa Langia Soura, Kendu Diospyros me/anoxy/on Bhumia, Muhula Madhuka /ongifolia Santala, Mundi Mitragyna parvifolia Kolha, Moi Lannea coromandelica Bhumija Juanga, Bhuyan

Yoke Dhamana Guazuma tiliifolia .do. Palasa Butea superba Bandhana Desmodium oojeinense Gambhari Gmelina arborea

Levelling plank Sal Shorea robusta -do. Bija Pterocarpus marsupium

Mud breaker Kusuma Sch/eichera o/eosa -do.

Threshing log Kusuma Sch/eichera o/eosa .do-

Threshing stick Mahula Madhuka /ongifolia -do-

Miller (dhenki) Kusuma Sch/eichera o/eosa -do- Kendu Diospyros melanoxylon Sal Shorea robusta

The hamlets: Tadepally (Thotamamidi vee- mean sea level. The forest is of dry decidu- dhi, Yegava veedhi), Maddhiveedu, Malla- ous to moist deciduous and falls under East- varam, Putta Gondhi Lanka, Kodavati Lan- ern Ghats. The entire area is undulated ka and Nethedichilaka, are situated 19 km with many hillocks which are used by the from Rampachodavaram. These hamlets tribes for "podu cultivation" (slash and burn lie at an altitude of 450 to 500 m. above or shifting cultivation).

26 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Table 2.2 : Plants used for treating health disorders (Orissa)

Local Name Botanical Name Purpose Tribe

Hinjala Barringtonia acutangula Mental retardation Santal Mahakala Barringtonia acutangula Rheumatism, Evil spirit Saunti Muturi Smilax zeylanica Menstrual disorder Kolha Agara Argemone mexican a Scabies Gonda Kastandi Saccharum spontaneum Bone fracture Bathudi Agnijhala Clausena excavata Griping Barabhuiyan Gamhari GmeJina arborea Indigestion Munda Bhuinkakharu Ipomoea digital Lactation, filaria Bhuiyan Bhalia Semecarpus anacardium Sprain Kandha Scabies Worm infection Cut wound Banajira Centratherum anthelminticum Piles Sudra Mahakala Trichosanthes bracteata Stomach pain Bhumia Evil spirit Cough Fever Epileptic fits Bhuinlimba Andrographis paniculata Malaria Paroja Black water fever Relapsing fever Amda Spondias pinnata Menstrual disorder Rana Nalabeli Cipadessa baccifera Diarrhoea Bonda Karada Cleistanthus collin us Footsore Rana, Kondha

Table 2.3 : Various usages of a single plant by the tribals of Orissa Example : Kumbhi (Careya arborea)

Plant part Used for Tribe

Bark Blood dysentry, cuts and wounds Halva Fruit Snake repellent, poultry lice repellent, and edible Halva Flower Pest repellent Halva Bark Myalgia, Profound weakness Sana Paroja Bark Pain due to injury Santal Bark Blood dysentry Kolha Bark Fever, cold and cough Gopal (OBC)

27 Annual Report 1996-97

Hamlet profile: The tribal areas of the • Multiple uses of Borassus palm : The present study fall under the panchayat leaves are used for thatching houses. system. There are five villages under Ta- Fibre from the leaves is used for house depalli panchayat, namely Tadepalli, construction. The fibre has commercial Maddhiveedu, Mallavaram, Doramamidi value and is sold at RS.7 to 8 per kilo- and Putta Gondhi Lanka, comprising 1500 gram. The fruits are edible. Tender inhabitants in 500 houses. fruits are highly relished. Tender sprouts are cooked and eaten. Toddy is Chronicling activities : A detailed study extracted from mature trees and is al- was conducted on the Ethnobotany and most the staple diet of the local people. Ethno agricultural aspects of the local It takes nearly 20 years for a plant to communities (Table 2.4) and their re- reach maturity. The population of Bo- source utilisation practices were care- rassus trees needs to be increased to fully documented (Table 2.5). Ethnobo- meet the requirements of the local pop- tanical information on 66 wild plant spe- ulace. cies used by these tribals for their nutri- I tion, medical and other requirements was documented. Voucher specimens of the Sacred Groves in Tamil Nadu plant species used were collected for the Sacred Groves constitute an important - herbarium. Traditional agricultural prac- traditional method of both in-situ and ex- tices of the tribes are being studied in de. situ conservation of tree species of ecolog- tail. Varieties of local crop plants were ical, economical and spritual significance. identified (Table 2.6) These studies indi- As an initial step toward protecting and cate the richness in the diversity of the preserving indigenous knowledge of this crops that are cultivated by the local com- conservation tradition, base line data was munities. According to the local people, recorded on 266 Sacred Groves in 14 dis- each plant species has its own value. A tricts of Tamil Nadu through extensive few of these varieties are being main- surveys. The districts covered are Chen- tained under ex-situ conditions in the galpattu, North Arcot, Thiruvannamalai, Community Gene Bank of MSSRF. Karur, Periumpidagu Mutharaiyar, Per- A couple of important observations are ambalur -Thiruvalluvar, Pudukottai, Pas- reported below : umpon Muthuramalingha Thevar, Ram- anathapuram, Madurai, Thirunelveli Kat- • A wild legume locally called Dhamalu, tabomman, Kamarajar and Kanyaku- belonging to Family Papilionaceae (Fa- mario baceae) the Mucuna sp. cultivated by Konda Reddys, is a very hard species Information on 212 Sacred Groves has and this is consumed by the locals after been incorporated in the FRIS databases thorough processing by repeated wash- (SPA 503). Our preliminary studies re- ing in running water. veal that the Kallars, Thevars, Maravars,

28 r

Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Table 2.4 : Plant germplasm resources used by the Konda Reddy tribals

NO.of Species! Type of plant germplasm Varieties

Ethnobotanically valuable species 28 Traditional cultivars cultivated in the Podu\Shifting cultivation 20 Traditional cultivars cultivated in the plains 2 Vegetables and fruits cultivated 8 Plants of commercial value collected as NTFP 11 Plants of social, material and economic value 7

Table 2.5 : Ethnobotanically valuable plants (Konda Reddy, Andhra Pradesh)

Plant (Botanical Name) Local Traditional Name UseNalue

Cardiospermum halicacabum L. Ubbakura Leaf paste applied on the trunk of the toddy tapping part of Caryota urens for inducing toddy.

Cassia occidentalis L Thanthemu Quoted as hi~ly useful, but nobody mentioned its use.

Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Paathala garida Fruits used in Benth. ex Kurz snake bite and for dysentery.

Sterculia urens Roxb. Kove/a Gum extracted from stem bark has commercial value. Roasted seeds edible.

Hemedesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. Pala Root juice used for cooling effect.

Crinum defixum Ker-Gawl Seepa chettu Leaf juice used for ear infection.

Oroxylum indicum (L.) Paampana Stem bark along with Benth. ex Kunz Peda thanthemu u~d for menstrual disorders.

29 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.5 contd ...

Plant (Botanical Name) Local Traditional Name UseNalue

Annona reticulata L. Raama seetha Fruits edible.

Schleichera oleosa Kusuma/Boosi Fruits edible; (Lour.) Oken also used in ulcers and gastric trouble. Seed oil used in skin diseases.

Strychnos nux-vomica L. Musidi Stem bark ground with turmeric and one teaspoonful administered for speech impairment.

Strychnos potatorum Lt. Indhumu Fruits used as poison.

Clausena heptaphylla Jeede koora/ Leaves used as substitute for Wight & Amott Adavi karepaku curry leaves.

Fern Kollem koora Tender fronds edible, eaten for cooling effect.

Zizyphus xylopyrus Gotti kaya Fruits edible. (Retz.) Wi lid

Mucuna monosperma Gurrapu dekka Seed paste applied DC.ex Wight for migraine and mumps.

Abrus precatorius L. Guruvinda Seeds used for abortion.

Xylia xylocarpa (Roxb.) Taub Konda tangedu/ Seeds roasted and Adda pikka eaten.

Holarrhena Paala Latex used for cuts and wounds. antidysenterica Stem bark ground and taken for (Roxb. ex Fleming) Wall dysentery (one spoonful three times).

Bauhinia vahlii Wight & Am. Adda aaku Leaves used as meal plates. Stem bark used as fibre.

30 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Table 2.5 contd. ..

Plant (Botanical Name) LocalTraditionalName UseNalue

Caryota urens L. Jeefugu Toddy tapped from the tree. Madhuca fongifolia (Koen.) Ippa Calyx edible. Seed Macbr. var. Latifolia (Roxb.) oil used in cooking. A. Cheval Latex used for tooth infection. Stem bark juice dropped into the left ear if tooth decay is on right side.

Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels Neredu Fruits edible

Buchanania fanzan Spreng. Jaaruga, Jaaru mamidi Fruits edible

Strebfus asperLour. Baranika Fruits edible, latex used for curdling milk. Stem twigs used as tooth sticks.

Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.)Dubard Paala Fruits edible.

Mangifera indica L. Konda maamidi Raw fruits used as vegetable.

Cassia fistula L. Rella chekka Stem bark ground with jaggery and taken for chest pain.

Cfeistanthus coffinus (Roxb.) Odise Wood is very strong Benth. ex Hook.f. and used for cross beams in house construction and leafy branches used for fencing. Fruits used as fish poison.

31 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.6 : Traditional varieties of crops cultivated by the tribes in Konda podu (shifting cultivation)

Traditional Cultivar Botanical Name English Name

Kondajonna Sorghum bicolor Sorghum

Konda mokka jonna Zea mays Maize or Indian com

Konda saama Panicum miliare Uttle millet Konda korra Setaria italica Italian millet

Konda Bontha Echinoc/oa sp. Konda sode Eleusine coracana Rnger millet Konda kandhi * Gajanus cajan Red gram Konda budama a variety of Oryza sativa Paddy

Gongura Hibiscus sabdariffa Roselle plant Konda benda Hibiscus esculentus Okra Pandiri pandlu Lycopersicon sp. Tomato Vari Oryza sativa Paddy Dhamalu Mucuna sp. Dippalu Lagenaria ciceraria Bottle gourd Donki Lagenaria sp. Bottle gourd Gummadi Pumpkin Bobbarlu Two varieties available Kulamalu Cucurbit sp.

* There seems to be three varieties, o/white. black and red colours, cultivated.

Muthirauar, Vanniyars and other Sched- dertaken. 180 plants were collected and uled Caste groups maintain Sacred ethnobotanical information on 98 plant Groves in rural areas, whereas Kani, species was recorded. Paliyar and Malayali tribals are preserv- The studies conducted so far indicate that ing a large number of Sacred Groves in documentation will be an important step Eastern and Western Ghats. in chronicling the slowlyvanishing knowl- An in-depth study of two Sacred Groves edge of our traditional conservation prac- of South Arcot Vallalar district was un- tices. The rationale for the choice of tree

32 l Biodiver:sity and Biotechnology species which go into a Sacred Grove con- Gender and Biodiversity stitutes the intellectual property contri- Management butions of local men and women. The gender dimensions ofbiodiversity conservation and management in India is Sacred Groves as Refugium of being studied. (The results of this work Endangered and Relict plants were discussed at a Workshop held on The Sacred Grove located at Suriampet- June 9-10,97 at MSSRF under the spon- tai village, South Arcot Vallalar District sorship ofFAO and The Hindu. (SPA 502». situated near the village boundary, covers ten acres of natural vegetation. Ayya- Current Scenario nar is the deity of the Sacred Grove. A large banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis L.) The following is a summary of the current state of our knowledge. a key stone species, is found inside the Sacred Grove, providing a niche for a large • While women probably constitute the number of birds and animals. largest group of farmers who have conserved and improved agrobiodiversity, Interestingly this Sacred Grove has a few they have often no property rights to evergreen elements such as Malakuzhi- land. Also, they tend to be bypassed by gai (Dimorphocalyx lawianus Hkf.) Tri- development schemes relating to biodi- calysia spherocarpa Gamble, which are versity. Women's University, Home Sci- generally seen above 900-1500 m. in ence colleges and other educational in- Western Ghats. These species do not oc- stitutions catering to women's needs cur anywhere else outside the grove in this seldom include biodiversity as a field area. Palynological and fossil evidences of specialisation. prove that this geographical area was covered by lush evergreen forest during the • The fast growing literature on Intellec- lower cretaceous period. tual Property Rights (IPR), sui-generis systems of plant variety protection and Though there are many ecological factors Farmer's Rights also reveals a lack of governing the existence of these species gender sensitivity in relation to the is- in the area, strong taboos attached to the sues under discussion. There is practi- grove protect these relict evergreen spe- cally no literature dealing with gender cies. and IPR. About one hundred plant species, belong- • The evidence within the literature dealing to 39 families, have been collected and ing with plant genetic resources, wheth- properly identified. Ethnobotanical infor- er wild or domesticated, when disaggre- mation of 85 plant species was recorded. gated by gender, presents in general Of these, use values of 4 species has been overwhelming evidence of clear gender newly reported (Table 2.7) and that of 19 dimensions of labour, knowledge and species has been documented (Table 2.8). management. The same is true of agro-

33 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.7: Medicinal uses of plants in Sacred Groves

Species Curing illness Parts used

Crinum viviparum Antiseptic Leaf Garcinia spicata Body Pain Leaf Pterospermum canescens Head Ache Leaf Dimorphocalyx lawianus Body Pain Leaf

Table 2.8 : New uses of plants (Sacred Grove at Suriampettai village)

Species Curing illness Parts used

Rcus racemosa Antiseptic Latex Melothria maderaspatana Cough Leaf Morinda citrifolia Cold Leaf Enicostema axil/are White discharge Root Justicia gendarussa Anti Allergic Leaf Albizia lebbek Gastric problem Leaf Cardiospermum halicacabum Gastric problem Leaf Umonia acidissima Gastric problem Fruit Plumbago zeylanica Gastric problem Fruit Abrus precatorius Gastric problem Leaf Butea monosperma Gastric problem Leaf Cassia auriculata Ulcer Leaf Cyphostemma setosum Indigestion Leaf, Bark Cadaba fruticosa Indigestion Leaf Croton bonplantianum Anti Diarrhoea Leaf Calotropis gigantea Psoriasis Leaf Sapindus emarginatus Whooping - Cough Fruit Sesamum indicum White discharge Leaf Phyla nudiflora White discharge Leaf

34 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

biodiversity in home gardens, forests • Sparsely populated Arunachal Pradesh and cultivated and fallow land. It is has great ecological and socio-cultural hence surprising that the insights diversity. The stratification, vulnera- gained from over two decades of analy- bility and low status oi tribal women sis of farm households and gender rela- could have a far reaching impact on the tions are not being applied critically to prospects for biodiversity conservation. research on biodiversity. • In Mizoram, on the other hand, differ- Lessons from Case Studies ent .topographical conditions and the practice of slash and burn (jhum) agri- Studies carried out by MSSRF scientists culture have eroded the biodiversity. in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Arunach- New methods of organic cultivation, al Pradesh, Mizoram and Lakshadweep which are the outcome of a blend of islands brought to light the following fea- traditional and modern practices, are tures: emerging . • In the mountains of Southern Western • The coral reefs and lagoons of the Ghats, of which Wayanad, Kerala, Lakshadweep Islands determine both forms a hot spot biodiversity area, gender roles and knowledge base of women playa critical role in conserv- women and men. ing traditional varieties of foodcrops as well as medicinal plants. A Blue Print for.Action • The varied landscape of the Kolli Hills A blue print for Action to include Gender of Tamil Nadu is an area of considera- Dimensions in the proposed National leg- ble agrobiodiversity. Women here play islation, Indian Forest Services, Pancha- a major role in seed selection and seed yat Raj Institutions and All-India Coor- storage. dinated Project with the support of ICAR, • The forests and hills of the Jeypore ICFRE, ICMR, CSIR, ICSSR, UGC, DBT, Tract of Orissa are known for. its rich DST and the Ministry ofEnvironment and diversity of rice and considered as a Forest has been suggested. home for many tribal communities. Both women and men are involved in Agrobiodiversity Conservation the conservation and their knowledge Corps is found to be eroded. Agrobiodiversity is a primary component • The Bhitarkanika sanctuary on the of both sustainable agriculture and food Orissa coast is a protected deltaic area, security. IIi order to create awareness with considerable mangrove diversity. amongst local communities and ensure Caste and social divisions are of con- their participation in the conservation of siderable significance in determining agrobiodiversity a 5 year programme was both gender roles and relations. launched by the MSSRF in 1996 with

35 Annual Report 1996-97 the support of the Netherlands Ministry • Participatory exercises, primarily the of Foreign Mfairs. The programme of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) identifying and training rural youth vol- techniques, were used to obtain their unteers has been initiated in two sites in perceptions on resource-availability and Orissa (Bhitarkanika and Malkangiri) , resource-crunch. Kalpetta (Wayan ad) in Kerala, Minicoy and Kavaratti in the Lakshadweep Is- • Several open and partcipatory meetings lands, Ariyur Solakkadu (Kolli Hills) in were held to explain the scope of the Tamil Nadu and in Dharmapuri (Erima- project and to call for volunteers, who lai, Pudupatti and Belurampatti) in Tamil would constitute the Conservation Nadu. In all 45 volunteers including wom- Corps. en have been identified. During the reporting period considerable Training material introducing the concept progress has been made in identifying and of agrobiodiversity has been prepared in training the volunteers who constitute the both Tamil and Oriya. This material has Agrobiodiversity Conservation Corps (Ta- been used and various levels of training ble 2.9). Training in agrobiodiversity con- including lectures, participatory resource servation is being imparted at various mapping, group discussions and field ex- basic levels. ercises of inventorying biodiversity have been imparted to the selected volunteers. Progress made in the 5 sites The relative ease of communication in Methodology Lakshadweep Islands and the 2 sites in The goal being in situ conservation of Tamil Nadu has given the programme a agrobiodiversity, the emphasis is on the good start. Volunteers in the Lakshad- active participation of the communities, weep Islands are mostly graduates and and capacity building of the volunteers have shown the ability to follow English. identified/selected. Several institutions and scientists gave their time and knowl- Lakshadweep Islands edge in training the volunters. The Islands were visited four times. The The following steps were taken for identi- local language is Malayalam with a mix- fying volunteers: ture of Male dialect. Additionally, the vol- • A profile of the natural resources and unteers speak a bit of Hindi and can read the different communities inhabiting English. the locality was compiled~ The resource mapping exercise was initi- • The local people, leaders and govern- ated during the training programme. A ment officials were appraised of the 3-day workshop on Community Biodiver- objectives and purpose of the current sity Registers and agrobiodiversity inven- project. torying was conducted at Kavaratti.

36 Table 2.9 : Volunteers in the agrobiodiversity conservation corps

Locality/Sites No. of volunteers Remarks

Wayanad - Kalpetta 5 all men

Dharmapuri Erimalai 5 all men Pudupatti 2 both women Belurampatti 3 all women

Kolli Hills - Ariyur Solakaddu 10 6 women and 4 men lakshadweep Islands Kavaratti 7 all men Minicoy 3 2 women and one man

Orissa Malkangiri 5 all men Bhitarkanika 5 all men

The volunteers have by now drawn up an 3 villages. The District Forest Officer has inventory of the vegetation on Kavaratti shown a keen interest in the project and with the active participation of Mr. S.S. has extended all support. Koya, Environmental Warden, Science, Technology and Environment (Kavarat- A brief orientation programme was held ti). Mr. Koya visited the MSSRF to iden- in Erimalai for men and women of the vil- tify the various species of plants preserved lage. The villagers participated in a re- on herbarium sheets. He also demonstrat. source mapping exercise. ed how data is being recorded in Malay- Erimalai has been selected by the District alam by the volunteers. Forest Officer (DFO), Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Dharmapuri, for the dem- The Lakshadweep islands are endowed onstration of participatory forest manage- with some of the finest and diverse coral reefs of India. During April and May ment. The DFO requested the MSSRF team to liase between the Forest Depart- 1997, the volunteers and the interested ment and the local people and provide a local residents were trained in conserva- feedback on the people's immediate felt tion and monitoring of coral reefs. needs. Consequently, the MSSRF team held a group discussion in Erimalai. Of Dharmapuri District the various felt needs, adequate water In this district of Tamil Nadu we have so supply to the village emerged prominent- far identified 10 volunteers distributed in ly.

37 Annual Report 1996-97

Five volunteers from Erimalai were intro- • Clarifying doubts regarding the notes duced to the concept of biodiversity, agro- provided. biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. • Collection of traditional crop varieties. They were requested to study the materi- • Future plan of action. al provided and discuss it amongst themselves. At the request of the District For- Orissa est Officer, a team of 2 MSSRF staff visited Erimalai and mapped the entire vil- Initially it was planned to have all 10 lage for its water resources with the par- volunteers in the rice growing tract ofJey- ticipation of the volunteers and other vil- pore but the Forest Department of lagers. A detailed report of the present Orissa, which has been very co-operative, status and problems of water availability suggested that coastal agrobiodiversity in the village was prepared and given to should also be monitored. It was decided to recruit 5 volunteers from Bhitarakani- the DFO. ka, a site of an ongoing coastal projec1t A two day workshop was held in April here. These volunteers are working with 1997 at Hogganekal and the following MSSRF staff and are being trained in se- exercises were given to the volunteers: lection, storing and propagation of mangrove seeds, maintaining nurseries and • A test of perception. monitoring growth of mangrove seedlings • Reorientation to the basic concepts. in planted areas. They are also involved in documenting coastal traditional rice • Clarification of doubts regarding the diversity. lessons provided earlier. • Field visit for inventorying biodiversity. A second set of 5 volunteers have been identified in Malkangiri, an area well • Natural resources and social mapping. known for its rice genetic resources. The • Discussions. local volunteers speak Oriya and Telugu. An orientation programme was conduct- • Future plan of work. ed in February 1997. For purposes of training in both Bhitarkanika and Mal- Kolli Hills kangiri, Oriya notes have been printed. Tamil lessons prepared for the purpose (This material has been translated from were distributed at this time. In April the original English version on Biodiver- 1997 all the 10 volunteers assembled at sity Indexing in Agriculture which was Semmedu and the following exercises printed as part of the FAOIUNDPIUNI- were provided: DO FARM programme.) • Test of perception. Wayanad • Field indexing of biodiversity. MSSRF has initiated a Community Agro- • Landscape mapping. biodiversity Centre at Kalpetta in Waya-

38 Biodiversity and Biotechnology nad District of Kerala to train local youth Sources in agrobiodiversity documentation and conservation. Of the youth thus selected, MSSRF selected a few places frem Tamil 5 have been adopted by the. project as Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa dnd Ker- members of the Agrobiodiversity Conser- ala for conducting intensbe study. vation Corps. The volunteers are being Through this programme, sci(ntists col- oriented to the basic concepts. Training lected indigenous germplasrr. available is continuing in this centre. Stationery within the study area. Apart from the items and field kits are being supplied to MSSRF's collection, interef,ted NGO's the volunteers. from Chengam, Tirunelveli and Trichy (in Tamil Nadu) are also sending valua- Community Gene Bank ble seed collections from their locality. The information on sites and sources is The Community Gene Bank has been spe- given in Table ~.10. cially designed to preserve plant genetic resource material (seed) which is related to safeguarding the Intellectual Property Activities Rights ofthe tribal and rural farming com- During the year 1996-97, the number of munities. The characteristic feature ofthis accessions in the Community Gene Bank Community Gene Bank at MSSRF is to has increased to a total of633, which com- be a backup storehouse of the seed mate- prises cereals, millets, pulses, endangered rial collected form tribal and rural villag- and medicinal plant species. During this es and the accessions are available only year, it was decided to carry out multi- to the tribal and rural farming communi- plication trials in the original habitats ties. This Community Gene Bank acts considering the logistics involved and the as a reference centre which holding the difficulty of multiplying in a different indigenous germplasm along with infor- environment. Steps have been initiated to mation collected through the Biodiver- conduct these trials both in Tamil Nadu sity Programmes of the MSSRF. and Orissa. Some of the accessions pre- The primary objective of this Community served during the year 1994 were taken Gene bank is collection, cataloguing, con- out of storage and tested for viability. servation, distribution and documentation These tests revealed that the accessions of farmer conserved and developed seed have 85-100 percentage viability. Steps materials. The information which is col- have been initiated to photograph all the lected along with the seed material is be- accessions at the time ofprocessing for the ing catalogued and linked with the FRIS documentation, and some of the photo- databases (SPA 503).This will be utilised graphs have been merged along with the for recognition, reward and in the protec- updated passport database. Accessionreg- tion ofthe intellectual property rights ofthe ister, herbarium, photographs and other tribal and rural farming communities, un- essential information are also maintained der the proposed Community Gene Fund. and updated.

39 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.10 : Community gene bank: seed collection sites and sources

State District Localities Tribal Villagesl Blocks Community

Tamil Nadu Coimbat6re Siruvani lrula Udumanparai Kadar Valparai Muthuvan

Dhannapuri Chitteri Malayali

North Areot Ambedkar Malayali

Salem Kolli Hills Malayali

Andhra Pradesh East Godavari Konda Reddy

Kerala Wayanad Kattunaykkan Kuriehiya Kurumba Mullu Kurumba Paniya

Orissa Koraput Boripariguda Bhumia Borigumma Kuvi Jeypore Mali Koraput Paroja Kotpad Pentia Kundra Rana Nandapur Pottangi

Malkangiri Kalimela Bonda K.Gumma Dora Khairput Gadaba Korkunda Koya Podia Kutia Paroja

Nabarangpur Nabarangpur Bhatra Papadahandi Gond Raighar Kolar Umerkote

Phulbani Daringbadi Kutia Khajuripada SabarKandha Phringia Phulabani Tumudibandha

Rayagada Chandrapur Kandha Gunupur Kashipur K. Singl1pur Kulnara Rayagada

40 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Community Herbarium • Catalytic and strategic role of the GEF within current and planned initiatives MSSRF has established a herbarium, of globally significant agrobiodiversity. called "Community Herbarium" to act,as a local reference centre for the identifica- On the basis of detailed analysis, this doc- tion of landraces, traditional cultivars, ument stresses the need for GEF to ac- rare, endangered and medicinal plants cord priority to the following : species. Information on specimens collect- a) Saving endangered habitats, species ed from selected areas of Tamil Nadu, and land races rich in agrobiodiversi- Orissa, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh is reg- ty ularly updated. It serves as an invalua- ble repository of the vast indigenous flo- b) Revival and revitalisation ofthe in situ ra, will provide data on the indigenous and on-farm conservation traditions of knowledge and verify the identification of indigenous cOIr.munities the plant taxa. Presently the Community Herbarium comprises 500 voucher speci- c) Supporting emergency conservation men collected from Tamil Nadu and And- action in countries and regions affect- hra Pradesh. ed by civil strife, ethnic conflicts or social disintegration. Special Study: The Role of the d) Capacity building for launching inte- Global Environment Facility (GEF) grated agrobiodiversity conservation in Helping Protect Agrobiodiversity strategies involving appropriate com- of Global Significance. binations of in situ and ex situ meas- This study was undertaken by the Foun- ures. dation on behalf of the GEF for assisting them in their efforts to help nations con- e) Training biosystematics and conserva- serve agrobiodiversity for the use of the tion prOfessionals. present and future generations of human- t) Helping to organise regional and na- kind. The major aims of the study are : tional agrobiodiversity corps of wom- • Mapping the location of globally signif- en and men dedicated to the cause of icant and threatened agrobiodiversity preventing gene erosion, promoting a • Learning from successes and failures conservation ethic among local com- • The social, economic and environment .munities and building partnerships sustainability of one-time GEF inter- among government agencies, the civil ventions society, farm families, academia and • Baselines for agrobiodiversity interven- mass media. tions g) Establishing Technical Resource Cen- • Guidelines for the development of tres for implementation of the equity schemes to estimate biodiversity relat- provisions of the Convention on Bio- ed incremental activities logical Diversity. In particular, prior-

41 Annual Report 1996-97

ity should be given to recognising and is now one of the most extensively dis- rewarding communities engaged in turbed ecosystems of the world and has conservation efforts with implications been experiencing extreme environmen- for public good. tal degradation. Attempts at species in- troductions in the name of greening, have h) Helping nations to implement appro- often further threatened the native flora priate components of the Leipzig Plan by directly altering the natural habitats. of Action and to develop and imple- The richness of the plant species diversi- ment a National Agrobiodiversity Pro- ty is evidenced by the occurrence of more gramme for Sustainable Food and than 4000 species of flowering plants, 150 Livelihood Security. species of ferns and fern allies, 200 known The paper adopts an ecosystem approach species of bryophytes, and an equal in its analysis, and outlines a process by number of algae, 600 species of fungi and which the products, namely the GEF pri- about 800 species of lichens and several ority programmes in agrobiodiversity may hundreds of microbial organisms. The flo- be realised. Bamboo, rattan and rice are ra ofthis region is very characteristic, with taken up as examples of cross-ecosystem a well-marked pattern of endemism in all plants, and their diversity has been stud- the groups of species. About 33 % of ende- ied in detail. mism is observed in flowering plants, most of which have a very restricted range of The studies leading to this document were distribution and chronically small popu- conducted by a team consisting of experts lations. This is the most threatened group, in crop genetics, coastal and marine bio- with a very high rate of extinction as well diversity and forestry. as genetic deterioration. The number of species which are threatened is increasing day by day. Sub Programme Area 202 Saving Endangered Plant Endangered Flowering Plants and Species and Habitats Key Areas for Conservation The southern half of the region has great- Western Ghats - a 'Critical' er diversity and is also experiencing great- Ecosystem er threats to the survival of various spe- The Western Ghats, an almost continu- cies. There are more than 700 species of O'.1S range of mountains except for the threatened flowering plant species report- Palghat gap, lie between 8°20' - 20°40' N ed from this narrow geographic zone. and 73°-77° E and cover a distance of About 171 extremely threatened plant about 1400 sq km. These ranges run al- species are distributed in Tamil Nadu most parallel to the west coast of India, alone and 111 amphibians out of a total and abound in diverse habitats, luxuri- of 117 present throughout the Western ant flora and fauna. This geographic zone Ghats. The area that lies south of the

42 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Palghat gap (8-9°)is richest in bodiversi- signed to assist the ongoing efforts to in- ty, with 44 amphibian species. Key areas troduce the principles of equity and eth- and priority species for conservation have ics in the conservation and utilisation of been identified in this region. Some of agrobiodiversity. It is working in close them are, Agastyamalai, Eravikulam collaboration with Kerala Forest Research National Park, Silent Yalley, Anamalai, Institute, Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Kanktimbi, Koyna Yalley, Mudu-malai Parishad, Indian Institute of Spice Re- and eastern slopes of the Nilgiris. search and other appropriate governmental and non-governmental organisations. Conservation Action Programme The aim is to supplement the on-going One of the effective mechanisms to slow work rather than duplicate it. The work down the species loss is their systematic ofthe centre is guided by a local level com- collection, for purposes of rapid and mass mittee chaired by the District Collector. multiplication and reintroduction into their respective habitats. Many species of The Study Area this region have not been scientifically Wayanad, is situated in a high mountain- studied. Intensive surveys were conduct- ous plateau in the southern crest of West- ed in the southern Western Ghat area in ern Ghats. Wayanad district, predomi- seven different localities. Several field nantly a hilly terrain of 2131 sq. km. in trips of seven to ten days duration were size is located in the north-east part of made, often to the same areas repeatedly, to study rarity and associated features Kerala, adjoining Tamil Nadu and Kar- of individual species. The collection of ex- nataka. This tract which was extremely plants were made for micropropagation. forested till recently; is now highly frag- Live specimens of many of these species mented because ofintensive cultivation of are being maintained in the gr~en house cash crops and plantations mainly tea, cof- and the voucher specimens are kept at the fee, and pepper. Nevertheless, various herbarium in MSSRF. The study has re- studies conducted in this region show that sulted in the collection of over 200 taxa this district is floristically and culturally which include over 125 rare and threat- still rich in genetic wealth. ened species, of which 22 are listed in the Red Data BookofIndian Plants. The work The total population in the district is of assessment and review of the 125 spp. about 6,72,000 as per 1991 Census in an based on revised IUCN (1994) and Mace area of 2131 sq. km. Wayanad has the & Stuart, guidelines was completed dur- least Scheduled Caste Population (0.91%) ing the 'year. and highest Scheduled Tribe population (35.82%)ofthe State. The scheduled tribes -Community Agrobiodiversity are the Paniyas, Kurichiyas, Kurumbas, Centre Kattunaykkans and Mullu Kurumbas. The Community Agrobiodiversity Centre As of today, a large proportion of these established at Kalpetta, Wayanad is de- tribals are landless; only 10 % of them

43 Annual Report 1996-97

(largely the Kurichiyas and Kurumbas) and voluntary organisations in the have their own land. However, they have area of conservation of genetic wealth. been still preserving their tradition and culture as evidenced by the presence of Activities many traditional varieties and landraces and usage of various kinds of herbs for The activities of the Centre were started their primary medical requirements. in December 1996. A meeting of the Poli- Their knowledge of natural resources and cyAdvisory Committee for the Centre was tradition of conservation which are quite organised at Kalpetta under the chair- fascinating, are disappearing. manship ofProf. M. S. Swaminathan. The Meeting was attended by eminent persons The objectives of the Centre are to : from different domains largely biodiver- 1. Generate public awareness and par- sity, socio-economicsand mass media. ticipation in strengthening on-farm 1. Kottathara panchayat has been select- and in-situ conservation traditions of ed for detailed biodiversity inventory farm families. to make strategies for the economicde- 2. Build capacity of the stake-holders to velopment of the people. This is one of prepare Community Biodiversity Reg- the tribal dominated panchayaths in ister through the training of local the district. A large amount of second- youth, which will lead to the organi- ary data has been gathered to gener- zation of an Agrobiodiversity Conser- ate background information. The vation Corps. methodology manual prepared by Se- shagiri Rao and others (Indian Insti- 3. Save the endangered plant species and tute of Science, 1996)is used for docu- varieties of species. menting the people's knowledge. In- ventorisation for higher plant diversi- 4. Train local NGO representatives, stu- ty is in progress. About 50 locally im- dents, tribal youth in ~he biosystem- portant medicinal and nutritional atics, tribal taxonomy and bioindica- plants have been collected. There are tors. several edible plants distributed in the 5. Create an economic stake in genetic study area. One such species, Cerope- resource conservation tradition by gia candelabrum var. biflora is locally commercialising plants of economic very rare. (Fig 2.2). value. 2. Five youths have been selected from 6. Assist the designated official agencies rural and tribal families to serve as to implement provisions relating to Conservation Corps. These youth are Farmers Rights. helping the scientists in survey and documentation. Necessary collection 7. Network with concerned government manuals are prepared in the local lan-

44 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

I; I

E E -.:t 11 E 8

Fig. 2.2 : Ceropegia candelabrum Linn. var. candelabrum. A. Twig; B. Flower; C. Flower bud; D. Corolla upper portion; E. Corona

45. Annual Report 1996-97

guage for this purpose. An awareness Nicobar Island is nearly 100. Of these programme on various aspects of bio- there are 9 species of amphibians and 16 diversity conservation has been organ- species ofreptiles. A species ofKrait (Bun- ised for them and other community garus sp.) has been reported for the first leaders in the district. time from the Island. Further the sight 3. A survey of threatened and endan- record of the marbled cat (Felis marmora- gered plant species in the district is in ta) is remarkable. Hitherto it was not progress. Species like Osmunda rega- known whether any wild cats existed on lis, Kammettia caryophyllata, Myris- the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. tica malabarica, Coscinium fennestra- tum, Lagenandra meeboldii, Quisqua- The Island has been more or less fully sur- lis malabarica, Arenga wightii , Gnet- veyed for vertebrates and impact of hu- um edule, Sarcostigma klenii have man beings on the vegetation. Prelimi- been collected. Many interesting plant nary analysis of the human impact has species are being maintained at the suggested that the southern part of the CABC estate. The inventory for lost island is more disturbed than the north- crops of the district was just begun. ern part. This may be attributed to the Initial studies in Paddy show that a availability of extensive roal1s in this minimum of twenty of it's varieties area and the considerable population of have disappeared from the district. immigrants who have settled along the 4. Documentation of indigenous knowl- roads. edge systems with special emphasis to Kurichiya tribes, has been initiated. Gender dimensions in biodiversityman- agement among this particular tribe in Sub Programme Area 203 the study area has been analysed. Conservation of Endangered 5. Cultivation of medicinal plants in col- and Medicinal Plants laboration with Priyadarshini Tea Es- tate, Wayanad has been initiated. For Survey, Collection, Propagation and thie purpose three species (Adhatoda Field Evaluation of Endangered beddomei, JY.ilgirianthus ciliatus, and Plant Species Baliospermum solanifolium) have been selected and raised in a nursery. Elmphasis was laid on re-evaluating the -efficiency of protocols for multiple shoot Patterns of Distribution of production, hardening methodologies, Vertebrate Diversity on the Great field transfer of the micropropagated Nicobar Biosphere Reserve plants, field evaluation ofthe plants trans- During the period the number of species ferred and confIrming the genetic fidelity of vertebrates indentified in the Great of the plants.

46 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Several species including those ofRauwol- 2. Survival rate was better monitored fia micrantha, Rauwolfia tetraphylla, Pip- since the chances for mass scale mor- er longum, Piper barberi, Ceropegia jain- tality is reduced. ii, Hydrocotyl conferta, Uraria picta, Fre- ria indica, Kampheria galanga were re- 3. Appropriate changes in conditions and assessed and improved for their potential duration ofhardening were standard- in both multiple shoot production and ised, avoiding large scale failures of hardening. Although the protocols were field establishments. developed during 1994-95 for some of The transfer was carried out in designed these plants the efficiency of such proto- plots viz., Randomised plot design and cols were repeatedly evaluated and made Species specific plots, to check the rate of cost-effective. Vegetative propagation survival of different species in a given through cuttings has been standardised edaphic and environmental condition and in several species including Kampheria to find any possible clues of inter-specific galanga, Freria indica, Piper longum and competition. We may need a longer incu- Hydrocotyl conferta. These plants were bation time ofat least 1-2years before any transferred to the field and assessed for conclusions can be drawn. their adaptability in the natural habitat. Genetic diversity analysis indicated some Several forest department officials and lo- interesting variants in the propagated cal people were trained in the propaga- material especially in species like Piper tion techniques. An initiative has already longum and Piper barberi. Such variants been made by the Forest Department at are being continuously monitored now. Gudalur to micro propagate a few ofthese Studies are underway to assess the species with our technology and expertise. amount of diversity in the ijeld popula- Thus we have envisaged a continuity in tions of endangered plants and critical the entire process of conservation at the minimum population needed to conserve grassroot level. whole diversity of a species in a region. One more field transfer to Gudalur gene pool area was carried out during the cur- Conservation of Mangrove Tree Species rent year. Our interest in reintroduction - over a period of time has the following Indiscriminate over-exploitation of the reasons. mangrove resources without any coastal area development plan has degraded this 1. Many species require particular peri- fragile inter tidal ecosystem in India. Sil- ods of incubation in the field to estab- vicultural practices like regeneration, res- lish. Transferring over a certain peri- toration and afforestation of mangroves od of time spread over few seasons can be the answers to these otherwise se- made us standardise the appropriate rious problems. time and climatic factors for successful establishment of field transferred Our methodology includes the identifica- material. tion of plus trees using morphological,

47 Annual Report 1996-97 physiological and molecular markers, In situ conservation is one of the methods standardisation of vegetative and micro- recommended and most desirable for con- propagation techniques to propagate these serving forest genetic resources as it usu- plus trees and establishment of mangrove ally allows natural evolution to continue. genetic resources conservation centres A mangrove nursery that will constitute which will include the germplasm of all various species collected throughout In- the Indian mangrove species. dia has been established at Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu. Material originating from Emphasis was laid on identification of the nursery was evaluated for initial per- plus trees; development of air layering formance in terms of establishment and methods in Excoecaria agallocha, Avicen- hardened in the low-cost hardening cham- nia marina and a sterile hybrid of Rhizo- bers. After hardening the material was phora; establishment ofMangrove Genetic field transferred to Mangrove Genetic Re- Resources Conservation Centre which pres- sources Conservation Centre (MGRCC) ently has 16 species of mangroves collected between December 1996 and March 1997. from various places of India; and develop- The MGRCC comprises three sites with i..,gmicropropagation techniques for Herit- variable salinity levels, pH and surface era fomes and Xylocarpus granatum. water temperature (Table 2.11). Species

Air layering was attempted in the species I now found in the MGRCC are listed in which are recalcitrant to rooting when Table 2.12 . cuttings are used. Success was achieved with Rhizophora hybrid, Avicennia officia- Studies on Porteresia coarctata and nalis, Excoecaria agallocha. The estab- Traditional Rice, Oryza sativa lishment of micropropagation protocols for Excoecaria agallocha, Avicennia marina Successful protocols were developed for and Acanthus illicifolius has been report- micropropagation of P. coarctata, included in previous reports. During the current ing callus cultures. Genotype specificity period we aimed at improving the multi- of responses to culture has been con- plication rate and field transfer. firmed. Association of endophytes with

Table 2.11 : Details of water properties at all the three sites selected for MGRCC

MGRCC I MGRCC II MGRCC III

Salinity (ppt) 17 - 33 17 - 29 5 - 22 pH 6.2 - 7.2 6.3 -7.1 6.4 - 7.3 Temperature coe) 29 - 33 26-31 30 - 33

48 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Table 2.12 : Details of the number of propagated material transferred to the MGRCC

Name ofspp. Site of collection No. of individuals Mode of transferred propagation Rhizophora apiculata Pichavaram 1036 Propagules R. mucronata Pichavaram 1148 Propagules R. sty/osa Andamans 20 Propagules R x hybrid Pichavaram 95 PropaguleS/ air layering Ceriops decandra Pichavaram 708 Propagules Brugiera cy/indrica Pichavaram 332 Propagules B. gymnorrhiza Bhitarkanika, Orissa 40 Propagules B. paNiflora Ceylon 9 Propagules Aegiceras comiculatum Pichavaram 459 Seed Avicennia marina Pichavaram 411 Seed/Air layering A. officinalis Pichavaram 1485 Seed/rooted cuttings; air layering' micropropagated plants Excoecaria agallocha Pichavaram 442 Seed/rooted cuttings; air layering' micropropagated plants Xylocarpus granatum Bhitarkanika 20 Seed Heritiera fomes Bhitarkanika 168 Seed Intsia bljuja Bhitarkanika 144 Seed Sonneratia apetala Bhitarkanika 8 Seed Acanthus il/icifolius Pichavaram 286 SeedS/Cuttings; Mist propagation! Micropropagation Ceribera manghas Bhitarkanika 502 Seeds Kandelia candel Bhitarkanika 79 Propagules Deris trifoliata Bhitarkanika 56 Seeds both P. coarctata and traditional O. sati- tolerant O. sativa and susceptible varie- va were discovered and this will be a prel- ties has been completed and F2s will be ude to further work on engineering insect developed for further characterisation. resistance into cultivated rice. Compila- RFLP studies involving cDNA clones re- tion of morphological, physiological, bio- vealed homologies between P. coarctata chemical and molecular characterisation and salt tolerant O. sativa. Development of P. coarctata is complete and is current- of specific PCR fragments using the cDNA ly being considered for publication by IP- sequence information and generating PCR GRI, Rome. Development ofFls with salt primers was completed and the PCR frag-

49 Annual Report 1996-97 ments have been cloned. Further charac- base line data in relation to these organ- terisation of these sequences associated isms in these areas. All the isolates are with salt tolerance is in progress. being maintained as culture collections! herbaria in the microbiologylaboratory at MSSRF. Sub Programme Area 204 Monitoring through soil biological criteria: Biomonitoring The analysis of the isolates (both phenotypic and genotypic) obtained from the Monitoring Ecosystem Health Using intertidal region ofPichavaram mangrove Bioindicators ecosystem over a period of a year and half The effectiveness of using microbial diver- was completed and consolidated. Although sity (including macromycete and lichen di- this year the emphasis was on the genet- versity) as an early warning system ofma- ic characterisation of the isolates, the jor threats to ecosystem health depends monitoring was continued on the same upon the understanding of the following: lines using soil biological tools and com- general diversity in different seasons, in paredwfth the base line data generated patterns of distribution through sampling through the earlier exercise. It was ob- and identification of species having sig- served that there were no significant nificance in terms .of bioindication. This changes in the microbial flora of these re- data provides a baseline against which the gions. In essence this year the consolida- impact of environmental and landscape tion of the work has resulted in the com- changes can be measured over a period of plete grouping and identifying of the bac- time. The mangrove ecosystem at Picha- terial isolates (313) obtained from the in- varam is being monitored (using microbi- tertidal region. The completion of this ex- al diversity including lichens) and has ercise has not only created a base line data been extended to the Siruvani Hills for the culturable bacteria of this region (Fig.2.3)ofthe Western Ghats (macromyc- but has also highlighted the need for more etes and lichens). Significant progress has intensive studies ofa similar kind as near- been made with reference to the use of soil ly 30% of the isolates remained biological criteria for monitoring the unidentified. The dendrogram constructed health of the mangrove ecosystem in on the basis ofphenotypic results (Fig 2.4) Pichavaram and with reference to the of the isolates got from the intertidal re- use of macromycetes and lichen in moni- gion in the three different zones of Picha- toring the Siruvani Hills ecosystem varam revealed inter group similarities health. Since monitoring is a continuous ranging from 11 - 100%, suggesting that process, this year has essentially been a a significant diversity existed among the continuation and consolidation of last strains isolated from Pichavaram Man- year's work. More species under lichen, grove Ecosystem. The diversity index, macromycetes and soil biological criteria when compared between sites, was seen have been collected and identified for the to be almost the same in the two near nor-

50 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

.... i I ...... ( . . '. IVELUNGlRI M.o\I.A1 ',: ...... DENSE M1::O:0 Jl:NGLE \\1TII BAMHOO DE~SE M[XED JUNGLt;[WITH BAMB90 '.., .. :PERA TIl MAUJ

..... \:.::...::; ....

I. 'j"

I ... r" ...... ~. 1 '/ " ,...... / :OPEN sj~.;;~/{ -'..~.f- -;- +'.-'::1 : ..' , I .., ...•. OPEX SCRUB

...... •. , ..!)/:.. . . : ..-' .: /' ;/" OPF::-; SCRl;1l

ATTLiMAI.A

IOPEN SCRl,;B ;~ ,',"

OPEN SCRUB

.....

iO-';-d' I., 0 I PLANTATION BOUNDRY i: ROAD l.~~_~ ..,., RESERVE FOREST BOUNORY ...... •.•..... STREAMS

Fig. 2.3 : Map of 8iruvani Hills showing collection localities

51 Annual Report 1996-97

Presumptive Percent similarity identification N o 5> I A3 81 C12 Aeromonas Spp. C2~ C25 0'7 Marinococcua I C33 Staphylococcus C 7 Unldenlltled(Gra",. yo) C 31 Paracocc u. Spp. I A':~ Altramona. Spp. ~:: I 81' IIacllluo Spp. A'7 811 Enterobacteriaceae I C22 Flavobacterium A24 PIIoucIDmonao Spp. 823 C13 Mycobacterium A30 Cylopha,a 812 Altromonas colwlUi. A14 830 C5 A23 Unidontifiod(Gram-vo) ~~~ 820 All A13 Unidlntified-ve Cocc.i A22 Oceanospfrrilum Spp. 83 1 C23 UnidlntitildGram+YI) C32 Halobact.rium B26 AU Photobaclorium Spp_ 827 C27 AS Vibrio Spp. C,- l C2 ' A32 Cornyform C4 I A15 Unidentified Gram-ve Cocci A 21 Floc.tObac.iIIU5 818 UnidonlWiodGram-YOCocci Cle A26 UnidentifiedGram-vI 82 1 821 All 87 811 Acinetobacl', Spp. BS B~i Cle ClI C3 UnidentifIed Gram-vI en C'4 822 816 C30

Fig. 2.4 : Dendrogram based on phenotypic results of isolates from Pichavaram

52 ' Biodiversity and Biotechnology

. mal sites ofPeriguda and Neduodum sup- normal, semi disturbed and disturbed porting a lot of microflora. In Kudianthit- sites within Sirurvani Hills have been tu where it is disturbed due to several an- identified (Table 2.14). Qmmtitative stud- thropogenic pressures, the vegetation is ies on lichen distribution pattern are in sparse; hence the diversity is comparative- progress. All the collected samples are be- ly low. No two isolates showed identical ing preserved in the form of reference col- RAPD fingerprints when analysis was lection in the microbiology laboratory. It performed on them, indicating that they has been observed that the vegetation were different from each other and that types within Siruvani Hills are chilracter- diversity was high. Only two groups had ised by an interesting and varied flora, two isolates in the clusters they formed particularly regarding the lichens. thereby suggesting that identical or highly Records of exceptional florisitic interests related RAPD pattern always had simi- include the first reports of Dictyonema larity indices of above 85%. The rest sericeum - a basidio lichen, Clathroponi- showed a similarity value far less there- na olivacia to India and saxicolous Pori- by proving their highly heterogeneous na interstes to Indian mainland. nature which was the trend observed in the phenotypic analysis of the same iso- With reference to biological monitoring lates. This suggested that such a study through macromycetes distribution in the using the diversity index ofbacteria could Siruvani Hills, occurrence and fruiting be used as indices of environmental dis- patterns of macrofungi through summer, turbances between sites. monsoon and winter seasons have been standardised (Table 2.15). For easy han- Monitoring through lichen and macromyc- dling and sampling purposes, the macro etes diversity of the Siruvani Hills: Con- fungi, as individual taxa, have been em- solidation ofthe distribution pattern ofthe pirically classified into 5 operational units Lichen species within Siruvani Hills was (OTD's) (Table 2.16). This will ultimately done in order to identify the ecologicalcon- enable the preparation of simple monitor- tinuity and forest disturbance of various ing methods for the benefit of local lay sites. 1500 specimens were collected and people and school children. From the ob- 250 spp have been identified .sofar. Envi- servations made so far, members of Mar- ronmental factors affecting the lichen veg- asmiales and Xylariales can be indicative etation were recorded. Nine lichen phy- of unpolluted soil conditions, whereas tosociological federations have been iden- members of Gastromycetes seem to indi- tified within the study sites (Table 2.13). cate disturbed forest (clearing) areas. Al- These lichen federations tend to change though not based on data, these observa- when there are changes in the key factors tions can be useful in assessing the soil determining lichen development in a par- health or the extent of forestry practices ticular ecosystem. With the help of these in Siruvani Hills. Efforts to quantify the lichen phytosociologicalassociations, near distribution pattern spatially and tempo-

53 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.13 : Phytosociological classification of the lichen communities recognised in the Siruvani forests

Federation Unions Characters

Graphidion Graphis scripta (C)*, Shade loving lichens, found G. longiramea (S), on smooth bark and rock Pertusaria per'tusa (C), surfaces. Crustose species Pyrenula nitida (C) dominate

Lecanorion Lecanora allophana Replaces Grphidion in and associates well-lit areas

Leprarion Chrysothrix cande/aris (C) C. Moderate shade loving and chlorina (C,n on rough bark and soils. Leprose species dominate.

Myriotremion Myriotrema desqumans (C), Moderate shade loving Porina mastoidea (C), lichens, humidity loving, P. intemigrans (C), on smooth bark, crustose Pertusaria amara (C). dominate, replace Laborion when light increases

Physodion Physcia aipolia (L), Sunny habitats, mostly P. tribacoides (L), Iignicolous - foliose Parmelia austroindica (C)

Lobarion Sticta sylvatica (M), shade - moisture loving Collema auriformi (C), lichens. Mostly on moss Leptogium covered bark, foliose denticulatum (C), dominate. Known as old L. cyanescens (C), forest indicator species Heterodermia pseudospeciosa (C), H. comosa (C), Pannaria stylophora (S), Phyllopsora parvifolia (C), Dictyonema Iigulatum (S, C)

Usneion Usnea rubicunda (C), Shade - moderately :it- U. picta (C), moisture loving lichens, Ramalina pacifica (C) Rough barked trees - trunks and canopy

Contd. ..

54 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Table 2.13 Contd ..

Federation Unions Characters

Cladonion Cladonia coniocraea m, Sunny habitats - mostly C. ramulosa m, terricolous, Usnea sp. (S). lichens with two fold characters dominate

Trichoterion Parmelia reticulata (C), moderately sunny habitats, P.saccatiloba (C), on rough barked trees - P.tinctorum (C), base, trunk and canopy, P.santae-angelii (C) foliose lichens dominate, mostly on forest - grassland ecotone.

*C - Corticolous, S-Saxicolous, T - Te"icolous, L - lignicolous, M - Musicolous

Table 2.14 : Lichen associations found in Siruvani hills

Collection locality Forest type Uchen federation Forest status identified

Vegetation type Dry deciduous Graphidion. Near normal near and above Leprarion Siruvani filter house

Vegetation Dry deciduous Lecanorion Disturbed type near Kovai falls

Tannerpallam area S.T. Evergreen Myriotremion, Physodion Disturbed Road side interior Lobarion Near normal

Muthikulam lower S.T. Evergreen Trichoterion tank (On the west On the forest- bank of Siruvani grassland ecotone reservoir)

Interior forests Lobarion with Dictyonema, Forests disturbed Pannaria, Phyllopsora and during British Leptogium period - now regenerating

Contd ..

55 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.14 Contd ...

Collection locality Forest type Uchen federation Forest status identified

Muthikulam S.T. Evergreen Myriotremion & Disturbed (Near 20 check on both the side Usneion, on post area) of the Path soil-Cladonion Interior Forest

Singapara Area S.T. Evergreen Typical Lobarion Near normal forest as above Near normal

Pulmedu S.T. Ever Green Lobarion Near normal

Table 2.15 : Occurrence of macrofungal taxa through different seasons at Siruvani Hills

Gastero Season Site Agarics Polypores Xylariae Boletes Mycetes

SWLD S W L W W

S. west Und 24 2 1 1 1 1 monsoon Pd 15 3 2 11 2 1 1 1 Jun-Sep Man 2 1

Total 41 5 4 1 1 3 2 2 1

N. east Und 8 6 2 1 2 monsoon Pd 9 7 2 2 8 6 2 4 2 Oct-Nov Man 2 1 1

Total 19 13 3 2 8 8 4 6 2

Winter Und 2 1 2 Dec-Feb Pd 4 6 3 1 8 2 Man

Total 6 7 3 1 10 2

Summer Und 1 Mar-May Pd 3 1 Man

Total 4 1

Und-undisturbed; Pd-partially disturbed (due to human interference);MMF- manmade forest; S-soi/; L-litter; W-wood; D- dung

56 Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Table 2.16 : Different genera of macromycetes, grouped under five Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU) occurring in various regions of Siruvani Hills

Agarics Gasteromycetes. Polypores Xyalrlae Boletes

Agaricus (s) Cyathus (bird's nest) Ganoderma Clavari- 2 un identi- -adelphus fied species Agrocybe (I & s) Dictyophora (stink hom) Fomes Clavulinopsis Amanita (s) Geastrum (earth star) Hydnum Daldinia Collybia (I & s) Lycoperdon (puff ball) Polyporus Nectria Conocybe (I & d) Phallus (stink hom) Polystictus Peziza Coprinus (d & s) Pisolithus Schizophyllum Gymnopilus (w) Rhizopogon unidentified Oelly) Inocybe (s) Scleroderma Lepiota (s) unidentified (globose) Macrolepiota (s) Marasmius (I & w) Melanotus (w) Mycena (I &s) Panaeolus (d) Phaeomarasmius (w) Pleurotus (w) Psathyrella (I & s) Psilocybe (s & d) Termitomyces (s)

s-soil; I-litter; d-dung; w-wood

Table 2.17 : Macromycete calendar and field guide for Siruvani Hills *

Season Species Identification When to look for Where to look for features

SW Marasmiales Small brownish during rain fall on litter monsoon Xylariales Thread like

NE Soil Agarics mushrooms immediately after widely monsoon rain fall distributed

Sep-Oct Gasteromycetes stink horns, shortly after showers only in the earth star, puff disturbed areas balls, bird's nest on soil/litter

Winter Wood bracket fungi almost through disturbed areas decomposing (leathery) out the year (mainly)

* in local language with illustrative charts and photographs for easy identification

57 Annual Report 1996-97

rally using a suitable sampling method Genetic Characterisation and are underway. A macromycete calendar Diversity Studies in Mangroves depicting their occurrence patterns through different seasons and an illustra- Genetic characterisation of a species and tive manual in local languages is under the assessment of the degree of polymor- preparation (Table 2.17). The calendar phism within it are basic to any meaning- and manual will be updated and refined ful conservation programme. Based on the as and when findings from the basic re- available reports, it is not possible to par- search on inventory and distribution pat- tition with reasonable degree ofconfidence the observed phenotypic variability in terns over the next few years come in. mangrove species into environmental and Biomonitoring is a continuous process. heritable components. Unlike morpholog- Based on our fmdings and the base line ical markers, molecular markers are sta- data already generated the study sites will ble and are not prone to environmental influences and precisely portray the ge- be monitored. In the coming year empha- netic relationship between plant groups sis will be placed on assessing the soil bi- and hence are widely used in genetic re- ological criteria in the agri-ecosytems source characterisation. There are sever- along the coast line. A comparison will be al marker systems available now, such as done in relation to the farming practices the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and the soil texture. Lichen diversity will (RAPD), Restriction Fragment Length be used to monitor and quantify the dis- Polymorphism (RFLP) and fingerprinting, turbance of the Siruvani Hills and other that have provided significant insight into areas in the Western Ghats. the nat,~re and extent of intra- and inter specific diversity in mangrove species.

Sub Programme Area 205 Inter- and intra-specific genetic Molecular Mapping and diversity and relationship Genetic Enhancement The study of genetic diversity in mangroves is one of our on-going objectives. The major focus of this programme has So far, the nature and extent of genetic been the assessment of genetic diversity, polymorphism at intra- and inter-specific using molecular markers both at inter-and levels have been assessed in as many as intra-population levels in several man- 23 species. Studies of each species and grove species from Pichavaram mangrove their distribution pattern included a forest. The study also included the iden- number of populations from both eastern tification of stress-induced genes and and western coasts. Table 2.18 summaris- characterisation of salt-induced proteins es the extent of polymorphism in sixteen from the mangrove species. mangrove species using RAPD markers. The studies show that the level of genetic polymorphism in mangroves is species- 58 specific and largely influenced by the mi- and the internal transcribed sequence cro-climatic and other physical character- (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA. istics of their habitats. Morphological and sexual differences have little or no effect Chromosome analyses have also been car- on the level of genetic variation. Based on ried out in a number of mangrove species. the molecular marker analysis, the spe- A dendrogram depicting the species rela- cies relationship between all the three tionship appears in Fig 2.5. Auicennia species occurring in India has been studied for the first time. In addi- Parentage analysis of Rhizophora hybrid tion, a detailed analysis has been carried out to establish the genomic relationship The species and hybrids of Rhizophora between 28 species, belonging to 22 man- constitute the dominant component of grove genera based on molecular marker mangrove ecosystems. There are six spe- analysis. The interspecific relationship cies and three putative hybrids reported among the mangrove species has also been in Rhizophora. R. x lamarkii is one of the analysed by studying r-DNA polymor- putative hybrids betweenR. apiculata and phism using both the full length r-DNA R. stylosa. Initially, the Rhizophora hy-

59 Annual Report 1996-97

Percent Similarity

0 0

Bruguiera

Ceriops

Rhizophora

Kandelia

Xylocarpus

Aegiceras

Avicennia

Sonneratia

Heritiera

Excoecaria

Acanthus

Lumnitzera

Porteresia

Pandanus

Nypa

Salicornia

Suaeda

Sesuvium

Lycopersicon

Dendrophthoe

Viscum

Clerodendran

Fig. 2.5 : Dendrogram depicting relationship between 22 mangrove genera based on RAPD & RFLP profiles

60 Biodiversity and Biotechnology brid found in Pichavaram mangrove for- both for identifying cli-, tri- or tetranucle- est was identified as R. x lamarkii based otide positive repeats and genes for stress on morphological features and co-occur- tolerance. Few (GTG)5and (GATA)4posi- rence of putative parents. However, the tive clones have been sequenced to iden- p-a:r'entage of this hybrid was disputed tify the intervening VNTRs and develop becauseR. stylosadoes not occur in Picha- section-specific and! or species-specific varam mangrove forest and the morpho- flanking primers. The total number of logical features of R. x lamarkii differed genomic clones generated from the man- from the earlier published reports. To es- grove species and the number of identi- tablish the parentage, both RAPD and fied repeat-positive clones are detailed in RFLP markers were used in representa- Table 2.19. tive collections for all the three species Colony hybridization of genomic clones from Pichavaram mangrove forest. The from the above mentioned species have hybrid showed about 98 per cent similar- been carried out using stress induced ity with DNA profiles of the other two genes like osmotin, thaumatin and Rhizophora species occurring in the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) Pichavaram mangrove forest, thereby sug- as probes. Shot-gun cloning has been car- gesting that R. apiculata and R. mucro- ried out to identify the above genes in nata are the parental species of the hy- some selected species. brid. c-DNAlibrary construction is being initi- Using maternally inherited mitochondri- ated in one of the most widespread man- al genomic probes, R. apiculata was iden- grove species, Avicennia marina, using m- tified as the female parent of this hybrid. RNAisolated from salt treated genotypes. It is hoped that identification of the pa- Cloning of the cDNAs in lambda-gtll rental species of the hybrid would be of phage vector and expression studies are particular use in developing conservation underway. and restoration strategies. Analysis of Salt Induced Proteins Screening of Genomic Libraries for One year old plants of A. marina were Repeat-positive Clones and Stress treated for varying durations at increas- Induced Genes ing concentrations of NaCl. Crude protein extracts were analysed using SDS-PAGE Genomic clones have been prepared in analysis. It was found that both the basic eight mangrove species e.g. Acanthus ili- profile and degree of induction of proteins cifolius, Avicennia marina, A. officinalis, under stress conditions are genotype de- E. agallocha, Rhizophora spp., Ceriops de- pendant. A 22kD protein has been identi- candra, Bruguiera cylindrica and Lum- fied which is induced by 1.0M NaCI treat- riitzera racemosa. So far,. about 1500 low- ment within 10hr. The.protein was also copyclones have been prepared from these induced by heat, cold and ABA stress. species with an overall size range of 0.3- N-terminal sequencing of this protein is 9.0kb. The genomic clones were screened being carried out.

61 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 2.19 : No. of genomic clones prepared from different mangrove species

Species Cloning site No. of clones Insert size No. of repeat Range (kb) positive clones

Avicennia marina Pst I 412 1.5 - 9.0 8 Eco R 60 1.2 - 3.5 6

A. offlcinalis Pst I 475 0.8 - 9.0 20 Eco RI 110 1.4 - 4.5 6

Acanthus i1icifolius Pst I 320 0.5 - 4.5 10 Eco RI 80 0.6.~2.5 3

EXcoecaria agaliocha Pst I 75 2.0 - 5.0 1 Eco RI 22 1.5 - 2.5

Lumnitzera racemosa Pst I 25 1.0 - 4.5 Eco RI 10 0.3 - 2.2

Rhizophora apiculata Pst I 78 1.2 - 5.1

Bruguiera cylindrica Pst I 45 0.9 - 4.4 2

Ceriops decandra Pst I 50 1.0 - 5.0 1

62 Programme Area 300 _.- Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture -

he work under this programme was consolidated through the J.R.n. Tata Ecotechnology Centre and 1':the B. v: Rao Centre for Sustainable Food Security. The Biovillage programme made considerable progress in promoting the twin goals of natural resource conservation and poverty alleviation.

301 Biovillages 64

302 J.R.n. Tata Ecotechnology Centre 72

303 B.V. Rao Centre for Sustainable Food Security 86

304 Biological Software and Sustainable Agriculture 91 Annual Report 1996-97

Sub Programme Area 301 yield superiority in the fields on a participatory approach. During the reporting Biovillages period the hybrids tested were MPH 501, MPH 504, MPH 506, MPH 516, MPH 517, (Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company, The biovillage programme is focused on Mumbai), PHB 51 (pioneer Hybrid Seed 19 villages spread over 3700 ha in the Company), 6201 (pro-Agro, Hyderabad), Union Territory of Pondicherry. The bio- Hybrid 1 & 4 (University of Agricultural village development model is essentially Sciences, Bangalore), CORHl, TNRH16 people-centred with a pro-nature, pro- (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; women, pro-poor and pro-job orientation, Coimbatore), DRRHI (Directorate of Rice linking micro-level planning and micro- Research, Hyderabad). The cooking qual- enterprises with. micro-credit. This para- ity of the rice is also being tested. digm addresses concurrently ~he twin development concerns of : 2. Certified Seed Production in Paddy • integrated resource use to control degradation of the resource base - through In Kizhur village ten farmers have been the management of the biophysical re- selected for certified paddy seed produc- sources such as land, water and natu- tion. They have formed themselves into ral vegetation, to which the rural house- an informal group. They were taken to holds have access, individually and nearby fields in Pondicherry to interact communally; with farmers who are successfully producing certified seeds. The varieties being • accessing the resource-poor to technol- grown for seed certification are Chinna . ogy to alleviate persisting rural pover- ponni and White ponni. ~ - through knowledge and skill empowerment for income and employment 3. Integrated Crop Management (ICM) generation. Trials

On-Farm Research & Demonstration ICM trials for sustainable use of resources continued for Kuruvai (May-Aug The emphasis is on research and demon- '96), Samba (Sept- Dec '96) and Navarai strations in the areas of seed production, (Jan- April'97). The trials were continued integrated crop management and use of in the villages of Agaram, Mangalam and farm machinery. Kizhur. The synthesised package of management practices for paddy and sugar- 1. Hybrid Rice Demonstrations cane was modified to suit the local conditions. The trial results for the Kuruvai '96 Hybrid rice seeds produced by several pri- season recorded an increase in the yield vate companies and research institutes ranging from 7 to 18 %. The reduced use continued to be tested for adaptation and of inorganic fertilizer and pesticides re-

64 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture suIted in the reduction of cost by RS.850. ment Research Institute, Tanjore; Irriga- As part of the nutrient management, soil tion Management Training Institute, samples were taken before planting and Trichy and Farmers Field School, Kum- after harvesting the crop to enable nutri- bakonam, in Tamil Nadu as part of the ent recommendation on the basis of soil exposure to the concept. fertility. The water management practices of the 4. Farm Machinery farmers were studied to develop appropri- The drum seeder is a direct seeding ma- ate water management technologies to chine for pre-germinated seeds, under suit the local conditions. Observations puddled conditions. It has been developed were made in the farmers' holdings for the by International Rice Research Institute rate of discharge, number of irrigations (IRRI), Phillippines and fabricated by the and time taken to irrigate one acre ofland. Directorate of Rice Research (DRR), Hy- The results revealed that forKuruvai and derabad. Trials are being held under field Navarai the water requirement is higher, conditions in Mangalam and Agaram vil- with more water consumption per unit of lages. The performance of the machine grain produced. It was found that in the was good at a forward speed of 0.5 m/sec. Samba season a considerable quantity of The crop performance on visual observa- water is provided by rainfall. tion is good and it is yet to be harvested.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM), The paddy dryer is a low cost machine which concentrated on prophylactic and used for multipurpose seed drying. It was curative measures in the previous sea- introduced with the help of agricultural sons, now includes the establishment of a engineers from the University of Agricul- pilot biopesticide unit at Mangalam vil- ture and Forestry, Vietnam. The demon- lage. Biodiversity monitoring, pest surveil- stration was held for about hundred farm- lance (for white-backed plant hopper), ers at Sivaranthakam village. The dryer Rice tungro virus indexing ~d awareness has a capacity to dry 1.2 tonnes of paddy creation have also been undertaken. A in 36 hours by blowing hot air. The equip- crop protection field school, for paddy es- ment is made of locally available bamboo pecially, was started at Agaram village for mats, a heating coil and a fan. The seeds 15 farmers. It covers an area of 23 acres are dried at a low temperature of 35 de- and was started in the Navarai season. grees centigrade which prevents the dam- The field school provides the basic concept age of seeds. The germination percentage of IPM and has helped to reduce the use is about 85 percent, which is 15% higher of pesticides, thereby increasing cost-ef- than traditional sundrying . This dryer is fectiveness. being tested in a number of fields. Farmers involved in the IeM trial were A rice husk stove was fabricated and dem- taken to Tamil Nadu Rice Research Sta- 0nstrated to the women in Mangalam vil- tion, Aduthurai; Soil and Water Manage- lage. The husk is got from the modern rice

65 Annual Report 1996-97

mill. The latent heat of the stove is high- mushroom production centres for an exer than that of traditional stoves. It is posure visit. A one day trip to Regional currently being tested in other villages. Research Station, Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, was organised as part ofmushroom Enterprises for Enhancing production tra'ining. Livelihood Se.curity The mushroom participants get additional income from the mushroom waste by 1. Mushroom Production by Rural vermicomposting it after the harvest. The Women mushroom participants of Mangalam vil- Training in mushroom production has lage have tliken up poultry production as been one of the major programmes. The an additional and alternative source of newly-trained resource-poor women in income during the hot summer months Kizhur and Mangalam village produced when mushroom production is low. Oyster mushrooms successfully, on a base of rice straw. The entire cost of produc- 2. Group Sericulture tion was contributed by the participants. Until February '97 four batches of silk- The success of this enterprise has fired worm were reared in Pillayarkuppam vil- the imagination of several other women lage by eight landless women. Thereafter in the villages. Expansion of the pro- it was decided to discontinue the rearing gramme to otheI' villages is envisaged in as it is not economically viable. the coming year. 3. Goat Rearing Another major activity ofthe Centre is the carrying out of trials and tests with un- This programme continued successfully in cut straw, spawn produced on rice chaff, Pillayarkuppam, Sivaranthakam and thin and lengthy bags, PVC pipes instead Kizhur villages. A total of 80 goats and of plastic bags, and 3 bed layer 'URI' sys- 50 kids are being reared in the three vil- tem. Mr. Kumaran was able to produce lages. 120 kg of mushrooms which fetched him It was decided to introduce purebred Tell- an income of Rs. 4,200 (@ of Rs. 35/kg). icherry male guats to upgrade the local goats. Traditional goat rearers in the vil- The spawn production unit which was lages were identified and the Tellicherry functioning successfully in Villianur town male goats given. So far nearly fifty cross- has now been shifted to the mushroom bred kids have been obtained. They gain training and demonstration centre in more weight and fetch more income than Kizhur village. Production \fill commence the local variety. in September '97. Mr. Kumaran and Mr. Govindaraj are educated and unemployed 4. Dairying youth who will run the centre and provide training. The mushroom participants Ten landless women in Pillayarkuppam were also taken to nearby successful village are continuing with the project.

66 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

The scheme was extended to Melsatha- 7. Vegetable Production for Small and mangalam village where seven small and Marginal Farmers marginal farm women were selected and the fIrst set of cows given. They have or- The 13-member vegetable growers asso- ganised themselves into a credit manage- ciation in Pillayarkuppam village was reorganised and strengthened. Some of the ment group. farmers took up vegetable production in- Both the batches of participants are re- dividually. A demonstration trial was laid paying the bank loan regularly and have in Sorapet village in collaboration with the established fodder plots with C02 Cum- MAHYCO (Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds bu- Napier grass, Sesbania grandiflora Company, Mumbai). Unfortunately the and Leuceana leucocephella. The pro- heavy monsoon rains in December '96 gramme is to be extended to other villages. caused severe damage to the trial.

5. Poultry Enterprise 8. Floriculture

Four units of 100 layer birds (day old The nine jasmine growers in Sivaran- chicks) were obtained from the depart- thakam village continued the activity. The ment of Animal Husbandry, Government. gardens were pruned in December '96. of Pondicherry, as part of the programme One of the participants, Ms. Bagyalaksh- in March '97 by participants in Pilla- mi, was able to earn Rs. 6,250 from April yarkuppam, Mangalam and Melsatha- '96 to March '97. Her garden is a model mangalam villages. In Mangalam village for training other participants. This pro- the mushroom participants have taken up gramme is being extended to Mangalam broiler rearing as an additional source of village, where fourteen small and margin- income. al farm women are participating. They have established jasmine gardens of var- 6. Fodder Plots for Small and Marginal ying sizes. They have also taken up Cros- Farmers sandra as an intercrop. These fourteen participants have organised themselves 74 fodder plots of varying sizes, with C02 into a credit management group. Initial Cumbu Napier grass, Subabul (Leuceana selection of participants in other villages leucocephalla) and Sesbania grandiflora, is being carried out. were established in eight villages. during the reporting period. This programme is 9. Crossandra Cultivation being implemented with help from PON- LAIT (Pondicherry Cooperative Milk Pro- A total of eighteen participants have es- ducers Union Ltd.). Six demonstration tablished Crossandra gardens in Kizhur, fodder .plots have also be8n established. Mangalam and Kizhsathamangalam vil- An exposure visit to Aurovilledairy farm lages. The Mushroom Growers Associa- was organised for the participants. tion in Kizhur village has taken up a com-

67 Annual Report 1996-97 mon Crossandra plot as an additional with 3000 fingerlings in January '97. A source of income for the group. This is the request has been made to the Govt. of first time that a group has taken up a com- Pondicherry to provide other community mon activity besides their own enterprise. ponds on lease in Poraiyur and Vambu- Initial selection of participants in other pet villages for inland aquaculture. villages is being carried out. Visits to E.S.P. Swamy fingerling farm at Puthur in Chidambaram District, Tamil 10. Homestead Nutrition Garden Nadu and to the M.S. Swaminathan Re- The mini kit programme from the Depart- search Foundation Project Farm at Kori- ment ofAgriculture was channelled to the yamangalam village in Chidambaram participants in Sivaranthakam village. It District were organised. A one day work- is envisaged that they will plant suitable, shop was organised at the Project Office economically important plants in their for farmers rearing inland fishes and for respective gardens. those interested in the project. A total of twenty five farmers participated. Experts from Indian Bank and Fish Farmers De- Access to Common Property velopment Agency shared their experienc- Resources es with the farmers. A video show on inland fish farming and a field trip to a near- Aquaculture in Community Ponds by successful fish farm were organised. The nine participants in Kizhur village were able to successfully harvest about Support Services 670 kg of fishes, which fetched them a 1. Group Organisation and Management gross income of Rs. 22,500 and a net income of Rs. 11,100. The net income was The feminisation of poverty is addressed shared among the participants equally, primarily by empowering women through with one share given to the village tem- technological interventions (income and pIe. The Department of Fisheries and the employment generation activities). Foster- Fish Farmers Development Agency ing group action has been one of the key (FFDA) provided the technical and mar- strategies enabling access to infrastruc- keting support. ture, capital and credit. During this year eight new women's groups have been ini- The pond was restocked with 2750 finger- tiated and activities expanded to four lings of various carps by the participants more villages. in September '96. In December '96, the heavy cyclonicmonsoon rain damaged the An exposure programme was organised bunds and the pond overflowed, causing for MYRADA (an NGO in Dharmapuri heavy loss to the participants. The pond district, Tamil Nadu), in September '96. was repaired, strengthened and restocked Twenty- five of our women leaders visit-

68 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

ed various women's groups who have ini- issue under the community development tiated a number of community develop- programme. The villagers have suggest- ment programmes. This has motivated the ed that the community could extend the participants to play an important role in manual labour for diverting the stagnant community development. rain water to the nearest pond. The Vil- lianur Block officials have been request- Seven women's groups who have completed to take up the construction of econom- ed one year evaluated their performance. ic model toilets. A project proposal on en- They were helped to focus on self-devel- vironment sanitation is being prepared. opment, development as a group, and their role in community development. Efforts are being taken to create an awareness of vermiculture among school chil- 2. Savings and Credit Management dren by availing household wastes like kitchen garbage and animal night soil. Savings and credit management activities have been continuing. There are now six- The Association for Social Health - Pon- teen groups, with one hundred and sixty dicherry Branch, conducted an awareness four members, as eight new groups have campaign, which included an exhibition been formed. and counselling, on the ill effects of drugs and alcoholism, in Pillayarkuppam vil- The amount saved by each group and the lage. total savings are indicated in Table 3.l. Credit operations amount to Rs. A programme on vermiculture was held 1,04,500. 58 loans for consumption pur- in collaboration with the State Environ- poses and 31 for production have been ment Cell for their students (Teacher sanctioned. ttainees) and staff.. An awareness programme and painting 3. Environmental Sanitation competition on "environmental sanitation Several awareness programmes were con- package in rural areas" was conducted at ducted: Bharathiar Palkalaikoodam-College of Fine Arts in Pondicherry region. About A programme on environmental sanita- seventy five students from the College tion was organised in Sivaranthagam vil- participated in the programme. These lage, with the help of the youth and the paintings will be utilised for educating the public. The focus was on the safe disposal people in the villages on the significance of rain I sludge water through construc- of environmental sanitation. tion of drainage systems/soak-pits/safe disposal of human and animal night soil! 4. Vermicentre garbage waste. Government departments and District Rural Development Agency The Vermicentre established at Pilla- (DRDA) were requested to take up this yarkuppam village carried out its regular

69 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 3.1 : Savings of the groups

Amount NO.of Participants Village Group (in Rupees)

Mushroom Group 10 SKM 20,112 Jasmine Group 10 SKM 14,164 Kitchen garden 11 SKM 15,372 Mushroom group -1 10 KZR 7,439 Mushroom group-2 10 KZR 200 Aqua culture Group 9 KZR 3,227 Goat group 9 KZR 8,916 Seed growers 10 KZR 1,000 Tailoring group 11 KZR 2,100 Mushroom group 13 MLM 1,040 Jasmine group 14 MLM 1,680 Dairy group 8 MM 1,220 Dairy group 9 PKM 4,196 Goat group 7 PKM 2,400 Sericulture group 10 PKM 7,814 Vegetable growers 13 PKM 17,900 Total 164 1,08,780

PKM - Pillayarkuppam , SKM - Sivaranthakam, MM - Melsathamangalam, MLM - Mangalam, KZR - Kizhur. production of vermicompost from the lo- 5. Biocentre cally available substrates like presumed and vegetable wastes, using earthworms. A biocentre is envisaged as a facilitating The integration of components such as institution for testing and adapting new rabbitry, poultry, apiary and inland fish technologies, adaptation for demonstra- rearing continued. Training for rural tions and interventions, training, provid- women and school children on vermicom- ing support services and accessing infor- posting was conducted periodically. As a mation. Two biocentres are to be estab- result of the effort to produce vermicom- lished, one in each of the two major agr- post on a commercial basis for sustaining oecologicalzones in the project area, viz. the centre, 2.5 tonnes of vermicompost the paddy-based lowland system and the was sold. garden-based upland system.

70 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

6. Farm Models with customers. Vermicompost worth Rs 3,500 was sold in a week during the The development of farm mqdels forms flower show. It acted as a promotional stall one of the important compon-ents of the and created a demand of 5 tonnes. More- Integrated Resource Management Sys- over, the periodical display of the stall in tems. Identification of the farmers of dif- the Sunday Markets and at the Beach ferent types ofland holdings viz., margin- Road, has increased the demand slowly al, small and big farmers, is being carried and steadily. out to demonstrate models of different ecological conditions. A detailed question- Demonstrations on vermicomposting at naire has been structured to study the schools continued with permission from farm as a whole, and the base line study the environmental cell of the Education of the participant farmers is being docu- Department. Teaching aids such as flash mented. cards and posters were printed to enhance effective demonstrations. The composting 7. Marketing techniques are printed in leaflets, both in English and Tamil. The youth running the Market study and support services for vermicentre acts as a sales person and also marketing are available for all the prod- attends consultancies in installing pits in ucts. schools and in urban households.

Vegetables : The data base on the prices Inland Fishes : The market support for of principal vegetables prevailing in the the sale of fishes produced by the pisci- open market and that offered by PAPSCO culture participants of Kizhur village was has been updated to enable forecasting of carried out by hiring a van from the Pon- prices and to study the time-series analy- dicherry Fishermen Co-operative Market- sis of prices. ing Federation. The women participants sold the fish directly to the consumers Mushroom: New outlets for fresh mush- from a stall in the Fish market. They sold rooms have been set up in Pondicherry. @ Rs.35-40 per kg to the consumers and Billboards. and leaflets were distributed @ Rs. 30 per kg to the wholesalers. in the supply outlets. Posters were also displayed. Recipe booklets were printed 8. Market Database both in English and Tamil and distributed to the consumers. Mushroom packets The database on the production and mar- of 10 gms are sold @ Rs.3 - 4. keting of various agricultural products such as paddy, groundnut, cotton, cumbu Vermicompost : The vermicompost stall and chillies in Pondicherry region has established along with Pondicherry Agros- been updated. The arrivals and the pric- ervice and Industries Corporation (PA- es ofvarious farm commodities at the Pon- SIC) flower stall, at the Gandhi Thidal, dicherry Regulated Market have also been Pondicherry, has proved very popular documented.

71 Annual Report 1996-97

Economic An~yses : The economic analy- (planlNon-Plan) has been designed, based sis of all the poverty alleviation pro- on sex, age and programme. It is being grammes, Integrated Crop Management translated into Tamil. Identification of a Trials, Hybrid Rice yield testing trials, suitable Information Centre in a village and Paddy Seed Production trials were is in progress. carried out seasonally and periodically. The farm and mar~et input-output prices of the vaJ;ious agricultural products, wag- Sub Programme Area 302 es and hire charges of various implements J.R.D. Tata Ecotechnology were documented seasonally. Centre Socio-economic Indicators : A detailed questionnaire on the farm and household This Centre was established in April 1996 profile of the participant was structured with the generous financial support of the and the base line study of the individual Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. The programmes participants is being carried out. were formally inaugurated on 29th July, 1996, birthday of Bharat Ratna J. R. D. 9. Linkage with Government and Tata. The major goal of the J.R.D. Tata Financial Institutions Ecotechnology Centre is to seek answers to the following maladies of contemporary A training programme on tailoring, spon- development pathways : sored by the Women Development Corpo- ration at Kizhur village, for ten landless • environmental degradation women was inaugurated in November • potential adverse changes in climate 1996. The training sessions were conduct- and sea level ed for six months. The participants have organised themselves into a self-help • endemic hunger and extensive human group. The District Industries Centre deprivation (DIC) has been requested to start a coir • feminisation of poverty rope making training unit at Mangalam/ , Keelsathamangalam and Melsathaman- • rapid expansion of human population, galam villages for landless women. Efforts exceeding the supporting capacity of the are being made to start tailoring units in eco system other villages. A number of participants • jobless economic growth who were trained are continuing with the activity. The model village programme, in The overall mission of the J.R.D. Tata collaboration with Indian Bank at Kizhur Ecotechnology Centre is hence to develop village, was able to form a Village Devel- methods of promoting a job-led economic opment Council (VDC) to implement a growth strategy, based on a pro-nature, number of community programmes. pro-poor and pro-women orientation to Entitlements data base: An entitlements technology development and dissemina- database of various Government Schemes tion.

72 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

The Centre concentrates on the develop- Therefore the following methods have ment of ecotechnologies based on. an ap- been formulated: propriate blend of traditional technologies, ecological prudence, frontier technologies • Adaptive participatory research - such as biotechnology, information, space technology development and incubation and renewable energy technologies and market-driven management principles. This method focuses on evolving a new technology or refining an existing technology through factor-centred projects. Such Therefore the alphabet 'E' in Ecotechnol- an approach creates the base for interac- ogy also stands for ecology, economics, eq- tion between scientists and user groups uity (gender and social), employment and where the users evaluate the feasibility energy. of the technology with the scientists. The Centre undertakes the identification • Pioneer Projects of ecotechnologies which are environmentally sustainable, economically viable, so- Pioneer projects emphasise the integra- ciallyequitable, skilled employment intention of different technologies in a system sive and energy efficient and promotes and different systems into a development their field verification and testing. The -process for sustainable development. Pio- emphasis is on agriculture, which includes .neer projects make an attempt to under- crop and animal husbandry, fisheries, for- stand the appropriate technology -mix in estry and agro-forestry, post-harvest tech- a development process. nology including processing and marketing and rural micro-enterprises. The aim Projects is to enhance opportunities for both on- farm and non-farm employment. 1. Farm-level Biopesticide Production The organisational chart of the centre has been described in the Introduction. Theme One of the major problems of Integrated By treating the funds provided by the Sir Pest Management is the supply of biopes- Dorabji Tata Trust as a corpus, the inter- ticides. In order to tackle this problem, the est from which is used for core staff and project focused on the production of bi- operations, and by seeking special project opesticides at the farm and household. lev- support for specific activities, the long els, not only for their agricultural usage term fmancial sustainability of the Cen- but also for the market. tre has been assured. Close interaction with the farming com- Objectives munity reveals that technology manage- • Production of biopesticdes at farm and ment and adoption are the real problems. household levels

73 Annual Report 1996-97

• ~valuating the efficiency of these to nearly 8 ha. Pongamia glabra leaf ex- biopesticides in pest management tracts, notchi leaf extracts, Ipomea extracts and omavalli extracts were pro- • Training resource persons through a duced to the tune of 380 kg and these ex- capacity building process to spread the tracts were applied to nearly 14 ha. concept and practices of biopesticide production and Integrated Pest Man- The refinement in the production and agement. training has helped in the reduction of chemical pesticides among the participat- Project Area ing farmers. Data in Table 3.2 reflect the average reduction in chemical pesticides Vadugappatty near Periyakulam and Sr- during summer and winter respectively. irangapuram near Theni 30 farmers and landless labourers including women were involved in training and Activities production. These participants are being The project focused on mass culturing of trained to become resource persons for Trochogramma sp., mass production of spreading the concept and practices of bi- Helicoverpa NPV (Nuclear Polyhedrosis opesticide production and usage among Virus), and Spodoptera NPV and produc- the farming community. tion of plant extracts. The production and the usage of Trichogramma pattern during 1996-97 were as follows: 2. Ecohorticulture Nursery and Training: Low-cost l11ist Quantity produced 598.50 ml Chambers

Quantity used for culture 186.00 ml Theme maintenance Horticultural crops being the major con- Quantity used for field 406.50 ml sumers of chemical pesticides and ferti- release lisers, a major project in training selected The NPV helps in controlling the Ameri- farmers in Kattupakkam and Kan- can bollworm. The farmers at Vadugap- chipuram blocks of Chengai-Anna district atty and Srirangapuram produced 700 LE near Chennai was launched. ofH.armigera NPV which was used in 1.5 The project is expected to enhance the ha. of cotton. Similarly, the production of' production and productivity ofhorticultur- S.litura NPV was around 650 LE and this al crops around the city of Chennai in an was applied to nearly 2 ha. ecologically sustainable manner, protect- The farmers showed a keen interest in ing the quality of soil, water and air and plant extracts. Around 220 kg of neem help in meeting the growing urban de- based products were produced and applied mand for organic products.

74 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

Objectives ity of backyard agriculture and low cost mist chamber. The objectives of the project are: The objectives of the project are : • to create a group of skilled personnel who would be in a position to train the • to study the potential of low cost mist farmers in the region in ecohorticulture chambers vis-a.-visvarious vegetables

• to demonstrate the practice of ecohor- • to evolvethe technology and identify the ticulture through an ecohorticultural economic, financial and managerial is- nursery sues

Project Area • to develop a dissemination strategy with the help of farmers for self-repli- Kattupakkam and Kanchipuram blocks in cation process Chengai-Anna district Preliminary Tests Activities Preliminary testing of the low cost mist 75 participants were trained in various chamber was conducted. The chambers aspects of ecohorticulture and gave tech- measured 5 m in length, 2.5 m in width nical support to 62 satellite farms. and 2 m in height. The height ofthe cham. Through the trained farmers, the project ber was fixed based on the growth of has distributed vegetable seeds and fruit plants. The chamber was covered with seedlings for planting in nearly 105 acres. High Density Polyethylene sheets These seeds and seedlings have been pro- (HDPE). A control plot of 5 m by 2 m was duced by organic methods and during dis- also established. The preliminary testing tribution of these seedlings the concept shows the following results (Table 3.3) in and the practices of ecohorticulture were defined to the farmers. The training pro- the case of chillies. grammes focused on vegetative propaga- Low cost mist chamber has been able to tion for fruit plants, organic cultivation produce more than two times the quanti- of vegetables, preparation of organic pes- ty of control plot without using any chem- ticides, preparation of vermicompost and ical fertilisers or pesticides. Also the qual. ordinary compost, demonstration of drip ity ofthe vegetables in terms ofcolour and irrigation and demonstration of kitchen seeds is much better when compared to gardens. the chillies from the control plot. The oth- As many households evinced a keen in. er possible advantage may be that season- terest in kitchen gardens as a source of al changes may not define the cropping enhancing household income, the project pattern and hence there could be produc- focused on improving the economicviabil. tion throughout the year.

75 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 3.2 : Reduction in the use of chemical pesticides

Summer Winter

Name of the Sucking Pest Stem weevil H.armlgera Sucking Pest H.armlgera target pest

Name of Methyl demelton Carbofuron Endosulfan Methyl Endosulfan chemical demelton pesticide used in 1995

Number of 8 414 8 10 rounds used in 1995

Number of 2 54 5 rounds used in 1996

Name of the Neem products Neem cake Trichogramma Neem Trichogramma biopesticide 4cc/ac and NPV products 4cc/ac used in 1996 200 LE and NPV 200 plant LEiac products

Number of 3 2 3 4 3 (Trichogra- rounds mma 4cc/ac) of 2 (NPV 200 biopestieides LElae)

The low cost mist chamber has the poten- study the mist chambers with appropri- tial of developing backyard agriculture ate scientific and statistical parameters. and evolving seed production as a cottage Twenty five farmers are observing and industry among the landless households. evaluating this project. While the results are encouraging, the project has to develop scientific principles 3. Pilot Project for Biopesticide of management in relation to issues like Feedstock Model pollination, carbondioxide, temperature, humidity, geometric designs, cost efficien- Theme cy etc. Similarly the qualitative differenc- - es require more authentic scientific expla- Neem plays a major role in agriculture nation. During 1997-98, the project will and industries. Pharmaceutical, pesticide

76 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

Table 3.3 : Growth and yield in the low-cost mist chamber

Low-cost mist chamber Control

Height in em; ( 45 days after planting) 30 15

Average number of leaves per plant 25 8

Total Yield in kg 16 6 Consumption of water in Itrs per grn of chilli 0.525 0.533 *

* The calculation of water requirements is based on the amount of irrigated water in the mist chamber and in the control plot. This calculation has not considered the amount of consumption of rainwater in the control plot. and soap industries have started creating • To evolve village institutions to man- a demand for neemproducts. At the vil- . age neem and neem related assets lage level, the farmers are not able to pro- The unique features of this project are: duce enough neem based biopesticides. Studies have shown that while In9ia is • Introduction of tissue cultured neem losing Rs. 2,000 crores of neem seeds eve- seedlings with high Azadirachtin con- ry year, users of neem have been com- tent plaining about lack of adequate supply of neem seeds and other neem products. • Conservation ofthe existing neem trees These studies have observed that the including Melia azadirach major problem in neem is the high cost • Application of neem specific VAM (Ve- involved in collecting the neem seeds due sicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhiza) to the scattered nature of the neem trees. Hence this project aims at developing an • Application of Azospirillum appropriate scale of production in waste- • Use of Vasambu (Acorous calamus) to lands which would help in better manage- control die-back disease ment, marketing and usage of neem seeds and neem products. • Introduction ofneem based agro-forestry models:

Objectives Agri-silvi-horticulture (horse gram - neem - PKM variety drumstick) • To plant quality seedlings of neem in public and private wastelands - Silvi-pastoral (neem-stylo-sorghum) • To develop appropriate usage pattern Agro-forestry (neem - sorghum - of neem products within the village and groundnut - pigeon pea) to establish market linkages through value addition Agro-forestry (neem on farm bunds)

77 Annual Report 1996-97

Activities 2. Bharath Soil and Water Conservation Society (members: 20 women) Neem seedlings were planted in 20 ha of private lands and 11 ha of panchayat 3. Indian Soil and Water Conservation lands with people's participation. The sur- Society (members: 20 men and wom- vival rate was 80%. These saplings were en) mostly raised in twenty-one decentralised 4. Tamil Annai Soil and Water Conser- kisan nurseries. A mist chamber was used vation Society (members: 20 SC wom- as a model nursery to raise neem andpun- en) gam. The growth of neem and pungam saplings within 3 months in the mist The project aims to strengthen these in- chamber is 15 to 22 cm more than the stitutions through micro credit process. growth in the open field and the farmers are showing interest in the concept and 4. Defluondation by Drumstick Seeds practices of mist chambers. (Moringa oleifera) Around three lakh Agave bulbs were Theme grown in the ten decentralised kisan nurs. eries. Two vettiver nurseries were also A substantial portion of the Indian popu- formed. Vetiver was planted in 25 ha. of lation suffers from fluorosis. Fluorosis land as vegetative bunding for arresting occurs due to the presence of abnormal soil erosion. levels of fluoride which enters into the Training for 100 farmers (55 men and 45 human system and gets deposited in the women) and for 30 officials was given un- skeletal system. The long term toxicity der this project. The training covered the includes discoloration of teeth, leading to following aspects: Participatory Rural pitting and browning and crippling of legs Appraisal (PRA), Self-Help Group forma- technically called genu valgum. This could tion (for officials alone), cultivation of ultimately lead to bone cancer. Moreover neem, production of neem based pesti- fluorosis affects people only during the cides, application of these pesticides to growth phase, thereby affecting the crops, soil sampling methods, preparation younger generation rather than the old. of enriched farmyard manure, application er. of micro-nutrients to crops and soil conservation methods. In recent years, there has been an upsurge ofinterest globally in the use ofplant prod- A noteworthy trend in the project is peo- ucts as a remedy to environmental con- ple's participation. The following four tamination, although the practice is ages groups emerged this year in the project old. One such practice is the use of drum- village: stick seeds for purifying drinking water, 1. Neem Tree Growers' Welfare Society particularly turbid water. Traditionally (members: 11 men) people in rural areas all over the world

78 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture follow this method of purification, espe- has been prepared based on the data col- cially in African and South East Asian lected on the ground water as well as the countries, including India. water provided by the municipality. Sim- ilarly the GIS map for some of the endemic Drumstick seeds have been identified as areas of fluorosis in Dharmapuri district a possible alternative to aluminium sul- is also being prepared. Preliminary wa- phate, to purify drinking water from an ter quality monitoring has been done and excessive content of fluoride. This would the result has to be validated with fur- be an ecofriendly and socially feasible ru- ther sampling. ral technology for solving the problem of fluorosis. Screening for dental and skeletal fluorosis among school children in selected are- Objectives as has been conducted. An introductory discussion was carried out in the villages • Seed efficiency standardisation at dif- to throw light on the prevailing extent of ferent concentrations of fluoride in fluorosis. drinking water Tests have to be conducted on the efficien- • Preparation of implementation strate- cy of the seed which is grown in the areas gies and management plan at the field already affected with fluoride. This would level give further impetus to the implementa- • Preparation of GIS maps on ground wa- tion of the concept, making it more viable ter fluoride levels at selected endemic and economically feasible. areas for fluorosis and implementation of household level purification process 5. Studies on the Microbial Composting of Green Leaves Activities From laboratory based experiments it has Theme been found that, while aluminium sul- This study aims to shorten the duration phate purifies 1760 - 1900 mg of fluoride/ of composting for the green leaves of kg of alumina resin,. the seed kernal of the drumstick plant purifies 1650 mgt kg in Neem, Vitex, Ipomea, Glyricidia and Leu- caena, enhance the nitrogen content and drinking water. This means that a gram of kernal is needed to purify 1.6 parts per ensure prolonged shelf life of compost. million (ppm) offluoride, whereas the per- missible limit ofIndian Standards for flu- Objectives oride in drinking water is '1 ppm. • Identification and selection of microbi- The GIS map for Ennore, a suburb near al species/ communities involved in the Chennai which is affected with fluorosis, decomposition of green leaves

79 Annual Report 1996-97

• Mass multiplication of the most viru- less women, possess. Any development lent microbial species/ communities process would be successful only if the • Estimation of Carbon and Nitrogen value ofthese assets is increased. Skill empowerment is an important intervention • Enhancing the nitrogen content as an in development activities. This project alternative to nitrogen fertiliser by al- involved developing a model in which non- tering carbon : nitrogen ratio governmental organisations could play a role in linking the various sectors. Activities The following trends have been observed: Objectives On zero day, on the samples of all the five • To establish seed villages by making a plant species, only phylloplane fungi were formal link between farmers and the observed, a species of Fusarium being corporate sector in quality seed produc- dominant. Actinomycetes were complete- tion lyabsent. Species of Trichoderma and Aspergillus • To impart individual skill through were observed from the 5th day onwards, adaptive participatory training in seed most prevalently inIpomea, whereas even production, based on the market de- at later stages they were absent in Vitex. mand The number of colony forming units was • To improve employment potential in high in Ipomea and Leucaena whereas rural areas through such labour inten- Vitex showed fewer number of colonies. sive programmes. Though the above information is inadequate to arrive at definite conclusions, the Project Area predominant occurrence of species Tri- choderma, a cellulose degrading organism Kannivadi Village in Oddanchatiram in the composting green leaves, is nota- block of Dindigul Anna district ble. The trends also indicate a possible microbial intervention for faster compost- Activities ing. During 1997-98, the project would focus on developing technological inter- The following villages were identified for ventions for mass multiplication of Tri- seed production in Hosur block: choderma species, particularly at the farm • Kaput level. • Kodiyalam 6. Organisation of Seed Villages • Chinna Madagondapally Theme During this period, attempts were made Time and labour are the only assets which to initiate the project in the villages of the rural households, particularly land- Kodiyalam and Kuppatty.

80 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

Inspite of a concentrated effort by MSS- the category of semi-arid and dry area RF and the seed industry, the concept of with good ground water facilities so seed production did not pick up. There ,that the margin of profit earned out of were two reasons for this situation. The seed crop is worth the risk of opting farmers were not interested in growing OP for a change. varieties, since the margin of differences 5. Seasonal land utilisation pattern: op- in the rate of return between selling as timisation of present land use so that pure crop and selling as seeds is minimal. when converting to seed crop it will They wanted to get into hybrid seed pro- be more remunerative. duction directly, bypassing the various stages of Competency-Based Training The following villages were selected in (CBT). The seed industries pointed out the Oddanchatiram block for seed production: risk in hybrid seed production without appropriate training since hybrid seed pro- • Kannivadi duction involves higher costs and manage- • Palaniyur ment. However the farmers were not prepared to go through OP production. • Kuralampatti Training should have relevance to the • Pudupatti working conditions and should lead to • Rasingapuram better productivity and income. Training women agricultural labourers in seed pro- On the basis of the above conditions, Kan- duction without corresponding seed pro- nivadi and its surrounding villages in duction activities in the surrounding Oddanchatram block near Dindigul were farms does not fit with the objectives of selected and the response was substan- the project. tial. In the recognition of Prior Learning Process, it was found that most of the Based on this lesson the seed industry and farmers in the region are aware of seed the project felt that another area should production. However, their knowledge on be tried simultaneously for seed produc- hybrid seed production is limited. Such a tion. The following conditions were looked condition facilitated the introduction of into while selecting the area: hybrid seed production in a smooth man- 1. The distance from the market: the ner. more distant and inaccessible the mar- Table 3.4 shows the validity of the hypoth- ket, the better the potential as a seed esis of accessibility in seed production. village Within a period of three months more than 2. The economic advantage of selling 20 ha in Oddanchatiram region have been seeds brought under hybrid seed production. It is to be mentioned here that the seed in- 3. Climate and soil factors dustry proceeds gradually in promoting 4. The cultivable area should fall under hybrid seed production. Thus 20 ha of seed

81 Annual Report 1996-97 production has been a goodstart and once Objectives the economics of the hybrid seed production is established the area is bound to • To establish the viability of Integrated increase. On the other hand, the project Intensive Farming System (IIFS) vis- is still focusing on the Hosur block and a-vis economic viability, ecological effi- hopes to develop seed villages in the inac- ciency cessible and remote villages. • To extend the idea of IIFS with different types of farmers The training programmes and the linkage with the seed industry with assured • To establish that biodiversity is a prof- market have resulted in substantial in- itable agriculture vestment by the farmers on the concept and practices which were propagated by Project Area the project. During the first phase (Janu- ary 1996 - July 1996) the project focused Kuriamangalam and Kilamanakudi in on seed production and during the second South Arcot Vallalar district phase (August 1996 - March 1997), training of women (Table 3.5) and demonstra- Activities tions took place. During 1996-97the project was shifted to During 1996-97, the project has estab- Kuriamangalm and Kilamanakudi villag- lished a training cum demonstration cen- es from the original site. These villages tre at Kannivadi village in 1.2 acres. It is are predominantly paddy belts with heavy a simple hall with a thatched roof. A per- inputs of chemical fertilisers and pesti- manent exhibition ofvarious literature on cides. The project began through a mobi- seed production and market information lisation process in which farmers and lan- has been established in this centre. dless labourers were involved. Participa- tory Adaptive Research and Demonstra- tion plots were laid in two fields. By inte- 7. Integrated Intensive Farming grating components like irrigated rice Systems . along with fish and other crops in mixed or rotational practices, vegetables, fruit Theme trees, poultry, livestock and apiary in appropriate combination, the model is try- Integrated Intensive Farming System ing to establish a high productivity level (IIFS) stresses the inter-linkages within without compromising backyard agricul- a farm. Primarily this is to show that con- ture. The focus is on stabilising soil and servation of biodiversity could mean prof- water management. The model includes itable agriculture by ecologicallyintegrat- rice-fish-poultry-duck linkages, tadpole- ing different ecosystems and their com- termite-vermicompost, biofencing, trap ponents. crop and integrated pest management and

82 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

Table 3.4 : Area (in ha.) under hybrid seed production (January 1996 - March 1997)

Crops Area covered at Oddanchatiram Area covered at Hosur

Sunflower 15.2 0.42 Open Pollinated Brinjal 2.0 1.0 Open pollinated Bhendi 1.0 Hybrid Brinjal 1.0 Hybrid Bhendi 1.0 water harvesting-aquaculture-critical Activities water management during dry periods. IIFS also focuses on landless labourers At the end of 1995-96,27 farmers who had through kitchen garden and backyard successfully adopted IIFS from five broad agriculture. agro-ecological zones as depicted in the Tamil treatise "Tholkaappiyam" were selected and documented as card profiles in 8. Development of Multimedia Database the database. 7 of them were selected as on Integrated Intensive Farming representative farmers and;:l detailed Systems database was developed. In the second year of the project, from Theme April 15, 1996 - April 15, 1997, the short Multimedia offers not only an instrument term objectives were (a) to design a data- for database but also acts as an extension base which is user-friendly and (b) to pre- tool. In a semi-literate society like India, pare a training manual on IIFS. multimedia provides scope for all sectors In order to fulfil the above objectives, de- of the population to interact with data. tailed case studies ofrepresentative farm. base. In order to popularise the organic ers, complete with video, audio, photo- farming practices of farmers from various graphs and details of farming, have been agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu, a entered into the database. Two case stud- project was conceived to develop a multi- ies have been completed. The training media database in Tamil. manual is under preparation and the designing of the database is complete. Objective In the third year of the project, training • Use of Multimedia database as an in- using the multimedia would be the major teractive communication tool for train- activity. As a forerunner to the training ing farmers and extension personnel in programmes to be held in the third year integrated intensive farming systems. of the project, a workshop on IIFS was

83 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 3.5 : Details of training

Women Trained Training Days

120 Sunflower hybridisation 9 (This training included hybridisation process, Integrated Pest Management, seed extraction and general details)

76 Brinjal seed production 3

76 Seed extraction 2

17 General hybridisation techniques 5

50 Vegetative propagation 4

No. of women training days 1745 held at Kanyakumari during the first Objectives week of March, 1997. The workshop was • To identify an ecologicalbase for inland jointly organised with the Vivekananda aquaculture and develop a suitable pro- Kendra, Kanyakumari. More than 90 par- duction model for semi-intensive and ticipants attended the workshop. low-intensive freshwater aquaculture

9. Technology Mission on • Tointegrate ecoaquaculture at the farm Aquaculture- Ecoaquaculture level, community level and household level Theme • To develop ecoaquaculture farms with Agricultural activities in coastal regions proper orientation to class and gender do not give much emphasis to rain water issues harvesting since they get water at no cost • To establish extrapolation domain through canal irrigation. These regions, through training and extension activi- which generally receive heavy showers, ties waste the major portion of the rain. Rain water harvesting in irrigated regions will Project Area not only help in better water use efficiency, but can also reduce the risk of exces- Keelamanakudi in South Arcot Vallalar sive dependence on canal irrigation as well District as ground water. This project is looking Activities into the possibility of adding value to rain water harvesting through Ecoaquacul- Six ponds were dug to study low inten- ture. sive freshwater ecoaquaculture. Rain wa-

84 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture ter was harvested to the extent of 4,000 ernmental organisations, corporate sector m3 and prawns were stocked in these and farmers. The concept for this project ponds. The project focused on soil-hydrol- was evolved during a workshop organised ogy relationship, water retention capaci- by the Tata Trust in 19:16 at Pune. The ty and water use efficiency under low in- concept was further consolidated through tensive conditions. For defining the pro- an expert group which defined the broad duction model the project is focusing on strategies for the project. Focusing on understanding the optimisation level of water management and pulse production different forms of feeds and different the expert team suggested a collaborative stocking density. The project is in the proc- project with the corporate sector, scien- ess ofidentifylng ponds for semi-intensive tific institutions and non-governmental freshwater ecoaquaculture. organisations. The project identified SPEECH for Ramanathapuram and REN- Two community ponds were stocked with AISSANCE for Pudukottai as NGO part- various varieties of fishes including ners. FICCI and SPIC represent the cor- prawns. Due to stock modulation, stock- porate sector. ing density and feeding strategy, the community ponds have harvested the highest biomass of fish in the last ten years. The Objectives project has also developed strategies for • To define the management systems for involving landless women through back- optimising the productivity of pulses yard aquaculture. Central Institute of through water harvesting and water Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) is an ac- management tive partner in the project. • To develop an extension base for the self-replication of the management sys- 10. Water Harvesting and Pulse tems through farmers and non-govern- Village mental organisations. Theme Project Area Pulses are a low-input, high-value crop, but pulse poductivity is decling in Tamil Kavadipatti in Ramanathapuram and Nadu. The agriculture sector has given Visalur in Pudukottai Districts. only limited focus to improve the productivity and quality of pulses. This project Activities is an attempt to optimise the rate of return from pulses per unit volume of wa- 85 acres of land, which had been fallow ter through water harvesting structures for the last two decades, were brought and water management practices. This under the project. Participatory adaptive project is also an example of the collabo- research and demonstration activities ration of scientific institutions, non-gov- took place in the two villages. Rain water

85 Annual Report 1996-97

harvesting structures such as farm ponds the natural resource base of crops, ani- and recharge pits were established and mal husbandry, forestry, inland and nearly 7,000 cubic meters of water was marine fisheries. harvested during the North East Mon- soon. The introduction of quality seeds An organisational chart of this centre is and usage of biofertilizers helped in high given in the Introduction. germination of more than 85%. The results have shown that the quality of the Hunger Free Area Programme soil has improved substantially. A farm- Freedom from hunger, disease and depri- ers' group is observing the progress of the vation is the goal of Hunger Free Area project. During 1997-98, the project would Programme. A working paper was pre- focus on issues of productivity and cost pared in June '96, based on the following . efficiency. studies: a. A detailed macro study of Dharmapu- Sub Programme Area 303 ri District B.V. Rao Centre for b. A micro level analysis in 2 villages Sustainable Food Security namely Pattukonampatty in Pappired- dipatty block of Dharmapuri District As explained in the Introductory Chap- and Nallaperumalpatty in Chellam- ter, the B.V. Rao Centre for Sustainable patty block of Madurai district Food Security was established with an c. A detailed Gap analysis in 2 villages endowment grant made by the of Dharmapuri district namely Venkateswara Group of Companies. Its Pudupatti and Etikuzhi. major aim is to give operational content, particularly in the area of public policy, The working paper was revised after re- to the following definition of sustainable ceiving feedback and suggestions from food security : professional economists and social scien- • that every individual has the physical, tists. economic, social, and enuiornmental The strategies for ending hunger were access to a balanced diet that includes proposed by MSSRF. They are as follows: the necessary macro- and micro-nutrients, safe drinking water, sanitation, 1. Socio-political empowerment of the environmental hygiene, primary health poor care and education so as to lead a healthy and productive life. 2. Security of livelihood • that food originates from efficient and 3. Enabling environment environmentally benign production technologies that conserve and enhance 4. Special interventions

86 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

5. Macro-economic policy Appraisal exercises were conducted in 2 i) Asset reforms villages namely Kodihalli and Donnakut- tahalli through interaction with the vil- ii) A new deal for the self- lage Panchayat Presidents, Councillors employed and village community. 6. Synergy and convergence of the development programmes. MSSRF reviewed the work done in the other blocks selected for the initiation of The Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Hunger Free Area Programme in Tamil Nadu announced in his Budget speech in Nadu. A meeting with the Planning Com- July 1996, the initiation of a Hunger Free mission Member, Finance Secretary, Area Programme in the State to end pov- Planning and Development Secretary, erty-induced hunger. Following this an- Secretary and Director of Social Welfare nouncement, the Department of Social Department was arranged to explain the Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme progress of the study made in all the of Government of Tamil Nadu, sponsored blocks. studies by 7 different Institutions!Univer- sities including MSSRF for preparing op- A final study report of the Pennagaram erational blue prints for Hunger Free Area Block comprising the in-depth study of the Programme in 7 blocks of the State, each block, including the PRA exercises and gap analysis, was prepared. The studies representing different agro-ecological regions. in all the blocks reveal that the ultra poor (identified by using common generic cri- MSSRF suggested the\following common teria) constitute only 10-12%and the prob- protocol to each of the 7 collaborators: lem could be tackled very easily. Phase I Gap and Constraint An action plan, considered the seven pil- Analysis lars of Hunger Free Area Programme, was prepared by MSSRF to help the ultra poor Phase II Spreading the Message and section of the population: Strategic Planning 1. Identification of the ultra poor fami- Phase III Finalising the Action Plan lies by Gram Sabha Phase IV Launching the Action Plan 2. Information empowerment towards a National Sus- tainable Food and Liveli- 3. Elimination of protein-calorie under- hood Security Act nutrition

A detailed study was conducted in the 4. Elimination of micro-nutrient deficien- Pennagaram Block of Dharmapuri Dis- cy induced hidden hunger trict for initiating the Hunger Free Area Programme. Detailed Participatory Rural 5. Improving biological absorption and

87 Annual Report 1996-97

retention of food through safe drink- 1. Stable, Sustainable Systems of Produc- ing water and sanitation tion of Food Crops, Livestock and Fish- • eries 6. Strengthening rural livelihoods through a local level Hunger-Free Area Awareness of and government support to. Programme Consortium which can nutritious commodities other than cash; help to improve on-farm and non-farm . crops can help increase their market val- employment through micro-level plan- ue and consumption. Seeds can be made ning, micro-enterprises and micro- available by creating seed banks or devel. credit oping Seed Villages. Replicable eco-technologies must be developed and dissemi- 7. Special attention to women and chil- nated, providing participatory control of dren the farmers in the whole process. The project 'Integrated Intensive Farming A monitoring card was designed to iden- System' carried out by M.S.Swaminathan tify the household status and housing con- Research Foundation, is a useful case- ditions of the ultra poor. An entitlement study in point. Attention must be on in- card was also designed to create aware- cluding the excluded in terms of areas, ness on various on-going programmes in crops and farming systems. their respective blocks. With the severe water crisis, both for do- For implementing the Hunger Free Area mestic use and irrigation, in many parts Programme in Tamil Nadu, implementa- of the country presently, and in the fore- tion framework and implementation seeable future, the issue of water manage- structures were formulated and sent to ment calls for speedy and serious action. the Government. Detailed study reports Support to non-governmental and govern- of the six different blocks were obtained. ment organisations to evolve participatory The executive summaries of all the blocks management of drinking water schemes were compiled and a. Seven Point Action like SEWA's Pani Panchayats is the an- Plan was suggested. swer to safe, clean drinking water so essential for nutrition security. Participa- Policy Research tory irrigation and water-shed management, integrated river-basin manage- As part of the policy research activities of ment, action-oriented research, documen- the B. V. Rao Centre for Sustainable Food tation, training and extension to propa- Security, the M. S. Swaminathan Re- gate simple techniques like the "5% tech- search Foundation prepared a Programme nology" or "irrigation grids", and conjunc- Support Document for the UNDP - Gov- ernment of India Food and Nutrition Se- tive use of ground and surface water are the simple yet strategic interventions that curity Programme. The major recommendations of the document are based on can produce major productivity and equity impacts on the economy. the following factors:

88 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

With the decreasing ratio of land and ades ago. The focus has hence shifted from water to humankind, urban areas are the availability to accessibility. Economic ac- worst affected when the issue of sharing cess to food can become a reality by in- the natural resources arises. A solution creasing the rural employment opportu- is to create an "Urban green belt" in-be- nities in agro-based industries, cottage in- tween the rural and urban areas that will dustries during the non-farming period, ease the pressure on prime farm land for urban expansion, and at the same time, live-stock based business etc. Besides, reduce the losses incurred in storage and there is a strong positive correlation be- transportation. tween economic development and the de- clining trend in population growth. The government's project 'Small farmers' agri- 2. Reliable, Safe, Economic Systems of business consortium' is an attempt to of- Preservation, Processing, Storage, Dis- fer value-added jobs and higher income tribution and Marketing to rural families by taking the benefits of Providing workspace, credit and invest- modern agri-business to them. Similarly, ment facilities, modern methods of pack- the "Biovillage" project in Pondicherry, aging and linkages with institutional buy- implemented by M.S.Swaminathan Re- ers will expedite the process of attaining search Foundation, Chennai, is an ap- food and nutrition security. The most proach to generate multiple livelihood op- wide-spread and popular distribution portunities, while at the same time con- mechanism is the government's 'Public serving the natural resource base. Distribution System' (PDS). However, some restructuring will make it more ef- 4. Role of Corporate Sector in Enhancing fective and efficient like linking PDS with Food and Nutrition Security anti-poverty programmes, targeting the commodities according to the consumption Farming is the single largest private sec- pattern and poverty level of the poor, im- tor enterprise in the world. Symbiotic so- proving the quality and increasing the va- cial contracts between the corporate sec- riety and quantity of the commodities. In tor and the rural poor (e.g., seed-villages view of the rich diversity in socio-economic and agro-processing) are important for conditions prevailing in the country, mul- providing market oriented employment tiple approaches will be needed. Hence opportunities, capital for investment, val- mechanisms like Grain banks, Consumer ue-addition to the farm produce includ- stores run by 'bachat mandals', and'Shak" ti packet' schemes can supplement the ing cultivation of wastelands and remu- PDS. nerative marketing. Besides, the dairy co- operatives of India illustrate the power of primary stakeho~ders in managing vari- 3. Income Generation ous enterprises. The corporate sector can The green revolution solved the problem also provide consultancy service to the of inadequate production offood three dec- farming community in developing profit-

89 l

Annual Report 1996-97 able crop-mix and scientific cultivation Technological empowerment of the rural techniques. poor is vital for achieving continuous and sustained improvements in the quality of 5. Empowerment of the People rural life. Hence the concept of information villages, where the benefits of new The informal, unorganised economy em- technologies will be made known to the ploying as much as 92.5% of the workforce rural population by blending both the train India is the. economic sphere ofthe poor. ditional (folk media, demonstrations) and In order to distinguish this sector from the recent (computers, remote sensing and tel- private or public sector, it has been named ecommunication satellites) forms of com- tae "people's sector" developed by people's munication. organisations - CBOs, co:operatives, NGOs. The concept ofSustairiable Human 6. Government of India's Agricultural Development as developed by the UNDP Policy Resolution for the World Food can be concretised withinLthe "people's Summit sector". The poor in all.the anti-poverty programmes should be. regarded as 'pro- This supports the interventions suggest- ducers' and 'partners' and not as just ben- ed in this paper for achieving food and nu- eficiaries. The Hunger Free Area Pro- trition security. Besides, there are vari- gramme is an attempt in that direction. ous government programmes related to poverty alleviation, agricultural produc- The growing trend towards feminisation tion and rural infrastructure develop- of poverty can be addressed through the ment, targeted to the underprivileged sec- technological and skill empowerment of tions of Indian society. They can have a women. As the family's food security is the much greater and speedier impact, if con- first priority for most poor women, food vergence and synergy can be generated security strategies should empower wom- among them by providing a horizontal di- en to take a lead in planning, development mension to the often vertically structured and implementation of programmes. programmes. There is, thus, a great need for decentral. Although the time-frame of five years is ised governance to ensure participation of not adequate to accomplish the daunting the people in the management of affairs task of ensuring food and nutrition secu- affecting them not only in the process of rity to every Indian, yet the collective will decision making but also in planning and and efforts of the people as individuals, management of programmes of develop- governmental and non-governmental or- ment. Panchayats and local self govern- ganisations, private, public and people's ments can thus playa crucial role in pro- sectors, and international organisations curement, storage and marketing of agri- can achieve what is seemingly impOssible. cultural produce, thereby ensuring food The individual strengths of these drgani- and nutrition security at the household sations may vary, but their collective level. strength is considerable.

90 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

From Poverty Alleviation to an Asset Subprogranune AIea304 Building and Sustainable Human Devel- Biological Software and opment Approach Sustainable Agriculture The document called for a paradigm shift in the approach to the design of poverty Research Projects on Biopesticides and alleviation programmes. The present ap- IPM in Progress " . proach which refers to producers as bene- ficiaries has built-in seeds of patronage. The R&D programmes in cotton, groundnut and soyabean IPM and various tech- The poor are poor because they .gave no nology assessment and demonstration assets - land, livestock, fishpond, trees or programmes as well as training pro- productive skills. The only assets they pos- grammes were conducted during the 1996- sess are time and labour. If the poor are to 97 kharif and rabi seasons and 1997 sum- be helped in improving their livelihood mer season in different villages in Theni, security, there is need for adding economic Periyakulam and Bodi Panchayat Uriions value to their time and labour. This will of the Vaigai Veeran Alagumuthu district be possible only if they acquire new skills in Tamil Nadu state. The research pro- and become skilled workers. The skills, grammes were mainly focused on the pro- in/urn, should be market-driven. In the duction and use of biological co'ntrol case of women wlJo/are often under-paid agents and botanical pesticides using and over-worked, the strategy has to be mostly cheap and locally available reo based on reducing the number of hours of sources. These biological inputs were in- work and adding economic value to each' tegrated with the other components of hour of their work. IPM and field tested. The safety of the biopesticides to non-target organisms was Thus, the assets to be built for the eradi- evaluated. The build-up of resistance in cation of poverty are: market-driven skills the major pests to the commonly used in- and knowledge and technological empow- secticides was detected through bioassay erment. For purposes of fostering produc- studies and also by using black ants as er-oriented marketing, it will be necessary bioindicators. Detailed weekly surveil- to promote the formation of enterprise- lance of pests and natural enemies was centred groups. Thus, it will be appropri- conducted in cotton and groundnut eco- ate to redesignate poverty alleviation pro- systems, which formed the basis for IPM. grammes as Asset Building and Sustain- Since many of the biological inputs are not able Human Development Programmes. available commercially, training pro- Such an orientation will help to promote grammes were organised to produce se- a positive rather than a patronising ap- lected parasitoids, nuclear polyhedrosis proach in the design of poverty alleviation viruses (NPV) and botanical pesticides in programmes. the farm households in two of the project

, "91 Annual Report 1996-97 villages. Rural women, farm youth and nation with Vitex negundo (Tamil: Notchi) farmers participated in the training pro. or neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) at grammes. higher doses resulted in 100% mortality of the pest.

Cotton The efficacy of a protozoan, Vairimorpha Microbial Pesticides necatrix, NPV, B.t. and B. bassiana was - tested individually and in combination. Treatments of American bollworm, Heli- The biopesticides caused 77.7-100% mor. coverpa armigera eggs with NPV, Bacil. tality of H.armigera larvae compared to lus thuringiensis (B.t.) and Beauveria bas. the insecticide. In the case of S. litura the siana resulted in 89.6-96.4% mortality of combination treatments caused 66.7-100% the resultant larvae compared to 95-100% mortality. Observations on the emergence in chemical treatments in the laboratory. of S. litura adults previously exposed in NPV was superior to B.t. in the field reo the fourth larval instar to the entomoge. sulting in 59.9% reduction in the neonate nous fungi, Nomuraea rileyi and B. bassi. larval population. Sequential application ana revealed reduced and delayed emer. of B.t. followed by NPVor NPV followed gence besides malformation. by B.t. at 24 h interval resulted in 100% mortality of IV ins tar larvae of H. armig- lZ negundo 10% leaf extract in combina. era 96 h after inoculation. Contrarily, tion with the fungus biopesticide, N. rio there was an apparent antagonism be. leyi at 1.65 X 107 spores/ml dosage inflict- tween B.t. and NPV of S. litura. The ento- ed 100% mortality of the leafhopper. The mogenous fungus, B. bassiana or NPV or combination treatment was also highly their combination resulted in significant effective against the cotton aphids. mortality of the larvae and were on par with endosulfan. The bacterium containing entomophilic nematode, Steinernema Parasitoids carpocapsae, B. t. and NPV were tested against early, mid and late larval instars Field efficacy of the egg parasitoid, Trich. of H. armigera. Their combination treat- ogramma chilonis was studied in parasit. ments at half the recommended levels izing H. armigera eggs on cotton. The were found to inflict 77.6.100% mortali. study indicated that the parasitoid at the \ ty. dose of 4 cc/acre released in 160 bits/acre Pongamia glabra seed kernel extract caused more than 75% reduction in egg (pSKE) (Tamil: Pungam) was found to be population compared to the existing prac. antagonistic with the fungus. ~iopest~- tice of using 20 bits of Tricho cards. The cides, B. bassiana and Metarrhtztum ant. neonate larval population after release of sopliae against S. litura. NPV in combi. parasitoids was very negligible.

92 Ecotecbnology and Sustainable Agriculture

Botanical Pesticides flicted 66.7-83.3% larval mortality. Among the non-edible oils, neem oil and Madhu- Neem-based biopesticides, Neemgold and ro (Tamil: Iluppai) oil at 3% along with Neemazal at the doses 4.0 and 5.0 mlll Teepol 0.01% were effective in reducing caused increased mortality of cotton leaf H. armigera larval population by 80%. hoppers compared to the lower doses. There was synergism when Pongamia oil Nearly 50% of the insects were killed with- 2% was combined with Madhuca oil 1%, in 24 hr after treatment. resulting in 100% mortality equivalent to Among the aqueous extracts of different endosulfan. Similar effects were also ob- plants possessing pesticide principles served in the case of S. litura and leaf against cotton leaf caterpillar, Spodoptera hopper, Amrasca biguttula biguttula. litura, v: negundo 10% caused 60% mortality three days after treatment. v: ne- Habitat Manipulation and Cultural gundo purpureus at 10% was better than Control the normal green type negundo as the v: Evaluation of cowpea cultivars for identi. cumulative mortality was more than fication of suitable genotype for integra- 73.3%. This was on a par with Ipomea tion with IPM components under habitat carnea (Tamil: Neyveli kattamanakku) diversification programme revealed that 10% and Calotropis gigantea (Tamil: the pre-release cultures CoVu 95 and Erukku) 10% leaf extract treatments. CoVu 623 of TNAU had the highest NSKE 10% and neem oil emulsion 3% number of nymphs oflegume aphid, Aphis were the best of all inflicting total mor- craccivora (44.8 and 36.4 nymphs /sq. cm tality (100%) of the caterpillar. Palmrosa ofthe leat), which served as prey for pred- oil at 1.5% caused highest mortality of S. ators. These cultivars are also suitable for litura. In another studyPSKE inflicted mass multiplication of the aphid for en- 100% mortality of the larvae. hancing predator population in the field Freshly prepared plant extracts were or for laboratory culturing. sprayed on H. armigera eggs. Of the five Organic manures with a reduced dose of materials, PSKE and NSKE at 5% result- synthetic fertilisers NPK 60:40:40 kg/ha ed in less than 28% hatching compared to reduced the infestation of sucking pests 52.5% in control and 41.3% inendosulfan compared to the full ,doseofNPK 80:40:40 treatment. The mortality of the neonate kg/ha. This was followed by two applica- larvae was total in NSKE, PSKE, Notchi tions of Neemazal (1750 ml/ha) at 56 and and 1. carnea treatments. Among the oth- 91 days, which effectively checked the er plant products, the pest was suscepti- build-up of the sucking pests. Distinct ble to Argemone mexicana, Tribulus ter- variations were observed in terms of plant' restris, Aristolochia bracteata, Bougainvil- girth and number of sympodials. The yield lea sp. and Parkinsionia aculeata treat- was the highest in NPK 60:40:40 kg/ha + ments. Coleus aromaticus and Prosopis gobar gas slurry treatment compared to juliflora, though inferior to the above, in- NPK 80:40:40 kg/ha.

93 Annual Report 1996-97

Inclusion of Azospirillum bioiertiliser, as gamia oil and v: negundo treatments in seed treatment or soil application along the laboratory. These treatments could with a reduced dose of synthetic fertilis- reduce the leaf miner population in the ers NPK 60:40:40 kg/ha also reduced the fieldin 72 h equivalent to endosulfan. The population of aphids and leafhoppers. The goundnut le~fhoppers were checked most ratio of the aphid to ladybird predator, by V. negundo leaf extracts (95.8%) fol- Cheilomenes sexmaculata was found to be lowed by NSKE (84.4%). v: negundo, Ipo- narrower in treatments involving both mea and Pongamia extracts had ovicidal seed treatment and soil application of action and v: negundo had in addition Azospirillum than in seed treatment alone larvicidal action. PSKE, NSKE, Prosopis, or application of NPK alone at 80:40:40 Bougainvillea, C. aromaticus and T. ter- kg/ha. Yield was higher in treatments in- restris extracts showed considerable mor- volving seed treatment and soil applica- tality of H. armigera. Neem, Pongamia tion of Azospirillum. and Madhuca oils alone and in combinations were able to cause 88.9-100% mor- The data on the cost of cultivation and the tality of S.litura and H. armigera larvae. net income was gathered for the different seasons. It was found that the total cost of cultivation in the IPM areas was com- Soyabean paratively lower than that of the non-IPM Microbial Pesticides areas. The net gain was also uniformly better compared to the non-IPM areas. NPV, B.t., NSKE and neem oil which were statistically on par with chlorpyriphos Groundnut caused 80-100% mQrtality of H. armigera on soyabean. Microbial Pesticides Maximum mortality of S.litura was seen B.t. and S. carpocapsae alone in full doses with B.t. (59.9%) and NPV+ PSKE com- or in combination in half the doses inflict- bination (59.9%) followed by NPV alone ed 88.9-100% mortality of groundnut leaf (39.9%) on the third day after treatment. miner. In the field trial also, the biopesti- All the treatments showed 100% mortali- cides were found to be on par with insec- ty by the seventh day. ticide. Similar results were obtained inthe case ofH. armigera and S. litura. The pest Botanical Pesticides infestation in groundnut was very low excepting for H. armigera where the bi- The plant products PSKE, v: negundo, A. opesticides gave good results. mericana, T. terre'stris, A. bracteata and P. aculeata caused" 33.3-58.3% mortality of H. armigera at 72 h after treatment. It Botanical Pesticides "increased to 83.3-100% after a week of Leaf miner larvae were found to be quite treatment. The leaf damage was also re- sensitive to NSKE, neem oil, PSKE, Pon- duced by 34.9-69.2%. Madhuca 2% and

94 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

Pongamia 1% oil treatments inflicted The semi-synthetic diet for the insect was 88.9% mortality of S. litura comparable modified for culturing the NPV cheaply. to endosulfan. Their combination treat- Chickpea flour could be substituted by ments at reduced doses were more effec- maize or sorghum or groundnut cake pow- tive at 72 h. All the treatments caused der to an extent of 25% without affecting 100% mortality seven days after treat- the larval development. Cotton seed pow- ment. der and. cotton oil cake powder were not suitable. In another study some of the Surveillance for Pests and Natural costly ingredients of the semisynthetic Enemies diet were reduced by half and the larval development studied. It was found that Weekly surveillance was conducted in ~orbicacid, ascorbic acid, methyl parahy- both cotton and groundnut and the popu- droxy benzoate yeast, streptomycin sul- lations of pests and defenders were as- phate, choline chloride and formaldehyde sessed. The population on weed flora was could be reduced by 50% without chang- also recorded. Better methods of monitoring the levels of chickpea flour and agar ing were developed, using pheromone agar for successfully rearing the different lures for lepidopterans and yellow sticky larval instars. Similar results were ob- traps for three sucking pests. tained with S. litura.

Technology for Mass Production of IPM Modelling H. armigera NPV The cotton IPM model developed by Sun- The NPV of the American cotton boll- daramurthy (1990) has been accepted for worm, H. armigera, is one of the most vir- adoption in many cotton growing states, ulent baculoviruses available at present. where applicable. Based on our studies Its continuous mass production, adopting made in the past four seasons in Vaigai cheap and efficient techniques, will be Veeran Alagumuthu district, the newer very valuable for the management of the components have been included and the pest. Laboratory and pilot scale produc- IPM model improved. tion systems have already been developed in our earlier studies, though some of the Reduction in use of Chemical techniques need refinement. Large scale Pesticides commercial production technology would be necessary so that the biopesticide could The farm youth, women and farmers were be used extensively. At the same time trained in the production and use of bio- .there is need for simpler methods of pro- logical control agents and botanical pes- duction at the cottage level with a view to ticides in their farm households. The prod- enable farmers and sinall entrepreneurs ucts were used along with other IPM tac- to produce and use it at low cost, without tics. A comparison of the IPM effective- affecting the quality. ness in the target village during 1996sum-

95 Annual Report 1996-97 mer season with that of the previous year In groundnut ecosystem monocrotophos, is given in Table 3.6. phosphamidan and chlorpyriphos were tested each at four doses on H. armigera Biosafety of Insect Pathogens and lar;ae collected from groundnut fields. Botanicals Contrary to the observations in cotton, the The fungus biopesticide B. bassiana pest was highly susceptible to all the caused 16-32% mortality of the coccinel- chemicals. However, higher doses resulted in higher mortality, indicating a cer. lid predatory grubs, Cheilomenes sexmaculata in 96 h in three dosages and was tain amount of resistance. All the chemi- not safe to the predator. When B.t., H.a. cals tested were not effective on the red spidermite. NPV and S.l. NPV were mixed with cas- tor pollen and honey and fed to the adult The spidermite on soyabean showed only green lacewing predator, Chrysoperla 14.4.31.1% mortality one day after treat- carnea, there was a mean mortality of ment with five different pesticides. The 14.0-16.0% as against 14.0% in the un- pest showed resistance to phosalone, treated check. These biopesticides were monocrotophos, acephate, methyl dema- found to be safe to this predator. In yet ton and phosphamidan as they" inflicted another experiment, the predator eggs less than 55% mortality. were treated with plant products and it was found that PSKE reduced the hatch- In an interesting study, a simple tech- ing of eggs considerably. Again Ipomea nique was developed using workers of plant extracts caused maximum mortali- black ant, Campo notus compressus as the ty of 62.5% of the newly hatched out grubs bioindicator to assess the presence of in- from the treated eggs. secticides in live H. armigera larvae. Ant mortality reached a maximum of 96% with Toxicology and Biomonitoring of a mean of 71.2% when the H. armigera Pesticides larval homogenate from V.VI instar lar- In the studies on monitoring insecticide vae was given as food to the ants. The resistance in cotton ecosystem, the aphids mortality was less whEmthe homogenate and leaf hoppers showed moderate resist- was prepared from the III-IV instars. The ance to dimethoate and phosphamidan. mortality of ants was much higher when The spidermites showed a high level of H. armigera larvae collected from cotton resistance to almost all the chemicals test- were used and the least with those col- ed. In the case of H. armigera, monocroto. lected from groundnut from another vil- phos was found to be least toxic (11.1%) lage. The fire ant, Monomorium indicum even 48 h after treatment. Endosulfan, tri- was not a good candidate for biomonitor- azophos, quinalphos and deltamethrin ing of pesticide residues in the caterpil- showed moderate levels of resistance. lar.

96 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture

Table 3.6 : [PM trials

Names of Names of No. of rounds No. of rounds Names of No. of rounds target pests chemical used In 1995 used In 1996 blopestlcldes of pesticides used In 1996 blopesticldes used In 1995 used In 1996

Sucking Methyl 4-6 rounds 2 rounds NSKE 3 rounds pests demeton

Stem weevil Carbofuron 2-4 rounds Neem cake, 2 rounds NSKE

H. armigera, Endo$ulfan/ 8-12 rounds 4 rounds Trichogramma Earias sp. Monocrophosl 4 cc/acre. Quinalphos,l NPV 200 LE/acre. Synthetic Plant products. Pyrethroids

97 Programme Area 400

Reaching the Unreached

he focus of this programme area is women and . children. Varied efforts were consolidated under the ~ Resource Centre for Gender and Development, to be headed by the Uttara Devi Chair, while Voicing Silence, the women's theatre group, continued to help new voices to emerge. With advocacy for young children as its mandate, Children on the Agenda continued its efforts at networking, research, training and communication, the last with the support of the public broadcasting system.

401 Children on the Agenda (COTA) 99

402 Smt. Uttara Devi Chair I. Resource Centre for Gender and Development 111

408 VoicingSilence 113 Reaching the Unreached

Sub Programme Area 401 This year, the fifth year of TN FORCES, was in a sense a coming of age for the net- Children on the Agenda work, marked by the adoption of a char- (COTA) ter outlining aims and objectives, and lay- ing down guidelines for membership, The year 1996,97 was an extension peri- structure and functioning. A flexible but od for COTA. The emphasis during the functional structure of small groups has year was on consolidating the gains of the now emerged, indicating both the evolu- past three years by bringing out various tionary process by which the network has products aimed at supporting the objec- developed and a democratic and partici- tive of strengthening child care services patory style of operation. Another signifi- in Tamil Nadu. The project continued to cant event this year was the identifica- carry out regular activities related to the tion of the next Convenor. To sustain the following broad areas (Fig. 4.1): network, it was felt that Convenorship • Networking and Advocacy should be held every three years in rotation by member institutions. The Depart- • Communication ment of Social Work, Loyola College, has • Training and Instructional Materials agreed to act as COnvenorfrom July 97 and • Research, Documentation and Dissem- function as the secretariat of the network. ination The sub-groups met several times during the yearto plan and carry out various ac- Networking tivities. The output is indicated in Project ACCESS has been functioning Table 4.1. The activities showed continu- since 1992 as the Convenor ofTN-FORC- ity over a period of time, indicating that ES (Tamil Nadu - Forum for Creche and the members now have a considerable Child Care Services), a network of NGOs, degree of clarity regarding their roles and trade unions, women's associations, aca- are able to pursue them vigorously. Em- demic institutions. and others initiated to phasis was laid on the development of lobby for improved child care services, communication materials, and on collab- especially for the young children of work- orative research, especiall~ on media is- ing women in the unorganised sector. The sues. main activities of the network include advocacy, information sharing, capacity The sub-group on Preschool Education, building, lobbying, strategising and car- formed last year, was active in voicing its rying out joint activities. The network concern to the Government about the members, now numbering 73, meet every present state of affairs in ECCE in the year to identify a new theme to add to State, and has followed it up by running those chosen in earlier years, to formu- refresher training courses in four places late strategies, and to form sub-groups to for preschool teachers during the summer undertake activities related to the themes. of 1997.

99 Annual Report 1996-97

Fig. 4.1 : Children on the Agenda

100 Reaching the Unreached

Table 4.1 : Network activities

Month Event I Location Co-sponsor Participants Objectives Output

July 96 Core Committee TN FORCES Core group To plan A memorandum meeting,Chennai members for a meeting to the Education with the Minister on the Education regulation of Minister pre-school education

July 96 Meeting with the TN - FORCES Members of To learn the Preparation of a State Finance sub-group on thinking of the memorandum to Commission, Decentralisa- government be included in Chennai tion on decentralis- the report of ation of child SFC care services

July 96 Resource Southern Heads of To plan for the Four material group meet Regional institutions formation of a development Network and resource Resource workshops persons in group for planned ECCE training on ECCE

August 96 Talk on AIR in TN-FORCES Health To sensitise Panel connection with subgroup public on discussion Breastfeeding members breastfeeding broadcast by AIR Day as a right of the child

August 96 Five day Organising Supervisors To improve 30 participants Orientation Committee of creches capability of from 15 institu- Course and balwadis supervisors tions took part. in NGO in order to A manual is sector in strengthen child being prepared Tamil Nadu care services

August 96 Meeting of DATA, Members of To finalise Preparation and the Southern Madurai southern the proposal submission of Regional regional for a sustained proposal Network, network campaign Madurai against the burden on the preschool child

101 Annual Report .1996-97

Table 4.1 Contd...

Month Event / Location Co-sponsor Participants Objectives Output

Sept- Teachers Day Organising 125 child care To bring child Decided to ember 96 celebration Committee workers from care workers conduct 20 NGOs together to similar in Chennai share their programmes to concems, improve prepare self confidence leaming aids and quality and offer of teaching recreational activities

Octo- Core Committee TN-FORCES Core To plan Suggestions ber 96 Meeting, Committee change of made for new Chennai members Convenor Convenor and TN-FORCES theme for 1997 and 1996 Annual Meeting

Decem- Annual Meeting, TN-FORCES Members To review Annual plan ber96 Chennai 1996 prepared - activities Convenor and plan for decided 1997 activities

March 97 Orientation for Gandhigram Women To dialogue Identification of women Trust panchayat on issues possible courses panchayat members, related to of action on members of from Athur women & these issues at Athur Panchayat, block children the local level, Gandhigram and action plan

102 Reaching the Unreached

The media sub-group prepared a report FORCES participated in the National - based on a study of the portrayal of wom- level consl,lltation jointly conducted by en in Tamil cinema, which was widely dis- National FORCES and the National Com- tributed for advocacy. They also monitored mission for Women, which attempted to the FM channel of All India Radio to see draw attention to the plight of young chil- whether social advertisements, particu- dren and plead for the inclusion of child larly those related to women and children, care services in the Minimum Needs Pro- are aired according to prescribed norms, gramme and larger allocations for the and are taking it up with the Director of young child in the Ninth Plan. AIR. Communication While continuing to work on the themes Project support communication works of the last three years, the network took with all the possible channels including up Decentralisation of Child Care Servic- radio, television, and print medium to cre- es as the theme for 1997. Mter meeting ate awareness on issues related to wom- the Chairman of the State Finance Com- en and children. The range of products mission and submitting a memorandum brought out for this purpose is given in on the need to decentralise child care serv- Table 4.2. Functioning in the campaign ices, the sub-group explored possible strat- mode against the burden on the preschool egies for a campaign on decentralisation child has generated a tremendous re- on the lines of the campaign against the sponse, as documented by Messages that burden on pre-school children. Generat- move - a report on the impact of the video ing awareness among the various stake- spots on the theme, which are being reg- holders, particularly the elected members, ularly telecast by Doordarshan since Jan- was the suggested first step. uary 1996. The diverse background of the respondents is indicative of the good reach National FORCES of the spots. School children, parents, There was also active collaboration with teachers, principals, school managements, National FORCES this year on several scientists, lecturers, anganwadi workers, issues of common concern. Particular NGOs and grandparents are some of mention must be made of efforts at lobby- them. One key issue that has emerged is ing with the GOI for the rights of women the dilemma ofparents who know that the and young children. Strong lobbying was present system is hard on the child, yet attempted during the third quarter of feel it is necessary in the present compet- 1996 for the inclusion of the maternity and itive world. Some of the responses to the child care rights of women labourers in campaign are given below. the Agricultural Workers Bill. Members met the then Finance Minister in August Some responses .... 1996, to impress upon him the need for • A parent had taken his children from allocating more resources for child care. an "English medium" nursery back to In January 1997, the Convenor, TN the balwadi, after watching the spots.

103 Annual Report 1996-97

• A flood of enquiries about alternative • Doordarshan, Madras has telecast the schools was received from parents. Villuppatu Sumaiya? Suvaiya? more than 5 times. In addition to these, Ind- • Several school managements and many ha Bharam Thevaiya? (Dangerous Bur- parents have shown interest in the play- den) and Arivathil Anandam (Learning way method. Can be Fun) have been shown several • Requests have been received from times both on Doordarshan and Vijay school managements and NGOs for TV. training in alternative methods of education. Special Days • The medical profession has become a A key communication strategy this year powerful ally in the campaign. Indian was the use of 'special days' to create Academy of Paediatrics(IAP) - Tamil awareness on issues related to women and Nadu has taken as its theme for 1997 children. Articles, spots and talks empha- 'Healthy primary and pre-primary ed- sised the multiple roles of women and ucation' and is organising a series of ac- child care services in all media. Imma, the tivities around the theme, bringing to- quarterly network newsletter, carried spe- gether the various stakeholders. lAP cial supplements on Children's Day and conducted a meeting in Erode in Feb- on International Women's Day, suggest- ruary called Mazhalayar 97 and re- ing ways of celebrating the event in line leased a souvenir. Similar meetings with TN-FORCES concerns. have been held in Kumbakonam, Pon- dicherry and Neyveli. A leading Tamil newspaper came forward to conduct a poetry competition on the • NCERT commended the media cam- theme of women's multiple roles on the paign and its impact at a national meet eve of International Women's Day. Out of on advocacy for ECCE. 2,000 entries received, the five prize winning poems were published in Dinamani • An assurance from one MLA has been Magalir Malar (special issue on women's received regarding action on the Mem- day). Similarly a story competition was 0randum sent to the Education Minis- held in collaboration with Kumkumam, ter and four MLAs. another popular Tamil magazine, which • Articles have appeared in popular published the prize-winning stories suces- newspapers on the theme more often sively in its next five editions. Of the five during the last year than at any other writers, three had attended the first writ- time. ers' workshop held in April 96. • A cartoonist who was sensitised by the On Human Rights Day, five video spots campaign brought out a full page of car- on the theme of Gender Justice - Rights toons on the theme in Dinamani Kadhir of Women and Children - were released (9 June 96). by the Director of Doordarshan, Chennai

104 ,

Reaching the Unreached

Kendra. The need to recognise the triple hood Care and Education for child care roles of women as workers, mothers and, workers and supervisors of Southern Re- homemakers is emphasised in these spots gional Network (TN FORCES). The par- which direct attention to the various ways ticipating institutions have created an in which family, employer, State and so- awareness among parents about the pres- ~ ciety can enable women and girls to enjoy sures on preschool children and the effi- their rights. These spots have so far been cacy of the play-way method of teaching. used by resource persons as discussion As a result people in seven villages in starters in more than 30 seminars/work-, Ramnad District have come forward to shops, and have been shown in interna- start balwadis and three have already tional conferences(on Gender, Science and been launched. Development), workshops, refresher courses for lecturers and other meetings. Doord- Balwadi teachers have prepared commu- arshan Kendra has started telecasting nication materials like villupattu and them from the last week of December 96 street plays Oli the themes of pressures in addition to the spots already being tel- on preschool children and child-centred ecast on 'Burden on the Preschool Child'. methods ofteaching, which have been well received by the public. A resource group An audio casette containing songs on bur- consisting of trainers from the participat- denless preschool education, Enga Patta ing organisations has been formed for Kelunga, was released on Children's Day, training support. by the Minister for Social Welfare, Tamil Nadu. The Tamil version of Balancing Trainers' Training Multiple Roles was also released on that day. A six day course for the Lecturers of Dis- trict Institute of Education and Training Popular Tamil magazines Dinamani, Di- (DIET) and representatives of NGOs was namani Pongal Malar, Theekathir, Velli- held in June 1996 as the second and con- mani, Kunkumam brought out special is- cluding part of the orientation to ECCE. sues related to women and children to sen- The aims of the workshop were to focus sitise the public and other concerned on Child Development, practical training groups, while AIR broadcast a panel dis- strategies for teachers at the preprimary cussion on the theme. Many invitations and primary level and a concrete action have been received to speak on women's plan for implementation. Subsequently, multiple roles and support services as a result of the sustained work on gender is- • Each DIET has agreed to adopt 5 - 20. sues and on the burden theme. schools(classes I & II) to introduce practical implementation of the play-way and ECCE methods in early primary Training classes. The year started with a one week residen- • Plans have been made to offer inserv- tial course in May 1996 on Early Child- ice and preservice training to teachers

105 r -I

Annual Report 1996-97

Table 4.2 : Products

Month Name Content Audience Output I Outcome

June 96 Thirai Padangalil Study of the Women's 950 copies Pengal portrayal organisations, distributed of women in legislators, Tamil cinema media, by media TN FORCES sub-group members

July 96 Memorandum on Urging a Education Submitted and Preschool separate Minister, discussed with Education directorate for Tamil Nadu Minister preschools

July 96 Messages that Audience Professionals, 150 copies Move feedback on policy makers, distributed Burden on the and public Preschool Child spots

August 96 Memorandum Maternity Labour Assurance from on rights of benefits,child Ministry Gol, the Minister on women workers care services Labour Secretary, consideration of (Tamil & English) and equal pay M.P.s, these issues for women Trade Unions, agricultural Women's groups labourers

November 96 Enga Patta Songs on Teachers, Children's Day Kelunga Burden school release by on Preschool managements, Social Welfare Child professionals, Minister, parents/ Tamil Nadu; public 174 cassettes distributed

December 96 Five video spots Gender justice- Public, NGOs, Regularly shown (Tamil) women's and women's on Doordarshan. children's groups, Used in rights students etc. 30 meetings I discussions

Contd. ..

106 Reaching the Unreached

Table 4.2 Con/d ..

Month Name Content Audience Output I Outcome

November 96 Yethanai Kaigal Study of child Govt. officials, 200 copies Pengalukku care strategies NGOs, MLAs, distributed. of women in professionals, Released on unorganised women's Children's Day sector groups, by Minister for Panchayat Social Welfare, members Tamil Nadu

January 97 At What Cost? Study on NGO's, Govt. 450 copies women's officials, policy distributed multiple roles makers, research and managrnent network, of breastfeeding women's groups, professionals

February 97 Decentral isation Study materials Panchayat 115 copies of child care on decentrali- members, distributed services sation of child NGO personnel, (Tamil & English) care servies Councillors, women's groups

April 97 Andrada Activity - based ECCEtrainers, Just completed porutkalum, leaming through teachers and seyalmurai low-cost schools kalviyum materials

May 97 Annaikku A manual on Health workers 1000 copies each Aadaravu training for in NGOs and to health empowering Govt. workers by VHAI, women to women's and TINP; breastfeed groups, 350 to Indian hospitals Academy of Pediatrics

June 97 Death by Female Research Just published; "Social Causes" infanticide in network, Govt. distribution Tamil Nadu and NGOs, ongoing womens' groups

107 Annual Report 1996-97

ofECCE and orientation training on the activities with low-cost! no-cost materials, goals, objectives, curriculum and meth- science experiences and sand, clay and ods of ECCE for HMs, DEOS, AEOS water play for preschoolers. The main and principals of DIETS. objective of these training videos is to show actual classroom situations, where The training has elicited positive and some teachers have successfully used low practical reactions. cost strategies in making learning a pleas- • Some of the DIET trainers conducted a urable process for children. Four cassettes three-day inservice training programme are being edited. on the playway method of teaching and preparation of low-cost teaching mate- Research rials for over 300 teachers of classes I The research component continued to ad- & II. dress the gaps in information on issues • One-day orientation was given to the related to the young child. The Research primary school HMs on minimum lev- Series in 1996 initiated with the publica- els of learning, reducing dropouts etc. tion of Balancing Multiple Roles went on to the second in the series, At What Cost? • Some train~rs have included ECCE as in Jan 1997. It presents an analytical ac- a separate subject in the training cur- count of the findings of a study on the riculum. Regular monitoring of schools multiple roles ofwomen and management and evaluation is also being done. of breastfeeding. The Tamil summary of the first has been published and widely Instructional Materials distributed, while the Tamil version ofthe latter in the form of a training manual for The first two phases ofthe soft toys project health workers entitled Annaikku were completed successfully last year. Atharavu(Empowering Women to Breast- Based on the findings of the evaluation feed) is just out. study, the attempt to initiate production on a large scale for distribution in bal- Forthcoming titles in the research series wadis was begun. Mter discussion with are: the Director of Social Welfare, two train- • Death by 'Social Causes' - a consolidating programmes (one at Chennai and one ed report on perceptions about female at Kancheepuram) on the preparation of infanticide in Tamil Nadu and the re- soft toys were conducted for members of sponses of NGOs and Government on the tailoring societies identified by the this issue Directorate. The proposal for mass production of these toys is under study. • Watering the Neighbour's Plant - a look at the perceptions of media on the is- The other important activity was video sue offemale infanticide in Tamil Nadu documentation of innovative classroom teaching. The areas chosen were creative • Child Care Services in Tamil Nadu -

108 Reaching the Unreached

Retrospect and Prospect - an analytical A one - week training programme on ac- overview of existing services for the tivity based education designed to suit y{)ungchild with some pointers for the local conditions as affirmed from a pre- future. liminary assessment was conducted in March '97 in Guwahati for DPEP person- The fourth Research Network Meeting nel. Similarly, a workshop was conducted was held in Aug 1996, with the objective for ICDS functionaries in Orissa, to as- of critiquing the findings of the multicen- sess their training needs, based on which tric research study,'Womens' multiple a training programme is to be formulat- roles and management of breastfeeding', ed. exchanging experiences and providing suggestions to improve the quality of re- Another major training support activity search in the area ofchild care. It has been undertaken was the designing and con- suggested that the focus for the next few duct of training programmes for elected years should be the needs of children be- women representatives of local bodies at low 2 years. Chennai and Gandhigram, in support of the TN-FORCES theme for 1997. The ob- Resource Support jective was to orient the elected representatives on issues concerning young children In tune with one of its important objec- and women and to focus attention on ac- tives, COTAprovided resource support to tion to be taken and the information/ a wide variety of activities related to is- training support that they would need. sues concerning young children and wom- Before conducting these training pro- en. The support, in response to demands grammes, a national level brainstorming from both the Government and the NGO meet was held to understand the concept sectors, was mainly in training, commu- of decentralisation of child care services nication and information (database), and to stimulate the processes of decen- which have now emerged as the core com- tralisation. This contributed to a better petencies of the project in addition to the understanding of a whole rarige of issues personnel. including finance and administration, monitoring, evaluation and community Training/ Workshops Support participation. The outcome is a process paper (under preparation), offering guide- This was in three forms : lines on the whole process of decentrali- • Designing and conducting training on sation of child care services. request The project staff participated as resource • Functioning as resource persons in persons in several one-day workshops and training programmes conducted by oth- training sessions organised by other in- ers stitutions such as Avinashilingam Insti- • Bringing together resource persons to tute, Annamalai University, Bharatidas- further training an University, NGOs and professional as-

109 Annual Report 1996-97

sociations. The themes were burdenless with the same issues. A booklet brought education and gender issues. Resource out by NCERT about the burden on the support was provided to a series of one- pre-school child was translated into Tamil day advocacy meetings on burdenless ed- and prepared, illustrated and made ready ucation conducted by the Indian Acade- for printing. DTERT is expected to pub- my of Paediatrics. Similarly, support was lish it. This would provide excellent ad- provided for the training programme for vocacy material to reach parents and supervisors of creches, organised by TN- school managements. Another unique ac- FORCES and the training organised by tivity was the preparation of a collection the southern region of the network. Re- of folk tales suitable for children collect- source persons from the Southern Region ed/written by child care workers. Mter helped to prepare new games and exam- being critiqued and edited by a panel of ine locally available games for children experts it is now being published serially and to utilise these resource materials to in the Newsletter ofTamil Nadu Integrat- train ECCE teachers. Fifty games have ed Nutrition Project, which reaches about been identified for use by teachers and 30,000 child care workers in Tamil Nadu. compilation and editing is in progress. Two material development workshops A report on the campaign against the bur- were held to devise more creative activi- den on the pre-school child and its impact ties to enrich and nourish the children's was presented in a Seminar onRole of Pro- imagination. fessional Organisations for Advocacy in ECE conducted by NCERT in February A resource person from Calc~tta was in- 97. The strategy was appreciated and re- vited to conduct workshops on teaching quests for assistance in similar activities aids based on low-cost / no-cost materials have been received. and to learn more about th~ innovative uses of indigenous crafts. Si,'{institutions Communication support for a project of from Madras and one each from Madurai the Department of Social Welfare, Gov- and Coimbatore participated. All the in- ernment ofTamil Nadu, called "Improved stitutions have started using these tech- Services for a-3 years children" in Naga- niques in the class room as well as in their pattinam was another major activity. As ECCE training. Apart from this, the very young children must be reached at project has also supplied lists of resource home, training imparted to mothers, fam- persons from its database for training pro- ily members, and elders, and creating ---'-. grammes to be conducted by other organ- public awareness especially among com- isations - both NGOs and Government. munity leaders, assume great significance. Communication which can reach the people is essential to strengthen the Communication Support informal support systems. To develop a The project has also been providing com- wide range of communication materials a munication support to others concerned workshop was conducted in February

110 Reaching the Unreached . 1997 for artists, mediapersons, folk per- material on issues related to women and formers and subject matter specialists as young children. The materials have been well as supervisors, trainers, teachers and distributed to a wide variety of clientele mothers. Sixteen crucial messages were including Govt. Departments, NGOs, identified and worked into different forms training institutions, women's organisa- like villupattu, folk songs, video spots, tions, academic institutions, media, poli- drama, puppet shows, radio play and vis- ticians, professionals, consultants, re- uals. Work is continuing with the involve- source persons and others. Mailing lists ment of both TINP and ICDS and the fi- according to the various constituencies nal products will be available later this have been developed over the years for the year for dissemination. purpose of dissemination. A major portion of dissemination is based on requests. Information Support (database) The project continues to receive requests Sub Programme Area 402 for information on resource materials, Smt. Uttara Devi Chair I training, resource persons and technical support. On an average about 20 requests Resource Centre for Gender are received over the phone every month and Development and over a hundred written requests have come in, asking for information about The Smt. Uttara Devi Chair/Resource ACCESS publications and videos. Queries Centre for Gender and Development has about alternative schools and preschool been set up as an endowment by the fam- educational materials for improving the ily of the late Smt. Uttara Devi, wife of quality of schools or starting preschools the late Dr.B.V.Rao, Founder-Chairman are also being received. of Sri Venkateswara Hatcheries. The To fulfil information needs a database that ChairlResource Centre began functioning currently contains information on re- informally from October '96, and is to be source persons and alternative schoolshas formally inaugurated in September 1997. been developed. The database on resource The Centre is expected to provide an in- persons proflles 196 persons, and is being teractive collaborative framework to in- actively accessed by educational institu- clude the gender dimension in all our ef- tions / organisations all over Tamil Nadu forts and help to develop a new interface for their training programmes and work- between research and social intervention. shops. The database on alternative schools A Directory of academicians involved in in Chennai and other districts of Tamil Gender Studies in Tamil Nadu was con- Nadu currently stands at 35. sidered essential to form a base for broad- based activities. The compilation is over Resource Material Support and editing is in progress. This is the be- A key area of strength has been the pro- ginning of a data-base of persons involved duction and dissemination of resource in Gender Studies in Tamil Nadu.

111 Annual Report 1996-97

A national level brain-storming workshop Wetlands Management), and to map out on gender concerns, in varied areas such future directions. Besides in-house partic- as Agricultural Technology, Biodiversity ipants representing the three projects, and Culture & Communication, which several resource persons contributed to was originally planned, is now being con- the discussions. ducted in stages. To begin with it was decided to concentrate on Biodiversity alone, .The objectives, scope, approach and strat- and to participate in the preparation of egies of the three projects were presented the report on Gender Dimensions in Bio- and queries relating to gender roles and diversity Management being undertaken relations and dynamics of the process were by the Foundation. The Centre was in- raised. volved in the formulation of the report and The discussions centred on : in the workshop for finalising it in June • Definition of gender perspective; 1997. Another national level workshop is • Attitude towards the community and to- planned for September '97, on the theme, wards women in the community fabric; Gender and Development: The Research Action Inter{ace.A need to incorporate gen- • Human issues and their relationship to questions of natural resources, technol- der concerns in all the on-going projects ogy, etc. of the Foundation was felt. An in-house 'seminar in December '96. and several in- • Awareness, strategies and mechanisms formal discussions have been held, and a to counter vested interests; workshop for formulating a gender-sensi- • Women's workload in relation to tech- tive plan of work in all projects was felt nological intervention; important. • Women's access to and control over credit, resources and income; A workshop on Ge~det Dime~ion-s in Community Livelihood Strategies was or- • Withdrawal strategies of the projects ganised at the Foundation by the staff of and implications for continuity and the Uttara Devi Chair for Gender and impact. Development, taking advantage of the There were also specific discussions con- presence of those attending the national- cerning each project in particular. level brainstorming session on Gender Di- Certain suggestions for the functioning of mensions in Biodiversity Management in the Chair for Gender and Development India to conduct the in-house self-reflex- emerged: ive workshop. 1. Formation of a Task Force to make sure The purpose was to assess the extent to that gender perceptions run in and which gender and other social dimensions through the projects of the Foundation; have been incorporated in the three main 2. Training programmes for gender projects at the Foundation which have a awareness and sensitivity; bearing on community livelihoods (i.e. 3. Input into evolving methodology to as- Eco-Technology, Biovillages and Coastal sess and evaluate gender dimensions.

112 Reaching the Unreached

Sub Programme Area 403 from 11-15February, '97.Mauna-k-kuram was performed on February 13, 1997 at Voicing Silence Kalaivanar Arangam and received wide Voicing Silence entered its fifth year with acclaim in both the Tamil and English the support of The Hunger Project and press. Invitations for performances are HIVOS. The activities included perform- still being received. ances and productions, networking, training and using theatre as a resourceful re- c. We Also Make Babies search tool in drawing out women to ex- For the first time Voicing Silence tried its press themselves. hand at a quasi-English production for the UNDP Asia - Pacific Women Scientists Performances Meet on Women, Science & Technology a. Pacha Mannu held in Chennai in December '96. This A street play in the interactive mode on p~aylet raised the concerns of a common the theme of female infanticide, this play woman regarding technological inn ova- was developed in November '95 and tak- tions, the economyand attitudes ofthe scien on a 50-show rural jatha in the sum- entists. Set in an exaggerated parodic mer of '96. An invitation was received to mode, it touched upon many sensitive is- perform it in the colleges and villages sues and was later repeated for an in- within Manonmaniam Sundaranar Uni- house presentation. The show was, as usu- versity as part of an orientation pro- al, developed through collective discus- gramme on the status of women in India. sions and improvisations. Participation of In October 1996 Pacha Mannu was per- members from the other projects of the formed in eight places, covering the three Foundation was a new dimension. districts of Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and Tuticorin. Though the play was essentially Networking designed to be performed in areas where the practice of female infanticide/foeticide Kulavai '97: Workshop with Women Stage was recorded, it was found to be a useful Artistes of Tamil Nadu. educational tool to raise questions on Taking up where Kulavai '96 left off,Ku- women's awareness oftheir own value and lavai '97was organised at the Tamil Nadu self-estimation. State level. For the first time, professional actresses in Tamil Nadu, from differ- b. Mauna-k-kuram ent genres and different parts ofthe State, This play, a challenge to patriarchal val- came together to discuss both their lives ues and cast in classical form, was revived and their professional careers. Five wom- after a gap of almost two years for the en from 'Isai Natakam', eleven from 'Nov- National People's Theatre Festival organ- els', one from Sabha Natakam and five ised in Chennai by Chennai Kalai Kuzhu from experimentaltheatre in Madras par-

113 Annual Report 1996-97

ticipated in this workshop, along with b. Productions members of Voicing Silence. A unique event was the all-women terukoothu per- Two plays are in progress right now. formed by the women's troupe of Kattai A translation into Tamil of Shaonli Mith- Koothu Kalai Valarcci Munnetra Sangam, ra's well-known Bengali play on the life Kanchipuram. Kulavai '97 was co-spon- of Draupadi, Nathabati Anathobat whi~h sored by Tamil Nadu Iyal, Isai, Nataka is being published byKatha, was produced Manram, International Institute ofTamil as a joint effort of Voicing Silence and Studies and Kattai Koothu Kalai Valarc- Palkalai Arangam. ci Munnetra Sangam. This workshop highlighted the contribution of women to Work has begun onAvvai, one ofthe most the stage and also brought out some spe- famous women Sangam poets ill;Tamil. cific issues common to this community of This play will attempt to introspect our women. notions ofknowledge, youth and diploma- cy by putting into question the common Theatre as a Research Tool construction of Avvai in Tamil psyche as an old lady. The poet 'Inquilaab' is work- a. Workshop with Dalit Women ing on the text. For the first time Sangam Working on the premise that differences poetry will find theatrical expression in among women ought not to be brushed Tamil. aside, Voicing Silence has planned to have workshops with different communities of Documentation women, to enable them to express their concerns through theatre. Dr. M. Jeeva Kulavai, an hour long documentation of of Pondicherry School of Drama had been Kulavai '96, was directed by Mini Hari. assigned the task of working with Dalit 19 copies have been distributed. Pacha Women to evolve a play based on their ex- Mannu, a 20 minute documentary about periences and expressions. A preliminary the interactive process around the play workshop was held in Cheranmahadevi Pacha Mannu in the field has also been in January '97 and a six-day workshop to directed by Mini Hari. There has been a produce the play was held in April 1997. steady demand for this film for education- The new play thus developed was first al purposes and 10 copies have been dis- staged for a largely Dalit audience on tributed. April 14, 1997, and will form the reper- toire of Chemmani troupe of Tirunelveli. An archival documentation, in both au- It is a new phenomenon in the field of the- dio and video, on Women Stage Artistes atre to initiate, put together and produce of Tamil Nadu has been completed. The a play based on the life-experiences of a material is being shared with Internation- specific community of people, providing al Institute of Tamil Studies and Tamil support and respecting the autonomy of Nadu Iyal, Isai, Nataka Manram, and is the group. also available to other scholars.

114 Programme Area 500

Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

nder this programme area, a wide range of training programmes, seminars and workshops Uwere organised. The Annual inter-disciplinary dialogue was on the theme, "Building Partnerships for Sustainable Food and Livelihood Security". Databases, particularly the Farmers' Rights Information Service, were reorganised to promote improved access.

•

501 Training Programmes 116 502 Workshops and Conferences 128

503 Informatics and the CD-ROMLibrary 136 504 Mapping Science in India through Analysis of Publications: Agriculture and Biology 138 Annual Report 1996-97

Sub Programme Area 501 of biological resources. He pointed out that our country is one of the 12 mega Training Programmes diversity countries. It has two hot spot areas namely, the North-Eastern Training Programmes in Himalayan Region and Western Ghat Biodiversity Management Region. He discussed the various threats to biodiversity and mentioned The primary responsibility of conser- the efforts taken during the Silent Val- vation of biodiversity rests with the ley conservation movement against the Government, but various community construction of a dam in the 1970's. organisations and NGOs also play an important role in preserving this Dr. P. K. Warrier, in his Presidential unique heritage. They function as vital Address, stressed the need for scien- catalysts at the community level and tific utilisation of biological resources act as a link between official agencies in a sustainable manner. Mr. T.M. and communities. To further this end, Manoharan, CCF (Vigilance), Kerala an NGO network was formed through enumerated the benefits of the diver- Trainers' Training Programmes. So far, sity of biological resources to mankind 5 programmes have been conducted in and other living organisms and different NGO Centres and Institu- stressed the need for conservation. tions in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The curriculum of the course was care- The Sixth Trainers' Training fully formulated by experts and 21 sub- Programme jects were selected, in keeping with the theme of medicinal plant conservation This programme was conducted at Arya and the overall emphasis on biodiver- Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal, Kerala from 8 sity conservation. Several experts from - 12 November, 1996. Participants were universities, institutions and NGOs selected from 33 NGO's operating in were invited to deliver lectures and the state of Kerala. The major thrust conduct a participatory programme to was on conservation and sustainable bring home the concept of Biodiversi- utilisation of medicinal plants. The pro- ty Conservation. The course was con- gramme was inaugurated by Dr. M. S. ducted in the vernacular language to Swaminathan and Dr. P. K. Warrier, make it meaningful and purposeful. Chief Physician and Managing Trustee, Arya Vaidya Sala. Dr. Swaminathan, The particil'ants were taken to Arya while explaining the theme of this Vaidya Sala factory and subsequently training programme to the partici- to the medicinal plants farm at Kotta- pants, lauded the role of AVS in bridg- puram and Kanchirampuzha forest of ing the gap between conservation and Palakkad district. They were able to utilisation, with the involvement of lo- study' the cultivation of medicinal cal people, in the sustainable harvest plants in a large area, the cost benefit

116 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building ratio, identification and propagation of biodiversity conservation and stressed important medicinal plants and the the need for awareness of the impor- need for establishing herbal gardens at tance of biodiversity among govern- the household level. ment officers. The participants were requested to The curriculum was similar to that of send their proposals to conduct grass the earlier course. Field trips were con- root level training programmes for ducted in the morning on two days, and women, school students and youth in one full day trip to Sirumalai forest was their respective areas. undertaken to enable the participants to learn, to identify plants and to in- As a continuation of the programme, troduce them to the concepts of biodi- seven NGOs were selected to conduct versity, plant species and their associ- a grass root level training programme ation, ethnobotany and tribal knowl- and requested to. send their proposals. edge. A Sacred Grove deep inside the Of these, the Society for Environmen- forest enabled the participants to re- tal Education in Kerala (SEEK), Edat, alise its role in biodiversity conserva- and the Centre for Overall Develop- tion. Tests, including the production of ment, Kozhikode, were chosen to con- a play, were used to assess the extent duct the BDC Training Programme for of comprehension and assimilation. rural women, youth, farmers and school students in their respective ar- Grass Root-level Training eas. Around 80 participants were ex- Programme on Biological Diversity posed to traditional medicinal knowl- Conservation edge through the programmes. Consequent to the .Seventh Trainers' T!w Seventh Trainers' Training Training Programme, several propos- Programme als to conduct grass root level training programmes were received and 8 NGO The programme was conducted from 25 proposals were selected for collabora- to 29 January 1997, at Krishi Vigyan tion and support. Kendra, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu. Represent- In the first schedule, four non-govern- atives of 32 NGO's from the southern mental organisations, namely: Institute districts of Tamil Nadu participated. for Development Exchange (INDEX), Mr. S. John Joseph, Programme Direc- Thirumangalam, Madurai District; In- tor, explained the role of NGO's in bio- stitute for Youth and Development diversity conservation and the neces- (IYD), T. Andipatti, Madurai District; sity for conducting training pro- Anthodaya, Palamedu, Madurai Dis- grammes. Mr.Chandramoorthy, Dis- trict; and Grama Reconstruction and trict Collector, Mannar Thirumalai Dis- Extension Trust, Natham, Dindugal trict, delivered the keynote address on Anna District, conducted grass root

117 Annual Report 1996-97 level training programmes on Biologi- Adaptive Participatory Research is a cal Diversity Conservation for rural strategy which is used in developing women in collaboration with our Foun- ecotechnologies for sustainable devel- dation during 18-30 April 1997. 160 opment. It focuses on evolving ecotech- women and 35 panchayat leaders par- nologies and helps in defining the ticipated in these training pro- framework for managing the technolo- grammes. gies. Testing of input-accessibility (pro- curement of raw materials and inputs), Technology Resource Centre market linkages, financial viability are (TRC) for Training in some of the important aspects of Adap- Ecotechnologies tive Participatory Research. The resource persons of TRCs evaluate the technologies through "learning by do- Strategy ing". The Technology Resource Centre (TRC) Thus training is the core activity in the came into existence with the help of CAPART and aims at creating a corps TRC of MSSRF and is characterised by of trainers who have participated in interactive learning and learning by doing. capacity building programmes in various dimensions of sustainable develop- Capacity building takes place through ment. Capacity building believes in hor- a specific process. Potential resource izontal (farmer to farmer) transfer of persons are identified in grass root knowledge which is vital for self-repli- non-governmental organisations. Spe- cation of various technologies and mod- cific emphasis is given to representa- els. The entire process is based on the tives of farmers associations and farm- principles of interactive learning ers groups. TRC adopts various meth- where new dissemination strategies for ods (Table 5.1) after identifying a po- the deployment of new ideas are antic- tential resource village where the tech- ipated to evolve spontaneously. nology may be relevant.

Table 5.1 : TRC methodology

Phase. Activities

Mobilisation Socio-cultural activation, conscientization, understanding each other Organisation Identifying the organisation types, helping the communities to build organisations Training Interactive leaming, Leaming by doing Technical Support Making the technology work System Management Co-ordinating for extension, interlinking resource persons with various extension agencies

118 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

Objectives extend its ideas in the adjoining regions such as Kerala and Karnataka. • to enhance the capacities of people through training of trainers belong- A network among the resource persons ing to government and non-govern- is being developed. Such a network mental organisations and farmers would help in effective participation in associations training programmes, demonstration and extension. Apart from the technol- • to undertake participatory technologies and issues of sustainable devel- ogy development and dissemination opment, the resource persons are also for the rural poor in various project trained in communication. In addition areas to the three-week training programme, resource persons are expected to be a • to conduct need based adaptive re- part of Participatory Adaptive Re- search and development search projects for a period of one to three years. • to develop and disseminate databases on ecological farming methods and on the intellectual property Projects rights of tribal and rural women in The projects launched by the Centre the area of genetic conservation and (Table 5.2) offer the training grounds enhancement for the capacity building process. These projects are managed directly by the Resource Persons and Resource staff and help in developing a strong Villages linkage between adaptive research and capacity building. The focus is also on creating resource villages i.e. a set of resource persons Integrated Pest Management for a specific theme from a specific village. Such an arrangement will not only Theme help in better interaction among the In India, 15 to 40% of crop losses are resource persons, but also help in cre- caused by pests, diseases and weeds. ating linkages with industries, univer- Integrated Pest Management (lPM) sities and extension organisations. In- has been developed for major crops in formation about resource persons India. Biopesticides, which playa ma- would be made available to NGOs, Ex- jor role in IPM, are always in short sup- tension agencies, Government depart- ply and farmers do not get them in ments and other institutions which are time. Plant extracts from neem, Vitex involved in agriculture and rural de- negundo play a major role in IPM, and velopment. The operational base for 'the production process of these biopes- TRC is entire Tamil Nadu. However, ticides at the farm and at the house- it is also looking for opportunities to hold levels has been refined.

119 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 5.2 : Projects launched by TRC

Area of Training Programme Adaptive Research Project

Integrated Pest Management Farm-level Biopesticide Production Biodiversity Biopesticide Feed Stock Model- Neem Village Biodiversity Drumstick Seeds to Purify Drinking Water from Ruoride Water Harvesting Water Harvesting & Pulse Village Projects Biodiversity Integrated Intensive Farming System-Demonstration and Extension Informatics Multimedia packages in Tamil for sustainable agriculture

Resource Village the basis of the suggestions from the village community. Vadugapatty village near Periakulam of Theni district. Tamil Nadu Training Pre-training Phase An introductory session was organized Every training programme is preced- at Vadugapatty for three days with sci- ed by a pre-training phase, in which entists, farmers and representatives of mobilization and organization of the the Agriculture Department. The pat- community at the Resource Village tern of interaction between the scien- take place. The traditional betel leaf tists and the participating farmers was cultivation and the traditional pest designed during this session. Each par- management systems were identified. ticipant was provided with the mini- An informal organizational structure mum infrastructure required for bi- was formed to implement the project. opesticide production and given training for 21 days, at the end of which they were able to produce the biopesticides Number at the farm and household leveL Twenty six farmers and representatives from farmers associations and one Impact field officer of the Agriculture Depart- ment were the trainees. Between July 1996 and January 1997, the trainee farmers produced the fol- Selection lowing biopesticides (Table 5.3) which were applied in the cotton fields. TRC requested the village community of Vadugapatty to sponsor the prospec- Out of 100 acres of cotton fields which tive r.esource persons and the trainee are under integrated pest manage- farmers and the representatives of the ment, nearly 52 acres are covered with farmers associations were selected on farm-produced biopesticides.

120 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

Table 5.3 : Biopesticides produced Biopesticides Application in cotton fields ( in acres)

Trichogramma spp., 18

Plant Products 28.5

NPV 6

Future Pre-training Phase The participants are still involved in During this phase, the land-use pattern the production of biopseticides and the and practices of different types of farm- project is probing the possibilities of ers were analysed. Production of hybrid 'market linkages for biopesticides seeds was not practised in. these villag- which are produced at Vadugapatty. es before our intervention. The farmers were involved in producing gerkins Soil Health Management (a variety of tiny cucumber) which was consuming very large quantities of In order to develop a base for seed pro- chemicals and pesticides, but feared duction with a healthy soil manage- hybrid seed production as a technolo- ment practice, a training programme gy involving large input of chemicals. for a set of farmers and NGOs was held. These contradictions were pointed out Table 5.4 has the salient features of in the pre-training phase. Discussion this training programme. took place between TRC and Uzhc;war

Table 5.4 : Soil health management training programme - features

Theme Seed production with improved soil management

Parent Programme Seed Village (SPA302)

Resource Village Kannivadi and surrounding villages (Oddanchatiram Block, Dindugal, Tamil Nadu)

Mode of selection of trainees Uzhavar Manram (Farmers' Association) of Kannivadi selected the trainees

Number of trainees 23 farmers & 2 Village Officer representatives

Duration 21 days

Impact i In 50 acres urea application declined from 100 kg per acre to 25 kg per acre

121 ..

Annual Report 1996-97

Manram (Farmers' Association) of Kan- Impact nivadi for defining the training packages. Gandhigram Rural Institute and Nearly 50 acres of seed production have its Krishi Vigyan Kendra also took part been brought under better soil manage- in defining the training package. ment practices. Seed companies have been recommending 100 kg of urea per acre, whereas the farmers have been Training applying only 25 kg urea per acre and substituting the rest with organic ma- The programme was conducted at Kri- nure. Similarly, chemical pesticides shi Vigyan Kendra of Gandhigram Ru- have been replaced with integrated ral Institute. The training programme pest management. Due to these prac- began with stressing the need for qual- tices, the cost of cultivation has been ity seed production. The participants reduced considerably. were given training in various types of seed production and emphasis was Ecohorticulture placed on hybrid seeds. Market link- As a part of the ecohorticulture ages and price were the major issues project, low-cost mist chambers(using which were discussed during the pro- HDPE) which could help in developing gramme. Soil health and biodiversity backyard ecohorticulture (SPA302) were the other important aspects cov- have been developed (Table 5.5). The ered under the training programme. It technology does not require chemical was decided that only less than an acre fertilizers or pesticides. A series of of land would be involved for each houses following backyard ecohorticul- farmer in seed production, so as to en- ture would provide the economies of sure a minimum amount of agricultur- scale for market and prices. The TRC al biodiversity. It was also decided to focused on the need for resource per- I. focus on farm yard manure for fertiliz- sons who could train the small farmers and to use integrated pest manage- ers and landless women in construc- ment practices in seed production. tion and use of low cost mist chamber. Various types of soil management in- The low-cost mist chamber has also the cluding ploughing and crop rotation potential for bringing hybrid seed pro- vis-a.-vis seed production were dis- duction to the backyard of landless cussed. The participants were in- households. volved in the "Seed Village" Project and training was given in the field. The Pre-training Phase participants went through the process of seed production and soil manage- An internal review of the ongoing eco- ment and most of the training was con- horticulture project provided the base. ducted in the participant farmers' The field s~perviso~ of the ecohorti- fields. culture project w.1'1'bwere trained ear-

122 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

Table 5.5 : Ecohorticulture programme - features

Theme Construction and use of low cost, backyard chambers by women in landless households and small farmers

Parent Programme Ecohorticulture (SPA 302)

Resource Village Kattupakkam, Chengalpettu District

Mode of selection of trainees Farmers. who were field supervisors in the early years of the project; Village Officers. based on their interest

Number of trainees 23 farmers and 2 Village Officers

Duration 21 days

Impact 2 participants have built their own mist chambers after the programme

lier in broad topics, were chosen for the sues such as composting, concepts like training programme. The design for the UV-rays, bacteria, fungi, communica- training programme was defined. It tion and extension were also discussed. was based on the concept, training The participants were trained in erec- through evaluation. In this design, the tion and management of mist chambers participants would regularly evaluate and developed an evaluation format for the performance of the mist chamber observing growth, soil health and wa- through adaptive participatory re- ter regime inside a mist chamber. The search. Thus, while the technology is participants themselves laid a control being refined for field conditions, the plot for comparative purposes. project would have also contributed a set of resource persons who could The following voluntary organisations spread the use of low cost mist cham- are our collaborators: SEEYEMS at bers. Acharapakkam, MERG at Goku- lapuram, Kattupakkam 'and SEDS at Endhathur near Uthiramerur. TRC of Training MSSRF has helped in building a low The initial training was given at the cost mist chamber at TRC, Vivekana- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kattupakkam. da Kendra, Kanyakumari. During this programme, the need for backyard ecohorticulture was dis- Impact cussed. The problems of organic farming were analysed from the farmers, The participants have acquired sub- perspective. The concept of low cost stantial knowledge of low cost mist mist chamber was introduced and is- chambers and have developed the skill

123 Annual Report 1996-97 for erecting the mist chambers. Two of implemented by two voluntary organi- the resource persons have already built zations, RENAISSANCE in Pudukottai their own mist chambers. During 1997- and SPEECH at Thiruchuli. These 98, these resource persons would be grassroot voluntary organizations in- utilized in the training programmes. teracted with the villagers and studied the traditional water harvesting Water Harvesting practices. The needs of the villagers were also discussed. The training struc- The project aims at proving the eco- ture was designed through PRA. nomic value of water harvesting, by linking the concept to pulse productiv- Training ity (Table 5.6). It is envisaged that sur- The initial training programme was for face water harvesting and recharging three days. During this phase, the the ground water through recharge pits broader concepts were discussed. Wa- would help to improve the productivi- ter harvesting structures, recharge ty of pulses. pits, "low-input high-value crops", measurement of productivity in terms Pre-training Phase of per unit consumption of water were the main themes put forward in the Through participatory rural appraisal programme. The participants were (PRA), the project staff requested the trained in their own fields and were village community to sponsor farmers guided in estimation of absorbing evap- from the villages. This project is being oration and seepage losses.

Table 5.6 : Water harvesting programme - features

Theme Surface water harvesting and recharging ground water to improve productivity in pulse cultivation Parent Programme Pulse village (SPA 302)

Resource Village Visalur (Pudukottai District) & Kavadipatti (Ramanathapuram District)

Mode of selection Village Committees through PRA oftrainees

Number of trainees 20 farmers and 2 representatives from the collaborating Village Officers

Duration 21 days

Impact More than 80 acres of uncultivated land lying fallow for the past 15 years have been brought under cultivation

124 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

Impact which 80 participants will be trained as resource persons (20 persons as per More than 80 acres of uncultivated 1996 programme and 60 persons as per lands which have been lying fallow for 1997 programme). the past 15 years have been brought under pulse production. The following projects would form the forum for capacity-building in biodiver- Biodiversity Conservation sity:

Biodiversity is a very broad concept and Neem Village Project at Pudupatty any training without specificfocus would have only limited impact. Hence it was This project emphasises the need for felt that the training programme should propagating neem from plus trees, var- focus on specific themes (Table 5.7). ious methods of propagation, usage of VAM and Azospirillum and advantage Pre-training Phase of scale in production.

During this phase, TRC interacted with Integrated Intensive Farming various NGOs in Tamil Nadu to iden- Systems at Chidambaram tity their needs in terms of development perspectives in the subject of bi- This project is an attempt to show that odiversity. These interactions took agrobiodiversity is a profitable agricul- place .in various meetings organized by ture. Universities, NGOs, and government departments. Three specific areas were Informatics for Rural Development identified for the purpose of training : agrobiodiversity in irrigated regions, Computers are still considered as ur- agrobiodiversity in tribal regions and ban phenomena, but computers and coastal biodiversity. During 1996, these informatics have vast potential in the activities and their locations were rural sector. Agriculture, forestry, fish- identified, and the training programme ery, etc., are complicated decision mak- will be undertaken during 1997, in ing processes which involve hundreds

Table 5.7 : Biodiversity conservation programme - features

Theme (a) Need identification (b) Identification -of suitable participants

Parent Programme Neem Village project; Integrated Intensive Farming Systems project (both reported in SPA 302)

125 Annual Report 1996-97

Table 5.8 : Informatics for rural development programme - features

Theme Exposureto role of computers in rural development Parent Programme IPM

of dyn&.mic-variables. A user-friendly oping sustainable projects at village computer system can help in taking levels. The workshop was organized in decisions for rural development. The co-operation with TRC Vivekanada project (Table 5.8) envisages the train- Kendra, Kanyakumari and the ing of participants who will popular- Vivekanada Kendra, Bangalore. Twen- ise the use of informatics in villages. ty six representatives of various VOs from various parts of Karnataka and TRC is at present involved in develop- Andhra Pradesh participated in the ing a multimedia package in Tamil programme. which will focus on Integrated Pest Management. This software package With the support of Government of can be introduced only after field test- Tamil Nadu, the TRC organised a ing. TRC is also planning to bring out a workshop in which more than ninety computer database system for a crop farmers and VO representatives par- production guide in Tamil before the ticipated. During this workshop, the end of this year and is probing the pos- role of farmers as resource persons was sibilities of translating the packages discussed. Multimedia computer as an into Telugu and Kannada. extension tool was also discussed. This workshop facilitated sharing of infor- A Network of NGOs mation between VOs and farmers. The Centre is actively involved in net- Both workshops helped in developing working activities. At the national lev- a network among VOs and the TRC. el it has been involved in the network activities under the purview of Centre A perspective plan for organic farming for Technology and Development, New was developed in collaboration with the Delhi. It is publishing Tamil and Eng- Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre, lish newsletters for VOs and farmers Chennai; Vivekananda Kendra, Kanya associations. Kumari; Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Chennai; and the Institute for A three-day workshop for VOs in Kar- Organic Farming & Rural Technolo- nataka was organised between 20 and gies, Pune. This plan was presented 22 January, 1997. Dr.Gangaia from to CAPART to develop a plan of action CAPART, Hyderabad led the work- for supporting organic farming all over shop. The workshop focused on devel- India.

126 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

The major partners in the interactive • Cotton Growers Association, Sriran- learning process of TRC of MSSRF are gapuram the following Voluntary Organizations (VOs) : These bodies are registered and they have tremendous potential in transfer- SPEECH from Thiruchuli, Kamara- ring new knowledge since the members jar district, Tamil Nadu are farmers and their activities are fo- RENAISSANCE from Pudukottai cused towards agriculture extension. district, Tamil Nadu One of the most important achieve- Gandigram Rural Institute ments is the evolution of the following local level institutions : VIDIYAL from Rasingapuram, near Bodi, Tamil Nadu • Water-harvesting and Pulse Grow- SEEAIMS from Chengalpettu Dis- ers Associations, Kavadipatti, Ram- trict anathapuram Society for Social Forestry Research • Water-harvesting and Pulse Grow- & Development, Tamil Nadu. ers Associations, Visalur, Pudukot- Staff and, representatives from the tai above im(titutions took part in the • Neem-Tree Growers Association, training programmes and adaptlve re- Pudupatti, Dharmapuri search activities. In addition to the above institutions, TRC at MSSRF has These associations are being registered been interacting with Murugappa and will develop into sustainable and Chettiar Research Centre, Chennai, effective VOs. Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Chennai, TRC, Vivekananda Kendra, In addition to the above activities, the KanyaKumari, Centre for Organic staff participated in deliberations of Farming and Rural Technologies, institutions such as the Confederation Pune. of Indian Industries (CII) and stressed the role of the corporate sector in un- The most important partners in the derstanding the problems of alienation process are the farmers associations. due to corporate farming. The plea is The following associations are associ- for contract farming in which farmers ated with TRC of MSSRF: are not alienated from their lands . • Uzhavar Manram ( Farmers Associ- ation), Kannivadi Training Materials • Vetrilai Kodikarar Sangam (Betel- The following materials have been pub- vine growers Association), Vaduga- lished in Tamil and distributed to re- patty source persons :

127 Annual Report 1996-97

~. Farm-level Biopesticide Production tion, as well as distinguished visitors, were organised to provide exposure to n. When Red-Gram Flowers emerging concerns and topics in areas n~. Posters on various methods of com- where the Foundation has interest and posting expertise. Providing interface across disciplines towards improving compre- ~v. Agrobiodiversity hension of issues has been the principal concern of all the meetings. The network programme includes the English. quarterly "Technology Centre "'-Newsletter" and a wall paper news- World Science Academies Summit letter Soozhiyal Nutpam (Ecotechnol- on Food Security (July 8-11, 1996) ogy), a bimonthly in Tamil, which The major goal of the Science Acade. reaches nearly 1000 NGOs, farmers as- mies summit was to articulate the view- sociations and government depart- points of scientists on the issues of dis- ments. cussion at the World Food Summit organised by the FAO in November 1996. This meeting was co-sponsored by the Sub Programme Area 502 National Academy of Agricultural Sci- ences of India, the Italian National Sci. . Workshops and Conferences ence Academy and the Third World Academy of Sciences, and financially The Foundation has always emphasised supported by the Government of Italy, the use of scientific and thematic con- the FAO, the UNDP and the Encyclo- ferences and workshops as the pre- paedia of Life Support Systems. Invit- 'ferred method to design or finalise ac- ed experts and representatives of 26 tion-research programmes. During academies participated in the Summit, 1996-97,.nearly 70 days were devoted which was inaugurated by the Hon. Mr. to local/national/international meet- Chaturanan Mishra, Minister for Ag- ings, with the broad purpose of evolv- riculture, Government of India. Ex- ing scientifically clear, workable field cerpts from the keynote addresses in projects. A number of seminars, featur- the Summit are provided in the accom- ing speakers from within the Founda- panying box.

dence Acade ... Excer~ts fro

128 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

Elizabeth ~wdeswell, ExecutiveJJi~ect~r,UNEP

• As military threats have subsided or disappeared, especially environ- mentaLones, have emerged with greater clarity. It thus possible to argue that environmental care is an essential component of na' 1 or international security. ;-- .:'. ':. .,.',- -'.:.' "".' • Agricultural productivity and ecosystem conservation need not be mutually exclusive' goals. The methods and policies that we use to increase agriculturalproductioniri the critical years ahead, must also guarantee the long term viability of our ecosystems.

Ismail Serageldin, Chairman, CGIAR '. . .'

• It is wrong to suggest that the' . thcan grow all the" 'tional food required. On the contrary, discussions in. CG .' ave emphasised the bulk of new production must occur in the South...... -.... . '.'

• In the 19th century, there webolitionists who found slavery unco~ciona . their moral outrage led to abo n ofslavery. We need abolitionists of this c '.,"of a new kind. We must. be outraged at the fact that . ast 750 million people go . hungry every night, and that women suffer. consider inequity and poverty,and the beautiful environment, oUr Mother Earth, suffers eat tragedies.

Adnan Badran, Deputy Director-General,UNESCO .'

• The achievements ofIndia and China in the last two decade"s are a powerful sign of how the human mind can face these problems, and demonstrate why development of' human resources in science is important in providing food se1f~sufficiency.

Y.K. Alagh; Union Minister of Planning, India

• Those inventions that have been handed down to us byuur forefathers, are "a part of our common heritage. We need to evolve a system w can prevent othe om claiming property rights, and yet have the technol available for' own people.

Chaturanan Mishra, Union Minister of Agriculture, India .

• Achieving self.sufficienCy hasbeeri the over-riding goal of India's agricultural opment ..The country has more than doubled the foo in production from th sixties to 1995.96. However, due to an increasing po India will have annually Gmillion tOMes of foodgrains to sustaint nt level of sufficie

129 Annual Report 1996-97

Workshop on Biovillages for Colombia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malay- Biodiversity Conservation and sia, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand) and 12 Eco-development (August 18-20, Indian participants. During the first 1996) day, staff members of the MSSRF presented the work of the Foundation with The UNESCO, the UNU and the Third particular emphasis on the biovillage World Academy of Sciences have been concept. The second day brought the operating the programme "South-South UNESCO team to the biovillages' in the cooperation for sustainable develop- Pondicherry Territory near Madras ment in the humid tropics" since 1992. where the operational activities of the Under the auspices of this programme Foundation could be visited. The local and with the support of UNESCO a spe- population participated enthusiastical- cial workshop was held for seeking a ly in the project. first hand experience of the biovillage programme and to explore its possible On the third day, the international par- use in enhancing and sustaining the ticipants presented case studies of livelihood security of the human popu- their respective countries with regard lation living in the vicinity of the bio- to the biovillage approach and biodi- sphere reserves. versity conservation alternatives in the humid tropics. South-South Co-opera- The special workshop on "Biovillages tion was emphasised as being a very for biodiversity conservation and devel. important tool for immediate exchange opment" had the broad goal of seeking of information and know-how and for a first-hand experience of the biovillage technology transfer. programme of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, and its possible Finally, a set of follow-up activities use in enhancing and sustaining the were decided upon : livelihood security of the human popu- • Joint study on land resource use and lation living in the vicinity of biosphere sacred groves (Ghana/India). reserves. Prof. M.S. Swaminathan who made the opening remarks, pointed out • Comparative study on traditional the importance of conservation and de- land use (Brazil/India). velopment as twin goals, and stressed • Exchange of technical staff for study the need for setting high priority for the on rice production (Madagascar/In- creation of ((eco-jobs" in the developing dia). countries, as the best method of inte- • Information exchange on computer grating conservation with develop- systems (UNAMAZ-SIAMAZ/ ment. The biovillage programme is one MSSRF). approach to the creation of eco-jobs. • Joint study on participation of local The workshop was attended by 9 inter- population in biodiversity conserva- national experts (from. Brazil, China, tion (Ghana, Nigeria, Mexico).

130 1

Education, Communication, Trainingap,(1 .C~pa.city Building

• Project on eco-city (Brazil/China/In- women scientists and technologists in dia). the Asia-Pacific. Dr. Nay Htun, Assist- ant Administrator of UNDP, who inau- • Training in biodiversity conservation gurated the workshop, outlined a (Nigeria/Madagascar). three-component approach that the • Joint study on mangrove ecosystems deliberations would focus on : identifi- (Madagascar/India) . cation of S&T at the cutting edge that • Hardware support for a biosphere would increase the income of women reserve (Nigeria). in poor households with innovative systems of access; the appropriate combi- • International workshop on "Multiple nation of micro-enterprises and micro- resource and land use planning for credit; and, enabling access of women ecodevelopment in biosphere re- to information and technical expertise. serves" (Xishuangbanna, China, No- Prof. M.S. Swaminathan pointed out vember 1997). that the emerging apartheid in gender • Project on mangroves in view of eco- terms is more cruel than the skin col- aquaculture (MSSRF). :mr-based apartheid that is history. Dr. • Project on formulation of NiIgiri BR Saraswathi Menon of UNDP stressed for international recognition (MSS- the need for approaches which will RF/WWF-India/lIP A). have a multiple effect in terms of womens' technological empowerment. Women in S&T and S&T for Wom- The participants who represented 12 en (Meeting of the Resource countries and 3 International Organi- Group of Women Scientists and sations drew up an action plan for the Technologists in the Asia-Pacific "organisation of a regional network of Region: 17-19 December 1996) women scientists and technologists to The World Conference on Women (Be- serve as a pool of experts to help wom- ijing, 1995)drew attention to the grow- en living in poverty". The group also ing feminisation of poverty and to the identified information empowerment, marginalisation of women in technical skill empowerment, and economic em- professions. The Foundation's empha- powerment as the three priority areas sis on adding value to women's work to fulfil the objectives of the network. through technological and information Several pioneer projects were recom- empowerment acquires fresh signifi- mended, involving biotechnology, in- cance in this context. To develop an formation technology, renewable ener- agenda for action both for enlarging the gy and others. The Foundation, with role of women in S&T and in harness- the support of the Department of Bio- ing S&T for women, the UNDP, the technology, Government of India, has UNIFEM and the Foundation organ- launched the Women's Biotechnology ised a three-day meeting of leading Park as a pioneer project in India.

131 Annual Report 1996-97

Securing the Future: National tor of a company, or a state Principal Consultation on Medicinal Plants Chief Conservator of Fores'ts. From the (January 9-10, 1997) Union Government, officials from the Ministries of Environment and Forests, The Foundation has been actively pro- Agriculture, Biotechnology, and moting the need for novel partnerships, Health and Family Welfare attended or a new social contract between the the consultation, which was inaugurat- conservers of medicinal plants, and ed by Mr. T.K.A. Nair, Union Secretary those who derive economic benefit from of Environment and Forests, who per- their use. Only such a partnership can sonally attended the consultation on create an economic stake in conserva. both days. tion. Along these lines, the Foundation organised a 2-day national consultation The participants were divided into four with the support of the Union Minis- groups, each dealing with a specific try of Environment and Forests, New theme of the broad topic of conserva- Delhi, and the Foundation for Revital- tion of medicinal plants. The consoli- isation of Local Health Traditions dated recommendations have been for- (FRLHT), Bangalore. 75 persons from warded to the Ministry of Environment the central and state governments, cor. and Forests for consideration as the porate sector, research institutions, basis for a future national policy on academia and NGOs, besides active conservation of medicinal plants. practitioners of Indian systems of med. (Some of the recommendations are icine, participated in this consultation. highlighted in the box). Nearly all the participants represented their organisations at the highest The Union Government's Secretary for level, such as that of director of a re- Indian Systems of Medicine delivered search institute, or an executive direc- the closing address.

132 Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

Workshop on Training and Design • to review and modify, where appro- of the Project "Empowerment of priate, the modules (prepared by the Grassroot Democratic Institutions Foundation) for training the trainers in Micro-level Planning : of panchayti institution Preparation of Socio-Demographic Charters" (28-30 January, 1997) • to develop training projects in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, The Foundation identified the Socio- Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Demographic Charter as a critical planning tool at the grass root level. This Given the fact that the membership of concept has been included in the report the Panchayat institutions is over a mil- of the Population Policy Committee, lion all over the country, the training which awaits approval by the Parlia- programmes must be sufficiently de- ment. As a step forward, the Popula- centralised for ease of local adaptation. tion Council of India and the Founda- Following a comprehensive analysis of tion organised a workshop whose ob- the available infrastructure for empow- jectives were : erment, the workshop participants rec-

133 Annual Report 1996-97

ommended two types of training pro- backgrounds, reflecting our belief that grammes : (a) a residential trainers' the dialogue itself is a broadbased coa- training programme and (b) a peripa- 1ition. The participants included Mr. tetic training programme where small Ratan Tata (Chairman, Tata Sons), Ms. groups of trainers will move from vil- Susan Berresford (President, the Ford lage to village, interacting with the Foundation), Mr. Henri Carsalade elected members. The participants (ADG, FAD), Mr. Ariyaratne (Presi- came out with training proposals that dent, Sarvodaya Shramadana Move- have been submitted to the Population ment of Sri Lanka), besides experts in Foundation of India. agriculture, population policy, management and banking. A public forum was ~nter-disciplinary Dialogue on organised in collaboration with the In- Reaching the Unreached : dian Institute of Technology, Chennai, Building Partnerships for to help the public and the student com- Sustainable Food and Livelihood munity of Madras to share the views of Security (February 3-6, 1997) some of the renowned thinkers attending the dialogue. An important aspect In the series of inter-disciplinary dia- of the dialogue was the presence of a logues organised by the Foundation, number of activists and social workers the seventh was on the theme of part- from South Mrica, who had participat- nerships. The broad objective of this di- ed in the popular movement to end alogue was to identify methods for the apartheid. development of broad-based coalitions or partnerships to realise the objec- Just as skin color-based apartheid tives of the World Food Summit (Rome, could be ended through moral outrage November 1996). The dialogue was fi- and broad-based coalitions, endemic nancially supported by UNDP and hunger can also be ended. This was the NABARD, India, and programmatic thrust of the action plan developed in support was extended by many of the the dialogue. The hunger-free area ac- Foundation's programmes, such as the tion plan that is premised on six key Asian Ecotechnology Network, the points (SPA 303) also proposes volun- TRC in Ecotechnology (SPA 302) and tary professional assistance (as emer- the BV Rao Centre (SPA 303). gency healthcare) as a component of The participants numbering 40, came addressing the challenge of endemic from a variety of organisations and hunger.

...on Building tnerships from tb~ iUal. I addresses

\,'.:, ~, -, : "'fi'.'. . .",.

responsibility of independent hislherdailybread~ .

134 1

Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building

Besides conferences and workshops of corporate sector could make in turn- national or international significance, ing agriculture into a viable and prof- many meetings were organised to mark itable enterprise. The FICCI-SPIC- special occasions, and to serve as brain MSSRF project on water harvesting storming sessions. The broad purpose was presented as an example of this of these meetings was to help the staff approach. to acquire knowledge of critical frontline developments. • A seminar by Prof. Krishnaswami Al- ladi (University of Florida, USA) on • The FICCI Roundtable on Role of the contemporary research along the Business in Development of Agricul- lines of Srinivasa Ramanujan's math- ture was held on August 22, 1996.The ematics was organised on December meeting was chaired by Shri. Deep- 30, 1996. This seminar was also the ak Banker, the immediate past pres- occasion for the launch of the Ram- ident of FICC!. Twenty-five leading anujan Journal. industrialists from the country participated in this meeting to discuss • A one-day meeting of the women cor- the possible contribution that the porators of the Corporation of Ma-

135 Annual Report 1996-97

dras was organised on January 6, Sub Programme Area 503 1997 to help them acquire a glimpse Informatics and the CD-ROM of activities in information empow- Library erment. Information Technology (IT) is one of • Special lectures by distinguished vis- the five critical technologies for bring- iting scientists were organised on ing about sustainable agricultural and various occasions. Dr. Mark Wright rural development. The importance of (Natural Resources Institute, UK) knowledge and information-based in- spoke on NRI activities in biodiver- terventions in conservation of biologi- sity conservation (January 20, 1997). cal diversity is increasingly realised be- Dr. Joseph Hulse (Canada) talked on cause of new arrangements such as the the future dimensions of food secu- WTA. The informatics centre and the rity. Dr. David Quammen (USA) dis- CD-ROM library have been established cussed his island theory of animal to fulfil the purpose of making availa- extinction on the Earth Day (April ble data and tools of modern IT to pro- 22, 1997). mote development research, and to enable younger researchers to obtain rea- • The release of the book "Dying Wis- sonable benefits from exposure to dom" (by Anil Agarwal, Centre for methods and devices of modern IT. Science & Environment, New Delhi) The CD-ROM Library at the Founda- was marked by the organisation of an tion is one of the largest collections of NGO Forum on "Traditional Water CDs in the areas of applied biology and Harvesting Systems in Tamil Nadu" agricultural sciences. The CDs pub- which was attended by 20 NGOs lished by CAB International constitute (May 6, 1997). Experts in hydraulics the core of this collection. The current and members of corporate houses number of records accessible is over 4 also participated in this meeting. million (as of May 1997). The Founda- tion has also acquired AGRIS database • A national-level workshop on gender of FAO on CD-ROMstarting from 1990. issues in agrobiodiversity in the In- The World Development CD published dian context was organised on June by the World Bank, containing the 9-10, 1997. The purpose of this work- World Development Reports upto shop was to gather comments on a 1994, has been acquired. The WRI and draft document on the same topic FAOSTATdatabases have been updated. from invited experts in the areas of biodiversity, development studies This library is open to students and and gender studies. 25 experts from reasearchers located in India. There is India and 2 from the FAO (which is no access fee or downloading charge. compiling such studies worldwide) Time at the terminal is alloted in one- attended this workshop. hour slots per individual. Queries are

136 l

Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building accepted from remote locations through with MEIS. Further, the possibility of postal service. The number of individ- MEIS being made part of a global data- uals accessing this facility has nearly base on mangrove management is be- doubled since last year. On an average, ing explored with the International 300 requests are cleared every quarter Society for Mangrove Ecosystems now. This facility has been used to sup- (ISME), Japan. port research on mapping the perform- FRIS : A considerable amount of pri- ance of agricultural research institu- mary data has been added to the FRIS tions in India (SPA 504). this year. Primary data has been gen- The Informatics Centre which has de- erated on the tribals of Orissa and And- signed the databases on mangrove ec- hra Pradesh. Secondary data from Cen- osystems (MEIS), farmers' rights sus 1991 has been added to the anthro- (FRIS) and ecological farming, contin- pological and ethnobotanical informa- ued with the redesigning of the MEIS tion. Detailed information on use of 440 and FRIS. The redesign approach is plants has been compiled with color premised on improving the ease of dis- photos and herbarium diagrams. The tribution, search and access to data, database on gene bank accessions at the using fast emerging developments in Foundation (PA200) has been included software applications. Further, use of in FRIS. Further, data on rare and en- multimedia technology with inexpen- dangered plants (20 species) and on rice sive software is stressed in all the de- varieties of Orissa (over 200 varieties) sign and development programmes. have been included. Video footage MEIS : The Mangrove Ecosystems In- (about 600 minutes) generated from the formation Service (MEIS) with its com- field work has been edited and includ- ponent databases of experts, bibliogra- ed in the section on the Malayali tribal phy, sites/ resources, taxonomy and vis- families of Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu. uals, has been fully redesigned with The FRIS has been redesigned using DELPHI 2. The principal advantage is HTML, the most widespread language the ease of distribution, requiring no of the internet. This will facilitate its additional software at the user's end. distribution, when approved by the con- The other advantage is that it can be , cerned advisory committee, on the hosted on a World Wide Web (WWW) World Wide Web. server for access all over the world. Design of a Multimedia Database for Updating of experts (630 in 62 coun- the FARM Programme (FAD-Regional tries) and bibliography components is Office for Asia and the Pacific) continuing. A complete report on mangroves of Pichavaram (including maps The FARM (Farmer-centred Resource and figures) is' available as part of the Management) is a programme of the bibliography database. The ongoing ef- FAa, jointly implemented with UNDP fort is to integrate GIS components and UNIDO in seven countries of Asia.

137 Annual Report 1996-97

The Foundation has been a participant entists of the corporate HRD division in the FARM's biotechnology and bio- of the ICRISAT, the informatics centre diversity component. The coordinating has developed a pilot computer-based office of the programme wanted to de- training module for management of dis- velop a multimedia database that ena- eases of groundnut. This model is be- bles technology to be understood and ing tested by the ICRISAT currently. interpreted in the local context (of agr- The staff of the informatics centre are oecological zone and the household). involved in providing training to sci- The informatics centre of the Founda- entists in other institutions (e.g. ICRI- tion carried out the design of the SAT) on the use of HTML. Recognising FARM database as a consultancy the growing importance of the web, the project. The database has been de- Foundation launched its "home page" signed using DELPHI 2.0, and can be in June 1996, and it has been updated distributed without copyright viola- in November '96. The updated home tions. There are features to incorporate page now contains the sixth annual re- audio, video graph (image) files. Updat- ing of.data can be carried out at the lo- port of the Foundation and some of the conference documents, besides brief cal nodes, without expert assistance. information on the 'facilities. The de- The FARM programme's coordinating sign was carried out by the informat- office has accepted the product after ics centre, using direct HTML coding. testing and refinement. The data addition is in progress now. All the docu- (The new home page under construction has features such as animation, or mentation, including an easy-to-use us- enlargement, based on JAVA lan- er's manual, have been provided. guage). Within the informatics centre, Design of Web Site for ICRISAT an "intranet" (local area network with protocols employed in the internet) has The informatics group of the Founda- been set up to experiment with this tion designed and commissioned the novel method of sharing data and doc- World Wide Web site of ICRISAT, a uments. CGIAR institution, in May 1997. The site has a graphical version for those Sub Programme Area 504 with high-speed telephone lines. The' text-only version will serve the purpos- Mapping Science in India es of those with low-speed lines. The through Analysis of Publica- site enables one to browse the list of tions: Agriculture and Biology publications, ICRISAT-in-print database, the annual report for the year There are two kinds of mapping knowl- 1996, besides administrative informa- edge. One, at the cognitive plane, helps tion. A French version is under prepa- the understanding of the structure of ration. Design updates will be provid- know ledge and the dynamics of the ed by the Foundation. Along with sci- growth of scientific knowledge. The

138 l

Education, Communication, Training and Capacity Building other, external to the cognitive content yses of India's contribution to the lit- of science, aims to describe the struc- erature of physics, materials science, ture of the scientific enterprise. The mathematics, medicine, etc. using in- first kind deals with knowledge per se ternational databases such as INSPEC- and its basis is epistemological. The sec- Physics, Materials Science Citation In- ond kind of mapping is about scientific dex, Mathsci, Medline and Science Ci- research and is to do with the organi- tation Index. In general the methods sation of science in a society or a na- developed earlier were used here. tion or a region, and its basis is scien- However, both CAB Abstracts and BI- tometrics. One key element of the sec- OSIS posed some additional problems ond kind of mapping is publication and with respect to standardization of bib- citation analysis. liographic elements. These were sorted out with extreme care. We have India conducts a considerable volume gathered some interesting and useful of scientific research, and currently in- results. vests a little over 0.8% of her GDP on R&D. In terms of numbers of papers Both BIOSIS and CAB Abstracts have published, as seen fro~ Science Cita- abstracted Indian papers from more tion Index 1995, India ranks twelfth in towns and cities and a larger number the world and accounts for about 2.7% of institutions than other databases. of the world's publications. It will be There were 9332 Indian papers from useful to know the distribution of these over 1230 institutions in CAB Ab- papers by institution, by subfield, by stracts 1992, publis~ed in 961 journals journal, and so on; One will then be able from about 50 countries. The corre- to answer questions such as 'Who is sponding figures for BIOSIS are 7445 doing what and where it is published'. papers from over 1080 addresses, pub- Indeed such data should form the ba- lished in 1094 journals from 48 coun- sis for science policy making, funding tries. And unlike other fields, more decisions, etc. But a comprehensive in- than 52% of Indian papers in BIOSIS ventory of Indian publications is not and about 75 % of papers in CAB Ab- readily available. It is for this reason, stracts were published in Indian jour- that we decided to make a detailed nals. Incidentally, these two databas- analysis of India's research publica- es also cover a larger number of Indian tions in the life sciences and agricul- journals than other major internation- ture as seen from BIOSIS and CABI al databases in S&T: 281 in CAB Ab- Abstracts, both known for their com- stracts and 105 in BIOSIS. The publi- prehensive coverage. To start with we cations have been classified by institu- covered one year of the databases, viz. tion, institution type, city and state, 1992. and subfield, and the journals used In the past three years, Arunachalam have been classified by country of pub- and coworkers have made similar anal- lication and impact factor.

139 Publications

Books/Monographs/Man uals State During 9th Plan-Report to Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission. Daniels, R.J.R. 1997. A Field Guide to the Birds of Southwestern India, Oxford Uni- John Joseph, S. 1997. Technical Resource Cen- versity Press, New Delhi. 217pp. tre and Kerala Experience in Implemen- tation of CBD. National Core Group on Dhanapal, D., and A. Udaya Kumar. 1997. Issues Arising from Convention on Bio- Neem=Vembu. Training manual for logical Diversity. WWF - India, New farmers, MSSRF, Chennai. (Tamil). 18pp. Delhi. Patnaik, S.K. and L.N. Acharjyo (Eds.). 1996. Media Subgroup of Tamil Nadu FORCES. Indian Zoo Year Book. Vol. 1. 1996. In- 1996. Thiraipadangalil Pengal : A dian Zoo Directors' Association and Cen- Research Report. 50pp. tral Zoo Authority, New Delhi. 166pp. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. Swaminathan, M.S. (Ed.). 1996. Agro-biodi- 1996. Role of the Global Environment versity and Farmer's Rights. Konark Facility in helping protect Agrobiodiver- Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Delhi. 303pp. sity of Global Significance. Report prepared for the Global Environment Facil- ity, Washington. Reports/Theses I M. s. Swaminathan Research Foundation. Arul Raj, M.R., and S. Raja Samue1.1996. 1997. Gender Dimensions in Biodiversi- Ethanai Kaigal Pengalukku. Tamil ver- ty Management. Report prepared for the sion of 'Balancing Multiple Roles'. Re- FAO Regional office for Asia and the Pa- search Series No.1, MSSRF, Chennai. cific, Bangkok. 24pp. Narayan, Rama. 1997. At What Cost? Wom- Jayanthi, M. 1997. Saving Endangered en's Multiple Roles and Management of Plants: A case study on Crotalaria lon- Breastfeeding. Research Series No.2, gipes Wight & Am. Thesis submitted to MSSRF, Chennai. 38pp. the University of Madras in partial ful- fIlment of requirements for the degree of Uma, G.1997. Dynamics of Pichavaram Man- Doctor of Philosophy. grove Ecosystem, Tamil Nadu, India: Phytosociology, Phenology, Impacts & John Joseph, S. 1996. Watershed Manage- Management. Thesis submitted to the ments in Select Water Sheds in North Central University of Pondicherry in par- Vietnam. FAO-ADB-Mission Report, tial fulfilment of requirements for the Rome. degree of Doctor of philosophy. John Joseph, S. 1997. Eastern Ghats Devel- opment Programme in Tamil Nadu State for 9th Plan. Report to the Tamil Articles in Journals/Books Nadu State Planning Commission. Acharjyo, L.N., S.K. Kar and S.K. Patnaik. John Joseph, S. 1997. Integrated Coastal De- 1996. Studies on a captive breeding of the velopment Programme in Tamil Nadu Gharial, (Ghavialis gangeticus, Gmelin)

140 l Publications

in Orissa. Journal of Bombay Natural ter VII in Publication of School of Envi- History Society. 93:2. 210-213. ronmental Planning Studies and Land- scape Architecture, University of Mel- Acharjyo, L.N., S.K Kar and S.K Patnaik. bourne, Victoria, Australia. 1996. Role of Nandankanan Biological Park, Orissa in Conservation of Gharial Krishnamoorthy, R, 1997. Managing Man- (Ghavialis gangeticus). Tiger Paper. groves in India. GIS Asia-Pacific jour- 23:3. 5-8. naL Jun-Jul. 26-29. Acharjyo, L.N. and S.K Patnaik. 1996. Notes Krishnamoorthy, R, L. Gnappazham and V. on 2 headed snakes. Cobra. 25:3. 16-17. Selvam. 1997. Application of GIS for Acharjyo, L.N., S.K Kar and S.K Patnaik. coastal wetlands planning and manage- 1996. Observations on breeding of Mug- ment. Information Studies Journal. 3:3. ger (Crocodilus palustris) at the Nan- 109-124. dankanan Zoological Park, Orissa. Co- bra. 26. 18-25. Lakshmi, M., S. Rajalakshmi, M. Parani, C.S. Anuratha and A. Parida.1997. Molecu- Bhandari, Ruchi and Subbiah Arunacha- lar Phylogeny of Mangroves 1. Intraspe- lam.1996. Uncommon opportunities for cific genetic variability in mangrove spe- a food secure world. Current Science. cies Acanthus ilicifolius Linn. Theoreti- 71:5. 342-344. cal and Applied Genetics 94. (in press). Daniels, RJ.R 1997. Taxonomic uncertain- ties and conservation assessment of the Mohan, M.S.S. and G.N. Hariharan. 1997. Li- Western Ghats. Current Science. (in chen distribution pattern in Pichavaram press) - a preliminary study to indicate forest disturbance in the mangroves of South Daniels, RJ.R 1997.A field guide to the frogs India. In : Studies in Cryptogamic bota- & toads of the Western Ghats, India: ny (Ed.) KG. Mukerji. ABH Publ. Co., Part 1. Cobra. 27. 1-25. New Delhi. (in press). Daniels, RJ.R 1997.A field guide to the frogs Parani, M. and A. Parida. 1997.Allozyme and & toads of the Western Ghats, India: RAPD polymorphism in Tylophora indi- Part II Cobra. 28. (in press). ca (Burm, f.) Merr. Journal of Biochem- Daniels, RJ.R and P.V. David. 1996.The her- istry and Biotechnology. 6, 29-33. petofauna of the Great Nicobar Islands. Cobra. 25. 1-4. Parani, M., M. Lakshmi, S. Elango, N. Ram, C.S. Anuratha and A. Parida. 1997. Mo- Ganesan, M., C.L. Mohanram, and K. lecular phylogeny of Mangroves II. Intra Karthikeyan. 1996. A Study on prefer- and interspecific relationship in Avicen- ence for Organic Vegetables. Agricultur- nia revealed through RAPD and RFLP al Marketing. July-Sept. 32-36. analysis. Genome 40 (in press). Johnson, K. 1997. Casuarina: a wonder tree Parani, M., A. Anand and A. Parida. 1997. along the Tamil Nadu Coast in India. In- Application of RAPD Finger printing in dian Farming. 46:10. 21-23. the selection of micropropagated plants John Joseph, S. 1996. Deforestation. Sustam- of Piper longum for conservation. Cur- able Development in South Asia. Chap- rent Science. (in press).

141 J Annual Report 1996-97

Parani, M., C. Srinivasa Rao, N. Mathan, Tamil Nadu, India. Proceedings of the KK Narayan, C.S. Anuratha and A. Ecotone V Seminar on Community Par- Parida. 1997. Molecular phylogeny of ticipation, Sustainable use and rehabili- Mangroves III. Percentage Analysis of a tation of mangroves in Southeast Asia, hybrid species of Rhizophora using Ho Chi Minh Cio/, UNESCO-MAB. 30-41. RAPD and RFLP markers. Aquatic Bot- any. (in press). Swaminathan, M.S. 1996. Science and Tech- nology for Sustainable Food Security. In- Parida, A., M. Par ani, M. Lakshmi, N.Ram, dian Journal of Agricultural Economics. and C.S. Anuratha. 1997. Molecular phy- 51 : 1 '& 2. 59-75. logeny of Mangroves IV. Nature and ex~ tent of intra-specific genetic variation in Swaminathan, M.S.1996. Compensating mangroves. In: Molecular Biology of farmers and communities through a glo- Tropical Plants, FAOIIAEA (in press). bal fund for biodiversity conservation for sustainable food security. Diversity. 12:3. Patil, Viswanath M. and M. Jayanthi. 1997. 73-75. Micropropagation of two species of Rau- volfia. Current Science. (in press). Swaminathan, M.S. 1996. International agricultural research and an evergreen rev- Rao, AT. and L.N. Acharjyo. 1996. Tubercu- olution. CGIAR Annual Report 1995- losis at Nandankanan Biological Park: 1996. 65-75. an overview. The Blue Cross Book. July 1996. 31-35. Swaminathan, M.S. 1996. Towards a hunger- free India. Kurukshetra. XLV: 3. 3-8. Rao, AT. and L.N. Acharjyo. 1996. Causes of mortality in captive bovids at Nan- Swaminathan, M.S.1997. Indian Agriculture: dankanan Zoo. Indian Veterinary Jour- looking back and forward. Yojana.ISSN- nal. 73:7. 793-795. 0971-8400. 5-13. Ravishankar, T. and V.B. Hosagouda. 1996. Swaminathan, M.S. 1996. Benjamin Peary Nallamalai hills-India, Indian Regional Pal. Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of Centre of Endemism. WWF and IUCN the Royal Society, London. 42. 267-274. Centres of Plant Diversity: A guide and strategy for their conservation. Vol. 2. Presentations in Conferencesl Asia, Australia and the Pacific.(Ed.) S.D. Symposia Davis, V.H. Heywood and A.C. Hamil- ton. IUCN Publications Unit, Cam- Anil Kumar, N. and L. Vedavalli.1996.The Ec- bridge, U.K. 120-122. osystem people and conservation of medicinal plants: A case study from Siru- Ravishankar, T. 1996. Tribal people and their vani Hills, Tamil Nadu. South Asia Con- knowledge of plant genetic resources. ference on Tribal and Folk Medicinal Journal of Non-Timber Forest products. Plant Resources (Organised by IDRC). 2. 100-103. Tirupathi. Septe~ber 4-6. Selvam, V. and KK Ravichandran.1997. Banumathy, S., R. Sowmiya, M. Thirumalai, Community participation in the restora- D. Tiroutchelvame and R.S. Shantha tion of degraded mangroves: a case study Kumar Hopper. 1996. Methodologies for of Pichavaram mangrove wetlands, and experiences on delivery adaptation

142 Publications

and use of technologies for efficient re- Jayaraj; S. and N. Sathiah, 1996.A Constraint source use in rice systems of Biovillages Analysis in the production of helicover- in Pondicherry, India. Paper presented pa armigera NPV. Symposium on Tech- at the Workshop. on Natural Resource niJlogy in Biological Control. Entomolo- Management in rice systems: .Technolo- gy Research Institute, Loyola College, gy Adaptation for efficient nutrient use, Chennai, 22 October 1996, 17. Bogor, Indonesia. 2-5 December. Jayaraj, S.1996. Participatory Technology Brindha, N. 1997. Studies on Helerosis inSes- development in biopesticides and IPM amum Indicum. L. Paper accepted for modeling in cotton, groundnut and .rice. presentation at 8th SABRAO Congress, Seminar on IPM for Sustainable Crop Seoul, Korea. 24-28 September. Production. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 28 November Daniels, RJ.R and J. Vencatesan. 1997. Con- 1996. servation of biodiversity: socio-political problems (Keynote address). National Jayaraj, S. 1996. IPM for sustainable crop Symposium on Natural Resource Man- production: certain policy issues. Semi- agement System, St. Joseph's College, nar on IPM for Sustainable Crop Pro- Tiruchirapalli. 26-28 February. duction. Tamil Nadu Agricultural Uni- versity, Coimbatore, 28 November 1996. Hopper, Sharitha Kumar RS., K.N.N.S. Nair and M.S. Swaminathan. 1996.Biovillages Jayaraj S. 1996. Farmer - participatory re- - A job led economic growth strategy to search in biopesticides in cotton and Sustainable agriculture and rural devel- groundnut in Tamil Nadu : progress and opment. Conference on Discovering the perspectives. National Seminar on Par- rise of Civil Society, Cairo, Egypt. 24-30 ticipatory Technology Development, Ker- September. ala Horticulture Development Board, Jayaraj, S. 1996. Management of Spondop- Thiruvananthapuram, 23-24 December tera litura F. on Cotton and Groundnut. 1996. 18. Workshop on Spondoptera. ICRISAT, John Joseph, S.1996. Technical Resource Cen- Hyderabad. 2-4 April 1996. tre for the implementation of Convention J ayaraj, S. 1996.Biopesticides and IPM. Work- on Biological Diversity. First Indian shop on Biotechnology. Indian Institute Ecology Congress, National Institute of of Spices Research, Calicut. 10-11 Sep- Ecology. 27-31 December. tember 1996 John Joseph, S. 1996. Common Property Re- Jayaraj, S. 1996. Rice IPM. India-IRRI Dia- sources. 74th Amendment To Constitu- logue, ICAR, New Delhi. 27-29 Septem- tion. Gandhigram Rural Institute, (Spon- ber 1996. 14. sored by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation). No- vember. Jayaraj, S. 1996. Biopesticides for Sustaina- ble Crop Production. National Seminar King, Oliver. E.D.I. 1996. Sacred groves: tra- on Organic Farming and Sustainable ditional ecological heritage. First Indian Agriculture. University of Agricultural Ecology Congress, New Delhi. 27-31 De- Sciences, Bangalore. 9-11 October. cember.

143 Annual Report 1996-97

King, Oliver E.D.I. 1997.Role ofsacred groves Coastal Hydrological Problems in East in conservation of medicinal plants : a Coast, National Institute of Hydrology case study. 35th World Congress on Nat- (Centre for Deltaic Studies), Kakinada, ural Medicines, Venkateswara Univer- Anna University. 23 April. sity, Tirupathy. 14-16 March. Latha, R., C. Srinivasa Rao, Rob Finch and Krishnamoorthy, R. 1996.Assessment ofman- P. Balakrishna. 1996. Micropropagation grove forest land cover changes in South- studies in wild relative of rice, Portere- east India based on remote sensing tech- sia coarctata (Roxb)Tateoka. Second In- nique. Proceedings of the IGBP / BARC- ternational Crop Scienc.e Congress, Del- LUCC joint inter-core projects symposi- hi. 17-24 November. um of Interactions between the Hydro- logical cycle and Land use/cover, Kyo- Mathan, N. and Sudha Nair. 1997. Bacterial to, Japan. 4-7 November. 42-45. diversity: an overview. Seminar on Bio- technological application of microorgan- Krishnamoorthy, R., L. Gnanappazham and isms for health, wealth and environmen- V. Selvam. 1996.IRS lC's application po- tal sustainability, organised by Centre for tential for mangrove studies. Paper pre- Advancement of Microbial Sciences, J a- sented at the Seventh User Interaction waharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Workshop, National Remote Sensing 24-25 January. Agency at Hyderabad. 28 December. 64- 66. Nair, Sudha.1997. Biotechnology means to Krishnamoorthy, R., L. Gnanappazham and economic empowerment employment. V. Selvam. 1997.Remote sensing and GIS The forum on poverty related core data in coastal geomorphologywith special ref- sets identification for the Asia Pacific erence to mangrove ecosystem: studies Region, USRAlUNDP, Singapore. 13-16 in East Coast and Andaman Islands. Na- May. tional symposium on GIS and Geologi- Narayan, L.R.A. 1996. Remote sensing and cal Remote Sensing, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli. 5-7 February. geographic information system for conservation and management of biological Krishnamoorthy, R., V. Selvam and L. Gnan- diversity. International Archives of Pho- appazham. 1997. Human dimensions of togrammetry and Remote Sensing, Vi- coastal environmental change in India, enna. 8-19 July. Paper presented in the Open meeting of Human dimensions of global environ- Narayan, L.R.A.1997. Geoinformatics in re- mental change research community, IIA- lation to remote sensing. National semi- SA, Austria. 12-14 June. nar on GIS for planning, Ranganathan Centre for Information Studies. Chennai. Krishnamoorthy, R., L. Gnanappazham, 12-14 February. V. Selvam, R. Subramanium, P.K. Mishra and S.K. Paradhan. 1997. Appli- Narayan, L.R.A. 1997. Remote sensing and cation of remote sensing and GIS tech- GIS and related topics. Three lectures niques to study the impact of coastal hy- at the Summer School for University drology and geomorphology on man- Teachers, Mangalore University. 17-18 groves. Brain Storming Session on March.

144 l Publications

Rajamohan, K.G.1996. Socio-Demographic Saradha, S. and Sudha Nair. 1996. Effect of Charter-Entitlements Database. Paper heavy metals on microbial diversity. 37th presented at the National Consultation Annual Meeting of the Association of on Control over Resources as a Form of Microbiologists of India. Chennai. 4-6 De- Livelihood Security of Marginalised cember. Groups - Especially Women, Mumbai, India. 14-15 December. Selvam, V. 1996. Marine Protected Areas of India, Marine and Coastal Programme Ravishankar, T. 1996. Ethnobotany of Kadars Workshop, rdCN World Conservation and Muthuvans in South India. V Inter- Congress, Montreal, Canada. 13-23 Oc- national Congress of Ethnobiology, Nai- tober. robi, Kenya. 2-6 September. Selvam, V.1997. Restoration of degraded man- Ravishankar, T. 1996. Ethnobotanical stud- groves. Joint Mangrove and Lagoon ies in the utilisation and conservation of Conservation Workshop, SANFED, Plant Genetic Resources by tribal people Pambala, Sri Lanka. 17-23 February. in South India. The UNESCO Training Course on Quantitative methods in Eth- Swaminathan, Mina. 1997. Women's multi- nobiology, Nairobi, Kenya. 21 August-I ple roles and the need for support servic- September. es. Dr. Chitti Babu Endowment Lecture, Annamaiai University, Chidambaram. Ravishankar, T. 1996. Traditional innovations 25 March. and mechanisms of tribal communities in the utilisation and conservation of Swaminathan, Mina. 1997. Child care servic- plant genetic resources. National Semi- es for children of working mothers in nar an-Tribal Ecology and Development, India. Dr. Chitti Babu Endowment Lec- Department of Anthropology, Universi- ture, Annamalai University, Chidambar- ty of Madras. Madras, India. 13-14 Sep- am. 26 March. tember. Swaminathan, Mina. 1997. Some gender issues for economists. Dr~ S. Neelakantan Ravishankar, T. 1996. Plant utilisation by Endowment Lecture, Bharatidasan Uni. Kadars and Muthuvans of Anamalais, versity. 21 April. Western Ghats, India. Salim Ali Cente- nary symposium- Western Ghats Biodi. versity, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Participation in Training Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, ProgrammeslWorkshops. India. 5-9 November. Banumathy, S. 1996. Attended the Interna- Ravishankar, T. 1997. Observations on Eth- tional Symposium on. Hybrid rice held nomedical knowledge and practice of at Hyderabad. 14-16 Noveplber. Gonds, Kolams and Koya tribes of East- ern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, India. 35th Brindha, N. and N. Latha. 1997. Appropriate World Congress on Natural Medicines, Rural Technologies. Exhibition Organ- Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi, ised by CAPART, Bombay. 30 April - 3 Andhta Pradesh, India. 14-16 March. May.

145 Annual'Report 1996-97

Ganesan, M.1996. Participated in the India Oudayabaskar, T. 1996. Integrated Fish International Trade Fair-1996. Exhibi- Farming (Inland). Training Programme tion on Rural Technology organised by at Central Institute of Fresh Water Aqua- the Centre for Technology and Develop- culture, Orissa. 14-24 July. ment at Pragati maidan, New Delhi. 14- Ravishankar, T. 1996. Farmers and NOO's 27 November. meeting on on-farm biodiversity. Acade- John Joseph, S. 1997. South Asia Meeting to my of Development Sciences, Karjat, finalise Regional Action plan, IUCN, Co- Maharashtra. 17-19 September. lombo. 5-8 May. Soundaradjane, S. 1996. National Conference John Joseph, S. 1997. Policy that works for on Agricultural Marketing, Orissa. 3.5 people and forest, Policy Maker's Work- September. shop. Hyderabad, WWF - India. 14-17 Sowmiya, R., M. Thirumalai and D. Tiroutch- March. elvame.1996. 32nd Annual Rice Meet on Integrated Pest Management and Water Kanvinde, Hemal. 1997. Management of en- Management TNAU. Coimbatore. 15-18 vironment protection at communal and April. regional level. Course organised by Acad- emie Klausenhof in Rhede, Federal Re- Sowmiya, R. and D. Tiroutchelvame. 1997. public of Germany. 2-28 June. Crop Resource Management Network Workshop, Directorate of Rice Research, King, Oliver E.D.I. 1996. Organismic Biolo- Hyderabad. 2-5 January. gy in Colleges. Workshop at Indian In- stitute of Science, Bangalore. 9-13 De- Subhashini, H.D. 1996. Fundamentals and cember. application of statistics at environmental testing laboratory. Guest lecture in Kuberaraj, M.S. 1996. Leadership programme the training programme on Operation on environmental education and train- and Management of Environmental ing Organised and conducted by the Ang- Testing Laboratories, Environmental lade Institute of Natural History, Shem- Training Institute (ETI), TNPCB, Chen- baganur, Kodaikanal. 17-21 October. nai. 19 September. Latha, R. 1997. Asian Rice Biotechnology Subhashini, H.D. 1997. Constituents of sew- Network Workshop on gene cloning, age and environmental Impact of sewage transformation and molecular analysis disposal and Sanitation in Unsewered ar- of transgenic rice. International Rice eas. Guest lecture in the training pro- Research Institute, Manila, Philippines. gramme on NOO's role in dealing with 21 April - 14 June. Municipal waste, ETI, TNPCB, Chennai. Nair, Sudha.1997.Workshop on Integrating 2 July. Paid and Unpaid Work into National Swaminathan, Mina. 1996. Promoting the Policies. UNDP, Seoul. 28-30 May. young child's development: challenges Nair, Sudha. 1997. Meeting of Resource group and opportunities in India. National of Women Scientists and Technologists Workshop on Early Childhood Develop- in the Asia Pacific Region. UNDP, Seoul. ment. UNICEF and World Bank, New 31 May. Delhi. 28-29 August.

146 Publications

Thiagarajan, A.R. 1996. World Poultry Con- ment and Development, for outstanding gress and International Poultry Exhibi- contributions to the lofty cause of envi- tion New Delhi. 2-8 September. ronmental protection and development, and for his signal accomplishments in Vencatesan, Jayshree. 1996. Consultation on the field of international cooperation, the India Water sector Programme of the Government of China. UNDP, Dahod, Gujarat. 12-13 Septem- ber. Swaminathan, M.S. 1997. Ordre du Merite Vencatesan, Jayshree. 1996. Sub-committee Agricole created in 1883 to honour per- Agri and Food Processing of the Con- sons having rendered services of the high- federation of Indian Industry (CII), Ma- est quality to the cause of agriculture and dras. 8 August - 12 October. its development and amelioration, Min- istry of Agriculture, Government of France. Awards/Honours Swaminathan, M.S. 1997. Dr. B. P. Pal Med- John Joseph, S. 1997. Awarded B.P. Pal Na- al for unique contributions to agricultili-al tional Environment Fellowship. Minis- research and development, National try of Environment & Forests, Govern- Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India. ment of India.

Narayan, L.R.A. 1996. Sir Edward Dolezel Videos Award at the International Congress of the International Society of Photo gram- Gender Justice and Rights of Women and metry and Remote Sensing at Vienna Children. 7-mins. Discussion Starters/ (Austria). 8-19 July. Video Spots. 1996.

Ravishankar, T. 1997. The Young Scientist Enga Patta Kelunga. Cassette of songs on the Award. Sri Venkateswara University theme, 'Burden on the preschool Child'. Tirupati and Medicina Alternativa, Sri 1996. Lanka during the 35th World Congress Low-cost, No-cost Materials in Child Educa- on Natural Medicines. tion. Parts I, II, III - Film on the use of Swaminathan, M.S. 1997. Highest award for indigenous play materials for learning of International Cooperation on Environ- young children. 3 X 15 mins. 1997.

147 About the Foundation

M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), registered in 1988 as a non- profit Trust, is recognised by the Government of India, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, and by the Director General of Income Tax (Exemptions), for the purpose of exemption of contributions from Income Tax under Section 80G and section 35 (i) (ii) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, read with Rule 6 of Income Tax Rules, 1962. The Ministry of Home Mfairs, Government of India, has recognised the Foundation for receiving funds from sources abroad under the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976.

Board of Trustees

Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chennai, Ms. Mina Swaminathan, Chennai Chairman Dr. K. Kanungo, Bhubaneshwar. Prof. V.L. Chopra, New Delhi Mr. R.M. Lala, Mumbai. Dr. V.K. Ramachandran, Mumbai. Dr. Sowmya Swaminathan, Chennai.

Centre for ~esearch on Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (CRSARD) Registered in 1990 as a Society under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975.

Governing Body Dr. S. Shanmugasundaram, Member Vice. Chancellor TN Veterinary & Animal Sciences University Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, President Chennai Chennai Mr. A.M. Mahmood Hussain, Member Dr. A. Sankaram, Secretary Forestry Expert Agricultural Expert Chennai Chennai Mr. S.S. Rajashekar, Member Dr. Chitra Viji, Treasurer Social Worker Cultural Historian Chennai Chennai Prof. Kunthala Jayaraman, Member Dr. Abdul Kareem, Member Dean of Technology Vice-Chancellor Anna University TN Agricultural University Chennai Coimbatore

148 About the Foundation

Governing Body (Contd.) Mr. A..M.. Mahmood Husain, IFS (Retd.) Dr. K. Alagarswamy, Member Farestry Expert, Chennai Farmer Directar Central Institute far Brackishwater Dr. S. Jayaraj Aquaculture ICAR Natianal Prafessar Chen/wi M.S.Swaminathan Research Faundatian Chennai Prof. T.N. Ananthakrishnan, Member Farmer Directar Dr. Parvathi Menon Entamalagy Research Institute Sacial Scientist Chennai Bangalare

Mr. G.Venkataramani, Member Dr. A. Sankaram Agriculture Carrespandent Agricultural Expert The Hindu, Chennai Chennai

Auditors Advisory Committees Institutional Biosafety and Bioethics Mls.Brahmayya &. Company, Chennai. Committee

Research Council of CRSARD Prof. M. S. Swaminathan - Chairman Dr. J. McNeelly, Chief Scientist, mCN Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman. Dr. S.L. Govindwar, Nominee, DBT, Government of India Dr. M. Anandakrishnan Dr. Sudha Nair, MSSRF Vice. Chairman, Dr. P. Balakrishna, MSSRF Tamil Nadu State Cauncil far Higher Educatian, Chemwi Dr. Nivedita Ram, MSSRF

Dr. S. Shanmugasundaram Dr. Ajay Parida, MSSRF - Member-Secretary Vice-Chancellar Tamil Nadu Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Chennai Policy Advisory Committee for the Tech- nical Resource Centre for the Implemen- Dr. Abdul Kareem tation of the Equity Provisions of the Vice-Chancellar Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Convention on Biological Diversity Caimbatare Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman. Dr. K. Alagarswamy Farmer Directar Central Institute far Ms. Amarjit K. Ahuja, lAS Brackishwater Aquaculture Joint Secretary. Chen/wi Ministry .of Enviranment & Farests New Delhi Dr. T.N. Ananthakrishnan Farmer Directar Dr. C.S. Rangachari, lAS Entomalagy Research Institute Principal Secretary Chennai Gavernment .of Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad

149 Annual Report 1996-97

Dr. P.L. Gautam Mr. B. Vijayaraghavan, lAS (Retd.) Director Chairman, Madras Snake Park Trust National Bureau of Chennai Plant Genetic Resources New Delhi Mr. U.S. Natarajan, lAS (Retd.) Legal Consultant Mr. V.R. Chitrapu, lFS Chennai Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Government of Tamil Nadu Mr. Deepak Mullick Chennai Alternate President Mr. John Mathai, lAS Association of Seed Industry of India Bombay Secretary Forests & Wildlife Department Government of Kerala Mr. Sriram Panchu Consumers' Action Group Mr. M.V. Raghavendra Nair, lFS Chennai Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Government of Kerala Mr. Sanjay Shukla Executive Director Mr. Sant Ram Mehta, lFS Society for Social Forestry R&D Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Chennai Govt. of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Haddo, Port Blair

Mr. C.S. Srinivasan, lAS Tamil Nadu Council for Sustainable Deputy Secretary (Seeds) Livelihoods Department of Agriculture Government of India, New Delhi (Representing Secretary, Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Agriculture, Government of India) Chairman

Mr. S. Shanmugasundaram, lFS Chief Conservator of Forests (Research) Members Chennai Dr. Abraham Joseph Mr. C.K. Sreedharan, lFS Member, Professor and Head Chief Conservator of Forests (Planning) Community Health Department Chennai Christian Medical College Bagayam, Ms. Rasheeda Bhagat Vellore - 632 002. The Business Line Chennai Dr. S. Narayanan, lAS Mr. G. Venkataramani Development Commissioner Government of Tamil Nadu The Hindu Chennai Mr. S.P. Elangovan, lAS Dr. Parvathi Menon Secretary Social Scientist Department of Higher Education Bangalore Government of Tamil Nadu

Ms. Uma Prabhu Ms. Shanthini Kapoor, lAS The Times of India Additional Secretary, Education Bombay Government of Tamil Nadu

150 1

About the Foundation

Dr. M. Anandakrishnan Ms. Lalita Banavali Vice Chairman Managing Director TN State Council for Higher Education Hunger Project-India Bombay Tmt. Lakshmi Pranesh, lAS Secretary Mr. S. Loganathan Social Welfare & Nutritious Meal Executive Director Programme Department ASSEFA Government of Tamil Narju Chennai

Mr. M.A. Gowrishankar, lAS Mr. R. Raja Ramakrishnan Secretary Chennai Department of School Education Government of Tamil Nadu Mr. J. Jangal Project Co-ordinator Mr. R.C. Panda, lAS MYRADA PLAN Member Secretary . Dharmapuri Project State Planning Commission, Tamil Nadu Ms. Vasanta Surya Mr. S. Ramakrishnan, lAS Journalist Secretary Chennai Dept. of Health and Family Welfare Government of Tamil Nadu Mr. Vijay Dugar Chairman Ms. Sheila Rani Chunkath, lAS ProjeCts - Madras Food Bank Project Director Chennai DANIDA Health Care Project Chennai Ms. Andal Damodaran Hon. General Secretary Mr. P.V. Rajaraman, lAS Indian Council for Child Welfare Secretary Chennai Finance Department Government of Tamil Nadu Ms. Sivasankari Writer and Author, Mr. A.P. Muthuswamy, lAS Chennai Secretary Housing and Urban Development Dr. S. Guhan Department Emeritus Professor Government of Tamil Nadu Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai Dr. Asha Krishnakumar The Frontline Dr. S. Rajagopalan Chennai Distinguished Fellow MSSRF, Chennai Ms. Geetha Ramaseshan Chennai Mr. Vijayakumar lAS Director of Social Welfare Mr. Joseph Xavier Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Chennai Department of Social Work Loyola College Mr. S.S. Rajashekar Chennai Chennai

Ms. Isabelle Austin Mr. S. Mohandas State representative Head, Asia-Pacific Region' Kerala & Tamil Nadu . UNICEF Rotary Club of Madras East, Chennai Chennai

151 Annual Report 1996-97

Technical Advisory Committee for the Dr. K.N.N.S. Nair Project "Children on the Agenda" Adviser Biovillage Project MSSRF Ms. Andal Damodaran Pondicherry Hon. General Secretary Indian Council for Child Welfare Mr. B. Radhakrishnan Chennai Programme Officer UNDP Dr. Rajammal P. Devadas New Delhi Chancellor Avinashilingam Institute for Dr. S. Natesh Home Science and Higher Learning for Principal Scientific Officer Women (Deemed University) Ministry of Science & Technology Coimbatore Government of India

Dr. Radha Paul Mr. Madan Mohan Director Under Secretary World Vision Ministry of Rural Development Chennai Government of India

Director, Social Welfare Mr. Anil Mainra Government of Tamil Nadu Deputy Secretary Chennai Ministry of Environment & Forests Government of India Dr. L.S. Saraswathi Educational Consultant Dr. R.P. Singh Chennai Director, NIRD Hyderabad Ms. KV. Shantha Freelance Consultant Ms. Rekha Rochar Chennai Programme Officer FA 0, New Delhi Ms. Mina Swaminathan Hony. Project Director Mr. N. Rajasekhar, IAS ACCESS Secretary (Rev) cum-Collector MSSRF, Chennai Government of Pondicherry

Mr. S. Hemachandran, IAS Biovillage Project Advisory Committee Project Director DRDA, Pondicherry Mr. V.V. Bhat, IAS Development Commissioner of Dr. J.K. Ray Pondicherry Under Secretary (Agriculture) Government of Pondicherry Chief Secretariat Government of Pondicherry Mr. M. Mathur Joint Adviser & National Project Mr. N. Loganathan Director Under Secretary (AH&P) Planning Commission Chief Secretariat Government of India Government of Pondicherry

Dr. R.S.S. Hopper Mr. M. Bhaskaran National Project Coordinator Director MSSRF Directorate of Agriculture, Pondicherry

152 l

About the Foundation

Dr. K. Raghunathan Prof. Song Jian, (Co-Chairperson) Director State Councillor and Chairman, Directorate of Animal Husbandry Environment and Science and Pondicherry Technology Commissions China Mr. M. Arunachalam Director of Fisheries Prof. Jiro Kondo, (Co-Chairperson) Pondicherry Director-General, RITE Japan Mr. S. Natarajan Principal Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, (Co-Chairperson) Krishi Vigyan Kendra UNESCO-Cousteau Ecotechnie Chair Pondicherry Dr. Mohammed Yunus Mr. B. Ramakrishna Singh Chair, Grameen Bank General Manager Bangladesh District Industries Centre Pondicherry Dr. Nona Javier Executive Trustee Ms. Devi Mathews Ramon Magsaysay Foundation Managing Director The Philippines Pondicherry Corporation for Development of Women Dr. Setijati Sastrapradja Pondicherry Director, Biodiversity Foundation of Indonesia, Bogor Managing Director PASIC, Pondicherry Dr. Vo Tong Xuan University of Can tho, Vietnam Managing Director PAPSCO, Pondicherry Dr. Syed Babar Ali President, WWF International Mr. Sukumar Lahore, Pakistan Manager NABARD Dr. Heitor G. De Souza Pondicherry Rector, United Nations University Tokyo Mr. K. Sadagopan Regional Manager Prof. Pierre Lasserre Indian Bank Ecotechnie Focal Point for UNESCO Pondicherry Paris

Mr. Vaikunth Naik Mme. Nathalie de Pompignan Manager Ecotechnie Network Development State Bank, ADB Branch Equipe Cousteau, Paris Pondicherry Dr. Jeffrey A. McNeely Chief Scientist, IUCN Advisory Committee for the Asian Eco- Gland, Switzerland technology Network Dr. Seijin Shimoyama Asian Productivity Organisation, Tokyo Dr. Wakako Hironaka, (Chairperson) Former Minister for Environment Japan

153 Annual Report 1996-97

FAO Regional Representative Representative Bangkok UN-ESCAP Bangkok Representative Asian Development Bank Representative Gonsultative _Group on Represen ta ti ve International Agricultural Research .United Nations Development Programme Dr. V. Balaji, (Member-Secretary) Representative United Nations {?nvironment Programme Coordinator Regional Asian Ecotechnology Network Representative MSSRF, Global Environment Facility Chennai

154 The Foundation Staff Mr. K Johnson Project Officer

Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Dr. R. Krishnamoorthy Chairman Remote Sensing Specialist UNESCO - Cousteau Chair in Ecotechnology Ms. L. Gnanappazham Administrative and Support Senior Scientist' / Cartographer Services Ms. Ruchi Bhandari Programme Coordinator (Gender) Mr. RS. Kuppusamy * Manager (Personnel & Administration) Mr. D. Ramakrishna Hydrologist, Picha va ram . Mr. N. Parasuraman Manager (Estate) Mr. KK Ravichandran Site Manager, Pichavaram Ms. Sudha Umapathy Manager (Personnel & Administration) Dr. R Somasundaram Site Manager, Muthupet Ms. V. Sridevi Executive Secretary Dr. R Ramasubramanian Site Manager, Kakinada Mr. C.K Ramachandran Manager (Budget & Accounts) Dr. Dorai Sridhar Site Manager, Machilipatnam Ms. R Malathy Secretary Mr. Prafulla Kumar Mishra Site Manager, Bhitarkanika Mr. R Venkataramanan Assistant Manager (Budget & Accounts) Mr. Saroj Kumar Pradhan Site Manager, Mahanadi Ms. D. Rukmani Senior Administrative Assistant Mr. KG. Mani Agronomist, Pichavaram

Programme Area 100 Coastal Mr. N.R Babu Systems Research Agronomist, Muthupet

JeEF Mr. Maqbool Mohhidin Jeelani Agronomist, Kakinada Mr. S. Sankaramurthy Project Director Mr. R Adhinarayanan Agronomist, Machilipatnam Dr. L.RA. Narayan Distinguished Fellow Mr. Subodh Ranjan Das Agronom ist, Bh itarkanika Dr. V. Selvam Mr. Siba Sankar Mahapatra Project Coordinator, Tamil Nadu Agronomist, Mahanadi

Dr. Gowri ShanKar Padhi Dr. B. Subramaniam Project Coordinator, Orissa Social Worker, Pichavaram

Dr. T. Ravishankar Mr. J. Raju Project Coordinator, Andhra Pradesh Social Worker, Muthupet

* Left during the year 155 Annual Report 1996-97

Mr. Nune Srinivasa Rao Dr. C.S. Anuratha * Social Worker, Kakinada Senior Scientist

Mr. Billa Manikya Rao Mr. S. Elango * Social Worker, Machilipatnam Senior Research Fellow

Mr. Satya Shree Nayak Mr. M. Parani Social Worker, Bhitarkanika Senior Research Fellow

Mr. Mihir Kumar Jenna Ms. M. Lakshmi Social Worker, Mahanadi Senior Research Fellow

Dr. C.S.V. Ramachandra Rao * Mr. P. Senthil Kumar Site Manager, Machilipatnam Senior Research Fellow

Dr. Meena * Mr. K.M. Kadirvelu Soil Scientist Technical Assistant

Mr. H. Fakir Mr. S. Purushothaman Office Assistant Technical Assistant

Mr. M.V. Gopakumar Biomonitoring Database Assistant Dr. Sudha Nair Ms. H. Latha Senior Scientist Accounts Assistant

Ms. S. Malathy * Dr. G.N. Hariharan Senior Scientist Assistant Manager (Accounts & Stores)

Mr. B. Padmanabhan Mr. N. Mathan Senior Research Fellow Gardener

Ms. Sahide Abibanu Begum Mr. K. Ravikannan Technical Assistant Technical Assistant

Mr. T.E. Krishnan Driver Bioprospecting and Micropropagation

Mr. Gangadhar Sethi Dr. P. Balakrishna Watchman - Cuttack Senior Scientist

Mr. Indra Prasad Regmi Dr. M.S.S. Mohan Watchman - Cuttack Senior Scientist Mr. C.Srinivasa Rao Programme Area 200 Senior Research Fellow Biodiversity and Biotechnology Mr. Ajith Anand Genetic Enhancement Senior Research Fellow

Dr. Ajay Kumar Parida Ms. R. Latha Senior Scientist Senior Research Fellow

Dr. Nivedita Ram Mr. P. Eganathan Senior Scientist Research Assistant * Left during the year 156 The Foundation Staff

Mr. M.M. Saravanan Community Biqdiversity Programme Technical Assistant Mr. S. John Joseph Mr. R. Sunil Kumar B.P.Pal National Environment F:ellow and Technical Assistant Project Leader

Dr. Chitra Viji Community Agrobiodiversity Advisor (Sacred Groves) Conservation Centre, Kalpetta, Kerala Dr. Hemal Kanvinde Senior Scientist Dr. N. Anil Kumar Senior Scientist Dr. L. Vedavalli Senior Scientist Dr. C. Anil Kumar Post Doctoral Fellow Ms. M. Geetha Rani Gene Bank Manager Mr. K.F. Thomas Farm Manager Ms. R. Rengalakshmi Research Associate Ms. Elsy Mathew Training Assistant Ms. M. Jayanthi * Senior Research Fellow Agrobiodiversity Programme (Orissa) Mr. M;S. Kuberaraj Herbarium Assistant Dr. S.D. Sharma Distinguished Fellow Mr. E.D. Israel Oliver King Senior Research Fellow Dr. Smita Tripathy Research Associate Mr. R. Ondiveeran Farm Assistant Ms. Pratima Gurung Research Associate Ms. G. Anuradha Research Assistant Mr. Banamali Mahala * Field Assistant Mr. S. Shamir Kumar Paul Electrical Supervisor Mr. Saujenendra Swain Mr. G. Suresh Kumar Research Associate Technical Assistant Mr. Susantha Sekhar Chaudhury Mr. K. Sunder Vadivelu Research Associate Administrative Assistant

Mr. Gyana Ranjan Panda * Mr. E. Thiruvengadam Research Assistant Administrative Assistant (Electrical) Mr. Amarendra Mishra Ms. T. Vijayasulochana Hon. Research Associate Administrative Assistant

Mr. Gopal Chandra Mahaptra Ms. R. Vidya * Herbarium Technician Administrative Assistant

* Left during the year

157 Annual Report 1996-97

Ms. R Vijaya * Mr. Keshav Hegde Administrative Assistant Research Assistant

Ms. Anusha Krishnamoorthy * Administrative Assistant Programme Area 300 Ecotechnology and Sustainable Mr. S. Gopalakrishnan Agriculture Driver J.R.n. Tata Ecotfchnology Centre Mr. K. Pandi * Driver Dr. K. Balasubramanian Project Director Saving Endangered Habitats . Mr. G. Venkataramani Dr. RJ. Ranjit Daniels Hony. Advisor Principal Scientific Officer Dr. M. Kaliyamurthy # Senior Scientist Mr. P.V. David Technical Assistant, Nicobar Islands Dr. H.D. Subashini Senior Scientist Mr. R Aengals Technical Assistant Mr. V. Amalan Stanley Project Associate Mr. R Sabu Kuttan * Field Assistant Ms. N. Brindha Project Associate Dr. L.N. Acharjyo Project Coordinator, Orissa Dr. D. Dhanapal Project Associate Dr. Hrudayanath Thatoi Research Associate, Orissa Mr. C. L. Mohan Ram S Project Associate Mr. Jyotiranjan Mohanty Research Associate, Orissa Mr. M. Ganesan Project Associate Mr. Nirakar &hera Field Assistant, Orissa Mr. A. Gopalakrishnan Project Associate Mr. Jamini Kant Biswal Field Assistant, Orissa Ms. A. Shaleesha Project Associate Mr. Ouseph Alphonse Research Associate Ms. A.P. Jayabharathi Project Associate Mr. D. Raman * Training Coordinator Ms. Jayashree Vencatesan Project Associate Mr. M.V. Ravikumar Mr. N. Sivakumar Research Assistant Project Associate Mr. S. Saravanan Ms. Latha Nagarajan Research Assistant Project Associate

* Left during the year # on deputation from the Central Institute for Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneshwar $ Expired 158 The Foundation Staff

M$. R. Mahalakshmi Ms. KT. Kalaiselvi Praject Assaciate Praject Assaciate

Mr. K Nachimuthu Mr. T. Oudayabaskar Praject Assaciate Praject Assaciate

Mr. S. Mohan Ms. Pushpalatha Sivasubramanian Office Assistant Praject Assaciate

Mr. M. Nageswaran Mr. KG. Rajamohan Praject Assaciate Praject Assaciate

Mr. L. Pandiarajan * Mr. R Rajasekara Pandy Praject Assaciate Praject Assaciate

Mr. C. Thilagar Mr. L. Sathiya Narayanan Seniar Research Fellaw Praject Assaciate

Mr. A. Vedamoorthy Mr. V. Selvam Seniar Research Fellaw Praject Assaciate

Mr. S. Arivukarasu Ms. S.V. Santhy Systems Assistant Praject Assaciate

Mr. S. Rajamanikkam# Mr. S. Soundararadjane Technical Assistant Praject Assaciate

Prof. Joseph H. Hulse, Ms. R. Sowmiya Visiting Prafessar (Canada) Praject Assaciate

Ms. Maria Gemma B. Tibayan, Mr. D.K Sridhar Babu * Visiting Schalar (Philippines) Praject Assaciate

Ms. Sandra Schrader, Mr. D. Tiroutchelvame Visiting Schalar (Germany) Praject Associate

Ms. Judith Christy Mr. M. Thirumalai Visiting Schalar (Germany) Praject Assaciate Ms. P. Madhana Kumari Biovillage Project (Pondicherry) Praject Assaciate

Dr. RS. Shanthakumar Hopper Ms. Vasanthi Vasan Natianal Praject Caardinatar Office Manager

Dr. KN.N.S. Nair Mr. Felix Jayaraj Distinguished Fellaw and Advisar Office Assistant

Dr. A.R Thiagarajan Mr. J. Arjunan * Cansultant - Veterinary Sciences Field Assistant

Ms. S. Banumathy Mr. A. Govindarasu Praject Assaciate Field Assistant.

* Left during the year # an deputatian fram the Central lItstitute far Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneshwar 159 Annual Report 1996-97

Mr. R. Jeeva Mr. K. Ramesh * Field Assistant Driver

Mr. T. Kumaran Mr. S. Murugesan Field Assistant Senior Research Fellow

Ms. G. Meenakshi Mr. R. Kalyanasundaram Field Assistant Junior Research Fellow Ms. S. Vidhya Mr. J. Pargunan Junior Research Fellow Field Assistant Mr. E. Madhavan Mr. S. Saravanane Clerk. Accountant. Computer Programmer Field Assistant Mr. T. Raja Mr. K. Srinivasan Driver Field Assistant Ms. J. Sivarani * Junior Research Fellow Mr. M. Babu Driver Mr. V. Murugesh* Junior Research Fellow Ms. Heoise Troc Visiting Scholar (France) Mr. S. Thirumurugan* Junior Research Fellow Mr. Nicholas Drusne Visiting Scholar (France) Ms. Sunitha Terasa Samuel * Senior Research Fellow

Mr. K. Sudhakaran ICAR- MSSRF Integrated Pest Senior Research Fellow Management Centre Mr. G. Perumalsamy Junior Research Fellow Prof. S. Jayaraj Mr. M. Ravindran lCAR National Professor Junior Research Fellow Mr. N. Sathiah * Mr. N. Saravanan Assistant Professor Junior Research Fellow

Ms. Sakunthala Nair * Ms. A. M. Fathima Gani Senior Research Fellow Junior Research Fellow

Ms. S. Camillus Leema Rose * Ms. C. Latha Senior Research Fellow Junior Research Fellow Mr. S. Mohammed Rafi * Mr. M. Krishnan Junior Research Fellow lPM Consultant

Ms. B. B. Saliha * Mr. M. Murugesan Junior Research Fellow Project Assistant

* Left during the year

160 The Foundation Staff

Mr. S. Paramasivam Ms. D. Radhika Project Assistant Project Associate

Ms. 1. Glory Dr. B. V. Rao Centre for Sustainable Project Associate Food Security Mr. Murali Shanmugavelan Project Associate Dr. S. Rajagopalan Distinguished Fellow and P~oject Leader Ms. K. Annammal Secretary Dr. Vineeta Hoon Consultant Ms. E. Rajeshwari * Secretary Mr. K. Ramanathan Liaison Officer Ms. S. Jazeela Banu Administrative Assistant Ms. K. Sheela Secretary Ms. G. Padmavathy Administrative Assistant Ms. M. Hema Research Associate Mr. S. Karthikeyan Accountant Ms. B. Sumathi Secretarial Assistant Ms. R. Jayashree Accounts Assistant Ms. Anuradha * Research Associate, Dharmapuri Uttara Devi Resource Centre on Gender Mr. Thamarai Selvan * Research Associate, Dharmapuri and Development

Ms. Aparna Ravi Dr. V. Padma Visiting Fellow Senior Fellow Ms. Srividya Natarajan Programme Area 400 Reaching Fellow the Unreached Ms. J. Latha Programme Assistant Project ACCESS Programme Area 500 : Education, Ms. Mina Swaminathan Communication, Training and Hon. Project Director Capacity Building Mr. S. Raja Samuel Informatics Centre Project Coordinator Dr. V. Balaji Ms. Rama Narayanan * Project Director and Coordinator Research Fellow Asian Ecotechnology Network Ms. R. Santhiya Maheswari Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam Project Associate Distinguished Fellow

* Left during the year

161 Annual Report 1996-97

Mr. Michael Harley * Ms. V. Usha Advisor - Communication Visiting Scholar

Ms. Shahnaz Padamsee * Communication Manager Library Services

Mr. S. Senthil Kumaran Ms. Sylvia Snehalatha Senior Research Fellow Librarian Mr. K. Suresh Ms. Annie Jenifer Research Fellow Library Assistant Mr. C.V. Parthasarathy Mr. M. Kuppusamy Programmer Assistant Librarian Mr. G. S. Sridhar* Mr. R. K. Saravanan Research Assistant Photographer Ms. K. Uma Rani Research Assistant Distinguished Fellows Mr. R. Ezhil Muthu (Over-all Advisors) Resea'rch Fellow Dr. Vijay R. Subbiah Dr. A. Sankaram Research Associate Dr. A. Venkataraman

* Left during the year

162 List of Donors Mr. LK. Kejriwal Calcutta From 1st July '96 to 30th June '97 Mr:P.Y.R. Krishna Rao Chennai Dr. Manmohan Attavar Bangalore Department of Human Development and Dr. L.R.A. Narayan Family Studies, Baroda Chennai Diana World Travel Pvt Limited Dr. S. Rajagopalan Chennai Chennai Gupta Foundation Mr. C.K. Ramachandran Eluru Chennai Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Mr. M.M. Rao Limited, Mumbai New Delhi Rotary Club of Madras (East) Dr. RN. Samola Chennai Bhubaneshwar Dr. Sanjay V. Deshmukh Mumbai Ms. ~apurna Prasad Dr. A. Sankaram Chennai Chennai Dr. C.S. Anuratha Mr. N. Sathiah Chennai Chennai Dr. V. Balaji Dr. P.V. Shenoi Chennai Bangalore Dr. K. Balasubramanian Staff Members of MSSRF Chennai Chennai Mr. Bhagwan Manior Mumbai Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Chennai Dr. Himansu Ghosh Bankura Dr. U. Venkateswaralu New Delhi Dr. S. Jayaraj Chennai Mr. S. Viswanathan Mr. S.John Joseph Chennai Chennai Dr. P.C; Josekutty South Africa Prof. L.N. Kailasam Dr. John Herald California, USA USA Ms. Kalpana Ramachandran Mr. Paul Terweel , Chennai The Netherlands

163

I ~ Annual Report 1996-97

Sources of Project Support

National International

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) New Delhi.

India-Canada Environment Facility New Delhi.

National International Union Ministry of Environment & Swedish International Development Forests, New Delhi. Cooperation Agency

World Wide Fund for Nature. India, Ministry of the Environment, New Delhi. Governm~nt of United Kingdom. Government of India, Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Department of Biotechnology, Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) New Delhi Germany.

International Atomic Energy Agency

John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, USA.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands.

Global Environment Facility

International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Italy and the Government of Italy. ~i ".'

National International The Hunger Project - Indi~, International Fund for Agricultural Mumbai. Development (IFAD) .

164

... Sources of Project Support

National International Government of India, United Nations Educational Scientific and Department of Biotechnology, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) New Delhi. Union Ministry of Rural Development, United Nations Development Programme Department of Wasteland Development, (UNDP-New Delhi) New Delhi. Food and Agriculture Organization of the Council for Advancement of People's Action United Nations (FAO - New Delhi) and Rural Technology, New Delhi. The Hunger Project-Japan & Sweden Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, New Delhi and Southern Petrochemicals Industries Corporation. Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Mumbai. Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. Venkateshwara Group, Pune. Poultry Development and Promotion Council, Pune. Social Welfare & Nutritious Meal Programme Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.

National International Aga Khan Foundation, New Delhi. United Nations International Children's The Hunger Project - India, Mumbai. Fund (UNICEF) Kasthuri & Sons Ltd., Chennai. Humanistic Institute for Cooperation with Union Ministry of Human Resources Developing Countries (RIVOS) Development, Bangalore. New Delhi Council for Advancement of People's Action Royal Danish Embassy,New Delhi and Rural Technology, New Delhi. Bernard Vanleer Foundation, Venkateshwara Group, Pune. The Netherlands.

165 ",ADJft1alReport 1996-97. ," <

National International Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Institute for International Economic Mumbai. Cooperation and Development, Italy. Council for Advancement of People's Action United Nations Development Programme and Rural Technology, Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, Abu New Delhi. Dhabi, UAE. Government of India, Department of Ocean United Nations Educational, Scientific and Development, New Delhi. Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) Council for Scientific and Industrial Food and Agriculture Organization of the Research, New Delhi. United Nations, Regional Office, Thailand. (FAO-RAPA) Union Ministry of Environment & Forests, New Delhi. International Development Research Centre, New Delhi. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation Population Foundation of India, International Crops Research Institute for New Delhi. the Semi.Arid Tropics

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