Robert Leo and Mathew john
Indigenous communities in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve area have improved their livelihoods by appropriate technology use in farm practices and value addition. The community is enjoying the benefits of getting together by enhancing their capacities in adding value to lives and livelihoods..
The Nilgiris is a mountain area which is part of the Western Ghats of South India, a home range for six primitive tribal groups. Most of them are either pastoral or have been hunter gatherers. The region is dominated by plantations of tea/coffee and commercial vegetable cultivation. Approximately 55% of the land is under the Forest Department. The average rainfall varies between 2000mm in the west to less than 500 mm in the eastern and northern sides. Land use change has taken place in the Nilgiris over the past 200 years, with a constant move towards commercial species, both in the forest and in agricultural lands.
The Arakode region of Kotagiri taluka is known for its steep slopes, drainage, glens, headlands and precipices. It is a rain shadow area and the Irula community is predominant in the region. This valley was a gate way to the Nilgiris range by the British and the traders during the 18th century. There are over 350 families in the valley and hold approximately 550 acres of traditional land. The Irulas cultivate minor millet, vegetable and fruit trees in their community land holdings. The millets are always grown in a mixed cropping system – a combination of different cereal, pulse, tubers, vegetable crops and numerous uncultivated foods crops, as food and nutritional security. Millet cultivation is taken up as a community activity – labour for clearing land, crop guarding against wild animals and post harvest processing is shared. This provides a strong bond, socially and culturally. Rain fall and crop raiding by wild animals is a huge determinant in their food security. Many times, these threats have forced the community to discontinue farming practices leading to large tracts of land becoming fallow and semi-wild.
Interestingly, the overall land use change which has taken place across the rest of the mountains has not affected this region to a large extent, except that the community transformed their land, partly, into coffee cultivation. Coffee is grown largely with a number of fruit trees, shade trees, pepper vines, silk cotton trees and wild trees – a rich diverse system. The few non tribal farmers who live in the region have also practiced a similar crop pattern. In addition, collection of non-timber forest produce (NTFPs) is an important traditional activity to meet their livelihood requirements. Earlier, the entire family used to go into the forest for collecting gooseberry, soap-nut, gallnut, barks, roots and phoenix leaves, seasonally, which would be sold to small traders.
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Keystone – Enterprise Development The focus areas for enterprise development are the following: Local Marketing – promote local trade and marketing in local / rural areas with indigenous groups and establish a chain of Green Shops in urban areas. Diversify food, craft and artisan products for larger benefits to primary collectors and producers and build their stake in the enterprise. Certification – initiate organic certification for small farmers to retain the biodiversity in small homestead farms and arrest drastic land use change. Contribute to the knowledge of forest certification for encompassing biodiversity and cultural practices which go beyond non-chemical presence. Value Addition – add value and generate income at the village level through products brought out from projects and produced; gathered traditionally in farms and forests. |
A few of the villagers have developed excellent skills in making fruit baskets, winnowing baskets, granary and mats from locally collected bamboo. Goat rearing is widely practiced, usually, among elderly people. Children are very much associated with this practice – this is also a reason for poor literacy amongst Irulas. Small traders visit the village to buy farm produce, goats and forest collections and sell cloth, small groceries as well finance their emergencies and festivals. Usually, the interest rates are extremely high while the purchase rates offered for buying produce are extremely low.
Arakode Women and Land Development Group, Banglapadigai
Keystone Foundation, an NGO, has been working in the Nilgiri Biosphere region since 1995 with indigenous communities on eco-development initiatives. In the year 1998-99, a group of farmers and NTFP collectors requested Keystone Foundation to assist them in a legal battle with a nearby private estate to secure their traditional land holding (80 acres). Legal consultation support was provided and this became instrumental for the revival of traditional mixed farming, starting up a farmer’s revolving fund and community level value additional centre.
Major crops grown are pepper, Coffee, Silk cotton, Fruits, Vegetables, Millets, Pulses, soap nuts. The farmers were encouraged to grow crops organically with training on compost, vermi-compost and preparation of bio-pest and disease control inputs. Soil and moisture conservation techniques were incorporated to ensure soil health. Micro irrigation through HDP hose pipes and sprinklers were introduced for efficient water utilization and sharing amongst users. So far the Foundation has trained 113 farmers in coffee cultivation.
In the year 2004, a revolving fund account was started in a bank, through which savings, lending loans, purchase of seeds, bio-inputs are facilitated. Interest free loans are provided to the group members. These funds are used to procure the primary produce and engage in the process of value addition.
Production levels reached up to 2.5 tons of coffee, 5.5 tons silk cotton, 0.5 tons of pepper, 1 ton millets and 2.5 tons of vegetables and fruits. The farmers were encouraged to supply coffee, silk cotton, pepper, fruits to the value addition centre at fair prices. The harvests from the farms like vegetable, greens, tubers and fruits were procured under an Organic Bazaar-marketing venture for farm /fresh produces.
Value addition
A level of value addition used to happen at the village but it was always an individual effort e.g ginning of silk cotton would take place in home with their house vessels – it meant that the skill level was there but an addition of technology as well as scaling it up, has made a change. The emphasis has been on parameters like sanitation, quality, appropriate tools, packaging which has allowed them to bring their products into the open market.
Initially, the value addition activity was done from a rented house and gradually grew to have its own building in 2005. There are 11 women (directly) and three men (partly) involved in processing and packing of silk cotton mattresses, pillows, coffee powder, pepper & gooseberry products, making pickles, spice packing, millet processing and broom making by using phoenix leaves.
Certification and marketing
The farmers of the village have registered themselves under PGS certification (Participatory Guarantee System) ensuring sustainable farming conditions. The value addition groups have shared a ratio of profit with all farmers and collectors who have supplied the raw materials for value addition. Through value addition, the value of the product increased 5-7 times within the village premises, itself.
These products are directly sold to the Enterprise section of Keystone which provides access to regular employment and direct payments to the group. It helps in linking the clientele through the Green Shops and facilitates the centers for local marketing through organizing outlets
Keystone is a member of the PGS Organic India Council and has 13 groups registered under it. Produce from these groups (mainly coffee, pepper & silk cotton) can use the PGSOIC logo on their products. Right now, coffee packing has the logo printed on the packing.
It has its own chain of four shops which are called `The Green Shops’ – based in Kotagiri, Coonoor, Ooty & Mysore (recently opened in Sept 09). These shops are primarily targeted at the middle class segment of consumers. The production groups have also begun selling through their own outlets which go under the name `The Honey Huts’ – these are in Masinagudi, Mettupalayam, Barliyar, Bannari and Hasanur. Apart from these, Keystone has tied up with retail shops in different places – the main ones are in Salem, Auroville & Pondicherry with limited supplies to some others.
Impacts
There has been a price advantage due to value addition reflecting on the income earned by the farmers. By adding value, the price of one unit of silk cotton of 1000 silk pods increased from Rs 140/- to Rs.265/- Further value addition by producing pillow or mattress will further fetch a three fold increased price. Similarly, with roasting and grinding Coffee fetched a price of Rs 75/- per kg as against Rs. 50-60/. Pepper, which earlier fetched Rs. 85/-per kilogram is now being sold at Rs 130/-, with packaging as value addition. The value of other products like honey and gooseberry has doubled and in some cases has increased three times.
The human resource skills and attitudes have enhanced not only the production processes but overall family and village development. Technological intervention have increased efficiency in ginning cotton, solar driers & dehumidifiers for fruit processing, husking machine for millet processing, mixers & grinders for pickle and spice packaging. This women’s group has now started a small grocery in the premises to cater to the village’s needs with some principles, like not selling tobacco.
Table 1 : Value addition of products
| Produce procured from farmers | Process involved in value addition | Finished produce for market |
| Coffee parchment | Graded, sundried, peeled & polished, roasted, grinding into powder and packed | Marketed as powderMarketed as roasted beans |
| Silk cotton pods | Removal of pods, dried, Ginned, filling in stitched bags | Marketed as Mattress, pillows, cushions and as ginned cotton |
| Lime fruits | Cleaned, removal of seeds, pickled, or added with sweeteners | Marketed as pickle / Marmalade |
| Pepper | Cleaned, graded, pickled, dried and powdered, dried and packed as whole | Marketed as Green pepper preserve, powder and whole |
| Ragi | Cleaned, powdered | Marketed as powder, cereal mix, biscuits |
| Goose berry | Procured, cleaned, boiled, added with sweeteners, dried as chips with salt, with sugar, powdered, | Marketed as candy, mouth freshener, pickle, Jam, powder for consumption, for hair application |
| Bees wax | Melted, filtered, value added as Balms (nine different types), hand rolled candles. Soaps, | Marketed as Balms, candle and soaps |
The value addition group members often visit all the farms for interaction and procurement. Besides farming, 36 farmers have also under taken beekeeping to increase income opportunities. This has also enhanced crop productivity through crop pollination. Though diseases like the Thai Sac Brood Virus remain a constant threat, the potential continues to encourage the beekeepers. These initiatives have reduced the traders influence.
The value addition centre acts as a central pivot around which social, cultural and economical linkages are bound. This production and direct participation is a critical backward link to the Organic/Green Enterprise which Keystone hopes will bring the customer & the market, closer.
However, this extremely strong effort at the village has not come without its share of difficulties. Such a holistic approach is constantly challenged by a few farmers’ practices. Hard market realities force them to grow short term mono crops like cultivation of beans to deal with cash requirements.
There is still a long way to go but they are slowly picking up. What is crucial is building their stake into the centers.
Robert Leo and Mathew John
Keystone Foundation
Groves Hill Road, PB 35
Kotagiri – 643217, Nilgiris
Tamil Nadu
Email: kf@keystone-foundation.org
