TAMILNADU

Project Completed Successfully

Madurai Institute of Peace Science
�Conservation of Vegetational Diversity for Sustainable Livelihoods�

Grant Amount: Rs. 3,96,240

The proposed project basically dealt with the problem of deforestation, land degradation and non-eco-friendly agricultural practices. The target groups of the project were small and marginal farmers and the farm women of the proposed project area. The main objectives of the project included regeneration of forest cover with indigenous practices, promotion of sustainable farming techniques viz. organic manure, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, cropping system and crop rotation. The project also incorporated technological change in input use, in dry land farming, in planning and programming of farming system, effective use of inputs including capital, labour, sunshine, precipitation, temperature, optimum utilization of land and the marketing aspects so as to restore the ecological balance.

Contact Details:
Ms.N. Revathy, Project Director
Gandhi Museum, Madurai - 625 020, Tamil Nadu
Phone no(s): 0452 - 530 291
E-mail: [email protected]

Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems

�Community Seed Banks for Conservation of Indigenous Genetic Resources: Empowerment, Capacity Building and Training�

Grant Amount: Rs. 13,58,000

The project incorporates the components of Agricultural modernization to introduce new and uniform crops into farmers field as a means of in situ conservation technique, promote indigenous variety of seeds for cultivation, awareness and educational programmes for farmers, organise training programmes on organic farming, preparation of training module, booklets, posters and slides and conserve indigenous genetic resources through the participation of farmers community with particular emphasis on involvement of women.

Contact Details:
Shri. A.V. Balasubramanian
30, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai - 600 085
Phone no(s): 044 - 2447 1087/ 5862 Fax: 044 - 2447 1114
E-mail: [email protected], www.ciks.org

Ongoing Project

The Rapinat Herbarium

�An Environmental Awareness Generation and Eco-restoration Programme on the Palni Hills (Western Ghats) South India�

Grant Amount: Rs.10,00,000

The project intends to conserve the shoal forests in the pambar- shola region through awareness, eco-restoration, and action activities with tailor-made technical programmes. The major activities involved, awareness through exposing select teams of trainees from two main target groups (villagers, students, decision makers) to a live in an experience of nature�s processes, implement eco-restoration programmes as follow-up on the awareness programme, greening the pambar-shola for which an entire technical programme in place and implementation of several eco-restoration activities in some 75 centres across south India from where the trainee groups come.

Contact Details:
Fr.K.M.Mathew, Director
St. Joseph�s College, Thiruchirapalli - 620 002, Tamil Nadu
Phone no(s): 0431 - 700 052/ 721 422 Fax: 0431 - 721 475, 701 501
E-mail: [email protected]
, [email protected]

SEVA - Sustainable Agriculture & Environmental Voluntary Action

Establishing Medicinal Plants Park: An opportunity for Biodiversity Conservation (Biodiversity Conservation)

Grant Amount: Rs. 13,50,000 :

The purpose of the project is to collect and document the indigenous technical knowledge related to medicinal plants, establish a medicinal plants park to serve as a model farm, create awareness among people about the conservation of medicinal plants, and augment production of seed materials of medicinal plants in the park for distribution to farmers.

Contact Details:
Mr.P.Vivekanandan
45, TPM Nagar, Viratipathu, Madurai - 625 010, Tamil Nadu
Phone no(s): 0452 - 238 0082; Fax: 0452 - 260 4765/ 230 0425
E-mail: [email protected]

Centre for Development and Communication Trust (CENDECT)

"Establishing a Medicinal Plants park: An opportunity for Biodiversity Conservation"

Grant Amount : Rs. 12,00,000

The project addresses the problem of depleting medicinal plants and increasing demand for natural products of commercial value. For this, they intend to set up a model Medicinal Plants Park where all the medicinal plants collected in the Theni district will be planted. Since recommended cultivation practices are insufficient to meet the demands of large-scale commercial cultivation, suitable technological packages for 4 select medicinal plants for commercial cultivation will be developed. An exhaustive list of medicinal plants will be prepared which will serve as a base for the Indigenous Medicinal Plants Knowledge Information System. In the end, a small- scale medicinal plants processing industry will be established for preparing suitable drugs from medicinal plants. At this stage, farmers will be trained on commercial cultivation. The NGO will also purchase medicinal plant produces from farmers at a reasonable rate, by establishing a Marketing Network.

Contact Details:
Dr.P.Patchaimal, Director
Kaatchipuram (S.O.) - 625 520, Theni district, Tamil Nadu
Telefax: 04546 247 245
E-mail:
[email protected]

Centre for Women's Development and Research (CWDR)
"Awareness Campaign on Water Management and Rain Water Harvesting"

Grant Amount : Rs. 6,99,600

Although Chennai receives a high annual rainfall, a system to store this water is absent. Only 8% water seeps down to recharge aquifers because of a poor drainage system. As a result, water has become saline and potable water is supplied in tankers. Also, Chennai does not have a perennial river source. To address this major problem, the project aims to conduct awareness programmes among the public, train slum women and school students. Model rainwater harvesting structures shall be constructed in public places like schools, hospitals, markets, temples and slums. The NGO will work with the eco-club programmes in schools and spread the message through them to the general public. This programme will be implemented in 6 slum areas.

Contact Details:

Mrs.Renuka, Director
5/359, Annai Indira Nagar, Okkiyampettal, Thuraipakkam, Chennai - 600 096
Phone no(s): 044 - 2496 3621, 2448 2821
E-mail: [email protected]