Conservation of Medicinal Tubers for sustainable Tribal Livelihood

Centre for Environmental Education, New Delhi has sponsored this project through UNDP-GEF-SGP.

Goal of the Project:
Exsitu conservation of the medicinal tubers through the active participation of the Tribals, for the maintenance of the Food, Nutritional and Health security of tribal people.

Purposes of the Project:
i. Inventory and Documentation of Medicinal tubers
ii. Exsitu conservation of the medicinal tubers through the active participation of the Tribals.
iii. Maintenance of the food and nutritional security of tribal people.
iv. Identification and popularization of tribal health traditions for sustainable livelihood.
v. Standardization, validation and quality testing of Indigenous knowledge.
vi. Strengthening livelihood activities among tribal families.

Project Achievements:
  • Taxonomically classified 4 medicinal tubers.
  • Formed 10 Tubers Conservation and Sustainable Utilization Committee and involved in project activities.
  • Conducted regular meetings for SHGs
  • 5 SHGs have been involved in production of Herbal Medicines and started using medicinal tubers for their health needs
  • Medicinal Tubers Park was established in 1.5 acres of land and planted with 47 medicinal tubers
  • Organised 5 trainings on mass production of medicinal tubers for SHG members
  • 25 acres of land planted with 5000 medicinal tubers planting materials for mass production of medicinal tubers
  • Established Community Based Tubers Germplasm Bank in 5 tribal settlements and planted 280 medicinal tubers for Long term conservation of medicinal tubers
  • Planted 35,000 medicinal tubers saplings and planting materials around tribals settlement in an area of 100 acres for exsitu conservation
  • Established 60 small tubers medicinal gardens as exsitu conservation in and around tribal huts
  • Organized four awareness campaigns on Tribal Health Traditions for sharing of tribal health traditions by elderly person to younger generation
  • Standardized procedure for mass multiplication of 2 medicinal tubers
  • Established a Tribal Herbal Bazaar
  • Established a Tribal Herbal Clinic
  • Herbal medicines like Joint pain oil, Diacure, Nutrition powder, Dandruff oil, Tribala Suranam, Asta Suranam, Hair oil, Pimple cure,Cold cure have been conducted with small research involving different treatment combinations for standardization and validation
  • Identified 5 tribal villages for creating Herbal Raw Material production, processing and storage facility
  • Organized three trainings on Herbal Medicine Production and Marketing with participation of 50 tribal families
  • Conducted three awareness meetings on health, environment
  • Initiated a special scheme namely, "Passing on the Gift Scheme" for the improvement of Tribal families by including Goat in Homestead Garden and distributed 25 Kannaiya Goat (Indigenous well Adapted local breed) to tribal families residing at Vellappar kovil and Thazhiyoothu
  • Established nutrition garden in 3 tribal villages among 15 tribal families
  • Identified Vellapparkovil as the potential tribal village for implementing livelihood programme through utilization of Lantana.


© Copyright 2008. CENDEC. Permission required to re-use content or images in print or electronic form. Designed by USS Technologies