Kanakapura
The Kanakapura range is approximately 450 sq km and runs from the south of Bangalore city
to the Cauvery River. It is an area of moderate biodiversity with low rainfall, undulating
topography, degraded dry deciduous and scrub forests that experiences chronically high soil
loss. A large portion of the land is highly fragmented Reserve Forest, interspersed with
agricultural communities. Rain-fed, antiquated farming practices, coupled with increased
elephant raids on crops as the area is an elephant corridor results in poor agricultural
productivity and marginal livelihoods. Therefore, these communities augment their income
by increasingly depending on the forest through fuel wood collection, animal grazing, and
the harvesting of non-timber forest products.
Our entry into this area was through Conservation education in schools. We have established school
biodiversity gardens and developed hands-on educational modules that utilize these gardens as
back-yard laboratories in natural resource conservation. The laboratories are managed by the
school children themselves. We have come in contact with teachers and parents who cultivate
land and these interactions have opened up avenues for land-linked domestication of NTFPs
including medicinal plants in Agroforestry. Using this entry point we have been able to
establish SHGs among the women, which were eventually linked to conservation oriented
livelihood alternatives.
Conservation education in schools
We have networked with 70 schools in the Kanakpura Range. Schools have participated in
a hands-on environmental education program of raising seedlings of native tree species
in their backyards and planting them in school grounds. Students and teachers have
planted and live-fenced 1200 tree seedlings of various native species in 40 rural
schools with a 70% survival rate. Urban and rural children cooperated to plant and
fence some of the tree seedlings on rural school grounds. We have started medicinal
plant gardens in schools. Students have collected and identified species of indigenous
and exotic trees and shrubs and different varieties of vegetables. Eco clubs were
formed to look after the seedlings planted in earlier seasons and to do mulching and
basining for the same.
Our new program Village Green Book is a conservation education program for both students
and teachers. In weekly hands on classes, rural school students discover the ecological
and social science aspects of local biodiversity and then apply this knowledge toward
improving their village. The village Green Book is not a project that is neatly placed
on a shelf when complete, but rather an on-going program that is passed on through
students and teachers to each new class, hopefully becoming a permanent part of rural
education. The best Village Green Books are always open adding new pages every year.
This year’s pilot program is took place in Elachavadi, a rural agricultural town in
the Kanakapura region, located near a forest reserve involving students from rural
school and university students
Another programme called “Nandanavana” is being developed as a system of integrated
eco-friendly technologies in the schoolyard. This will include vermicomposting,
rainwater harvest and gardens with indigenous species of fruit bearing trees, vegetables,
medicinal and butterfly attracting plants.
SHGs
With an emphasis on natural resource conservation, ATREE is working with Self Help Groups
to promote grassroots institutions that provide an equitable stake for women. Working with
women-led self-help groups to enable improvement of livelihoods as well as conservation of
biological resources.
ATREE has formed 12 SHG’s in Kanakapura region. They have been in operation for over 3 year
now. The members of these groups are self-driven, enthusiastic, and have eliminated moneylenders
in most of their villages. Regular monthly meetings are conducted during which ATREE staff
train the members to follow standardized guidelines and best practices.
ATREE has also conducted training programme for SHG women in Kanakapura on “Model Kitchen
Vegetable and Herbal Gardens”. Workshop on “Integrated Agro-biodiversity Approach” and
“Square Meter Vegetable Gardens (SMVG)”. In addition, training programmes have been organized
on Lantana basket weaving, Vermicomposting, Apiculture in collaboration with the Green Foundation.
The objective of this training was to lessen the dependency on forest and reduce Bamboo
depletion, emphasise organic farming and help provide an alternative income source in future.
The various activities taken by SHG members include, Apiculture, Vermicomposting, nurseries
of native and butterfly species seedlings in two villages by more than 20 women and another
member has set up a “Petty Shop” obtaining loan from her group.
Monitoring the sustainability of micro enterprise activities and finding suitable markets will
be continued while encouraging conservation based micro enterprise amongst the SHG’s like
Vermicomposting, nurseries establishment and apiculture.
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