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Honey bee publish details |
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Honey Bee Network in Action:Proceedings of regional Network Meetings |
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Regional collaborators for local language versions of Honey Bee are encouraged to build similar networks to that of Honey Bee network and pursue our collective goals to document, disseminate and reward creativity at grassroots in their respective regions. Over the past decade, several network members from different parts of the world offered to initiate local language versions in their regions. Many of them formed groups of like-minded people in order to launch their networks. Some of them were successful in bringing out local language versions. Few of them could actually sustain their efforts. The reasons are several and in most cases it is either unavailability of resources or lack of focussed and sustained efforts.
Those sustained have grown and built up an impeccable reach with the grassroots such as Nam vazhi velanmai (Tamil), Hittalagida (Kannada) and Loksarvani (Gujarati, coordinated from the hub, Honey Bee). In addition to their own on-going activities for documentation, dissemination, they could also build links with farmers for on-farm validation of innovations and with R&D organisations for value addition. Others, Sujhbujh (Hindi), Tenetiga (Telugu), and Khojbal (Punjabi), though bring out their newsletters, they have to yet bring momentum into their networks with similar ongoing activities. All of them, however, were successful in emulating the spirit of local language versions, viz., to link grassroots innovators across cultural and language boundaries and facilitate exchange of knowledge. Readers may recall several letters published in Honey Bee from farmers sharing their experiments with the solutions they learnt from their counterparts in other regions.
We are proud to present here the proceedings of annual network meetings of Tamil and Kannada networks held recently. While Nam vazhi velanmai had its sixth annual meeting, Hittalagida network had its first ever.
Nam Vazhi Velanmai
P Vivekanandan, Editor, NVV and Regional Collaborator for Tamilnadu
The Nam vazhi velanmai’s (NVV) network meeting was held during July 10-12, 1998 at SEVA Training Centre, Thavathirucholai. Over 130 network members from different parts of Tamilnadu attended the meeting. They include farmers, artisans, veterinary healers, activists and academicians. Prof Anil Gupta represented Honey Bee network.
The meeting started with a field trip to seven organic farmers practicing agroforestry, dairy, orchards etc in Rajapalayam, Puliyangudi, Pappinai-ckanpatti and Siddireddiapatti on the first day. The second day had an exhibition and the third day reviewed the network activities.
Exhibition
Dr Margandam, the Vice-Chancellor of Gandhigram Rural University inaugurated the exhibition. In his address, he reiterated the importance of organic farming and grassroots innovations for achieving the goals of sustainable agriculture.
Several models and prototypes of innovative farm implements developed by farmers and artisans from Tamilnadu, Gujarat were demonstrated in the exhibition. An iron plough developed by S Setharam, Chennamariddipatty was a major attraction. The plough is light, rugged, long-lasting and serves multiple purposes with appurtenances that need minimum labour. The plough can also be used for making bunds and can be adjusted to the height of the bullocks. The plough is cheaper compared to the traditional wooden plough. Other implements include weeding roller, fodder cutter, inter-cultivator etc. Honey Bee network sent the models of innovative implements from Gujarat such as tilting bullock-cart, Three-wheel tractor, kittanal etc.
V R Iyyappan and others presented their herbal formulations for crop protection and livestock healing. CCD, an NGO put up a stall with 63 herbal plant samples along with their uses and about 200 indigenous seed varieties. Dhan Foundation, Madurai had put up a poster exhibition on the tank renovation. SEVA too displayed their large collection of seed varieties.
Discussion on network activities
The third day was facilitated by P Vivekanandan and Anil Gupta and focussed on reviewing the network activities and planning for the future. There were seven groups which discussed the following themes; (i) Improving the number of subscriptions of NVV (ii) Farmers’ on-farm experimentation (iii) Regular interactions among network members at local level (iv) Rewarding creativity at grassroots (v) Biodiversity conservation (vi) Organic food marketing (vii) Policy dialogue.
Some important resolutions from the deliberations were:
1. Network members offered to mobilise subscriptions and setup targets for themselves.
2. Many traditional varieties of seeds have been identified and distributed among themselves for in-situ conservation on the farm.
3. It was decided to have follow-up meetings of network members at a smaller level such as village level.
4. It has been decided to initiate a process of honoring innovators in the network meetings. SRISTI will sponsor these awards.
5. Initiatives to be taken to conserve native breeds of animals like kulli cattle, vemboor sheep on the verge of extinction.
6. Various options for organic certification have been explored to adapt for organic marketing.
7. It was unanimously resolved to recommend inclusion of local knowledge systems into formal curriculum in the agricultural universities.
Hittalagida
Dr T N Prakash, Editor, Hittalagida and Regional Collaborator, Karnataka
Hittalagida network had its first annual network meeting on May 8, 1998. The meeting was held on the farm of B Dinesh, an innovative farmer who developed a biopesticide. The meeting was well attended by over 150 network members.
The meeting was inaugurated by an 80 year old woman-farmer, Vimalamma with a symbolic exchange of seeds between Vimalamma and Dinesh. In the morning session, there were presentations by Dr T N Prakash and some innovative farmers. Dr Prakash presented the status of the Hittalagida network and his experiences of bringing out Hittalagida. Narayana Reddy, an organic farmer shared his experiments with organic farming and its economic viability. Dinesh presented his experiences with developing the Mukkadaka based biopesticide and an improved native variety of paddy, Joliga.
In the afternoon session, the network members divided into five groups to discuss the following themes (i) Native food habits (ii) Conservation of western ghats (iii) WTO, IPR vis-à-vis Local Knowelege Systems (iv) Ways and means to strengthen Hittalagida network and (v) Validation and value addition of grassroots innovations.
The outcome of the deliberations were
1. An initiative to be taken up to document native food habits and recipes using unusual plants involving elderly women in collaboration with nutrition scientists.
2. The group on western ghat conservation felt the need to strengthen local institutions such as sacred groves, soppina betta for conserving forests.
3. There was an apprehensive perception towards individual intellectual property rights and the group felt that the communal intellectual property rights might be more appropriate.
4. There were suggestions in improving the quality of presentation in Hittalagida such as using photos for authenticity and popular language for better reach.
5. Several farmers volunteered to experiment with Mukkadaka based biopesticide by Dinesh on their farms |
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee, 9(3):12-13, 1998 |
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