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Philosophy

The desire to make available the wide variety of semi-wild and cultivated plant species of the region motivates this effort. The area has seen the rise and sharp fall in the prices of areca, the region’s predominant cash crop. In this context, addressing issues of food security and health has become critical.

Home gardens provide access to food (and thus food security), nutrition, and an additional source of income. Even the very poor are part of this small scale production system. Home gardens are immense repositories of genetic resources and diversity. Children have also contributed; their early involvement and increased awareness helps to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for us all. 

The underlying themes of the home garden programme are: diversity, organic agriculture, health, nutrition, forest conservation, and ecologically sensitive livelihoods.

Beginnings

The collective began its activities in May 2001 with a seed display at the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) Biodiversity Mela in Sirsi town. Subsequently, documentation of garden species began with the participation of women and school children from several local villages and small towns.

About 120 vegetable and 60 flower varieties have been recorded so far. The vegetables are varieties of amaranth, spinach, cucumber, squashes, lady’s finger (okra), brinjal, starchy tubers, beans and chilies. Trees, which are an intrinsic part of the home garden, are also being recorded. We are maintaining a small seed collection for the exchange network. Several agencies and individuals have donated seeds and other material to the network. Over 2000 packets have already been distributed. Good quality, healthy, organic, open-pollinated seeds are the essence of this effort.

Future Plans

Once preliminary information is compiled, NGOs and the extension officers of the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Forests will be contacted. Information will be shared amongst  these agencies and the seed collectives. Future plans include the creation of a model garden, a seed wealth centre for common and rare seeds, and a nursery of indigenous forest species. The viability of seeds from outside the region will be tested here for home cultivation. Additionally, the seed wealth centre will provide a space for meetings and skill sharing workshops.

Apart from cultivated species, we will also identify locally endangered, semi-wild vegetables such as the popular maad hagalkai- a variety of bitter gourd. The methods of cultivating these increasingly scarce varieties and the importance of forest conservation for sustained food supply must also be recognized by the community.

Initial interest is encouraging, but many skills need honing. Even a small scale programme should sustain the philosophy behind our efforts.