Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
in techniques such as budding and grafting so that they could start raising
horticultural and ornamental plants. The women have also been trained in
proper methods for pruning. They have been exposed to scientific techniques
in rearing snails, mushrooms, and beekeeping to enhance agrobiodiversity. All
these help increase their income and also help reduce pressure on the wild
species and ecosystem. Interest was generated during these training pro-
grammes through singing and drama. Women leaders have also played active
roles in regional and international workshops for scientists and influential
policy-makers. This has raised the status of the PLEC women farmers. They
are highly admired and always acknowledged during formal functions in the
community.
Involvement in watershed design and management
With the support of scientists, the women have designed watershed management
strategies in the community. Encouraging results of watershed management
programmes in India (Samra and Sikka, 1998) suggest that the adoption of an
incentive-based and community-driven bottom-up approach for managing
degraded watersheds on a sustainable basis is a promising approach. A community
pond,
denkyemni
, is being restored for aquatic biodiversity and fish production.
The women have inspired the community to come together to construct drainage
structures for the pond with community resources.
Conservation of rare foods and medicinal plants
A rare-food-crops and medicinal-plants arboretum has been established. Together
with others in the community, the women have collected endangered species for pro-
tection, propagation, and transplanting. In line with this, the researchers assisted
them to label, document uses, and establish the arboretum. A sacred grove that
was being threatened was restocked and is being managed to retain its natural
vegetation.
Involvement of children in conservation activities
The women have been educating school pupils to change their perception that
farming is a non-lucrative occupation. Promotional materials such as T-shirts
with the inscription “conserving the land for future generations” have been
produced. The children have been taught that planting crops is not the only
land-based activity - there is also planting of trees, which has the potential to
provide useful products and services. In addition to this, some of the skills the
women have acquired from the scientists on processing of food crops are being
passed on to the children.
