Was mooted for an alternative intervention with the proclaimed vision and missions and over one and half decade now we have been working to revitalize the traditional and indigenous herbal health care system and empower the grass-root communities to independently employ it to tangibly contribute in the aspired sustainable socio-economic development process of theirs. Thus Vanamoolika attempts not only to conserve and preserve more than 600 species herbal plants and over 300 bio-species; but also, to disseminate the knowledge about them and motivate and empower the people for application of the same in their health care and food systems.

Vanamoolika carry out this development intervention through the 25 Women Self-Help Groups ( WSHGs) organized and 10 Tribal Colonies identified and facilitated  across the district for the purpose. Apart from motivating the people for developing herbal gardens, technical trainings are also provided for making different home-remedy herbal formulations and processing the herbal raw materials for value additions from commercial point of view. Thus herbal gardening fetches additional income to the member families. With practical experiences and learning over the last 16 years, it has in possession researched documents on the medicinal and nutritional effects and qualities of over hundred herbal plants, traditional cereals & pulses and corns. The Nutrivita food compound (powder form) formulated by Vanamoolika out of these experiences and researches is earning wider demands.

Another important intervention the organization is having is the promotion of organic cultivations. Over 1700 small/ marginal farmers in the district have been facilitated to switch to organic cultivations and helped to avail Organic Certification for their products which benefit them economically and as well develop the family / community health situations.

Though there is rich herbal wealth in the form of medicinally useful species in the district there have been bare minimum attempts to use it in the economic development programmes for the benefit of the agro-rural communities of the district This developmental potential has been highlighted in the Report of the M S Swaminathan Commission on WTO concerns in Agriculture Trade Security System of Kerala (January 2003). The Report says, ” It would be desirable to develop the region extending from the Silent Valley Biosphere Reserve up to Wayanad as a ‘Herbal Bio-Valley’, on the model of the Silicon Valley of USA for Computer Software.  The herbal bio-valley should provide the biological software essential for a dynamic medicinal plant industry”. For, Wayanad is one such Center of “biological soft-wares” in the State, and falls in the list of 29 Plant Diversity Centers identified from Western Ghats.

For the past 5 years and more, Vanamoolika has been in a strenuous effort to tap these potentialities for the socio-economic development of the grass-root communities of the district and in partnership with State implemented Central Development Project ‘Rashtreeya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY), the organization is about to realize this dream. With an integrated approach in the development of a dynamic herbal medicinal system at the rural level, and addressing the various components of commercialization like the production and marketing, Vanamoolika is in the process of implementing a participatory project with the concerned stakeholders.

1. Ensuring primary level health security among tribal and rural families.

Now a days the modern medicine is very expensive and the poor people cannot approach for a treatment for their common diseases.  In 1940s and after the allopathic medicine become popular because of easy administration and sudden cure and easy availability. But the medical industry is now one of the profits making industry. According to Indian culture and concept, treatment is not for profit. It is a service and it is a gift of god.  The ayurveda is a part of veda.

The earlier people used the traditional systems of medicines using herbs was very effective and very cheap.  It has the history of 5000years. Now vanamoolika is trying to revitalize the traditional use of herbs and the ailments using herbs for the benefits of the poor. Also for any systems of treatment the herbs are the basis of the production of medicine. So we are trying to generate awareness   for the conservation of herbs and traditional use of herbs.

2. Conservation of important medicinal plants.

Our district of wayanad there is an identified 700 medicinal plants. But many of them are endangered; many of them are threatened species. Many are not known its medicinal value and the importance of the plants. So unknowingly the people destroy it.  We are trying to conserve the threatened species by educating the people. Vanamoolika have a conservatory garden with 700 rare medicinal plants. We are multiplying these rare plants in the nursery and distributed to the farmers for insit-to conservation and cultivation.  

3. Technical guidance for the cultivation of viable species of medicinal Plants.

Vanamoolika is providing technical guidance and marketing channel to the farmers who are willing to cultivate medicinal plants as an agriculture crop. All the trainings and service are free of cost     

4. Organization of Farmer’s collectives for organic cultivation of medicinal plants, food crops & spices with buy-back

Vanamoolika started a new venture.  Promotion and cultivation of organic medicinal plants by small farmers and women SHGs with buy back agreement. The procured raw material is processed as Ayurvedic medicine. Many farmers are getting income from medicinal plant cultivation.the food crops and spices are organically cultivated by the farmers and certified by the certification agency INDOCERT. 850 farmers are been clustered and internal control systems are organized. So that ICS can assure the quality and can procured without loosing the tracebility.   After marketing, the profit will be shared with the member farmers. This may be the first and unique venture in agriculture sector.in India    

5. On-farm and Off-farm Employment for rural women.

25 women self help groups each group with 15 members are cultivating medicinal plants. They are getting a substantial income by cultivating medicinal plans in their own farm. Secondly they are preparing nutraceuticals and cosmetics in their own group, after selling it locally they are earning money. These members are also working in vanamoolika central processing unit, and they are drawing salary. Hence there is an employment generation among rural women groups.  

6. Production and marketing of diverse kind of health products.

Now vanamoolika processing different kind of food products, honey products cosmetics, nutraceuticals and ayurvedic medicines .we are producing 180 ayurvedic products and food products. Being it is a new venture and the marketing is just started.             

7. Large scale production of selected healthcare/cosmetic products

Vanamoolika is given the attention to process the above given products in large scale. Herbs can cultivate in large scale by the farmers, Vanamoolika have a large-scale production unit to process Herbal healthcare and cosmetic products   

8. Promotion of organic farming and organic certification.

Voluntary service on organic farming and organic certification is another service provided by vanamoolika. We conduct seminars and trainings, which help organic farmers. The training includes certification process, ICS inspectors training, vermi compost, biodynamic compost and other on farm compost methods,

As supportive structures to the planned pro-rural interventions, A 2 acre Conservation plot along with a Centralized Nursery for viable & threatened Herbal species and Food  / horticultural / spices Crops has been developed by the organization and a GMP standard Herbal Medicinal Processing Factory is being instituted for large scale productions of herbal medicines using the organically cultivated medicinal plants by the benificieries / cosmetics in demand world-wide.  The productions of the factory will strictly follow the warranted and lawful International Voluntary Standards & mandatory Codex Alimentarius & NSOP, EU, and USNOP standards and as well of local Voluntary Standards for organic productions. Along with is the intensive involvement of the organization for the expansion of its participatory rural agro-base by building up the awareness at the grass roots and their micro-organizations.

We welcome all concerned with our development visions to become our Partners.