NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR CHILDREN
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April 2009 Vol. 10 No. 2 The CIKS quarterly newsletter For more CIKS news updates, visit www.ciks.org Students in an organic vegetable garden of their school O ur centre is implementing a project to improve the status of mid-day meals programme through organic kitchen gardening in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu with support from the Department of Science and Technology. The project activities were implemented in 10 schools in Nagapattinam District. Some of the highlights of this project are as follows, • Trainings were conducted for the students, teacher coordinators and mid-day meals organizers on various topics. • Nature clubs have been established in all the beneficiary schools. • Organic inputs, seeds and seedlings of vegetables, information charts and implements have been distributed. • A total of ten vermicompost tanks and six cool chambers have been constructed. • Use of cool chambers have been tested and standardized. NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR CHILDREN Highlights of Our Project on Improving the Status of Mid–Day Meals Programme Through Organic Kitchen Gardening • Case studies on “Importance and uses of organic vegetable garden” have been conducted for selected students and documented. T he fourteenth CIKS Foundation day was celebrated on 23rd January 2009. All our staff gathered to celebrate the day at our Sukkankollai farm in Kancheepuram district. The day started with an overview of CIKS activities and achievements since its inception that was provided by the Research Director, Dr. K. Vijayalakshmi. This was followed by some competitions and sports. Later in the afternoon there was a cultural programme by the staff. In the concluding session, A. V. Balsubramanian made a presentation regarding the plan of work for the forthcoming year and then there were distribution of prizes for winners in various events. CIKS TURNS FOURTEEN
Transcript of NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR CHILDREN
April 2009 Vol. 10 No. 2
The CIKS quarterly newsletter
For more CIKS news updates, visit www.ciks.org
Students in an organic vegetable garden of their school
Our centre is implementing a project to improve the status of mid-day meals programme through organic
kitchen gardening in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu with support from the Department of Science and Technology. The project activities were implemented in 10 schools in Nagapattinam District. Some of the highlights of this project are as follows,
• Trainingswere conducted for the students, teachercoordinators and mid-day meals organizers on various topics.
• Nature clubs have been established in all thebeneficiaryschools.
• Organic inputs, seeds and seedlingsofvegetables,information charts and implements have beendistributed.
• A total of ten vermicompost tanks and six coolchambershavebeenconstructed.
• Use of cool chambers have been tested andstandardized.
NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR CHILDREN Highlights of Our Project on Improving the Status of Mid–Day Meals
Programme Through Organic Kitchen Gardening
• Case studies on “Importance anduses of organicvegetablegarden”havebeenconductedforselectedstudents and documented.
The fourteenthCIKSFoundationdaywas celebrated on23rd January2009. All ourstaff gathered tocelebrate
the day at our Sukkankollai farm in Kancheepuram district. Theday startedwith an overview ofCIKS activities andachievements since its inception thatwasprovidedby theResearchDirector,Dr.K.Vijayalakshmi.Thiswasfollowedbysome competitions and sports. Later in the afternoon there was aculturalprogrammebythestaff.Intheconcludingsession, A.V.Balsubramanianmadeapresentationregardingtheplanofworkfortheforthcomingyearandthenthereweredistributionof prizes for winners in various events.
CIKS TURNS FOURTEEN
CIKS NEWS April 2009 Vol. 10 No. 2
PROJECT WATCH A round-up of our activities
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Enhancing Livelihood and Food Security Through Capacity Building for Organic Farming and Natural Resource Management – Phase II
CIKS is implementing the secondphaseof the above-mentioned project withsupportfromtheFordFoundation.Underthis project, a total of 234.69 ha of land has been selected from Kancheepuram,Thiruvannamalai, Dindigul and Nagapattinam districts, out of which 133.84 ha are cultivated organically in this season.Atotalof29trainingprogrammeswere conducted for the beneficiaries.The participants were trained on topics such as method of seed production and its registration procedures, Right to Information Act, rabbit farming,SRI (System of Rice Intensification)cultivation methods, reduction of POPs invegetablecultivationandICS(InternalControl Systems) standards. A total of367 farmers benefited through thesetraining programmes. Biofertilizerslike Azospirillum and Rhizobacterium are being produced in our biofertilizerunit. Shelf life of biofertilizers is beingcalculated periodically. On 27th March, a training programme on methods of internal inspection was conducted for thetechnicalstaffofCIKSSirkazhioffice.Effortsareontoestablishavermicompostunit and a groundnut decorticator unit in Dindigul and Thiruvannamalai districts respectively.
Capacity Building on Organic Farming
Thisproject,supportedbyCAPART,NewDelhiisbeingimplementedin10villagesin the Kancheepuram district. Sangam meetings were conducted regularly. Inputs like paddy seeds, biofertilizers,nameboardsandseedstoragecontainershavebeendistributedtothebeneficiaries.Farmers of Sithalamangalam andEdaiyur villages are involved in the seedproductionoftraditionalvegetablevarieties. Seeds of ten traditional paddy varieties are being conserved in the
seed banks of beneficiary villages.Senthankulamvillagehasbeen selectedfortheconstructionofaseedbank.On21stFebruary,aone-daytrainingprogrammeon ‘Techniques of SRI cultivation’ was conductedforthebeneficiaries.
Paddy Organic Chain - Seed to Market
CIKS is implementing a pilot projecton “Paddy Organic Chain – Seed toMarket” in Tamil Nadu with supportfrom HIVOS, Bangalore. MonthlymeetingswereconductedinChithravadi,Kolathancherry and Kaliyapettai villages. Crops like paddy, vegetables,groundnut, banana, guava and foddergrass are being cultivated. On 10thJanuaryand20thFebruary,twotrainingsonICSstandardswereconductedforthefarmers.Atotalof16soilsamplesfromSukkankollai farm and two soil samples fromSirkazhihavebeenanalyzedinoursoiltestinglaboratory.Soilsampleshavebeen collected frombeneficiary villagesfor analysis.
Improving the Status of Mid-Day Meals Programme Through Organic Kitchen Gardening
ThisprojectsupportedbytheDepartmentof Science and Technology is beingimplemented in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu”. Inputs like vegetableseeds and seedlings of tomato, chilli and brinjal have been distributed to eightschools.Assessmentofkitchengardens,vermicompost tanksandcool chambersthat are established in the beneficiaryschools has been conducted. On 29thJanuary, a training programme on importance of nutritious food and organic kitchen gardening was conducted for the organizers of mid-day meals at Agani.Trainings were conducted for the student membersofNatureclubsonbiopesticidepreparation.AlowcostcoolchamberhasbeenconstructedinAganivillageforthedissemination of technology to farmers.
COMPAS Project – Phase II
This project, supported by ETCFoundation, The Netherlands is beingimplemented in Kancheepuram, Thiruvannamalai and Nagapattinam districtsfromMay2007.AfarmerfromKadambai village is being involvedin the cultivation of different types of fodder grass. On 4th February, a one - day training programme on “ImportanceofICSstandardsinorganiccertification” was conducted for thefarmers under organic certificationschemeinNagapattinamdistrict.Atotalof 18 farmers participated in this training programme. Production of organic package of practices for banana is inprogress.Characteristicsof60traditionalpaddyvarietieshavebeendocumentedinspecificformats.Experimentstodevelopan organic package for sugarcane have beeninitiated.
Biodiversity Conservation, Reduction of POPs and Livelihoods for Farmers in Tamil Nadu – A Sustainable Triangle ThisprojectsupportedbyUNDP-GEFisbeingimplementedinKancheepuram,Thiruvannamalai, Dindigul and NagapattinamdistrictsfromNovember2008. Under this project, a total of 17trainings were conducted for the farmers of Dindigul and Nagapattinam districts. The participants were trained on topics such as impact of pesticides, importance of organic vegetable cultivation,pests and diseases of vegetable cropsand its management techniques and biogas production. Construction of abeaten rice (Aval) production unit is inprogress in Sukkankollai farm. Survey on traditional crop varieties has beenconducted in Dindigul, Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram districts. Nearly 17 traditional paddy, vegetable andpulse varieties have been identifiedduring this survey. Under this project,nearly10NGOsand22SHGshavebeenselectedforprovidingtrainings.Atotal
NEWSROOM Happenings and more.
CIKS NEWS April 2009 Vol. 10 No. 2 Page 3
Visit to Bangalore
A. V. Balasubramanian and K. Vijayalakshmi visited Bangaloreon 16th and 17th February. On 16thFebruary they had a meeting with Mr.DarshanShankarofFRLHTtodiscussabouttheCOMPASactivitiesofFRLHTand planning for future activities. On 17thFebruary, theyvisited theofficeofIMOandhadameetingwithMr.Umesh,Director, Dr. Mallika Mathew and SriVasudev. Theydiscussed about ongoing organic cultivation projects of the centrethatarebeingcertifiedbyIMOandplansforfutureworkandexpansion.
Meeting at HIVOS
On17thFebruary,A.V.Balasubramanianand K. Vijayalakshmi had a meeting with HIVOSofficialsMr.BishwadeepGhose,Programme Officer, Dr. MuralidharanandMr.SalimVali atBangalore. Theydiscussedabouttheongoingprogrammewith HIVOS.
Participation in Chennai Science Festival
CIKS participated in Chennai ScienceFestival-2009onthethemeof“ScienceinEverydayLife”.ThefestivalwasheldintheAnnaUniversitycampusbetween19th-22ndFebruary.CIKSstalldisplayedorganic inputs,biopesticides,herbsandplants with medicinal and pesticidal properties, traditional paddy varieties, organicproductsandpublications.
Workshop at New Delhi
The Department of Science and Technology(DST),GovernmentofIndiahas invited CIKS as it belongs to thecore support group of DST, for a two-day workshop. The workshop was held between 3rd - 4thMarch atNewDelhiat the campus of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. Theworkshop was coordinated by TARALivelihood Academy. The content ofthe workshop included organizational capacitybuilding,marketandenterprisedevelopment, intellectual property rights, technology transfer etc. Our staff M. Suresh, participated in this workshop.
Discussion on Programme for Schools
On 16th March, the CIKS teamconsisting of K. Vijayalakshmi, A. V. Balasubramanian and M. Sureshhadadiscussionwiththreemembersofthe teamofGNAPE (Group forNatureProtection and Environment) namelyDr. Ishwar, Dr. Bindu and Dr. Jayapalon possibleways inwhich CIKS couldcollaborate with GNAPE to evolve aprogramme for sensitization, awareness and training on agrobiodiversity andorganic farming for school teachers and school children.
National Seminar on Food and Nutritional Security
On 18th and 19th March, a national seminar on “Sustaining the food andnutritional security through processing and preservation of foods” wasorganized by Indian Institute of CropProcessing Technology, Thanjavur and the Department of Agronomy, Facultyof Agriculture, Annamalai University.More than 35 representatives from KVK, NGOsandtheDepartmentofAgricultureparticipated in this programme. On behalf of CIKS our staff R. Mageswariand K. Perumal participated in this seminar.
Workshop at Nagapattinam
On 18th March, the Department of AgriculturalEngineeringNagapattinamhad organized a workshop at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sikkal, Nagapattinam. The workshop was presided over by Nagapattinam district collector Mr. M. Jayaraman, I.A.S. On behalfof CIKS our staff Subhashini Sridharparticipated in this workshop and deliveredatalkon“Strategiesoforganicfarmingfordeltafarmers”.
offourSelfHelpGroups(SHG)havebeenformed in Dindigul district. Two farmer groupshavebeenformedinNemmeliandKondal villages of Nagapattinam district. Efforts are on for the production of value added organic products. A trainingprogramme on usage of farm implements in paddy cultivation was conducted for the beneficiaries of Nagapattinamdistrict atAgani.A trainingprogrammeon “Organic vegetable cultivation andmanagement of pest and diseases” wasconducted by CIKS for the farmersworking with the Gandhigram Rural University and Palmadai World Vision(NGO).
Introduction of Organic Farming in Alangadu Village
Our centre is involved in the promotion of organic farming in Alangadu villageof Nagapattinam district from January 2009.Atpresentatotalof32farmershavebeen selected from this village for theimplementation of project activities. On 19th January, an orientation training was conducted for the farmers of this village. Seeds of black gram and green gram,pheromone traps, drum seeder and Rhizobium have been distributed to thebeneficiaries.On1stFebruary,atrainingprogramme on “Organic cultivationtechniquesofblackgram”wasconductedfor the beneficiaries. On 18th February,farmers ofAlangadu villagewere takenforanexposurevisittotheorganicfarmsandfieldsinAllivilagamvillageandtoavermicompostunitthatismaintainedbyTANWEBWomenSHG.On30thMarch,a training programme on basic aspectsof organic farming and importance of compost and vermicompost was conducted for the members of womenSHGs.
Work in Progress at Sukkankollai
InourexperimentalfarmatSukkankollai,seeds of 61 traditional paddy and vegetable varieties have been harvestedand conserved. Crops like black gram,green gram, vegetables and groundnuthavebeencultivated.Threedifferenttypesofgreens,mintandcorianderhavebeenraised under the shade house. Production of foundation seeds by SRI method ofcultivation,usingADT43paddyvarietyis in progress. Internal inspection of our farm has been conducted on 18thFebruary.
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Editorial Team : Dr. K. Vijayalakshmi, R. Abarna and T.D. Nirmala Devi Design and Layout : R.Anand & S. Ramesh
CIKS NEWS April 2009 Vol. 10 No. 2
• On21stJanuary,Dr.M.Sundaramari,Coordinator,Centrefor Indigenous Knowledge in Agriculture and Dr. S. Ganesh from the Department of Horticulture, Gandhigram Rural University, Dindigul visited us.
• On22ndJanuary,Dr.ChannaRajuandMs.UmafromBrahmi Trust, Bangalore visited us.
• On 18th February,Mrs.Maria CristinaMarques,AgronomyEngineerfromBrazilandMr.N.Srinivasan,FormerPresidentofRotaryClubofMadrasCoromandelvisited us to get to know about our activities.
• On21stFebruary,Mr.RaghavanSrinivasanfromDhvani,Bangalore visited us.
• On9thMarch, a group of 45under graduate studentsfromWomens’ChristianCollege, Chennai visited ourexperimental farm at Sukkankollai.
• On9thMarch,Mr.Mani Jayaprakashvel ofCentre forAdvancedStudies inBotany,MadrasUniversityvisitedus.
• On9thMarch,Ms.UmaGeorge,ManagingDirector,AlphaGroupofEducationalInstitutions,Chennaivisitedus.
• On23rdMarch,Mr.S.RamakrishnaRao,Architectvisitedus.
• On29thMarch,Mr.KarthikeyanManagingDirector,SenaapathyKangeyamCattleResearchFoundation(P)Ltd.,Erode visited our experimental farm at Sukkankollai.
VISITOR'S BOOKWho's been dropping in at CIKS
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30, Gandhi Mandapam Road, KotturpuramChennai - 600 085. INDIAPhone : 91-044-2447 1087 / 5862E-mail : [email protected] / [email protected] : www.ciks.org
BOOKSTORENew publications and audiovisuals
For copies, contact
“CENTRE FOR INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS”
at the address given below.
System of Rice Intensification – An Introduction (English and Tamil)
TheSystemofRice Intensification (SRI)method isgainingpopularity in recent days because of theadvantages involved in it like low requirement of water,seedsetc.Thisbookprovidesinformationonways to implement SRI method of rice cultivation organically. It also highlights the advantages of SRI method of cultivation.
