Interventions in the Himalayas

I. Creating Social Innovations & Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Himalayan Bio-Resources

The department of Biotechnology, Government of India has sanctioned a project on Creating Social-Innovations & Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Himalayan Bio-Resources with the following objectives:

a) To map and tap the local bio-resources, bio-conservation systems, local knowledge systems, and innovations from and for grassroots in selected villages of the Himalayan states of Sikkim and Nagaland and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir. 

a.1) Mapping the resources and knowledge systems for turning some of them into products

a.2) On-farm validation and in situ value addition of local bioresource 

a.3) Field/Market testing of the best locally made/sourced products through an e-commerce platform 

b) To augment local agro-biodiversity through farm trials of improved and traditional resilient varieties of the crops 

c) To assess the local impact of different interventions done in the project and identify policy and institutional implications of these solutions and processes.

Activities so far:

1. Community mobilization: Interactions in Baramulla, West Sikkim and Kiphire
2. Baselines survey
3. Resource survey
4. Product scoping & development
5. Test marketing
   1. Aalav- The first traditional food festival in Srinagar
   2. Participation Sattvik

II. Scouting and supporting Grassroots Innovators

-Exhibition of GRIs at IHBT, Palampur

-Exhibition at SKICC, Srinagar

-Meeting farmers and traditional holders in Kiphire, Nagaland

–Meeting farmers and traditional holders in Sikkim, Nagaland