Eastern Ghats Biodiversity Centre, Namakkal

Since 1994, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation has partnered with farm families to prevent erosion of crop diversity. Through participatory research, foundation has nurtured farm families as groups and then confederated them as collectives with the objective of conserving and enhancing values of local biodiversity and bio resources. A number of innovative interventions have been adopted by MSSRF to revitalize millet cultivation which include mobilising custodian farmers; assessment of their traditional Knowledge; collection, characterization and evaluation of landraces; multiplication of high quality seeds; revitalization of seed storage and exchange systems through community seed banks; dissemination of best cultivation practices; provision of low cost processing machines accessible to communities; enhance capacities of communities in value addition; develop new products and brand owned by communities; strengthen community based institutions and effectively link local production to local markets and peri-urban markets; organizing small holders to get organic certification and marketing, Integrated Agroforestry development (MultiStory Mixed Farms) for enhanced tribal livelhoods, Promotion of Nutrition sensitive agriculture models; empowering women and youth through ICT; Training and Capacity building programmes and Governance facilitating collectives and Framers producer organisations. Currently MSSRF works in working in 13 panchayats out of 14 panchayat Kolli Hills, more than 3500 tribal families benefited through reserarch and development interventions. Good rapport has been created with International and National donor relationship and research partnerships and also locally with panchayat raj, line departments (Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture, ICDS, Coffee board, Health department, block development office, revenue department), financial institutions, educational institutions, NGOs, CBOs, other stakeholders.

Premise, Vision, Mission, Objective

PREMISE: Loss of biodiversity and limited assets contributing to food, nutrition and Health insecurity of marginal communities

VISION:Sustainable Management of Agro-biodiversity and Ecosystems strengthens Food and Nutrition security and Community Resilience

MISSION:Achieve food security and improve nutrition and health through conservation and sustainable useof agrobiodiversity and promoting sustainable agriculture and empoweringmarginal communities

OBJECTIVE:To promote sustainable management of agrobiodiversity to enhance availability, access and also consumption of diverse and nutritious food for improving nutrition and health status therby strenthening resilience

Contact
M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
42B2, PVR Street,
Gandhi Nagar,
Mohanur Road
Namakkal. 637001
Phone: 9443364287

MSSRF Machilipatnam

M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) initiated conservation and management of coastal resources in Andhra Pradesh during 1996. The main objective of the program is to enhance the resilience of the coastal community against the natural disasters like cyclones, storm surges and rarely occurring tsunami. MSSRF has restored nearly 900 ha of degraded mangroves in Andhra Pradesh involving the local community and the state forest department. It has trained the local community and the state forest department in mangrove sylviculture. It has established mangrove genetic garden jointly with the state forest department in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. About 25 mangrove species collected from Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal were conserved. A rare plant Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea has been propagated and planted in the genetic garden. The mangrove related publications are being widely refereed by the academia and the state forest department.

In the livelihood sector, the program has carried out Integrated Mangrove and Fishery Farming System (IMFFS) in 50 ha of saline land. It is an eco-friendly farming system where the fishes are grown in the farm depend on the detritus and the planktons brought by the tidal waters. It has also reclaimed 130 acres of saline affected land and the farmers are cultivating paddy in the reclaimed soils. Fisher Friendly Mobile Application (FFMA), provide information on ocean state forecast, potential fishing area and disaster alerts to more than 6,000 fishers along the coast. In addition, it has successfully demonstrated halophyte farming of three fodder grass species in the saline affected soils.

In Krishna district, MSSRF has taken up activities for “Integrated Rural Development for Improved Water, Sanitation, and Livelihood from 2015 with the support of Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan. The main focus is to build model coastal villages by ensuring sustainable income, health, hygiene, and clean environment. The need for basic amenities of the villages like drinking water, individual sanitary latrines, renewable energy sources like solar lights, biogas plants were addressed apart from undertaking capacity building of large number of men and women groups for various livelihood and health options.

MSSRF is operating the coastal resources conservation and management activities from its own premise in Machilipatnam from February, 2020.

Contact:
Director – Coastal Systems Research,
M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
D/No.21/357-1, Janasakthi Nagar, Bhaskarapuram,
Machilipatnam 521001, Andhra Pradesh
Ph: +91-8672-226604; Mob: +91-9440314604
Email: ramasubramanian@mssrf.res.in