Vetiver helps rainfed farmers conserve moisture

Vetiver roots have long been used in South India for adding fragrance to drinking water as well as for making cool window shades for summer. Now, vetiver is being acknowledged by the World Bank and other international organizations as a farmer's friend.

Vetiver can provide many important benefits, especially for rainfed farmers:

• More than half the sown area in the country is rainfed.
• Moisture conservation is fundamental to rainfed agriculture. Farmers can control runoff and conserve moisture with the help of vetiver hedges on the periphery.
• Controlling runoff also controls loss of valuable top soil.
• The roots of the vetiver plants are very effective in preventing soil erosion.
• Vetiver can also be planted along the sides of checkdams and ponds.
• Rainfed regions are highly drought-prone. Moisture conservation using vetiver reduces chances of drought.

Caution:

• However, be careful not to plant vetiver in fields where you plan to grow crops. It cannot be easily removed and it will keep sprouting up.

Innovation helps increase income for weavers

Key innovations for weavers:

• Exposure to modern weaving techniques
• Skills development
• Fashion design
• Market orientation

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) provides fashion design support, training and skill upgradation. It has centres in 8 locations in India including Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The 9th centre was opened in Kannur, Kerala in May 08.

The Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) provides training, development and tools for the industry. IIHTs are located in Salem, Varanasi, Jodhpur, Guwahati, Nellore and Gadag.

Marketing support is available from local and state level cooperative societies such as Cooptex in Tamil Nadu.

Quality control and testing facilities:

• Textile Testing and Development Centre, Madurai.
• Your local Weavers Service Centre (WSC).

Software and tools:

• EnKay CAD solutions, Bangalore: Simple software for creating hand loom/power loom/electronic loom Dobby patterns. Free tools for creating Jacquard punch cards.
• GC's Technologies, Bangalore: Textile design software, Jacquard card punching machine popular with weavers in Dharmavaram, Kancheepuram, Kumbakonam and Karnataka.

Please note that we don't endorse any vendor.

Take a new look at growing bamboo for profit

Bamboo was not considered very profitable. What has changed?

• Bamboo product manufacturers have installed more automated machines for processing. So, there is more demand for bamboo.
• In addition to the domestic market, now there is increasing demand for export of bamboo shoots to Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea and other countries.
• You can now get high yielding plants by tissue culture method.
• Thorns cause problems while farming and harvesting. Now you can get thornless varieties for planting.
• Bamboo used to be labor intensive. More tools are being developed to aid farmers.
• During the year 2007–08, 200 farmers have been trained in bamboo cultivation at Forest College Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu. During the year 2008–09, there are plans to train 2300 farmers under advanced technology bamboo cultivation.

Other benefits of bamboo cultivation:

• Bamboo can yield as much as 20 times more timber than other trees for the given size of land.
• Unlike most tropical hardwood species, which take about 30 years to mature, bamboo shoots and culms (stems) can be harvested at about three to four years after planting.
• Bamboo thrives on degraded land.

Tissue culture bamboo plant suppliers:

Sheel Biotech Ltd, New Delhi

Growmore Biotech Ltd, Hosur, Tamil Nadu

Note: Please note that we don't endorse any supplier.