Does the outreach programme make an impact? A case study of medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation in Uttaranchal.

摘要

Farmers-to-farmers training programme is a tool to build and strengthen the capabilities of farmers, extension workers associated with non-government organizations, and government department in selecting potential species and enhancing the area under medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) cultivation in the Himalaya. The programme has helped participants change their attitudes considerably towards the role and values of medicinal plants in the currently changing scenario at the local, regional, national and global levels. These programmes are conducted in the farmers' fields, enabling the participants to have a better understanding of the problems faced by the farmers and how they overcome them. During the implementation of these programmes, a holistic understanding of domestication (nursery raising), cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants, and exchange of indigenous knowledge are facilitated among the participants. Scientific assessment and impact analyses carried out by researchers identified the need for further research and sustained government programme interventions to strengthen the infrastructure and extension inputs. The programme has shown that there is a need to adopt appropriate policies, which must integrate the cultivation of MAPs with the local people's socioeconomic development, and to develop location-specific technologies to maximize the use of local resources and reduce the use of external inputs.