For as long as people, especially the ecosystem people, have engaged in agriculture, farming has been possible and viable in the long run only as a collective process Varieties of local seeds of ragi, foxtail millet, little millet and varieties of vegetables were provided as inputs to women farmers under MKSP. Kembalam, agricultural festival was held in the hamlets as part of the land preparation. There was major mobilization of the community in the festival. Agricultural production was undertaken in all hamlets and variety of millets and vegetables which has been produced is being sold in Thrissurcollectorate on Mondays on a weekly basis. The Sholayur panchayat samithi has undertaken the business of collection, processing, packing, transportation and marketing of agricultural produce

Farmers Field School is a novel concept of initiating agricultural group training activity where a long- term process of restoration and rejuvenation of agro-ecosystems and indigenous and sustainable agricultural foundations are taking place. All the ecologically and economically suitable organic/eco- friendly/natural/indigenous farming techniques from soil and water conservation and rejuvenation to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that rely on ecologically suitable principles, and from breeding and improving indigenous cultivar seed varieties, land races and commercial varieties to saving crop wild relatives will be experimented, demonstrated, and suitable methods developed in these field schools. The expertise and local knowledge of the whole community will be brought together in these demonstration plots.

Nutritional Education Centers are being initiated in select hamlets to spread awareness regarding the basic essentials of food, nutritious food and health. The idea is to restore their indigenous collective knowledge and the rich diet of seasonally grown and most suitable diet and food habits they had till very recently. A cadre of health and nutrition workers is being trained to help the community make correct choices regarding crops they grow and the wild edible leaves and tubers they collect, the food they cook in their traditional ways, health care and land care. This is being done in the hamlets with the full participation of elder women. Nutrition re-education classes and specifically designed cooking lessons are also being planned. The women are guided by the principle of Food Security – Safe Food without lethal chemicals – Nutritional Security – Health Care – Self Care – Earth Care

Yet another breakthrough has been achieved in the marketing of Non Timber Forest Produce by breaking the nexus of exploitative middlemen traders. The produce is sold by Care Keralam to various Ayurveda Pharmaceuticals and NTFP collection especially that of medicinal plants has begun and the nexus of traders has been broken and now the Panchayath Samithi has begun collection and the produce is being sold to Care Kerala, a Government of India enterprise for sale to several pharmaceuticals. The payment is transferred electronically to the Panchayath Samithi and Oorusamithi. There are efforts to form micro-enterprises of value added tribal medicines and oils and various other products like coffee and pepper. The Pudhur panchayatsamithi has undertaken the collection, transportation and marketing of medicinal plants

The endeavor is to break the nexus of traders in Attappady black, the reputed genre of goat and capacitate the institutions in directly engage in marketing. Agali panchayat samithi has undertaken the goat village and engages in the marketing of black goats. They have also taken up rearing of black goats as it is an excellent variety.

All produce are being marketed in the name of ‘Malleeswara Products’. Groundnuts have been shelled and the produce is being packed, sealed and sold in the name of Malliswara products. Ragi is similarly powdered and being sold. Ragi, bajra, little millet or chaama and vegetables are sold at double the price in Thrissur town as they are organically produced. Honey is being procured mainly from the Kurumba area and sold at a higher price.

As part of the livelihood development, along with assistance for food farming, funds were provided for purchasing goats and cows and construction of sheds with locally available material. 174 goats and 38 cows were purchased and three sheds have been constructed. Women consider these domestic animals as part of their family and find solace and joy in their company and in taking care of them. Attempts are being made to conserve the indigenous goat variety and local cows of Attappady. The endeavor is to break the nexus of traders in Attappady Black, the reputed genre of goat and capacitate the institutions to directly engage in marketing.

Labor Bank has been developed as part of the youth resource centre .Labour Banks are being organized for skilled and non-skilled youngsters. Trainings in masonry, electric repair, plumbing etc are given and efforts are being made to procure employment for these youngsters in all work taken up by the government and other agencies. A profile has been created of young men and women regarding their work and employment, skills and wages they receive. The entire data would be digitalized and the bank would be managed by the block Samithi.

Special coaching was initiated for the 10th standard students of Pudur, Agali and Sholayur schools to assist them in facing the exams. The classes were provided on Saturday and Sunday by CIGI, an educational institution which works with educational attainment for the most deprived children. Residential classes were held in study holidays and Christmas vacation for 10th standard students. Of the 145 students who appeared for exams, 135 passed.

The CRPs are women from the community, mostly illiterate but deeply knowledgeable in traditional methods of agriculture and are involved in full time farming. They are proving as models by engaging in agriculture. The CRPs have also understood the aims and objectives of the project and most of them are enthusiastic to participate in training programs and also engage in farming, seed selection, collection of produce for sale and all other activities of the team.

One surprising offshoot of this process is the formation of a special youth resource centre for Kurumba youngsters in the remote forest hamlets. This group has decided to focus on livelihood issues and development

Traditional vaidyans (healers) are also mobilized and are being brought under a Production Company under the MKSP. Their knowledge of reproductive health protection, herbal medicines, oils, toxicological treatments including snake bite, nutritious wild edibles, rich and endangered biodiversity of the area are all being documented and supported for long term conservation.

As part of spreading awareness and instilling pride in their rich agriculture and unique and diverse food items, a festival was organized where 40 hamlet level women’s groups (Oorusamithies) cooked a variety of traditional cuisine and displayed their items. They explained the nutritional and medicinal content and qualities and cultural and customary importance of the diverse food items they exhibited. A wide variety of food items made from millets (ragi or finger millet, chaama or little millet, aricholam or sorghum), grains from bamboo seeds, many kinds of legumes and pulses like avara (lablab bean), thomara (pigenon pea), vanpayar (red cow pea gram), tubers, a large variety of wild edible leaves, leaves of kantharimulaku (bird’s eye chillies), manathakkali (Sunberry), chundakkai (Turkey Berry) wild tomatoes (cherry tomato), cooked in a variety of ways. Curries, Chutneys, ada, vada, puttu, kali, kozhukkatta etc

There are around 120 Animators. Through the capacity building process, the Animators have been strengthened to access their rights and entitlements and strengthen the institutions to raise their voices and assert their agency and access their rights. They support the capacity building programme in the field. All the community cadres belong to the respective tribal communities and speak theAdivasi dialect. All the thematic trainings are held for the Animators first and they in turn conduct trainings in their respective areas and function as catalysts and social change agents. Most of the Animators and Oorusamithi leaders have become articulate, fluent and clear in their conceptual understanding and communication skills. The leadership qualities and society these Adivasi women have attained can be considered the biggest achievement of the Project. This is surely first time in the history of the Adivasis in Attappady that a team of powerful and committed women leaders have been developed.

KILA canteen in Attapady being run by Chalayoor ooru samithi