July 22, 2023

By N.M. Vishnu, Vandana Kannan, Mahadesh B. & Shivanna

The Sathyamangalam field centre staff visited various villages within Kadambur to understand communities and their interactions with natural resources and status of their wellbeing to plan potential work here.

We first arrived at Uginiyam village from our field centre in Arepalayam via Mavalla, Devarnatham, and Guliyada. We went down a narrow road inside the thick forest at the foothill of which Uginiyam is situated. First, we visited Uginiyam Primary School, where 25 students from tribal communities were enrolled. We spoke to the school cook, who nurtures a kitchen garden space in her home. We offered her some vegetable seeds, saplings for four types of leafy vegetables, and shared suggestions on cultivation. We hope to support all local schools with setting up of kitchen gardens to improve nutrition levels.

We conversed with local residents about their livelihoods and forest interactions. The agricultural practices in Uginiyam mainly focus on corn cultivation (Zea mays), while some also cultivate finger millet or ragi (Eleusine coracana) and little millet or samai (Panicum sumatrense). However, in recent times, no one has been engaging in agriculture owing to a lack of rain. Some villagers have prepared their lands but were unable to cultivate any crops. They used to collect honey from the wild five years ago, but now this does not offer a viable income either. Extraction of Non-Timber Forest Produce for livelihoods has also dwindled, as restrictions have strengthened. The villagers mostly frequent the forest for grazing and fuelwood collection. Most people go to other farmlands or estates for daily wage work.

Next, we stopped at Nagalur, another small village near Uginiyam and visited the headmaster of the middle school, where 48 students are enrolled. We gave them vegetable seeds to kickstart a kitchen garden, an idea in which he showed great interest. He spoke about his efforts in planting a garden at the school before. The compound was enclosed by walls so there would no animals grazing here, which was surprising given that we have seen domestic animals grazing inside the compounds of many schools before. There were many Senna spectabilis trees planted for shade, one of the most dangerous invasive species. The invasion of this species in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is drastically high. This affects natural regeneration and hinders native plant growth. We planned to plant a native tree garden inside the campus instead of Senna, and possibly a butterfly garden.

Here too, residents often cultivate ragi and corn, and are affected by a lack of rainfall. They were once experts in collecting honey from Apis florea bees, though this practice is diminishing. Livestock are the main source of livelihood.

The last village we stopped at was Badripadugai, which is a little far from Nagalur, nestled deep within the forest. Residents are largely dependent on corn, and have also recently begun collecting wild mango from the forest. Honey and NTFP collection like seemar (Phoenix loureiroi) is less in this area compared to previous years, when they would sell it on their own. Today, they are restricted from doing so, and have to collect NTFP through the Village Forest Council. Additionally, the availability of NTFP has also reduced highly during this time of the year.

Wild mangoes are collected once in five years from each tree, as they trim the branches during collection and it takes a few years for the trees to flower and fruit. The forest department is attempting to combat this problem by distributing sticks with hooks to prevent cutting of branches. However, cutting of branches is done not only for easy harvesting, but also to lower the risk of parasites infecting the trees. This year one family harvested mangoes for 10-15 days and earned INR 20,000 to 30,000.

The agriculture department has provided 70 bee boxes funded by the ICAR-SBI-STC project (2022-23) to promote beekeeping. Most of the bees in the boxes were weak, owing to a lack of food. Our beekeeping experts Shivanna and Mahadesh checked the bee boxes of few villagers and suggested that they give sugar syrup.

On the way back, we spotted some sloth bear scat that contained seeds of Lantana camara, a highly invasive plant species. Bears seem to have adapted to the lantana forest and are dispersing the seeds. We also found several tracks of wild animals, mostly elephants. We got the chance to see a chameleon on the path as it crossed the road slowly and we waited till it passed. There were many butterflies flitting about, like the Blue Mormon, Common Banded Peacock, Grass Yellow and so on.