MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

NGO’s in Tamil Nadu

Gandeepam
Gandeepam, a member of the Medicinal Plants Conservation Network is a leading non-government organization in the southern district of Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to furthering and promoting knowledge and understanding of local knowledge and resources towards achieving health for all.
In this connection, Gandeepam has successfully conducted an International Siddha Congress in the recent past. Ghandeepam has an operation area covering Singampunari, Ponnamaravathi, Kohampatti, Antham, Marugampuri and parts of Dindigul and Trichy dt. It collaboratively operates with the similar objectives of FRLHT and has established an medici¬nal plants conservation park (MPCP) with 1110 sp including 36 endangered sp. Five lakh number of seedlings are raised in the nursery as a long term perspective of conservation. Kitchen Herbal Gardens are formed to improve the cultivation of medicinal plants in the villages, now nearly 15,000 KHC's have been established in five districts of TN.

Covenant centre for Development (CCD)
Covenant centre for Development (CCD) started in 1992 ini¬tially to curb the migration of village children to town later, it was promoted as organisation for conservation of medicinal plants. They orga¬nise village female folk in small groups called kalasam with 10-20 members in each group. They operate in Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul and Sivagangai districts. In Pudukottai district, the areas belonging to temples are used for the conservation. A buy-back-scheme also has been implemented for cultivation. Exhibitions are conducted every year to create awareness among the village community.
In collaboration with FRLHT CCD has an established conservation park with Demo gardens where in 11,000 plants of 256 sp. are raised and maintains herbarium, seed and demo drug museum. Thus there are several NGO's involved in voluntary action to promote the cultivation and conservation of endangered sp. of medicinal plants.
The other important NGO's involved in cultivation and conservation of MP are

• SEVA(sustainable– Agriculture and Environmental voluntary section) - Madurai
• Gandhi Gram mooligai seva Trust - Dindigal
• VHERDS – Voluntary Health, Education and Rural Development Society
• ARS – Annamalai Reforestation Society - Thiruvannamalai
• READS – Rural Education and Development Services - Dharmapuri
• HOPE – Women organisation for Health of People and Environment- The Nilgiris.
• Sugavanam - Pudukottai
• Rajendra herbal Research and Training centre.
• Zion Trust - Kodaikanal
• Tamil Nadu Herbs cultivators, processors and co-operative society Ltd.,
• Seart Heart Red mer Trust for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
• LSPSS – Lok Swasthya Parampara Sam narthan samiti - Coimbatore
• NERD – Non conventional Energy and Rural Development Society – Coimbatore
• CIMH – Centre for Indian Medical Heritage – Kanchikode.