Community Agro-biodiversity Conservation Awards 2016

Mr Palliyara Raman

Mr. Palliyara Raman of Palliyara Kurichya Family, Kaniyambatta emerged winner for Community Agrobiodiversity Award 2016 for Conservation of Traditional Rice Varities.Mr.Raman cultivates eight traditional rice varieties in the family owned nine acres of farm land. Veliyan, Chennellu, Chomala, Thondi, Gandhakasala, Kalladiyaryan, Mullan Kayama, Njavara etc are the eight traditional seed varieties. His effort to protect these traditional rice varieties is highly commentable.

Ms Janaki

Ms. Janaki is the custodian of various traditional seed varieties, and rears local breeds of cattle and poultry. Janaki’s family owns six acres of land. In this land her family cultivates vegetables such as spinach, bitter gourd, ladies finger, brinjal, chilly, papaya, pumpkin, long beans, ash gourd, tiny ash gourd etc. Cash crops such as coconut, areca nut, pepper, coffee and rubber are also grown by Janaki and family. Traditional rice varieties such as adukkan and gandhakasala, and tuber varieties such as tapioca, yam, elephant yam, colocasia are also being cultivated by them.