Our Awardees
Community Agrobiodiversity Conservation Awards 2015
Kelu Peruvadi
Community Agrobiodiversity Conservation Awards 2015
Mr. Kelu Peruvadi hailing from the Kurichya Tharavadu in Vellamunda Panchayath was rewarded with the First Agrobiodiversity Conservation Award on account of the family’s efforts on conserving traditional paddy varieties. The family is conserving ten traditional rice varieties, considerable native crop diversity in their homesteads besides adopting sustainable soil and water conservation measures in their farm which is spread across 22 acres
Achappan Palookappu
Mr. Achappan from Palookappil Kurichya Tharavadu in Kottathara Panchayath also got awarded for conserving all types of crop and animal diversity in the homesteads. The family maintains five traditional rice varieties, 7 banana varieties, native legumes, vegetables and native poultry breeds. His tharavadu also follows effective soil and water conservation measures learnt from their ancestral heritage..
Sivan Nochanvayal
Mr. Sivan Nochanvayal from Noolpuzha Panchayath also got awarded for his services to conserve rice varieties in very limited land with limited resources. In the midst of constraints like weather vagaries and crop raiding, he maintains and enriches the agrobiodiversity in his farm.
Community Agrobiodiversity Conservation Awards 2016
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.
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.
Community Agrobiodiversity Conservation Awards 2017
Athikolly Tharavadu
Mr. Darappan, Athikolly and his joint family from Vellamunda Panchayath bagged the third Agro-biodiversity Conservation Award for conserving 7 traditional rice varieties and allied agrobiodiversity including 10 varieties of pulses, vegetables in their homesteads.
Balan Manikaini
Mr. Balan, Manikkaini and his joint family from Vellamunda Panchayath bagged the Award for conserving different native tree species, rice, tubers, vegetable varieties and medicinal plants in their farm land. In their 10 acre jointly owned farm, the family is conserving 3 traditional rice varieties, 6 tubers and 5 varieties of medicinal plants.
Community Agrobiodiversity Conservation Award 2018
Paramoola Tharavadu
Mr. Kelu from Paramoola Kurichya Family, Vellamunda Panchayath bagged the Community Agrobiodiversity Award 2018 for Conservation of Traditional Rice Varieties. The joint family consisting of 28 small families’ conserves 6 traditional varieties of rice in their jointly owned sixteen acres of wetland. In addition to rice, they also maintain traditional varieties of banana, legumes and vegetables. They are also conserving numerous rare, endemic and threatened plant species in their land.
Mr. Surendran K.T
Mr. Surendran K.T, and family of Kallichal Kuruma kudi, Erumadu, Nilgiri district of Tamilnadu bagged the award for Conservation of Local Plant Genetic Resources, and other associated biodiversity and ecosystem management. Surendran and family is the custodian of 5 traditional crop varieties along with local breeds of cattle and poultry. They also conserve 4 traditional varieties of banana, 12 tuber varieties and many vegetables in their 2 acres of dry land and 2 acres of wetland. Surendran and Janaki continue the Mullukuruma tradition of farming with the strong support of traditional knowledge they accrued through ancestors.
Community Agro- biodiversity Conservation Award 2019
Kelu, Thengakolly
Kelu Thengakkolly and family were awarded for their contribution in conservation of traditional agrobiodiversity. The tharavadu owns 17acre land wherein they are conserving 4 traditional rice varieties and also following traditional soil and water conservation measures. In addition to this, the family is also cultivating native crops and conserving endemic tree species in their homestead.
Edathana Chanthu
Edathana Chandu of Kurichya joint family is conserving numerous varieties of traditional pepper, rice, tree species and vegetables in their 24acre joint farm. They extensively cultivate three traditional rice varieties i.e. Veliyan, Koduveliyan and Gandhakasala, ten varieties of vegetables, five varieties of tubers, 1 variety of millet, 7 varieties of pepper, 5 types of medicinal plants, 6 varieties of banana and five types of fruit trees.
Devla
Special Jury award was given to Ms. Devla for conserving seeds of 14 traditional rice varieties during the floods by maintaining nursery in uplands. Her efforts during the natural calamity helped other farmers to avail seeds of traditional rice varieties that were lost during the floods in 2018-19.
Community Agro- biodiversity Conservation Award 2022
Mr Suresh, Malavayal Kuruchiya Tharavad
Mr Suresh in his Kuruchiya Tharavad with 42 families in 24 acres of land has been efficiently managing the abundant upland and wetland crop diversity in the changing climatic conditions. At present, 8 traditional rice varieties, 5 species, 4 tubers, banana, Native cow breeds, buffalo, duck and other poultry breeds are in the farm.
Gopinathan, Alathoor
Mr Gopinathan from Alathoor is conserving 7 traditional rice varieties, more than 10 vegetables, 4 tuber crops, 5 spices, pulses along with native cattle and poultry breeds and fish cultivation in his 20acre farm. To deal with frequent drought occurrences in the region, he is also conserving the traditional water systems of Wayanad.
Mr Anil
Mr Anil from Noolpuzha was also awarded for his initiative in conserving the traditional rice and vegetable diversity of Wayanad amidst wildlife conflict. He is conserving 21 types of vegetables, 5 tuber crops, 4 banana varieties, 2 aromatic rice varieties, native cattle and poultry breeds at his 3 acres of farm.
Mrs Kumbhamma
Mrs Kumbhamma was awarded for her efforts in conserving upland crop diversity at an advancing age. Despite the hurdles faced being a differently abled woman, Kumbhamma has efficiently transformed her challenges into opportunities and is a role model for generations across all age groups. In her 2.5 acres of land, she is cultivating various types of vegetables, pepper, banana and tuber varieties.
