Tasar Silk and Honey in the Mountains of Garhwal, India

by Appropriate Technology International

Partners:

Appropriate Technology International (ATI) EDA Rural Systems Kumaun University Community Enterprises

Success Stories

Despite the setbacks of 1996 caused by torrential rains and viral diseases of the silkworms, the silkworm business has bounced back. And this year, there has been a marked increase in confidence on the part of both village and staff tasar silkworm rearers.

Having started at ground zero, the local skill base has increased dramatically due to the abilities of the keen and committed technical staff. As they learn they impart their new knowledge and skills to the village rearers and as a result the level of productivity has mushroomed -- a 500% increase in output of cocoons was accomplished with an 11% decrease in rearing time. The quality of the product -- the percentage of cocoons suitable for seed purposes -- also increased by 33%. These achievements resulted in income increases of 16.5% benefiting the rearers. Quality, as well as improved quantity was demonstrated when sample cocoons sent to Bihar for reeling produced grade A thread.

The importance of these achievements on the technical and production fronts are being transferred to the social and biological fronts as the villagers actually begin to see for themselves that the oak forests do have an economic value to them far beyond traditional subsistence uses and that caring and conserving such resources are important to the well-being of the entire community.

Challenges

We are still facing difficulties in securing adequate technical assistance in bee-keeping and honey processing, which has resulted in these activities lagging behind the tasar silk production.

But the major problem remains one of tenure. The ultimate control of the forests and forest resources still largely rests in the hands of the government and not in the hands of the people who are directly involved and affected. We are coming to learn that even those institutions that purport to promote local control of resources are dealing with severe restrictions. For example, the Van Panchyats (village forest governing bodies) theoretically have control over the use and management of village forests, but their financial resources are controlled by the Revenue Department. This means that the funds generated by sale of wood, grazing rights to outsiders, fines and other fees are not at the disposal of the Van Panchyat, but rather are under the control of the Revenue Department, which takes most of the funds for its own purposes. This arrangement is a serious disincentive for the villagers who feel that they don't really have control over their resources even where institutional arrangements would seem to imply that they do. So the policy issues loom large.

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