The idea of promoting medicinal herbs of the Himalayan Mountains – the project’s goal was to educate the younger population of the uses of plants in the region.

By Shreya Thapa
Republica
2011-12-21

Excerpt:

“The Promoting Herbal Gardens in Schools has been a fun-filled learning activity for the children where they got the opportunity to learn about the medicinal plants by actually planting the medicinal herbs and watching them grow in their garden, and by exploring information about them from various sources. The task of making the garden itself has been enriching in terms of making children realize the importance of team work such as detailed planning, and allocation of tasks within a team.”

But beyond just benefiting the students, the teachers too have been able to gain from the gardens, as ICIMOD reports, “For the teachers, herbal garden project has been useful in terms of the ease with which they could integrate the concept with other activities, such as writing essays, poems and stories, making posters, drawing and painting, making herbariums, and even preparing food recipe using some of the culinary herbs students have planted in their gardens.”

Originating with the idea of promoting medicinal herbs of the Himalayan Mountains, the project’s goal was to educate the younger population of the uses of plants in the region. And there is good reason to promote these herbs as “these plants have been grown or collected for thousands of years, and the traditional knowledge about the plants and their uses have been come down by word of mouth from generation to generation.”

Read the complete article here.

A Girl Chopping Collected wild mushroom. Photo by Tika Ram Aryal.

Mushroom poisoning is a great problem in Nepal

Tika Ram Aryal
Department of Science and Environment Education, Tribhuwan University, Prithivi Narayan Campus,
Pokhara, Nepal
E-mail:tikaramaryal2000 (at) yahoo.com

Abstract

Mushroom poisoning is a great problem in Nepal. Every year dozens of people died and hundred of people fall sick due to consumption of poisonous wild mushroom. Local people have been using wild mushroom in their diet as well as a source of income, but they do not have proper scientific knowledge about the identification of edible and poisoning mushrooms. This practice has caused severe poisoning and even death. Here is no any responsible organization to reduce the death of due to consumption of wild mushroom. An effort has been made with the aim to reduce casualty of people due to consumption of wild mushroom through different awareness programmes, training, and brochure distribution at the most vulnerable parts of Nepal which were identified from the published report in various national newspapers in 2008 and 2009.

Introduction

Nepal is a land-lock Himalayan country with natural biodiversity. It has been regarded as “The natural showroom of biodiversity “because of its geographical ecological and climate variation resulting in environmental diversity and gave a unique wealth in the form of various green and non-green vegetation. The different ethnic groups in Nepal possess rich knowledge of local Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) as a cultural heritage; these are listed as food, medicine, and on various socio-religious purposes. In Nepal various mycophagous group such as Serpa, Tamang, Gurung, Magar, Tharu, Danuwer, Newar,Kami, Damai, Sarki ,Chepang, etc. are directly concerned with the collection & consumption of mushroom historically due to mushroom are also locally trade as minor forest product at local market. Out of 110 species edible mushroom, 40 species are sold in local market every season.

Mushroom poisoning problems are not new to Nepal. Every year dozens of people die; hundreds are admitted to Hospital for treatment, while hundreds more rely on local treatments. During the rainy season, poor people (the so-called “lower caste”) rely on wild mushrooms as a much needed food source and also as a flavorful addition to their diet. Although they have vast knowledge about the regional wild mushrooms, sometimes serious accidents occur. Whole families have been wiped out by consuming poisonous wild mushrooms. Many are not afraid of using wild mushrooms despite knowledge of the risks associated with the poisonous effects of some mushrooms. Likewise, many local people are confident that they can recognize poisonous mushrooms even though they may have
witnessed their neighbors dying due to consumption of wild poisonous mushrooms.

Undocumented and unrecorded mushroom poisonings are much more common than the published incidents because so many cases occur in very remote areas. News reporters are unable to reach many victims in remote areas in order to collect information. At the same time, there is vast knowledge about wild mushrooms among local users, and this may be far beyond that of professional mycologists. Therefore, it is of acute importance to document and conserve traditional local knowledge before it is lost permanently.

See the complete paper here. Large download. 6 MB.

Newspaper article in Nepalese about Tika’s work here.

The Nepalese Department of Agriculture has recognized home gardens as a viable approach for the sustainable livelihood enhancement of resource-poor and disadvantaged communities.

By Sajal Sthapit, Roji Suwal, and Roshan Pudasaini
Nourishing the Planet – A Worldwatch Institute Blog
July 27, 2010

Excerpt:

A home garden, commonly known as ghar bagaincha in Nepali, refers to a traditional land-use system around a homestead that is maintained by household members for the primary function of family food consumption. Home gardens provide 60 percent of total fruit and vegetable consumption in a 5–6 member household in rural Nepal. They are also an important source of essential nutrients. In one study, 69 percent of the 1,100 surveyed households that had adopted home gardens added six different types of nutrients to their diet.

Home gardens feature several species of plants integrated with other farming components such as small livestock (including goats, pigs, and rabbits), poultry (including ducks and pigeons), fisheries, and beekeeping. The average home garden in Nepal contains 18 different species, and the average size is 600 square meters. However, even a relatively small home garden of about 312 square meters in Turang VDC of Gulmi district has been known to have 80 different species. Such diversity makes home gardens an important source of food, fodder, fuel, medicines, spices, herbs, flowers, construction materials, and income, providing a safety net for rural families.

See the complete article here.

Tika Aryal teaches farmers in Nepal how to grow mushrooms to improve their livelihood. His attached report describes his education program.

“In Nepal, mushroom cultivation began in 1976. Nowadays it is a fast growing business due to its high profit. Farmers can get output within one month from ‘pleurotus’ cultivation. Nepal is also a country where mushroom can be cultivated throughout the year under natural environmental conditions.

“We have plenty of raw material for mushroom cultivation. Skilled farmers can earn a lot of money from its cultivation. It is also necessary to develop cultivation technology of this valuable mushroom. Some of the wild mushrooms are poisonous but cultivated mushrooms are safe for consumption. They have high medicinal and nutritional value. Growing them can help solve the malnutrition problem in our country. So from every point of view farmers should be encouraged to cultivate mushrooms.”

Read Tika’s report here. (2.7 MB Word document.)

Email Tika Aryal here: tikaramaryal2000@yahoo.com