Bamboo Village Wayanad district.docx

8/14/2019 Bamboo Village Wayanad district.docx

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URAVU (Indigenous Science and Technology Study

Centre), a local voluntary initiative working on

bamboo and sustainable village development

together with KABANI integrated these activities into

a common programme: "The Bamboo Village", with

the objective of sustainable development of the

village. The tourism and related income is seen as a

supportive income or supplementary income for the

community. It hosts a chain of activities linked to

bamboo for about 200 families, bamboo and other

related activities are sources of livelihood. Tourism

has been brought in as one component of the

"Bamboo Village" in tune with other larger

development priorities of the villagers.

Bamboo Village is not just a tourism project; this

initiative aims to sustainably develop the village as a

whole. As tourism researchers and campaigners

against unsustainable tourism, we realized the need for

an alternative to mainstream tourism that benefits

people. At Bamboo Village, we want the communities

involved to be creative, self-reliant and responsible for

their own living conditions and socio-economic


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security through active participation in development

activities. Organic farming, bamboo handicrafts, food

processing units and home stays and tourism activities

all fall under the purview of the Bamboo Village.

Organic farming and handicrafts ensure sustainable

income generation, whereas tourism provides a

complementary income source. The investment of the

farmers in tourism has been kept to the minimum,

since we dont want it to replace agriculture as the

main source of livelihood. We also view the

conversation of the environment and our natural

resources as an integral part of the initiative.

The farmers of the village benefit from the tourism

aspect of the initiative in many ways. Families offer

home stays to visitors. They did not invest anything


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major to do this; they use their spare rooms for the

guests. The tourists use local taxis and vehicles for

transportation. Some village residents have been

trained as interpreters. Fourthly, we offer travelers the

option of trying traditional food with various families

within the village. Therefore, almost all the money

spent by travelers remains within the village and there

are diverse income opportunities for all residents.

Tourism has been facilitated to provide additional

income for local people and to help us develop a

community fund through which we can provide

training and development to village residents, on

activities such as food processing, small businesses,

etc. We have developed a benefit sharing mechanism

among the village residents wherein 50 % of the

accommodation charges from the guests go to the


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requirement of the programme still need lots of

resources, and is time consuming.

Is tourism the main income for participating

families? How do you deal with off-season slow

down of arrivals, like during the monsoons or the

summer?

Considering the unpredictability and vulnerability of

the tourism sector, tourism is not visualized as the

main income source for the community. The tourism-

related income is seen as a supportive income to

compensate for the diminished income levels, during

the transformation from the current agricultural

practices to organic farming. Most of the people

involved in this tourism program are also involved in

other income generation activities, so off-season and

slow down of arrivals does not affect the participating

residents much.


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What do you think are the negative effects of a

community tourism project like Bamboo Village?

Tourism is an activity that touches the life of local

communities in many ways. It consumes their culture,

lifestyle and natural resources. So the impact of

tourism is also expected to be manifold. Bamboo

Village is a very small project and it is too early to

assess its negative impacts. We take the negative

effects of community tourism in case studies very

seriously, and try to address these in the orientation

programs we organize for the local community. We

share our vast experiences as a research and campaign

organization working on tourism issues in Kerala and

elsewhere, and believe in an approach where people

play a central role by deciding, assessing and

monitoring the developments and their priorities.


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What are some of the steps you have taken or

intend to take to deal with these effects?

The community fund set up by us is facilitating many

income generation and other activities in the village. It

provides a feeling of ownership among the residents

who are not directly participating or benefiting from

the initiative.

Have you noticed any differences, negative or

positive, in Bamboo Village or its residents since

the start of this initiative?

The women home stay hosts in the village have some

very heartening stories. Many of them feel the

initiative has given them a boost in confidence and the

opportunity to mingle with different kinds of people

from all over the world. They can now communicate

in fairly good English, and try to understand the


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to create something for this area to live sustainably

and healthily and to prevent brain drain; to keep

young people there, rather than running off to the city

to work as a tech customer service representative.

Bamboo is the center. Bamboo is also the symbol. It

issustainable woodgrows quickly and easily here

(they have over 30 varieties- each used to make

different things from incense sticks to construction

beams to hangers). Bamboo is essentially a large,

strong grass that one can cut and watch regrow.

Bamboo is an interesting plant. I happened to be in

the area when one common species of Bamboo had

just flowered, produced bamboo rice and was in the
http://www.thechicecologist.com/2009/06/plyboo-bamboo-plywood-and-durapalm-palm-tree-sustainable-flooring/http://www.thechicecologist.com/2009/06/plyboo-bamboo-plywood-and-durapalm-palm-tree-sustainable-flooring/http://www.thechicecologist.com/2009/06/plyboo-bamboo-plywood-and-durapalm-palm-tree-sustainable-flooring/http://www.thechicecologist.com/2009/06/plyboo-bamboo-plywood-and-durapalm-palm-tree-sustainable-flooring/


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process of dying (only to regrow again next year). In

this local species, this happens only every 40 years!

Uravu sells bamboo crafts within India and demand is

high for the quality handmade products. This is only

one aspect of the Bamboo Village. The next phase is

a large guesthouse (Completion Goal: Dec 2013)-

being built withyou guessed itbamboo. This will

house touristsprimarily groups and families,

however dorms may be available for backpackers.

Currently there is a home stay program that Romarie

and I enjoyed. We stayed comfortably in Marys

families house, experiencing the day to dayeven

the early morning noises from the chickens (one of

which we ate for dinner), and even the family

scuffles. Half of the cost went to Mary (money is

given to the woman of the household, who runs the


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homestay), and half is reinvested into the community

through Uravu.

After the completion of the guesthouse building,

visitors will live with additional privacy and space in

the forest in a sustainable and eco building. They will

eat meals in the homes nearby in order to maintain

connections with the villagers. Babaraj explained his

vision forwastewaterre-use, solar energy, bio-gas

collection and new technologies to make this a model

for future construction in India. Their next task is to

tackle the most visually obvious environmental issue

plaguing Indiaplastics. Without a recycling facility

(much less a trash collection) people toss un-

useables in ditches and then occasionally sweep it up

into a pile to burn. That was fine when waste was

paper and banana leaves (a common packaging
http://www.thechicecologist.com/2010/01/flotender-grey-water-recycling/http://www.thechicecologist.com/2010/01/flotender-grey-water-recycling/http://www.thechicecologist.com/2010/01/flotender-grey-water-recycling/


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material), but now cheap plastic is flowing in all

corners of the world with no signs of stopping. Uravu

plans to organize a trash sorting system in the area

and this includes a method to collect send plastic

bottles to a recycling center. Uravu has high hopes to

make a big difference in this swiftly changing country.

The community here, proud of their land and culture,

have created a cooperative that generates additional

income for farmers, empowers local people through

job creation and provides ethical tourism

opportunities.

ThrikkaipettasBamboo Villagewas initiated by local

people who are passionate about improving life forthe community. It is a community led bamboo

nursery, using the materials to create traditional

crafts, food products, for environmental protection

and as a tourism attraction. Visiting their bamboo

workshop is like stepping into Santasgrotto! It is
http://www.kabani.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=69http://www.kabani.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=69http://www.kabani.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=69http://www.kabani.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=69


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incredible to see so many local people employed,

busy creating a huge selection of products.

As the Bamboo Village has gone from strength to

strength, it became clear that the tourism offer here

could be expanded and provide an even greater

opportunity for additional income. Local responsible

tourism campaigning NGO, Kabani, has partnered

with the Bamboo Villages management, Uravu, and

the groups pulled together their expertise on

agricultural life and how best develop a tourist

infrastructure that would offer enriching tourist

experiences and improve the lives of local people.

Today tourists from across the globe can come and

enjoy the Bamboo Villages ethical homestays.

Visitors can enjoy a tranquil location with a friendly

local family, feast on traditional home cooked food

and fruits from their homestays plantation. Guests

can also join an eye-opening village tour, learning

about the diverse crops growing locally and

participating in cultural exchange events.
http://www.kabani.org/http://www.kabani.org/


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In addition to the unique learning experiences, guests

can rest assured that fifty percent of the money paid

for their cozy homestay is being reinvested into the

community they have enjoyed getting to know. This

money is helping to develop a community fund that

provides crucial training for villagers (such as organic

farming and healthy living education), youth projects

and sustainable tourism development.

More than 1000 women have undergone

training at this centre. Micro enterprises for

value addition of natural resources and

development of products have been

established by Uravu for bamboo and coconut

shell craft, food products and dry flowers

in and around Kalpetta, Wynadu district who are

working with bamboo, craft, furniture,

architecture, bags, wowen products, jack fruit


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products and now community based tourism

development.

The first SHG we visited was Neravu. They were

making calendar holders while we were visiting.

Started about 8 years ago, they initially had 20people in it which was reduced to 9 at present.

The women left for various reasons like marriage

and bamboo dust allergies. They told us that they

were not able to experiment with bamboo as

orders would come in one after the other, leaving

them with no time for anything else.

The next was Unarvu, an SHG that specialised in

making jewellery. They started with 18 and

reduced to 12. The bamboo that they were using

was not provided by Uravu but was collected by

them and the men. They used elephant bamboo


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and cut and polished them to make beads that

they painted. They asked us for new designs and

were very happy when we provided some in a

notebook they had. A few of us also decorated a

few beads. I notice that the women were very

happy with what they were doing but they needed

new and fresh designs rather than recycled ones.

For inspiration they consult magazines and watch

TV programs.

The third SHG was Sneha and they started 4

years ago. Around 15 people work there and they

were trained for new orders when they came in

for around a week. They were making photo

frames when we visited. We also learnt that

waste from one group was taken to another

where they can be put to use.

The next group was Soubaghya and they started


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4 years ago with 20 people now reduced to 14.

We saw them working with saws and not much

else as they were wrapping up for the day. When

asked they told us that they were insured by the

panchayat.

We found that among the self-help groups each

of them were being paid about 125-180 rupees

per day. They were also depositing a fixed

amount of money in the South Malabar Gramine

bank which acted as a security from which they

could withdraw money without the need for

collateral. The work timings were almost the

same, 7 hours per day. They were also provided

with masks and mufflers to protect them from the

dust. Most of their children sre educated till the

12thstandard and on askinf, we found out that

they were not interested in working with bamboo.


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The trainers from Uravu themselves are

local people who underwent proper

training in making bamboo products from

universities like CBTC (Cane and bamboo

training center), NID (National Institute

of design), IIT Mumbai. So through this

collaboration program and the support ofGovernment rural development programs,

they have set up 25 micro enterprises in

the district of Wayanad district so far.

Uravu in connection with EXIM (Export

Import Bank of India), Nabad (National

Bank for Agricultural and Rural

Development), and MSME (Micro small

medium enterprises) gives training and

thus being the root cause for setting upthese Micro Enterprises.

Documents

Bamboo Village Wayanad district.docx