Natural Resource Management
management of
natural resources
Natural resource management (NRM) is the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations.
Natural resource management deals with managing the way in which people and natural landscapes interact. It brings together natural heritage management, land use planning, water management, bio-diversity conservation, and the future sustainability of industries like agriculture, mining, tourism, fisheries and forestry. It recognizes that people and their livelihoods rely on the health and productivity of our landscapes, and their actions as guardians of the land play a critical role in maintaining this health and productivity. Natural resources provide fundamental life support, in the form of both consumptive and public-good services. Ecological processes maintain soil productivity, nutrient recycling, the cleansing of air and water, and climatic cycles.
Natural Resource Based Sustainable Livelihood
SJSM initiated the development work in the backwater region of Koyna catchment area, in Patan block of Satara dist. in Maharashtra. The villages are far- flung due to hilly region and are totally cut off from the surrounding world and people were lacking the basic facilities of education, transportation, communication, health etc. The communities living in the area are mainly shepherds, cowherds, etc. with the traditional occupation of monsoon dependent agriculture, wage labour and cattle rearing.
The families are mostly marginal and own very less & fragmented lands due to hilly regions. Lack of appropriate agriculture technologies and following traditional agriculture practices result into the low production of crop. The agriculture activity is supplemented with allied activities like animal husbandry. Income from both the occupations does not meet the household expenses, which compels the men to migrate to cities in search of work.
To reduce the migration from area SJSM made efforts for providing natural resource based sustainable livelihood by adopting various methodologies and programs by using the age-old knowledge of medicinal plants and herbs and converting them into local herbal remedies.
Production Facility
At Rammala, Koyna, SJSM has its own organised setup with proper equipment’s / machinery for food / fruit processing, Herbal processing. Products prepared here undergo a strict quality check before leaving the facility. Cane and bamboo processing and converting them into beautiful furniture is a part of the livelihood process at SJSM. The composting units are used to prepare soil rich manure for the plants. Soil testing facility ensures preparation for proper chemical or physical soil analysis, interpretation of analysis results, and finally making fertilizer recommendations for the crops & quality control of the produce.
Rural Product Marketing
Koyna region is rich in bio diversity and has a good supply of the local herbs for medicinal use. With the entire setup already available SJSM, manufacturers many herbal products under the brand name of “Koyna Herbals “. These products are available in the form of powders like shatavari kalp, shikekai powder, amla powder or in liquid forms like Hibiscus oil, narayani tel, etc.
All the products are sold through our in-house outlet at Rammala, or through our SHG or through direct sales agents.