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Seabuckthorn
A wonder plant with immense ecological and economical potential, Seabuckthorn is regarded as one of the most exciting plants in the botanical kingdom. With its properties ranging from anti cancer to anti-radiation, Seabuckthorn has a unique composition of minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, etc that makes it a rare specimen in nature. MORE 
Seabuckthorn in Spiti – A brief History
Seabuckthorn grows wild in the Spiti valley and is found in abundance along the river valleys. Traditionally seabuckthorn was used for the treatment of a variety of diseases, by the Amchis (local doctors). The people of Spiti however didn’t find much utility in the plant except for its use as a fence and fuelwood. This particular usage has led to the large scale depletion of the resource base in the valley. It is said that from 1970 onwards till 2000, almost 50% of the resource base was lost for various reasons, the prominent ones being the above mentioned. Frequent occurrence of floods has been another factors that has contributed to the loss of the resource base.
Since the local community as well as the government were unaware about the significance and utility of the plant, they made little efforts to conserve and promote the resource. However, scientists from universities in the state initiated research on the plant in the early 90’s after realising that countries like China, Germany and Russia had converted this resource into an economical, ecological and a health boon for their respective countries and its people. As a consequence of this the state government in the early 90’s rendered immense support by sending teams to study the work done in countries such as China and Germany for the purpose of replication. Unfortunately, not much came out of this initiative as some of the findings of the teams were not encouraging and it was concluded that seabuckthorn could not be developed in the region in the same manner as it had been in other countries. As a result of this the seabuckthorn initiative took a nose dive before it even got the opportunity to surface.
In the year 2000 a group of individuals (who later formed Muse) while visiting Spiti for a workshop on Traditional Medicine, realised the potential of Seabuckthorn and the issues plaguing its growth. In the same year a private entrepreneur commercialised the Seabuckthorn growing in Ladakh (which is the same species growing in Spiti). It was however found that extraction of the plant was being done in a very haphazard and unsustainable manner by the industrialist and it was soon discovered that the continuation of extraction in a similar manner would pose a serious threat to the plant. Some urgent measures were required to combat the situation and prevent its replication in a similar manner to the neighbouring areas of Himachal Pradesh. Since Seabuckthorns commercial value had already been demonstrated, it was decided that a community livelihood initiative would be ideal to address issues pertaining to the regions development as well as conservation of the resource. In 2001 research was initiated to develop a plan for the same. In 2002 a project was approved by GTZ for the conservation, commercialisation and propagation of seabuckthorn with the local women of Spiti as the major stakeholders and beneficiaries of the project.
The activities undertaken have encompassed:-
- Awareness generation and mobilisation of the local community
- Organization & empowerment of women and villagers into producer groups
- Devising sustainable harvesting techniques in consultation with the women groups
- Capacity building and training of the local community on appropriate technology for processing of Seabuckthorn
- Set up of 4 decentralized units for processing of seabuckthorn
- Development of various products from seabuckthorn and their linkage with the market
- Building of a Brand identity for the local products
- Institutionalization of the groups into a local body – Spiti Seabuckthorn Society
- Policy advocacy with the State Government, especially the Forest and Tribal Development Departments
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The Results so far have been:
Conservation of Seabuckthorn & Women’s Empowerment – In the first year of the initiative 5 resource rich villages were selected and women producer groups formed in these villages. Currently 33 groups from 27 villages are a part of the initiative with approximately 500 members. Production levels have increased from 2.5 Metric Tons in the first year to 17 Metric Tons per annum. The initial success of the pilot initiative and the subsequent economic benefits accrued from Seabuckthorn (a plant which previously held no economic value to the local community) has had an immense effect on the populace of Spiti. One of the most significant consequences of this initiative has been the emergence of the local community as the custodians of their natural resource base. The women, who were initially identified as the target beneficiaries, have been the torch bearers of this change in mind set. Upon realizing the varied properties of the plant, women have not only started protecting the existing Seabuckthorn resources by not allowing its extraction, but have also initiated its propagation along the river beds (an area most susceptible to erosion). Moreover, the concept of ‘live fencing’ of Seabuckthorn hedges (being an extremely thorny bush) is gradually picking up as an alternative to fencing.
Equitable Benefit Sharing – Producer groups comprise of 1 member (primarily women) from each family in the village. Each member in the group harvests exactly the same predetermined quantity. This not only ensures equitable benefits flowing to each and every family in the village, but also makes the distribution of earnings within the groups simpler.
Formation of a Community Based Organisation – Presently more than 50% of the villages in Spiti work with Spiti Seabuckthorn Society (a community organisation) that is working towards the conservation, commercialization and propagation of Seabuckthorn. 33 Production Groups have been formed for managing the harvesting and processing of Seabuckthorn. These groups are thereafter organized on a cluster level for the purpose of processing, which is conducted in 4 decentralised production units. These production units are located in close vicinity and not further than a few kilometers from the collection areas. Although, as mentioned earlier, it was largely the women in the initial phase who came forward to support the initiative, now almost all sections of the society are involved in some or the other aspect of its functioning. Men who showed no interest in the first 2 years, have now come forward along with the youth both in the harvesting and processing of seabuckthorn.
Market Linkages & Product Development – As is the case with most community based initiatives, marketing presents the biggest challenge towards ensuring sustainability. Marketing arrangements with organizations working on the commercialization of Seabuckthorn in Ladakh (Ladakh Foods Limited), ensured the sale of the semi-processed pulp, and provided the necessary launch pad for demonstration of its economic feasibility to the local community in the initial stages. However as this arrangement lacks sustainability in the long run, end products such as Seabuckthorn Tea, Juice and Squash have been developed for sale in the open markets. Research is being undertaken on various other products which will soon be launched in the markets.
Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge and Usage – Local usage of Seabuckthorn and similar other resources is also being promoted either as health supplements or for the treatment of common ailments through the local doctors (amchis). The Amchis have been mobilized to generate awareness amongst the community with regards to their age old system as well as the vital role played by the various natural resources in the sustenance of this system.
Towards People Centered Policies – Sensitising the government towards the formulation of people centered policies has been one of the major achievements of this initiative. Policy advocacy with the State Government has initiated a shift in their policies from only promoting foreign species to supporting the propagation and commercialization of the local species. The government has also supported the set up of necessary infrastructure for processing of seabuckthorn. Since Seabuckthorn grows on Forest Land, it has received a de-facto status of a Forest Produce. However the forest department recognises the rights of the local people for the extraction of Seabuckthorn and are now working in close unison with the locals in ensuring the sustainable harvesting and maintenance of the resource base.
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