India  

QSA has been working with development partners in India …

We currently support one project in Tamil Nadu in Southern India. The following project summary is from the QSA Annual Report 2025. This project is delivered in partnership with the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

Pitchandikulam BioResource Centre

Tamil Nadu, South India

Staff and student learning about local native plants. Photo credit: Pitchandikulam Bioresource Centre.

Over the past year, QSA’s partner, Pitchandikulam BioResource Centre, has focussed on health security, sustainable livelihoods and environmental awareness, deepening community resilience.

A central achievement has been the completion of the first phase of the People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR), which documents local flora, fauna, and the knowledge of elders and healers. The register identifies traditional health practitioners skilled in treating ailments such as jaundice and kidney stones, and records village stories, sacred groves, and family deities for future generations. This documentation safeguards valuable community knowledge while enhancing the scientific and cultural foundations of local sustainability work.

Women’s livelihoods continue to flourish through activities that merge traditional skills with income generation. Sixty household herbal gardens now thrive. Herbal medicine and food preparation workshops have engaged over one hundred women and children, fostering both health awareness and small-scale entrepreneurship. Ethno-veterinary practices have also been revived through farmer training sessions and cattle camps, where participants prepared herbal remedies using more than thirty species of wild plants. These practices not only promote animal health but also strengthen biodiversity conservation.

Environmental education, recognised by the Tamil Nadu Government for its innovative methods, has expanded to over 200 schools. Children learn about their bioregion through traditional games, storytelling, and visits to sacred groves rich in medicinal species, ensuring that local knowledge remains alive among the next generation.

Efforts to strengthen food security and organic farming continue through demonstration plots and the documentation of traditional rice varieties. However, promoting traditional seeds and organic methods remains challenging as many established farmers continue to favour chemical-intensive cash crops.

On 30 November 2024 tropical cyclone Fengal struck, damaging crops, trees and essential infrastructure. The village threshing ground, a vital shared space where farmers process their harvest, was particularly affected. QSA provided additional funds to contribute to its repair and restoration.