Experts Stress Farmer Participation to Save Endangered Medicinal Plants
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Scientists, researchers and stakeholders deliberate on conservation strategies
Solan: An interactive meet on Strategic Prioritization of Threatened and Endangered Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) through Farmer Participation was held at Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni in collaboration with the State Forest Department. The programme, organized by the Department of Forest Products, brought together scientists, researchers, forest officials and progressive farmers to deliberate on conservation, cultivation and sustainable utilization of medicinal and aromatic plants in Himachal.
Addressing the gathering, Head of Forest Force and Chief Project Director of the JICA Forestry Project, Dr. Sanjay Sood, highlighted the immense potential of medicinal plant cultivation in the state. He emphasized the need to focus on species with high scientific and economic value and called for research programmes aligned with stakeholder needs. He also pointed out the growing impact of climate change on the natural habitats of MAPs and stressed the role of academic and research institutions in awareness generation and conservation efforts. He added that medicinal farming has strong potential to improve rural livelihoods and the economy.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel emphasized that medicinal plants have the potential to significantly enhance farmers’ income and strengthen the rural economy. He called for systematic collaboration between departments and farmers to prioritize threatened and endangered species. Highlighting land constraints, he advocated intensive cultivation, intercropping, and adoption of natural farming practices, along with strong quality assurance mechanisms and supply chain development.
Earlier, Dr. CL Thakur, Dean, College of Forestry, welcomed the participants and underlined the importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare systems. Dr. Yashpal Sharma, Head, Department of Forest Products, informed that the university is currently working on 32 medicinal and aromatic plant species and has standardized agro-technologies and nursery raising techniques for several of them.
Technical presentations were delivered by Dr. Sandeep Sharma from HFRI Shimla and Dr. Rajesh Chauhan, Marketing Manager, JICA Forestry Project, who highlighted ongoing initiatives and the role of the herbal cell in promoting MAP cultivation. Dr. Ravinder Raina, former professor of the university, presented insights on rare, endangered, and threatened medicinal plant species. An interactive session was also conducted to deliberate on the future roadmap for the cultivation of these plants.
On the occasion, Dr. Sanjay Sood also inaugurated the Centre for Forest Resource and Environment Entrepreneurship, established with support from the IDP Project of the Forest Department in the university. Planting material of Chirayita and Kalihari was distributed to farmers under the AICRP on MAPs. Five progressive farmers—Pawan Kumar (Chamba), Om Prakash (Kangra), Rajesh Kumar Kanwar and Hardesh Batra (Sirmaur) and Kripal Singh (Shimla) were honoured for their outstanding contributions to medicinal plant cultivation and promotion.
Among others present were Dr HP Sankhyan, Dr DR Bhardwaj, Narendra Prakash Bhrot, Conservator of Forests, Solan; Shrestha Nand Sharma, Project Director, JICA Forestry Project; DFO Solan; along with farmers, scientists and forest officials.
