Sustainable Cultivation of Senna in India

In 2009 Martin Bauer and Traditional Medicinals began an agricultural/social business collaboration in the senna farming area of the Thar Desert called Revive! In just 18 months the living conditions of these senna farming families have improved dramatically

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Sustainable Cultivation of Senna in India

Drinking water in the Thar Desert is scarce, and the closest water sources are several kilometers away. In order to transport water to the villages, women and young girls often spend eight hours a day carrying heavy water containers atop their heads. As a result, girls are not able to attend school and female illiteracy is very high. Many young boys in this north Indian desert region also do not learn to read or write because the schools are usually quite a distance away from the village.

Drought and Crop Failure

The annual precipitation level in the Thar Desert is only about 100 to 200 millimeters. By comparison, in Germany the annual rainfall ranges from 500 to 1,000 millimeters. Additionally, in this dry region, the rainfall occurs in a very short period each year during the southwest monsoons from July to September. Consequently the people suffer through long dry spells with crop failures, hunger and health problems.

Senna – a Pathway out of Poverty

One of the few plants that thrive in the inhospitable conditions of the Thar Desert is the senna shrub. Originally cultivated only in Southern India, senna has been farmed here for about 15 years, providing the desert people a means of livelihood.
The reason that this region is also an interesting cultivation area for Martin Bauer, explained Mattias Kohrt (of Martin Bauer’s botanical raw material purchasing department) is that: “In the Thar Desert we can virtually eliminate the risk of air pollution and cross-contamination. Thus, we can achieve high quality senna cultivation with organic certification.” Oliver Hack, Sales Director for Martin Bauer, added: “We are achieving this high quality because we are building reliable long-term relationships with the local farmers. It is important for us that these senna farming communities are economically and socially stable and we are pleased to provide our assistance.”
The 5-year Revive! program is focused on eight senna farming villages and the management of the project is provided by the regional, independent aid organization GRAVIS, together with village development committees organized in each community.

Many Project Aims are on Track

Since the start of the project in May of 2009, quite a-lot has already been accomplished. The immediate priority was water security and thirty “taankas” (water reservoirs sufficient to supply a seven-member household with water for up to six months) have been constructed for the senna farmers and twenty more are under construction. Another key priority is food security, and thirteen “khadis” (water storage ponds that support 100 hectares of basic food staples farming) have been constructed with another seven under construction. Additionally, the Revive! project team, together with the farming families, have planted fifty desert horticultural units (gardens and orchards for fruits and vegetables that can thrive in dry climates). Improved access to medical care is also critical for these very rural farming families, and eighteen mobile camps have provided medical services and health/hygiene training to 12,000 villagers.
“With help from Gravis we have achieved meaningful positive outcomes in a short amount of time”, summarized Oliver Hack. “The next steps are already planned including construction of primary schools and community centers in each village. ”

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