Review Article: Strategy to Strengthen Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Growers in the Mountain Villages of Uttarakhand, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21276/pt.2026.v3.i1.7Keywords:
Cultivation, Medicinal Plants, , Strategy, Strengthening, UttarakhandAbstract
Sensitization and capacity building of mountain communities for cultivation-assisted conservation and sustainable utilization of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) is a useful approach. Recently, cultivation has proven its utility in the conservation and sustainable supply of the Rare, Endangered, and Threatened (RET) MAPs. Additionally, cultivation reduces the chances of adulteration in crude herbal drugs and helps in the sustainable production of desired MAPs. Cultivation of some Himalayan RET MAPs, such as Aconitum heterophyllum Wall., Allium stracheyi Baker, Aucklandia costus Falc., Bunium persicum (Boiss) B. Fedtsch., Carum carvi L., Hedychium spicatum Buch.-Ham. ex Sm., Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth., Picrorhiza tungnathii Pusalkar and Pleurospermum angelicoides (DC.) Benth. ex C. B. Clarke in some mountain villages of Uttarakhand has emerged as an important MAPs-based livelihood and biodiversity conservation activity. Facilitation from the government, including awareness, training, provision of planting materials, and simplification of marketing procedures, has helped growers to adopt RET as an optional cash crop. However, MAPs growers are facing a lack of assistance for soil and land development activities, irrigation facilities, nursery development in the vicinity of suitable cultivation sites, and protection from wild animals. Also, marketing of MAPs produce is available in small quantities, and in remote locations it is still difficult. Therefore, linking other promotional and employment generation schemes with the cultivation of MAPs may be helpful for strengthening the MAPs growers/cultivators. This is an attempt to summarize the possibility of linking promotional activities of research and development institutions with the development programs implemented by different line departments. In addition, how the marketing of herbal material available in small quantities and at different places and the retail marketing of MAPs could be made effective is discussed in this communication.
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