Skill Building

1.Herbs for Primary Health Care

Rural biota provides a rich source of herbs many of which with little processing may be used to address the primary healthcare needs of the local community. This programme is meant for the community and provides them with a live example of a community based enterprise that has been evolved in Auroville.

Faculty: Parvathy, Dr. Vijalakshmi, Dr Bee, Dr. Loganathan

2.Dairy: Value Addition, Ethno-veterinary practices & Clean Dairy Practices

Dairy farming remains the largest enterprise activity that the State Rural Livelihood Mission has enabled in Tamilnadu. Several measures that are required for enhancing financial returns as well as provide better value to consumers are clubbed under this programme meant for the community members who are practicing dairy farmers.

Faculty:  Dhandapani, Pamayan, Tomas, Herbert, Krishnamurthy, Krishna Mckenzie, Lourdes Nadin Epinal, Jeff Goodchild

3.Sustainable Agriculture –  Introduction

An orientation programme to the principles and practices of Sustainable Agriculture.

Faculty:  Dhandapani, Pamayan, Tomas, Herbert, Krishnamurthy, Krishna Mckenzie, Lourdes Nadin Epinal, Jeff Goodchild

4.Sustainable Agriculture –Advanced

An advanced programme on Sustainable Agriculture that is custom designed for specific region and district needs to promote / practice sustainable agriculture.

Faculty:  Dhandapani, Pamayan, Dr. Lucas Dengal, Krishnamurthy, Jeff Goodchild

5.Sustainable  Agriculture – Advanced (Millets / Greens)

Based on the most frequent requests, two intense programmes have been designed for the promotion of cultivation of greens as a livelihood option and also millets as a dry land crop. These programmes are offered with some of the best practitioners of these crops in the state.

Faculty:  Dhandapani, Pamayan, Dr. Lucas Dengal, Krishnamurthy, Jeff Goodchild,

6.Enterprise opportunity in Nutrition supplement through Spirulina cultivation & marketing

The algae Spirulina is unique as a nutritive supplement as it can be easily cultured and grown successfully in small tanks. Its high nutritive value makes it one of the most valued nutrition input suitable for most ages and an easily manageable village level enterprise that can provide high returns.

Faculty:   Uma Ramanan, Parthasarathy, Lourdes Nadin Epinal

7.Waste Management

This programme is designed for the ‘thooimai kaavalargal’ or sanitation workers in the villages. This programmes provides them with hands on learning experience in segregation and resource recovery.

Faculty:   Suresh Bhandari

8.Afforestation

‘It starts with a seed’, says a notice board in front of one of the man-made forests in Auroville. From seed, to nursery to planting, landscaping, conserving, placing various cultural and people processes in place are all steps to create and sustain a forest and thereby create several sustainable livelihoods in the rural landscape. This programme is aimed at community groups desirous of creating their own forest spaces.

Faculty:  Joss Brooks,

9.Renewable Energy Solutions

Renewable energy solutions for rural / urban habitat – setting up and servicing the same is an emerging area of livelihood. This programme is aimed at rural youth.

Faculty:  Dhandapani,

10Health Food & Food Processing

Health food sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in India today. This programme provides best practices in hygiene processing, packaging and marketing of healthy foods for rural / urban community members.

11.Wellness Consultants

Herbal beauty care combined with health tips for rural women is the training provided to rural women through this programme. It is aimed that at the end of this programme, they will be able to set-up / service rural women community as a wellness consultant

Faculty:  Amala, Parvathy, Dr. Vijaylakshmi, Dr. Bee, Parthasarathy,