Kaavya Varma spent most of her life working with and for nature. She specialises in working with governments to bring green policies at the heart of the economic growth debate. In Indonesia, Nigeria and India, Varma has worked to explain how many natural resources might form, in monetary terms, a small part of the gross domestic product or GDP of a country but for the poor these things make up the maximum amount of their earnings — a concept known as GDP of the Poor. She is now the founder of Jungle Organics which specialises in selling sustainable products —turmeric powder and coriander powder from the Jim Corbett tiger reserve, anyone? — from wildlife sanctuaries.
- What triggered the idea for Jungle Organics?
Jungle Organics is offering wildlife friendly spices and herbs that contribute to saving tigers, leopards and all threatened species in India. We work with the smallest farmers that choose to live next to forests and who allow free movement of wildlife on their lands. Their farming practices cause minimal disturbance to the ecosystem, they are committed to having no walls around their lands and they allow access to freshwater for wildlife. Due to their proximity to jungles, the farms act as critical habitats for wildlife that frequently ventures outside of National Parks and it is thus, important to support these farmers so that they continue to have a harmonious relationship with wild animals. Bringing crops from these farms like spices and herbs ensures that the farmers get better livelihoods and remain committed to no hunting or poaching in their communities. Moreover, I have found that due to the crystal clear rivers and nutrient rich soils nourishing the farms, their products are highly potent and contain great medicinal properties. There is a clear linkage between what the farms are doing and what cities are asking for, which is about being healthy, eating organic and giving back to nature.
The presence of big cats is an indication that the ecosystem is healthy. The fact that tigers and leopards are roaming on these farms means that there is a balance being maintained with nature and this is reflected in the superior quality of spices and herbs the farms are cultivating. I would like to create more awareness about this linkage and for there to be a realisation that saving wildlife is actually contributing to our own health. And that by saving wildlife we are in fact ensuring that we continue to have good quality food available to us in the long-term.
Jungle Organics emerged from the recognition that wildlife is not faring well in India. Illegal trade in wildlife parts continues to drive poaching of tigers, leopards and really all wild animals throughout India. Wilderness landscapes and the people that live in them are perceived as being so remote that we are completely disconnected from them and only come into contact with them we go on safari’s once in a while. Being in cities we don’t realise that we can have a significant impact on the status of our remaining tigers and leopards even when we are not in the jungles. There is a need to make conservation easier to participate in because only then can it become more mainstream and therefore, involve more people and lead to better impacts on the ground. It’s really about providing an opportunity for anyone that wants to save tigers, leopards and other endangered species to do it without having to dramatically change their lifestyles.
2. What kind of products are you looking to sell?
Our initial selection of products includes turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder. These spices are grown in Jim Corbett’s ecosystem by mostly women farmers and are completely organic. They are actually more than organic.
We are also planning to offer herbs like oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary along with rose water, apricot oil and a few more essential oils. Some of these herbs are grown in remote areas at very high altitudes where we have the Himalayan black bear, for instance, and we would like to support its conservation by bringing products from the habitat it’s present in as well.
3. How large is this niche market?
The organic market is steadily growing in India. There is a clear understanding now about the importance of eating organic for health. However, what we don’t realise is that organic doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good for the environment. I am seeing that the farms we are working with are increasingly under pressure to intensify their cultivation to produce large quantities of organic amaranth, cereals, rice, etc, to meet the demand coming from private companies to purchase these products. This is leading to more man-animal conflicts on the farms, as spotted deer, wild boars, monkeys, sambhars and all herbivores get attracted to grains. Consequently, farmers start resorting to either fencing their farms which divides the habitats or revenge killing, which begins with herbivores and then lends support to poaching of big cats. This is why Jungle Organics’ focus is on spices and herbs, which are aromatic crops that wild animals tend to avoid. Farmers can get secure incomes from the sale of these crops and it can encourage other farmers to convert to wildlife friendly farming practices.
I have seen growing interest in saving wildlife and there being more consciousness about the impacts of what we buy. I think there is certainly more awareness required about the presence of big cats and the meaning this has for our food, but it is certainly something that is intriguing people and finding support in certain well known restaurants and brands as well in cities like Bombay and Delhi.
4. Where else in the world are such products sold?
There are a number of places around the world where wildlife friendly farming is taking place to protect a specific animal. One of the most recognised is a chocolate brand in America called Endangered Species Chocolate. There is rice cultivation in Cambodia, which is saving the ibis bird. In India, we have coffee that is looking at impacts on biodiversity as a whole and there is interest in making tea plantations elephant friendly.
5. From where are you sourcing your products?
Our first selection of farmers is from the Jim Corbett National Park ecosystem. These farms are located on the peripheries of the park and act as corridors for tiger movement, as tigers walk through the farms in the summer to go into the mountains and then walk back during winters. It is thus important that the farms remain without fences of any kind and the farmers have incentives to protect tigers that they see. Leopards are frequent visitors on the farms as well and I especially want to bring attention to their status, as they are being poached in really large numbers across in the country and are being termed as ‘conflict animals’. Leopards are unique in their ability to adjust to human presence, which brings them into regular contact with villages around forests and it is extremely important for the survival of leopards that these local communities have a positive attitude and tolerance towards them.
Jungle Organics is highlighting animals like the Himalayan serow as well, which very few people in cities are aware of and these animals are steadily disappearing. There are thousands of other small farmers that are living with wildlife all over the country and there is great interest from many more farmers to participate in this venture, so I would definitely like to bring the unique and special products they are cultivating to markets in India and internationally.
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