Adivasi Women Train Youth on Forest Foods in India

A workshop on wild foods with women, including young girls and children, was conducted in the Kudhraiyak Centre of the Palni Hills Conservation Council last March 30, 2023. The goal was to ascertain the status of wild food knowledge among the youth and the younger generation from the Palliyak adivasi group hailing from the settlements of the Kudhraiyar Dam, Kathalam Parai, and Pondhu Kuzhi.

The participants to the workshop had varying degrees of access to the forest and thus their consumption of wild foods on a daily basis also differed.

The workshop provided a space for multi-generation interaction. It was apparent during the discussions that the younger generation knew very little about identifying yams and greens that could be eaten. Demonstrations of food ways and techniques were done which made for a rich discussion and exchange. Outputs of the workshop also included knowledge exchange and listing of wild foods knowledge about fish, tubers, fruits, greens and other plants that were utilized and consumed.

The workshop ended with a meal prepared with ingredients that were caught fresh from the wild - fish were cooked together with yams and greens that were collected from the forest and streams. A plan was made to meet again at another time and bring in more youngsters who could participate in a similar workshop.

One can learn more about the workshop through the attached photos and documentation that come with this report.

• Read the report on the wild foods workshop (PDF)