OBJECTIVES OF THE LABORATORY

The major objective of the lab is to become a state-of-the-art resource centre in the validation and value addition of traditional knowledge and practices pertaining to bio-diversity, bio-pesticides, herbal healing formulations etc. The Lab has been certified by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) as a premier and credible research instituion.The specific objectives include:

1.On-farm and On-station Trials of Farmers’ Innovation

It is often assumed that farmers’ innovations diffuse automatically through word of mouth or through farmers’ networks. This may not always be true, as we learnt through a study on pest management. The study showed that at least half the number of innovators do not share their innovations with others, because no one approached them for the same. Therefore, intervention of external agencies may be needed to diffuse such innovations through formal and informal channels. Formal extension agencies are reluctant to promote farmers’ innovations unless scientific validation under wide range of agro-ecological contexts is carried out. Formal research institutions have not shown much interest farmers’ innovations and therefore the same have not been validated for this reason. The on-farm and on-station trial would enable the innovative farmers and traditional knowledge holders get their knowledge claim validated. This is a classic example of blending of informal and formal science.  

Besides the function of validation, the on-farm and on-station trials are also part of the functioning of the lab, while testing the efficacy of a newly developed product. Such trials enable a product to be screened thoroughly through multiple dimensions under multiple conditions and hence establish their credentials better.

2.Herbal pesticides and Growth Promoters

The increasing realization of hazards due to chemical pesticides intensified the search of compounds with lower toxicity. Farmers have relatively easy access to local plants. This makes botanical approach a considerably economical and practical one. The demand for herbal pesticides is growing in proportion to the growth in demand for organically produced food. Except for Neem based products, the supply of herbal pesticides in the market is almost negligible. The lab aims at preparing various herbal pesticides and growth promoters using the formulations proposed and used by the farmers and traditional knowledge holders.

3.Organic Certification : Towards Sustainable Organic Crop Production

The transition towards organic agriculture in high growth regions has not yet begun on any significant scale. This is primarily due to lack of (a) awareness (b) Non-chemical but efficient alternative for soil nutrition, disease, pest and weed, and (c) stable demand and market channels for organic products in the country and outside. Exceptions are there in some plantation crops like tea and that too on a small scale. The situation is further compounded by the absence of a credible system of certification. The laboratory would aim at evolving standards and parameters for organic farming and certifications by undertaking through research on soil microbial diversity and other agro-ecological factors. In addition to this, the findings of the research being pursued in various parts of the world on hazardous effects of the chemicals on soil-plant-human health will be communicated to people to increase the demand of green products.

4.Assessment of Pesticidal Residues and Microbial Diversity in Gujarat

Intensive use of chemical over extended period of time leads to non-sustainable development in two ways : one, it triggers the pesticide treadmill effect which leads to the decline of farm productivity in the long term, and two, it creates new health hazards for both the human and the natural environment. The lab aims at mapping the microbial diversity of soils of agricultural as well as uncultivated fields in the state Gujarat. This would enable us to advocate more dedicatedly for organic farming and bio-pesticides.

5.Indigenous Medicines

The laboratory aims to develop formulations for the treatment of veterinary and human diseases using SRISTI’s large database on indigenous and herbal medicines and active ingredient determination quantitatively by means of most modern techniques.