Keystone Foundation Archives

Items

• Carrying the ladder
  A video of honey hunters preparing and carrying their forest vine based ladder to the appropriate position to begin honey hunting
• Adjusting the ladder
  A video of Honey Hunters adjusting the ladder to bring into a better position with respect to the honey combs
• Hives on a cliff
  Photo of a few hives under a cliff
• The Land Development Initiative of Keystone Foundation – The Nilgiris
• Millet initiatives: Traditional Millet farming in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
  This is a research paper that delves into the techniques of millet agriculture in Melseemai or Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve area amongst the Irula community. Araganai is the traditional method of splitting millet plants in order to improve yields. The tools and implements needed for Ragi and Samai cultivation are described here including the associated botanical species needed to craft these.
• SANFEC Land Use Study, 2006 - Study of Economics of Ecological Agriculture: A Study of 4 types of land use with Adivasi communities in the Nilgiris, Western Ghats, India
  A detailed study and mapping of the traditional agricultural and agroecology of the Kurumba and Irula communities. Detailed surveys of mixed cropping patterns and systems, organic inputs used in such ecological agriculture, and its effect on soil health and biodiversity was undertaken for this analysis. The varieties of crops in an intercropping or mixed cropping system has been listed here including the uncultivated food plant varieties and the biodiversity it supports was catalogued during the research.
• Annual Report_2020-21
  This resource contains an overview of activities taken up during the course of FY 2020-21 at Keystone Foundation, inclusive of programmatic activities, finances and updates from the field centres
• Ripples in Water - Reflections from Keystone's Work on Water in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve : 1995 - 2019
  This book details Keystone's work on Hill Waters and associated water bodies such as springs, streams, wetlands, etc. Nilgiris itself is a very important catchment area and this book walks us through the major initiatives in Water, undertaken by Keystone, and the learnings and commuity responses from it.
• Choice of Grain
  This book has details of traditional agricultural practices of indigenous communities in the Nilgiris, especially Irula and Kurumba. The publication included details of traditionally grown food crops, their local names and associated recipes. It also contains excerpts on traditional practices that are practiced in the mid-elevation slopes of Nilgiris. This resource was created in English and Tamil, towards the aim of promoting Food Sovereignty amongst adivasis in the Nilgiris as well as as a reference for researchers of traditional agriculture and food.
• Tree Fall Gap
  This document has been created for the Keystone context where a ecological concept has been used to interpret institutional functioning and strategy. It has become a guiding document for periodic changes in structure, programmatic focus and institutional pathways. There are two versions of this document - one made in 2004 and one in 2014. At a conceptual level, a tree fall gap is a syndrome which takes place in old tropical rain forests. Due to decay, over time, old trees with large canopies fall and create a gap in the canopy. Through this gap, new and young species grow with the help of a sudden stream of sunlight and nutrients. During course of time, these new species get to the canopy and fill up. This is nature’s way of keeping a system stable.
• Impact Assessment Study : Keystone Foundation, Kotagiri Main Report (March 04, 2010) - Bharat Krishnan, Gouthami
  Keystone Foundation has completed 15 years working in the field of environment and development in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR). Keystone now has a team of 52 staff members of mixed backgrounds; it has 6 resource centers in the NBR, with the head office at Kotagiri. In the past 15 years, Keystone has commissioned three major evaluations of its work – John Kurien (1999); Janet & Bharat (2003); Patricia Shanley (2008); apart from conducting several organization building exercises and restructuring, the latest being in 2008. Having completed 15 years of work in the NBR, Keystone has now commissioned an Impact Assessment Exercise with the primary purpose of: “to assess the impact of Keystone on different stakeholders groups and the social, economic, cultural, natural etc. environment, with a view to contribute to Keystone’s future positioning and role.” A further secondary output of the study was to identify indicators for outcomes and impact that could be used by Keystone in future evaluations and studies. A third element was to assess the quantum of financial and human resources, infrastructure and practices required for differing degrees and scale of impacts – and this is something the consultants could not do justice to, given the fact that it was difficult to establish attribution to the planned outcomes of Keystone and hence correlation to resources was not possible.
• Evaluation of: Conservation, Enterprise and Livelihoods (2002-2007)- Patricia Shanley
  This report is an evaluation of the Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) Management project of the Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu, India. Located in the Western Ghats in Southern India, the project’s focus is the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR). Wth an area of 5,520 square km and 200,000 tribal (adivasi) peoples, the reserve hosts exceptional floral and faunal biodiversity. The report has been commissioned by the Foundation at the request of the Ford Foundation which has supported Keystone’s NTFP Project during the last six years. The full title of this report is - Evaluation of: Conservation, Enterprise and Livelihoods: Efforts through Sustainable Non-Timber Forest Product Management in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. A project implemented by the Keystone Foundation with support from the Ford Foundation 2002-2007 Date of report: March 17, 2008 Evaluated by: Patricia Shanley, PhD Center for International Forestry Research P.O. Box 0113 BOCBD Bogor 16000 Indonesia Phone: 62 251 622 622 P.Shanley@cgiar.org
• Report of the Evaluation of Keystone Foundation (1993 - 2003) - Janet Seeley and Bharat Krishnan
  This Resource full title is : Report of the Evaluation of Keystone Foundation (1993-2003) and Recommendations for a Road Map for the next 10 years By Janet Seeley and Bharat Krishnan 14th –24th December 2003 This evaluation of Keystone Foundation was organisational and strategic, providing an overall assessment of the work of the organisation and ideas for the future. It was not a technical evaluation of a single field or project.
• Buzzing in the Blue Mountains - An Assessment of the work of Keystone, Kotagiri - John Kurien
  This evaluation study and associated report was created by John Kurien (Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram) in June 1999 for Keystone Foundation's upcoming work in the landscape. The full title of the Report is - Buzzing in the Blue Mountains : The Strategies and Dilemmas of Voluntary Social Action Among Tribal Communities in the Nilgiris. As Assessment of the Work of Keystone, Kotagiri. John Kurien. June 1999
• Faceless, Fearless honey hunters_2009-08-10 The Local
  Honey hunting practices of Kurumba community in Nilgiris, the used traditional skills and techniques perfected by several generations.
• Conference on Bees, Biodiversity and Forest Livelihoods in Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve_ 2009 60 no 79 Protected Area Update
  The international conference is to elucidate the interdependencies between bees, biodiversity and the forest livelihoods in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• Voices from the Forest film review_2009 01 Nonwood News
  In this Film they showed, NTFP's are the critical source of income for the indigenous people and forest dwelling communities, through the assistance of the KF productivity has increased, the new technology for the processing implemented.
• Honey, it's up there_2005 February- March- Darpan Alliance Air Inflight magazine
  Honey hunting practices of Kurumba community in Nilgiris,
• Developing Markets for Tribal Organic Products Experiences from Nilgiris, India_2003 03 Non Wood News - Case Study
  The Kurumba and Irula communities are traditional hunter-gatherers. The issues concerning access to external markets and the need for product certification and authentication represent a constraint to the industry and an area in which beekeepers deserve support, The Criteria of EU. Standards and geographical limitations for honey.
• Beekeeping Apicultural Abstracts_1997
  Honey hunting in many tribal areas is a traditional activity. The process of honey hunting, materials used for hunting, earlier honey was sold to the intermediate person by less price.
• Green shop opens in Mysore_2009-09-10 The Local
  Green shop is the outlet of Keystone foundation. The shop is selling NTFP's from the indigenous communities, and the other community people art works.
• Follow Your Heart_2009-08-10 The Local
  In this Journal gives a story of the pushpinder khajuria becomes a volunteer at the Bee museum.
• Field Guide & Nature Interpretation Center press release_2009 08 no 80 Protected Area Update
  The Field guide is the pictorial guide includes plants of bandipur, MTR, by Keystone, all the information in this is collected from the Irula people in this region. Set up an nature interpretation centre in sathyamangalam Wildlife Santuary.
• Honey and Wax-A Sticky Challenge_2009 07 Nonwood News
  The Nilgiri is the most ecologically fragile area in the region. Honey gathering is the traditional activity with a long histiry in this region. Keystone increased its efforts to inform consumers about the honey and the people behind it. It helps to find the local market and the fair trading.
• Keystone makes finals of prestigious World Challenge 2008_2009 03 no 16 Voices from the Forest
  The world challenge is an global competition, KF is working to support the sustainable practice of the honey hunters and help them to sell their product for a fair price.