The Committee for People's Rights (Podujana Himikam Kamituwa), a local NGO based in Kalutara District, southwestern Sri Lanka, has pioneered the reintroduction of rush and reed species to household paddy fields for processing into value-added handicraft products.

The Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversification Program aims to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, to protect indigenous and traditional knowledge associated with traditional handicrafts, to conserve biodiversity and wetland ecosystems through a participatory approach, and to provide opportunities to the local population for alternative income-generating avenues. Since 1999, the initiative has provided training for more than 2,500 households in 11 districts in Sri Lanka; those involved in the program have seen average monthly household incomes double thanks to improved production techniques and marketing support.

 

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2004

Founded: 1999

Location: Horana, Kalutara District

Beneficiaries: 800 people work directly with the program

Biodiversity: Rush and reed plants, wetlands

 

Case Study

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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