Communities are glad to know that they have legal rights in law but it seems to them that this operates in a far away world which they do not understand or have access to. Explaining and convincing them of their rights will need sustained long term work. It will be important to demonstrate how these rights can work for them locally, with real life examples. At the moment the nexus of the ‘power elite’ is intimidating and communities are diffident that they can exercise their rights against this elite who in fact are the encroachers of their rights.

However difficult the task, generating awareness about their legal rights and thus empowering the community is crucial in the changing globalized world where the resources of the community and their knowledge are being increasingly privatized, a process that threatens to alienate them from their resources and marginalize them still further.

Another challenge we encountered was a cultural clash. Indigenous communities live and work in a culture of sharing and mutual support. Exercising ‘rights’ over bioresources to exclude others from its use is culturally alien to these people, even if the ‘others’ are outsiders. Our work attempted to show the larger picture of biopiracy and how they stand to lose both in terms of the environment (overexploitation) as also lose economically because they themselves overexploit the bioresources that could bring sustained incomes. This matter needs to be dealt sensitively since it would be unwise and undesirable to promote change in the culture of sharing bioresources. We are working with the help of village elders and others who are respected by the community.

The irony is that rights empowerment, one of the most important tools for promoting confidence, independence and self reliance among marginal communities, is one of the most difficult to achieve in areas like this where the need is greatest. This is an area of work that needs to continue steadily over a longer period of time.

The irony is that rights empowerment, one of the most important tools for promoting confidence, independence and self reliance among marginal communities, is one of the most difficult to achieve in areas like this where the need is greatest. This is an area of work that needs to continue steadily over a longer period of time.

III. Training and Capacity Building

Apart from the community based awareness work, GC has also started training a cadre of trainers from among the local youth .They are given a more intensive theoretical grounding and are encouraged to conduct programs without overt support from GC staff. With some practice and exposure, local trainers can become effective agents of multiplying and disseminating the awareness and rights empowerment work as well as the work on agro biodiversity conservation.  Continue....