Indigenous Plants Nursery
The Kotagiri Indigenous Plants Nursery was established in November 2024 in Bikkapathi Mund, a Toda village near Ooty, as a satellite nursery to the existing facility maintained by Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri. Developed as part of a broader effort to restore degraded forest ecosystems in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), the nursery aims to cultivate and supply native species for ecological restoration initiatives. The nursery’s initial focus is to provide native saplings for a reforestation project in the community forest of Bikkapathi Mund, following the removal of the invasive cestrum species.
Background and Origins
The Nilgiris’ native montane ecosystems, particularly the shola forests, play a critical role in biodiversity conservation and water retention at higher altitudes of the Western Ghats. Fragmentation of these landscapes and the spread of invasive species have necessitated locally embedded, community-led responses. The nursery initiative addresses this need while creating pathways for livelihood generation and ecological knowledge revival within the Toda community.
Community Participation and Management
The nursery is managed by four women from Bikkapathi Mund: T. PuthuSin, AnjuLakshmi, Bhuvana Rani, and Devindi, each representing a family in the ten-household village. All four women were trained in nursery management, landscaping, and species propagation as part of the project’s capacity-building phase. Through their involvement, traditional ecological knowledge—particularly that related to forest species—is being actively revitalised.
While the nursery is not yet operated full-time due to seasonal wage labour commitments in agriculture and construction, it serves as a consistent income-generating activity. The participating women are paid a daily wage of ₹600, which is higher than prevailing local rates for daily wage work and aligned with gender parity in compensation.
Nursery Operations and Progress
Occupying less than one acre of land, the nursery propagated 900 saplings of 16 native species within its first six months of operation. This includes five species of native grasses and eleven species of endemic trees, selected for their ecological value in Shola restoration. Saplings and stalks were procured from local sources, supporting related conservation initiatives in the region.
A polyhouse has been established to improve propagation and seedling health. The nursery’s development includes infrastructure such as a water motor, storage racks (awaiting delivery), and a designated mother bed area, all facilitated by support from the Enterprise Hub and the Chapple Foundation. Although not yet profitable, the nursery has laid foundational systems for scale-up, and currently draws operational funding from the Chapple grant.
Challenges and Constraints
The nursery operates in a remote location with limited road access, which has delayed the delivery of materials and equipment, including the plant racks. Unseasonal and heavy rainfall in the early part of 2025 has further affected construction and delayed the flowering cycles of many species, which in turn slowed seed collection and planting activities.
Social and cultural practices present additional challenges. In Toda custom, certain forest zones are considered sacred and may only be accessed by men. As a result, the women managing the nursery rely on male members of their community for seed collection. While this restricts full control over sourcing, it has nevertheless facilitated collaboration within the village and opened new spaces for ecological learning and decision-making among women. The women also face economic pressure to engage in agricultural wage labour during peak seasons. Since the nursery currently offers only part-time engagement, nursery activities are scheduled around their existing commitments, resulting in irregular work cycles.
Impact Overview
Market access is another key challenge. While Bee Corner has established a presence in the local economy, its reach is still largely limited to nearby customers and foot traffic. The enterprise lacks a digital sales platform and has yet to establish formal partnerships with larger retail outlets or institutional buyers, which could provide more stable and long-term revenue streams.These challenges are being addressed incrementally within the existing support ecosystem.
Support from the Enterprise Hub
Through support from the Enterprise Hub and the Chapple Foundation, the nursery has benefited from infrastructure development, training programs, and ongoing technical guidance. This includes:
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Construction of nursery beds and a polyhouse
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Provision of water supply infrastructure (motor pump)
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Training in nursery design, management, and record-keeping
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Introduction to ecological landscaping and species selection
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Knowledge integration on plant geography, benefits, and cultivation techniques
These investments have laid the groundwork for the nursery to become a model for gender-inclusive green enterprises in ecologically sensitive zones.
Next Steps
By 2026, the nursery aims to scale its propagation capacity to 10,000 saplings per year, enabling supply to private landowners, estate managers, and local government-led reforestation efforts. Expansion is contingent on overcoming present access barriers and improving seasonal regularity in operations.
Work is underway to formalise a seasonal calendar, explore collaborations with other nurseries and restoration sites, and stabilise a part-time to full-time work structure. As the project grows, it is expected to play a more prominent role in the local restoration economy, while continuing to serve as a livelihood and knowledge platform for women from forest-dependent communities.