Visakhapatnam’s Eastern Ghats Biodiversity Centre showcases artistic skills of tribal women

Eastern Ghats Biodiversity Centre crafts biodegradable pots from cow and elephant dung, empowering tribal artisans sustainably.

It’s a sultry morning. Amidst the calls of resident birds echoing from the thick greenery at Eastern Ghats Biodiversity Centre (EGBC) at PM Palem, K Lakshmi sits under the shade of a tree and mixes and moulds a tub of sterilised cow dung with other organic materials such as natural fibres, paper pulp and coir. Beside her, Chandrakala quickly pours the mixture into pot-shaped moulds one after the other. These pots are then dried thoroughly under the sun for a couple of days before they are ready to be kept on the racks of Vana Sampada, a souvenir store at the centre.

The store is a part of the Forest Produce Processing Unit of EGBC, an initiative of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and brainchild of Visakhapatnam District Forest Officer Anant Shankar. It is a new and evolving hub of all things sustainable and has recently introduced a smart way to add value to cow and elephant dung by turning them into biodegradable and compostable pots.

Here, three women from the tribal community of Sambhuvanipalem, a village close to the EGBC and located within the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, are being trained to make these biodegrable pots and other handicrafts. Plastic plant pots or covers are often used – to bring plants home from nurseries – and then thrown away. While these pots are convenient and easily available, they contribute significantly to plastic pollution. The biodegradable pots from Vana Sampada are a sustainable alternative to plastic pots and also enrich the soil, promoting healthier plant growth. “The objective is to empower the tribal community of Sambhuvanipalem and train them to make sustainable products by involving different art techniques,” says Sri Chakra Pranav, coordinator of EGBC.

The idea of using animal dung, particularly from cows and elephants, leverages the nutrient-rich properties of these materials when they decompose.

Both cow dung and elephant dung are renewable resources found in the Sambhuvanipalem village; elephant dung comes from the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. They are rich in organic matter and essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are beneficial for plant growth. The fibrous nature of elephant dung provides excellent structure and aeration, making it an ideal material for pot-making.

The pots by the women have also opened new avenues for utilising organic waste in the tribal community of Shambhuvanipalem, turning a potential problem into a profitable solution. “Working with Nature’s waste has been a rewarding experience,” Lakshmi shares. “It’s amazing to see how something often discarded can be transformed into a product that supports life.” The women make the pots in three sizes. “We get the cow dung from our village and then get going with the process which takes about 10 days to complete,” says Nokalakshmi and adds: “This is the first time we ventured out to learn a new craft; it is exciting to see that things that are easily available at our village, like coconut shells, can be transformed into something so creative.”

While biodegradable plant pots is one of the products of the processing unit, the women are also making an array of products like papier mache masks, coconut shell candles, tie and dye fabric earrings, scrunchies and cloth bags with block prints. “We plan to rope in more women from the village and eventually start a cooperative society,” says Pranav.