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Feeding and Indigenous Food Development |
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"In a high field, a villager takes up an antelope antler
and begins digging small wild plants on the surrounding hillsides.
He is digging up a small tuber called "droma."
He will store it through the winter for use at Losar, the Tibetan
New Year. Droma, botanically classified as Potentilla
anserina, can be eaten fresh or dried, raw or cooked.
Droma is considered an auspicious food, and is usually
cooked for holidays or special guests. We now know that droma
creates a complete protein with the staple grain of barley,
and that its regular use could effectively combat early child
malnutrition and mortality." |
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—Field intern, 2000 |
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Problem: Our research shows
that children are at the highest nutritional risk between the
ages of 6 months and 3 years. Therefore, we concentrate our
efforts at improving the nutrition, particularly the protein
and micronutrient intake of these children and their lactating
mothers. |
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What Terma has done to address the problem:
Terma is now working with local harvesters to increase the supply
of droma as a nutritional supplement for children and
mothers at risk, as well as creating local income generation
potential. |
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Since 1995 we have conducted interviews
about dietary preferences in Tibetan villages. Farmers, traditional
doctors, and herbalists participate in discussions about the
properties of droma as a plant, food, and medicine. |
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Next
steps: The Child Feeding and Indigenous
Food Development program is piloting a subsidized food program
by distributing processed, bulk droma to eligible households.
Additionally, we will work with local droma harvesters
to increase their commitment to droma as a stable commodity,
thus improving rural economies.
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