Increasing Knowledge and Traditional Use of Medicinal Plants by Local Communities in Tamil Nadu: Promoting Self-Reliance at the Grassroots Level Through a Community-Based Entrepreneurship Initiative

The presence of traditional medicine (TM) and medical practitioners in remote areas of the world is well documented by anthropological studies. However, social, cultural, and environmental factors influencing health and traditional health systems are usually analyzed separately, ignoring the interlinkages existing among them and the resulting synergies, as well as the impact these will have on multiple aspects of local communities. This article presents an innovative and integrated approach to the promotion of a traditional health knowledge system through a community-based entrepreneurship initiative, the Gram Mooligai Company Limited (GMCL), operating in Tamil Nadu (India). The field study took place in Tamil Nadu over a period of 4 months. The data were collected through individual and group interviews and were complemented by participant observations. The research highlights the existence of a strong relationship between commercial initiatives centered on ethnomedicine, enhancement of local livelihoods, gender empowerment, and conservation and enhancement of traditional knowledge through community capacity building. The article points out the importance of promoting and sustaining community initiatives such as GMCL with appropriate policies and affirms the necessity of reinforcing the links among culture, conservation, and socioeconomic development of local communities, particularly among the most vulnerable sectors of society.