Moringa What ?
What ?
Moringa Oleifera is a tree, indigenous to the north western part of India and grows in most drought resistant parts of the world, where people need it the most. The Moringa tree is known by as many names as there are languages and used in a myriad of ways. All parts of the Moringa tree can be used.
Why ?
Moringa for me has been, what I like to call a re-discovery of sorts. I had grown up eating the pods (drumstick) of this tree in a local south Indian dish called sambhar. However though, it’s the reach of its tiny but mighty nutrient dense leaves and seeds that has been lost on us. My story with Moringa, is to reinvent how a humble drought resistant tree can pivot itself as the source of non-toxic, safe beauty while also providing basic nutrition.
How ?
We collaborate on the ground with small-medium holder farmers across the south of India and the foothills of Darjeeling, with whom we work to grow and harvest the produce of the Moringa Oleifera tree, in addition to crops that grow alongside the farms.
Our small-medium farmer holders usually own land from 2-10 acres and in most cases do not have the funds and know how to translate raw materials into end consumer goods. Our work at the post-harvest level empowers our farmer communities with techniques and machinery and most importantly, equity, as they start to own more of their supply chain. We also enable testing from soil to end product, ensuring quality.
Combining our farmer families generational knowledge and know how on growing techniques and harvest cycles with our post-harvest intervention is how we seek to continue to add value to the supply chains, all the while growing our small-holder farmer collective, one farmer family at a time. Our partnership with UNDP Singapore to apply our Moringa based supply chains to tackle agricultural challenges and food security in various countries is a testament to our work on the ground.
Alternatively, we believe the potential of the nutrient dense leaves of the Moringa Oleifera tree to effectively tackle malnutrition is unending and are working alongside researchers to study and eventually implement programs addressing food insecurity.
We continue to take steps towards ensuring access to knowledge of the benefits of Moringa Oleifera within the local small holder farmer community, which we believe is key to spreading the word and realizing the potential of this tree.
I look forward to your discovery, or if already familiar, then re-discovery of Moringa in its new avatar, firmly holding on to beauty traditions sowed in time.