grantees » K.R.Jeyaram Rengasamy

K.R. Jeyaram Rengasamy is a nursery manager and organic shop owner from Tamil Nadu, India. Jerayam has worked for many years at Palni Hills Conservation Council, which was established in 1985 to focus on the conservation of the mountain ecosystem. At Palni Hills Conservation Council, Jeyaram is responsible for seed collection, training of nursery workers, and interacting with local farmers to encourage planting of indigenous species.

Since receipt of the grant, Jeyaram has participated in English and Hindi classes, and feels his communication abilities in both languages are much improved. Jeyaram has also worked toward expanding his knowledge of computer use. The techniques he has learned in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint have had very positive effects on his conservation efforts. Jeyaram has also successfully established a timber-tree nursery at Genguvarpatti, a small village near Palni hills, using the technical knowledge and leadership skills he gained with the JWH grant.  Jeyaram also visited many forest nurseries, NGOs and forest research institutes in other regions of India. One of these was the Forest College and Research Institute, which is among the leading institutions in his country. The result of these visits was a huge leap in knowledge for Jeyaram for example in his nursery techniques, cultivation practices, and selection skills for seed collection.  

Jeyaram hopes in the future to expand his network of like-minded conservationists and farmers within his country and enable an exchange of nursery and planting techniques. His improved environmental leadership abilities will surely help him accomplish this goal.