Kumaon Charitable Trust is currently involved in several pilot projects focusing on sustainability education in Dholkatiya and the nearby town of Berinag.
Herbal Garden and Nursey
An herbal garden and nursery will be set up with the assistance of Shri Dinesh Pant who is an amateur herbalist residing in the town of Berinag, a short distance away from the Dholkatiya Biodiversity Farm. KCT is coordinating this activity.
Formation of Self Help Group
Dholkatiya Biodiversity Farm will be the location for a self help group that will collect hill produce such as grains (Rajma, Madua, Gahat), spices (cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, fenugreek) from the farm and nearby areas. These products will be cleaned, sorted, graded, labelled and packed for sale. This self help group will also process seasonal fruits into jams, pickles & murabba. KCT will buy these hill products at a fair price and sell it through their KUHICO retail outlets. The management of these outlets will be given to war widows and differently abled persons.
Research Library
Kumaon Charitable Trust is setting up a library at the Dholkatiya Biodiversity Farm. The library will hold journals, magazines, and books on various subjects related to biodiversity in the Himalayan zone. In addition to these there will be books on history, culture, cuisine, folklore and crafts of Kumaon. The library will be developed in a phased manner. The first consignment of 11 books on biodiversity and 8 detailed maps of Kumaon came as a gift from Ashok Consul to KCT co-founder Ranabir Mazumdar. Ashok Consul is the proprietor of Gyanodaya Prakashan, a Kumaon based organisation which has published many books on biodiversity.