Success Story 

Eat Healthy Stay Healthy with Spirulina

            KVK Babhaleshwar is always trying for giving innovative technologies to the rural community based on their problems and needs, in order to improve economical, social status as well as generate employment in rural area.

KVK introduced spirulina production and processing technology for improve the rural health through nutrition diets, minimized malnourishment and generate employment in rural area Spirulina is a blue green algae, having amazing properties. Spirulina has a highest nutritional as well as medicinal value. Our effort is to transfer this technology in rural community so that these populations can easily start the production of spirulina for self employment generation as well as consume spirulina to  improve the health status.

For transfer of this technology, KVK designed  two days skill imparting training programme on spirulina production, processing and uses. Since 2003-04 KVK has conducted six short duration training programmes. Total 172 trainees have been participated in training programmes. Generally in all training programmes trainees participated is from the related field or subject, but in this training programmes participants are of different fields. They area physician, engineer, lawyers, businessmen, govt. officers, scientist from agriculture university, KVK scientist, housewife, social workers, rural youths, chartered accountant, farmers etc. also trainees from both urban and rural area.

No. of Trainees Attained Training Programme    (Total -172 trainees from different 29 districts)

A-Western Maharashtra (9 districts) - 105  B.  Marathwada (5 districts) - 06  C.   Vidarbha (6 districts) - 17   

 D. Konkan  (5 districts) - 39    E. Other state (A.P., Gujrat, Rajasthan, Karnataka) -  05

  Total 56 trainees started small scale family based spirulina unit for home consumption and five trainees started commercial spirulina production units in different districts including Ayurvedic college. These trainees help in creating awareness among the community about spirulina uses. At the same time different mass media like newspaper articles, radio talk, TV programmes, booklet help in creating awareness about spirulina in use in daily diet as food supplement and therapeutic uses. Total 300 beneficiaries purchase spirulina from KVK for different diseases, nutritional deficiencies and health improvement. The beneficiaries are from different part of Maharashtra as well as from different states.

No. of Beneficiaries Consumed Spirulina    (Total 300 beneficiaries from different 32 districts)

A. Western Maharashtra (9 districts) – 212B. Marathwada (6 districts) – 18C. Vidarbha (7 districts) – 18

D. Konkan – 43 (4 districts)E. other state ( 6 districts) -  09

Frequency of spirulina purchased by beneficiaries varies from 1-9 times; frequency of purchasing of spirulina at one time is highest.  It is mainly due to most of the beneficiaries purchasing spirulina are from different districts of Maharashtra and other state. spirulina supplied to these beneficiaries through post office service. So to avoid postal expenditure they demanded higher quantity of spirulina at one time instead of frequently purchasing and spirulina self life is about one year so they can use up to one year.

                            Frequency of Purchasing Spirulina    (Total beneficiaries- 300 nos.)

A. One time- 203 no.            B. Two time – 37 no.            C. Three time- 26 no D. Four time- 14 no. 

E. Five time- 11 no.              F. Above five time- 09 no

Spirulina consumed beneficiaries mainly for diabetes, weight loss, acidity, health problems of children, improve stamina of sportsman, digestion problems of older peoples, chronic dieses, weakness, low hemoglobin percentage in blood of women, skin diseases, eye disorder, enrichment of food value.  KVK has one tank of 25 sq.mt. size and the production of spirulina from this unit cannot meet the demand of consumers. This consumers figure is less mainly due to always shortage of spirulina with KVK and many time supply could not be done two to three month after booking of spirulina order

                                            Spirulina Used for Different Purpose (No. of beneficiaries)

A. Diabetes               B. Eye disorder        C. Children healthy growth     D. Weight loss           E. Acidity       

F. Hemoglobin level in blood of women    G. Chronic diseases H. Skin diseases     I. Weakness  J. General 

Therapeutic and chemo preventive applications of spirulina show very positive results among the beneficiaries. Many beneficiaries have get positive results like maintain sugar level, relief from chronic dieses, improve stamina of wrestlers, minimized acidity and headache, healthy improvement in children. KVK has done the impact analysis study by taken the feedback from the spirulina beneficiaries. Therapeutic and chemo preventive applications of spirulina show very positive results among the beneficiaries. Many beneficiaries have get positive results like maintain sugar level, relief from chronic dieses, improve stamina of wrestlers, minimized acidity and headache, healthy improvement in children, wound healing. It is also observed that some diabetes patients stops their physician treatments and medicine consumption and only take regularly spirulina they don’t observe weakness or other health problems. In order to make this activity more commercial KVK also developed different products of spirulina like Vaseline, face pack