Independent capability
Built the capacity of women's SHGs to undertake nursery and plantation activities independently — skills that stay in the village.
Nursery and raising plantation training programme
A Coodu Trust skill-development initiative that trained women's Self-Help Groups in nursery management and plantation techniques across Dindigul, Trichy and Karur districts of Tamil Nadu.
3
Districts covered
5
Nurseries established
26,93,250
Trees planted statewide (Trust cumulative)
35,000+
Hectares covered (Trust cumulative)
The project
What this training set out to do
Project mission
Empowering rural women through skill development in nursery management and plantation techniques while creating sustainable income-generating opportunities for environmental conservation.
The Nursery and Raising Plantation Training Programme was implemented by Coodu Trust in 2003–2004 as part of its skill development and livelihood initiatives. Described as a foundation project, it targeted women's Self-Help Groups — SHG members, rural women farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs — across 3 districts: Dindigul, Trichy and Karur.
Delivered as part of a broader entrepreneurship training strategy, the programme equipped groups with practical skills to establish community-based nurseries and contribute to local afforestation and watershed development efforts. Per Coodu Trust records, 5 nurseries were established, including a state-of-the-art Hi-tech Nursery in Karur district.
The training's legacy extends well beyond its two-year run: it contributed to Coodu Trust's cumulative plantation success of 26,93,250 trees planted across 14 districts, covering 35,000+ hectares in Tamil Nadu.
- Women's economic empowerment
- Environmental conservation
- Sustainable livelihood creation
- Community nurseries
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Willing hands without the technical skills
Rural women's Self-Help Groups were ready to work — but without training in nursery raising, they could not turn green work into a viable income-generating enterprise.
Our response
Hands-on skills, framed as enterprise
Training in nursery management and plantation techniques for SHG members, rural women farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs across Dindigul, Trichy and Karur — delivered within a broader entrepreneurship strategy, with community nurseries identified as a key income-generating activity.
The challenge
Afforestation without a sapling supply
Plantation and watershed drives stall without a steady local supply of healthy saplings — communities lacked nurseries of their own to feed the work.
Our response
Five nurseries, one of them Hi-tech
5 nurseries established, including a state-of-the-art Hi-tech Nursery in Karur district — centers that went on to support Coodu Trust's plantation of 26,93,250 trees across 14 districts of Tamil Nadu.
At a glance
The essentials
- Scheme
- Trust initiativeImplemented by Coodu Trust under its skill development & livelihood initiatives
- Period
- 2003–2004Foundation project, successfully completed
- Coverage
- 3 districtsDindigul, Trichy & Karur, Tamil Nadu
- Beneficiaries
- Women's SHGsSHG members, rural women farmers & aspiring entrepreneurs
- Scale
- 5 nurseriesIncluding a state-of-the-art Hi-tech Nursery in Karur district (Coodu Trust Records)
- Part of
- Entrepreneurship training strategyContributed to the Trust's cumulative 26,93,250 trees across 14 districts & 35,000+ hectares
Outcomes
What the project changed
Enterprise development
The training served as a foundation for viable economic enterprises — community nurseries emerged as a key income-generating activity for women's groups.
Long-term impact
The 5 nurseries, including the Hi-tech nursery in Karur, became centers of excellence — contributing to the Trust's cumulative 26,93,250 trees planted across 14 districts covering 35,000+ hectares.
Get involved
Support green livelihoods for rural women
Help us train more women's groups in nursery raising and plantation skills — work that grows incomes and forests together across Tamil Nadu.