Lemon grass grows wild and plentiful in the hills of Valaramkunnu, one of the tribal villages adopted by the Amrita SeRVe 101 village project in Kerala. The Live-In-Labs project under the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, in which students are sent to the field to identify opportunities and design solutions, took the initiative to work with the tribals .

A solar and electricity powered lemon grass unit was designed and installed for the distillation of essential oil. The AmritaSREE SHG, a group of shy forest dwellers, were patiently trained to work the unit. Now they earn a steady income from the wild grass at their doorsteps.