Koraput’s ancient answer to food security

A decade ago, Chandra Pradhani, a Paraja tribal of Nuaguda village in Kundra block of Odisha's Koraput district, used to migrate to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to work at a brick kiln. The 42-year-old no longer does this. Today, he is feted by the nation — he was one of the two tribal farmers honoured by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the 99th Science Congress in Bhubaneswar.

Pradhani is a natural farmer in every way. As he says, “Earlier we used a lot of chemical fertilisers, now we utilise the cow dung and vermin compost of our ancestors. To protect crops from getting infected, we prepare insecticides using neem leaves and other medicinal plants found in the forest. In this way, for the last few years, our annual yield has risen almost three-fold and profits have increased several times over.” With an annual income exceeding Rs 50,000, Pradhani can now send his children to school and meet the basic needs of his family.

Sridhara Jani of Lima village has a similar story to relate. Helplessly dependent on a fickle monsoon to cultivate his small, four-acre plot — with paddy grown on one acre — life was a constant struggle. Yields were minimal — the 1-1.5 quintal foodgrain harvested couldn't feed his six-member family through the year. The situation is different now.

A heritage bio-reserve

The hard work and traditional agricultural techniques of tribal farmers such as Pradhani and Jani have helped put Koraput on the world agriculture map. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations recently accorded the district the status of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).

Koraput — a highland plateau in the Eastern Ghats — ironically tops the list of poverty-prone and food-insecure districts in Odisha despite its extremely rich biodiversity. According to studies by the Botanical Survey of India and the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Koraput is a veritable arbour — with 2,500 species of flowering plants, angiosperms, gymnosperms and ferns. Its agro-biodiversity includes 340 landraces (ancient or primitive cultivated varieties of a crop) of paddy, eight species of minor millets, nine species of pulses, five species of oilseeds, three species of fibrous plants and seven species of vegetables.

For Dr M.S. Swaminathan, considered the father of India's green revolution, this ancient reservoir of biodiversity is testament to the wisdom of local farmers. “These farmers are the pride of our nation. Their farming practices are more than 3,000 years old and they have been able to conserve genes, seeds, grains and water, and fight against hunger and food insecurity by using traditional practices,” he says.

Tribal farming families have, over several generations, successfully domesticated and conserved rice genetic resources. This tract is famous for the genetic diversity of Asian cultivated rice and is also considered the centre of origin for the aus ecotype of rice ( Oryza sativa ). What's more, the landraces of traditional varieties are believed to harbour genes that protect against ecological stress such as lack of water or too much of it — which could help scientists develop improved varieties of rice that are resistant to natural disasters.

Race to secure landraces

The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has helped local farmers re-discover their ancient farming techniques. Struck by Koraput's paradox — a bio-rich resource base with food-hungry people — the MSSRF decided to act on the situation through its coordinating centre in the district's Jeypore block in 1998. Recalls Swaminathan, “The erosion of the genetic base of rice was what worried us. During the Jeypore Botanical Survey, conducted in 1950, the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, enumerated 1,750 landraces of rice. Forty years later, in 1990, we could trace only 324 landraces of rice. A decade later, in 2000, we got only 102 landraces!”

The major problem was the low yield of the rice landraces that farmers preferred for consumption. This was compounded by the non-availability of quality seeds and absence of institutional and financial support. With poor-yielding rice resulting in insufficient income, farmers ended up in debt and at the mercy of moneylenders. The scientists realised it was important to focus on retrieving landraces with better yields.

A few villages around Jeypore were selected for demonstrating the improved methods of rice cultivation. Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) and, to start with, Participatory Varietal Purification were the methods chosen to optimise productivity. Local farmers were involved in implementing all activities under the project. Dr K.U.K. Nampoothiri, agricultural scientist and Regional Director, MSSRF, Jeypore, says, “We designed a system to provide opportunities for developing efficient people-centric, pro-nature, pro-poor and women-oriented programmes in the region to usher in rural prosperity.”

back to the old ways

Participating with scientists as equal partners was a new experience for local farmers, with all decisions taken after mutual consultation. Special efforts were made to clear doubts and address concerns. This was followed by training and demonstration exercises at the village level. Farmers, together with the scientists, laid out two sets of demonstration plots. In one they used contemporary scientific methods of cultivation; in the other they raised crops using traditional, but improved practices.

The latter saw improved grain and straw yields up to 200 per cent. In all, about 26 landraces were put to the test across seven villages and the two best landraces for upland cultivation, two for medium-level land and two for lowland were identified. True, farmers needed a couple of seasons to master the technique of planting in well-spaced rows, but they were more than happy with the results. The experimentation is on. Dr Soujanendra Swain, Senior MSSRF Scientist at Jeypore, says, “We have now taken 17 more villages in three blocks — Jeypore, Kundra and Boipariguda — and we are currently reaching 60 villages, covering more than 4,700 tribal farming families. About 102 varieties of rice have been preserved. This has encouraged us to set up community seed banks and our farmers have raised 17 of them so far.” According to him, when MSSRF first started work here, each farmer family earned about Rs 1,200 a month, and they are currently earning 60 per cent more.

Feeding a billion-plus

It is important to fight the stereotyping of tribals, says Swaminathan. “We in the cities conclude that because tribals haven't gone to university, they have no knowledge. But they have a deep knowledge gained from the university of life, especially when it comes to agricultural practices. For example, they use traditional methods to check the viability of seeds before sowing, maintain soil fertility and conserve landraces of rice and other crops. This knowledge has been transmitted from generation to generation,” he says.

The need of the hour, according to him, is to marry traditional wisdom with frontline technology, while ensuring proper distribution of food. “Finally, India's food problem rises not out of the lack of availability of food, but the lack of access to it,” says Swaminathan.

India's foremost authority on agriculture has spoken. Ancient farming practices can indeed help the country feed its millions. The Koraput model needs to be replicated in other tribal regions where food insecure communities live in areas rich in biodiversity.

© Women's Feature Service

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