˘ ˇ - SRISTI1)HBJAN-MAR95.pdf · Riya Sinha Rupa Shilke Shailja Kishore ... in Latin America. In Zacate Blanco, Intibuca; ... Arabic word which means dwellers of the

Vol 6 No 1 January-March, 1995(New Series Vol 2 No 1)

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2 Honey Bee Vol 6(1) 1995 A Dialogue on People's Creativity & Experimentation

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� ExperimentingFarmers ofHonduras.......... 3

� Medicinal Plants ofBedouin ........... 4

� Field Notes :Insights fromNorth India....... 5

� Learning fromStudents .......... 6

� Honey Bee Hums ... 9

� Survey ofInnovations ...... 11

� Response ........ 16

� News & Views .... 19

� Book Worm ....... 21

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Saga of Starfish : Do Individuals Matter ?

Cynicism has become a privilege of those in whom society investsthe most. The elite in every society think (wishfully perhaps) thatnone of them, as individuals, can make any impact on the depressingsituation of the modern world. And each one of them has convincedhim(her)self about his/her helplessness.

But there was, once upon a time, as one generally says in a fable, a person whodid not share this world-view. Walking along the sea shore, he saw a whole lot ofstarfish being marooned, thrown out of the sea onto the sands by the angry waves.On dry land the starfish were sure to die. He started picking them up, one by one,and throwing them back into the sea. A woman standing nearby was amused byhis actions. She went up to him and asked, “Do you hope to save all those starfish?Your action couldn't make any difference to them !.” The man patiently heard herout, and, continuing with what he had been doing, picked up one more starfishand threw it back into the sea. Then he turned around to her and said, “My actionmakes a difference to this one”.

How many of us stop short of such an approach!. The general belief is thatindividuals can’t make any difference. But of course we can, to someone atleast. When will we, as individuals, decide to play our responsible roles inthe world?

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Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ? Honey Bee Vol 6(1) 1995 3

'��Vernacularization of Discourse on Peoples’ Knowledge Systems

We have been advocating the need for pursuing discussions on local knowledgesystems in local languages so that people can understand theproceedings, and the dialogue is not dominated by the idiomand ideologies of outsiders. Readers of Honey Bee are awareof the efforts that we have been making in supporting locallanguage versions of Honey Bee.

These versions are not merely translations of Honey Bee; theyare also not subordinated to the editorial committee of Honey Bee or its othersupporting structures. In fact the whole idea is to have collegial, horizontalnetworks so that local editorial committees with sufficient commitment andvoluntary spirit can document, experiment and disseminate local innovationsamong the very people from whom the lessons have been learnt. We exhortreaders of Honey Bee in India and 71 other developing and developed countriesto bringi out local language versions of Honey Bee.

Cross-Cultural Networking

If we can network innovators within and across the cultures, it will be difficultfor dominant national and global structures to ignore creativity at the grassroots.The entire developmental paradigm has been based on what people do not knowor have. Patronizing structures are inevitable when people are perceived asbeneficiaries of formal aid or charities. What we are proposing is building uponwhat people know, and their skills, values and resources. Our bias is in favourof grassroots people of economically disadvantaged, but ecologically rich, regions,because their values and perceptions are far more vibrant and nature-friendly.Also, in the ecologically-rich areas, children from low-ranked castes/classesknow almost twice as much about diversity as children from high-rankedcastes/classes.

We do hope that readers will take initiatives in vernacularizing discourses ondecentralized, accountable and authentic development by building bridgesbetween formal and informal knowledge systems, and share their experienceswith us.

The creative ideas found in one part of the world can certainly inspire and cross-fertilize ideas in another part. We have argued in the past about the need for apeer group of inventors and innovators who develop new technological (andsometimes institutional) innovations. Honey Bee network could be such a peergroup. It can grow only when there is a culture of critical scrutiny of ideas,debate and dialogue on alternative explanations of the practices. It is necessarythat we promote such a spirit. Suggestions have been made that we should putHoney Bee on electronic mail system too. But, at present, the access of localcommunities to such a system of communication is extremely limited. Henceour hesitation. But we look forward to hearing from our readers about otherways in which the networking process can be strengthened.

EditorAnil K Gupta

Associate Editor

Kirit K Patel

Editorial Team

Sumati K SampemaneVijaya Sherry Chand

Jitendra H SutharSrinivas Chokkakula

Jyoti Capoor Astad R PastakiaShailesh ShuklaS Murali Krishna

AssistanceAlka RavalRiya Sinha

Rupa ShilkeShailja KishorePramod K JainGopi ChandranSantosh Gupta

Plant TaxonomistsA S Reddy

Shaista HalimM M Bhandari

Graphics & DesignA Volunteer of Honey Bee Network

M DadhaniaGodwin Jackson

Secretarial AssistanceR Baskaran

K SenthilrajanConstantine

Editorial AddressHoney Bee

C/o Prof Anil K GuptaIndian Institute of Management

VastrapurAhmedabad 380 015

India

Tel : 91-79-407241 91-79-469079 (R)

Fax : 91-79-427896 Telex : 121-6351 IIMA IN

Gram : INDINMANemail : [email protected]


Hittalgida: Kannada Version of Honey Bee Launched

Last year in February, when more than forty readers of English Honey Bee inKarnataka met on a Sunday, an informal collegial group had resolved to bring outthe Kannada version of Honey Bee. It has taken almost a year to bring out the firstissue but the effort has been worth it. There is no doubt that similar efforts wouldbe taken up in other parts of the world.

On February 3, 1995, the Kannada version of Honey Bee was brought out, thanksto the initiative and efforts of Mr T.N. Prakash and Dr. Chandrakanth of Universityof Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka. Hanumaniah, an organic farmerreleased the inaugural issue in a function chaired by Dr. Veeresh an eminentemeritus scientist and president of an international society on sustainableagriculture. Dr. Shambu Lingappa, Director (Research), reviewed the contents ofthe first issue and highlighted the need for focussing attention on peoples’knowledge. The name Hittalgida, which literally means a ‘plant in the backyard’,also indicates knowledge of discounted value.

Dr. Sudarshan, winner of 1995 Right Livelihood Award (also known as alternativeNobel prize), shared his insights about the similar gap between peoples’ knowledgeand the formal medical science in his keynote address and complimented such an

initiative. I appealed to the students and senior scientists and many distinguished organic farmers present on the occasion torecognize the serious danger of knowledge erosion, at times a threat more serious than even resource erosion.

We have excerpted one article based on scientific validation of an ancient Egyptian practice to detect pregnancy in cattlepublished in Hittalgida as well as Current Science in this issue of Honey Bee.

Dr. P Geervani, Vice-Chancellor of Padmavathi Mahila Vishwavidyalayam, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, has also taken steps tolaunch a Telugu version of Honey Bee. Dr. Arvind Kumar, Rajasthan Agricultural University, Udaipur has taken an initiativeto bring out Rajasthani language version,Setu, soon.

The existing local language versionsare being strengthened and we hopethat there will be more than onelanguage version in the same region sothat different networks try to reachdifferent segments of societycomprising innovators, scientists,activists, leaders, etc.

Meanwhile, we hope that readers willcontinue to keep in touch with us andwrite to us about what they thinkabout the ideas and articles published inHoney Bee.

The inaugural issue of ‘Hittalgida’ being released by an organic farmer,Shri Hanumaniah

Anil K Gupta


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Gonzalo Rodriguez & Jeffery W Bentley1

that an elderly farmer taught him how tocontrol army worm by sprinklinglimestone powder into the maize. Hehimself tried the experiment with ashesbut did not get good results.

A farmer-extensionist from Taulabe,Comayagua, Mercy Alalic Castaneda,told how elderly farmers had controlledleaf cutter ants by tying umbrella-shapedbags to the trees (see fig:1); the ant slipsoff when it starts to climb up the bag.

In Las Marias, Dulce Nombre de Culmi,Olancho a farmer-extensionist, donAndres Montoya, used ashes to controlaphids and leaf beetles (familyChrysomelidae).

Farmers use many plants as insecticidesor insect repellents, these include: chilli(Capsicum annum), ‘rue’ (Rutachalapensis), ‘tres puntas’ (Neurolaenalabata), ‘piojillo’ (Salvia tilaefolia vartilaefolia Vahl), ‘apazote’ (Chenopodiumambrosioides), marigold (Tageteserecta), ‘puerco’ (Dieffenbachia PitrieriEngl & Krause), coriander (Coriandrumsativum), ‘parsley’ (petroselinumsativum Hoffm), garlic (Alium sativum),lemon grass (Cymbopoqon citratus(D.C.) Stapf), ‘ajenjo’ (Arthemisiaabsynthium), basil (Ocimun basilicum),‘limonaria’ (Murruya paniculata), mint(Mentha spp.), lemon leaf (Citrusaurantifolia Swingle), China berry(Melia azedarach), ‘madreado’(Gliricidia sepium, ‘barbasco’ (Serjoniaspp.), onion (Alium cepa), oregano(Lippia berlandieri Schawer) and manyother plants (Roque Espinal, farmer-extensionists from Choluteca; ModestoGomez and Ismael Vargas, farmer-extensionists from Olancho; IsraelLemus, farmer-experimenter fromComayagua : personal communication1992).

Farmers’ Experiment

Literature is full of farmers’ experiments.These are few examples of farmers’inventions and experiences we have seenin Latin America.

In Zacate Blanco, Intibuca; Eliasar Mejiaand his father use sugarcane (Saccarumofficinarum) as a live barrier for soilconservation, because they had observedthat the sugarcane does not lower theyield of the rows of maize next to thebarrier, while king grass (Pennisetumpurpureum Schum.) does.

They had also placed stones in thebranches of an apple tree (Pyrus malus)to make harvesting easier (the stonesmake the branches grow morehorizontally); they had picked up this ideafrom coffee (Coffee arabica) farmers.

In Lamani, Comayagua, dona GladysRojas successfully raised soya beans

Figure 1. Plastic bag placed on a treeto control leaf cutter ants. Practicelearned from Mercy Adalic Castaneda,farmer-extensionist from Taulabe,Comayagua, 1992.

(Glycine max) in her home garden, inthe shade of a small grove of bananas(Musa sapientum).

In Las Victorias, Cortes, don FelipeAleman Lemus controls leaf cutter ants(Atta spp.) by digging up the nest andkilling the queen. He also ties horse hairto trees to check leaf cutter ant damage.He says that the ants slip and fall. This isa traditional practice. He controls micewith a self concocted mix of maize,sugar and ‘counter’ (Terbufos). When hecan get ‘madreado’ (Gliricidia sepium),he uses it instead of the chemicalalternative.

A farmer-extentionist in Rio Lindo,Cortes, dona Fredesvinda CarrascoHernandez, told us that the old womenin her village had taught her how to usecoffee grounds to control leaf cutter ants.

A farmer extensionist from El Socorro,Comayagua, don Andres Castillo, told us

1. Casilla 2695, Cochabamba, Bolivia

We will carry second part in next issue which deals with sustainable pestmanagement experiments and innovations by farmers. :Ed.


The term ‘Bedouin’ is derived fromArabic word which means dwellers of thedesert. Some of the medicinal uses of thedesert plants are described here which arecollected during my field work in‘Bedouin’ areas known as the Holy Landof Israel.

1 Tomato

Diabetes is treated by drinking the juiceof tomato (‘bandura’) withpomegranates, several times a day.

Bee stings are treated by applying tomatoskin dressings on the stung area severaltimes a day.

2 Peganum harmala: EnhancingFertility in Sheep/goat

The onset of heat and conception arehastened in sheep and goats by burningleaves and seeds of ‘harmal’ near theflock so that they inhale the smoke. Thisplant is known to contain alkaloids thataffect the nervous system. Even smalldoses are considered stimulant andmedicinal, but in large doses it can act

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Dr Aref Abu Rabia1

as a suppressant. Some oils have beenextracted and drugs have been formulatedfrom the seed extracts. The leaves of‘harmal’ are placed in the wateringtrough of cattle. The leaves of ‘harmal’are sometimes placed in the chickentrough also to make hens brood.

3 Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

For severe cold, cough and other liverinflammations, drinking half a cup of abrew made from Myristica fragrans(‘jouzit al-Ttib’) every morning for afortnight is considered a good medicine.

4 Lepidium sativum (Garden Cress)

Drinking half a cup of a brew made fromseeds of garden cress (‘habb al-rrshad’)every morning for a fortnight is alsoconsidered a good way to treat severecough, cold and other liverinflammations.

For treating asthma, a handful of groundgarden cress seeds mixed with a softboiled egg yolk and drunk early in themorning for a month is good.

6 Asafoetida

Asafoetida (‘haltit’ or ‘hing’) resin isgiven to rabies patients. The treatmentis as follows: isolate the patient for 40days and prevent him/her from seeingwater and red color.

During the first week of life motherexposes her new born baby to manyscents; the pungent smell of theasafoetida resin is one of them. Thispractice is said to prevent baby fromdeveloping allergies, nausea, vomiting,vertigo and dizziness from scents he/shewill encounter as he/she grows up. Thesepeople believe that a person can even diefrom strong smells to which he/she hasnot been exposed to as a baby.

7 Retama raetam

Boil the leaves of Retama raetam(‘ratamals’) in water and use the brewto wash wounds and inflammations.Animals are made to drink this brew asa medicine for brucellosis.

8 Punica granatum (pomegranate)

The juice of pomegranates (‘humma’),honey, soaked figs and sugar soaked inturnip helps in curing whooping cough.While roasted sour pomegranates withthe rind is given as medicine for cholera.

10 Prosopis farcta

The fruit and roots of Prosopis farcta(‘yanbout’) are boiled in water and thebrew strained and given to diabetics. Thefruits are crushed in water and drunk asa medicine for kidney problems anddiuretic problems. While for piles(haemorrhoidal) and skin diseases, theliquid is smeared on surface.

1 Dept. of Behavioral Sciences, Ben-GurionUniversity of the Negev, Beer Shan, Israel,Email: [email protected]


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Rat Control

Seeds of radish are mixed with wheatseeds at the time of sowing. The rats eatthe radish seeds and satiate their hungerand therefore spare wheat. The leaves ofthe radish are used for fodder as well ashuman consumption.

A unique approach to control rat uses asour fruit. Farmers use the sour butenticing (to rats) flavoured fruits of aplant called kaitha (Limonia acydisma).They spread pieces of the kaitha aroundthe field. The rats, attracted by theflavour, bite into it and are repelled bythe sourness. More than that the sournesscauses painful teeth and make the ratsincapable of attacking the crop.

Another method to control rat is to usethe leaves of a bush called as Cenchrusmungo which is locally known as sarpati.The leaves of this plant have cutting edgeslike sugarcane leaves. Sarpati leaves arespread around the field. The undersidesof the rats get cut by the leaves as theyenter the field and they die. (Readers mayrecall that somewhat similar practices of ratcontrol were reported from other parts of thecountry as well as the world in the back issuesof HB. :Ed).

Protecting the crop against Frost

In many parts of North India frost andhailstorms are serious problems thatthreaten pigeon pea; this crop isparticularly vulnerable to frost damage.

Foot and Mouth Disease

To control the foot and mouth disease(FMD) in the cattle, farmers apply hotmustard oil on the infected hoofs of theanimal. The animals recover from theburning sensation soon enough whiledisease germs get killed by the hot oil. (Avariation of this practice was reported fromKarnataka and some parts of the WesternIndia where infected animals were taken tothe river bank and made to walk in the hotsand. In some places they are made to walkin the muddy soil. :Ed).

Control of ‘Gundhi bug’

Gundhi bug is a serious pest of paddy ineastern Uttar Pradesh. Farmers burn thediscarded cycle tyres and walk around thefield with it and later deposit it in oneplace close to the field. The odour of thesmoke is said to repel this bug. Also,some pests, attracted by the fire, get burntby it. This is a practice widespread inthe region.

Diarrhoea

When animals are affected by diarrhoeaor dysentery, they are given the ‘datura’fruit which is also said to be intoxicating.It is indeed a quick acting cure.

Frost causes drying up. Farmers use thesmoke produced by burning biomass allaround the field to check this damage.(This practice is also quite widespread innorthern and western India includingGujarat. :Ed).

Scaring away foxes !

Foxes are a serious threat to sugarcanecrop in this region. They bite cane atabout one foot (30 cm) height from theground and then after chewing it a littlediscard it and bite into another plant.This way, they damage far more thanwhat they actually eat. To trapplundering foxes local farmers lure themwith mahua flowers in a narrow mouthedpitcher. These baits are tied in manyplaces in the field. When the fox puts itsmouth into the pitcher and eats theflower, only then does it find that itcannot withdraw its head from thepitcher. At this juncture, when the foxstruggles to pull its head out, its tuggingcauses a rope tied to the pitcher to tightenaround itself. Trapped by the noose, thefox is at the mercy of the farmer whousually kills it and then makes use of thecarcass, by tying it up strategically, toscare other foxes away. (We wish farmerswill evolve a non-violent alternative. :Ed).

Innovations for Sustainable Technologies abound in different partsof the developing world. If we fail to discover them, we should, insteadof blaming the farmers, look self critically at our own systems ofperception and analysis. There may be barriers to our learning whichneed to be overcome. Charandas Yadav is an unemployed youth helpingus to monitor local practices in areas around his village Bhola kaPandey, Tal. Kumarganj in District Faizabad. He has sent variousagricultural and veterinary practices. Some of these were observedin other parts of the country also. :Ed.

Charandas Yadav


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Mundulea sericea trees or shrubs tosterilize the container in which milk isto be stored (Chenyambuga et al 1993).The wood of any trees/shrubs mentionedabove is burned so that it generatessmoke. The container, made fromgourds, is fumigated with this smoke andwashed with clean water to remove thecharcoal dust before storing milk in it.Pre-treating the container in this way isbelieved to increase the shelf-life of themilk. It can remain up to 2-3 days withoutgetting fermented. The gourd alsoimparts a desirable flavour to the milk.

3. Controlling Animal Diseases

People use the following plants andshrubs to treat different animal andpoultry diseases and disorders.(Komwihangilo et al, 1993).

Euphorbia spp (‘Mtakalangonyo’) stem is pounded and themother liquor is used to expelretained placenta in cows.

Stegnotaenia araliaceae leaves arepounded and mixed with water to treatgoats and cattle which experiencedifficulty in breathing.

The roots of Maerua edulis are mixedwith ‘mtumba’ (Boscia grandiflora) totreat poultry diseases.

Recently, I had an opportunity to teach in an international course on Sustainable Livestock based Farming systemsorganized by Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Upsala in collaboration with the University of Agricultural &Forestry, Thu Dac near Ho Chinh Minh City Vietnam. As a part of the discussion on interface between scientists andfarmers, the issue of learning from farmers’ knowledge systems was emphasized. In general, it was noted that studentsseldom connected their on farm and on station research work. However, while making students sensitive about localknowledge systems, they were also asked to share some examples of lessons they had learned from the farmers in theirnative countries. What follows is a rich account of innovative practices so revealed. We hope that student readers of Honeybee in different parts of the world will take a clue and start writing to us similar examples of farmers’ creativity. I am surethat some of them may even think of pursuing formal research program on these ideas: I appreciate that the cooperationof students and their teachers, particularly Brian Ogle and Reg Preston for encouraging students to listen to people andlearn from them : Anil K Gupta

Indigenous Animal HusbandryPractices from Central Tanzania

Goromela E H1

In central Tanzania farmers use variousindigenous methods for controllinganimal diseases, disorders and ectoparasites, and for the preservation ofmilk. These farmers belong to variousethnic groups speaking differentlanguages/dialects. Following practiceswere collected from the Wagogo andWamasai farmers.

1. Controlling Ecto parasites

To control tick infestation of cattle theysmear fresh dung on the animals. (Heavy

tick infestations are known to sometimescause cattle death in this region.) It isbelieved that the fresh cattle dung detersthe ticks and keeps them from attackingthe animals. (Readers may also refer toanother interesting practice of controllingticks by taking cattle to rivers. Fish in theriver eat away the ticks. :Ed).

2. Preservation of Milk

Wagogo and Wamasai farmers use thewood of ‘Msingisa’ (Bosciaangustifolia), ‘mtumba’ (Bosciagrandifolia), ‘mkuliza’ (maeruaangolensis), ‘mwima chigula’ (Maeruaparvifolia), ‘msisilo or mtego’(Diplorychyus spp), Capparisfascicularis, Euphorbia Candelabrium,

1. Livestock Production Research Institute,P.O Box 202, MPWAPWA, Tanzania


Paper Birds to ProtectGerminating Crop

Mui Nguyen Thi2

At the onset of the spring, farmers of theBinh Minh village, Cam Binch district,Haihung province, Vietnam, sow greenbeans in the field. This village is locatedin East-North of Red River Delta and hastropical climate. During this period,flocks of migrating birds which pass overthis region raid the fields. About 100birds fly in each flock and they eat awaymuch of the newly sown green beansoften ‘stealing’ more than half of thesown seed. The villagers do not know thename of the birds, but they say it is redcoloured.

To keep away these raiding flocks, thevillagers make white paper birds locallyknown as ‘Egretta Garzetten’ and attachthem to sticks which they anchor infields. When the flock of the migratingbirds, look on the ground they see whitebirds and fly straight since they are scaredof them. However, nobody knows howexactly it works !

4. Storage of Maize

Farmers of the Wagogo tribe use ashfrom burned dried dung of cattle to treatmaize grains against weevils (beetles)after harvest. The ash is mixed withthe grains and kept in storage structurescommonly known as ‘Vihenge’. Thismethod of storage has proved to be veryeffective. Some farmers use ash evento treat the grains against the beetleknown as Prostefanus trancatus.

References

Chenyambuga S.W, Goromela E.H,Ryoba R and Kurwijila R.L (1993).‘‘A study on the effect of traditionalAfrican smoke treatment of milk on theorganoleptic and maintaining quality ofsour milk.’’ Paper presented at 1stBiennial workshop of Cattle ResearchNetwork, ILCA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,17-21 May, 1993.

Komwihangilo D.M, Goromela E.H.and Bwire J.M.N (1994). ‘‘Indigenousknowledge in utilization of local treesand shrubs for sustainable livestockproduction in Central Tanzania’’ (inpress).

Storing Green Tomatoes:A Contemporary Innovation

from Philippines

Ka Boning Dizon, a farmer from PakilLaguna, Philippines, has invented amethod for storing green tomatoes. Heaccidentally kept some green tomatoesin a sack of charcoal and forgot all aboutthem. Three months later, whilecleaning the kitchen, he found thetomatoes red, ripened and still fresh.This inspired him to experiment.

In the bottom of a basket he put a layerof charcoal and over it he placed a layerof tomato. Over the tomato layer he putanother layer of charcoal and followedby layer of tomato and so on. He piledup alternate layers of charcoal andtomatoes till the basket was full. At thetop he placed a thick layer of charcoaland kept the basket for six monthsundisturbed. After six months, whenhe opened the basket, tomatoes werefully ripe but still were fit to eat. (InBangladesh, we had learned about anotherpractice for the same purpose in 1986. Thefarmers hung the bunches or plants withunripe tomatoes in a shady windy placeupside down. The tomatoes could be keptfresh for upto three months. An experimentthat can be done by anyone is to put two orthree tomatoes straight and equal numberupside down on a table. Watch the ripeningprocess. The compound responsible forripening is supposed to move slowly whentomatoes are inverted. Durga Prasad Singhin his book on storing potatoes in NorthIndia in 1915, had refered to the use of coalbed for seed storage in Frankfurt, Germanythat he had heard about :Ed)

Source: Cristina B Lorenzo (1994),‘‘ Tomatoesin Charcoal’’, Organic Farming No.17 p:46

2. National Institute of Animal Husbandry, Tu Liem Hanoi, Vietnam


Tao of ‘Tau’ Ducks: A solution toDuck Problem in Mekong DeltaBui Xuan Men3

The LongAn hamlet, with its 256 ha landunder rice cultivation, is located in a lowland area of ThanhTri district, SocTrangprovince of Vietnam. The condition of theland and water resources in the hamlet isfar from satisfactory; the soil is acidic andwater brackish owing to incursion ofsaline water from the sea. Besidescultivating rice, the farmers here usuallyraise ducks for eggs and meat. The egglaying breed consists of the native duckscommonly known as “Tau ducks” andalso the local pekin ducks. These breedsare well adapted to the local husbandrypractices; they lay eggs in three batchesevery year. The first batch commencesfrom March and lasts up to May, thesecond batch is from July to Septemberand the third from late October toJanuary. The third batch is mostremunerative because, at this time theducks find food for themselves (leftoverrice, insects, small fish, crabs and waterplants) without the farmer having tosupplement it.

Ducks raised for meat are of the crossbredvariety known as ‘Nong nghiep’.However, most farmers prefer to raise thelocal pekin duck as the dual purpose bird.Some farmers raise the cherry valleybreed but in small numbers compared tothe dual purpose and the meat type ducks.

The ducks are traditionally raised fed withnatural feeds (water plants and leftoverrice). The farmers buy ducks fromtraditional hatcheries. About a monthbefore harvest season, they raise theirbrood in simple oil lamp heatedhatcheries. Up to 18 days age, the youngbirds are fed on the broken rice. Later, inthree days time, the birds learn to eatpaddy rice and can scavenge their feedsby themselves until they reach the age

when they can be sold. Several familiesraise a small number of ducks (10 to 20birds) in their backyards or ponds andfeed mainly rice and natural feed fromthe fields (water plants, insects and smallfishes).

The duck raisers in the hamlet complainabout the poor soil and water whichadversely affects the birds’ health anddecreases their productivity. Anotherdrawback is the lack of veterinaryservices. Duck plague sometimes causesheavy losses even if the birds werevaccinated. Diarrhoea is anothercommon disease of the bird.

Because of the poor veterinary servicesand the lack of veterinary drugs, somefarmers (Mr Ut Nhan, Mr Chin) in thehamlet resort to the use of local medicineto improve the health their flocks.Examples of such traditional medicineinclude the leaves of cassia, urea andmung beans. A small bunch of cassialeaves is pressed to extract the juice whichis diluted with three litres of water, andto this is added a small amount of sugar.This amount is enough for 100 ten-dayold ducklings; the treatment is repeatedevery 20 days. Another treatment usesurea known as ‘muong canh’, (1.5 tablespoons in three litres of water) and sugarfor 100 ducklings at 25 days of age. Afterthe ducks are treated with cassia or urea,they are given cooked mung bean grainsmixed with sugar and water. Threehundred grams of cooked beans aremixed with sugar and water for 200ducklings. And duckling becomeshealthy.

Preventing Broodiness in Hens

Nguyen Thi Loc4

In the hilly region of Tuyen Quangprovince farmers keep large number ofhens. Under natural conditions, a hengenerally lays a clutch of say 12 to 14eggs and then becomes broody. Theseeggs can be incubated. Since broodybirds don’t lay eggs, farmers use differentindigenous methods to solve thisproblem. Two of these were narrated bya farmer, Mr Trong, Huong village,Tuyen quang Town - Tuyen quangprovince.

1. They put the hen into one cage and arooster into another. When this is done,the hen will lose her broodiness within4-5 days and return to production. Thisprocess is followed by adequate feedingand good ventilation. It is believed thatincrement in the level of estrogenhormone in female is responsible for thiseffect.

2. Some farmers dip the broody hen inwater for 3 to 4 times a day. Within threedays of this treatment the hen loses herbroodiness and returns to the normalproduction.

3. Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veteri-nary Medicine, Cantho University, Canthocity, Vietnam

4. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medi-cine Faculty, Agriculture University of HueHue city, Vietnam


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The article on ancient Egyptian practices is adapted from the inaugural issue of Hittalgida Kannada Ver-sion. This was also published in Current Science Vol 65(12):989 earlier. We will publish more practicesfrom Hittalgida in forthcoming issues. In the previous issue of Honey Bee Vol.5(3):16,1994) we had pub-lished some practices which were shared by the participants of the workshop organised by SEVA, Nam VazhiVelanmai (Tamil version of Honey Bee) and SIRPL- a NGO in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. We present remainingpractices in this issue. In addition to these, the remaining practices contributed by Shri V R Iyyappan, afarmer from Tamil Nadu which appeared in the last issue of Honey Bee are continued :Ed)

Practices from KannadaVersion “Hittalgida”

A Practicable Pregnancy Test fromAncient Egypt: Scientific Evidencefrom India

In an attempt to confirm the validity ofancient Egyptian pregnancy test in cattle,Drs T Veena and R Narendranthconducted an experiment at University ofAgricultural Sciences, Bangalore. Theycollected urine of pregnant and nonpregnant cows in the morning hours.Pregnancy had earlier been confirmed byrectal examination 40 days afterinsemination. The non-pregnant cowswere of two types viz:

(i) those that had calved within previousthree months, and

(ii) those that had calved earlier thanthree months ago but were notinseminated after parturition.

Wheat seeds were kept in the petri dishescontaining urine diluted with distilledwater in the proportion of 1 to 5. Thegermination and shoot growth of theseeds were studied systematically. Theurine of pregnant cows suppressed theseed germination (46.48%) and shootgrowth (0.93 cm) significantly comparedto the seeds treated with the urine of non-pregnant cows which had calved prior tothree months and controls with treatedplain distilled water (see table).

However the differences between seedstreated with the urine of non pregnantcows (which had calved less than threemonths ago) and urine of pregnant cows

(In Gujarat, farmers discern first pregnancyon the bases of visible changes seen in thebody of a heifer. In the case of milking cattle,pregnancy is surmised by testing the‘sourness’ of milk. But these methods are notentirely reliable and also by the time they canbe used, it is too late to take any decision onthe pregnancy. Nowadays, the farmers taketheir animals to the veterinary dispensarieswhere doctors confirm pregnancy by rectalexamination. But this method if usedfrequently, the farmers feel, creates problemin conception later on especially if thechecking is done by unskilled staff of thedispensary. Also, villagers are often reluctantto have their animals checked for pregnancyby the doctor. In such situations the methodof the ancient Egyptians will be useful.

was not significant. All the mammalianurine contains plant growth regulatorscalled auxins. The authors suggest thatauxins may be responsible for theobserved effects. Also, the differencesin the pH values of the samples of urineused in the experiments wereinsignificant. Hence, it is likely that theenhanced levels of hormones in urineduring the pregnancy are responsible forinhibitory effect on germination andshoot growth of seeds.

The ancient practice, the authors say, issafe, inexpensive, reliable andpracticable in rural areas especially whencontrasted with the “modern” pregnancydetection techniques in cattle.

Germination & shoot growth of wheat seeds treated with cow urine

Germination (%) Shoot length (cm)Treatments n Mean SE Mean SE

Water 13 87.70 5.13 6.43 0.34

Urine of Pregnant Cows 19 46.48 4.24 0.93 0.83

Urine of Non Pregnant Cows:

(a) Calved within the previous 3 months 8 49.51 6.54 1.27 0.44

(b) more than 3 months after calving 7 75.40 6.99 4.00 0.47

Source :Veena, T and Narendranath, R. (1993). Current Science, Vol 65(12):989.


6 Dropping of Tail Hair of Cattle;Rashes on the Skin

Five pods of ‘kachakamutty’, leaves of‘veeli’, seeds of pepper and black cumin,leaves of betel, and onion bulbs arecrushed and mixed with water. Theresultant solution is administered to cattlefor three days continuously. This isrepeated after an interval of 15 days. Theanimal is not given any green grassbefore the treatment and is not bathedon the days of the treatment.

Workshop of Animal Helaersin Tamil Nadu : DiscussionContinues..

1 Control of Diarrhoea in Cattle, Sheepand Goats

Leaves of ‘yanai nerunji’(Pedaliummurex) are stirred for two to threeminutes in fermented rice water until itfroths. This solution is administered tothe animal three times to controldiarrhoea.

2 Expulsion of Dead Foetus in Cows

Ash obtained from burning the sesameplant is mixed with castor oil andfermented rice-water and administered tothe animal to expel a dead foetus.

3 Blisters in the Mouths of Livestock

Turmeric powder, tender leaves of neem,common salt and leaves of Cynodondactylon are made into paste to beapplied over the affected regions. Theneem leaves and salt may be substitutedby seeds of pepper and castor.

4 Snake Bite in Cattle

Roots of ‘thalai suriliver’ (Aristolochiaindica), seeds of pepper, leaves of betelvine and rhizome of Solenaamplexicaulis are crushed in goat urineor in boiled water. The mixture isadministered to the bitten animal.

5 Increasing the Body Weight of Cattle

Stems of Cissus quadrangularis, cuminseeds, capsicum fruits, onion andrhizomes of Solena amplexicaulis areground and the mixture soaked in waterfor a day. This mixture is thenadministered to cattle for three days.

Ecological Indicators of Botswana

Frank W Taylor1

Here are two bits of indigenousknowledge that might be of interest toyour readers.

The first relates linking fruit-bearingto onset of drought. It is said that theindigenous fruit tree Vangueriainfausta will bear an extra heavy cropin the season immediately preceding amajor drought. I was told about this in1981 when we harvested an incrediblylarge amount of fruit in the 10 kmsurrounding our village. The next yearwe saw the start of a major drought.

The second is the belief that ‘there willbe a good rainy season after a long,cold dry winter, especially if the firstrains of the new season brings hail’.We have just had a long, cold and drywinter and a neighbouring town hashad hail (localised). We will now seewhat happens in the forthcoming rainyseason.

1. Veld Products Research, P.O Box 2020,Gaborone, Botswana

But results of this experiment raise furtherissues for the research on farmers practicesrelying on use of cow urine. Urine is used notonly to treat seeds but also as a foliage sprayto control pests and diseases. The effect ofurine collected from animals at various stagesof pregnancy as well as non pregnant animalsmay also be worth studying. :Ed).

5 Dislocation of Bones

To treat dislocations, a paste is madefrom soil taken from termite mounds andsheep droppings mixed in water and thisis applied over the affected portion.

6 Mastitis

Clean, powdered turmeric mixed withcastor oil is applied to the inflamed udderthree times a day to treat mastitis.

Farmer's Report fromTamil Nadu Continues...

V R Iyyappan1

1 Urinary Blockage

Ten grams each of pepper and corianderare powdered and mixed with gingellyoil, and fed to the affected animal.

2 Infertility

Plants of ‘Aduthinnapalai’ (Aristolochiabracteolata), rhizomes of Cyperusrotendus are ground and mixed withsome salt and fed to the infertile animal.About half an hour after this, the animalis allowed to drink water.

3 Control of ‘Muralai’ in Tobacco

Muralai is a disease of the tobaccocharacterized by the curling of leavesdownward and simultaneous yellowishdiscoloration. For its control, fermentedbutter milk (one litre of buttermilk forevery 20 litres of water) is sprayed overthe plants.

4 Inducing Insect Resistance in Plants

A pit of any convenient size is dug nearan irrigation well or channel and filledwith cow dung, Calotropis plants andneem cake; human urine is also addedto this mixture. When the mixture isfully decomposed, the water from theirrigation channel is allowed to pass overthe pit and enter the field. It is believedthat this process not only providesnourishment to the plants but alsoenhances their resistance to insect attackand diseases.

1.Reddiyapatti, Sukkampatti Post,Thadikombu 624 709, Tamil Nadu


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Innovation Scouts

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Pravin PatelRamesh Patel

Rajesh PatelGanapat Solanki

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The documentation of indigenous innovations as well as traditional knowledge isfraught with risks as well as responsibility. The risk is that lot of traditionalknowledge will be lost if not documented and shared with the users. Ourresponsibility is that those who have produced this knowledge and those whohave reproduced it should have incentives to produce and reproduce thisknowledge.

IPRs of Innovators

The issue of intellectual property rights being exhausted through publication isvery vital. We have faced this dilemma from the very beginning of this endeavour.We have made following suggestions to Ministry Of Agriculture as well asEnvironment and Forests in India in this regard;(a) the honey bee data base should be recognized so that preliminary protection isavailable to innovators for each of the specific methodological or productinnovations,(b) in the case of traditional knowledge, the people who have been practicing aninnovation should be able to have a collective right with the provision that any onein the community of which they are a part will have an unhindered right,(c) in the cases in which several people know about a practice but only one or twohave taken the trouble of practicing it, the rights will be collective for using thesame, but pecuniary gain if any from possible commercialization should be sharedin larger proportion with the practioner and modifier of the knowledge.

The rest may be shared with the community. We do not feel it is proper that forindividual contribution of few, the entire community should get a right withoutproviding any incentive to creative and experimenting individuals. It is for thisreason that our approach differs from the attempts by some of the NGOs to makeentire community owner of the rights in knowledge which only a few practiced andrefined. This way, the erosion of knowledge will be speeded up because no individualincentive will remain for experimenting and refining knowledge. It is a differentmatter that in many cases such individuals do not want any private rights in theircontributions. But then it is for them to decide that. We should not be deciding itfor them.

Another issue is that practices which can be easily replicated and can help bringdown the costs of small farmers should become accessible to them. It is to this endthat this publication is addressed in different languages. We have to balance thelarger goal of helping creative people to learn from each other’s innovation vis a visensuring proper and fair compensation to individuals as well as communityconcerned.

We are also pursuing the goal of registering these innovations with someinternational patent offices and will share with the readers when we make someprogress. In addition value addition research is in progress which will help us filepatent applications in favour of the innovators, scientists and others involved invalue addition.


desuckering operations to two or threeinstead of eight to ten and save labourcost and time.

Pursottambhai Patel who has beenpracticing this method for a long time,learned it from Keshavbhai Kauva,another farmer of the same village.Pursottambhai found this method veryeffective and practical. It, according tohim, also helps in increasing number offruits as well its growth. Pursottambhaiis about 35 years old and has threehectares of highly productive land withirrigation facility. Using intensivefarming, he grows various cash crops;banana, sugarcane, tobacco, mustard.On very small scale, he also cultivateswheat, bajra, pulses and fodder crops tomeet the requirements of his family andhis three crossbred cows and buffaloes.His village is situated in middle Gujaratwhere green revolution is successfullyestablished. But introduction anddiffusion of ‘modern’ technologies hasnot extinguished the fire of localcreativity as yet.

Pursottambhai Khetabhai Patel, Dist:Kheda, Comm: Daulatsinh Parmar andRajesh V Patel

Review of Practices

In this part, we have practices for plantprotection, seed treatment, veterinarymedicine and vegetable storage.

Purshottambhai has found an unique wayof avoiding suckers to come out inbanana. The solution suggested issimple, based on local resources, has lowcost and seems sustainable.

Control of red rot disease in sugarcanethrough application of lime and castorcake is equally simple solution. Thetreatment of paddy seed before sowingis a practice found with wide variationsin different parts of the world.

Use of Salvadora or Cassia leaves whilegerminating the seeds before sowing mayhave growth promoting function as well.We have to find out as to why thistraditional practice is not beingcontinued by many farmers in the regionnow.

Control of cotton and chilli pest complexwith the help of various approaches byDhirubhai provides a very interestingexperimental approach. In a recentmeeting of innovative farmers,Dhirubhai put forward varioushypotheses on which he was working tocontrol pests without using chemicalpesticides.

The veterinary medicine practices fordiarrhoea, yoke gall, foot and mouthdisease, ecto parasite etc., provide richoptions developed by the farmers. Thefact that we are discovering so manydifferent formulations to control the sameproblem shows the richness ofindigenous knowledge systems. Perhapspeople realize that using a standardizedsolution over large scale might make thediseases or pests resistant - a lessonmodern scientists have yet to learn.

We eagerly invite readers to take upexperiments, offer feedback andreferences which would help us critiquethese practices.

Agricultural Practices

In banana crop, three to four months aftersowing, the sucker (lateral shoot whichemerges from primary roots of the plant)starts sprouting near the plant. Since itabsorbs nutrients and water from thesame root, it hampers the growth anddevelopment of the plant and its fruits.Farmers remove the sucker by cutting itas and when it appears. But it regeneratesagain and again from the same placehence it requires lots of labour andcontinuous care to check its growth.About eight to ten desuckeringoperations are required during the wholecrop life. Farmers have devised veryinteresting method to curtail the re-occurrence of suckers.

They cut each sucker from the groundlevel and make 1-2 inch deep hole byinserting a pointed iron stake on the opencut surface from where sucker wasremoved. Then kerosene is poured intoit drop by drop. This delays resproutingof the sucker. It takes three months toreappear instead of the normal onemonth it takes without this treatment.The same practice is followed every timewhile removing the suckers. Overall thistreatment reduces the number of the

Desuckering Banana Plants: KeroseneComes to Rescue

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Thirty-five-year old Dhirubhai Patel,stays in a joint family. He has studiedupto second standard and has beeninvolved since then in farming. He hasfour hectares of land, a well, twobullocks, three buffaloes, a bullock cartand the necessary farming equipmentsof his own. He sows cotton, castor andgroundnut in monsoon and wheat andlucerne in winter.

During the 1987-88 famine, when therewas no water in his well, he took landon lease in neighbouring village whichhad irrigation facility. He cultivatedlucerne and other fodder crop. Hedesigned a cart run by the oil engine(no more in use in his dried well) fortransporting green fodder everyday. Twoother farmers also got made such cartsfrom Dhirubhai. The following year heseparated the oil engine and reinstalledit at the well.

Dhirubhai has plans to try out two otherformulations of his own for pest controlshortly. The first method includes leavesof ‘kidamari’ (Aristolochia bracteolata)and neem, urea, while other methodincludes ‘kuver’ leaves, jaggery, chillietc. He now feels that chemicalpesticides are neither appropriate noreffective and hence wants to adoptindigenous methods. He has purchasedsmall balance for weighing ingredients.Dhirubhai is well informed and knowsabout eminent Indian scientists andspeaks about them with great pride. Heis a regular listener of All India Radioespecially of programmes like ‘gramsabha’ and other agriculturalprogrammes. It is a different matter that

these progrmmes have seldom helped himin search of alternatives.

Kachadia Ratilalbhai Kalyanbhai, Dist:Amreli, Comm: Dilip D Koradia

Paddy Seed Treatment for EnhancingGermination

Farmers generally grow transplantedpaddy crop though there are some whogrow drilled paddy too. They give specialtreatment for 24 hours to enhance thegermination. They spread the leaves of‘piludi’ (Salvadora persica) at the bottomof a closely knit bamboo basket and fill itwith the paddy seeds; water (about 10 to12 litres) is poured slowly over the basket.It is then covered with leaves of the sametree and weights are put on the basket tokeep the seed pressed. If it is feltnecessary, a little water is sprinkled overthe basket a couple of times. Sometimes,the leaves of ‘aval’ (Cassia spp) tree areused instead.

The basket is kept undisturbed for about24 hours after which the seeds are sownin nursery immediately. The farmersbelieve that the said treatment helps inthe early and vigorous germination. Thisis a traditional practice in this region butvery few people practice it now.Shankardan Gadhvi has used this practiceconsistently twice during last two yearsand found it effective. He has about fourhectares of land. (A similar practice, withsome variation, was reported from TamilNadu in HB Vol.4(2&3):11.)

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Research Programme for theForthcoming Year: Control of Cotton& Chilli Pest Complex

Heliothis, spotted boll worm and aphidare generally found in cotton. Aphidsare also common in brinjal, chilli andlucerne in Amreli district of Saurashtra.

Dhirubhai Kachadiya has beenexperimenting to find indigenousinsecticide which can be prepared athome from locally available chemicalsand plant extracts. Last year he prepareda small amount of such mixture fromdried tobacco leaves (250 g), ‘hirakasi’(300 g) and citric acid. He mixed allthese ingredients and boiled them inabout one to two litres of water andfiltered the decoction. Approximately,250 ml of the decoction was mixed in 15litres (one pump full) water and sprayedover the crop. Depending upon thegrowth and density of the crop, totalquantity required varied; however threeto four pumps were enough for the cottoncrop. After a week the decoction wassprayed again. He noticed that it couldcontrol the pest complex in cotton andthe growth of the plants was also boosted.

Ratilalbhai Kachadia of the same villagelearnt about Dhirubhai’s experiment andits result. Instead of citric acid, he usedcopper sulphate. The other ingredientsand the process remained the same. Thequantity he used was also smaller; hemixed only 100 ml of decoction in onepump of water and sprayed over thecotton crop during same year. He alsohad encouraging results especially incontrolling larval pests. But he did notnotice any increment, as Dhirubhai had,in the growth of the crop. Dhirubhaiexplains, the growth was the effect ofcitric acid. Dhirubhai got to learn aboutinsecticidal properties of ingredientsfrom different people during his travelto neighbouring villages.


Salvadora persica and Cassia spp growabundantly in common lands and onfield boundaries. Salvadora persica isslow growing tree but has many smallleaves. It bears small delicious fruitswhich, children eat with joy. It is also asalt resistant plant. ‘Aval’ iscomparatively a small shrub which bearssmall leaves and yellow coloured flowers.

Shankardan Prabhudan Gadhvi, Dist:Kheda , Comm: Raju V Patel and GanpatM Solanki

Overcoming Disease in Sugarcanethrough Lime and Castor Cake

A disease locally known as ‘ratdo’ or‘radiyo’ since all the leaves and stemturn a reddish hue (may be it is the red rotof sugarcane. :Ed) spreads very fast fromone field to another and causes greateconomic loss as crop withers withineight to 10 days of infection, accordingto the farmers. Generally, it strikes thecrop when it is two or three months oldand, if proper measures are not taken,the crop fails completely.

To treat this condition, farmers make amixture of equal quantities of lime andcastor cake and sprinkle it between tworows of the crop and cover it with soil.The field is irrigated immediately afterthe treatment. The farmers who use thistechnique say that repeating thetreatment after eight to 10 days can savethe crop altogether. About 15 to 20 kgmixture is required for one acre of landthough it can vary great deal from farmerto farmer.

Amrutbhai Patel has used this methodcouple of times in last two or three years.He has four hectares of irrigated landwith heavy clay type of soil. This regionof intensive agriculture is also famousfor its fruit crops.

Amrutbhai Dayaljibhai Patel, Dist:Valsad, Comm: Shila B Patel

a day till animal gets relief. ‘Kidamari’is a small shrub which grows wild incommon lands. Its name is in itselfindicative of its toxic nature (‘kida’means worm or insect and ‘mari’ meanskiller). Farmers use the plant forcontrolling various field and storageinsect pests. It is found commonly inthe dry regions of Surendranagar andBhavnagar districts of Saurashtra. Thefarmers believe that the bitter taste ofleaf juice is responsible for killing thepathogens. Most of the people knowabout this property of the plant. However,its use varies from region to region. (Alsosee many practices for this purpose inprevious issues of HB.)

Satabhai Sangrambhai Sambad, Dist:Bhavnagar, Comm: Ratnabhai SMakwana

Veterinary and Animal Husbandry

Foot and Mouth Disease in Cattle

It is common bovine disease prevalentmostly during the monsoon. If infectionis limited to feet only, animal becomeslame. However, it is more common forthe animal to get infected in both mouthand hooves. Such an animal also stopseating. Milch animal reduces its milkoutput by 60 to 70 per cent. And if itcontinues for about 10 to 12 days, it isdifficult to regain its milk production.Small farmers and landless labour whokeep only two or three milking animalsas source of income get affected severely.

The juice of the leaves of ‘kidamari’(Aristolochia braeteolata) is used to curethis disease. It is applied on the infectedhooves. This treatment is followed twice

‘kidamari’

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In Ratnagiri district, it is a common practice among cattle owners to force theircattle and buffaloes to enter into rivers. They make fish to pick their ecto para-sites. The findings are : (1) In order to maximize exposure of the skin or coat ofthe animal harbouring the ecto parasites, it must be scrubbed with dry grass,while in the dip. (2) Larger and exposed parasites particularly the soft ticks areconsumed first by the fish. (3) Tiny ticks and ones hidden deep in the coat areusually left behind. Probably they are difficult to get at and pick. (4) The localnames of the fish most commonly involved are ‘pitlandi’, ‘malya’, ‘dokaru’ and‘khavlya’ (Puntius sarana). (5) These fish are also eaten by the villagers.

The practice is seasonal and adopted only from November to April. It is verycommon in Shivne and Velamb villages in the Guhagar taluka and Nirval,Malghar, and Bhom taluka all in Ratnagiri district. (Please keep up your curiosity,Dr Rawte. Please encourage your other friends also to write. :Ed).

Diarrhoea

Cows, goats and buffaloes are theanimals most prone to suffer fromdiarrhoea. The infection occurs morefrequently during winter and monsoon.As it is not possible to control the diseaseimmediately the suffering animal tendsto lose weight and this affects itsproductivity. Given here are somemethods of diarrhoea control.

‘Kangasi’

About four seeds of ‘kangasi’(Caesalpinia bonducella) are powderedand mixed with one cup water. Thisdecoction is given to affected animalthree to four times a day. For a younganimal, the dose is reduced to half. Thistreatment is continued for four to sixdays. About 20 per cent of people invillages use this method. The ‘kangasi’plant grows to a height of three or fourmetres. It bears tiny thorns on stem andtwigs. Its leaves are arranged in bunchesof eight or 10. The seeds are also coveredby a shell like structure with tiny thorns.It grows abundantly on hedges in middleGujarat.

Ratansingh Tejsingh Ad, Dist:Panchmahal, Comm: Suresh P Bhabhor

‘Dhatura’

Three or four leaves of ‘dhatura’ (Daturaspp) are crushed and mixed with pearlmillet flour. ‘Chapati’ - unleavenednative bread - is prepared from it is fedto the animal for two days in the morningand evening. The ‘dhatura’ is 60-90 cmhigh plant. Its flowers may be white,whitish pink or violet. Among these, thewhite flower bearing plant is very rareand is held sacred and used to venerateGod. Its fruit has a neurotoxic effect.The plant is perennial and grows in theplains as well as hilly regions. Almostevery other farmer is aware of this useof the plant.

Othabhai Bhabhabhai Kamalia, Dist:Bhavnagar, Comm: Bhupat V Dangar

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A Feast for Fish: Cattle Get Better!Dr H T Rawte1

1. Asst Director,DRDA, A/4, Govt officers Colony, 444, Sadar Bazar, Satara- 415001, Maharashtra

‘Nagod’

To control diarrhoea, approximately 200-250 g of leaves of ‘nagod’ (Vitexnegundo) are fed to the animal withnormal feeds for two or three days. ShriSukhabhai, an illiterate farmer of avillage, Dholar, learnt about this practicefrom his father. He has only two acresof land and grows mainly paddy,sugarcane, mango, sapota etc.

Though the plant of ‘nagod’ (Vitexnegundo) grows as wild shrub in hedgesin this region, only a few people fromthe 5000 strong village know about thisuse. The ‘nagod’plant bears small whiteflowers throughout the year.

Sukhabhai Jeevanbhai Bhimsen, Dist:Valsad, Comm: Ramesh Bhimsen

Ectoparasites

Ticks, ‘zoaa’ and ‘bagai’ are verycommon ectoparasites of cattle in southGujarat. Farmers mix ‘karanj’s(Pongamia spp) oil, salt and powderedcamphor in equal quantities and smearit on the body surface to kill ticks; it isalso believed to prevent furtherinfestations. This treatment offers greatrelief to the animal which otherwisebecomes exceedingly restless because ofthe irritation caused by the ectoparasites.Small calves are also very susceptible totick infestations. People administer thistreatment in the night so that the animalor its herd mates do not lick away theapplication. Many people are familiarwith this practice.

Thakorbhai Mohanbhai Patel, Dist:Valsad, Comm: Shila B Patel


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you could send me a copy. I will hang itpermanently in my shop (She hasrecently started a shop of organicagricultural products. : Ed.) and also useit for consumer awareness campaign. Asyou suggested, awareness campaign willbe targeted to the school children. I couldprobably arrange some exhibitions ineach school using charts and posters andwill organize (Biodiversity) competitionlater.

(We have already sent you the chart broughtout by New York coalition Against Pesticides(NYCAP) and hope to hear about the latestprogress of your venture. :Ed)

Knowledge on the Hilltop

Dr Mahesh ChanderIndian Veterinary Reasearch Institute,

Mukteswar (Kumaon) - 263 138, UP.

This place being a remote locality at thealtitude of over 7000 feet, is not muchinfluenced by modern agriculturalpractices. The farmers of this area stilldepend on traditional crop & livestockrearing practices. As such, I see a vastpotential of compiling and studying theIndigenous Knowledge and conventionalwisdom of farmers. Here, farmers treattheir animals through locally availableplants, roots and also through ‘Mantras’ailments like Paralysis & Indigestion. Itwould be our pleasure to compileIndigenous practices prevalent in therural areas of Kumaon Hills, if you couldprovide some support.

(We will be more than happy to support thisdocumentation provided we can ensure that(a) This knowledge is shared back with thepeople of Kumaon hills in their language,(b) providers of knowledge are acknowledgedin any document that emerges from such anexercise and (c) we ensure that people havea share in the value addition or possiblepatents. Please let us have concrete proposalfor possible collaboration. Also please note

� Persuasive Practices : Diffid-ent Scientist

Dr R N PandeyCollege of AgricutureGujarat University

S K Nagar - 380 056

I found HB as a source of innovativepractices of farmers, full of wisdom andinteractions. The practices are verymuch thought provoking and needscientific experimentation/explanation.I desire that the concerned scientists ofour University should take-up the(analysis of) practices and give theirexplanation. If necessary these practicescan be modified for possible valueaddition..

(We await, Dr Pandey, the outcome of yourefforts!: Ed)

Subscription for RetiredPeople!

E P KannanL-26 KHB BuildingsII Stage, Kuvempu NagarMysore - 570 023

I am retired person and owing to healthproblems restricting all my activities.There is no mention of the subscriptionapplicable for retired persons in thenewsletter.

(Dear Shri Kannanji, you may pay what youcan afford. May be you can send uscommentaries on local practices and yourown insights about traditional as well ascontemporary ecological knowledge system.:Ed)

Punjabi Version: But when?

Capt.Gulshan Chandha2 Jakrif (Bodyguard)

C/O 56 APO

I am an army officer. I have been inarmy for last 4 years. I have been

working with volags community inHimachal Pradesh, from my studentdays.

I was working as a Volunteer withnumerous agencies but career prospectsled me towards Army. But still I amworking with volags some 70 days (ongruel) per annum. I would like totranslate HB in Pahari dialects. It willtake me about 8-10 months to bringout the first issue.

(We have not heard from you CaptGulshan, for quite some time. Please stayin touch. : Ed)

Nigerian Connection!

W Akin HassanDept. of Animal ScienceUsmanu Dnfodiyo UniversityP M B 2346Sokoto-Nigeria

I read about the Honey Bee in the ODInewsletter. Please add my name to themailing list of Honey Bee. When I seethe format I shall determine what formmy contribution will take.

(Dear Akin, we are posting you a note onBiodiversity Contests which was publishedin one of our previous issues. Please dotake the initiative in organizing such contestamong children and adults in your area.SRISTI and Honey Bee will be happy tosponsor prizes. We also await youcontribution on indigenous animalhusbandry practices. : Ed.)

Consumer Awareness on ToxicPesticides:

Ms Malathi Ram15/191 Sornam Cottage,Naidupuram, Kodaikanal - 624 001

When we met in Madurai you told meabout a chart which shows the effect ofpesticides on different parts of humanbody. I would very much appreciate, if

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that there has to be an element ofvolunteerism in such endeavour. : Ed.)

Can Honey Bee reach Ifugoas?

Dr Emmanuel M LlevaERMP-DAP ISCAF, Lamut, Ifugao,Philippines

I had the happy opportunity or readingmost interesting article about HB in FTPNewsletter. The issues you raisedregarding indigenous technicalknowledge (ITK) are indeed veryimportant and it is fortunate that youhave done a significant stride in thisregard.

At present I work with an indigenouspeople in northern Philippines - theIfugaos who have given us the BanaueRice Terraces. The project which iscalled the Environment and ResourceManagement Project - DevelopmentAction Program (ERMP-DAP) iscurrently conducting several studiesincluding indigenous farming systemsand forest utilization. It hopes to comeup with strategies / schemes whichwould empower the community tomanage their resources in a sustainablebasis. It is hoped that the lessons learnedfrom this research activity would serveas springboards for successfulcommunity based projects.

(Please do share some of the findings withthe readers of HB. Is it possible to have awritten (if Ifugaos have a written script) ororal (through cassettes) version of HB inlocal language for sharing with Ifugaoswhat we learned from them & of courseothers. Please think about it and writesoon. : Ed.)

Dissemination ThroughPopular Magazine

R S NarayananC.P.W.D QuartersIndira Nagar, AdayarMadras 600 020

I am a Tamil writer concerned aboutBiodiversity and Sustainability. Iwant to write about you in a popularTamil monthly “Kalai Magal” aboutyour work.

Whenever I get an opportunity to visita village in future, I have decided tocollect information on local knowledgeand forward to you.

(Narayanan, We are delighted to know thatyou would like to write about Honey Bee butplease do not write about any one person,including me. It is a pity that individualsget more attention than ideas andinstitutions. : Ed.)

Honey Bee Echoes !

Jeffrey A McNeelyThe World Conservation UnionAvenue du Mont-BlancCH-1196 GlandSwitzerland

I was particularly struck by the title ofyour newsletter because of an article Irecently had published on the sametheme.

(Thanks Jeff, I had heard about it from somefriends. Perhaps, Honey Bee has struck achord in many hearts. : Ed.)

Indigenous Hydrology and Bio-indication

Dr E A V PrasadDepartment of GeologySri Venkateswara University

Tirupati 517 502

Our country badly needs publicationslike HB. After working for 20 years onIndian hydrology based on BrihatSamhita and Ayurveda, now I amdeeply involved in the studies onEarthquake characteristics andprediction based on Varahamihira’sBrihat Samhita. In recent years seismic

activity in western India has beenincreasing; and modern seismology doesnot have the required solution. I amheavily depending on astrologicalaspects coupled with moderndevelopments to tackle this problem.Here again the bioindicators as inground water exploration play a vitalrole to help the society.

(Dr Prasad, we appreciate your life longcommitment & contribution to this field. Wehave received some of your research papersand will review them in future issues. Pleasekeep writing. :Ed)

Gather Age-Old Practices...

Dr P NarayananswamyAnnamalai UniversityAnnamalai NagarTamil Nadu 608 002

I intend to gather details from rural andtribal areas of Tamil Nadu of age-oldpractices of pest control so as torevitalize them.

(Please do send us contributionsfor possible publications, Dr Narayana-swamy. : Ed.)

Elaborate Pro-GATTArguments!

Dr K AashaAgricultural OfficerKollengode 678 506

The fertilizer/pesticide depots are nowfull of new products labelled ‘organic’and ‘natural’ . Although I am forencouraging the use of these in place ofchemical one, I also have somereservations. Will it not leading intoanother kind of exploitation in the nameof ‘Ecology’ and ‘Nature’. That is whyI was perplexed to read the debate. Youargue “...that patent regimes will reversethe balance of power...” In fact at afarmers’ gathering, I was telling themabout how ‘neem’ will be going out oftheir natural habitats to factorycourtyards. Just as Mr Winin sayscommercialization would make itunavailable to Indians - that’s exactlythe way I feel! But then do you reallythink that “commercialization couldcement indigenous knowledge?”

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I request you to elaborate on pro GATTarguments in the forthcoming issues ofHB to clear the kind of confusion I andother like me ( I hope so!) have. As yousaid “any alliance protecting long terminterests of the poor farmer is acceptableto us also - but is GATT going to do that?

(Issue is not whether GATT / WTO will dothat. The issue is will the governments ofThird World enact laws that will help makethis goal a reality. We can’t pass onresponsibility of our institutions on toothers. As regards commercialization andconservation, much depends upon the natureof pricing, protocol of sharing the benefitsand use of the surplus so generated. Thereis no reason to assume that without marketincentives, the resources will necessarily beconserved. For the poor, their knowledgebased on local resources has to become away of earning decent livelihood. How willit happen if they do not have to depend uponthe charities of some benevolent NGOs,and ‘demeaning’ aid from the indifferentstate. : Ed)

Neem spurs innovation again!

Ms S BindoffA BosselmannP O 195, SK LuicaQ/a 4067, West Indies

Axel was verypleased at the twocopies he received;could you send Vol5 (No.1 & 2) againas well as theforthcoming issuesplease?

You may find enclosed copy of Echo ofinterest. The neem soak; throw dry ripeneem seed - viable of green and fullinside the shell into a drum full of water- put a bag on top and leave for a week,then use as spray, top up with water andadd seed over 6 to 8 weeks. Spray twiceas often if no initial results and use anew dry lot of seed after 2 monthgermination; put seed on hard surfacein the sun, with a wet cover on top e.g.jute bag - keep moist at all times; seedwill sprout and form root mats if manyare close together, remove seedlings ifneeded.

While Axel invented the first processhimself, the second one has been usedby Philippine and Kerala farmers for ricebut not on other seed. Both methodswere used by nursery workers in theZambia, West Africa.

(Many thanks for this input: Convey ourgreetings to Axel and we hope to hear fromyou both from time to time. :Ed)

People-to-PeoplesCommunication

Shri Subbiah ArunachalamCentral Elecrochemical Research InstituteKaraikudi 623 006Tamil Nadu

The concept of people-to-peoplescommunication is very important andrelevant to traditional societies anddeveloping countries. I am likely to bea speaker at the InternationalConference on “Barriers toCommunication/Information Flow”. Iwill like to talk about how innovativeprogrammes like HB can help overcomecommunication barriers.

(Please do let us know more about yourreactions to similar efforts worldwide. :Ed)

How should scientists commenton farmers’ knowledge?

Vaidya R M NanalAnand BhawanMogul LaneMahim, Bombay - 400 016Maharashtra

I have read the comments of agriculturescientists regarding various traditionalpractices. But I feel they should notcomment on the practices that they arenot acquainted with. These commentshold no value and even soundridiculous. One example is from HB Vol4(1) Jan. 1993, p:16, 4777 aboutincreasing milk production... to thisTCL (Technical Committee on Livestock) has written “pods of ... may begood source of energy and proteins; nowork has been done on this but there isno harm in feeding”. Do you think thatthe reply is appropriate? Is it not

ridiculous? If you need my opinion onsuch agriculture problems, I will do mybest. I think you may be more interestedin topics such as, goats, cows, buffaloes,elephants, donkeys and camels etc,disease of plants. I am no expert on theabove, but my efforts would be morereliable; they may be coloured bypractices of ayurveda and otherscriptures.

(Vaidya Nanalji we have failed inpursuading scholars like you to send us theircomments and contributions. But we havenot given up. : Ed.)

A Letter from Tamil Farmer:Farmer to Farmer diffusion

K C GopalNariyoothu ThettamAllapalayam P.O.Coimbatore 638 653Tamil Nadu

I read in the Tamil version of Honeybeeabout how to control whitefly usingjaggery. I tried it out when my cottonfield was infested with whiteflies duringmonsoon,1993 and found it effective. Iused one kg of jaggery for every 10 to12 litres of water and spread it over thecrop using a hand sprayer. Thisapplication has to be used only once; notmore.

Bitter Leaf Heals Wounds inNigeria

Gani AdebiyiBeekeeping and RuralDevelopment Training InstituteGPO Box 16998, IbadanNigeria.

I was delighted to read about HB fromFTP newsletter. I commend your effortin bringing out such initiatives. I knowthere are many innovative practices withfarmers in our region too. For instancethe juice of a bitter leaf is applied on thewound and same leaf is covered on thewound surface and tied over it. It curesthe wound. I will send such innovationsto you, once I hear from you.

(We hope Gani, that you will write regularlyfor HB. We eagerly await your contri-butions about local innovation. :Ed)

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Innovations in Primary Education

We have realized over last few years thatregions which were ecologically andeconomically disadvantaged were alsoeducationally disadvantaged. Regionsrich in biodiversity have most poorpeople and highest drop out rate amongschool children, particularly amonggirls. We felt that any scheme ofcompensating, communities andindividuals for conservation, creativityand innovation in these regions wouldbecome meaningless if the children ofthese knowledgeable people continue todrop out from the educational system.As a part of a working group onuniversalization of primary educationset up by Gujarat Government, Ravi JMatthai Centre for EducationalInnovation at IIMA was requested tolook at managerial issues in achievingthe goals of UPE. In the process, werealized that unless we learn from thoseprimary school teachers who hadperformed outstandingly through theirlocal innovations despite all theconstraints, we would not be able toachieve any breakthrough. Accordingly,a study supported by UNICEF wasrecently completed by Mr.Vijaya SherryChand and Mr.Shailesh Shukla onTeachers as Transformers: Innovationsin Primary Education. SRISTI (Societyfor Research and Initiatives forSustainable Technologies andInstitutions) supported the workshop ofthese teachers so that they could thinkabout further action researchpossibilities for achieving the UPE goalsin disadvantaged regions. A workshopwas organized on March 8-9, 1995 anda report of the same is available fromSRISTI both in video format (inGujarati) and in written form. Amongvarious ideas, some of the teachersoffered to set up an educationalfoundation supported by SRISTI,Department of Education and Teachers’

Federation to attempt various innovativeways of addressing the problem of dropout in high risk environments.

There is also a suggestion that anewsletter on educational innovation inprimary education similar to Honey Beeshould be brought out.

Teaching of Entrepreneurship

As a part of a study on pedagogic andcurricular reform in rural Vidyapiths byShri. Vijaya Sherry Chand, it wasbrought out that one of the major needsof the future is developingentrepreneurial spirit among thegraduates of these institutions. It wasobvious that before students could betaught, the teachers had to be sensitized.Accordingly, a workshop was organizedby SRISTI on the subject in SabarVidyapith, Sonasan, Gujarat on March21, 1995. One of the long termimplications of such an effort is that ifvarious sustainable technologies beingdocumented by Honey Bee network haveto be converted into commercializableproducts in a decentralized manner, thenthere will be a need of entrepreneurswilling to bridge the gap betweeninnovation and enterprise.

Can Development BureaucracyLearn From People?

A workshop of district ruraldevelopment officials for scouting andspawning innovations was organized onSeptember 13, 1994. The purpose wasto share with them the Honey Beedatabase on grass roots innovations andencourage them to think of various waysby which they can make theseinnovations the basis of future ruraldevelopment programmes and projects.They also discussed various ways bywhich these innovations can be scoutedand supported in different regions. Astate-wide competition was organized

among the functionaries for thispurpose. We will be publishing the prizewinning entries in the next issue.

Conserving Germ Plasm

A meeting of the top breeders of differentcrops from Gujarat AgriculturalUniversity was organized on February4, 1994 at IIMA. The issue was howshould the scientists acknowledge thecontribution of local communities andindividual farmers from whom thenative germ plasm had been collectedin past and may be collected in future.Most official gene banks do not have anyrecord of the provider, his/her selectioncriteria, socio-cultural aspects of thecultivation, use or storage of the grainsor other agricultural products. Undersuch circumstances, how shall we fulfillour responsibility towards theconservator of biodiversity. Anotherissue discussed in the meeting was aboutthe incentive for in-situ conservation ofcrop biodiversity. SRISTI has alsooffered to help in computerising theinformation about native germ plasmand make it accessible to the farmerconservators. We will appreciatehearing about it from other Universities,research institutions and farmersorganisations.

Monitoring Micro EnvironmentalIndicators

A meeting of soil microbiologists, bio-chemists, pathologists and other relatedscientists from GAU, National Instituteof Occupational Health, ConsumerEducation Research Centre, GSFC etc.,was organized on February 4, 1994 todiscuss an action plan for sampling soilsfrom all over Gujarat state. The purposewas to find out the extent of pesticideresidues and their effect on soilmicrobial diversity. It was also hoped

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Ayurvedic Principles ofFood and Nutrition: PartI, by Vaidya M Radhikaand A V Bala-

subramanian, LPSS Monograph No.2,Madras, 1990

An all India network of peoples’ healthtradition has been working for last sev-eral years to document folk traditionsof local health care in tribal and as wellas other areas and analyse their effec-tiveness in the contemporary context.This movement has produced largenumber of monographs on traditionalknowledge and its place in modern life.

The book has nine chapters dealing withthe basic principles of digestion and thefundamentals of Dravyaguna andPanchamahabhoothas. The formerdeals with the attributes and qualitiesof different ingredients and the latterrefers to the five basic materials under-lying the universe and the living body.These include earth, sky, wind, fire andwater. The implications of various prin-ciples for composition of diet and its ef-fect on human body and even the spiritare discussed in the context of seasonalvariations and individual physiologicaltendencies. It is an extremely compre-hensive introductory text for any personwho would like to initiate into an ageold system of holistic nutrition and food.In addition, there is a special chapteron the effect of specific substances in thefood. For instance, in many parts of thecountry there is a practice of storingwater in the copper vessel. Studies haveshown that storage of even contaminatedwater in copper vessel for four to sixhours made it free from feacal contami-nation. Compared to aluminum, stain-less steel and glass, only copper and sil-ver showed these properties. Similarly,the importance of honey which is awidely used ingredient of manyayurvedic drugs is also discussed. It is

not without reason that in many cultureshoney is the first food given to an infantchild. Since everything cannot be takentogether, there is a chapter devoted tothe discussion of eighteen factors re-sponsible for incompatibility in food.For instance, variability in place, time,power of digestion, dosage, habit, order,combination, method of cooking, etc.,can make all the difference to the nutri-tional property of a particular food mix.For instance, fish and milk cannot becombined, just as butter and honey inequal proportion are harmful, but in adifferent proportion may be acceptable.Similarly, the order in which food withdifferent tastes is consumed can makedifference to the digestion. One couldbegin with sweet followed by acidic,salty, and then with astringent. Simi-larly, if the food is spicy, it should endwith a sweet item. The fruits should betaken before the food except plantainsand cucumber. In conclusion, one canargue that this book will make usefulreading for those who want to have syn-ergy between what they think, do, eatand reflect. The book can be obtainedfrom PPST Foundation, Post Box No2085, Adayar, Madras 600 020 (at thecost of Rs.30/- or just 1 USD) with sepa-rate postal charges.

Genes For Sale:Privatization as a Conser-vation Policy by JosephHenry Vogel; Oxford Uni-

versity Press, New York, 1994

Recently when North Americans werecelebrating 500 years of “Discovery” byColumbus, a very large number of LatinAmerican Indians were protestingagainst this celebration. To them thisevent signified 500 years of exploitation.Vogel argues that one way the historicalwrongs can be corrected is by recogniz-ing the property rights of native peopleover rich genetic resource of the biologi-

cal diversity that they have conservedso long. And not just that but rights overthe genetic information in their own bod-ies also. Since property rights are sel-dom properly delineated, the book ar-gues that specifying these rights will ad-vance the interest of conservation. Thushe argues, “where it is determined thatthe government owns the land, the pro-posal will advocate a redistribution ofpublic lands to private individuals whowill enjoy title to genetic information.Where it is determined that indigenouspeople own the land, the proposal willimply a windfall gain to these peoplesgiven their low population densities”.

The central argument of the book is that“creation of property rights over geneticinformation can make habitat preserva-tion compete with alternative land uses.Conservation will be chosen wheneverthe royalties paid are greater than thebenefits of other land uses. In such cases,the managers of habitats will become theresidual claimants, then they will haveincentives to conserve”.

Vogel makes some radical suggestionsabout how the southerners should arguefor a change in the policies of northerncountries so that they recognize theproperty rights of southern countriesover their genetic information. In factConvention on Biological Diversity(CBD) acknowledged the national sov-ereignty over genetic resources but someexperts have disputed that this was sameas property rights. Vogel has made someinteresting suggestions about how policyof privatization can be operationalisedin favour of what he calls ‘genesteaders‘ie., managers of genetic resources inpublic or private lands.

In the light of various provisions ofCBD, many suggestions contained inthis book will need reworking. But insome sense the book makes a strong case

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for what many third world scholars havebeen arguing for some time that the userglobal companies must honour the prop-erty rights of those who conservebiodiversity. However, what Vogel hasnot discussed is the issue of legislationwithin developing countries. Unless de-veloping countries enact laws which re-quire prior informed consent and equi-table sharing of benefits, the same can-not be implemented. The book also doesnot deal with the possibility of such leg-islative changes in the developed worldwhich would make it obligatory for anycompany licensing plant based productsto reveal whether the idea, informationand raw material were collected not justlawfully but also rightfully. Thus, evenif developing countries do not have laws,providing genestead rights to the people,the users of the biodiversity should beexpected to negotiate with the legitimaterepresentatives of the people. Readersmay also like to see the ethical guide-lines developed by Pew ConservationScholars published in the previous is-sue of Honey Bee.

On the whole, the book is an excellentaddition to the discussion of the subjectand deals with various ways in whichcollaborative solution can be developedto the problem of conservation by com-bining western capital and southernbiodiversity. The title of the book maymislead some of the readers to assumethat the book advocates a conservativeagenda. On the contrary, there are manyradical suggestions about the rights ofpeople articulated in the book.

Newsletter

Abya Yala News

Journal of the South andMeso American Indian InformationCenter (SAIIC); P.O. Box 28703,Oakland, CA 94604, USA.

This is an expanded and upgradedversion of previous newsletter of SAIICwhich aimed at linking the people of theAmericas. For every student of peasantresistance in Latin America and other

parts of the world, this is a compulsoryreading. I am reviewing some of theissues of last four issues to give an ideaas to how this newsletter has beenserving its cause in a very effective andeloquent manner. In December 1990, itdealt with the efforts to counter thecelebration of 500 years of EuropeanConquest of Latin America. SAIICasked for an alliance to counter theinjustice that continued for the last 500years. They rightly argued that one couldnot celebrate the exploitation andextraction. Four hundered Indian peoplerepresenting 120 nations, tribes andorganizations met in Quito, Ecuador in1990 to discuss the struggle for selfdetermination and strategies for a unifiedresponse to the 1992 celebrations.

The people separated because of varioushistorical reasons into different politicalboundaries have been trying to developlinks to re-establish their commonidentity. An account of such a meetingafter 100 years without any officialgathering of Mapuche Nation wasdescribed in Fall issue of 1992. Lonkoand Mahi Werken (Traditonal leaders)from Chilli met with counter parts LonkoPinllancute from Urgentina.

In the first two issues of 1993, setting upof Latin American Fund for indigenouspeople was discussed along with acriticism of the human genome projectwhich could put indigenous people atrisk. The Fall 1994 issue with dealswith among other things the biodiversityconvention and its implication for theparticipation of indigenous people.

The newsletter has less of beautifulgraphics that it had before but itcontinues to be a very forthright andstrong voice of oppressed people of LatinAmerica. Honey Bee looks forward tohaving a continuous exchange andfraternal collegial interactions with AbyaYala News. We recommend thisnewsletter price at USD 4.00 per copy toevery scholar, activist and policy makerwho believes in participative, fair andjust system of development.

that these tests will help ingenerating a protocol for certifyingorganic farms in due course. Thescientists are extremely positive aboutthis initiative and we will keep thereaders informed about furtherprogress. We also look forward tohear about similar initiativeselsewhere.

II congress on TraditionalSciences and Technologies ofIndia, Dec 27-Jan 1, 1995-96

PPST Foundation, Madras and AnnaUniversity are organising secondcongress after the first one wasorganised at IIT Bombay in end of1993. The conference is focussingattention on several issue ofcontemporary importance such asrole and significance of traditionaltechnologies in the wake of economicliberalization going on in thecountry. How shall revitalization oftraditional technologies be attemptedso that the local communities are notalienated from this very knowledgebase. How should one ensure that theIPRs of communities and individualsin this regard are protected. Thoseinterested can contact the organisersat : Traditional S&T Congress Sectt.,Students' Centre (I Floor) AnnaUniversity, Madras 600 025.

Contest for Scouting EcologicalIndicators

A country wide contest on ScoutingIndicators of ecological change andlocal innovations has been launchedby SRISTI. The purpose is to buildupon local knowledge about thissubject so that decentralised systemof monitoring ecological changescan be put in place. To some extentsuch a monitoring is already beingdone by some of the ecologicalmovements.

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Documents

˘ ˇ - SRISTI1)HBJAN-MAR95.pdf · Riya Sinha Rupa Shilke Shailja Kishore ... in Latin America. In Zacate Blanco, Intibuca; ... Arabic word which means dwellers of the