June 2016 volume 18 no.2 LEIS INDIA · LEISA INDIA JUNE 2016 2 A June 2016 Volume 18 no. 2 INDI LEIS Dear Readers LEISA India is published quarterly by AME Foundation in collaboration

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Valuing underutilised crops

Magazine on Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture INDILEISA

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AJune 2016 Volume 18 no. 2

INDILEIS Dear Readers

LEISA India is published quarterly by AME Foundationin collaboration with ILEIAAddress : AME FoundationNo. 204, 100 Feet Ring Road, 3rd Phase,Banashankari 2nd Block, 3rd Stage,Bangalore - 560 085, IndiaTel: +91-080- 2669 9512, +91-080- 2669 9522Fax: +91-080- 2669 9410E-mail: [email protected]

LEISA IndiaChief Editor : K.V.S. PrasadManaging Editor : T.M. Radha

EDITORIAL TEAMThis issue has been compiled by T.M. Radhaand K.V.S. Prasad

ADMINISTRATIONG.G. Rukmini

SUBSCRIPTIONSContact: G.G. Rukmini

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COVER PHOTOKolar farmers are back to millet cultivation to beat theclimate aberrations.(Photo: S Jayaraj for AME Foundation)

The AgriCultures NetworkLEISA India is a member of the global AgriculturesNetwork. Seven organisations that provide informationon small-scale, sustainable agriculture worldwide,and that publish:Farming Matters (in English)LEISA revista de agroecología (Latin America)LEISA India (in English, Kannada, Tamil, Hindi,Telugu, Oriya, Marathi and Punjabi)AGRIDAPE (West Africa, in French)Agriculturas Experiências em Agroecologia (Brazil).

The editors have taken every care to ensurethat the contents of this magazine are as accurate aspossible. The authors have ultimate responsibility,however, for the content of individual articles.The editors encourage readers to photocopyand circulate magazine articles.www.leisaindia.org

Board of TrusteesSri. Chiranjiv Singh, IAS - Chairman; Dr. Vithal Rajan - Member; Sri. B.K. Shiva Ram - Treasurer; Dr. M. Mahadevappa - Member; Dr. N.G. Hegde - Member;Dr. T.M. Thiyagarajan - Member; Prof. V. Veerabhadraiah - Member; Dr. A. Rajanna - Member; Dr. Venkatesh Tagat - Member; Dr. Smita Premchander - Member

MISEREOR founded in 1958 is the German Catholic Bishops’ Organisation for DevelopmentCooperation. For over 50 years MISEREOR has been committed to fighting poverty in Africa, Asiaand Latin America. MISEREOR’s support is available to any human being in need – regardless oftheir religion, ethnicity or gender. MISEREOR believes in supporting initiatives driven and owned bythe poor and the disadvantaged. It prefers to work in partnership with its local partners. Togetherwith the beneficiaries, the partners involved help shape local development processes and implementthe projects. This is how MISEREOR, together with its partners, responds to constantly changingchallenges. (www.misereor.de; www.misereor.org)

AME Foundation promotes sustainable livelihoods through combining indigenous knowledge and innovative technologies for Low-External-Input natural resourcemanagement. Towards this objective, AME Foundation works with small and marginal farmers in the Deccan Plateau region by generating farming alternatives,enriching the knowledge base, training, linking development agencies and sharing experience.

AMEF is working closely with interested groups of farmers in clusters of villages, to enable them to generate and adopt alternative farming practices. Theselocations with enhanced visibility are utilised as learning situations for practitioners and promoters of eco-farming systems, which includes NGOs and NGOnetworks. www.amefound.org

LEISA is about Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture. It is about the technical and socialoptions open to farmers who seek to improve productivity and income in an ecologically sound way.LEISA is about the optimal use of local resources and natural processes and, if necessary, the safeand efficient use of external inputs. It is about the empowerment of male and female farmers andthe communities who seek to build their future on the bases of their own knowledge, skills, values,culture and institutions. LEISA is also about participatory methodologies to strengthen the capacityof farmers and other actors, to improve agriculture and adapt it to changing needs and conditions.LEISA seeks to combine indigenous and scientific knowledge and to influence policy formulation tocreate a conducive environment for its further development. LEISA is a concept, an approach and apolitical message.

ILEIA – the centre for learning on sustainable agriculture is a member of AgriCultures Networkwhich shares knowledge and provides information on small-scale family farming and agroecology.(www.theagriculturesnetwork.org). The network , with members from all over the world - Brazil,China, India, the Netherlands, Peru and Senegal, produces six regional magazines and one globalmagazine. In addition, is involved in various processes to promote family farming and agroecology.The ILEIA office in The Netherlands functions as the secretariat of the network.

It is heartening to know that there is increasing recognition worldwide for family farming andnutritional crops like pulses and millets (UN declarations such as International Year of FamilyFarming -2014; International Year of Pulses -2016). However, it is deeply disturbing with countryfacing unprecedented heat waves, droughts and farmer’s miseries.Diversity is the key for coping with climate change, for sustaining livelihoods and planet ecology.There is lot more to be understood about cultures, their options and resilience. This issuefocusing on the theme of valuing underutilised crops brings out the role of local food crops,particularly in addressing the issues of food security and climate change. Thanks to enthusiasticpractitioners for sharing their experiences. LEISA India has been always focusing on sharingalternatives. We remain indebted to all those who have been sharing positive experiences andcreating a hope for a better future.We are thankful to all those who have been contributing voluntarily for the printed copy. Welook forward to many joining them as well as share their rich experiences for the benefit of all.

The Editors

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7 Pulse PanchayatAchieving self sufficiency in pulse productionR S Shanthakumar Hopper and K ThachinamurthyPulse panchayat is an integratedapproach in establishing asustainable production, valueaddition and marketing system.The initiative implemented by aFarmer Producer Company inTamil Nadu, is moving towardsachieving self sufficiency in pulseproduction.

Uncultivated food – the hidden treasureAnshuman DasThe share of uncultivated foodfrom the forest has graduallydeclined in the diets of Pahariatribes in Jharkhand. Initiatives likeconservation, preservation,processing of uncultivated foodshas helped them regain theirposition and enhance the dietarydiversity of the communities, also addressing the issues of hungerand malnutrition.

Yam on terrace wallsBhawana Ghimire, Rajeev Dhakal, Roshan Pudasaini, RachanaDevkota and Pashupati ChaudharyYam has various nutritionalbenefits, yet the crop remainsneglected and underutilized. In theabsence of national research andextension programmes on yam,LIBIRD’s initiative to promotegrowing yam on terrace walls hascaught up with the Chepangcommunities in Nepal.

Past for the presentPrakriti Mukerjee, Ajay Rastogi and Reetu SoganiRevival of agro biodiversity thatcharacterizes traditional agricultureis crucial for addressing food andnutrition security. Bringing backmillets, pulses, coarse cereals etc.into the cropping systems can helpfill the nutritional gap that is everwidening in the present ruralcommunities.

CONTENTSVol. 18 no. 2, June 2016

Including Selections from International Edition

4 Editorial

7 Pulse PanchayatAchieving self sufficiency in pulse productionR S Shanthakumar Hopper and K Thachinamurthy

11 Uncultivated foodsThe hidden treasureAnushman Das

14 Climate smart cropsAbhijit Mohanty and Sumani Jhodia

18 Interview: Mariam MayetTraditional crops ... the basis of our food and farmingsystemsDiana Quiroz and Madeleine Florin

20 Enhancing crop diversity leads to farm resilienceEDI Oliver King, S Abubaker Siddick, Girigan Gopi andNat Kav

23 Yam on terrace wallsBhawana Ghimire, Rajeev Dhakal, Roshan Pudasaini,Rachana Devkota and Pashupati Chaudhary

26 Valuing un-cultivated foodsDebjeet Sarangi

28 Hidden harvestsChandrashekara U M and Reshma P K

31 New Books

32 Sources

33 Past for the presentPrakriti Mukerjee, Ajay Rastogi and Reetu Sogani

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The rapid expansion of modern agriculture has resultedin an unprecedented loss of plant genetic diversity.Dependence on just a few crops has made food

production dangerously vulnerable to crop failures. Further,climate change conditions with increasing frequency andseverity of extreme weather events, has added to thevulnerability of crop production, resulting in food insecurityand malnutrition.

According to the United Nations Food and AgricultureOrganization, 75% of the world’s food crop diversity waslost in the twentieth century as farmers abandoned localvarieties in favor of genetically uniform high-yielding crops.Although thousands of crops have been cultivated since thedawn of agriculture, twelve crops currently supply 80% ofthe world’s plant-based dietary energy. Just four crops –rice, wheat, potato, and maize – supply nearly 60% of plant-derived calories and protein.

Beyond the cultivated crops there are a number of wild orsemi domesticated species– like the tubers, minor millets,pulses, indigenous green leafy vegetables, tropical fruitsetc., which were a primary part of the diet of the poor, afew decades ago. These species are not only hardy andresilient to changing climatic conditions but are also animportant source of nutrients. On the other hand, forestfoods that are collected and not cultivated have served assafety nets during times of food shortages, since long.

The current over-reliance on a handful of major staple cropshas inherent agronomic, ecological, nutritional andeconomic risks and is unsustainable in the long run.Fortunately, this threat is being recognized and increasinglythere are initiatives to revive traditional food systems. It isbecoming clear that conserving traditional food systems isa powerful way to contribute towards saving localecosystems. This issue brings out a few of those experiences.

Dietary diversity and nutritionFood Security is often seen as the amount of energy availablefrom staple food production and currently global supply offood energy is dependent on only a small number ofcultivated species.


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In some regions surrounded by extraordinary biodiversity,people just do not depend on the cultivated crops for foodneeds. Their diets include many neglected, uncultivated andforest foods which help them overcome periods of foodinsecurity and malnutrition. They are the ones who generallylive on the edges of the forests, like the tribals and theadivasis. However, with little or no attention being paid forconserving these species, many of these varieties andspecies, along with a wealth of traditional knowledge abouttheir cultivation and use, are being lost at an alarming rate.For example, the share of uncultivated food from the foresthas gradually declined in the diets of Paharia tribes inJharkhand. Initiatives like conservation, preservation,processing of uncultivated foods have helped them regaintheir position and enhance the dietary diversity of thecommunities (Das, p.11). ‘Uncultivated’ foods are not justabout satisfying hunger, but about savouring the forests andpeople’s relationship with them. (Sarangi, p.26).

There are certain types of crop plants that are not croppedbut edible, containing high nutrients and having medicinalvalue. These crops, also called as hidden harvests, arecapable of providing essential nutrients to household diets,besides contributing to household income. One of the bestexamples for the rich diversity of edible non-crop plants isthe homegardens of Kerala. A study conducted in randomlyselected 48 homegardens of Malappuram district recordedabout 27 edible herbaceous and shrub species.(Chandrasekhara U M and Reshma P K, p. 28).

Fostering farm resilienceSeveral regions are experiencing unprecedented weatherevents caused by climate change, putting global food andnutrition, at risk. Recent climate change assessments haveidentified low levels of adaptive capacity as one of the maindrivers of farm vulnerability. Increasing environmentaldegradation suggests an urgent need for exploring novelsolutions. Tubers, pulses and millets are important for thelivelihoods and nutrition of poor farmers, especially infragile regions. Inclusion of such species in cropping systemswill enhance the biodiversity and result in improving farmresilience to environmental stress. For instance, AmaSangathan, a women federation consisting of 1200


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indigenous women, have revived tuber crops in two blocksin Odisha, by their vibrant campaigning.(Mohanty andJhodia, p.14). Farmers have started cultivating Elephant FootYam, Cassava and Sweet potato in the rainfed hilly terrainsof Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. While cassava is widelyrecognised for its ability to sustain drought by sheddingleaves, tolerate high temperature and grow well in marginalsoils, sweet potato tolerates saline conditions and canwithstand flash floods and mid-season drought.

In the context of climate change, uncultivated forest foodsare a very important community-based adaptation strategy.Besides their ecological functions such as releasing oxygen,precipitating rain, recharging groundwater, conserving fertiletopsoil, buffering against droughts and floods, forests arealso about securing food for local communities. A study byLiving Farms revealed that the dependence of communitieson forest foods ranged from 20% to 50%, depending on thecharacteristics of a village and the biodiversity compositionof the forest.(Sarangi, p. 26).

Emerging initiativesThough many of the local food crops are generally neglected,both by the research and the policy makers, civil societieshave been playing a key role in reviving the forgotten foodcrops.

Pulse Panchayat, an integrated approach promoted byMSSRF resulted in establishing a sustainable production,value addition and marketing system for pulses. Theinitiative implemented by Illuppur Agriculture ProducerCompany Limited, a Farmer Producer Company in TamilNadu, is moving towards achieving self sufficiency in pulseproduction (Hopper R S S and Thachinamurthy K, p.7). ThePulse Panchayat movement has demonstrated thatinnovative approaches with Knowledge managementenhancement, through multi-stakeholder platforms andpolicy making networks, are key to achieving self sufficiencyin pulse production.

Farmers harvesting Cassava in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu

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LIBIRD’s initiative to promote growing yam on terrace wallshas caught up with the Chepang communities in Nepal. Yamhas various nutritional benefits, yet, the crop remainsneglected. In the absence of national research and extensionprogrammes on yam, a simple technique of “cultivating yamin sacks” on the base of terrace walls, has been well receivedby the local communities. (Ghimire et.al., p.23).

Farmers preferences need to be the basis for understandingthe utility of diversity. Participatory research on cassava andelephant foot yam undertaken in Kolli Hills and Wayanadhas resulted in farmers identifying better varieties that suittheir requirements, including higher yields, higher starchcontent, enhanced drought tolerance and the ability to adaptto local conditions. Through intercropping, they have alsobeen able to cultivate a diversity of short duration food cropsalongside their main crop, boosting the nutritional contentand diversity of household diets, earning extra income andstrengthening the resilience of their farming systems againstshocks, such as drought. (EDI Oliver King et al., p. 20).Similarly, communities in the Kumaon Himalayan regionestablished a seed bank and preserved 158 crop varieties ofpaddy, millets, vegetables. (Mukerjee et al., p. 33).

Support neededThe traditional local crops have multiple benefits. Aspopulation is increasing and several nations face issues offood insecurity and malnutrition, these local crops seem tobe a possible solution. Especially in times of rapid climatechange conditions, these crops bring in farm resilience. Also,local crops reinforce cultural identity and reiterate the keyrole played by women in sustainable agriculture.

Concerted efforts are needed to revive these crops.Awareness on agronomic, ecological and nutritional benefitsand the commercial opportunities these crops offer, need tobe raised. Support in the form of research and policy willgo a long way in wide spread cultivation of these crops. TheInternational Year of Pulses -2016, declared by the UnitedNations is one step towards that end. Its time to look backto move towards a sustainable future!

References

Welthungerhilfe, Neglected and underutilized species -Potential and Importance for Sustainable Food andNutrition Security, Nr. 8 , January 2015


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Pulses with their inherent capacity to fix biologicalnitrogen and the ability to withstand weathervariability, are the solutions in reclaiming fallow lands

and improving soil fertility of degraded lands. Packed withnutrition and their ability to grow under harsh conditions,pulses are ideal for poor farmers with marginal lands.

The area and production of pulses has been witnessing asteady decline. Grown under rainfed conditions on marginallands, pulse production faces a number of constraints. Someof them include area stagnation, low productivity, lack oftimely availability of inputs, susceptibility to pests anddiseases, inefficient storage and market linkages, price

volatility, lack of crop insurance etc. The per capitaavailability of pulses in India is low at 33g/capita/day (2009-10), while the WHO recommends about 80g/capita/day. Tomeet the domestic demand the government is forced to resortto imports.

To enhance production and make pulses affordable to thecommon man, the government has been promoting improvedtechnologies and farm management practices through itsinitiatives like NFSM – Pulses in 171 districts belonging to14 states. Recently, in order to provide incentive to farmers,Government of India has announced a bonus of Rs 200 perquintal of Pulses.

M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) throughthe India Morocco Food legume Imitative (IMFLI), haspromoted Pulse Panchayats in Tamil Nadu and Odisha statesof India in fostering self sufficiency in pulse production.OCP Foundation, Morocco has initiated a programmethrough South – South Collaboration - an India MoroccoFood legume Initiative (IMFLI) involving partners in India

Pulse PanchayatAchieving self sufficiency in pulse productionR S Shanthakumar Hopper and K Thachinamurthy

Pulse panchayat is an integrated approach in establishinga sustainable production, value addition and marketingsystem. The initiative implemented by a Farmer ProducerCompany in Tamil Nadu, is moving towards achieving selfsufficiency in pulse production.

Farmers taking oath to cultivate pulses

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and Morocco. This paper explains the initiative taken up byMSSRF in Tamil Nadu.

Pulse PanchayatEdaiyapatti panchayat is located in Annavasal block ofPudukkottai district, which is one of the driest regions inTamil Nadu. 95% of the farmers are small holders. Thepanchayat has 79 open wells to provide partially assuredirrigation. The major crops grown are paddy, millets, blackgram and groundnut. Only few farmers cultivated pulses onan area of about 30 acres. Majority of the rainfed lands wereleft fallow and now brought under cultivation through bio-industrial watershed activities.

Illuppur Agriculture Producer Company Limited (IAPCL)was initiated in 2012 and registered in January 2015 toaddress the market issues for the farmers in a collectivemanner. IAPCL was established with 1000 shareholdersbelonging to 5 panchayats inclusive of Edaiyapatti panchayatfarmers. One hundred and eighty two farmers fromEdaiyapatti are now with IAPCL as institutionalised farmers.IAPCL focus is on four different value chain basedenterprises (pulses, organic vegetable, integrated dairy andpoultry) to enhance the income of farmers by promotingsustainable production, value addition and marketing.

In 2013, the entire panchayat passed the resolution to takeup pulse cultivation in a massive way, agreeing to put themaximum available land i.e. 474 acres (Gross Cropped Area)into pulse production for one season. The members hadsuccessfully demonstrated certified pulse seed productionin Rabi season.

The entire panchayat consisting of 10 villages has beendigitized using remote sensing tools and strategic plansdeveloped for pulse production. The Panchayat and theIAPCL are involved in the planning and monitoring of thepulse production. The Panchayat has provided infrastructure

facilities for the village knowledge center and the customhire of farm equipments. The technical backstopping supportis provided by the National Pulse Research Station, Vamban,Government Agriculture department, and MSSRF.

The IAPCL is promoted based on value chain analysis ofvarious crops and as a business model. All the activities arefunnelled through the IAPCL. The role of IAPCL is asfollows:

• Input supply of quality seeds, bio-fertilisers, custom hireof farm equipments etc.

• Procurement of produce, storage and marketing• Access to credit through linkages with banks• Access to knowledge empowerment through Village

Knowledge center• Facilitate processing of produce for value addition• Linkages with various stakeholders and MSSRF

Several initiatives like Intensive awareness programmes,knowledge building on pulse cultivation throughParticipatory Varietal Selection (PVS) processes, FarmerField Schools (FFS), Farmer Field days, discussionplatforms through Agriculture Producer Groups, assuredmarket option through establishing their own producercompany, possibility of getting premium price by Producercompany etc., motivated farmers in taking up the pulsecultivation. Some of them are described in detail here.

Farmer-Participatory Varietal Selection Trials(FPVST)Totally 41 participatory varietal selection trials wereconducted in this area to identify the best performing pulsevarieties in the locality. The varieties were sourced fromvarious institutions – agriculture universities, research

Table 1: Varietal selection trials 2015 -2016Pulse Crop Pulse Varieties Best Performing

Tested VarietyBlack gram Kharif - VBN 4, ADT-5, Kharif & Rabi – VBN 4

MDU -1Rabi - VBN 4, VBN-6

Green gram Kharif – Co 8, VBN 3, VRM-1 Kharif – Co8 & VBN 3Rabi VBN3 ,Co 8,VRM1, Rabi – VBN 3BGS9,ML618

Red gram Kharif – 37 acres intercrop Rabi – ICPL 88039with GnutRabi –VBN2, ICPL1124,161,20335, 88039

Groundnut Kharif – Co 7, Pollachi 1, Kharif – Co7 & VRI 2VRI 2 Rabi – VRI 2Rabi – VRI 2, K6,Co4, TMV7, GG2

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institutes and farmers. Every PVST process involved 20progressive farmers in five decisive stages of the crop.Vamban 4 & 6 and MDU 1 performed well in black gram,Vamban 3 and Co 8 performed well in green gram and CO6 and LRG 41 performed well in red gram. Farmer fielddays were held after each trial to provide an opportunity toselect the best variety based on 10 critical parameters duringfive decisive crop growth stages.

Promoting Climate Smart agriculture practicesPromotion of pulses in rice fallow cropping system hasbrought an additional area (40%) under pulses production.Demonstrations were done by including short durationvarieties of pulses as main/catch crop. This has enhancedproductivity by more than 30% compared to the traditionalvariety, with additional incomes. The varietal replacementrate of new improved cultivars has increased by 70%. Theinputs and credit support is through the IAPCL. Farmerswere capacitated in Integrated Crop Management practiceswith adoption of new improved varieties and packages ofpractices based on climate variability. By leveraging CSRfunds from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL),

Mumbai, Asia Initiatives, USA, more than 30 open wellswere rejuvenated to ensure equitable sharing of waterresources for pulse cultivation, especially in Rabi season,for quality seed production. This has reclaimed more than50 acres of fallow lands.

The farmers field school has trained them to cultivate pulseswith new climate smart agriculture technologies likeaccessing quality seeds, cultivating pest and diseaseresistance varieties, nutrient management through soil healthcards based recommendations, seed treatment, Foliar sprayof DAP (Di Ammonium Phosphate), use of pulse wonder (abooster with nutrients and growth regulators), line planting,intercropping, water management, processing etc.

The farmer’s field days has enabled farmers, scientists,project staff and government department staff to share andspread the experiences of pulse production. The yield levelsfrom various pulses were 50% more than the State and theNational average yields.

Promotion of seed system and governanceA fully functional and sustainable Pulse seed supply systemfor quality seed supply is very important. To meet thedemand of Certified/Truthful seed at farmers’ level, a PulseSeed Value Chain System was established through IAPCL.The Seed Replacement Rate (SRR) has increased to morethan 40%. About 10 tons of quality seeds were procured bythe IAPCL and stored. This will be further certified by the

The “Pulse Biopark” based on the valuechain analysis managed by the IAPCL hassignificantly enhanced the pulse cultivating

farmers share in the consumer rupee.

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government agencies. Thus, low cost innovative seedsystems and select farmers’ preferred varieties throughfarmers’ participatory varietal selection (FPVS) whichreplaced old varieties, has yielded encouraging results.

Storing seeds in innovative triple layered Purdue ImprovedCrop Storage (PICS) bags (originally designed by PurdueUniversity), was demonstrated. The loss of seed qualityowing to storage pest incidence was considerably less.Besides preserving seed quality, this method of seed storageenhanced seed viability.

The Pulse BioparkThe Pulse Biopark, based on the value chain analysis, is apilot project, implemented by the IAPCL with the technicalsupport of MSSRF and other stakeholders. A dhal mill hasbeen installed and the initial processing results areencouraging and benefiting small and marginal farmers toprocess their produce. The processed pulse is cleaned,packed, branded and sold in the open market. Documentingexisting and innovative value chains for different pulses,will enable Scaling up, Sales and Sustaining (3 S) the Pulseproduction.

Knowledge ManagementKnowledge management through Farmer Field Schools andFarmers Field Days using ICT tools were integrated throughVillage Knowledge Centres, managed by the IAPCL.Support services of custom hire of farm equipments at theright time with affordable rental charges, has enabled smallfarm holders to benefit economically. The village knowledgecentre provided timely and location specific information onclimate smart agriculture technologies, crop insurance, soilhealth care, market prices, plant and animal health careclinics, monsoon behaviour and government schemes.Phone-in programmes, voice and text messages were alsoused with more than 2000 farmers, to enhance pulseproductivity.

Conclusion

The Pulse Panchayat movement has demonstrated thatinnovative approaches with Knowledge managementenhancement, through multi-stakeholder platforms andpolicy making networks, are key to achieving self sufficiencyin pulse production. The Pulse Biopark based on the valuechain analysis managed by the IAPCL has significantlyenhanced the pulse cultivating farmers share in the consumerrupee. This has also reduced the post harvest lossessignificantly. These approaches will bridge the supply -demand gap and have significant importance in GrainLegume research and development especially in countrieswith low and middle income with high rates of

undernourishment. Breaking the yield barrier, tolerance tobiotic and abiotic stress factors and enlarging the geneticbase of pulses are challenges for discussion in theInternational Year of Pulses - 2016.

Acknowledgements

We thank the Illuppur Agriculture Producer Company Ltd(IAPCL) for their cooperation and commitment in carryingforward the “Pulse Panchayat Momentum” to benefit smallholder farmers. The financial support from the OCPFoundation, Morocco; Hindustan Petroleum Corporation,Mumbai, Asia Initiatives, USA and Tamil NaduGovernments’ Small Farmers Agri Business Consortium (TNSFAC) is gratefully acknowledged. The overall guidanceprovided by the Executive Director of M.S. SwaminathanResearch Foundation is appreciated.

R S Shanthakumar HopperDirector, EcotechnologyM.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation,3rd Cross Street, Taramani Institutional Area,Chennai 600113E-mail: [email protected]

Table 2: Economics of Black gram 2015-16Variety Improved variety Local Variety

with New Techniques with Traditional - VBN 4 (Rs.) Practices - T9 (Rs.)

Summer Ploughing 550 Nil

FYM application 3600 Nil(2 tractor load)

Ploughing before sowing 900 1100(2times)

Seed quantity (kg / acre) 900 (6kg) 1200 (8kg)

Seed treatment 50 Nil

Seed sowing 500 (Machine sowing) 200

Cost of weed management 600 2000

Foliar and Pesticide spray 1000 500

Harvesting and threshing 2000 2000

Total Yield (Kgs /acre) 350 140

Gross income (Rs.) / acre 31500 12600

Total cost ( Rs.) / acre 10100 7000

Net Income (Rs.) / Acre 21400 5600Net profit- Rs. 21400 / acre

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It was a January morning. The misty hills were emergingout in the horizon with the changing mood of the sun. Icrossed a Santhal village in the foothills and started

moving up to reach a Paharia village, Kutlo Pahar, on thetop of a hill in Litipra block of Pakur district in Jharkhand.The dominant tribal community here is the Paharias. Thepaharias, as the name indicates, are a hill tribe settled in thehilly ranges of the Rajmahal hills. Paharias survive onshifting cultivation and a traditional forest based economy.

After walking one hour I reached the village. The villagersinformed me about the practices prevalent there. Pahariascultivate cowpea by cleaning up and often burning busheson the hill. They also do mixed cropping with pigeon peaand maize. Paharias depend on Mahajans, the local moneylenders, for seeds and also market. The Mahajans also sellor barter essential goods such as rice, potato, onion, chillyetc., However, Mahajans are not considered as a threat, asperhaps they are the only link to the outside world.

People also shared as to how they lost the forest and forestbased food and traditions– mostly because of the increasingpressure on the forest due to population.

The gap in the dietA nutrition survey was conducted as a part of the baselinestudy of ‘Fight Hunger First Initiative’ of Welthungerhilfein 2012, in 10 villages of Paharia tribes. The studyhighlighted that 33% of the children are severely and another40% are moderately underweight. 56% of children are

stunted. The average calorie consumption drops to 1,500kcal during periods of food shortage. On the contrary, a studywith the Dongaria Kondh community in Niyamgiri hillsshowed that forests provide rich food sources throughoutthe year and contributed approximately 37%, 30% and 45%to the total food basket of tribal in summer, rainy and winterseason, respectively. This points to the fact that the shareof forest foods in the diet of the tribals has been on thedecline, for several reasons. For instance, in recent years,the government has introduced subsidized rice for the tribaland Below Poverty Line (BPL) families to cope with hunger.This has brought about a significant change in their foodhabits - reducing their diet diversity to very simplified ricebased meals. With very little awareness on nutrition, thetribals now sell off the nutrient rich wild foods like fruits,roots and tubers, insects, birds, rodents, edible leaves,mushrooms, tamarind, and bamboo shoots to the middlemenin exchange for salt, oil and other domestic products at athrow away price.

Uncultivated foodsThe hidden treasureAnshuman Das

The share of uncultivated foods from the forest hasgradually declined in the diets of Paharia tribes inJharkhand. Initiatives like conservation, preservation,processing of uncultivated foods has helped them regaintheir position and enhance the dietary diversity of thecommunities, also addressing the issues of hunger andmalnutrition.

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The treasure“The children are not hardy as we used to be in our days” –Rawte Paharia, one of the elderly members of thecommunity, murmured. Taking this forward, looking intothe seasonality of wild foods became our initial point ofreference. We engaged children in identifying anddocumenting these foods. It was evident that with the moderndevelopment trends, their indigenous knowledge base haderoded. The younger generation unaware of their heritageand rich biodiversity, are depending more on external sourcesof food and medicines. Consequently, they are morevulnerable to malnutrition, hunger and disease.

Communities could recall uncultivated food, mostly the wildedible plants including leaves, flower, fruits, animals, birds,mushroom, fish, crabs, shrimps, honey etc. They shared,how these uncultivated food are natural insurance for themagainst climatic shocks, especially in the stress period,generally during summer and rainy season. A farmer, in his40s, came forward – “In my childhood we hardly boughtanything from open market except kerosene and salt, nowwe have to buy most of the things from outside market ormahajans who more frequently trade with us. The cash

income has become a big deal for survival. Forced migrationand logging of our trees are a direct fall out of this changedscenario.”

Gradually with time, the community identified 10 types ofmushrooms, 8 types of aquatic weeds, 5 types of honey, 20types of birds, 24 green leafy vegetables, 15 types of fruits,6 types of vegetables, 6 types of legumes, 2 types of millets,3 types of flowers, 4 tubers and 3 types of seeds which areavailable in the wild. All these have been documentedcarefully with their local names, scientific names,description, propagation habits, choices and tolerance, use,nutritional value, seasonality etc., by the volunteers fromthe community. Scientific identification of mushroom andfishes could not be done, inspite of expert’s involvement.

Taking actionThe documentation process enriched us in understandingthe nature, environment, food and related culture of thePaharia tribe, but for the community it resulted in improveddiet diversity. In the beginning, it was more at a knowledgelevel. During rainy season, couple of tubers and leafyvegetables and during summer, some fruits were includedin the diet. This has turned to twelve to fourteen servingsper week in their lunch and dinner. Women could recall someof the recipes and practices that were almost forgotten.Preservation activities like dehydration of green leaves, pulsecake made of local dried leaves and wet grinded pulses etc.,have also been tried, appreciated and included back in thediet.

On the basis of these experiences, a capacity building modulewas developed focusing on nutrition education. Thisincluded basic nutritional health and sanitation related issues,preparation of local recipes, simple techniques of foodprocessing etc. Also, a women’s group with 25 mothersselected from 10 villages, was trained to take this agendafurther.

The process also went beyond food and diet. Communityleaders started to conserve uncultivated food andsurrounding natural resources. Several challenges werefaced during the conservation process. The survival of newplant samplings was a serious challenge. It was observed inthe forest that the local species had a very good symbiosiswhich ensured their survival and growth, whereas, theplantation in the degraded forest often failed. Using thislesson, communities focused on developing in-situconservation methods by supplementing gaps in dense forestlocations. Four ex-situ conservation sites were developed,one each at Buchotola and Simlong village, whereas 2 siteswere developed on Kutlo pahar village. At each location,

The community identified 10 types ofmushroom, 8 types of aquatic weed,

5 types of honey, 24 green leafyvegetables, 15 types of fruits, 6 types ofvegetables, 6 types of legumes, 2 types

of millets, 4 types of tubers and 3 types ofseeds which are available in the wild.

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Paharia women’s traditional dance

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35 to 40 local species have been initially conserved. Thisspontaneous work was further synthesized into anothercapacity building module for community leaders onconservation related issues of uncultivated food andcommons.

To bridge the nutrient gap in the diets, some allied activitieswere taken up. Most of the legumes after harvest were storedby local communities in plastic bags which often resultedin pest attacks, forcing farmers to sell legumes within oneor two months of harvest. To address this issue, GI sheetdrums were introduced across 70 households to store thelegumes. Members were trained in preservation processesusing local materials like dried neem, pongamia and vitexleaves. This has checked distress sale of legumes.

Along with ex-situ preservation, many other initiatives weretaken up. For example, plantation of local varieties ofjujubay, custard apple, mango, guava, jackfruit etc weretaken up in the homestead, cultivation of bajra was revivedin 6 villages, catchment treatment and channel creation forwater was done extending the water availability foradditional two months period.

Looking beyondUncultivated foods, has re-gained its old position in the dietsand minds of the people. But it was also realized that unless

Diverse forest food on display

forest base is regained and the ecosystem is re-established,the demand for uncultivated foods can never be met. Theinitiative which started with uncultivated foods raised thedemand for development of water, improving diets anddiversity on the farm.

Some of the farmers visited Ranchi and Delhi to share theirknowledge – some were first timers - stepping on a motoredvehicle! The treasure to them was these foods, but treasureto us remained the joy and confidence in the eyes of somefarmers like Rawte Paharia, Shankari Paharia and manymore. They are now involved in creating Food Forest forin-situ conservation of these wild food sources inside theforest by planting a judicious combination of various trees,shrubs, creepers/ climbers, grasses, tubers - that acts as afood reserve and provide fuel and fodder as well. A longway to go, indeed!

Anshuman DasProgramme ManagerWelthungerhilfe Country Office - INDIAA-3, Soami NagarNew Delhi 110 017, India.E-mail: [email protected]


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Climate smart cropsAbhijit Mohanty and Sumani Jhodia

Tubers, pulses and millets are important for the livelihoodsand nutrition of poor farmers, especially in fragile regions.These crops are not only underutilised, but are also under-researched. Ama Sangathan, a women federationconsisting of 1200 indigenous women, have revived thesecrops in two blocks in Odisha, by their vibrant campaigning.

In Odisha State of India, tubers, pulses and millets hadtraditional place in the diet of the tribal communities.They ensured food and nutritional security during periods

of food scarcity. However, with commercialisation ofagriculture leading to monocropping systems of cultivationof paddy, these traditional food crops lost their place in thecropping systems. Also, extensive application of chemicalinputs has resulted in decreasing natural fertility of the soil

with diminishing yield. To make the situation worse, inrecent years, Odisha’s vulnerability to natural disaster hasbeen alarming. Recurrent cyclones, floods, and droughtsseverely affect the livelihood of the majority resource poorfarmers of the State.

It is in this grim situation, Ama Sangathan (AMS), a womenfederation representing 1200 indigenous women hasundertaken a vibrant campaigning on reviving cultivationof tubers, pulses, millets. This is being done in two blocks- Kashipur of Rayagada and Thuamulrampur of Kalahandidistricts, with the support of Raghuraj Foundation.

The bargaining and negotiation skills ofwomen farmers improved and their

contribution to supplementing householdincome is being recognised.

A woman harvesting diverse millets

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Tuber crops adapt to a wide range of agro-climatic conditionsand give good performance even under marginal growingconditions. These crops cease tuber development as well asvegetative growth and become dormant during unfavourableconditions such as drought, flood, and heat-stress condition.They resume growth during favourable conditions, hencechances of crop failure is very less. On the other hand, pulsesand millets which are an important component of food andnutritional security of the poor, need less water and produceassured and high yield.

Promoting tuber cultivationThe rainfed hilly terrains of Rayagada and Kalahandidistricts are ideal to grow Elephant Foot Yam-EFY(Amorphophallus paeoniifolius). EFY offers severaladvantages – it tolerates shade conditions, it is easy tocultivate, has high productivity, less susceptible to pests anddiseases, is in steady demand and fetches reasonably goodprice. AMS organised a series of interactive meetings withthe farmers and shared the importance of EFY. Fielddemonstrations were conducted where farmers were trainedon agroecological method of tuber crops cultivation. Afterrealising various advantages of EPY cultivation, graduallythe farmers started to show their interest.

Initially, 50 farmers of Rayagada cultivated EFY. Farmersfollowed agro ecological ways of cultivation. Before

planting, the tubers are treated with cow dung slurry mixedwith Trichoderma. After planting and compacting the plantedtubers, pits are covered with organic mulches like green

Table 1: Nutritional value of tuber cropsNutrients EFY Cassava Sweet PotatoProtein (percent) 2.0 2.5 2.2Fat (percent) 0.1 0.2 00Starch (percent) 16.6 32.4 21Energy (Kcal) 75.0 135 00Vitamin B-1 (mg) 0.6 0.04 00Vitamin B-2 (mg) 0.7 0.05 00Vitamin C* (mg) 0.0 34 00â carotene (µg) 26.2 00 00Calcium (mg) 12.7 26 30Phosphorous (mg) 67.0 32 49Magnesium (mg) 47.0 00 24Sodium (mg) 4.1 2 13Potassium (mg) 622 39.4 373Sulphur (mg) 11.8 39.4 29Iron (mg) 0.51 0.9 0.8Copper (mg) 0.18 00 00Zinc (mg) 1.05 00 00Manganese (mg) 0.31 00 00Boron (mg) 0.7 00 00Source: Tropical Tuber Crops edited by Balagopalan et. al (1999)* Values are expressed in mg/100 g fresh weight

Shobini Muduli is delighted to harvest Sweet potato

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millet seeds to multiply those varieties. Within a span of 5years, kodo and little millets are revived. Farmers are nowcultivating mixed-cropping of several millets like finger,pearl, foxtail, little, proso, kodo and barnyard.

In the case of cassava inter-cropped with millets, farmersproduced 170 kg/0.4 hectare of millets resulting in a 10%increase in the farm income. Intercropping cassava withblack beans produced 140 kg/0.4 hectare of beans, resultingin a 20% increase in income. When both pulses and milletswere grown with cassava, 110 kg/0.4 hectare of millets and85 kg/0.4 hectare of pulses were produced, resulting in ayield increase of 20% compared with cassava alone. All theseinter-crops are harvested prior to cassava, hence it does nothave adverse effect on the yield of cassava.

Similarly, sweet potato inter-cropped with maize hassubstantially increased the tuber yield. Because, maize inthis system not only provides additional yield but also actsas a live stake. The organic C content of the soil is enrichedby the addition of dried maize haulms. Likewise, inter-cropping of red grams with sweet potato also produced betterresults, owing to the fact that red gram crop fixesatmospheric nitrogen in the soil. A range of pulses like greengram, black gram, cowpea are grown as inter-crops in EFY,during the initial stages of EFY cropping period.

The beneficial effect of pulse crops in improving soil healthand sustaining productivity is remarkable. On the accountof biological nitrogen fixation, addition of considerableamount of organic matter through root biomass and leaf fall,deep root systems, mobilisation of nutrients, protection ofsoil against erosion as cover-crop and improving microbialbiomass, they keep soil productive and alive by bringingqualitative changes in physical, chemical and biologicalproperties. Millets require very less water and can withstanda certain degree of soil acidity and alkalinity, moisture stress,high temperature and variations in soils ranging from heavyto sandy in nature. Millets produce multiple securities - food,nutrition, fodder, fibre, health, and ecology.

leaves and dried paddy straw. It was observed that mulchingimmediately after planting not only conserves soil moistureand regulates soil temperature, but also suppresses weedgrowth.

Along with EFY, farmers also started cultivating Cassava(Manihot esculenta) and Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas).Cassava is widely recognised for its ability to sustain underfluctuating climate especially during drought by sheddingleaves, tolerates high temperature and grows well in marginalsoils. Sweet potato tolerates saline conditions and canwithstand flash floods and mid-season drought.

Promoting inter-copping and mixed-croppingAMS encouraged inter-cropping and mixed-cropping ofpulses and millets with tuber crops as it offers insuranceagainst crop failure, promotes crop diversification and helpsin restoring soil fertility.

Special focus was given to revive indigenous varieties ofmillets which is one of the staple foods for the communitiesin the region. AMS motivated farmers who had preserved

Table 2 : Nutritional value of various milletsMillets Protein Fibre Minerals Iron Calcium

(g) (g) (g) (mg) (mg)Pearl 10.6 1.3 2.3 16.9 38Finger 7.3 3.6 2.7 3.9 344Foxtail 12.3 8 3.3 2.8 31Proso 12.5 2.2 1.9 0.8 14Kodo 8.3 9 2.6 0.5 27Little 7.7 7.6 1.5 9.3 17Barnyard millet 11.2 10.1 4.4 15.2 11Source: MINI, Deccan Development Society, India.

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Sukri Majhi showing Cassava tuber

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Increasing market potential of tubers by valueadditionTo help farmers gain additional income from tuber cropping,AMS imparted training to the farmers on various methodsof processing and value addition of cassava, EFY and sweetpotato. As a result, farmers are now making a range of valueadded produces from tuber crops and getting fair price bydirectly selling the same at the local markets – For example,cassava chips, cassava “papad” prepared from cassava flourand wafers made from cassava starch. Some farmers ofRayagada are extending self-life of EFY tubers by convertingthem into cakes. Similarly, sweet potato is being processedinto composite flour and chips.

Visible impactsEarlier, farmers were confined to only mono-cropping, andfaced crop loss due to late arrival of monsoon or low rainfall.Further, they had to face acute food shortage during June,July, August and September when the new crop was standingin fields. During this period, farmers unable to get enoughfood, either starved or consumed non-edible stuffs likemango kernel, tamarind seeds, and many other items whichmade them susceptible to food poisoning. But, now they

are cultivating tubers, pulses and millets through mixed-cropping and inter-cropping round the year. The impact ofthis is phenomenal, especially on women and children, interms of food availability and enhancing nutritional valueof food basket.

The processing and value addition of tuber crops hasundoubtedly reinforced the livelihoods of many marginalrainfed farmers of the region. Firstly, farmers are now gettingbetter market price for their processed and value addedproducts. With proper processing and value addition, farmersare now able to store the surplus items for a longer periodof time. They use these reserve food stocks during the foodscarcity periods. The bargaining and negotiation skills ofwomen farmers have been improved and their contributionto supplementing household income is being recognised.

The application of organic inputs, inter-cropping ofleguminous crops and millets along with adaptation ofintegrated pest management techniques has not only helpedrestore soil fertility, but has also rejuvenated the denudedlandscape.

Tubers, pulses and millets are undoubtedly ‘climate smartcrops’, important for the livelihoods and nutrition of poorfarmers, especially in tropical and sub-tropical countries.These crops are not only underutilised, but are also under-researched. With adequate support and hand holding, theseunderutilised crops can substitute the major crops, whileensuring farm resilience. For this to happen, scientists,researchers and civil societies need to play an enabling role.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Debesh Prasad Padhy, formerSenior Program Adviser of Agragamee and retired Directorof Horticulture, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, for providingtechnical inputs and key insights to the earlier draft of thearticle.

Abhijit MohantyAgragamee.Bhubaneswar,Odisha, IndiaE-mail: [email protected]

Sumani JhodiaPresident,Ama SangathanKashipur,Odisha, India

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Sliced Cassava being sun dried

“Last year, the monsoon was delayed. So the yield of paddy wasvery low. But, our tuber crops and pulses survived in this difficultsituation too. I harvested 1.5 quintals of EFY, 0.70 quintal ofcassava and 1 quintal of sweet potato along with a range of pulsesand millets that has been grown with these tubers as inter-cropsand mixed-crops. We had ample food as buffer stock for ourhousehold consumption and also earned INR 24844/- by sellingthe surplus produces at the local market. Besides, we are gettingbetter price for our processed and value added tuber cropsproduces in the local market. Thanks to AMS for providing us themuch needed technical support”, says overwhelmed SobhiniMuduli.


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What is meant by non-commercial ‘orphan crops’?Traditional crops such as cowpea, sorghum, millet, pigeonpea, cassava and sweet potato are referred to as non-commercial ‘orphan crops’, as part of a particular narrativethat values crops that are produced commercially and tradedon international markets, while everything else, liketraditional or indigenous crops, are considered ‘orphan’. Buton the ground, these crops form the basis of our food andfarming systems. The value of these crops is not recognised.They’ve been neglected in regional, national andinternational policy, and in research and development spaces.

But we do not agree with the use of the term ‘orphan crops’.In the same way that we changed the discourse around‘informal seed systems’ to ‘farmer managed seed systems’we have to question whether crops are really orphan orunderutilised. Terms like ‘orphan crops’ are derogatory andI regret that we used it in our recent report, but it’s out therenow and it’s a learning curve for us. The more we workwith farmers on the ground the more we are humbled andwe go back to the drawing board to rethink our strategy andway forward.

What is your concern with genetic modification ofthese crops?First, we are very critical of genetically modified (GM) cropsin Africa and have been opposing GM in Africa for almost

20 years. We are fundamentally opposed to reductionistsolutions imposed upon Africa by powerful external forcesthat are based on replacing existing farmer managed foodand farming systems with a model that is ecologicallyunsustainable and inherently socially unjust.

Claims that GM addresses vitamin and nutrientdeficienciesthrough biofortification is turning the attention and resourcesof politicians and researchers towards new technologies suchas gene editing and gene silencing. There has been a spateof articles and discussion around this, yet very little attentiongoes to the biosafety risks nor the past failures associatedwith GM crops. It is surprising that biofortification receivesso much attention when GM crops simply cannot addressmultiple nutritional challenges arising from, amongst others,environmental degradation and lack of access to publichealth and sanitation. Our main objection is that this diverts

INTERVIEW – MARIAM MAYET

Traditional crops ... the basis ofour food and farming systemsInterview: Diana Quiroz andMadeleine Florin

Mariam Mayet is the director of the African Centre forBiodiversity (ACB). In a recent report, ACB turns theirattention towards genetic modification of non-commercial‘orphan crops’ and the way this technology is replacingfarmer managed food systems. In this interview Mariamexplains what is wrong with genetic modification of thesecrops and where the real solutions lie.

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resources and the policy making trajectory away from realsolutions which can be found in the diversity of food andfarming.

In some parts of Southern Africa, and in the USA, Canadaand Latin America, farmers can’t even imagine agriculturewithout GM. At the same time, smallholder farmers in Africaproduce 80% of our food largely based on their own seedsystems. So in our recent report (see box), we look at whatthe GM industry is doing with farmers’ traditional seedsand crops, and where public research funding is going. Nowat least groups have, in one document, an outline of whoare the companies donating technology, which traits in cropsare being researched, which crops are being targeted, andhow much money is going into these projects. The reportreveals that there are whole host of agendas at play. Forinstance much of the research is on new GM traits and is inthe stage of either greenhouse containment or confined fieldtrials. The prospects of commercialisation are unclear asapproval of new traits takes a long time and depends on theevolution of biosafety regulations and new or existingmoratoriums. It is not clear when, or whether or not, any ofthese GM crops will reach the commercialisation stage.

But in general, we are very concerned about the GM industryand multinational companies further prying open Africa’sfood and farming system through its expansion into non-commercial crops, while there is clearly an opportunity forgovernments and a host of actors to embrace an alternativetransformation agenda based on agroecology.

Can you elaborate some of these real solutions?It is important to support the right of farmers to choose theirmeans of production and survival. And this means startingwith where farmers are and emboldening and strengtheningtheir systems. Moreover, the protection of farmer managedseed systems is needed. In these systems you find diversityand resilience. We need to shift away from the idea thatseeds within farmer managed seed systems are sub-standardor of poor quality. Within these seeds, you may have droughtresistant or nutritional properties and characteristics withcultural importance.

What steps can be taken towards these solutions?We are pushing for big policy change towards recognitionand protection of these systems and supporting localcampaigns. For us, information is key and ACB tries to putcurrent information and knowledge in the public domain,complemented by other activities and events. Earlier thisyear, we organised a course where we brought togetheractivists from across Africa and spoke at length about GMof non-commercial, indigenous crops.

I think the revaluation of traditional crops will increasinglybecome part of the resistance campaigns against GM. Thereis a conference coming up in Nigeria where church groupswill discuss the rise of GM cowpea. Nigeria is the world’slargest producer of cowpea and field trials with Bt cowpeaare in quite an advanced stage so we expect a lot of resistancethere. Our previous report on cowpea was translated intoFrench and is being used by our friends in Burkina Faso,where there is a growing resistance to GM from thegrassroots, for example through an event to coincide withthe international march against Monsanto in May 2016.When our colleagues in Africa integrate information fromour reports into their local campaigns that way, it’s a bigvictory for us.

New report: For your own good The chicanery behind non-commercial ‘orphan crops’ and rice for AfricaThe African Centre for Biodiversity released this report in April 2016outlining the GMO industry’s expansion across Africa. The reportfocuses on non-commercial crops – cassava, sorghum, sweet potato,pigeon pea and millet, as well as rice – revealing that a great deal ofresearch and development is currently underway into the geneticmodification of these crops. Most of the ongoing trials are focused ondrought and salt tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency, resistance totropical pests and diseases and nutrit ional enhancement(biofortification). The key countries that have been targeted includeBurkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi.

The current wave of GM research is not enabling smallholders inAfrica to choose their means of production and survival and is shiftingcontrol over the future of farming in Africa from farmers to those whowill benefit from profits to be made from GM. Moreover GM cropsthreaten genetic diversity that exists amongst traditional plant varieties.The report concludes that “the GM industry appears to be expandingits grasp over traditional subsistence crops. [...] By focusing researchon traits that are meant to ‘benefit’ farmers and malnourishedpopulations, the industry is bent on winning the hearts and minds ofAfricans regarding genetically modified crops.”

This work complements work already produced on GM banana(Schnurr, 2014) and GM cowpea (ACB, 2015).


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India is home to incredible diversity in plant and animalspecies and is ranked among the richest areas ofbiodiversity in the world. Unfortunately, much of this

diversity is being eroded at an alarming rate, largely due tohabitat destruction and invasion by alien species.

In the hilly regions of southern India, the native agro-biodiversity is being replaced by the cultivation of cash cropsfor generating farm income. In Kolli Hills (Tamil Nadu),over the last three decades, cassava has increasingly replacednative millets. A parallel shift has happened in Jeypore(Odisha), where eucalyptus is now occupying traditionalagricultural landscapes, while banana is replacing paddy ricein Wayanad (Kerala). While enabling farmers to generatesome income, increasing monoculture of market-driven cashcrops resulting in loss of crop diversity is accelerating ratesof soil erosion, promoting crop disease, while makingfarmers more vulnerable to climate risks. It is also reducinglocal food production, thereby increasing people’sdependence on food procured from outside the region, andon wheat and rice provided by public food distributionsystems.

Roots and tubers, often neglected by agricultural extensionsystems, are traditional sources of food and income for smallfarmers in rural India. In Kolli Hills, however, cassava thatconstitutes 70% of crop production in the region, is grownsolely for commercial purposes. Over 7,000 hectares offarmland is devoted to a single, non-edible variety (H165),

as this is preferred by industry for its superior starch quality.Monocropping of a single cassava variety over such a largearea has resulted in increased disease incidence and soilerosion, causing productivity loss. It has also displacedmixed farming systems and associated local crop diversity,negatively impacting on food security and climate resilience.In response, the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation(MSSRF) in collaboration with the University of Alberta -working through the Alleviating Poverty and Malnutritionin Agrobiodiversity Hotspots (APM) project - initiatedparticipatory varietal selection (PVS) for cassava varieties,undertook intercropping trials with pulses and millets andorganized high quality millet seed production throughcommunity seed banks.

Enhancing crop diversity leadsto farm resilienceEDI Oliver King, S Abubaker Siddick, Girigan Gopi and Nat Kav

Monocropping of cash crops for generating incomes hasdisplaced mixed farming systems and associated local cropdiversity, negatively impacting on food security and climateresilience. Initiatives to produce improved varieties throughparticipatory varietal selection, intercropping trials withpulses and millets and promoting local millet seedproduction through community seed banks have madefarming more resilient and remunerative.

Participatory varietal selection resulted in greater diversity

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Participatory research on cassava and elephant foot yamundertaken in Kolli Hills and Wayanad has resulted infarmers identifying better varieties that suit theirrequirements, including higher yields, higher starch content,enhanced drought tolerance and the ability to adapt to localconditions. Through intercropping, they have also been ableto cultivate a diversity of short duration food crops alongsidetheir main crop, boosting the nutritional content of householddiets, earning extra income and strengthening the resilienceof their farming systems against shocks, such as drought.

Emerging outcomes

Greater diversity in cassava through participatoryvarietal selectionSelection trials were organized with the participation of menand women farmers to identify cassava varieties for starch,productivity and edibility, using 11 cassava varieties broughtfrom the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Kerala.Farmers identified three cassava varieties (CMR 1, CMR73 and Srirekha) which were comparable in yield to H165.All three varieties had higher starch content (27-29%)compared with H165 (24%), and one of the varieties,Srirekha, which was selected by female farmers, is edible.All three varieties are now being made available to farmingfamilies, and will add to cassava diversity in the region.

Intercropping for increased incomeIn another participatory process, farmers in Kolli Hills haveintercropped cassava with finger millet, black bean andonion, increasing the diversity of their crop production. Inthe case of cassava intercropped with millets, farmersproduced 170 kg/acre of millets resulting in a 12% increasein farm income. Intercropping cassava with black beansproduced 140 kg/acre of beans, resulting in a 23% increasein income. When both pulses and millets were grown withcassava, 110 kg/acre of millets and 80 kg/acre of pulses wereproduced, resulting in a yield increase of 21.5% comparedwith cassava alone.

A farmer-driven intercropping approach using onions led tothe production of 300 kg/acre of onions, resulting in a 60%increase in family income. Intercropping did not haveadverse effects on cassava yield, as the millets, pulses and

onions were harvested prior to cassava tuber development.Furthermore, the use of legumes contributed positively tosoil health. Women and children benefited fromintercropping through increased availability andconsumption of diverse food crops like millets and pulses.

We were mono-cropping cassava for several years to earnincome. The new way of intercropping helped us to harvestfinger millet and later on black bean with the same orincreased quantity of cassava. It gave us additional foodfor our family, rather than depending on the income fromcassava to buy food, says Kalaiselvi, a 28 year old womanfarmer from Tamarakulam.

Resilience through community seed banksSmall and marginal farming communities in India often havelimited access to quality seeds, due to weakened traditionalseed systems and increased dependency on seed suppliedthrough the state or commercial markets. The APM projectsupported the establishment of seed banks to provide qualityrice and millet seeds of local and improved varieties offeringhigh yields and desirable culinary properties. The seed banksare managed by farmers’ clubs or women’s self help groups;those borrowing seed are required to pay back double thequantity after the harvest, helping to make the seed bankssustainable. Community members also mastered skills foridentifying superior varieties and producing quality seeds.Establishment of seed banks has led to the timely availabilityof quality seeds, increasing farmers’ options in seed choice,minimizing risk of crop failure and boosting cropproductivity. The provision of new and improved varietieshas also contributed positively to the diversity of croppingsystems in these regions. By increasing agro-biodiversityand human capacity, these seed banks are contributing tolong-term resilience and food security in these communities.

Positive steps for Elephant Foot YamIn Wayanad district, Kerala, male farmers traditionallycultivate elephant foot yam on rice fields during the fallowseason. They rely exclusively on one variety of yam andexperience relatively high production costs. Through

Through intercropping, farmers have beenable to boost the nutritional content of

household diets, earning extra income andstrengthening the resilience of their farming

systems against shocks, such as drought.

Farmers have identified the best varieties of elephant foot yam andadopted best practices

Photo: Girigan Gopi/MSSRF


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participatory research, farmers have identified best varietiesand adopted low cost farming practices, such as a reducedseed rate, mulching of crops to induce early sprouting andapplication of farmyard manure. Two varieties, Gajendraand Wayanad local, were selected by farmers using criteriawhich included yield, resistance to disease, drought toleranceand germination rate. Improved farming practices alsoresulted in reduced production costs and yield increases ofaround 30% (Wayanad local) and 24% (Gajendra) comparedto conventional practice.

In Kerala, land-owning families allow landless women andmarginal farmers to use their land for six months during therice fallow (December-June) to grow yam or any shortduration crop free of cost. This provides the land ownerswith residual benefits from applied fertilizer and cropresidues, as well as from soil tillage, all of which boost theirnext paddy rice crop. The project facilitated landless womenfarm workers to gain access to such lands for the cultivationof elephant foot yam, using high quality seed, enabling themto earn income in the range of INR 3,000-13,000 (Indianrupees) in six months. They have also used the rice fallowsto cultivate diverse vegetables, including cowpea,amaranthus, okra, maize, pumpkin and cucumber, for theirown consumption.

Conclusion

Through participatory research, farmers identified cassavaand elephant foot yam varieties that offer more yield andincome. They also learnt techniques of intercropping whichhave further increased crop diversity and increased the

nutritional value of their food basket. Seed banks managedby farmers’ clubs and women’s self help groups have beeninstrumental in enhancing on-farm agro-biodiversity andreducing risk from drought for small and marginal farmingfamilies. Women farmers and landless collectives havebenefited from improved farming practices and access toquality seeds, which have in turn opened up new and diverselivelihood options.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge support of J Jeyakumar,G Venkatesan, P Yuvaraj and V Cheladurai of MSSRF, KolliHills, and Mr Rajees PC, Mr Arun Raj, Mr Subin and Ms PAsiya of MSSRF, Wayanad, Star Farmers Club, KeelSengadu, Kolli Hills, and APM - Cassava Farmer’s ResearchGroup, Kolli Hills.

This is an edited version of the original article Integratedagriculture enhances farm productivity and livelihoods inagro-biodiversity hotspots, by the authors, published as onestory in the series Stories of Change. The series reports onresearch supported by the Canadian International FoodSecurity Research Fund (CIFSRF), a program of Canada’sInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC),undertaken with financial support from the Government ofCanada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC).Produced by WREN media in April 2014.

EDI Oliver KingM S Swaminathan Research Foundation3rd Cross Street, Institutional Area, TaramaniChennai 600 113, IndiaE-mail: [email protected]

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The Chepang are an indigenous community belongingto Tibeto-Burmese family, mainly inhabiting themountain ranges of central and western Nepal.

Chepang people live a semi-nomadic life style and face highlevels of food insecurity. They mainly grow maize andmillets on marginal sloping lands using slash-and-burntechniques. Many of them have started practicing permanentagriculture in terrace lands in the recent years, but have stillkeep slash-and-burn practice alive.

Historically, Chepang people have been dependent oncollection of wild yam and other plants like chyuri (Aesandrabutyracea), kafal (bay-berry), githa (Dioscorea bulbifera),etc., from the forest. As food produced is only sufficient for6 months, they resort to fishing and hunting, besides forestfood collection during the lean season.

Yam is very important in Chepang people’s life – as a meansof food security, tradition and culture. Since ancient times,yam and Chepang communities are believed to have strongconnections. A study conducted in Dhading district of Nepalreported that, out of the 10 of the 13 species of yam foundin this district, 9 are used as food and one as a detergent.Such an exclusive use of yam by Chepang people makesthem rich in knowledge on identification, processing andconsumption of yam.

In spite of yam having various nutritional benefits, the cropstill remains as neglected and underutilized species.Nationally there is no research and extension programmeson yam. One of the main reasons for this crop beingneglected is drudgery or labor associated with planting and

harvesting, lack of multiple harvest, short shelf life and lackof market for surplus production. Above all, theunavailability of quality planting materials in adequatequantity is making yam cultivation less attractive than inthe past.

The initiativeIt’s been just few generations since Chepang people beganpractising settled agriculture. Even today, they farm onterraces and leave terrace walls unattended. Such terrace

Yam on terrace wallsBhawana Ghimire, Rajeev Dhakal, Roshan Pudasaini, Rachana Devkotaand Pashupati Chaudhary

Yam has several nutritional benefits, yet the crop remainsneglected and underutilized. In the absence of nationalresearch and extension programmes on yam, LIBIRD’sinitiative to promote yam cultivation on terrace walls hascaught up with the Chepang communities in Nepal.

A report of Nepal Chepang Association (NCA) suggests that 71% ofthe children are malnourished. Non-toxic wild yam of Nepal isrecognized as ‘Health/ Functional food’ with high nutritional values.Rich in starch, yam is principal source of food and carbohydrateduring food insufficiency periods for such communities. Some of thespecies of yam reported to have 5 times more protein than potatoesand sweet potatoes. Yam also supplements many dietary minerals.Yam can be mixed with different kinds of food like noodles and breads,which further enhances the nutritional value and palatability ultimatelyaiding to overcome malnutrition in children.

Harvest ready for the market


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lands accounts for 40% of the land and are covered withnaturally grown forages. Local Initiatives for Biodiversity,Research and Development (LI-BIRD) in partnership withscholars from University of Guelph, and CanadianMennonite University and funded by InternationalDevelopment Research Centre (IDRC) and Global AffairsCanada (GAC), Canada is trying to promote the use of barrenand steep walls of the terraces and other areas which areleast used for food production.

A simple technique introduced by the project is “yamcultivation in sacks” on the base of terrace walls. Thismethod eases harvest of yam by planting them in sacks filledwith soil. In addition the sacks with yam help reduce soilerosion or wall collapse. The sacs are placed on the terracewalls. Harvest is done by simply cutting/tearing the sacksand taking out tubers. This way farmers can grow yam on acommercial scale.

The Chepang farmers follow their own method of cultivatingyam by digging pits of one meter depth and width on theterrace edges or walls, apply considerable amount ofFarmyard Manure and plant the head of the tuber in the pit.Farmers find it easier to plant and harvest yam in edges ascompared to the corners of terrace walls. They usuallyharvest the tubers just prior to Maghe Sakranti. The landsthat were used as khoirya (slash-and-burn land) are alsobeing used for yam cultivation.

With increased awareness among farmers about the marketpossibilities and opportunities, yam cultivation has beenincreased, while farmers have been seeking differentmethods of cultivating yam both in marginalised and terracelands with minimum efforts.

MarketingWhen Muglin was the nearest market, only 25% people ofthese communities were able to sell their produces. Peoplewere not sure if all the production from their vegetable farmwould be sold in the market. Only fruits like banana were

sent to Kalimati, Kathmandu, the capital city of the country,until a vegetable collection centre was established in a nearbytown, Fishling. Fishling (13 Km away from Muglin), ajunction point of various villages in the Mugling -Kathmandu highway, now serves as a sink of vegetablesproduced by adjacent Village Development Committees(VDCs) of different districts. Vegetables are collected at thecollection centre in Fishling and marketed to different majorcities, mainly to Kalimati Vegetable Buying and SellingCentre (about 100 Km away), Narayngarh (about 50 Km),Bhairahawa (about 170 Km) and Pokhara (about 103 Km).

Along with vegetables, yam is also one of the majorcommodities that is marketed through these channels.Farmers of adjacent VDCs, including farmers from Chepangcommunity, are availing this opportunity to sell yam -cultivated and collected. The number of farmers selling yamat Fishling has been increasing.

A female farmer, resident of Bhulmichowk VDC, in Gorkha,harvests about 3 kg of tuber per plant on an average. It’sjust been couple of years since the family has started massproduction and marketing of yam. While they invested 1400NPR from cultivating yam, they harvested a quintal of yamand are hoping to earn 50,000 to 70,000 Nepalese rupees

Many people cultivate yam mainly to eat during Haribodhani Ekadasi(1st day of fortnight in ascending or descending moon cycle) andMaghe Sakranti (1st day of month of Magh according to the Nepalesecalendar) as a religious ritual. In Haribodhani Ekadasi, the peoplebelieve that they should not eat the food reaped from the tilled land.Likewise, there is a tradition of eating yam cooked in the last day ofPoush in the first day of magh according to the Nepalese calendar.These traditions are common among other ethnic groups of Nepal.These communities also eat yam as the constituent of pickles, usethem in value addition of vegetables like ‘masayura’ (Taro product),consumed as boiled, steamed or fried foods.

Demonstration of yam cultivation in sacks at Laitak village

Preparation of sacks for transplanting yam

25L E I S A I N D I A J U N E 2 0 1 6

(NPR). The women farmer delightfully shares that all themembers of her house including the educated sons anddaughter in-law support in cultivating yam.

Spreading far and wideThis technique of farming yam on sacks was originally testedin Laitak and Ahal of Jogimara VDC of Dhading and Patleof Majhthana VDC of Kaski. As most of the chepangs ofJogimara, Bhulmichowk and Kaule have family relation inone or other way, this technology has got easily transferredfrom Jogimara to other places even among non-Chepangcommunities. The new way of yam farming has attractedmany to cultivate yam.

Also, this unique method of planting has helped to minimizelandslides on steep gradient farmlands in Jogimara, Gorkha,Chitwan and nearby areas. This has resulted in minimizingclimate change risks to farming and enhanced sustainabilityof the farming system. Eventually, Chepang communitiesare ensured of food security and sustainable livelihoods.

References

1. Bhandari, M. R., Takanori Kasai and Jun Kawabata.,Nutritional evaluation of wild yam (Discorea spp.)tubers of Nepal, 2003, Food Chemistry, 82 (4), 619-623p.

2. CBS. 2011. Population monograph of Nepal,Kathmandu, Nepal

3. Limbu, P. and K. Thapa., Chepang food culture:contribution of wild edible and neglected plantspecies, 2011, Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Researchand Development (LI BIRD), Pokhara, Nepal.

4. Sharma, L.N. and R. Bastakoti., Ethnobotany ofDioscorea L. with emphasis on food value in Chepangcommunities in Dhading district, central Nepal, 2009,Botanica Orientalis- Journal of Plant Sciences. 6:12-17p.

5. Thapa, R. B., A study report on food and nutritionsecurity of the forest dependent households from theforests of Nepal, 2013, Renaissance Society Nepal,Balkkot, Bhaktapur.

Bhawana GhimireProject OfficerLocal Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research andDevelopment (LI-BIRD)Gairapatan, Pokhara, Kaski, Gandaki, NepalWebsite: www.libird.orgEmail: [email protected]

www.leidsaindia.orgA website for learning and sharing experiences on LEISA practices

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26

Forests are a rich source of uncultivated foods, likeedible flowers, fruits, leaves, seeds, mushrooms,bamboo shoots, roots and tubers, birds, honey and

edible insects, etc. Though most Adivasi farmers inRayagada district grow around 30 varieties of crops in asingle year, they trust the forest for diversity. Adi, one suchfarmer says “We can never match the forest. If we grow 40varieties, there are 200 different foods available in theforest”. In the forests, summer breeds a wide range of foodsincluding fruits, monsoon rains spur bamboo shoots andmushrooms while winter fosters varied tubers. ParbatiPusika, elderly Adivasi woman from Tadingpai village, says“Forest is our mother. The roots and bamboo shoots, ediblegreens and honey sustained people in my village for threemonths during a very bad drought year.”

Besides supporting a household’s dietary needs, theseuncultivated food items also supplement family income.“When there’s no money at home, we get turmeric growingin the forest and sell it to buy salt or oil from the market,”Aadi says. The forest foods give them a sense ofindependence, dignity and pride, and more importantly,protect them from falling into the clutches of money lenders.

Therefore, should we accept the idea that the object ofagricultural science is the production of a few selected cropsin narrowly defined spaces? Should we exclude the spacesaround and between ploughed fields, the grazing areas,forested areas, water bodies and the homesteads? Is “foodproduction” synonymous with “cultivation”? Food is alsoabout collecting and conservation says Living Farms.

Valuing un-cultivated foodsDebjeet Sarangi

Commodification of forests in an era of climate crisis hasreduced them to mere ‘carbon stocks’. Forests are alsofood reservoirs and many rural poor communities dependon forests for meeting their food needs. Given the rightsupport, uncultivated foods can be a solution for addressingthe issue of food insecurity, especially in the light of climatecrisis.

Role of forest foods in family dietTo understand the role of forest foods in household diets,Living Farms conducted a study in 2013, across the villagesof Rayagada district in Odisha. The study recorded 121different kinds of forest foods being harvested between thelast week of July 2013 and December 2013. On an average,4.56 kg of such foods were harvested per household, whichranged from 21 to 69 different kinds of food. On an average,0.725 kg of forest foods became part of the household dailydiet, accounting for 12% to as much as 24.4% of total cookedfoods across six villages. The dependence of communitieson forest foods ranged from 20% to 50%, depending on thecharacteristics of a village and the biodiversity compositionof the forest. This is both in terms of diversity and quantity.

Largest quantities harvested from forests were that of varioustubers. Keta is one of the tubers quite important to localcommunities as a drought food. Pita konda, another tubercan be stored for 4-5 months. In the years of drought, whencultivated crops fail, these tubers and other forest foodsbecome vital for meeting essential food needs. Additionally,the villagers also collect more than 22 types of edible greensand 12-15 varieties of fruits from forest.

The villagers usually go food foraging into the forests ingroups. They share amongst themselves the food they collect.Even those who are not able to go into the forests forcollection are given a share; no one is left out. Each village

Forest foods form a significant part of the tribal household diet

27L E I S A I N D I A J U N E 2 0 1 6

has its traditionally accepted boundary and mutually agreedextent of access to the forest. Every member of the villagehas equal right to the forest, to the local stream, to the trees,and other shared resources of that ecosystem. If people fromone village go to the neighbouring one to collect bambooshoots, the others may come over to the first one forcollecting honey. This culture of interdependence is vitalfor the survival of people and the eco-system.

Shrinking forest resourcesField experiences and community dialogues show thatforests are becoming denuded and are being replaced bymonocultures of teak, eucalyptus, and pongamia. As a result,the forest composition is also changing rapidly. The negativeconsequences of the shrinking forest biodiversity isparticularly experienced by women who gather all non-timber forest produce (NTFP), including wild foods. “Theforests have changed; and so have the people. In the process,many of our edible forest tubers are lost. We would prefer toplant our own food trees”, says Phulo Sikoka who is over80 years.

The mainstream model of food and farming does notrecognize the multiple values of diverse, traditionallyconsumed forest-based foods of Adivasis, and other forest-dwelling communities of the country. The official idea of‘food security’ is embedded in the supply of entitledquantities of subsidized (ration) ‘card’ rice/wheat from‘central pool’ warehouses or provision of state-definedmeals. Region-specific cultivation of locally preferred andnutritious crops, such as millets, other grains, pulses, oilseeds and greens in Adivasi food and farming systems, areneglected. There isn’t adequate law and policy support. Thetraditional forest dwelling communities do not have legalownership of much of the land, on which they traditionallyhave been living, has major implications for their life andlivelihoods. Even after 10 years of the passage of the ForestRights Act, only 6% of the forest villages in Odisha havegot their customary and legal rights over their forestsrecognized.

Way forwardIn the context of climate change, uncultivated forest foodsare a very important community-based adaptation strategy.

There are many other human made threats to forests in aglobalising and ever-changing world. Commodification offorests in an era of climate crisis has reduced them to mere‘carbon stocks’, while they are also food reservoirs. Theirecological functions such as releasing oxygen, precipitatingrain, recharging groundwater, conserving fertile topsoil,buffering against droughts and floods are also about securingfood for local communities. The multiple functions of forestsneed to be acknowledged.

India’s forest policies have to be re-aligned with foodsecurity objectives. Sustainable forest management oughtnot to be only from the point of view of timber alone, butfrom the point of view of the multi functionality of forests.People’s access to commons and the maintenance ofdiversity in the commons has to be given due attention.Improved tenure and access rights to forest resources,particularly for women, could support more sustainableresource management for food security. Forests need to beviewed as nurturing both people and their cultures.

Uncultivated foods need to be encouraged as a long-termadaptation strategy in the light of climate crisis. Localinitiatives for agroforestry and sustainable agriculture, whichdo not poison the soils and water with chemical fertilisers,or put agroecology at risk ought to be promoted-– thisapproach to agricultural technologies deployed in farminghas implications for forest diversity conservation too (forexample, bee population decline due to use of syntheticchemicals in farming).

With food security and nutrition high on the agenda in manypolitical and scientific spheres, it is crucial to understandthe contribution of forests and trees to a food secure andnutrition-sensitive future. Food sovereignty if not nurturedas an organising principle of local forest-dependentcommunities, can also come to affect the sovereignty of thestate as a whole. Food and nutrition are too important anarea to be left to markets to deliver on. This is where forestscan deliver and that too in a decentralised way. ‘Uncultivated’foods are not just about satisfying hunger, but aboutsavouring the forests and people’s relationship with them.

References

Debal Deb, Kavitha Kurganti, V Rukmini Rao & SalomeYesudas, Forests as food producing habitats - Anexploratory study of uncultivated foods and food andnutrition security of adivasis in Odisha, July 2014,Published by Living Farms.

S. Bhutani, Forests, Our Food!, Policy brief, 2014, LivingFarms, Odisha.

With food security and nutrition high on theagenda in many political and scientificspheres, it is crucial to understand the

contribution of forests and trees to a foodsecure and nutrition-sensitive future.


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Out of the 12,000 edible plants in the world, a merefifteen crops provide 90% of the world’s food, withthree crops – rice, maize and wheat – making up

two-thirds of this total. Most societies today rely onagriculture for their food provision. But that does not meanthat agriculture alone provides all food. In all agriculturallands, one can find certain non-crop plants and among them,some are edible. Such edible non-crop plants remain

important in all agricultural systems as they are capable ofproviding essential vitamins and minerals to our diets besidescontributing to the family income. That is why these ediblenon-crop plants are called as the “hidden harvest” ofagriculture.

One of the best examples for the rich diversity of ediblenon-crop plants is the homegardens of Kerala andhomegardeners invariably use them. For instance, a studyconducted in randomly selected 48 homegardens ofMalappuram district recorded about 27 edible herbaceousand shrub species. Of these 27 species, 22 yield edible leaveswhile the remaining 5 yield edible whole plant. The studyalso revealed that Centella asiatica, Oxalis corniculata,Phyllanthus urinaria, Portulaca oleracea, Sennaoccidentalis and Senna tora are very common as they areknown for their natural regeneration and quick establishmentin the homegardens. Their wide distribution is also owed tothe fact that they are known for their food and medicinalvalues.

Hidden harvestsChandrashekara U M and Reshma P K

There are certain crop plants that are not cropped butedible, containing high nutrients and medicinal value.These crops also called as hidden harvests are capableof providing essential nutrients to our diets besidescontributing to household income.

Centella-asiatica

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It was also found that homegardeners adopt two ways tocollect these edible non-crop plants. For instance, they makespecial collection trips to gather plants such as Alternantherabettzickiana, Alternanthera pungens, Amaranthus caudatus,Amaranthus spinosus, Diplazium esculentum, Sennaoccidentalis and Senna tora. On the other hand, they collectedible parts of certain species such as Centella asiatica,Oxalis corniculata and Phyllanthus urinaria only duringtheir casual visits.

It may be mentioned here that majority of the householdsknow that all these 27 species are nutritionally rich.However, no scientific analyses to evaluate their nutritive

Edible non-crop plants are good sources ofmany nutrients such as protein, fibre, fat andminerals and their nutritive values are higher

than that in many commercially cultivatedvegetables.

Diplazium esculentum

Species name Common/local names Protein Fat Fibre Minerals Calcium Iron(Malayalam name)Alternanthera bettzickiana Lal Mehndi, Red Calico Plant, 52.3 0.013 31.3 44.2 4.9 0.5(Cherucheera) JoyweedCentella asiatica Mandukaparni, Brahmi, Mandukig, 48.6 0.007 44.3 47.9 9.3 0.45(Muthilila) Brahma-manduki, Khulakhudi,

Mandookaparni DivyaCleome viscosa Asian spider flower, Yellow spider flower, 54.3 0.015 29.7 27.8 4.9 0.25(Naikkadugu) Bagra, Hulhul, Naivela, Nayibela,

Pilitalvani, Kukkavaminta, Pivala tilavanDiplazium esculentum Dhekia, linguda 54.2 0.009 49.8 53.2 13.3 0.6(Churuli)Oxalis corniculata Creeping Wood Sorrel, Creeping Oxalis, 43.3 0.009 13.4 33.8 8.3 0.6(Puliyarila) Amrul, Yensil, Paliakiri, Amrulshak, PoliyaralaPhyllanthus urinaria Chamber Bitter, Common leaf-flower, 32.1 0.006 41.6 38.6 9.2 0.75(Keezharnelli) Shatterstone, Stone-breaker Herb,

bhumyamalakiPortulaca oleracea Purslane, Lunia, Leibak kundo, Paruppu 47.3 0.012 38.9 41.3 7.9 0.7(Kozhupacheera) keerai, Koluppa, Dudagorai, Nunia sag Remusatia vivipara Hitchhiker Elephant Ear, kadu gadde, 53.6 0.016 46.8 55.8 11.3 0.75(Marachembu) marakesu, maravara-tsjembu, rukh-alu,

rukhalu, LaksmanaSenna occidentalis coffee senna, septic weed 20.2 0.007 35.0 57.9 8.9 0.65(Poninthavara)Senna tora Charota,Chakvad,Chakavat, Chakunda 49.2 0.013 32.0 58.3 11.3 0.75(Thavara) Kawaria, Gandutogache, Chakramandrakam,

takara, Takala, Chakramarda,Dadmari,Tagarai, Chinnakasinda

Talinum cuneifolium Flameflower, Badhalacheera, Vassalacheera, 43.2 0.012 47.9 51.3 12.6 0.8(Sambarcheera) Sambarcheera, Palaku, Akukoora,

Seema bachali. Pasali.

Table 1. Mean nutrient composition (mg per gram) of edible non-crop plant species growing in homegardens of Kerala.


30

values were conducted, until an attempt was made recentlyin the Kerala Forest Research Institute. The nutritive statusof 11 common edible non-crop plants is given in Table 1.

Proteins are essential for growth and maintenance of ourbody tissues. According to the Indian National Institute ofNutrition, the daily requirement of dietary protein for anindividual is 60g. The present study showed that every onegram of edible part of a species contain 19.3 mg to 54.33mg of protein, with more protein in Cleome viscosa,Diplazium esculentum, Remusatia vivipara andAlternanthera bettzickiana. It was also noticed that theprotein content in these species was relatively higher thanthat in common leafy vegetables like palak, lettuce orcabbage.

Human body needs fats to act as energy reserve and tofacilitate proper functioning of nerves and the brain. Ingeneral, leafy vegetables are poor in fat content. Among the27 species studied, Remusatia vivipara and Cleome viscosahas the highest fat content (0.015-0.016 mg in one gram).

The fat composition in all these edible non-crop species iscomparable to those found in conventional leafy vegetables.

Fibres are nutrients which promote digestive health. It isreported in the Manual of Indian National Institute ofNutrition that a person needs 28-35 grams of fibre per day.All the species investigated in the present study are goodsource of crude fibre with the highest concentration of 49.8mg in one gram in Diplazium esculentum. Thus, foodprepared from 100 gram of leaves of these edible non-cropplants would meet about 9-12% of the fibre requirement ofour body.

Human body needs about 1 gram of calcium daily as it isvital for muscle functioning and neural transmission. Amongthe species studied, Diplazium esculentum and Talinumcuneifolium are rich in calcium (12.6 to 13.3 mg in onegram). Similarly, about 18 mg of iron is required by anindividual on a daily basis for facilitating blood productionand oxygen transport. Out of the 27 species, Talinumcuneifolium has the highest iron content (0.8 mg in onegram).

It can be concluded that all the investigated species of ediblenon-crop plants are good sources of many nutrients such asprotein, fibre, fat and minerals and their nutritive values arehigher than that in many commercially cultivated vegetables.Majority of these species also possess medicinal value. Thus,their consumption could help in alleviating the problem ofmalnutrition at no cost. Popularisation, management andsustainable utilisation of these lesser known plants wouldalso help to maintain the ecology through enhanced plantbiodiversity, while contributing to food and nutrition securityin the rural landscapes.

U M ChandrashekaraScientist in chargeKerala Forest Research Institute Sub Centre,Nilambur P.O., Malappuram,Kerala – 679 329E-mail: [email protected]

Cleome viscosa

Talinum cuneifolium

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33L E I S A I N D I A J U N E 2 0 1 6

Chandan’s grandmother is surprised to find her ten-year old grandson carefully taking down the recipeof ‘jhungre ki kheer’, a pudding made with barnyard

millet. She herself has not tasted it in the last 30 years. Shenever learnt to read or write and she never felt the need toput down the recipes she was taught by her and her husband’sfamily. Besides, she thinks, no one even grows food likethat anymore; so, what would be the point of recalling theserelics from the recesses of memory?

Chandan is one of the students of Odhla High School,Govindpur who is participating in a traditional recipecompetition being conducted in their school by theSmallholder Innovation for Resilience (SIFOR) team.SIFOR has been working in five villages in the KumaonHimalayas since 2012, to assess various aspects of traditionalagriculture and climate preparedness of the same.

Changing farming conditionsAs with many mountain communities around the world,agriculture in this region is practiced in the age-old waywithout any chemical inputs and growing mostly traditionalcrops for sustenance farming. These include crops likeMandua or Ragi/Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana), Jhungraor Barnyard Millet (Echinochloa frumentacea), Cheen or

Past for the presentPrakriti Mukerjee, Ajay Rastogi and Reetu Sogani

Revival of agro biodiversity that characterizes traditionalagriculture is crucial for addressing food and nutritionsecurity. Bringing back millets, pulses, coarse cereals etc.into the cropping systems can help fill the nutritional gapthat is ever widening in the present rural communities.

Mixed cropping being practiced in the homestead


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Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum), Kauni or Foxtail Millet(Setaria italica), Jaun or Barley (Hordeum vulgare), Ugalor Buck Wheat (Phagopyrum esculentum), Phaphar or BitterBuckwheat (Phagopyrum tataricum), Cholai or Amaranth(Amaranthus caudatus). Lentils grown in the region includeBhat or Himalayan Black Soybean (Glycine max), Maas orBlackgram (Vigna mungo), Masur or Lentil (Lens culinaris),Rains or Rice Bean (Vigna umbellate) and Gahat or Horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) and oilseeds such as Alsi orFlax seed (Linum usitatissimum), Bhangjeera or BeefsteakPlant/Chinese basil (Perilla frutescens) and Til or Sesame(Sesamum indicum).

Agriculture in the Himalayas, especially the abovementioned crops, have suffered much in the last few decadesdue to various reasons at the global, national, regional as

well as local levels. Climate change is a major reason.According to some studies, the mean temperatures in theHimalayan region have increased more than the global andthe Indian mean. Another major deterrent to agriculture iscrop-depredation by animals like wild boar, monkeys as wellas stray cattle.

With basic food grains like rice and wheat being easilyavailable at subsidized rates through the Public DistributionSystems (PDS) and the continuous decline in cropproductivity, many farmers have given up on agriculture.They prefer getting daily wages in exchange for their labourat various construction sites in and around their villages,through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, orsimply moving to cities that seem to be dreamlike worldsof income security. There are many villages in the regionwhich have become ghosts of their past with most or all ofthe residents leaving the green for greyer urban pastures.

Families that still practice agriculture, have started growingvegetables adjacent to their houses as they no longer cancultivate owing to factors like - their inability to protecttheir far off farms from depredation, erratic rainfall andshortage of hands to work in the fields. The youth in villagesis also increasingly getting distanced from agriculture. Richagricultural heritage and diversity has suffered because ofthis growing discontent which favors only a handful of cropsand white-collar jobs.

Restoring crop biodiversitySIFOR started working in five villages in Uttarakhand torestore the local traditional crops. There were very fewfarmers or none that were growing barnyard millet, prosomillet, foxtail millet, flax seed etc. It was indeed a challenge,as some of the crops were completely lost. Seeds had to bebrought from other villages where they were still beinggrown.

Some farmers have revived flaxseed, and also discoveredan innovative cropping pattern to prevent damage by birds.Birds dislike flax seed and growing them on the field marginsprotects the main crop. Finger millet is a traditional cropthat has always been grown. Presently, many families havescaled up its production as it is hardy and performs better inthe face of climates vagaries. The SIFOR team introduced atraditional variety of wheat with long awns that deter birdsand animals from attacking it. The variety had becomeextinct in the villages and hence the seed was obtained fromthe Champawat area near the Nepal border.

There were several problems during the revival process.Proso millet is preferred for its short duration nature. But,being an early crop with a sweet taste, the crop is prone to

“We have increased our production ofmandua (finger millet) and jhungra

(barnyard millet) in the last 2-3 years”,says Bachuli Devi, a sixty-year-old woman-

farmer from Kujoli.

Women provide crucial support to agriculture in the region,especially with many men migrating to urban areas.

35L E I S A I N D I A J U N E 2 0 1 6

destruction by birds. In case of Barnyard millet, it wasnoticed that a particular kind of bird came to feed on it,which had not been spotted before. The effects of climatechange have not only increased the instances of diseasesand pest attacks but also brought about a change in the kindof pests and diseases that farmers have not encounteredbefore.

Keeping in mind these challenges, efforts are being madeto mobilize the community to take action to address foodsecurity of the villages in the long run. A community seedbank is being established with the aim of providing seedsecurity and conserving agro biodiversity. In the seed bankthere are a total of 158 crop varieties that have been collectedfrom nearby villages as well as elsewhere in the Himalayas.They consist of many varieties of paddy, wheat, millets aswell as vegetables. The seed bank is being managed by theSIFOR team at the moment and will eventually be handedover to the community.

A ‘Crop Protection Committee’ discusses various issues andhas appointed a guard to watch out for crop raiders in the

areas where the village fields lie. The women of the regionhave been mobilized to constitute new Self-Help Groups(SHGs). These SHGs actively discuss and jointly takedecisions on livelihood and agriculture matters as well asbenefit from government related schemes and funding forsuch collectives. The SIFOR team facilitates many of thesemeetings to help keep the interest alive. Many of theactivities are also routed through the SHGs.

Nurturing innovationsThe knowledge of traditional farming, though passed onfrom one generation to the next, also fosters innovation,that helps its adaptation to changing times. Dayanand Joshiof Gallakot village is an exceptionally innovative farmerwho has no scientific training in agriculture but hasdeveloped his own variety of radish by crossing a hybridwith traditional variety. He carried out the experiment forsix years about twenty years ago. This new variety, calledDayakesari, can be used as both a vegetable and salad unlikethe original varieties that can be used as either a vegetableor salad. Moreover, the green leaves of this variety can be

New radish variety developed by Dayanand Joshi

Phot

o: R

eetu

Sog

ani


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Call for ArticlesMeasuring the impact of agroecologyVol. 18 No. 3, September 2016The September issue of LEISA India will explore how to better prove the effectiveness ofagroecology. Agriculture and the rural world perform important roles in addressing themultiple crises of today: hunger and malnutrition, poverty, climate change, environmentaldegradation, loss of biodiversity, water, gender inequity and health. The SustainableDevelopment Goals, recently endorsed by the United Nations, explicitly mention the needto transform our current input heavy food systems in order to make them more sustainableand contribute to solving these global challenges.

There is ample evidence that agroecology driven by family farmers can contribute toaddressing these challenges in an integrated way. But why is it continuing to be difficult to‘prove’ the effectiveness of agroecological practices?

One challenge is that farmers’ indicators or criteria to judge the effectiveness of agriculturalpractices differ from those of mainstream policy makers and scientists. The dominantagricultural paradigm sees the maximisation of yields of single crops as a key indicator ofeffective agriculture. But family farmers may use several additional criteria, in line with themultifunctionality of their farming system.

Innovative farmers continuously assess the effectiveness of their farming practices, becausethey want to know the added value of new practices compared to what they were doingearlier, or to what others are doing. They carefully observe their crops and their animals toassess the resilience of their system. They may ‘read’ their farm’s resilience by observingchanges in biodiversity, nutritional value, income and risk diversification, health, labourquality and general quality of life.

Because of this discrepancy in indicators it can be challenging to convince scientists,policymakers and other farmers about the effectiveness of agroecological practices. TheSeptember issue of LEISA India seeks to bridge these differences and contribute to a newperspective on indicators for agroecology’s multifunctional contributions to society.

What (additional) indicators are family farmers using to assess the effectiveness ofagroecology at the farm, landscape and community level? And which indicators areemerging at the aggregate level to assess the multifunctional benefits for agroecology tosociety at large? How can we show the contributions of agroecology to the SustainableDevelopment Goals? What are the challenges when demonstrating the impact ofagroecology, and how are these challenges overcome? How can we demonstrate in aconvincing way the crucial role agroecology can play in responding to the crises of ourtime? What can we learn from existing practices?

Articles for the September 2016 issue of LEISA India should be sent to theeditors before July 31st 2016. Email: [email protected]

Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Oriya, Hindi, Marathi and Punjabi

LEISA India Language Editions

Follow us on: @LeisaIndiawww.facebook.com/Leisaindiamag

www.leisaindia.orgused as a vegetable during the summerseason when not many greens are available.

Way forwardLocal and indigenous communities havetheir own agricultural knowledge systemsthat have been developed over manygenerations. The systems and practicesbeing integral to their natural surroundings,makes them sustainable.

Revival of agro biodiversity thatcharacterizes traditional agriculture iscrucial for addressing food and nutritionsecurity. Bringing back millets, pulses,coarse cereals etc. into the cropping canhelp fill the nutritional gap that is wideningin the present rural communities.Eventually, it can also be scaled up withmarket linkages, making agriculturelucrative for the youth. Institutions havean important role to play in revivingbiodiversity and promoting ecologicallysustainable practices at the communitylevel. Then, kids like Chandan can not onlylearn about his agricultural heritage but canalso become a successful farmer, takingpride in the rich crop biodiversity on hisfarm.

Prakriti Mukerjee, Ajay Rastogi andReetu SoganiSmallholder Innovation for Resilience(SIFOR)Lok Chetna Manch, Chetna Kunj,Rai Estate, Ranikhet - 263645Uttarakhand, India.E-mail: [email protected]

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June 2016 volume 18 no.2 LEIS INDIA · LEISA INDIA JUNE 2016 2 A June 2016 Volume 18 no. 2 INDI LEIS Dear Readers LEISA India is published quarterly by AME Foundation in collaboration