October-December 1997

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PrPrPrPrPreyeyeyeyey, Pr, Pr, Pr, Pr, Predator and Predator and Predator and Predator and Predator and Presence of Human Conceresence of Human Conceresence of Human Conceresence of Human Conceresence of Human Concernnnnn

2 A Dialogue on People's Creativity & Experimentation

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Honey Bee stands forPeople to people networking inlocal language(s), andassurance to providers ofknowledge that they would notbe impoverished by sharing theknowledge:when bees cross-pollinate,flowers do not complain thatpollen is taken away.

Printed, Published and Owned by Kirit K Patel on behalf of SRISTI Innovations, B/2, Srikrishna Apartments, Near Lad Society, Vastrapur,Ahmedabad-380 015. Printed at M/s Colourman Offset, Ahmedabad. Editor: Anil K Gupta

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Pest Management PracticesAcross South and North ........... 3

Enterprise:Chandraprabha Rain Gun ......... 5

Rice-Fish Double Bind:Khals .......................................... 7

Picking the Odd One Out:Weed Control in Tehri-Garhwal . 8

And other regular features

Honey Bee HumsStemming the knowledge erosion ............... 9Coriander curtails weeds ........................... 10Polythene prevents pests ........................... 11Birdwatchers of Bharatpur Sanctury ......... 12

Survey of Innovations ................................. 15

News & Views ............................................... 18

Book Worm ................................................... 19

Dialogue ........................................................ 20

��The Pheasants and the Bell

A woodcutter went into the mountains to cut firewood, andthere he saw two pheasants flapping agitatedly around a bush.When he went nearer and saw a snake on the point of devour-ing their eggs, which were in their nests under the bush, he

took a stick and beat the snake to death.

Years afterwards he set out on a journey. One night, he lost his way in a forestand after a long trudge he at last came upon a house. He knocked at the door.A young girl answered and welcomed him in and gave him a good supper.Later the woodcutter asked her, “ Do you live here alone, or are you expectingthe rest of your family to return?” As he uttered these words the girl changedcolour and snapped viciously at him, “Ten years ago you killed a snake with astick. I am that snake. I was waiting for you, my enemy! Now I shall savourmy revenge to the fullest. I am going to eat you up!” The woodcutter was veryfrightened and begged her to spare his life. “You were trying to eat the pheas-ants’ eggs,” he pleaded. “True, I beat you with my stick, but I had not meantto kill you; it was quite by accident, and I do apologize most earnestly for mydeed. Do spare my life please.”

The girl considered the plea for a moment and replied, “Well if you wish tosave your life, there is one way out. Near the summit of this mountain standsa deserted temple, and in it hangs a great bell. If you can sit here in this roomand make that bell ring, I shall let you go free and unharmed. Now can you dothat ?” The bewildered woodcutter replied: “How can I ring that bell while Isit here? That is quite impossible.” “You mean you cannot do it?” said the girl.“Then you must die this very minute.”, and saying this she transformed herselfinto a big snake ready to strike him. No sooner had she done so than thesolemn gong of the bell rang out clearly to the night.

What had happened? Did the snake finally kill the woodcutter? Who rang thebell? There are several such questions but some important ones are: how dowe define our responsibility when prey and predator are involved in strugglefor existence? Can ecological relationship justify human indifference? Doeshuman presence make a difference to Nature? (Source: A Korean Folktale fromFamily of Earth & Sky Edited by John Elder & Hertha D Wong, Beacon Press,Boston, pp 171-2.

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Nest-strainers and Tuber-indicatorsfrom Rajasthan..........13

Culture and Conservation: PlantsUsed in Ganesh Pooja.....14

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Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ? 3

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Editor

Anil K Gupta

Associate Editors

Srinivas ChokkakulaKirit K Patel

Editorial Team

Kavita GhoshVijaya Sherry Chand

Riya SinhaBrij Kothari

Shailesh ShuklaS Muralikrishna

AdvisorsSumati K Sampemane

Jayvir AnjariaJyoti Capoor

Graphics & Design

D T PadekarPalash Graphics

UnnikrishnanScan Point

Other Sources of Illustrations Gestion de Recursos Naturales

Secretarial AssistanceR Baskaran

Balaganapathy MudaliarJivabhai Kotiya

Editorial Address

Honey BeeC/o Prof Anil K Gupta

Indian Institute of ManagementVastrapur

Ahmedabad 380 015India

Tel : 91-79-407241 Fax : 91-79-6427896

Telex : 121-6351 IIMA INGram : INDINMAN

Email : [email protected]@[email protected]

Home Page : http://csf.colorado.edu/sristi

Consumers Can Conserve: Will You?

When economists say that ‘there is no free lunch’, they imply that someone or theother pays for anything and everything that we use, exchange or waste. But when wedo not pay for it, the resource concerned tends to get eroded.

We have assumed that soil fertility, productivity and health, in general, will remainsound, no matter what do we do, how we use land or what chemicals we apply. Thereare many aspects of soil and water conservation which need attention. Just one aspectto which consumers can contribute, is related to the organic land use. Awareness aboutorganically grown agricultural products is slowly increasing in our society. But evenin this niche market, the space is being squeezed by the gentlemen/lady farmers. Wehave not paid attention to the fact that a large part of the agriculture in some of themost disadvantaged areas, such as drought-prone areas, hill areas, some flood-affectedareas, and forest-fringe areas, is already organic. People are too poor economicallyto use chemical inputs. In many cases, production conditions are organic because wedo not have chemical-intensive technological alternatives suitable for heterogeneous rain-fed conditions. How do we provide incentives to such people to (a) improve theirincomes, (b) use innovative, non-chemical technologies which would improve productivityand (c) adopt land-use practices which maintain soil-ecosystem’s health and agro-biodiversity? How do we generate markets for organic products? Will consumers payfor conserving diversity, the health of the ecosystem and, most importantly their ownhealth and well-being?

For the last three years, we have been doing a country-wide survey of green consumers,with the voluntary help of students at IIMA, and members of the Honey Bee Network.We found four types of consumers: pioneer mobilizers, populist mobilizers, aloofpractitioners and the indifferent and indolent. The pioneer mobilizers are those whonot only practise environment-friendly consumption behaviour but also persuade othersto do the same. Populist mobilizers do not practise much themselves, but want everyoneelse to change. The aloof practitioners are the most difficult to find because they practisethe correct behaviour but do not tell others about it. The last category, of course, isknown to most of us. These consumers neither practise green behaviour nor tell anyone else to do so.

Obviously the strategy to mobilize the support of each category of consumers for organicproducts will have to be different. We must begin by asking ourselves what proportionof our purchasing power has been spent in the last three months on green products,particularly food items! If the answer is nil, the reasons may be many. We may notknow from where to buy even if we want to do so, or we may not have faith in thequality of the products available. In any case, if we do not buy the organic products,the farmers who grow them will not have the surplus as to engage in soil and waterconservation, and the productivity will continue to decline.

I will like to hear from our readers as to what do they think can be done to reachdifferent kinds of consumers, so that urban demand for safer, chemical-free food canstimulate investment in conservation by the disadvantged farmers in poorly endowedregions. Here is an opportunity to pay our dues towards the laggards of Green Revolutionand pioneers of conservation and organic production.

anil k gupta


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Nature in and out!

In Nature outside,The bird builds andMan destroys,Look at this “nature’s call!”Man builds andthe Bird multiplies!

Subhash Deshpande, Pune

Tight spot

A IIM photographer in a tight spotLet loose on a bird’s nest in a piss potThe bird said, “Oh Jee, did you really haveto pee”“Yes, “said he, with a touch too much glee“You’re lucky you weren’t on the shit pot

Umaji Chowgule, [email protected]

Compell to share

Oh man, nature is open to you to fight.But everything on nature, is in our rightWe are not human, that opportunity will looseSo the property unused, taken in use

You develop through ideas and the scienceBut keep in mind good conscienceYou have not taken trees in careSo we compelled with you to share

Ramesh P Mahajan, Jalgaon

Naphtheline to egg

Put a naphthalene ball in a urinal pot, irrigatewith urine for fifteen days and see amazingresults - vow “an egg”

Dr D K Saxena, Sikar

An Unusual Bird’s Nest

You can’t take pride in firstTo dwell in a slum like that;Man initiated long backTo live at the low ebb.

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'Maddu Thopu’ plant (StrobilanthusStrobilanthusStrobilanthusStrobilanthusStrobilanthussppsppsppsppspp) is a small plant about three to fivefeet tall and with small leaves. With theonset of monsoon it turns lush. In themonth of Kakada (July 15 to August 15)it turns rich greenish purple and isbelieved to have properties of 18 differentkinds of medicines. On the 18th day ofKakada the plant acquires the stature ofelixir vitae elixir vitae elixir vitae elixir vitae elixir vitae and is said to have the powerto invigorate the entire human systemcleaning impurities.

On the 18th day of the month of Kakada,people collect tender stalks and leavesfrom the forest to prepare the juiceextract. They wash and clean the leavesand tear them by hand. Then the leavesare boiled in water in a large brassvessel or earthen pot for about one hourto strain out the clear purple extract. Thefollowing preparations are made withthis extract.

Maddu KooluMaddu KooluMaddu KooluMaddu KooluMaddu Koolu (Medicinal Rice) (Medicinal Rice) (Medicinal Rice) (Medicinal Rice) (Medicinal Rice)

Ingredients: ½ kg rice, one litre extract,jaggery syrup according to taste, ½teaspoon of salt, ½ coconut groundfinely.

Preparation: Keep the extract on thefire and bring to boil. Add rice and saltand allow to boil for a few minutes.Lower the flame, cover the lid andallow to simmer till the rice is soft andwell cooked. Stir occasionally, then addthe ground coconut and jaggery to tasteserve hot or cold.

Maddu PuttuMaddu PuttuMaddu PuttuMaddu PuttuMaddu Puttu (Medicinal Cake) (Medicinal Cake) (Medicinal Cake) (Medicinal Cake) (Medicinal Cake)

Soak ½ kg broken rice in the extractovernight, grind the rice in the extractto get a fine batter, cook the batter ina thick bottom vessel over a mediumflame, add a pinch of salt and keepstirring till the mixture boils, then lowerthe flame and allow to cook whilestirring all the while till the mixturecongeals and begins to leave the sidesof the vessel. Pour into a large traycovered with heated banana leaf. Themass should be spread about ½ inchthick on the tray. Allow to cool slowly,cut into squares and serve with honeyand ghee, or milk and sugar or jaggerysyrup or eat plain if you do not mindthe slight bitter taste.

Dinker MadapaDinker MadapaDinker MadapaDinker MadapaDinker MadapaHudikeri, Kodagu, Karnataka

But, of course, you deserve prizeTo highlight the degree of destruction outside;Beseeching the man insideTo cease the barbarous act of suicide.

In an open seminar of all living beingsYour presentation upholding one to one normof living,Is really a thought provokingAnd excellent model of simple living

Your mute deliberation on environmentaldegradationIs considerated a best piece of oration,You deserve ‘Gold’ to settle in a poor mouldAnd fixing human mind manifold

Sitaram Singh, Nagpur

Recipe fRecipe fRecipe fRecipe fRecipe for Rejuvor Rejuvor Rejuvor Rejuvor Rejuvenaenaenaenaenating ting ting ting ting TTTTTasteasteasteasteaste

(We continue to get excellent response for the contest annoncements. We carry heresome selected contributions for the ‘caption and poem contest on the photo’ in theorder of their ranking by the editorial team. We are also getting regular response to therecipe contest. We carry one of these here. We await more responses from you. :Ed)


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promoted in the case of herbal pestmanagement. (Honey Bee and SRISTI havebeen pursuing research on known andunknown uses of various plants for the lasteight years. NAPRALERT Database providesgood references to knownuses. :Ed).

German indigenous knowledge

European IK can also be considered forthis purpose. In German biological orecological agriculture, there are at least20 different plant species known for theirrepellent effects, evolved from traditionalfarming practices and farmersexperimentation. Many of these vegetableand spice species are also cultivated in theDR (eg garlic, basil, peppermint, tagetes,tomato, onion) and could be integrated intopest management.

Comparable belief systems in traditionalplant protection methodology can also befigured out, for example, the integrationof spirituality to combat massiveoccurrence of pests like Erinnyis ello incassava and other caterpillar species bothin the DR and in India. There are specialhealers in the DR who work with magic-religious formulas to kill or guidecaterpillars or ants out of the field. In SriLanka, farmers organize special religiousceremonies to control leaf-eatingcaterpillars in crops (The efficacy ofthe rituals, however, must be carefullyassessed lest we merely sustain superstitions:Ed)

Lunar phases and pest control

Certain lunar phases are considered to beauspicious for different farm operationsand are believed to prevent

Naturaleza, an NGO in the mountain areaof Santiago, DR, distributes barrels topeasant families that want to follow newlyintroduced non-chemical pest managementpractices. The distribution of barrels is akind of incentive to motivate farmers toadopt the new technology.

It is interesting to note that in the immediatesurroundings of the CREAR-project,(Centro Regional de Estudios AlternativasRurales), where most of the herbal-pesticides have been developed, theadoption rate amongst farmers iscomparably low. CREAR is an educationalcentre. It runs courses for regular students,technical staff of official and private ruralextension organizations and farmers. It hasadequate international funds. Afterfinishing high school most of the studentsin DR usually leave the remote areas tocontinue studies or to search for a lucrativejob in urban centres.

Comparing indigenous pestmanagement practices of differentcultures

The comparison of specific DominicanIndigenous Knowledge (IK) with that ofother cultures sometimes reveals amazingparallels. Sharaby (1988) and Parrish(1994) mentioned different practices oftraditional storage pest management inEgypt. Sharaby investigated the effects ofguava (Psidium guajava) and eucalyptus(Eucalyptus globulus) leaf powders onrice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) andgranary weevil (Sitophilus granarius).Guava leaf powder had a rather toxic effecton these two pests, whereas eucalyptus hada stronger repellent effect. Parrish (1994)describes the fumigation of granary rooms

with capsicum (Capsicum annuum)together with other components (kerosene,wood, rice straw or stalks) which are burntinside prior to grain storage. Capsicum isalso used in combination with ash and lime.

All these plant species exist in the DR aswell. Thus, the same practices may beadopted locally, as the main problem pestsare also similar to the Sitophilus oryzae:S. zeamays (in maize) and Acantho-scelides obtectus (in beans). Dominicanfarmers instead treat stored grain withgrated wood of pine tree (Pinusoccidentalis, -caribeae) or grated curdsoap with pine essence. Earlier, they alsosprinkled harvested pulses with the juiceof bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) whiledrying them in the sun.

The most famous example of herbalpesticide is Azadirachta indica (Neem).The traditional use of leaves and seeds asbiopesticides in crops and storage of seedsoriginally came from India, but in the last20 years this specific IK spread to manyother countries in Africa, Latin Americaand now even to the US and Europe. TodayNeem is an essential component in manyprojects promoting sustainable agricultureand biological or integrated pestmanagement.

Jain and Lata (1996) have shown a numberof parallels in medicinal plant use in Indiaand Brazil. A large number of practicesdescribed in this article are also used inthe DR, but some of them are used fordifferent purposes, while the potential ofothers has not been investigated yet. Globalexchange of knowledge and mutuallearning among farmers, as attempted byHoney Bee network, can amplify theknowledge base of each culture.Comparable exchanges should also be

Part I which appeared in Honey Bee Vol 8 (3), described how the peasants of the Dominican Republic (DR) builtupon human healing systems to develop pest control methods. This part discusses how pest management practices fromdifferent cultures can be blended with very good results.

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Gitta Roeth1


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pests and diseases. In the DR mostpeasants believe these influences are oncrop growth and plant resistance, sizeand shape of fruits and tubers and storagequalities of harvested products. Storagepests like Sitophilus oryzae, S. zeamays,can be controlled and reducedconsiderably. Farmers consider full moonas the most appropriate time for cuttingwood. Wood cut during the new moonon the other hand rots after a few monthsand is attacked easily by Kalothermisbremis. Similar beliefs are reported inIndia as well as in some local communitiesof USA.

In India farmers recognized an increaseof termite population in certain lunarphases (Gupta 1997). In many othercountries there have been a multitude ofexperiments investigating the lunarinfluences on crop growth anddevelopment cycles of insects (Schad andEndres 1997).

Other parallels in Dominican and Indianlocal practices may be identified. In bothcountries there are two specialleguminosae type species which areknown to rural people as fish poison andused for catching fish. Long ago,Dominican peasants in the northernmountain area used Tephrosia sinapouor Juanibré, a bush, to catch fish. They

stacked the leaves androots of the bush andthrew them into theriver. As a result thefish were blinded anddied; pregnant animalsdrinking this wateraborted. As the plantwas well known for itspoisonous and abortivefunctions, one of thespecies was investi-gated by the farmersfor its pesticidal effects.Today resources ofTephrosia sinapou arevery limited and hardlyany fish is left in themountain rivers. (Sometribals of the districtBharuch of Gujarat use

any of the following plants as fish poison:(i) Bark of ‘chinara’ (ii) Leaves of ‘punja’(iii) Plant of ‘agari’ (iv) Fruit of ‘gala’ (v)Plant of ‘chido’ along with root. The plantis crushed on stones near the stream andsuspended in the water after stopping waterflow with bunds made of branches, clay andstones. Among all these plants ‘chido’ isthe most toxic for fish. refer HB vol 4(2&3)1993, p 24. Ed).

In India farmers use the same methodtoday using 'dandavon' (Acaciaauriculiformis), a tree which wasintroduced from Australia to India in1985. (Its other uses are not known tothe author.)

There are many other parallels like theuse of special protective plants withmagic or spiritual functions to protectcrops or people (e g Ruta chalepensiswhich is used in the D R, India, Africaand Romania against the ‘evil eye’) orplants with certain toxic or repellentqualities used against rats, ants,cockroaches and parasitic organisms.

As Gupta (1997) commented on thevariety of parallel indigenous practices:“The theory of simultaneous innovationsseems at work.” Biggs (1980), Gupta(1981), Verma and Singh (1969) andseveral other scholars had drawn ourattention to the potential of learning from

local knowledge and innovations. Pastakia(1995), recently showed how the valuesof the peasants influenced the way newmethods and approaches to pestmanagement were explored. The realchallenge seems to be to find ways ofencouraging farmers to pursue their ownexperiments aided by farmer innovatorsfrom other regions as well as byempathetic formal scientists.

References

Biggs, S D. 1980. The Failure of Farmersto Adopt New Technological PackagesEntirely May be A Sign of CreativityRather than Backwardness. Ceres,13(4):23-26.

Gupta, A K. 1997. personal communication

Gupta, A K. 1981. Viable Projects forUnviable Farmers - An Action Research,IUAES Inter Congress, Amsterdam

Gupta, A K. 1980. Communicating withFarmers, New Delhi: Indian Institute ofPublic Admninstration, mimeo

Gupta, A K and Patel K. K. 1992. Surveyof Innovations for Sustainable Development:Do Methods matter?, IIM, Ahmedabad.

Jain, S. and Lata, S. 1996. Unique IndigenousAmazonian uses of some plants growing inIndia, IK Monitor 4 (3)

Parrish, A. 1994. Indigenous Post-harvestKnowledge in an Egyptian Oasis, IK Monitor2 (1)

Pastakia, A R. 1995. Grassroots Innovationsfor Sustainable Development: The Case ofAgricultural Pest Management. UnpublishedDissertation. IIM, Ahmedabad.

Verma, M R and Singh Y P. 1969. A Pleafor Studies in Traditional AnimalHusbandry. Farmer, vol XLIII(2):93-98.

Schad, W. and Endres, K P. 1997. Biologiedes Mondes, Stuttgart: Hirzel

Sharaby, A. 1988. Evaluation of someMyrtaceae plant leaves as protectants againstthe infestation by Sitophilus oryzae L. andSitophilus granarius L., Insect Sci. Applic.9 (4): 465-468

1. Stadtgrenze 5, 40670, Meerbusch,Germany. email:[email protected]


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Not many may have seen an economicalsprinkler system covering as much as 140ft radius to irrigate standing sugarcanecrop. Annasaheb Udagavi, a farmer inSadalga village of Chikkodi taluk ofBelgaum district in North Karnataka, hasdesigned a sprinkler head which does notdo just that but a lot more.

Twelve years ago, when hardly anybodyknew much about drip irrigation, hepondered over the idea of using it in hisown way. To save his betel-vine orchardfrom the acute scarcity of water,Annasaheb fitted PVC pipes used inelectrical fittings after making perforationsin them with nails. He spent Rs 30,000 tocover two acres of betel-vine in 1985. Byirrigating for an hour each day, hesuccessfully maintained the orchard forseven years. But poor prices for betel leafand labour problems made him switch overto other crops.

Washing away pests: A novel way ofpest control

Annasaheb then cultivated tobacco for afew years. It was during this period, thathe started thinking about the sprinklerirrigation system. He believed that it wasalso the best method to wash down theaphids and white flies with a high pressurewater spray and save his crops.Subsequently, he switched over to

sugarcane cultivation in pursuit of betterreturns. Although he had dug another wellfor irrigating the sugarcane crop, theproblem of salinity and the difficulty ofirrigating the dense crop stands kept himbusy searching for alternatives. This iswhere his thoughts on a sprinkler irrigationsystem started taking shape.

Birth of a new sprinkler

By studying the conventional sprinklerirrigation system at various exhibitions andlocations, he came out with his own designto suit the requirements of sugarcane crop.He worked with wood at home andultimately arrived at a suitable designwhich he got fabricated at a foundry. Afterinstalling it in his field, he further refinedits design. To achieve a balanced shaftmovement, Annasaheb added about 400 gof additional weight at the back. At theoutlet, he provided a groove for fixingdifferent sized nozzles to throw water todifferent lengths, as needed. Further, heintroduced a locking system to prevent thesprinkler head from throwing water intothe neighbouring fields. With all theserefinements, Annasaheb now has an almostperfect sprinkler head which he has namedafter the goddess, Chandraprabha.

Comparison with other designs

The cost of installation and otheradvantages of conventional sprinklersystem depend on the shape of the field,source of water and the crop to be irrigated.However, a simple comparison of aconventional sprinkler system withChandraprabha Raingun clearlyillustrates the advantages of the newinnovation over the conventional sprinklersystem.

Two ‘Chandraprabha Raingun’ sprinklerheads would be enough to irrigate threeacres of sugarcane. The per head cost isRs 3,500. The per acre installation cost isRs 15,000, inclusive of the installation ofthree-inch PVC main pipeline and riserpipe, whereas, the installation cost of aconventional sprinkler system comes to aminimum of Rs 6,000 per acre with a twoinch pipeline. It involves components likepump, main pipeline, lateral pipeline, riserpipe and the sprinkler.

Since the spread of conventionalsprinklers is a maximum of 40 feetradius, it requires fixing of lateralpipelines and moving the sprinkler fromone part to another part of the field. Thisis a laborious task. ChandraprabhaRaingun does not need lateral pipelinesbecause of its large coverage (a maximumradius of 140 feet). Also, because it isinstalled permanently, it does not requirefrequent adjustments.

Flexibility in use

The Raingun can irrigate one acre in aboutone and a half hours. Sprinklers generallyhave two nozzles, one for applying waterover long distances and the other for shortdistances. But the ChandraprabhaRaingun has a special LOPS nozzle whichcovers both the distances. Also, there is aprovision to choose nozzle size: 17, 19,21 and 23 mm to achieve the requiredthrow distance. For instance, a 17 mmnozzle throws water up to 100 feet radiuswhile a 23 mm nozzle can throw water upto 140 feet. A look at the figures in TableI worked out by Annasaheb reveals histhorough understanding of the working ofthe system.

This article is based on the ongoing doctoral research work of the firstauthor. It mainly draws on an interview with the innovator.

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Arun M Balamatti1 And B Sundaraswamy2

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Key advantages

The Chandraprabha Raingun can be aboon to sugarcane cultivators consideringits many advantages:

(i) The sprinkler system can prevent15 to 20 per cent of conveyance lossand can achieve uniform application of

water, which is not possible in surfaceirrigation.

(ii) While saving in water consumptionranges from 25 to 50 per cent fordifferent crops with conventionalsprinklers, it is 60 to 70 per cent in caseof Chandraprabha Raingun. Hence, itis possible to increase the irrigatedarea by more than two times using thesame amount of water.

(iii) Along with irrigation, the sprinklercan be used for the application offertilizers and plant protection chemicalssimply by mixing them in the watertank. This can save a great deal oflabour expenditure. More importantly,since the Raingun has a three-inch pipeand a wide nozzle, even composts suchas biogas slurry can be applied to thecrop through it.

(iv) Since the water is applied withforce, pests like aphids, white flies,scales, are effectively washed down.

(v) At the time of harvesting, thefarmers are instructed by the sugarfactories not to irrigate the crop since itis difficult to transport the produce fromwet fields. However, if the crop is notharvested and sent to the factory

Art sustains science

Annasaheb is also an expert sculptorwho carves beautiful stone statues andis equally good at repairing antiquestatues. He has just returned from Japanafter such an assignment. He lovestravelling and seeing places, more so ifit gives him an opportunity to learnsomething new about agriculture.

Presently, Annasaheb is busy givingfinal touches to a sprayer which, hepromises, will be a good alternative tothe laborious hand operated back sprayer.The new sprayer runs on a six-voltrechargeable battery and spraysuniformly to almost six to seven feetwidth using a metal wheel, found in anyaudio-record player. Once it is ready,it will be another boon to the farmer.

Acknowledgement

Sri B D Adimani, Assistant Director ofAgriculture, Karnataka State Departmentof Agriculture, Davanagere, directed theresearchers to the farmer.

1. Ph D Scholar, 2. Professor and Head,Department of Agricultural ExtensionEducation,University of AgriculturalSciences, Dharwad-580 005, Karnataka.

immediately after stopping irrigation, itloses weight owing to dehydration. Byinstalling the Raingun, the farmer cango for a superficial irrigation withoutmaking the soil too wet while stillenabling the crop to accumulate weight.(This is obviously not a fair advice. If suchcane goes to the factory, whether co-operative or otherwise, it will lose weightand in turn factory’s viability is adverselyaffected. If it is a co-operative factory,farmers are also affected. :Ed)

(vi) After harvesting, the canes arestacked in the field in bundles for awhile. If the leaves holding the bundlesdry up, the bundles will give way duringloading. Annasaheb uses the sprinklerto keep the leaves wet and bundlesintact thus facilitating easy loading andunloading.

The Chandraprabha Raingun is anengineering marvel especially since it isan innovation by an illiterate farmer.Annasaheb says that he would derivemore pleasure and satisfaction if itbenefits a large number of farmers.However, formal and systematic researchmay be needed to ascertain itsperformance, especially under high windvelocity and dry hot winds.

Table I : Chandraprabha Raingun: Statistical Details

Nozzle Pressure Diameter Discharge Spacing Precipitation mm psi ft gallon/min ft inch/hr

17 40 185 68 100 x 100 0.8145 194 72 100 x 100 0.8050 203 76 120 x 120 0.6355 211 80 120 x 120 0.66

19 40 192 85 100 x 100 1.0145 208 91 120 x 120 0.7550 213 95 120 x 120 0.7960 227 105 120 x 120 0.67

21 45 210 115 120 x 120 0.9550 223 122 120 x 120 1.0160 242 129 140 x 140 0.78

23 45 223 136 120 x 120 1.1350 236 143 140 x 140 0.8760 250 153 140 x 140 0.93


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In Assam, rice-fish farming is atraditional practice, well adapted in the lowland clayey soils of the entire Brahmaputravalley. In the old alluvial tractsrepresenting the rainfed lowland alfisoils,where rice cultivation is a commonpractice, farmers spare a part of the landfor rearing fishes which enter through floodwater. On an average, Assam receivesabout 2000 mm of annual rainfall of whichabout 70 per cent is received during kharif(June to October) season. Such heavyrainfall inundates the entire paddy fields,thereby offering an ideal opportunity forthe fish to infiltrate the field along withthe flood waters.

The transplanting of kharif rice is normallycompleted in the month of July. Farmersraise bunds around the entire field in thisseason to retain maximum rain water. Thefields are generally rectangular or squareshaped and bunds are normally madeagainst the natural slope/gradient of thefield. It is here that the farmers are foundto apply their traditional wisdom and “killtwo birds with a stone”.

Farming situations

During a survey of villages of Jorhatdistrict, by a team of Green Plus Society,a voluntary organization, an unusualpractice of cultivating rice along with asmall ‘khal’ (small pond) on one side ofthe plot was noticed. The practice wasstudied further to find out the utility ofthe pond and its relationship with thesocio-ecological system of the area.

Nine major farming situations wereidentified in the area. It is seen that winterrice is grown in all the plots during July-August irrespective of whether the plot hada previous crop or not. The previous cropsmay be summer rice, wheat, or mustard orthe fields may have remained fallow. Suchpractices are well adapted to clay loam,

silty clay loam and clay soils only. In lighttextured soils – sandy clay loam, loamy orsandy soils, such practices are notfollowed. But under these farmingsituations, it is possible to maintain thewater in the field at a desirable level tillthe harvesting period. The ‘khals’generally do not dry out before harvest ofthe rice crop.

The ‘Khal’

‘Khal’ is a local word which implies aman-made depression, usually dug out. Itis a smaller version of ponds. Farmers dig‘khals’ at the lowest point of their rice fieldfor other purposes also. A typical rice fieldwith the ‘khals’ can be seen in the figurebelow. The size of the ‘khal’ depends onthe slope of the land, the amount of rainfall,the depth of inundation, period ofinundation and current over-flow. The Khalapproximately covers 1/100th part of therice field. The normal size usually variesbetween three and six square meters. Thewhole rice plot is bounded by earthenbunds. The depth of the ‘khal’is maintainedaround one to 1.5 m depending on thegradient.

Shape

The usual shape of the ‘khal’ is triangular,though there could be variations. It is dug

at the lowest corner of the field. A ‘Khal’is avoided in the middle of the holdingexcept when the field is exceptionally large(more than two hectares).

Utility

(i) Assam experiences both heavy rainsand occasional droughts. The ‘khals’become a source of irrigation duringoccasional drought periods, for instanceduring the flowering or grain filling stageof the rice crop.

(ii) The ‘khals’ are also a natural fish trap.Fish enter the fields along with floodwaters and breed there till the water levelin the field is sufficient. When the waterlevel begins to recede from Septemberonwards and the continuity with rivers andother sources gets disturbed, the fishes aretrapped within the bunded plot of rice field.They become vulnerable to prey as the foodbecomes scarce. The ambient temperaturealso increases. As the water level fallsfurther during October, the fishes migrateto the ‘khals’ for shelter.

(iii) Farmers use the ‘khals’ as a store foruprooted paddy seedlings beforetransplanting. Sometimes aftertransplanting, the excess seedlings are keptin the shallow water of the ‘khals’. Theroots of the seedlings do not get

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Weeds are a constant source of problemfor farmers. Many multi-nationalcompanies offer poisonous solutions in theform of chemical herbicides. Though thechemicals help to control weedstemporarily, the weeds grow again inlarger number in the next season as theybecome resistant to the herbicides.Moreover, constant and prolonged use ofchemicals can cause irreparable damageto the soil and water bodies.

Most of the farmers in the Garhwal regionuse traditional techniques to controlweeds. With the introduction of new seedvarieties, many new and unfamiliar weedshave appeared and spread profusely.

In the Uttarakhand region of middleHimalayas, paddy is cultivated right fromthe valleys up to 2000 feet altitude. Thereis a wide diversity of paddy varieties andalso of the weeds. Some common weedsthat grow with paddy are ‘dhalra’,‘mora’, ‘kukraiya’, ‘jhurra’ and‘dhakuda’. Most of these weeds looksimilar to the rice plant. During manualweeding operations, women identify themeasily and remove them and use them asgreen manure.

Recognizing look alike weeds

However, as it is very difficult to recognizesome weeds in paddy field, farmers havedevised ingenious ways to control them.‘Dhakura’ or ‘jharuva’ is one such weed.It is also referred to as a kind of wildpaddy. While harvesting paddy, someripened grains of ‘dhakura’ fall in thefield and sprout in the next season. Andin the subsequent years, the same‘dhakura’ assumes menacing proportionsand becomes very difficult to control givenits close resemblance to the paddy plant.

It starts flowering and setting seed earlierthan the rice plant does. While harvesting,the ears start shattering and seeds getscattered all over the field. The paddycrop suffers. After a few years, the wholefield is swamped by ‘dhakura’ whichaffects the paddy yield. After a few cyclesof growth, the ‘dhakura’ seeds becomestronger and resistant to disease, droughtand flood.

Farmers change the variety of the paddyin each season to control such weeds. Forexample, if the ‘dhakura’ weed is fromthe white stalk variety of paddy such as‘thaapchini’, ‘kangudi’, ‘nyuri’ and‘gorakhpuri’, farmers sow red stalkvariety of paddy such as ‘rikhva’,‘lalmati’ and ‘bangoi’. Once the plantsgrow, weeds can be easily identified bythe colour of their stalks. Farmers canthen easily spot and remove the whitestalked weeds from the red stalked paddy.The uprooted weeds can of course be usedas manure. The farmers lend each otherthese seed varieties whenever necessary.This exchange also helps in maintainingthe diversity.

Organic herbicide

There is another weed called mora. Itsroots grow deep and cling to the soilmaking it extremely difficult to uproot.The Uttarakhand hill-farmers have

-��)�� ++��%�&��+� .�� Vijay Jardhari1

Vijay Jardhari is a young committed activist in the Garhwal region. He spearheaded the Beej Bachao Andolan andconserved a large number of local rice varieties at his own farm. He is trying to conserve not just the biological diversitybut also the diversity of knowledge. He describes here a traditional practice of weed control in rice. :Ed

damaged but are cleaned in the process.

(iv) The ‘khals’ are harvested two tothree times in a season depending uponthe amount of rain water or overflow.About three to ten kg of fish are harvestedeach time. During winter season, thesesupplement the food supply.

(v) Some local varieties of fishes suchas ‘goroi’ (Murrels), ‘koi’ (Climbinoperch), ‘singi’ and ‘magur’ (Cat fish)help in controlling the weeds andloosening soil near the roots of the riceplant.

(vi) The ducks reared in the ‘khals’ alsohelp in loosening the soil around theroot zone of the rice plant. However,ducks are allowed into the field onlyafter the rice plants are established wellin the soil.

1.Department of Extention Education,Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat,Assam.

invented an organic herbicide to controlthis weed. Apricot grows in abundancein this region. The oil extracted fromapricot seeds is used for various medicinaland culinary purposes. The seed husk,known as ‘hadela’, is considered to be awaste product. The elderly andexperienced farmers, however, believe that‘hadela’ can be used to control ‘mora’weed. They scatter the husk in their fieldsto control ‘mora’. It is also a good manure.

1. Henwalghati, PO Nagni, Tehri Garhwal,Uttar Pradesh, Pin: 249 175

Contd from Page7


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Nam Vazhi Velanmai(Tamil version of Honey Bee)Mr P Vivekanandan, EditorSEVA, 43, T P M Nagar, VirattipathuMadurai 625010, Tamil Nadu

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Thiru Muthu Servai is almost 90 yearsold and lives in Kuralampatti village ofMannar Thirumalal District. He is famousfor his traditional treatments. MuthuServai has planted a rare herb ‘Vathamadakki’ (Clerodendrum phlomides) onthe boundary of his field. This is a shrubwith small leaves. It cures many humanand cattle diseases and it is also knownas ‘thazhuthalai’. Now Muthu Servaicannot even speak cogently. Nobodyfrom the younger generation is willing tolearn his store of knowledge. Someremedies practised by Muthu Servai aregiven here.

8401 Hypothermia or shivering incattle

In extremely cold weather, the joints ofthe cattle may become stiff. A gunnybag soaked in fermented rice water is

put on stones heated by burning ricehusk. The extract of the ‘vatha madakki’(Clerodendrum phlomides) leaves ispoured on the heated gunny bag. Theanimal is given fomentation with thisgunny bag. This treatment relieves thestiffness of joints.

8402 Fractured bones

Six pieces of ‘vasambu’ (Acorus-calamus), six ‘valampurikkai’(Helicteresisora), six peppers and a few seeds of‘karuncheeragam’ (Foeniculumvulgare) are crushed together and mixedwith three handfuls of ‘vatha madakki’leaves and some water. A pinch of‘kasturi’ is added to the mixture. Theabove mixture is administered internallywhile ground ‘vatha madakki’ leaves areapplied externally over the fractured boneand bandaged after splinting withbamboo-sticks.

Muthu Servai Vaidyar, Kuralampatti village,Comm: R S Narayanan.

Organic agriculture for better health

Gloria Farm, which belongs to AurobindoAshram in Pondicherry has an area ofabout 100 acres. This farm is locatedin a place called Pillaiyarkuppam inPondicherry. Organic farming is beingpractised here for the past 25 years.Some of the organic farming practices ofthis farm are explained here.

8403 Herbal pesticide

An organic pesticide can be prepared bymixing the following ingredients in acontainer of about 15 litres capacity.Five litres of cow’s urine, one litre leafextract of ‘nochchi’ (Vitex negundo),one litre leaf extract of Adhatoda vasica,one litre of asafoetida extract (soakhundred grams of asafoetida in ten litresof water and take one litre) and sevenlitres of water. The leaf extract isprepared by boiling two handfuls ofleaves in 10 litres of water till it becomes

one litre. It is to be strained aftercooling for getting the extract. Threetanks of this pesticide solution (each 15litres) can be sprayed over one acreduring evening hours. This organicpesticide can be used against all typesof pests and diseases of paddy.

8404 Circular pits to save waterconsumption in Banana plantation

Generally the farmers plant about 850 -900 suckers of banana in square orrectangular beds. In this farm, circularpits with a circumference of 4½ feet anda depth of three feet are dug and seven

to eight suckers are planted on theperiphery of every pit. Irrigation is givento the pits through the connectingchannels once every two weeks. Garbageand crop wastes are put in the pits andallowed to compost. A space of 12 feetis maintained between every two rowsof such pits, so that a tractor can passeasily between them. The waterrequirement can be reduced to 50 percentby this method of planting. In thismethod, banana can be ratooned forthree years after which fresh suckerscan be planted.

Comm: P Vivekanandan

We have been discussing the issue of incentives for individual herbalists and also forthe community for last eight to ten years. The case of Thiru Mutthu Servai describesvividly the cost of our inertia. By not developing a practical solution we are losing thisknowledge very fast. We welcome comments from the readers. :Ed.


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Hittalagida(Kannada version of Honey Bee)Dr T N Prakash, EditorDepartment of Agricultural EconomicsUAS, Hebbal, Banglore 560 024

8405 Seed treatment aids germination

8405.1 If the seeds of watermelon aresoaked in kumkum (vermilion) water or

milk for a day before sowing, they willgerminate faster and grow into healthyplants.

Prabhakar and Senapathi Gowda, Sagar

8405.2a Bitter gourd also germinatesfaster and develops well when the seedsare soaked in milk for a day prior tosowing.

Narasimha Murthy, Sirsi

8405.2b Seeds of various varieties ofbeans are soaked in milk for a day andthen planted; the resultant plants arehealthy and the yield is good.

T S Hegde, HitalahalliComm: Arunkumar and Anand

8405.3 According to the farmers ofChipageri, before sowing of ragi seeds ifsome dry cow dung cakes are burnt in thefield and if it rains thereafter, the ‘ragi’

plants become disease resistant and growmuch faster.

G D Lambhur, Chipageri

8405.4 Slow germinating seeds likeradish and beet-root are tied in a piece ofcloth and soaked overnight in water andare sown after sprinkling water on themrepeatedly. Plants from these seeds arewell developed and fast growing.

Subbaraya Bhatt, Yellapur

8406 Coriander controls weeds

A method to control Striga asiatica weedin the jowar (Sorghum vulgare) field isby using coriander (Coriandrumsativum). Coriander seeds are plantedbetween the rows of jowar. Nearly 200 gof coriander seeds are sown for everythree kg of jowar seeds. Once thecoriander plants are big enough thestrands twist themselves around strigaweed and suppress its growth. This waythe weeds are finally eliminated from thefields.

8407 Pest preventive measures

Leaves of 'mukkadaka’ (Lasiosiphoneriocephalus) or 'kasaraka’ (Strychnosnuxvomica) or neem (Azadirachtaindica) or Agave americana are coll-ected in a bucket to which ten litres ofboiled water are added. The mixture isallowed to ferment for a day. Nextmorning, the fermented solution is keptin sunlight and the leafy residue isremoved from it. The solution is sprayedby diluting with water in 1: 10 ratiowhenever the symptoms of diseases andpests are noticed in plants.

Purshottama Rao, Dist: Shimoga

8408 Stinging nettle for pests

Cow urine is collected every day in asmall tank near cattle shed to which the

crushed leaves of stinging nettle (Tragiahipida) or ‘lakki’ (Jussiaea prostrata)or ‘ummathi’ (Datura fastuosa) plantsare added individually or in combinationdepending upon the availability. This isallowed to ferment for a day and theextract is diluted with water and sprayedonce in 15 days on crops as aprophylactory measure. This mixture issaid to repel the pests and diseases andkeep the host plant intact and healthy.

Narayana Reddy, Bangalore

8409 Insect free brinjal

To control pod borer (Leucinodesorbonalis) in vegetables like brinjal,'sabsige' (Anethum sowa) plants (also

called 'sowa' in Hindi) are sown in therows along with the vegetables. Thestrong odour of this plant is found to repelthe insects.

Barama Gowdaru

8410 Control of blast disease in paddy

The paddy blast disease is caused by afungus called Pyricularia oryzae. Tocontrol this fungus, two to three kg of'kavlusaraka' (Careya arborea) bark arecrushed in water and applied to paddyfields.

Purshottama Rao, Dist: Shimoga

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Tenetiga(Telugu version of Honey Bee)Prof (Mrs) Geervani, Editor201 Dream Apartments, Road No 3Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500 034Andhra Pradesh.

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8411 Preserving colostrum milk

Colostrum milk is used to prepare adelicious sweet dish but it is difficult toget whenever we want. It is only availableafter the delivery of the calf. But theenterprising villagers of Prakasam districthave found out a way to have a plentifulsupply of this milk.

A clean piece of thin, muslin cloth isdipped in raw colostrum milk on the firstday after the delivery of calf, and isallowed to absorb the milk. Then the clothis dried and kept in a clean polythene bag.The process is repeated on the second andthe third days also.

The cloth is stored in a polythene cover andcan be used to make colostrum milkwhenever needed. To reconstitutecolostrum the cloth is dipped in raw, normalmilk and is squeezed in a separate vessel.When the milk is boiled, colostrumcoagulated milk can be made. It is believedthat the cloth can be used for six months.

Comm: Sheila Swarupa Rani, Tirupati,Tenetiga, vol 2(3&4):3, 1997

8412 Polythene prevents pests

The farmers of the Circar Districts ofKrishna, Guntur, East and West Godavarihave realized that pests cannot beeradicated only by applying pesticides.Besides, the indiscriminate use of chemicalpesticides will destroy not only harmfulinsects but also those useful to crops.

Pests like ‘senagapachcha’, ‘pogakuladde’ and other sucking pests causesevere damage to many crops. It is in thelarvae stage of their life-cycle that theymove around and feed on leaves, flowersand tender shoots. In urad, groundnut,chana and other short duration pulsecrops, once the crop reaches maturedstage, the larvae cannot feed on them.They crawl to other fields in search offood. If the crops in the adjacent fieldsare similarly mature, they cannot do muchdamage. But in case the crop is different,which is most likely, the problem becomesmore acute. Particularly when they arelong duration crops like cotton or chillies,which may be in their early stages.Pesticides cannot be of much help in thesecircumstances.

The farmers of Circar districts observedthat the larvae cannot climb on apolythene sheet. The surface beingsmooth, the larvae are unable to get agrip on it. And also the pests cannot maketheir way through the soil. So, the farmersbuilt a small barrier along the boundariesof the field using polythene sheets toprevent pests crossing the boundaries.They drive small sticks (nine to twelve

inches long) at a distance of four to fivefeet on the ground along the boundaries.A roll of polythene sheet is spread overthe sticks in such a way that it hangsfrom the sticks vertically and partlyspreads over the ground. To prevent thepests making their way from below thesheet, the farmers cover the end of thesheet on the ground with dry soil. Somefarmers add some pesticide also along thebarrier. The polythene sheet roll costs Rs100 per kg. Not more than Rs 300 needsto be spent to protect a field of an acre.

Comm: C Sambasiva Rao, Narsaraopet,Tenetiga, vol 2(3&4):8, 1997.

8413 Storage of Garlic

Garlic has several medicinal as well asculinary uses. Garlic mixed with pepperand salt is consumed along with rice toprevent indigestion. But storage of garlic isdifficult, especially when it is not dry.Garlic can be stored for any number of daysby keeping it in a vessel containing ragigrains.

Contributed by Mrs Parijatamma, Putturutaluka. Comm: Mr S S Balaji Rao, Tenetiga,vol 2(3&4):8, 1997


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One wonders about the relationshipbetween the cranes and the rickshaw-puller. Well, these are the cranes that flythousands of kilometers to visit the world-famous Keoladev Bharatpur BirdSanctuary every winter. And Mr K SSharma is one of those few rickshaw-pullers who not only take the touristsaround the sanctuary, but also impartinformation about the birds.

“Look, this is the Brahmini Maina! It isotherwise called Bhoori Maina, but

because it bathes each morning like theBrahmins, it is called Brahmini,” Sharmajustifies the name. Of the 400 bird speciesthat inhabit the sanctuary, Sharma canrecognize almost 300 of them. How doesan ordinary rickshaw-puller have so muchknowledge ?

About nine years ago, the sanctuaryadministration decided to allow rickshaws

carrying bird-watchers and tourists into thesanctuary. The idea being that there wouldneither be any pollution nor any noise, andthe birds could be watched undisturbed.With this assumption, a trainingprogramme was started for the rickshaw-pullers.

Contrary to the expectations of theadministration, around 5000 rickshaw-pullers applied for the training programme;only 30 were selected. A few moreprogrammes were introduced later on.

Currently the number of registeredrickshaw-pullers has reached 82 . Eachregistered rickshaw has a painted yellow-coloured strip, on which the number of therickshaw is written. Only a registeredrickshaw is allowed inside the sanctuary.

During the three-month training period, therickshaw-pullers had no source of incomeand they had to pay fees as well. “We

know that at the end of the training, wewill belong to a category that has analternative source of income,” said one ofthem. These registered rickshaw-pullersnow charge Rs 25 per hour.

Ratan Singh, the puller of the rickshawnumber 9, indeed belongs to a specialcategory. He is a life-member of theBombay Natural History Society. Bird-watchers coming from Europe andAmerica reserve his services prior to theirvisits, by informing the sanctuaryadministration. Singh recognises all theinhabitant bird species and their habits.

The rickshaw-pullers’ interest in the birdsis infectious. One would be enjoying theride, when the rickshaw would suddenlystop. “Look at that bird’s neck; it resemblesa snake, but the bird eats fish. What is moreinteresting is that although it can catchsmall fish, it can only eat its mouth first. Itthrows the fish in the air in such a mannerthat the fish comes down with its mouthpointing downwards, straight into thewaiting bird’s beak.”

Sometimes a rickshaw-puller may not beable to identify a bird. “The sanctuaryadministration did not have anothertraining programme for us. Hence, wecould not update our knowledge,” saysSharma. Bharatpur’s Keoladev BirdSanctuary is spread over approximately 26sq km. It can be reached by rail and roadfrom Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. A person notinterested in birds must also visit thissanctuary just to hear the intriguing storiesof these rickshaw-pullers.

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Sujhbujh(Hindi version of Honey Bee)Dr Sudhirendar Sharma, EditorEEG, H-12, ODS FlatsLajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi 110024

“Only four cranes have come to the Bird sanctuary this time. Earlier some 20-22 usedto come.” “What happened ? Why did the number decrease suddenly ?”

“Well, these cranes come from Siberia, flying across a number of countries. On theborders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, they are hunted down .” answers the rickshaw-puller confidently. (These innovative ways have emerged through indigenous efforts,and are not an outcome of the World Bank projects. In the next issue, a similar effortfrom Corbett Park will be shared. :Ed)

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Nest Strainers and Tuber-Indicators:Grassroots Wisdom from Rajasthan

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Nest strainer

Half built nests of ‘baya’ (Ploceusphilippinus) are used for sieving ‘ghee’(butter oil) and buttermilk in many villagesof Alwar, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Sikar, Ajmerdistricts of Rajasthan. Similarly these nest-strainers are also used in local jaggery

making process by tribals and farmers ofRajasamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur andBanswara districts. Sugarcane juice isexpelled by farmers in cattle-driven millsin the field itself. The sugary sap soproduced may have some suspendedimpurities. Before boiling, the sap is sievedtwice or thrice through such nest-strainers.Sometimes two nests are used, keepingone above another, for a more effectivesieving.

Generally half built nests of ‘baya’ containdeposits of mud or cow dung on the internalwalls of the egg chamber. The nest withoutthe deposits, is considered good for sievingpurpose. Before use, a nest is washed twiceor thrice with pure water to remove dirt. Itis kept upside down as a funnel on a narrowmouthed container. To facilitate sieving,chin-trap of the nest is also removed.

Fruit-abscission control in mango

Fruit-abscission takes a very heavy tollon mango crop. To stop premature fall ofmango fruits, many farmers of MavliTehsil of Rajasamand district make ashallow depression in the upper surface ofone of the thickest branches and fill itwith mustard oil. Gradually the treeabsorbs the oil. This treatment is believedto check fruit abscission in mango.

Natural crop protection from rodents

In Kankarmala village of Jhadol tehsil ofUdaipur district, Bhils use a simple deviceto keep away nocturnal rats, mice andporcupines from Rabi crops. Many rattlers,which are locally called ‘jalra’ are erectedat different points in the field, preferablytowards the periphery, to scare the rodentsaway. To prepare a ‘jalra’, a bamboo poleof about two to three metres in length iserected firmly on the ground. A large sizedteak (Tectona grandis) leaf is hung at theupper end using a 0.50 to 0.80 m longpeel strip procured from leaf - rachis ofa wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris).When the leaf dries, it moves with thewind and strikes the pole making a rattlingsound. Besides this, the owls also use thebamboo pole-tips as a perch and help inrodent control. During the day, manyinsectivorous birds also use the pole asperch station.

Indicators of rain

Khemji Bhil of Jawad village in Saradatehsil, Udaipur district collects a tuberof ‘mirchiya kand’ (Corallocarpusepigious) every year after the monsoons.He ties the tuber with a string and hangsit from a peg. The tuber remains as itis till mid-June. Ten to fifteen days

before the arrival of monsoons, a newshoot arises from the tuber. Khemji saysthat the emergence of new shoot is a signof commencement of monsoons.

Similarly, the wild plantain, Ensetesuperbum is an important indicator ofmonsoons. In Jhadol tehsil of Udaipurdistrict new sproutings of this species isbelieved to indicate the arrival of monsoonrains and preparations for sowing ofkharif are made accordingly.

Inducing fruiting in male papaya trees

Many farmers of Mavli Tehsil do notremove male trees of Papaya. They drivetwo to five small nails made by bamboosplits in the basal portion (at a height ofabout 50 cm) of the stems of male trees.This is said to be good for induction offruiting even in the male papayas. (A similarpractice was reported in HB 6(2):12 to makecoconut trees bear fruits. :Ed)

1. Range Forest Officer, AravalliAfforestation Project, Jhadol, Udaipurdistrict, Rajasthan

Nest Strainers and Tuber-Indicators:Grassroots Wisdom from RajasthanSatish Kumar Sharma1


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Siddhi Vinayak Vrata: Patra Pooja

Ganesh, as a remover of obstacles,occupies a special place in the Hindupantheon. No work, or pooja of any kind,commences without invoking the blessingsof Lord Ganesh, who is also believed tobe the repository of knowledge.

Ganesh commands respect and attentionfrom the highest to the lowest. ThePuranas are replete with instances ofeven those blessed with divine powerscoming to get the blessings of LordGanesh. None other than Lord Krishna

was a seeker of the blessings of lordGanesh.

Apart from the normal worship, there aretwo special Vratas to propitiate LordGanesha. One is called the SankashtaChaturthi Vrata and is performed on thefourth day of the dark fortnight of theHindu Calendar year. And the secondone is the Siddhi Vinayaka Vrata whichis performed once a year on the fourthday of the bright fortnight of the Hindumonth, Bhadrapada.Some specific speciesof flowers and leaves are used to offerPooja to Lord Ganesh, preceded by the

chanting of mantras. Some of thesespecial flowers are mentioned here alongwith their special properties.

References

Karnataka Forest Department. 1988. SacerdPlants, Bangalore

Chopra, R N; Nayar, S L and Chopra, L C.1956. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants.New Delhi: PID, CSIR

PID, CSIR. 1986. The Useful Plants ofIndia. New Delhi

Culture and Conservation:Plants Used in Ganesh Pooja

The role rituals play in conserving biodiversity is less explored area. We discussed the issue of conserving particularuncultivated grain or vegetable on a specific day of religious or cultural significance earlier (HB vol 7(2):1-2). This article is communicated by Rajiv Khedkar of ADS and has been actually developed by Karnataka ForestDepartment and Mr Abdul Kareem from FRLHT. :Ed

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Plants used in Plants used in Plants used in Plants used in Plants used in Ganesh PGanesh PGanesh PGanesh PGanesh Poojaoojaoojaoojaooja

NNNNNooooo SanskritSanskritSanskritSanskritSanskrit ScientifScientifScientifScientifScientific nameic nameic nameic nameic name UsageUsageUsageUsageUsagenamesnamesnamesnamesnames

1. Machi Artemisia vulgaris Linn. Anthelmintic, asthma, antiseptic, tonic2. Brahati Solanum indicum Linn. Expectorant, carminative. Ingredient of Dasmoola3. Bilva Aegle marmelos Correa ex Koen. Astringent, digestive, diarrhoea, dysentery, cooling4. Doorva Cynodon dactylon Pers. Diuretic, bleeding, piles, cuts & wounds5. Datoora Datura metel Linn. Narcotic, antispasmodic, skin diseases6. Badari Zizyphus jujuba Lam. Cooling, tonic, anti emetic, diarrhoea7. Apamarga Achyranthes aspera Linn. Diuretic in renal dropsies, piles, boils, skin eruptions8. Tulasi Ocimum sanctum Linn. Expectorant, antiseptic, urinary disorders, insect bites9. Choota Mangifera indica Linn. Laxative, diuretic, astringent, tonic10. Karveer Nerium indicum Mill. Skin diseases, cardiac tonic11. Vishnukranti Evolvulus alsinoides Linn. Tonic, febrifuge, vermifuge12. Dadima Punica granatum Linn. Diarrhoea, dysentery, anthelmintic in tapeworm13. Devdaru Cedrus deodora (Roxb.) Loud. Diuretic, carminative, fever, urinary disorders,

piles, skin diseases.14. Maruvaka Majorana hortensis Moench. Carminative, expectorant, colic, sprains15. Sindhuvara Vitex negundo Linn. Rheumatism, headache, cold swelling,

joint pains, ulcers, diarrhoea, dysentry16. Jaji Jasminum sambac (Linn.) Ait. Cooling, ulcers17. Ganaki Solanum nigrum Linn. Skin diseases, eye diseases, cirrhosis of

liver, piles, heart diseases, fever, diarrhoea18. Shami Acacia ferruginea DC Astringent, cough, demulcent, nutrient19. Ashwattha Ficus religiosa Linn. Astringent, laxative, cooling, scabies20. Arjuna Terminalia arjuna W. & A. Cardiac tonic, antidote to poisons, earache21. Arka Calotropis gigantea (Linn.) Dysentery, elephantiasis, fever, cough, cold

R. Br. ex Ait. asthma


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It is believed to show results within fivedays. About 700 g of ‘guggul’ is requiredfor one acre crop.

Kanubhai Dharamsibhai Desai, DistMehsana. Comm: Babubhai MeghrajbhaiDesai

Proper irrigation saves cumin

Farmers generally believe that excessivemoisture leads to various kinds of diseasesin cumin. Devshiji Thakore has beenirrigating his field judiciously to preventhis cumin crop from being injected with‘kaliyo’ disease. He made his plots smallso that not much water is collected inthe fields. A light irrigation is given rightafter sowing. The next

Salt and spice

Ambarambhai applies a coat of saltwater to cumin seeds to ensure bettergermination. About 250 g of saltdissolved in a half litre of water is usedfor treating 10 kg of cumin seeds. Thistreatment is also believed to increaseyields.

Ambarambhai Tarshibhai Sanghani, Dist:Surendranagar. Comm: Purushottambhai DPatel

Smoking virus away

A virus infection in chilli plants, causesthe leaves to shrivel. This leads to lossof nutrition in the plants and the cropyield falls. Kanubhai Desai of districtMehsana has developed a method offumigating away the virus. He burns‘guggul’ (Balsamodendron mukul) andfumigates the plants with its smoke. The‘guggul’ is placed on burning cow-dungcakes and is carried around the field sothat each plant is exposed to the fumes.

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Team

Kirit K PatelDilip Koradia

Pravin RohitChiman H Parmar

C SrinivasS Muralikrishna

Hema PatelRiya Sinha

Anil K GuptaParesh Shah

Collaborating Institutions

Mahila Gram Vidyapith, Nardipur

Gram Bharati, Amrapur

Sabar Gram Vidyapith, Sonasan

Lok Niketan Vidyapith, Ratanpur

Lok Bharati, Sanosara

Nootan Bharti Vidyapith, Madanagadh

J C Kumarappa Gram Vidyapith, Gadhada

B M Shah Gram Vidyapith, Zilia

Nootan Gram Vidyapith, Thava

Banas Gram Vidyapith, Amirgadh

B R S College, Dumiyani

Gandhi Gram Vidyapith, Vedachhi

B R S College, Shardagram

Shree Saraswati Gram Vidyapith, Samoda

Gujarat Agricultural University

Dept of Rural Development, Govt of Gujarat

Dept of Education, Govt of Gujarat

Jai Research Foundation, Vapi

L M Pharmacy College, Ahmedabad

Bharatiya Agro-Industries Foundation

Department of Microbiology, Gujarat University

M S University of Baroda

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

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Non-Chemical Agriculture Can be Competitive

We have been asked this question many times that given the increasing demandfor food, can we really do away with chemical inputs? Are we not emotional inthe matter? And sometimes we have been charged that we want to take agriculturebackward. This is so despite the fact that we shared more than one thousand non-chemical innovations in improving yield, controlling pests, curing animal diseases,etc., through Honey Bee during last eight years. These were taken from our databasehaving more than five thousand innovations. Perhaps, we need to be more efficientin convincing the leaders of research in the country. If you notice the kind ofinnovations farmers are trying, for instance the efforts to improve productivitythrough water management, or controlling weeds through residue management, youwill appreciate why such innovations are not scaled up. There is no corporate interestsupporting these innovations. Although, we are sure that in due course greenentrepreneurs will emerge who will add value to these innovations and become globalleaders in sustainable technologies. In the meanwhile our collaborators in differentlanguage versions are determined to spread the word about alternative technologiesaround. The inertia of Science and Technology leaders does not deter us.

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irrigation is given after a gap of sevento eight days. And a third and finalirrigation is given at the pre-floweringstage. Later, the irrigation is totallystopped.

Last year many farmers of this area, whoirrigated their crop four or more times,suffered due to the infestation of ‘kaliyo’disease in their crop. Devshibhai’s fieldremained unaffected.

Devshibhai kept his crop free from dewalso by using the following technique.Everyday, in the early morning hours,two persons holding a cotton or a coirrope between them, walk through theplants so that the rope gently touches the

plants and the dew drops are knocked off.(Readers may recall that similar practicehas been reported in HB from Sri Lanka,India and also from China (see HB vol5(2):10). :Ed)

Devshibhai Hathijibhai Thakor, Dist.Mehsana. Comm: Vanarsinhji Thakor andJalamsinh Zala

Cumin controls weed

‘Dharo’ (Cynodon dactylon) is aperennial weed which is very difficult toremove. The roots spread to considerabledepths and mechanical measures alsobecome useless. Devshiji Thakore has aninnovative solution for this problem.Harvested dried stalks of the cumin cropare spread in the area affected by ‘dharo’.During monsoons, the rain waterpercolates down through these stalks. Thefarmers believe that this processsuppresses the growth of the weedgradually.

As the stalks decompose and mix withthe soil, ‘dharo’ is destroyed. It is believedthat if a crop is grown immediately afterthis treatment with cumin stalks, it resultsin poor growth of the crop. The stalksare allowed to decompose fully over ayear or so. Later, regular crop can begrown without any problem of ‘dharo’.

Devshiji Hathiji Thatave, Dist. MehsanaComm: Vanarsaiji M Thakore

Control of larval pests in chickpea

Ms Alkhiben Vankar uses leaves of‘ardusa’ (Adhatoda vasica) and ‘karanj’(Pongamia pinnata) for controlling larvalpest in chickpea. About five kg each of‘karanj’ leaves and ‘ardusa’ twigs withleaves are crushed in a stone or woodmortar to obtain the juice. The juice ismixed with 10 litres of water and thesolution is filtered three times through acloth. The solution is further diluted withone litre to five litres of water andsprayed on the crop. About 8-10 litres

of this solution are required for an acre.Three early morning applications in aweek provide satisfactory results.

Alkhiben Menthabhai Vankar, Dist.Sabarkantha. Comm: RamanbhaiMenthabhai Sutariya

Small plots yield more!

Shri Umedbhai Patel altered the carrotplanting method for increasing yield.Generally, in north Gujarat, the size ofthe plots is large (20'-30' x 6-8').Umedbhai says that root crops like carrotrequire soft and loose soil. And largeplots retain larger quantity of water thatcompacts and hardens the soil.

So he experimented with deep tillage insmall plots (10' x 3') in his field basedon its slope and ensured that soil did notharden due to irrigation. Also, the greaternumber of bunds thus created in the field,made the soil soft and conducive to rootgrowth. Small plots also helped inreducing the requirement of irrigationwater.

Umedbhai’s production went up from2500 to 3000 kg/ha to 3500 to 4000 kg/ha because of this practice. The qualityof carrots also improved with increase ingirth and length.

Umedbhai Keshubhai Patel, Dist. MehsanaComm: Chimanbhai Hirabhai Parmar

Animal Husbandry Practices

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Coconut Seed Selection:Bhaskar Save’s Way

Information published in an article byJames Abraham and Regi Thomas(Lok Sarvani Vol 2(5):9 orginallypublished in HB 8(1):12) seemsinsufficient. I have been practicing“Sajeev Kheti” for almost last 30years. I get a regular income of aboutthree to four lakh rupees every yearfrom coconut plantation. On the basisof my experience, I suggest somecriteria for selection of coconut seeds.

Coconuts harvested from a maturedcoconut tree with followingcharacteristics should be used as seed.It should have about 35-37 total leaves,out of which 25 per cent shouldremain straight open towards sky, 25per cent should remain at the angle of135o, 25 per cent should remain parallelto the ground and remaining 25 percent should be parallel to trunk ofthe tree. Tree should bear 300-350nuts per year. Because of the weightof the nuts set on the tree, leafarchitecture automatically becomes inthe above fashion. Such arrangementof leaves helps in harnessing maximumsunlight.

Shri Bhaskar Save, Kalp Vriksh Farm,Vill: Dehri, Tal: UamarGam, Dist: ValsadPin: 396170

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Junagadh. Comm: Dilip Koradiya

Common cold in cattle

Cattle often suffer from common coldduring the winter. As soon as thesymptoms appear in an animal, farmersof Rajkot district feed 250 g of groundnutoil once a day to the cattle. They alsoinclude onions in the cattle feed andallow the animal to eat as much as it

can. In the evening the infected cattle aregiven a decoction of ‘tulsi’ leaves(Ocimum sanctum), mint leaves(Mentha virdis), tea leaves or powderand anni seeds or ‘ajwain’(Trachyspermum ammi). All theseingredients are boiled in water till thewater reduces to half of the originalvolume. The decoction is then cooled andfiltered and given to the ailing animalevery day. According to the farmers, thistreatment cures the cold in three to fourdays.

Mansukhbhai Govindbhai Kapadia, Dist.Rajkot. Comm: Jagdish Vaghela

Urine Blockage

Cattle, especially bullocks, often sufferfrom urinary blockage due to stones. ShriMansukbhai Samjibhai Savaliya suggestsuse of ‘jamun’ (Syzygium cumini) juicefor this problem. One or two measuresof the juice made of the tender skin of‘jamun’ fruit is administered twice a day

Increasing cattle milk production

Cattle owners use different techniquesfor increasing milk production.Maganbhai Khoont feeds the cattle witha mixture of cotton ball, dried beans of‘desi baval’ (Acacia nilotica) andkernels of pearl millet. All theseingredients are boiled in water and theanimal is fed with the boiled mixture atthe time of milking. According toMaganbhai, the inner kernel from mangostone may also be added to the cattlefeed to increase milk production.

Maganbhai Savjibhai Khoont, Dist. Rajkot.Comm: Ritaben Gopalbhai Chapala

Remedy for Swollen Udders

Sometimes, due to wrong methods ofmilking or dirt on milker’s hands, theudders and teats are injured, resulting inreduction of milk, pus in the milk andswelling of the udder.

Govindbhai Bhoorabhai Dhanasil, a cattlebreeder of Junagadh district uses the juiceof ‘piloodi’ (Salvadora persica) leavesto cure this condition. The juice is appliedon the swollen udders twice a day. Theswelling disappears within two days.

Govindbhai Bhoorabhai Dhanani, Dist.

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Readers may recall an article publishedin Honey Bee (Vol 8(1): 3-4) oninnovative dryland agro-forestrypractice developed by Sunda Ram, ayoung educated farmer from Sikar,Rajasthan. He had submitted a proposalto IDRC (International DevelopmentResearch Centre), Canada supportedUsing Biodiversity project forcollecting and screening indigenousland races.

He has already developed a new highyielding variety of chilli and collected30 local varities of ‘bajra’. HoneyBee congratulates Shri Sunda Ram ongetting this research award of Rs.3,00,000 and hope that he will providea new model of approach toparticipatory breeding, independent offormal scientists, if the latter continuesto ignore his efforts.

First Farmer to Get A ResearchAward

Salvadora persica

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for two to three days. This treatmentbrings relief to the animals.

Scientists’ comment: Dr Anjaria says thatif urine is not stopped totally, a mixture ofjamun and sugarcane juice with milk andwater and a boiled decoction of ‘gokharu’and ‘satodi’ roots will help expulsion of thestone. But if the urine is stopped totally thenno diuretics should be administered.

Mansukbhai Shanjibhai Savaliya, Dist.Junagadh. Comm: Harshaben Chauhan


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The fourth annual meeting of the HoneyBee Network, Gram Vidyapiths andSRISTI was held at the Ravi J MatthaiAuditorium, IIM-A, on November 29,1997. About two hundred participantsattended the meeting from all over theState. The main purpose of the meetingwas to discuss the work done by theNetwork in the past years, and to evolvea framework for the future. Theparticipants comprised innovators,farmers, herbalists, herbal healers,scientists, students and teachers of theGram Vidyapiths, and governmentofficials of the state rural developmentdepartment and other members of thenetwork.

Prof Anil K Gupta, while welcoming theparticipants, enumerated four main pointsfor a successful network: distributedleadership, collective responsibility,proper resource allocation and vision forlong term development. The leadershipfor various research and disseminationresponsibilities should be distributed inthe network depending upon wherecomparative advantages lay. Similarly,the financial and other resources shouldbe shared regardless of who raised whichresource. Likewise, tolerance of respectiveinadequacies and limitations can beappreciated much better if we had longterm vision about common cause. Onlythen collective responsibilities can emerge.He also admitted that the Honey Beenetwork has not yet been able to achievethese fully and this meeting is aimed atfinding ways of building thesecharacteristics into the network.

Shri Chhelbhai Shukla, an eminentGandhian, and Shri Amrutbhai Agrawat,the innovator of Aaruni Bullock-cart,from village Pikhor, district Junagarhand member, SRISTI advisory committeepresented their views on the network.Various members of the SRISTI network

briefed the audience about the activitiesof the network. Group discussions wereheld to design research programmes forthe next year in the fields of on-farmresearch, indigenous veterinary medicine,educational innovations, natural resourcemanagement etc. Farmers and innovatorsfrom remote villages participated in thediscussions. For the first time womenhealers from various villages found aplatform to speak about their knowledgeand share their ideas with other innovatorsand professionals.

About 45 persons were awarded prizes.They include DRDA officers, scientistsfrom Gujarat Agriculture University,students of Gramvidyapiths, and othervillagers who have scouted innovationsfrom different villages of Gujarat. Theinnovators so scouted were speciallyfelicitated. Sri S K Shelat, Chairman,GIIC, Dr A W P David, MD, GMDC,Prof P M Shinghi, Dean, IIM-A,Premjibhai, and Sri Chhelbhai Shuklagave away the prizes. Dr David said thatrestructuring of minds is essential torecognise the innovative potential atgrassroots. Prof Shingi quotedBhagavadgita to underline selfless‘satvik’ service by innovators likeKarimbhai.

Sri Shelat expressed his appreciation ofthe work carried out on natural resourcemanagement by SRISTI and HoneybeeNetwork. He advised members to compilean Encyclopaedia of indigenous practices,which can be used all over the world.

Workshop on ITK for WatershedManagement held at Beijing, Nov 17-25, 1997

PWMTA (Participatory WatershedManagement Training in Asia), part ofFAO, promotes participatory watershedmanagement in the Asian region. It

The IV Annual Meeting of IIM-A, SRISTI, Gram Vidyapiths, GAU andHoney Bee Network in Gujarat

organized a workshop to sensitize policymakers and trainers about the importanceof indigenous knowledge systems inWatershed Management Programmes.Eight countries viz., Pakistan, Bangladesh,Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal,India and the host country, China,participated in the workshop. The keynoteaddress was delivered by Shri AnupamMishra of Gandhi Peace Foundation.

A wealth of information, on how peopleat grassroots have been generatingsolutions, was presented from all eightcountries. The Centre for Management inAgriculture at IIMA, and Honey Beepresented the study from India. Copies ofthe compilations may be requested fromDr Prem Sharma, Regional Coord-inator,PWMTA-FARM Programmes, PO Box25, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Industry’s Appreciation forGrassroot Innovation

Kheemjibhai is a farmer who developedmany interesting innovations. One ofhis innovations was a simple deviceto improve the efficiency of filling thepolythene bags with soil in the nursery(Look out for a detailed profile ofKhemajibhai in the coming issues ofHoney Bee. :Ed). Named as Kitnal,the device speeds up the process.GIAN sent a sample of Kitnal toBallarpur Paper Industries to havefeedback on its efficiency. Mr AjayNioding of Ballarpur Industries quotedwhile placing an order for 100 piecesof Kitnal, “We are using a device forfilling polythene bags, but Kitnal wasfound to be much more effective”.

Keep it up Kheemji Bhai. We expectmany more of such innovations fromyou!


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with these residues and the history of USpolicy instruments in this area. The bookoffers some guidance for policy makersin other countries.

Asian Agri-History

Quarterly

47, ICRISAT Colony-IBrig. Sayeed Road,Secunderabad 500009,

Andhra Pradesh.

A wide range of interesting insights intoagriculture and related activities from ahistorical perspective are presented in thejournal. The journal was intiated byAsian Agri-History Foundation in 1997which has already released three issues.

The inaugural issue carries an account ofIndian Agriculture in the Eighteenthcentury by a British traveller, Maj. Gen.Sir Alexander Walker originally publishedin Dharampal’s Indian Science andTechnology in 18th Century (p.1-20). YL Nene contributed an article on BaburNama, the Moghul ruler Babur’sobservations on Indian flora, fauna andagriculture in the sixteenth century.Another British traveller Capt. ThosHalcott on Drill Husbandry in SouthIndia notes that the drill plough in usewas much better in dropping grainsefficiently than the patented one at thattime (p 23). Deepak Kumar’s study ofscience in agriculture during VictorianIndia (vol 1(2):77-103) analyses thecontribution of science in the British ruletowards agricultural development. R LBrohier in his observation on AncientIrrigation Works in Ceylon (vol 1(3):161-176) says that Sinhalese are probably thefirst inventors of ‘valve-pits’ or ‘valvetowers’ used for controlling outwardflow in reservoirs.

,��5�6��

Our Children’s ToxicLegacy

John Wargo

New Haven:YaleUniversity, 1996.

price not mentioned. p.380

The author worked on the “US KidsCommittee” for three years in the late80s. This committee examined childhoodexposure to pesticides and the possibleheightened vulnerability of children totoxic effects of pesticides. It was foundthat the susceptibility of children topesticide toxicity is significantly differentfrom that of adults on account of severalfactors. Young children have a lowerlevel of fat per kg of body-weight thanadults. So an equal exposure to pesticidemay result in higher concentration levelsin body tissue of children than adults.Infant metabolism being much higherthan that of adults, toxic substances arebroken down to a greater extent inchildren’s bodies. Children’s diet patternalso make them vulnerable to specifictoxins associated with fruits, juices, andprocessed baby foods.

Estimate of children’s exposure tochlorpyrifos equivalents was calculatedusing a random Mante Carlo simulation.A simplified finding suggests that 1.3percent of these lies above the USEnvironmental Protection Agency’sdefinition of safe exposure. The specificinsight of the study is not in identificationof specific diet/residue, risks for specificage group but in the issues concerninganalyses techniques in this context.

The book provides a detailed map of thepattern of toxic residues found in fooditems in the US. This data is combinedwith scientific findings on health hazardsposed by various pesticides, prevailinglegal and policy instruments in the US,and individual diet patterns. The bookhas valuable information on scientificunderstanding of the hazards associated

Tribal Medicine

compiled byMarie D’Souza

SPWD, 1, Copernicus Marg,New Delhi 110001. 1993.

price not mentioned. p. 371.

Sharing of knowledge in local languagewith the people from whom we learnadds an element of authenticity. It isactually an ethical obligation to whichwe often do not pay much attention. Thebook deserves appreciation forrecognising the potential of local triballanguage and thus contribute toconservation of cultural as well asbiological diversity. The book is acompilation of about 150 medicinalplants with coloured photographs withtheir medicinal properties and otherdescription published in English andBhili languages. The attempt by SPWD(Society for Promotion of WastelandsDevelopment) which supported the effortto document the knowledge of thetraditional Bhil tribal healers is indeedcommendable. Most species of trees andherbs dealt with are found in the forestsof Maharashtra and adjoining areas ofRajasthan and Madhya Pradesh wherethe Bhil tribes live. The book containsremedies for all kinds of commonailments which can be administered ina very simple way. For instance, forpain in chest and abdomen, Ricinuscommunis leaves are lightly heated onfire and then tied around the affectedpart in the morning and evening tillcured (p 137). For curing diarhhoea ininfants, eight inches long stem ofCocculus hirsutus is made into a singlebangle and then put on the infant’s handfor seven days (p 162).

This compendium has well-documentedinformation about medicinal values of theplants and can be a useful base for furthervalidation and value addition.


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wind operated tin bells or any othermeans known to them. The agriculturedepartment officials suggest to kill thesebirds by using lethal pesticides, which isnot proper. An alternative way for scaringaway these birds has to be found out Canyou suggest us any methods? Whetherany alternative crops can be taken up toaddress this issue? Please help us find away out.

(People have tried tying old cassette tapeor some shining tapes around the field.Glare keeps birds away and cost is also low.Please tell us what is your experience. :Ed)

Credibility of local knowledge?

Kalpana DasIntercultural Institute of Montreal, 4917,Saint Urbain, Montreal, Canada, H2T 2W1

As usual Honey Bee (vol 8(1)) is extremelyrich in information. We consider thispublication to be in a leadership role forcollecting and compiling information onlocal knowledge and practices in the areasof agriculture, environment and so on.

I would like to make a brief commenton the “initial” report of the ICCIGJanuary ‘97. I was a participant in thisconference. The highlights of this meet,for me, was the place accorded to the“Innovative” farmers from several regionsof India as “partners” in dialogue. Andthe linguistic pluralism of India being

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Respite for rail passengers

J S KumarM/T Dwiputra, C/o Post Restanate HPO,Calicut – 673 001, Kerala

The practice of driving away monkeyswith poppy seeds made me very happyas I can now suggest it to the Railways.It’s not a bad idea to try it on railwayplatforms and keep monkey gangs offsome stations. We can’t kill them andno point catching them but if we candrive them away it will certainly helppassengers who are robbed by force atthe station. I hope railway officers willthink about it. Article on Zuni’s of USAreminded me of Toda’s of Nilgiri.

(Please write to us what did RailwayDepartments say. :Ed)

Non violent way of drivingparrots needed

Tapan PadhiRegional Centre for Development,Cooperation, 424, Sahidnagar,Bhubaneswar - 751 007, Orissa.

I put forth a query on behalf of thefarmers of the Bolangir district of thewestern Orissa. Four months back westarted working with the farmers in theGudvella Block of this district. For thissemi-arid perennially drought hit region,the usual activities for improving thecondition of the farmer would have beento go for contour bunding, mixedcropping and growing more legumes toenhance the soil fertility. But the farmersrule out cultivation of any legumes aswild parrots (very small in size and theirbeak is more curved than the usualparrot. In Oriya it is called Tia whilethe name for the normal parrot is Sua)come in large numbers from the near byforest and eat away the beans. Only ricecould be cultivated in this region.According to the farmers it just is notpossible to scare away these parrots by

reflected all through the conference. Thecredit definitely goes to the organizers.

Although I understand, the report in thelast issue of Honey Bee to be asynthesized version, a crucial point(from my point of view) has beencompletely neglected. There was a groupof people, including a fewanthropologists, social activists and somegrassroots groups, who raised asomewhat dissenting voice, regardingthe academic treatment of the grassrootsknowledge. The issues raised included,conservation of traditional knowledge.vs. innovation of knowledge; framingand scrutinizing local knowledge withthe parameters of scientific-dominantknowledge for their credibility andlegitimization, and in the process totallyignored the issue stemming fromconflicting cosmologies of these twoknowledge systems. On the third day ofthe conference, some of us includingsome grassroots groups expressed theirfeeling being “disempowered” as theconference went along. A voice wasraised against the demeaning way, insome of the concurrent sessions, thepresenters as well as the discussantsdealt with the credibility issues of localknowledge. I consider these issues to bevital to enter into any adequate dialoguebetween the dominant knowledge bearersand the grassroots knowledge holders.Equality of status of parties indialogue is an essential prerequisite forany effective interaction withoutdomination.

(As you acknowledge, the ICCIG 97provided a platform. If some convenors ofparallel sessions did not respect the spiritof partnership, it only shows how far wehave to go and how deep are the barriersto genuine intellectual participation ofpeople. I wish, instead of giving up, youhad articulated these ideas right there andinfluenced the process. But for all of us,ICCIG provided an invaluable experience.If we want we can change the way

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discourse on indigenous knowledgeproceeds. We tried with some success. :Ed)

I have a better solution!

Nathabhai K DodhiyaPO Trakuda, Ta: Candal, District Rajkot

The Loksarvani issue of July- August’97carried a practice of treatment usingcrushed supari (Areca catechu) powdermixed with a glass of water to curebloat in animals. I have tried it withlittle modification. I added 500 g ofGroundnut oil and 30 g of asefoetidato the mixture of supari and water. Thishas relieved my buffalo in just twohours and restored her rumination. Ihave also sent my appreciation to MsNiraben Choudhary, the innovator of thepractice.

(Thank you Nathabhai, we are delighted tolearn about the modification. This kind offarmer to farmer exchange of information forcontinued experimentation is our goal. Wehope to see more of such interaction amongfarmers. : Ed).

Cancelling subscription!

Dr L S YadavReader, Dept of Agri. Engg, NERIST,Nirjuli PO- 791109, Arunachal Pradesh

Inspite of my humble request, my articlewas not published in Honey Bee. Now,it is not possible for me to subscribeto this journal. Thank you.

Hope you are happy now, Dr Yadav, thatyour letter is published. We are sorry, wecould not publish your contributions. :Ed

Need more information on horsesand poultry

Annie TrivettPost Box : 57, Kodaikanal - 624 101

Congratulations for producing afascinating magazine. I would like tohave more information on horses andpoultry, especially on egg yieldproduction. I am an animal lover andI would be very happy to hear about

remedies that may be produced on thefarm for little or no cost, and also wehave homeopathy.

Keeping ants away!

Padma Rajagopal35/Madanahalli, Yeewal, Mysore

I visited Gurdwar (Tamil Nadu, in thewestern Ghats) recently and found asolution to termite problems in kucchabuildings. What the hill tribes do in thisareas is to use mud from termitemounds in the building where protectionfrom termites is needed. We tried it, tocoat woven Bamboo sheet walls, tokeep out the wind. It appears to workin places where termites were comingup, eating the bamboo sheet as they

Ants Help Elimination of Worms in Potatoes:Innovation From Honduras

First find a good sized ant-hill Put the potatoes on top of theant hill

The ants come out to defend theirhome

The ants eat all the worms insideand on the potatoes

source: Gestion de Recursos Naturales no.7 (1997). p 32.sent by Prof Peter Thurston, Cornell University

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Category South Asia* International

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or above or aboveSupporter Rs 500 $50Scientist/Professional Rs 150 $30Foreign aided NGOs Rs 500 $50Farmers/NGOs (without foreign aid)

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Documents

October-December 1997