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Report 3 (of 5): Gene Savers
- India
Introduction
Indigenous communities all over the
world have a wealth of knowledge of biological resources
that enables them to derive a livelihood from nature.
Yet diverse ecosystems and the traditional way of
life of many rural communities are under the threat
of extinction. Modernisation, industrialisation, monoculture
in agriculture, the over-use of chemicals, and urbanisation
have all contributed to endangering natural resources.
Plant resources are needed to produce
food. The genetic diversity of these resources allows
species to adapt to new environments, and survive
new pests and changing climates. Seed banks, often
referred to as gene banks, are an important tool in
helping to preserve seed varieties from becoming extinct.
Seed collections represent a significant share of
existing agricultural heritage - the legacy of some
10,000 years of planting, ploughing and breeding of
crops for human use. Collections of diverse crops
are considered vital for developing innovations in
the agricultural sector. Without them it may be only
a matter of decades before agricultural yields fall
and pests and disease take control of farmers' fields.
In the Jeypore Tract of Orissa in
eastern India, the introduction of new high yield
crop varieties (known as HYVs) together with forest
degradation have led to a dramatic decline in the
number of native plant species. To combat this threat
and to ensure the security of their food supply, tribal
communities from six villages, working with the MS
Swaminathan Research Foundation, have initiated a
programme to revitalise on-farm traditions. Through
good quality seed production, farmer-to-farmer seed
exchange systems, community seed banks and the establishment
of community biodiversity registers, local farmers
are involved in participatory management of plant
sources that enable them to secure an income while
protecting natural resources.
Agricultural Biodiversity in India
India is home to an immense diversity
of both wild and cultivated crops. Yet the escalating
rate of erosion of biodiversity in India is causing
great concern. It deprives millions of rural people,
especially tribal farming communities, of their livelihoods.
With the advent of the green revolution, the emphasis
in agriculture has been largely shifted to the increase
of yield - consequently a small number of rice varieties
are being promoted, which have been selected for their
capacity to give high yields through using high doses
of fertilisers. As a result, the genetic base of rice
varieties is being reduced considerably and several
traditional seed varieties are now facing extinction.
These varieties, if conserved, will be of enormous
value to agriculture by helping to improve food security
and provide the genetic basis of new plant breeding
programmes.
Plant genetic resources are important
to farming communities not only for food production,
but also for their role in culture and tradition.
When plant diversity is lost, the genetic base of
agriculture becomes depleted, as does a people's knowledge
and cultural identity.
The loss of biodiversity in agriculture
can occur where crops are no longer being cultivated
or are being marginalised. This is often referred
to as the loss of genetic diversity. Replacing traditional
varieties with high yield varieties can cause their
extinction, and local knowledge of these varieties
built up over centuries can easily be lost.
In Koraput District, local people
are aware of the importance of conserving traditional
rice varieties. In addition to the cultural value
placed on inherited varieties, there are many benefits
of traditional varieties over HYVs:
- superior taste and nutritive value;
- resistance to pests and diseases;
- resistance to droughts and floods;
- compatibility with local farming
conditions;
- economic practicality - requiring
fewer inputs such as chemicals and fertilisers;
- environmental sustainability; and
- tried, tested and proven performance.
Traditional Knowledge
Orissa was once the traditional home
of the largest number of rice varieties of any state
in India, more than 1,750. The number of local rice
varieties is now only approximately 150. One of the
biggest problems has been the introduction of high
yielding and hybrid varieties of rice. Together with
non-availability of pure seed of different crops,
absence of records of the genetic heritage in successive
generations of farm families, and the consumption
or destruction of seed during periods of food scarcity
or displacement, the genetic resources of the area
have dwindled.
Tribal farming communities in the
area have played a significant role in preserving
and conserving different traditional plant varieties.
Tribal communities are knowledgeable about the kind
of crops that can be cultivated in each type of land.
Their use of the local resources and even their food
habits reflect their knowledge of the environment.
Tribal communities in the Koraput
District of Orissa have revitalised in-situ or on-farm
conservation traditions through participatory community
farming. These communities have been encouraged to
support traditional varieties of rice and have established
a seed bank to ensure food security and conserve biodiversity.
Biodiversity and Poverty Reduction
The tribal communities of Koraput
District have used their knowledge and experience
of forest species and agro-biodiversity to revitalise
on-farm conservation by promoting traditional varieties
of rice and medicinal plants. Community seed banks
have ensured the preservation of biodiversity and
food security, enabling communities to obtain, store
and manage vital seed. Many other important activities
have helped conserve biodiversity:
- The Protection of Plant Varieties
and Farmers' Rights Act, recently passed by the
Indian Government, recognises the role of farmers
in cultivating and conserving biodiversity. It legally
provides for their recognition and monetary reward.
- Maintaining and managing the Community
Biodiversity Register, where information about flora
and fauna is recorded, enables villagers to better
understand the interaction between human, animal
and plant support systems. The register has helped
people to identify medicinal plants to help cure
common diseases.
- A Participatory Plant Breeding
Programme has introduced a local rice variety Veliyan
that is good for fodder and soil conservation. It
also produces a high yield of approximately 23 quintals
per acre or 1 quintal per 176 square metres.
- Neighbouring villages have begun
copying the process of conservation, evaluation
and exploration of rice germplasms. Many NGOs from
surrounding districts have adopted seed and grain
banking and community medicinal plant gardens to
enhance and conserve biodiversity.
The conservation of medicinal plants
has enabled people to understand the health and market
value of plants in their region. As a result, some
families are beginning to sell medicinal plants and
forest products in the local market. Many other important
activities have helped to reduce poverty, including:
- Organised exhibitions during festivals
enable villagers to market tamarind, mohua, and
gooseberry, for example, and receive good prices
for these products.
- The availability of pure seed of
local varieties of rice with high yields and improved
fragrance has increased demand and encouraged some
families to adopt organic farming methods. This
has reduced the input costs to families used to
the cultivation of HYV rice.
- Conservation of rainwater has led
to community fish cultivation. The proceeds from
the sale of fish go directly into a community fund,
which is used for community-based micro-enterprises.
- Self-help groups have begun horticulture,
poultry and fish breeding activities. All benefits
from the activities go to the groups.
Community Seed Banks
Since agriculture began, farmers have
kept seed from one growing season to the next, sometimes
storing it for several years. Access to seed is essential
to household food security where drought, crop failure
and poverty erode plant resources. Community seed
banks play an important role as seed reserves, giving
access to planting materials. They help facilitate
access to markets for farmers' produce, while seed
fairs give farmers more choice over what they grow.
Storing germplasm in seed banks
is inexpensive and requires little space. It successfully
allows for the preservation of large populations with
minimal genetic erosion. Seed banks also offer good
sources of plant material for research. Through seed
banks, researchers can obtain access to rare and endangered
species without disturbing or damaging natural populations.
Seed selection
Seed is collected from interested
households in a specific quantity and cleaned by the
women of the village. Seed is chosen according to
the husk colour, grain size and other physical characteristics.
Seed with impurities or mixtures of other varieties
is not accepted. The seed quality is verified, purified,
dried and monitored by both men and women members
of the central village committee through traditional
seed testing. Collected seed is then properly weighed
and recorded.
Seed storage
The tribal people in Koraput have
their own indigenous way of storing crop seed and
grains. Before preservation, seed is mixed up with
dried powder leaves of Neem (Azadirachta indica)
and Karanja (Pongamia pinnata), which helps
keep seed free from pest attack.
Rice seed is stored in locally made
structures called Dhoosi and Khaniki. The Dhoosi is
made of long straw rope twined spirally. After the
seed has been placed inside, the top is tied tightly.
The Khaniki is a pot shaped bamboo basket plastered
with cowdung paste. The cowdung paste acts as an insect
repellent. After storing seed or grain it is covered
with a bamboo plate plastered with cowdung paste.
It is airtight, allows for minimum moisture content
and does not get infested by insects. These structures
are then stored in darkness within a community building.
In general, seed bank storage usually
follows a number of steps:
- collection;
- seed preparation;
- drying;
- packaging;
- storage;
- periodic germination testing;
- seed regeneration; and
- re-storage.
Documentation
The information required for proper
documentation of banked plant seed includes: identification
of seed variety and status, the location and nature
of the population from which the sample was taken,
details of the collection procedure, and information
on storage conditions and viability.
Seed distribution
The central village committee identifies
families that urgently require seed. The secretary
of the seed bank then records the variety and quantity
of seed required by each family. Farmers receive seed
on loan from the community seed bank, providing they
agree to obey all the terms and conditions of the
loan. On returning the loaned seed, each household
has to give approximately 1.5 times the quantity taken.
The Future
The impact of the project has enabled
rural tribal villages to become less dependent on
HYVs and on outside inputs like fertiliser and pesticides.
Productivity and farmer-to-farmer seed exchange have
increased within the communities, in addition to growing
independence from other villages. As a result, purified
local seed varieties are available in each seed bank
and farmers are using the optimum amount of seed for
sowing. Women now use a modern seed and grain measuring
and weighing system that protects them from being
exploited.
The concept of community seed banks
is being adopted by several other non-governmental
organisations in communities within the district.
Through these initiatives, remaining varieties of
rice are being conserved and over-exploited medicinal
plants are being cultivated in community gardens instead
of being removed from the region's fragile forests.
Market access allows communities to benefit financially
from their conservation activities.
Glossary
Germplasm: Can be thought of
as a group of plants or genes. Within this group is
a range of genetic variations for a number of traits.
Breeders select those plants falling within the desired
range of variation for a given trait, and through
the processes of inter-mating, evaluation, seed production,
and marketing, a new variety is made available to
farmers. Therefore, progress from breeding is heavily
dependent on useful germplasm.
Examples of germplasm include commercially
available varieties, varieties developed by farmers
(referred to as 'landraces'), material from other
breeding programmes, and, thanks to genetic transformation
techniques, viruses, bacteria, and other micro-organisms.
For more information on this project,
please contact:
Bibhu Prasad Mohanty
Site Coordinator
Lingaraj Nagar
Jeypore, Koraput, 764004
Orissa
India
Tel: +91-6854-30350
Fax: +91-6854-33151
Website: http://www.mssrf.org/ |
Websites
http://www.ciks.org/
The Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems is an organisation
devoted to exploring and developing the contemporary
relevance and applications of traditional Indian knowledge
systems - with the focus areas being agriculture and
health care. It offers consultancy services, training
programmes and educational courses.
http://www.worldseed.org/
The International Seed Federation (ISF) is a non-governmental,
non-profit organisation representing the seed industry.
With members spread over 69 developed and developing
countries on all continents, ISF represents the mainstream
of the world seed trade and plant breeders community,
and serves as an international forum where issues
of interest to the world seed industry are discussed.
www.rbg.ca/cbcn/en/seedbanks
The Canadian Botanical Conservation Network has an
article on seed banks together with links and a reading
list for further information.
Further Reading
ITDG Publishing books
Farmers Seed Production: New approaches
and practices
Conny Almekinders and Niels Louwaars
£15.95, ITDG Publishing, 1999, ISBN: 1853394661
This handbook covers a range of issues relating to
local seed supply systems, including participatory
plant breeding, and both technical and practical information
on seed production and variety maintenance. It suggests
new approaches and methods to support on-farm seed
production by small-scale farmers in developing countries.
New Seed and Old Laws: Regulatory
reform and the diversification of national seed systems
Robert Tripp
£15.95, ITDG Publishing, 1997, ISBN: 1853394157
This book argues that the development and diversification
of national seed systems, which is currently taking
place, requires a thorough re-examination of public
regulatory responsibilities. Featuring case studies
from a wide range of countries, it presents both a
summary of current experience and a set of practical
suggestions about how regulatory reform can contribute
to the growth of national seed systems. It is addressed
to all those concerned with agricultural development,
including policy makers, researchers, donors, voluntary
agencies and commercial seed producers.
Seed Provision During and After
Emergencies
Elizabeth Cromwell
£10.00, Relief & Rehabilitation Network, 1997,
ISBN: 0850032350
Genes in the Field: On-farm conservation
of crop diversity
Edited by Stephen Brush
£22.95, IDRC, 1999, ISBN: 0889368848
Genes in the Field offers a truly global vision of
the on-farm conservation movement and, like no other
before it, provides a comprehensive review of the
issues and challenges of on-farm conservation of genetic
resources. The chapters are written by outstanding
scholars and academics from a variety of disciplines;
they include biologists, agronomists, anthropologists,
economists, lawyers, and agricultural development
specialists.
Encouraging Diversity: Crop development
and conservation in plant genetic resources
Edited by Conny Almekinders and Walter de Boef
£15.95, ITDG Publishing, 2000, ISBN: 1853395102
Acknowledgements
ITDG would like to thank Bibhu
Prasad Mohanty for providing information on the project.
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