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ID : 85120Ajouté le : 2005-07-19 10:39Mis à jour le : 2005-07-19 10:40Refreshed: 2012-02-11 23:31 
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Document(s) 17 de 38
Abstract: Over the generations, tribal communities, namely Irulas, Malayalis and Muthuvans living in the state of Tamil Nadu, have been cultivating traditional cultivars of paddy, millets, pulses and vegetables. The subsistence life style, local diet habits as well as dependence on monsoon rain for irrigation have led them to cultivate traditional varieties and to conserve local seeds for consumption and for sowing the following season. The cropping practices of these subsistence farmers, particularly the mixed cropping system which results in intensive farming in a limited area, is unique. Their knowledge of seed selection, their traditional methods of conserving seeds and grains in eco-friendly traditional granaries, and their communities' participation in maintaining germplasm provide important insights to global efforts aimed at genetic conservation. Their traditional practices are blessings in disguise and have saved many forms of specific and intra-specific varieties of millets and paddy. IntroductionBy the end of this century, the population of India is going to reach one billion. Simultaneously, farmland is expected to be engulfed by urbanization and environmental degradation. To maintain a satisfactory food security system, crop production should increase by 3% a year. This is not an impossible task as, between 1960 and 1980, cereal yield increased by 750 kg per ha, largely due to the high-yielding varieties. However, the continued success behind breeding programs largely depends on the availability of wider germplasm in the form of traditional cultivars and landraces, cultivated by tribal families.Tribal communities, namely Irulas, Malayalis and Muthuvans living in the state of Tamil Nadu, have been cultivating traditional cultivars of paddy, millets, pulses and vegetables. The traditional cultivars sown by them, over generations, form the principal crops of their agricultural system. The subsistence life style, local diet habits and organoleptic preferences of these tribes, as well as their dependence on monsoon rain for irrigation, have led them to cultivate and conserve local seeds for consumption and for sowing the following season. This traditional practice is a blessing in disguise and has saved many forms of specific and intra-specific varieties of millets and paddy. By careful selection and conservation, these communities have enhanced the genetic potential of their seeds and have been able to remain self-reliant for generations. Nearly 54 traditional cultivars have so far been identified from the tribal communities (Table 1). The tribals prefer to continue the cultivation of their own traditional cultivars as these crops are ecologically suitable (Table 2), drought resistant, pest tolerant and disease resistant.
Knowledge of tribes on traditional agricultural practicesThe traditional knowledge of tribes as relates to their farming practices gives real meaning to the word 'sustainability'. Such knowledge also helps them derive maximum benefits from traditional farming techniques adopted and practiced by them over generations. One important aspect of their agricultural system is the mixed cropping system which enables them to cultivate cereals, leafy vegetables, pulses and oil crops in a given area depending on monsoon rain and to harvest different crops in different periods in a year to meet their food and economic requirements. This concept of intensive farming can be adopted in places where rainfed monocropping is in vogue as it increases the return value to farmers' efforts. Nearly 60% of arable land in the world is still under cultivation by traditional or subsistence methods (Altieri 1983). With the growing population and the increasing demand for food resources, intensive farming needs to be practiced in increasingly limited land areas; there are few land options for expanding agriculture. Under these circumstances, mixed cropping agriculture needs to be introduced in areas wherever monocropping is practiced, depending on the monsoon rain.In the mixed cropping system, seeds of common millet, finger millet, grain and leaf amaranths, pulses and castor are mixed together and broadcast. Primarily, the common millet is harvested, followed by finger millet. Edible leaves of amaranth and seeds and pods of pulses are used for daily consumption. Edible grains of amaranth are harvested and stored for future use. Amaranth seeds, puffed and mixed with honey are highly relished by Muthuvans. Castor seeds are harvested and used for both domestic consumption and for market sale. The mixed cropping system not only helps in utilizing the seasonal rainfall but also in keeping the soil unexposed during dry season to prevent top soil erosion. The combination of crops with legumes also helps in nitrogen fixation, thus maintaining the soil fertility. It is observed that vegetable crops like ash gourd, bitter gourd and pumpkin are cultivated along field bunds to substantiate their diet resources. Seclection of better genetic material of cropsBy virtue of their age-old knowledge of the viability of grains, healthy cobs or grains are selected and stored every season, thereby enhancing the genetic potential of the crop to withstand biotic and abiotic stresses. For example, healthy cobs are left in the field so as to allow them to dry to the maximum number of days--to make sure that no moisture is left in the seeds. The selection of large and healthy seeds, and also the selection based on the color of the seed has also helped them select more viable seeds.Traditional methods of storingThe tribal communities store their seed material and grains for consumption either in granaries, made up of bamboo coated with red soil and thatched with local grass, or in earthen pots. This traditional practice of storing has saved many varieties of cereals and minor millets in Tamil Nadu in India over the years. Knowingly or unknowingly, this practice has enabled them to maintain/preserve/conserve seed material. Due to the free flow of air in and out of these indigenous granaries, seeds can maintain their viability. Apart from this, storing of seeds, along with the pods or entire fruits in case of legumes, has prevented contact between the seeds thereby helping to reduce the fungal or bacterial infection/contamination. Leaves of a few botanicals, particularly neem and vitex, are used by these people as insect and pest repellents.MaintenanceTribals periodically check-up on their stocks in order to monitor the presence of moisture, which encourages fungal or bacterial growth and can result in the production of aflotoxins.Community efforts for the conservation of seed materialThe community co-operation and participation prevailing in the Malayali tribal community has helped conserve the seed material of minor millets for many years. Every family in the community has to contribute an amount of grain to the community granary, which is then maintained and managed by the chieftain of the hamlet. During important occasions, e.g. marriages, social events, festivals or in the event that someone lacks fare for daily consumption, grain can be borrowed on loan. This system has enabled the tribals to conserve seed material, even if some community members produce less in any one season or exhaust their own household stocks.The tribal communities studied share view that high-yielding varieties are susceptible to pests and diseases and also need constant irrigation. In addition, high-yielding varieties require fertilizer application, whereas traditional cultivars do well when receiving domestic refuse and botanical green manure. Also, traditional cultivars suit local dietary habits and can be easily cultivated without external inputs. Overall, the traditional cultivars are highly suitable and adapted to the local agroclimatic conditions--as shown by their continued cultivation and, hence, conservation over a long period of time. ConclusionsThe above practices clearly reveal the traditional wisdom of tribal communities in understanding the physiological traits of their cultivars. Due to the reasons stated above, the genetic strains could be conserved by these people for the long-term. Now, because of increasing population pressure in tribal areas and contact with people dwelling in the plains (who practice unsustainable life styles), there are significant threats to the genetic material conserved by the tribes. Hence, these genetic strains should be conserved-- not only because they serve as the base material for plant breeding experiments--but also because they secure the livelihood of the many communities who depend on them.ReferencesAltieri M. A., 1983. Who teaches whom? Agricultural, Ecosystems and Environment, 9:401-405Gamble, J. S., 1915-1938. Flora of the presidency of Madras, Vol.1-3. (Vol. 3 by C.E.C. Fisher). London:Adlard & Sons Ltd. M.S. Swaminathan & S. Jana, edss., 1992. Biodiversity implications for global food security, Madras: MacMillan India Ltd. Ravishankar, T., 1990. Ethnobotanical studies in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. Ph.D. Thesis. Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. Ravishankar, T and A. N. Henry, 1992. Ethnobotany of Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh, India, Ethnobotany, 4:45-52. Ravishankar, T., L. Vedavalli, A. A. Nambi and V. Selvam, 1994. Role of tribal communities in the conservation of plant genetic resources. Madras:M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. Footnotes:1 Scientist, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. (See 'participant list' for address of senior author.) We thank the tribal headmen and farming families of tribal communities in the study area for sharing their knowledge and Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, MSSRF for critical comments on this paper. Help and assistance from the officials of the Department of Forests of Tamil Nadu is also gratefully acknowledged. (BACK)
Document(s) 17 de 38
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