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ID : 85300Ajouté le : 2005-07-21 10:16Mis à jour le : 2005-07-21 10:17Refreshed: 2012-02-11 23:32 
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Document(s) 33 de 38
Abstract: India is a center of diversity for rice. This finds an expression in the thousands of indigenous cultivars grown in different parts of the country. This invaluable genetic resource has been safeguarded by farmers over centuries. The past few decades have seen serious genetic erosion in the rice crop as hundreds of indigenous cultivars have been discarded in favor of a few "improved" varieties. The present concern to promote on-farm conservation stems from the threat to the survival of indigenous varieties. Establishment of regional, national and international genebanks has not served to strengthen on-farm conservation initiatives because the accent has been on mere collection and storage of varieties. Efforts are not being made to realistically assess the performance of indigenous varieties or to distribute seed to farmers. The Academy of Development Sciences (ADS) Rice Project is trying to promote on-farm conservation through the establishment of decentralized "rural" genebanks at the community level. These genebanks serve to improve the availability of seeds of indigenous varieties to farmers, besides playing an important role in the mapping and realistic evaluation of different varieties. Work on conservation of rice varieties at ADS was initiated seven years ago under the guidance of Dr. R.H. Richharia. A genebank of rice cultivars from the Konkan region of Maharashtra has been established and efforts are being made to safeguard the long-term conservation of these varieties whilst taking the present production needs into consideration. The ADS Rice Project serves to demonstrate some possibilities for setting up decentralized genebanks for various crops at the village level and dispels the myth that management of genebanks can be undertaken only by "formally" trained manpower. ADS organizes periodic training camps for farmers and organizations to create awareness about the need to conserve genetic resources on-farm and to demonstrate the methodology of setting up a farmer's genebank. PreambleIndia is a center of diversity for rice. This finds an expression in the thousands of indigenous cultivars grown in different parts of the country. Indian farmers have acted as custodians of this priceless heritage over centuries.Survival of the indigenous cultivars was jeopardized with the advent of the Green Revolution in the 60s. A wide range of indigenous cultivars being cultivated in each rice-growing region were replaced by a handful of genetically uniform semi-dwarf hybrid varieties. In the process, several indigenous cultivars have been irretrievably lost. The loss of indigenous cultivars has resulted in serious genetic erosion in the rice crop. So far, the response to the crisis has been to collect and conserve small samples of indigenous cultivars in cold storage genebanks. Genebanks have been established at the regional, national and international level to cater to different crops or ecosystems. The accent of these genebanks has mainly been on collection and storage of the genetic variability of their mandate crops, with some accessions being used for breeding work by scientists from the public or private breeding sector. Efforts are not being made to access realistically the performance of indigenous varieties or to distribute seeds to farmers. A common farmer generally does not have easy access to the varieties stored in the genebank. Most farmers may not even be aware about the existence of such genebanks. In a sense, a valuable public resource is going beyond the reach of a common man. In view of the impending General Agreement Tariff and Trade (GATT) regime, which has provisions for monopoly control by individuals or private companies over seeds and other biological materials, it is not at all desirable that an important public resource be allowed to be controlled solely by government or private agencies. The need to conserve indigenous rice varieties at the community level should be viewed in this context. Need to promote on-farm conservationOn-farm conservation would secure location-specific conservation, besides ensuring people's control over natural resources. There is a need to make available a wider choice of varieties to farmers, without any bias about high-yielding varieties (HYVs) or traditional varieties. Similarly, farmers should be involved in decisions relating to the selection and breeding of varieties.The ADS rice projectThe ADS project on rice is trying to address these issues and, in so doing, it has demonstrated some possibilities for setting up decentralized genebanks at the community level. The ADS project on conservation of indigenous rice varieties draws inspiration from the pioneering efforts of Dr.R.H.Richharia.To begin with, a survey of the Karjat Tribal Block (KTB) was undertaken to study the status of rice cultivation in this "micro" region and to understand the preferences, priorities and problems of farmers in terms of cultivars. The survey revealed that cultivation of most of the indigenous varieties was given up following the introduction of HYVs. A set of 10-15 indigenous cultivars were replaced by 2 major HYVs: Ratna and Jaya. The KTB could thus be considered a case study indicative of the trend and extent of genetic erosion in the rice crop in India. This prompted us to undertake a survey of the whole Konkan region in order to gain a better perspective on the status of rice cultivation in this agro-climatic zone. The situation was more or less similar in all parts: a wide range of indigenous cultivars were replaced by handful of HYVs. On the other hand, yields of HYVs were stagnating, despite increases in expensive external inputs like chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc., and soil fertility was also declining. Cultivation of monocultures with a narrow genetic base over wide areas and intensive cropping patterns had provided ideal conditions for the proliferation of pests and diseases. Risk of epidemics has, in turn, lead to ever increasing consumption of chemical pesticides. All these factors have been leading to increases in cultivation costs without parallel increases in incomes. Rice cultivation has thus become no longer economically viable. Faced with such realities, many farmers expressed a desire to revert back to the cultivation of indigenous varieties. But by this time, seeds of most of the indigenous cultivars were simply not available. A need was thus felt to improve availability of seeds of indigenous varieties. The first step was to conduct a systematic survey of the status of rice genetic diversity existing in the region and to begin collection of indigenous varieties from different parts. Seed collection toursWe began our efforts by visiting farmers in the four districts of Konkan: Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. There were informal meetings with groups of farmers in villages to understand their views and priorities about different varieties. Request for seed samples of indigenous varieties for the purpose of conservation and multiplication were always considered favorably. The concerned farmer would take us to his/her field to show the variety being cultivated. The farmer would narrate his/her experiences with that particular variety.The seed collection tours helped us to understand a great deal about individual cultivars and rice cultivation practices in different areas. The tours were organized during rice harvesting seasons. We would stop in villages and ask farmers about the "old" varieties which were being cultivated in earlier days. We would invariably get a list of 10-15 varieties. We would then ask the farmers if these varieties were still available. That would lead us to names of farmers in nearby villages who "would" know more about these varieties. Of the ten farmers we would meet, eight would tell us that they had abandoned the varieties a few years ago. One or two farmers, however, would present us with the gift of strange looking varieties. We often had to walk several kilometers to collect a single variety and quite often the search would be futile because the farmer had abandoned the variety. This was slow and patient work. The field benebank and seedbankSeeds thus collected were brought back to ADS, property catalogued and stored in paper envelopes in the seed bank. The varieties were then shown in the field in small plots. Seeds of 20 varieties were collected in the first year and thus began our work on the conservation of indigenous rice varieties. A people's genebank was taking shape in the Karjat Tribal Block.Over the years, we have collected more than 250 indigenous cultivars from the Konkan region. The seeds are maintained in the ADS field genebank and seedbank. Each variety is characterized based on morphological and agronomic parameters. Understanding needs of farmersFrom the third year onwards we began interactions with farmers and organizations. Farmers are invited to the ADS field genebank during the rice season and we note down their request for seed of different varieties. Based on the demands from farmers, we multiply seeds of different varieties in larger quantities and distribute these to farmers in 1-2 kg cloth bags.Seed distribution campsSeed distribution camps for farmers are organized during April and May. Seeds of different indigenous varieties are distributed to farmers in 1-2 kg cloth bags. Farmers are asked to return 1.5 - 2 times the quantity of seed to ADS or give it to some other farmer in nearby villages.The seed distribution camps began attracting more and more farmers as the years went by. By the summer of 1995, we had distributed seeds of nearly 60 indigenous varieties to more than 1000 farmers. We noticed that there was spontaneous 'informal' exchange among the farmers. Genetic diversity of rice in this region was being restored as more and more indigenous varieties came back into cultivation. The ADS genebank thus served a long 'felt' need of farmers for seeds of indigenous varieties and helped promote on-farm conservation. Training and education campsADS then began organizing training and education camps for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from other rice growing regions of India. The objective has been to create awareness about the need to conserve indigenous varieties of crops at the community level and to demonstrate the methodology for setting up a community genebank. About 30 groups have so far participated in these camps. Some groups have also started work along these lines. These groups are, in turn, encouraging smaller groups and farmers within their regions to initiate similar efforts. In a sense, the ADS project has set off a chain reaction which has country-wide ramifications.Evaluating indigenous varietiesADS is systematically evaluating the performance of some indigenous varieties which are commonly cultivated in the Konkan region. This exercise demonstrates the fact that 'yield' is not the only criterion used by farmers while selecting varieties for cultivation in their fields. Apart from yield, factors like duration, medicinal properties, nutritional characteristics, eating preferences, religious and cultural factors, pest/disease resistance, market demand, ability to withstand drought, processing and milling characteristics, other features like aroma, etc. are generally considered while selecting any variety. Realistic evaluation of any indigenous variety along several parameters is necessary to understand its true worth.The staffAn important aspect of the ADS rice project is that fact that all activities-- from seed collection, documentation and maintenance of genebank, to characterization of cultivars--- are being carried out by farmers, with some orientation and help from experts. The ADS project demonstrates the possibility for setting up a genebank at the community level. The work serves to dispel the popular notion that a 'genebank' is a 'high tech' and 'sophisticated' place managed by highly qualified and formally trained manpower.The ADS project will continue to encourage and facilitate the establishment of decentralized genebanks of local crops at the community level to strengthen on-farm conservation initiatives. The ADS Rice Project Team
Advisors
Consultant
Document(s) 33 de 38
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