Grassroots India

Minimal diversification in crop production can have significant implications on an agro-ecosystem. HYVs are resource inefficient and need large amounts of water and nutrients. This can increase livelihood risk in a rainfed agricultural system where poor rainfall can seriously affect yields. The high uptake of nutrients by HYVs also accelerates reduction of soil fertility affecting prospective production. Growing such few crops also exposes the farmers to fluctuating market prices, land

degradation and decrease in food security, and limits nutritional availability. One of the main solutions to mitigate these risks would be to re-introduce traditional cultivars that are now rarely used, and to increase the number of cultivars on-farm. Traditional crops indigenous to the area are more ecologically adapted to local environmental conditions, so are less vulnerable to fluctuation and they have better resource efficiency than the HYVs. Increasing crop diversity will enhance food security, reduce farmer’s vulnerability to market uncertainties, and also preserve genetic resources for future generation. Moreover, intervention at the level of market of agro-biodiverse foods and elevated economic gains underlie the solutions of replacing or reducing chemical-intensive food production. Grassroots India Trust (GIT) partnered with SHARA to work on this project. The activities of the project include:

Identification of agro-biodiverse area
Mapping of agro-biodiversity and screening of varieties/cultivars of traditional crops
Documentation of indigenous wisdom of farmers to characterize the traits of cultivars/varieties
Extension and education about the biodiversity on-farm and its importance
Establishment of seed banks to preserve the gene pool ex-situ
Linking the traditional food produce with the market for letting the farmers obtain comparable price

Achievements }}

The project identified 22 villages in Tirthan Valley, 20 villages in Jibhi Valley and 40 villages in Sainj Valley & Jiwa Nala Ridge, all lying in buffer zone of Great Himalayan National Park.
An Intern, Ms. Sarah Cooper, from UK worked in the project for 6 months and produced 2 valuable reports: (1) Mapping Local Crop Production – Assessment of Agro-biodiversity in Western Himalayas; (2) Documentation of Traditional Agricultural Practices in Western Himalayas. The studies have mapped and documented scientifically the traditionally grown crops like maize, wheat, barley, kathu, garlic, beans, millet, pulse, potato, pea, cauliflower, cabbage and onion. These 2 studies have been conducted in 22 villages of Nohanda and Tung panchayats of Banjar tehsil of Kullu district. Between May 2007 and December 2007, about 250 farmer families actively participated in the studies. Other key informants and knowledge repositories were consulted during the studies. In the studies, the support and cooperation was extended by Dr. S. S. Sawant, Scientist-in-Charge, G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development, Mohal-Kullu campus, and by Dr. Jitendra Sharma, Sr. Scientist, H. P. Agriculture University’s Research Station at Bijaura (Kullu).
Rest of the components of the project would be carried out from April 2008 onwards. The endangered varieties/ cultivars of traditional crops being grown by farmers are needed to be continued for long-term food security at local level. This is possible only when the farmers get adequate market value for agro-produce of traditional crops vis-à-vis cash crops. GIT/SHARA combine is keenly interested to continue the work on the project; however, the continuity depends on the availability of external financial support to execute tough tasks of extension, education, seed banks and market exploration. Creating market for agro-produce of traditional crops is critical part of the project.