Page 48 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 20

Food Health

conditions. and antioxidants, thus ensuring the
nutritional security of the farming
In the meantime in India, the communities along the way.
Basudha farm and Vrihi (Sanskrit
for rice) community seed bank in For the last 30 years, a farmer
Odisha, set up by Dr. Debal Deb, based organisation in West Bengal,
holds India’s largest in situ selection the Development Research Com-
of one crop diversity, conserving munication and Services Centre
more than 1 400 rice varieties. These (DRCSC), has been developing the
climate-resilient varieties are suited sustainable management of natural
to every kind of climate, soil and resources through disaster-resilient
water source and tolerant to ad- and climate-friendly models in vari-
verse conditions. Vrihi rice seeds, ous agroecological regions of West
MASIPAG collection of climate resilient local collected and conserved for over 3 Bengal, which includes integrated
rice varieties. Photo: MASIPAG decades in the Basudha in-situ farm farming. The bio-diverse integrated
and exchanged with hundreds of farming model combines at least 5-6
to make them more resilient. The farmers every year provide im- types of food crops, 10-12 types of
SEARICE climate change adapta- mense possibilities for dealing with vegetables, trees yielding food, fuel
tion programme, empowered local changes in temperature and climate, and fodder, and medicinal plants
communities in both countries to differences in soil nutrients and throughout the year. The DRCSC
manage rice diversity and strength- water stresses. The Vrihi collection uses farm saved indigenous seeds,
en local seed systems, all meant to includes flood-resistant rice varieties local organic fertilisers from bio-
increase communities’ adaptation which can grow taller in floodwater, gas slurry and promotes multi-tier
skills. while some varieties can also grow mixed cropping systems like the
in submerged conditions. Other rice-fish-duck-azolla integrated
In Cambodia, SEARICE helped varieties can withstand fluctuations method.
local communities to set up farmers’ in rainfall timing, or thrive in highly
field schools and trained farmers to saline soils.31 Diversity in the food The Indian part of rural Bengal
adapt to climate change by selecting systems is essential against the normally faces acute food scarci-
and planting short maturing rice climate crisis and extreme weather ty twice a year, which gets worse
varieties and to grow two crops in patterns. due to droughts, floods or storms.
a season if there were threats of Here the DRCSC trains farmers
drought. In the hilly regions of the When cyclone Aila struck Sudar- in several districts to preserve the
Philippines, farmers adopted terrace bans villages on the Bay of Bengal village grain bank, which is kept on
farming to deal with soil erosion. coast in 2009, Vrihi saline resistant high land, safe from floodwater.36
In coastal areas, where seawater indigenous seeds saved local farmers The rice is accessible to peasants at
intrusion is common, farmers used whose crops were destroyed and a low interest rate which they pay
local saline resistant rice varieties to suffered from high levels of soil sa- on the next harvest. In Birbhum
deal with soil salinity. They managed linity. These varieties have such high villages, farmers are encouraged to
to do this thanks to their access and salt tolerance that farmers cultivated plant food fodder trees, tubers, wild
control of indigenous seeds, which them without any embankments to vegetables and edible weeds which
they learned to adapt and make keep salt water out. Not only were ensure a supply of food- for both
more resilient to the different chal- they resistant to salinity but these humans and animals- when affected
lenges. SEARICE has managed to varieties also provided a better yield by floods, storms or droughts.
conserve over 50 varieties of rice, in than hybrids seeds, which farmers
their community seed banks in the were growing before the cyclone Back in West Bengal, faced with
Philippines and Cambodia, which hit, yielding 240-kg in less than an increasingly deficient freshwater
have proved to be quite useful in ex- one-tenth of a hectare of land.32 supply, villagers have had to trans-
treme climate conditions. More than Some of the rice varieties in Vrihi form and adapt their management
3 000 farming families had access to have multiple cultural and medic- of the resource. Their current
the crop genetic diversity. A valu- inal properties as well, and some approach to the cultivation of boro
able treasure for future generations are quite rich in a range of micro- rice is a clear example. This crop
for dealing with changing climate nutrients like iron, zinc, vitamins, requires large amounts of water,

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