Emphasis was given on indigenous agricultural practices to promote crop diversity, protect soil health and strengthen seed sovereignty at a two-day national convention on traditional agriculture and nutrition, which ended here on Tuesday. New policies should be formulated to protect land and natural resources of farmers, said experts and researchers from several States who participated in the convention.
A recommendation letter on the livelihood rights, traditional farming and community seed management was also released on the occasion. The participants said the rural communities, including the tribals, could achieve sovereignty by safeguarding their traditional practices along with their inherited knowledge.
The convention was organised jointly by Keystone Foundation of Tamil Nadu, working on eco-development initiatives, and Banswara-based Vaagdhara, which works on tribal livelihood issues in southern Rajasthan. An exhibition of indigenous seeds and organic products was also held at the venue, Jawahar Kala Kendra.
Challenging task
Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria, who inaugurated the convention, said doing farming in the geographically difficult terrains of the State was a challenging task because the topsoil was often washed away and new soil took several years to form again. “This challenge of nature can be met through indigenous practices, in which new technology should be incorporated,” he said.
Water Resources Minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya said the tribal population in southern Rajasthan was facing the challenge of preserving its resources of farmland, water, livestock and indigenous seeds. An effective resource management could help deal with the issues of scarcity of water, fertile soil being drained away and the declining nutritional properties of millet and other grains, he said.
‘Model republics’
Sunny Sebastian, former Vice-Chancellor of Haridev Joshi University of Journalism, Jaipur, said the Gandhian concept of Swaraj, which encompassed all spheres of life, was in its true spirit promoting self-sufficiency of hamlets in the tribal-dominated regions, which had emerged as “model republics” with the elements of democratic consultations and greater public interaction.
Vikas Meshram, a farmer growing and conserving indigenous seeds, said that the healthy plants grown in his region had resolved the issue of malnutrition among the villagers. Other participants, including the representatives of voluntary groups, deliberated on evolving concrete solutions to the problem of environmental degradation.
The speakers included Centre for Development of Voluntary Sector chairperson Mumtaz Masih; Gujarat Vidyapith’s Sudarshan Aiyengar; Sukhdev Singh Burdak, formerly with Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur; Robert Leo of Keystone Foundation; and Vaagdhara secretary Jayesh Joshi.
The convention called for policy formulation to help the farmers preserve their indigenous practices and meet the challenges of survival amid malnourishment, weather variability and resource losses. The need for a decentralised participatory guarantee system (PGS) certification for organic products and advocacy for agricultural requirements was also highlighted.
