Helping dryland farmers deal with food and financial crisis

Helping dryland farmers deal with food and financial crisis

The global food crisis followed by the current financial crisis has inflicted further hardships to farmers of the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
However, scientific innovations developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are empowering these farmers to cope with the crisis.
Food crises

According to the Director General of ICRISAT, Dr William Dar, the global financial crisis coming closely on the heels of the global food crisis has hit dryland farmers hard.
“These poor dryland farmers have very little margin for risks, and when two shocks come one after the other, their ability to recover is quite diminished,” says Dr Dar.
In India, for instance, two-thirds of cultivated lands are semi-arid. Hence, an adverse impact on dryland farming can result in decreased livelihood options for a substantial percentage of the population.
Drought tolerant

The crops that ICRISAT works on, namely pearl millet, sorghum, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut have greater tolerance to drought and can grow in semi-arid conditions.
ICRISAT’s research focuses on improving the productivity of these crops, developing early maturing varieties and hybrids, and developing drought and disease tolerance.
Bread basket

For the farmers living in the Sahel at the edge of the Sahara desert, it is important to diversify the bread basket, to increase the income from multiple sources. Through its African Market Garden and Sahelian Eco-Farm, ICRISAT promotes crop diversification through the cultivation of vegetable and fruit trees along with food crops. These are then irrigated with low-pressure drip irrigation systems.
The fertilizer microdosing technique introduced in different parts of sub-Saharan Africa allows poor farmers to apply small, affordable and effective amounts of fertilizer for improved soil health and crop production.
Microdosing

Farmers who use microdosing apply 6 gram doses of fertilizer — about a full bottle cap or a three-finger pinch — in the hole where the plant is placed at the time of planting.
Crops in some parts of Africa are so starved of nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen that addition of even this micro amount often doubles crop yields. For more information log on to www.icrisat.org.

Organic prawn rearing: no looking back once success is achieved

Youngsters should be educated and encouraged to take up farming

Joint effort: The prawn farmer, Joseph Kora, Kuttanad, Allapey with his family members.
Kuttanad in Kerala, hailed as a unique man-made wetland ecosystem, stands out as both a rice granary and a tourist paradise.
With plenty of water and a fertile landscape, the region is an ideal place for paddy cultivation.
“But vast stretches of land, particularly over the years, have become barren, with loss of essential nutrients in the soil due to mindless dumping of excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides,” says Mr. R. Hali, Director of Agriculture (Retd), Thiruvananthapuram.
Low price

“Paddy cultivation has taken a beating with high cost of purchasing the fertilizers, shortage of manpower and non-remunerative price for the produce,” he says.
When farmers were desperately looking for a low cost alternative, Mr. Joseph Kora, an organic paddy farmer took the lead in growing and harvesting organic prawns in his four hectare field.
“It is a very hard and risky job” says Mr. Kora. “It requires a lot of care and attention. But nothing succeeds like success,” he smiles with contentment.
Mr. Kora’s entry into organic farming was due to continuous failure in paddy cultivation using chemical fertilizers.
“The soil became hard, rocky and dry on the surface. Even after spraying the crops to protect them from pests and infestations, the problem continued as the sprays and pesticides were unable to control the menace as new pests attacked the crops,” he elaborates.
But did he encounter any problems in organic paddy cultivation? “Organic paddy cultivation was also not a cakewalk for Mr. Kora,” says Mr. Hali. It took him nearly three years to get an organic certificate and now he is getting a good price for his rice which is exported.
Change for the better

“But the real blessing for farmers like us came when we switched over from chemical rice cultivation to organic rice cultivation because organic rice cultivation paved the way for growing scampi in the same field after harvesting the crops,” says Mr. Kora.
The Marine Products Export Developmental Authority (MPEDA) and other developmental agencies put forward to him the idea of organic aquaculture with scampi and he decided to try it.
About 11 lakh scampi seeds were raised in his four hectares. Support was extended by officials in arranging seeds, feeds, advice and personal visits. About 1,800 kg of scampi each weighing about 30 gm were harvested in about 5 days from his four hectares (after 7 months).
Friendly approach

Though Mr. Kora is proud of the accomplishment, in his opinion the area expansion efforts must be done with more “care and a farmer-friendly approach.”
“Development agencies advise farmers to follow the one rice, one prawn model as it will be successful. But rice culture is treated as agriculture, whereas prawn culture is not considered so.
“Free power can be utilised for growing paddy, but not for growing the prawns. I do not understand this difference. When both are grown in the same field, why this difference?” he asks. Asked about manpower needs, he says: “Almost my entire family slogs with me. It is a difficult job no doubt, but the results are very sweet in terms of good profit.
“Good economic returns are the only reason which can attract youngsters into agriculture.
Even children of farmers do not want to carry on this work simply because they have seen their parents suffer economically and physically.
“If carried out correctly under expert guidance, this is one profession which can bring fortunes on those who are practising it, ” he says.
Need for youngsters

Mr. Kora feels that the young generation should be educated and encouraged to take up farming, so that they will feel it is a job which leads to prosperity and happiness. For more information contact Mr. Joseph Kora, Karyvelithara, Ramankary P.O., 689-595, Kuttanad, Allapey, phone: 0477-2707375, mobile: 9495240886 and Mr. R. Hali, phone:04070-2622453, mobile:9947460075.

Pest and disease management in coconut ~~>> read this !!

Coconut is the major crop cultivated by small and marginal farmers of south India, particularly Kerala. This perennial crop is affected by many pests.

The major pests attacking coconut are rhinoceros beetle, red palm weevil coconut eriophyid mite and coreid bug and termites in nursery and diseases are root (wilt), leaf rot, bud rot, stem bleeding etc.

For every farmer, the practical difficulty in carrying out plant protection in coconut is the cost and unavailability of labourers.

However a comprehensive approach in management and plant protection work considering the cost of operation can collectively save the coconut farmers of South India.

Management practices

Open the basins during April-May with the receipt of initial rains and apply1 kg lime and after one week, apply Farm Yard Manure 25kg per palm.

Sow 30 grams per palm green manure seeds of sun hemp or cowpea in the basins and incorporate into the soil during August- September or apply 50-100 kg green leaf manure during June-July or October -November.

To minimise heat load during summer, apply lime solution on the trunk up to a height of 2-3 mts at the start of the season.

Dosage application

Apply one-third of the recommended dose of fertilizer viz. urea - 250 gm, rajphos - 280 gm and potash - 360 gm during April-June and the rest two third, urea - 500 gm, rajphos - 570 gm and potash - 720 gm during September -October

Yellowing symptoms

Apply Borax at 150 gm per palm to those with boron deficiency symptoms like choking and unfurling of leaves during April- May and 500 gm of Magnesium sulphate to the palms which show yellowing symptoms

Clean the crown of palms during April-May. Hook out Rhinoceros beetle adults from the attacked palms using beetle hook.

Fill the inner most three-leaf axils with a mixture of 250 gm neem cake +250 gm sand against rhinoceros beetle and red palm weevil during April- May and September - October

Sheep death: no test for Bt toxin done ~~>> a dangerous thing for life !!!

Limited studies: The IVRI had conducted limited studies on goats and rats that were fed on Bt cotton leftovers.

“The facility for detection and estimation of Bt toxin is presently not available with us,” notes the diagnostic report dated March 3, 2008 of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, U.P.

And by stating its inability to test for Bt toxin, the institute has confirmed the worst fears about how genetically modified crops are tested for biosafety in the country.

IVRI is one of the main institutes for testing samples to know the possible cause of death in sheep. It is also required to test tissue samples of dead sheep sent by NGOs.

The story of the institute coming out in the open about its inability to test Bt toxin started last year. It started when hundreds of sheep started dying in 2007 in two districts of Andhra Pradesh after grazing in Bt cotton fields.

Results awaited

The IAVI had conducted limited studies on goats and rats that were fed on Bt cotton leftovers. Though no untoward clinical effects were seen, the “histopathological studies in laboratory rats are under process,” it noted in its letter to the GEAC in June last year. The minutes of the 78th meeting of GEAC (held in June 2007) also make a mention of this.

The minutes of the 82nd GEAC meeting held on January 11 this year noted: “analytical reports received from the IVRI Izatnagar and Department of Animal Husbandry, Hyderabad, have confirmed that sheep death in AP cannot be attributed to Bt cotton.”

Death confirmation

While the minutes of the Januray, 2008 meeting note that a representative of the State Department of Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh, had confirmed the cause of death in the sub-committee meeting held the same day, it is silent on how the IVRI confirmed the findings.

In February, Dr. Sagari R. Ramdas, Director of Anthra, Secunderabad, under the Right To Information (RTI) Act required IVRI to share any reports and analytical studies on domestic animals grazing/feeding on Bt cotton plants. It also wanted the institute to share the reports sent to the GEAC.

No information

The IVRI’s reply of February 25 did not help the GEAC cause. It noted that “Animal Nutrition Division has conducted no experiment on grazing or feeding of Bt plants.” It also noted that “no information on these aspects has been provided to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee by the Animal Nutrition Division.”

And to make sure that no other Department of IVRI had sent any reports, Dr. Ramdas of Anthra under the RTI Act required the GEAC to provide copies of reports submitted to it by the AP Animal Husbandry Department and the IVRI.

The reports provided by the GEAC make a mockery of biosafety testing. It has provided Dr. Ramdas in March this year nothing but the June 2007 letter from IVRI to the GEAC wherein IVRI had stated that the “histopathological studies in laboratory rats are under process.”

No mention is made of any histopathological studies being conducted on goats fed with cotton leftovers! And the letter from the AP Animal Husbandry Department clearly stated that “the results of gossypol and Bt protein analysis are awaited.”

And there is no document to prove, as the minutes of 82nd meeting of GEAC in January claim, that the Animal Husbandry Department had indeed confirmed in the sub-committee meeting that the cause of death cannot be attributed to Bt cotton!

It may be recalled that it was based on these same documents, which were provided to Dr. P.M. Bhargava, the Supreme Court nominee to the GEAC, that the minutes of the 83rd meeting of GEAC in April this year noted “… sheep death might be due to high content of nitrares/nitrites… and not that of Bt toxin.”

In March this year, three sheep were ill and one died in Medak district, AP. “I sent the plant samples and sheep samples after a post mortem as per the IVRI requirements,” said Dr. Ramdas. “And I specifically requested them to test for presence or absence of Bt protein in the samples.”

The plant samples were tested for nitrites/nitrates and alkaloids and the sheep samples were tested for heavy metals, nitrite/nitrate, alkaloids etc. The samples have been tested for everything but Bt protein.

The post mortem results obtained by Dr. Ramdas through another RTI finally helped reveal the institute’s inability to detect and estimate Bt toxin in the samples.

Is there at least a slim chance that the facility at IVRI to detect and estimate Bt toxin which is “presently” not available, was indeed in place earlier?

“We have the facility to test for Bt toxin. The samples sent [by Anthra] were not proper,” Prof. R.S. Chauhan, Joint Director of IVRI told to this Correspondent.

This contradicts the institute’s response to Anthra. Dr. Chauhan could not provide a convincing answer. And if the samples were not proper, it is not known how IVRI tested for other parameters.

Innovative aquaculture practices pay dividends ~~> by using sluice structure.!!

The new sluice structure designed doesn’t require much maintenance

Perseverance: Mr. Sudhakaran, shrimp farmer with the sluice structure.

The South-western part of Thrissur district in Kerala accounts for a major share of brackish water fish production. Vellangallur, Azhikode, Kodungallur regions in particular are famous for their traditional prawn filtration units called ‘Chemmeen Kettu’ in Malayalam.

Mr. C.K. Sudhakaran, is a progressive fish farmer in Narayanamangalam village, Thrissur. His shrimp farm has been selected as the innovative farm under the ‘Yet To Harvest’ National Innovative Program of the Department of Biotechnology, Kochi University of Science and Technology.

He adopts semi-intensive culture of tiger shrimps in a pond area of 16 acres and harvests two crops a year.

Harvesting yield

“Initially I was able to harvest only 400 kg of shrimp from an acre. But I was determined to increase the yield and make a mark in this field. By 2006 I have been able to harvest about 2,500 kg of shrimp from a hectare,” he says.

A private shrimp feed manufacturing firm adopted his farm as their demonstration unit and incorporated all new scientific techniques and methods available in shrimp farming such as draining of the pond before the culture period, pre-treatment of water, bleaching, introduction of mechanical aerators (paddle wheel and spiral aerators). But they could not make much headway.

Thereafter Mr. Sudhakaran decided to personally take care of his farm. After considerable thought and labour he designed and developed a permanent sluice structure (a device which controls the water inflow and outflow) which is cost effective and much more beneficial. The sluice structure designed by him consists of a 3-4 m length hollow concrete pipe placed horizontally and earthed.

Easy maintenance

It doesn’t require much maintenance, making it cheaper for the local farmers compared to wooden sluices more commonly used (but require periodic maintenance). Concrete sluices are also used in some farms but the initial investment is high for the common man to bear. According to Joemol .C. Baby, Programme Assistant (Fisheries), Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), Thrissur, though there are several fish farmers in the region who practise shrimp farming, very few have been able to harvest as rich a yield as Mr. Sudhakaran.

fish toxicant

Giving details about his farm, Mr. Sudhakaran explains that before each crop, the ponds are drained, bleached for disinfecting and tea seed oilcake (fish toxicant) is applied for eradication of unwanted predatory and weed fishes (small fishes which compete with cultured species for food and space).

Water is pre-treated and the sediment is allowed to settle down in a small pit before the water’s entry into culture ponds. These pits are later used as harvest pits where shrimps get collected while ponds are drained for harvesting, thus reducing labour as well as time, and the quality of the captured product is also better.

Indigenous technique

Manuring is done using cow dung and an indigenous technique common among fish farmers in the region, that is rice bran, jaggery, yeast and micronutrients sometimes along with cooked sardines are allowed to ferment for 24 hours and are sprinkled all over the pond surface.

The culture period (growing time) for the shrimps is about 90-120 days until they attain marketable size. The shrimp seeds (small ones) are artificially fed with supplementary feeds for better production.

Check trays are used to avoid wastage of feed and periodic sampling is done to monitor feeding levels and disease occurrence. Proper aeration is provided using a paddle wheel and spiral aerators.

Water quality

Mr. Sudhakaran takes special care and effort to maintain the water quality. Water quality parameters are tested every week and control measures are taken. Mr. Sudhakaran markets his product at Rs. 300-350 per kg.

For more information contact Joemol .C. Baby, Programme Assistant (Fisheries), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, KAU, Thrissur, Phone: 0487:2375855. email: jojo_joby@yahoo.co.in, mobile: 9388268632.