Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Eco Friendly Measure to Control Papaya Mealybug
Posted by Unknown in Ecology, India, Organic, Organic Farming, Papaya, Pest Management on Tuesday, 14 May 2013
N. SAKTHIVEL
R. BALAKRISHNA
Chemical
measures to control the outbreak of papaya mealybug in Tamil Nadu did
not yield success because of wider host range including many weed
species and trees, presence of thick protective waxy coating over the
body and mainly development of resistance to the chemical insecticides.
Past lesson
Recent survey
in Tamil Nadu indicated reappearance of papaya mealybug in a few areas
of Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Coimbatore, Virudunagar and Thirunelveli
districts.
The incidence is also recorded on other plant species including hibiscus, sorrel leaves, tomato, brinjal etc.
Though the
population of the pest recorded below economic injury level, incidence
of this pest is found to be increased in the locations facing severe
drought and hot climate.
Past experience
revealed that spray of insecticides induced the outbreak of the bug
rather than control because of its resistance and destruction of natural
enemies as they are highly sensitive to the chemicals.
Contact
Release of
above said exotic parasitoids at 200 individuals per location alone is
sufficient to manage the pest. If incidence of papaya mealybug is
noticed, farmers may approach nearby agriculture universities or field
units of Central Silk Board for help.
(N.Sakthivel, Scientist,Research Extension Center, Central Silk Board, Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu, email: sakthivelcsb@hotmail.com, Mobile: 098427 61789 & R. Balakrishna, Scientist, & Head, Regional Sericultural Research Station, Salem, Tamil Nadu, email: balakrishna131@gmail.com, Mobile: 09443692283.)
A Greener Supply Chain to Promote Eco-friendly Products
Posted by Unknown in Ecology and Ecosystem, India, Supply chain, WWF on Monday, 13 May 2013
WWF’s green retail movement aims at promoting eco-friendly products and sustaining demand for the same
The
ever-growing human demand for resources is putting tremendous pressure
on biodiversity — threatening the continued provision of ecosystem
services, health and wellness of human beings.
To keep a check
on this pressure on environment, WWF has come out with a new model of
strategy — PPP (People, Planet and Profit). This model emphasises on
green retail across the globe, promoting green product lines and its
constant demand. Not only that, it is also finding new ways of
sustaining this green retail. For that, global demand for green lines,
WWF insists, is a must. This will result in triple gain: benefit people
as they will value products that don’t damage the environment; help the
planet to breathe better and facilitate (retail) supply chains to reap
profit in the process.
Ravi Singh,
CEO, WWF-India says “Human consumption is at a rate 50 per cent faster
than what the earth can sustain. Our ecological footprint has doubled in
the last 40 years and is on course to double again in the next 40. As a
whole the humanity extracted resources more than 52 per cent faster
than they could be regenerated eating into the existing stock of
forests, fisheries, grasslands, and other assets. Meanwhile the prices
for many of those assets have nearly doubled or tripled in the last 10
years according to World Bank Data.”
And therefore,
he adds, “WWF’s global green retailer movement will cover a wide
spectrum of issues from reducing energy, greenhouse gases, waste, and
chemicals, employee empowerment to innovation. However, the core focus
for the retail industry should be to ensure sustainable product lines
and sustainable supply chains.”
To make the PPP
model through the retail industry successful, WWF has recently been
able to pursue big supply chains of consumer products like Marks &
Spenser, Wal-Mart, IKEO, Carrefour to adopt proactive sustainability
agendas, particularly in establishing sustainable product lines across
their supply chains. Mr. Singh says, “Many retailers, as part of the
Consumer Goods Forum have even committed to taking deforestation out of
their supply chain and buying sustainable products, such as sustainable
palm oil, cotton, etc.”
Constant
efforts on promoting green retail in India including a seminar held in
Mumbai recently (titled Sustainability In Retail: A Triple Bottom-Line
Approach: as a part of Retail Leadership Summit-2013) show that efforts
are also being made by large companies to make a shift to more
sustainable supply chains due to increasing consumer awareness globally.
But promoting
this concept in India has its own share of issues. The general
perception is that the Indian consumers do not care much about product
sustainability unlike their U.S. and European counterparts. But the
latest green marketing techniques convey otherwise. For instance, says a
representative from WWF-India, “in 2008, the top-scoring consumers of
2010 were in the developing economies of India, Brazil, China, in
descending order. The survey results show that both cost considerations
and environmental concerns motivated consumers to adopt more
environmentally sustainable behaviour”.
New trends
indicate that global players are putting pressure on their supply chain,
which extends into developing countries like India and also their local
counterparts and partners. Retailers are evaluating their direct store,
distribution centre, and supply chain operations to uncover cost-saving
and workforce-enhancing opportunities.India has one of the largest
numbers of retail outlets in the world. The retail sector is
experiencing exponential growth, with retail development taking place
not just in major cities, but also in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Indian retail already contributes 10 percent of the GDP. So, it is
believed with big retailers/corporate houses initiating green retailing,
small retailers/shopkeepers will follow automatically.
Solar Powered ‘Drought Fighter’ Ensures Water for Small Farms
Posted by Unknown in Banana, Drip Irrigation, India, Irrigation, Solar Energy
 |
| Demonstrating the use of the solar pwered drought fighter. Photo: Special Arrangement |
M. J. PRABU
The Hindu
Presently
farmers in Tamil Nadu are battling two problems — acute water shortage
and a major power crisis. “Even to pump out the fast dwindling water
from the wells for irrigating the crops farmers need electricity.
Sometimes they get it after 14 hours or some days they get the supply in
6-7 hours.
“There is no
fixed time. A few months ago, when I was visiting a field in Kadayam
region in Tirunelveli I saw a farmer spraying his 25 cents of rose crop
carrying a hand operated sprayer. He was walking several times towards
his field bund to fill his manual sprayer.
Rapidly dwindling
“Only a few
more weeks were left for him to do the daily pickings after which he
cannot continue, since summer is fast approaching and already the water
level in the wells is rapidly dwindling,” says Dr. P.David Raja Beula,
Assistant Director of Horticulture Kadayam.
Mr. David has
developed a device called ‘Drought fighter’ that promises to be of help
during dry season or when water availability is low.
The main
feature of this device is that it does not require electricity to
operate it, but works on solar energy. It is priced at Rs.15,000.
“The machine is
mainly developed to help a farmer conserve water and use the available
water efficiently for irrigating his crops, without using electricity.
Already several wells in the region are fast becoming dry with no water.
Throughout the State it is the same. Having already developed a solar
spray I decided to apply the same idea and developed this new water
conserving machine that runs on solar power,” he says.
The drought fighter has a two-metre-long sucking tube and a 20 metre long delivery hose with a lance and a nozzle attached.
An 18 watt
small solar panel is attached to a 12 volt electric motor. All farmers
need to do is place the solar panel along with the motor under the sun
for an hour and start using it.
Running time
Once charged it
can continuously run for three hours, after which the motor needs to be
switched off and the panel needs to be charged again.
Whenever there
is electricity, water from the well can be pumped into four or five 200
litres plastic barrels. Later the drought fighter is kept on top of one
of the barrels and the sucking hose immersed in it..
Water can be
sprayed in a 360 degrees circle using the 20 metre-long delivery hose,
covering 25 percents of area at a time. More area can be covered by
periodically shifting of the entire system.
Farmers can also mix their choice of pesticides or bio-pesticides in the barrel and spray.
As water need
not be carried on the back it reduces physical labour for the farmer.
The device can be used to cultivate almost all crops.
Major advantage
“The major
advantage of this over the traditional back pack sprayer is that a
farmer need not have to carry the weight of 16 litres of water on his
back every time. All he needs to do is place the plastic barrels in
different places in the field, fill them with water and use this machine
to irrigate, spray his crops,” explains Mr. David.
Mr. Mathew, a
farmer from Thiruvananthapuram, who uses this drought fighter to spray
his betel vine and pepper crop says, “It is quite a sturdy instrument
and requires only one person to operate it. Since it is powered by solar
energy I save on the cost of fuel.”
Lot of queries
“Even when the
well has minimum quantity of water, vegetables and flowers can be
cultivated in a few cents of land using this device. In Kadayam block,
Tirunelveli farmers were encouraged to carry on flower cultivation with
the help of this drought fighter and now our Horticulture office is
flooded with requests from farmers to purchase hybrid Tomato, Bhendi,
Brinjal, Bitter gourd and leafy vegetables seeds,” says Mr. David.
“Till date I
have manufactured this device only on order. And nationalized banks are
giving credit assistance to farmers to buy this machine,” he says.
For further details those inetrested can contact Mr. P.David Raja Beula , Assistant Director of Horticulture Kadayam on email:microeconomicsdavid@yahoo.co.in or mobile: 09486285704.
Novel Way to Irrigate Fields Using Plastic Saline Bottles
Posted by Unknown in Drip Irrigation, India, Irrigation, Recycling on Sunday, 12 May 2013
M. J. PRABU
THE HINDU
Irrigation
poses the greatest challenge for a farmer since water availability needs
to be there almost throughout the year. Monsoon failure means fall in
yield and farmers are the direct sufferers when the rains are inadquate.
 |
| It is a good alternative to big drip systems but requires labour and patience. Photo: Special Arrangement |
“Especially in a
country like India, the unseasonal and unpredictable weather,
especially when it turns into droughts forces agriculture scientists and
farmers to think of alternative simple and effective solutions to
overcome the crises,” says Dr. I.S.Tomar, Programme Coordinator, Krishi
Vigyan Kendra, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) near Rajgarh Naka, Jhabua.
Case study
One such case
study that has been quite popular is use of discarded plastic saline
bottles for irrigation by farmers in Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh.
Basically a tribal dominated dry region, agriculture is the main source
of livelihood for the people there. Maize, blackgram, soyabean, wheat,
and cotton are normally grown.
To enhance
income of the farmers of the area, an attempt was made to introduce
improved vegetable cultivation under National Agricultural Innovation
Sub Project called Integrated farming system for sustainable rural
livelihood in undulating and rainfed areas.
Mr. Ramash
Bariya, a small farmer from the village, started growing vegetables
under this project guidance in a small area. He got a good profit
initially and this encouraged him to start growing some gourd varieties
like bitter and sponge gourds. He prepared a small nursery for raising
the seedlings but faced acute water shortage due to delayed monsoon.
Worried, he
discussed with NAIP project scientists who advised him to adopt an
innovative irrigation technique using waste saline bottle.
“We wanted to
try out this method in the farmer’s field since it is quite cheap and
effective and farmers who cannot financially afford big drip systems can
try this. But farmers should realise that it requires labour and
patience,” says Dr. Tomar.
Remove bottom portion
In this
technique, the bottom portion of the bottle is removed using a sharp
knife and the bottle filled with water. It is hung upside-down from a
stake next to the sapling in the field. The plastic tube with the nozzle
is made to touch the ground near the plant root.
Instead of
allowing water to be irrigated through the channels in the field or
pouring it on the crop with a bucket, water starts dripping on the soil
surface making the root zone wet, thereby supplying moisture
continuously to the crop.
Purchased the bottles
The plastic
control knob in the middle of the tube can be adjusted to control the
drip. The farmer purchased about 350 bottles from a waste paper mart and
started using them for his cultivation. His entire family used to help
him in filling the bottles with water.
“I have been
able to get a net profit Rs.15,200 from less than a hectare till date by
using this method for my vegetables,” says the farmer..
The state
agriculture department conferred an achievement award on him for
adopting this simple yet effective method to overcome water shortage.
Many others in the surrounding areas have also started adopting this method for their crops.
According to
Dr. Tomar, this type of irrigation is quite popular in African countries
like Kenya. Many American farmers are also using this system to grow
their kitchen gardens.
But in India it is not popular. The reason could be that it is time consuming and labour intensive.
Though today
there are several government schemes and subsidies available to install a
full fledged drip irrigation system the paperwork involved is quite
laborious, and delays cultivation work.
Can tie up
So farmers are
encouraged to adopt such indigenous ideas to overcome their local
cultivation problems. If there is a hospital nearby, farmers can tie up
with it to collect the waste bottles directly, and on a regular basis.
For more information readers can contact Dr. I.S.Tomar, Programme Coordinator, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Near Rajgarh Naka,Jhabua-457661, Madhya Pradesh,phone: 07392-244367,mobile: 09425188028 and Mr. Ramesh Parmar S/o Sh.Jawa Parmar, Rotla village, Rama block, Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, mobile 09893593135 (pp).
Women Coconut Pollinators Scale New Heights
Posted by Unknown in Coconut, India, Pollination, Women
M. J. PRABU
The Hindu
 |
| A woman climber bagging the receptive flower. Photo: Special Arrangement |
It takes 5- 10 minutes for them to complete the work on a single tree
The
coconut pollination (technically referred to as hybridisation) sector,
once a men’s monopoly in Kerala, is today being conquered successfully
by women also. Seed-nuts of hybrid coconut palms are produced through
artificial pollination.
In Kasaragod district, the friends of coconut trees programme (FoCT) for taining women in coconut polllination organized by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), evoked good response from enterprising women.
Thirty-four
ladies, mostly house-wives, underwent training in pollination
techniques, an area all along dominated by men. In addition, 207
unemployed rural youth were also trained in the techniques.
Considered a tough job
Earlier women
were not much interested in climbing the trees it was always considered a
tough job and a male bastion. But today they want to prove they are
also capable and on par with men in farm work.
Feedback
studies show that the training programme in artificial pollination done
by women is a big hit among rural women in the region as it helps in
their financial empowerment. Among the five groups functioning in the
district now, two groups comprise only women.
“From the usual
women dominated leaf plating, broom making, and copra drying for
instance, women started climbing the trees, harvesting nuts, cleaning
the crown,carrying out plant protection methodsm, and today they are
happy that our institute has played a major role in making them
pollinators,” says Dr. V. George, Director, CPCRI. The programme is
funded by the Coconut Development Board (CDB).
Coconut
pollination technique is a highly skilled activity which has to be done
on newly opened inflorescence located on the crown of the tree. It takes
only 5-10 minutes to pollinate a bunch on the tree.
Different steps
The different
steps in this technique are pollen collection and processing, removal of
male flowers from the inflorescence, tying a bag on the inflorescence,
dusting of pollen, confirming the receptive stage of female flowers,
repeating the same procedures till the last flower comes to receptivity,
and removal of the cloth bag after ensuring that the last button is
also pollinated.
These laborious steps demand expertise, sound knowledge on floral biology of coconut trees, and good skill.
Climbing the
tree and sitting on top of the crown to pollinate is a difficult job
since the trees keep swaying during heavy winds. Also the height of the
tree creates a scare in some climbers.
Number of times
The pollinator
needs to climb a tree at least 5-6 times to pollinate a bunch. On the
first day he/she has to remove the male flowers from the opened
infloresence and cover the bunch with a bag.
From the second
day onwards (some times alternative days) they need to pollinate
according to the receptive stage of the female flower.
There are two
parts in procedure one the lab scientists keep the pollen (processed
male flowers ready) and the women climbers take it with them to be
sprayed on matured female flowers in the crown.
At present a
private contractor selected through the institute pays Rs.600 a day for
each woman climber who pollinates 20-22 trees in a day. “Though the main
objective of the programme was to address the problem of labour
shortage, it has changed the social status of coconut climbers as they
are known today, as skilled professionals in the sector.
“Their services
are highly valued by the coconut farmers of the locality and nearby
panchayaths because of their dedication and sincerity towards their
profession,” says Dr. George.
Daily labourers
Before
attending this training programme the women worked as daily labourers,
able to earn hardly Rs. 100 per day. But after attending the training
and doing it as a full time work their income has improved.
“The women are
doing an excellent job in a professional manner. Unlike some male
coconut climbers, women are not addicted to alcohol and do not absent
themselves from work.
“Once they
commit they are on the job. It is heartening to see them comfortably
sitting on top of the coconut tree carrying out with ease the different
operations,” says Chethan, a coconut garden owner, who has made use of
the women training skills in his farm.
It takes only
5-10 minutes for these women to do the pollination work for a tree. The
process needs to be repeated 4-5 times for ensuring good yield and the
workers are engaged on a contract.
For details readers can contact Dr. George V. Thomas, Director, CPCRI, Kasaragod: 671-124, email: georgevthomas@yahoo.com, directorcpcri@gmail.com, phone: 04994- 232333.
Finest Rajhistani Tradition
Posted by Unknown in India, Tree Plantation
In an
atmosphere where every morning, our newspapers greet us with stories of
girls being tormented, raped, killed or treated like a doormat in one
way or another, trust India's “village republics” to bring in some good
news from time to time.
One such
village in southern Rajasthan's Rajsamand district is quietly practicing
its own, homegrown brand of Eco-feminism and achieving spectacular
results.
For the last
several years, Piplantri village panchayat has been saving girl children
and increasing the green cover in and around it at the same time.
Here, villagers
plant 111 trees every time a girl is born and the community ensures
these trees survive, attaining fruition as the girls grow up.
Over the last
six years, people here have managed to plant over a quarter million
trees on the village's grazing commons- inlcuding neem, sheesham, mango,
Amla among others.
On an average
60 girls are born here every year, according to the village's former
sarpanch Shyam Sundar Paliwal, who was instrumental in starting this
initiative in the memory of his daughter Kiran, who died a few years
ago.
In about half these cases, parents are reluctant to accept the girl children, he says.
Such families
are identified by a village committee comprising the village school
principal along with panchayat and Anganwadi members.
Rs. 21,000 is
collected from the village residents and Rs.10,000 from the girl's
father and this sum of Rs. 31,000 is made into a fixed deposit for the
girl, with a maturity period of 20 years.
But here's the best part.
“We make these
parents sign an affidavit promising that they would not marry her off
before the legal age, send her to school regularly and take care of the
trees planted in her name,” says Mr. Paliwal.
People also plant 11 trees whenever a family member dies.
But this
village of 8,000 did not just stop at planting trees and greening their
commons. To prevent these trees from being infested with termite, the
residents planted over two and a half million Aloevera plants around
them. Now these trees, especially the Aloevera, are a source of
livelihood for several residents.
“Gradually, we
realized that aloevera could be processed and marketed in a variety of
ways. So we invited some experts and asked them to train our women. Now
residents make and market aloevera products like juice, gel, pickle
etc,” he says.
The village
panchayat, which has a studio-recorded anthem and a website of its own,
has completely banned alcohol, open grazing of animals and cutting of
trees. Villagers claim there has not been any police case here for the
last 7-8 years.
Mr. Paliwal recalls the visit of social activist Anna Hazare, who was very happy with the progress made by the village, he says.
“But Rajasthan
is quite backward in terms of village development compared to panchayats
in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra etc. So we need to work hard towards
creating more and more empowered villages,” says the former sarpanch,
hoping the government listens to him.
Crusader in Integrated Dairy Farming
Posted by Unknown in Dairy Farm, India, Integrated Farming on Friday, 29 March 2013
The New Times of India
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A crusader in integrated dairy farming. More than a farmer, perhaps, this would be the ideal way to hail A R Avaneendranathan of Payattuvila in Kottukal panchayat near Balaramapuram. From a small-time dairy farmer, he has emerged into a proud owner of a dairy unit by successfully adopting integrated farming.
Nathans Dairy Farm, comprising about 100 cows, has ; a daily production of over 600 litres of milk and caters to the needs of several households in and around Payattuvila. Apart from local supply of milk, Nathans dairy unit gives 350 litres of milk to MILMA every day. “My aim is to increase the production to 1000 litres per day,” says Avaneendranathan, who earlier had a mini homestead dairy farm.
The sheer passion for dairy farming and the innate ability to do experiments in farming are the secrets of his success. One may wonder how dairy farming can be profitable considering the skyrocketing prices of cattle feed, straw and grass and high labour charges. Here is where integrated farming comes to play &; “Don’t depend solely on cattle feed, straw and grass. This is the only way to run the show profitably,” Nathan says. He cultivates banana and tapioca on four acres of land. “Leaves and stem of banana and tapioca are the main feed for cattle. Coconut leaves are also given. And the cow dung is the main manure for banana and tapioca”. Nathan also uses brewery waste as a cattle feed, which is available at the rate of Rs 4 per kg.
According to Nathan, small scale dairy farming will only become profitable if the price of milk is increased to Rs 30 a litre. “See, a milking cow should be given 10 kg of cattle feed, 35 kg of grass and 10 kg of straw a day. One kg each of cattle feed and grass cost Rs 15 and Rs 2 respectively. Thus, it requires a minimum sum of Rs 225 for a cow daily, which produces over 25 litres of milk a day. On an average, we have a production of 600 litres a day. Though we have to feed 100 cows more or less in the same rate, only half of them will be in the milking stage. That’s where the economics of dairy farming goes wrong. The expense comes around Rs 22,000 and the income is only 15,000,” he said.
Nathan follows a definite pattern for feeding and milking the cows. For him, a day starts at 1 a.m. The first thing is to give feed to the cattle. By the time his employees join Nathan, he would have removed the cow dung and other waste from the shed. After cleaning the cows, the milking will start at around 3.30 a.m. “Machines are used for milking and at a time two cows can be milked,” Nathan said. Another group of employees will join at around 7 a.m. who will be engaged in feeding the cattle and cleaning. The second milking of the day starts at 3 p.m.
Cleanliness and hygiene are very important in dairy farming. “Before milking, cow’s udder is washed using potassium permanganate. The whole shed is washed using lotion or bleaching powder and maintained dry. Utmost care has to be taken to keep the cow’s hoof dry to prevent infection,” Nathan says.
Another highlight of Nathan’s dairy farm is the presence of traditional cattle breeds like Kapila, Kasargod Dwarf and Vechoor. The other breeds include HF (Holstein Freisian), Brown Jersey and Jersey. Besides, he owns a mini goat farm which consists of high yielding varieties like Malabari Goat, Jamnapari, Saanen and Vendoor. “Goat milk is mainly supplied for ayurvedic medicinal purposes,” he adds.
According to Nathan, the encouragement he got from Krishi Bhavan, Dairy Development Board and Animal Husbandary Department has helped a lot in his endeavour. Recently, he got a subsidy for setting up the heifer unit with 30 calves. But, he has also expressed some discontent over certain initiatives of the animal husbandry department.
“The only way to promote and support dairy farming and farmers is to provide subsidy to cattle feed. Now, the situation is worse. The expense is so huge that one does dairy farming even with five cows. Projects should be evolved through which the expense can be brought down. Farmers should be given 50 percent subsidy on cattle feed on the basis of the quantity of milk they supply to the milk societies. In states like Karnataka, dairy farmers are given a subsidy of Rs 2 for a litre of milk by the government in addition to its price,’’ Nathan points out.
Avaneendranathan can be contacted at 9447083250
(In virgin countrysides and little nooks of cities, agripreneurs are making commendable strides. Farm Diary brings you some of these ventures that will help in small but significant ways in turning the tide against a synthetic culture.)
athul@expressbuzz.com
The man who made a forest
Posted by Unknown in Forest, India, Success Stories on Saturday, 23 March 2013
TNN
Way back in 1953, French author Jean Giono wrote the epic tale The Man Who Planted Trees. It seemed so real that readers thought the central character, Elzeard Bouffier , was a living individual until the author clarified he had created the person only to make his readers fall in love with trees.
Assam's Jadav Payeng has never heard of Giono's book. But he could be Bouffier. He has single-handedly grown a sprawling forest on a 550-hectare sandbar in the middle of the Brahmaputra. It now has many endangered animals, including at least five tigers, one of which bore two cubs recently.
The place lies in Jorhat, some 350 km from Guwahati by road, and it wasn't easy for Sunday Times to access him. At one point on the stretch, a smaller road has to be taken for some 30 km to reach the riverbank. There, if one is lucky, boatmen will ferry you across to the north bank. A trek of another 7 km will then land you near Payeng's door. Locals call the place 'Molai Kathoni' (Molai's woods) after Payeng's pet name, Molai.
It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng , only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life.
"The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage . I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested," says Payeng, now 47.
Leaving his education and home, he started living on the sandbar. Unlike Robinson Crusoe, Payeng willingly accepted a life of isolation. And no, he had no Man Friday. He watered the plants morning and evening and pruned them. After a few years, the sandbar was transformed into a bamboo thicket. "I then decided to grow proper trees. I collected and planted them. I also transported red ants from my village, and was stung many times. Red ants change the soil's properties . That was an experience," Payeng says, laughing.
Soon, there were a variety of flora and fauna which burst in the sandbar, including endangered animals like the one-horned rhino and Royal Bengal tiger. "After 12 years, we've seen vultures. Migratory birds, too, have started flocking here. Deer and cattle have attracted predators," claims Payeng . He says locals recently killed a rhino which was seen in his forest at another forest in Sibsagar district.
Payeng talks like a trained conservationist. "Nature has made a food chain; why can't we stick to it? Who would protect these animals if we, as superior beings, start hunting them?"
The Assam state forest department learnt about Payeng's forest only in 2008 when a herd of some 100 wild elephants strayed into it after a marauding spree in villages nearby. They also destroyed Payeng's hutment . It was then that assistant conservator of forests Gunin Saikia met Payeng for the first time.
"We were surprised to find such a dense forest on the sandbar. Locals, whose homes had been destroyed by the pachyderms, wanted to cut down the forest, but Payeng dared them to kill him instead. He treats the trees and animals like his own children. Seeing this, we, too, decided to pitch in," says Saikia. "We're amazed at Payeng. He has been at it for 30 years. Had he been in any other country, he would have been made a hero."
Help from the government wasn't forthcoming, though. It was only last year that the social forestry division took up plantation work on a 200-hectare plot.
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Jorhat, Bijoy Krishna Handique, took interest and said he would moot a proposal to the Centre to declare the area a conservation reserve under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Payeng would be happy.
Chinese Agri-Lessons for Indian Policy Makers
Posted by Unknown in China, India, Policy Making and Strategy on Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Saurabh Bhatt
Global
food security and food inflation are closely linked to economic
development and agricultural production of the two Asian giants, China
and India, as they comprise over 30 per cent of the world population.
High GDP growth rates and rising income levels in these countries have
increased the demand for high nutrition and calorie intake, putting
further pressure on a sector which is critical to the livelihood of a
vast majority of the citizens of these agrarian giants.
Compared
to India, China's grain production is double that of India despite
lesser arable land and similar area of irrigated land. China has a
liberal agriculture import policy whereas India's agri-import policies
are restrictive. India's fragmented land holding has led to low
mechanisation. China faces different challenges. China's collective
land-ownership system is a major constraint on farm borrowing, leading
to poor economies of scale. China's ratio of investment in agriculture
to agri-GDP is similar to India, however, since 2000, China has invested
significantly in agri-parks and dairy towns, which are fully integrated
models right from cultivation to processing (financed by the
agri-banks). Both countries address food-security challenges using
policies which are both congruent and different on multiple fronts.
WATER AVAILABILITY
China
and India face periodic drought-like conditions or floods across
regions. China's fresh-water storage capacity is about 1,000 cu. m per
capita , five times that of India. China's depletion of ground water
table is lower as compared to many parts of India (because of tube-well
abuse). Compared to China, Indian agriculture would require more water
by 2050, but its water footprint would deplete faster, especially in the
Ganges and other major river basins.
India
also continues to grapple with the river-linking project in terms of
environmental impact issues. On the other hand, China is already
implementing many large-scale water projects (Three Gorges Dam,
north-south aqueducts using Yangtze's water). Indian policy makers
approach to the fresh-water storage and sustainability issue has been
mired with slow decision-making and legal opposition by
environmentalists. However, India scores better on micro-irrigation with
its Government subsidy schemes.
GRAIN RESERVE AND AGRI-STORAGE
India
and China build significant grain reserves each year. India's grain
reserve is around 50-60 million tonnes (20-22 per cent of annual
production) whereas in China it is about 150-180 million tonnes (35 per
cent of annual production). Due to this huge reserve, the food system is
less dependent on flows from the global market and helps China contain
food inflation in tough years. In terms of grain-storage infrastructure,
China has the capacity to store up to 200 million tonnes of wheat and
paddy, while India's capacity is 87 million tonnes.
In
India, there is an erosion of value of approximately 7-8 per cent
(about 18 million tonnes) of total food production worth about $6
billion annually, due to unscientific and insufficient storage and
supply-chain inefficiencies. Given China's large trade surplus and
foreign currency reserves, any grain imports would not have material
impact on their fiscal position. India may face a sharp currency
depreciation and ballooning balance of payments if it were to resort to
large-scale grain imports. Hence, India needs to enhance storage
capacity and increase buffer stock to at least five to six months.
PRODUCTIVITY AND POLICY MAKING
The
stated objective of both countries' agricultural policy is to achieve
self-sufficiency and food security. China has surged ahead on
productivity through the use of high-yielding seed varieties, extensive
use of fertilisers and pesticides (twice of India by per-hectare use).
China has also focused significantly on cash crops, helped by stagnation
of grain consumption and increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables,
milk, milk products and meat. The Chinese Government has, since the
1970s, invested significantly into agricultural research and development
(R&D), especially to create high-yield varieties of rice, wheat and
maize.
After
the first green revolution , India's agriculture R&D has been
academic and localised instead of supporting productivity at national
levels.. China accounts for over 70 per cent of world's fresh-water
aquaculture production and its livestock production has grown over 8 per
cent annually for the last decade.
During
the 1990s, China encouraged import of large amounts of new genetic
material for hog, beef, poultry and dairy industries from the US, Japan,
Canada and New Zealand, which has improved the quality of the genetic
stock in China's livestock.
While
India and China have some congruency on policy front including a
State-enforced minimum support price, there are notable differences in
respect of wholesale agri-markets, agriculture subsidies and cooperative
financing system for agriculture.
Land
ownership is individual in India but collective in China. While the
Chinese Government provides direct subsidies to its farmers, subsidies
in India are indirect. Compared to India, China has well-developed
commodity exchanges and futures markets and tighter rules for converting
or selling crop land for non-agricultural use. Unlike India, China has a
price ceiling to minimize the effects of food inflation.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
In
India, less than 3 per cent of fruits and vegetables produced is
processed while total processing in the agriculture sector is less than 8
per cent. By contrast, 40 per cent of food consumed in China is now
processed (80 per cent in Western nations). Lack of economies of scale
due to size restrictions on industry (under Small Scale Industries
rules), supply-side constraints for agri-inputs because of rules
governing large-scale corporate farming, and paucity of dry and cold
storage infrastructure are the key shortcomings of the Indian
food-processing industry.Since many sections of food processing were
reserved for the small sector, there are hardly any large
food-processing companies in India. On the other hand, over 70 of
China's 500 largest companies are in the food-processing sector (in
India this would be at most 15), and this industry is growing rapidly.
AGRI-TRADE
India's
agri-trade with the rest of the world is limited with agri-exports of
$25 billion (10 per cent of total exports) in financial year 2011 and
agri-imports of $8 billion (less than 3 per cent of total imports).
Restrictive agri-import policies in India partly fuelled by insecurity
of domestic cultivators (political motivations) and some genuine and
misguided concerns of disease import have led to inflationary pressure
on key food articles.
Bulk
of India's agri-exports are rice, oil meal, cotton and spices
(commodities with limited value addition) and bulk of the imports are
pulses, edible oils and sugar. China, on the other hand, has a liberal
agricultural import policy and is among the world's largest importers of
commodities, including edible-oil seeds and even cattle.
According
to China's Custom statistics, agri-imports for 2010 were $65 billion
and exports were over $30 billion, taking the agri-trade value to over
three times that of India. China's agri-trade deficit has been growing
but is balanced by exports of manufacturing and electronic goods. This
has enabled it to maintain food inflation under 6 per cent as compared
to the consistent 10-plus per cent for India.
CONCLUSION
India
and China are similar in terms of issues and policy challenges in
agriculture. Both countries, due to their strong economic growth, are
also experiencing inflationary pressures on food.
However,
India's total fertility rate of 2.6 (China's is 1.6) poses greater
challenges as India's population will continue to grow faster and remain
young longer, demanding high-nutrition food.
Like
China, India needs to focus on livestock, poultry and aquaculture (all
key sources of protein), focus on R&D in agriculture by increasing
budgetary allocations, promote farm mechanization through producer
cooperatives, focus on replenishing aquifers through scientific
water-harvesting in villages, avoid pitfalls of excess use of
fertilisers and pesticides liberalise agri-trade policies to manage food
prices and focus on economies of scale and integration in food
processing.
The writer is President and Managing Director (Corporate Finance and Development Banking), YES Bank.
The Hindu Businessline
Helping Farmers Grow Organic Crops Better
Posted by Unknown in Biotechnology, India, Organic Farming, Scientist, Small Scale Farming on Monday, 28 January 2013
Like
hundreds who study bioscience, Vinay completed his BSc in biotechnology
and did his post-graduation in bioscience from the University of
Mysore. But he didn't stop at that though he got a job and went into
academics: His weekends are reserved for the farming community.
Attending
to the farming community is what he enjoys doing. Vinay B Raghavendra,
teaches biotechnology at the city's noted Teresian College and on
weekends visits the farmers and extends expert advice on pest control.
He also promotes organic farming.
When
the interest among the urban class to the rural issues is on the wane,
the 32-year-old has started to use the knowledge he acquired-he has got a
PhD from the University of Mysore in biotechnology-for the benefit of
the end user-the farmer.
It
has been six years since the assistant professor has been helping
farmers. He is visiting nearby villages and extending his support to
help farmers. Conducting educative programmes with the support of
service-oriented organizations like Lion and Rotary clubs or going on
his own to the villages, the youth is trying to address the agriculture
crisis that is plaguing rural India. He has visited 25 villages in
Mysore, Hassan, Mandya and Tumkur districts.
While
involved in his research work, he used to go on field visits when he
came face-to-face with the problems faced by the farmers. He said he
realized that he should educate farmers about the benefits of organic
farming. The dependence on pesticides was heavy since farmers were not
aware of organic farming, he said explaining as to how he got into the
habit.
"Farmers
are usually not aware about reasons for the diseases that affect
plants. They blindly go and ask for some pesticides. This made me to
interact with farmers directly about the different methods of pest
control for variety of diseases," he said, adding, "I have been training
them about the preparation and proper utilization of organic manure."
Vinay has published his research work on 'Bacterial Blight of Cotton'.
He completed his bachelor's degree at Banmaiah's College (BSc in
biotechnology) and master's degree in bioscience at Hema Gangotri in
Hassan in 2001. He even carries his laptop along with him to the
villages he visits and informs the farmers about the proper usage of
nutrients.
"I
was influenced by my uncle Dr Vasanthkumar Timkapur, a plant
pathologist. He used to visit many villages and guide farmers. I am
following in his footsteps," he said. He has also been awarded 'P R
Verma Student Award' by the Second Asian Congress of Mycology and Plant
Pathology in 2007 at Hyderabad. His wife, who is a master degree holder
in biotechnology, helps him identify fungus and bacteria which affects
plants, he said.
The Times of India
