A viable solution to food crisis

Promoting traditional varieties of rice in low yielding lands:

By Indeewara Thilakarathne

[email protected]

Traditional varieties of rice have been popular for ages among rice farmers in diverse parts of the globe. From Amaroo to Popcorn rice, which they have been growing despite the introduction of hybrid varieties with distinct characteristics such as weather resistant and grow in fields of high degree of salinity.

Red brown rice

Koshihikari, a Japanese traditional variety of rice

“In a pilot project, we have identified four traditional varieties of rice. Out of ten have been selected for promotion. Here priority was given to the varieties which are popular and have a market. The selected varieties are Rathdal, Kurulu Thuda, Pachchaperumal and Dahanala.” said Hemantha Abeywardena, Facilitator Organic Agriculture Project of the Practical Action.

The programme was launched jointly by Department of Agriculture, Disaster Management Centre, UNDP and National Drive for Local Food Production. The Practical Action will provide technical assistant for the project.

“Traditional varieties of rice have been promoting in a bid to address several burning issues including impending food crises. With the climatic change and overuse of chemical fertilizer and pesticides and weedicides have increased salinity in more and more paddy field making them un-cultivatable.

This is particularly adversely affecting small scale fields and it has been found out through experience that the best method to de-salinate these fields is to go back to organic farming with traditional varieties of rice.

Though we have a base of sixty traditional varieties, we have selected four out of them on the basis of availability of markets for them. The varieties we have promoted have a ready market in super market chains and in retail and wholesale establishments, “said Hemantha explaining some of the objectives of the project.

Variety selection

The project was launched under NRM (National Resource Management) with the participation of National Farmer Federation. Participatory variety selection was applied with the community participation.

On the success of the project, organic agriculture project was launched in the Southern Province with the collaboration of Southern Province Department of Agriculture, Southern Development Authority (SDA).

One of the significant aspects of the project is the introduction of traditional varieties of rice for law yielding lands, abandoned lands and lands with high degree of salinity as an appropriate technology. In a broader perspective, the project is aimed at increasing national productivity and making paddy cultivation a sustainable livelihood.

Although the project may not be a magic formula to address all issues relating to food production, it will contribute to increase national production in addition to providing livelihoods for thousands of farmers.

About the project

Practical Action under its Rebuilding livelihoods affected by Tsunami programme plans to help farmers to restore their livelihoods and provide diverse production and marketing options through the introduction of paddy varieties and provide improved marketing options.

Few years ago, Practical Action embarked on a study to capture the knowledge and traditional practices on seed and plant material use and water management in communities in 3 districts in Sri Lanka.

The findings were applied to a pilot project which was initiated with a farmer community in the Wellawaya Divisional Secretariat Division of the Moneragala district. The aim of the project was to demonstrate the possibility of maximising benefits while preserving the environment by combining traditional and modern farming practices.

Prior to the project this particular farming community was also engaged in high chemical-input paddy cultivation. Through this project, the farmers benefited from training and capacity building on farming, integrated pest management, and marketing using traditional rice varieties.

They were also able to access appropriate technology options on rain water harvesting and micro irrigation techniques to enhance their cultivation practices. This farming community is now more confident in enhancing traditional methods with new technologies than in merely adopting new methods.

Significant outcomes

The programme was able to Influence the Southern Province Development Authority (government body) to bring abandoned low yield paddy lands in Galle, Matara and Hambanthota district under traditional organic paddy cultivation. Plans are now in place for the upcoming cultivation season.

There are about 187 acres of low yield abandoned paddy land which would be brought under this programme and can potentially benefit 513 small scale farmers.

Agriculture Department (Key government body providing agriculture related services) agreed to extend the services of its agriculture inspectors to provide advice and consultation services to traditional organic paddy farmers.

Practical Action provided training on indigenous paddy cultivation methods to 30 agriculture inspectors and 41 field officers in the Galle, Matara and Hambanthota districts.

47 paddy farmers affected by Tsunami (24 farmers in Galle, 23 farmers in the Matara district) now cultivating indigenous rice, were registered with the NFCTSAR (National Federation for the Conservation of Indigenous Seeds and Agricultural Resources) with a view to obtaining long term support services.

This is a farmer network, which in addition to conserving seed paddy, provides assistance in marketing of traditional varieties and facilitates the sharing of best practices.

The current areas of the project work include piloting appropriate approaches for the post disaster revival on appropriate technology to promote high value crops (e.g. indigenous organic rice varieties), and testing and promoting technology based approaches for reclaiming saline paddy land.

(Practical Action)