Report from India

30 June 2001

What former seed banker in Byron bay has been up to in India

Report from Julia DesBrosses, HYDERABAD Julia Desbrosses who was seed banker at Seed Savers in 1998-99 is working on their Deccan Development Society Permaculture project near Hyderabad. Julia here reports on her first few days. You would love these tribal women, dancing and singing, laughing, and crying over their lost crops and spilt seeds.. They are so passionate about the cultural traditions around seed preservation, it is truly inspiring. VOLUNTEER FIELD DIARY - Deccan Plateau, Andhra Pradesh, Sth India Permaculture Association of India (Aranya Agricultural Alternatives) 26 January - Annual Horticulture Show Visited the renowned Hyderabad Horticulture show the day after I arrived (Republic Day) to familiarise myself with local plants and their Telugu names ... familiar varieties but only a few non-hybrids amongst them. Areca nut (betel) and date palm nuts the only 'bushfoods' on display, plus various coconut products. Absolutely no organic seed being sold, all brightly packaged hybrids and High Yielding Varieties" [read High Response - to chemical fertilisers - Varieties]. The only herbs were tissue-cultured Aloe Vera and an Indian ornamental Lavender. Neem cake and vermi-compost the only bio-products represented, synthetic fertiliser and pesticide propaganda everywhere, an interactive dairying display, and all sorts of grafted 'improved' fruit tree varieties (with corny American names). A government water-board exhibit showing groundwater depletion statistics (shocking) attracted a lot of attention, with demos of water harvesting, greywater recycling and gravel-pit trenches for groundwater replenishment ... this is a seriously drought prone region and yet there is such misuse of water in the agricultural sector... cash crop irrigation the main culprit. Solar powered fencing and appropriate technologies still too expensive for most small farmers. Good to see thousands of Indians out en masse, in their best brightly coloured saris, their love of gardening obvious to any observer... an interesting first day indeed. Inter-Village Seed Preservation and Exchange Workshop for Tribal Women Now I feel the reality of being here in an unfamiliar climate and environment... pollution, heat and dust, totally dry wells, gully erosion, few trees and little greenery except a half dozen large old mango trees and thorny living fences! Irrigated patches of paddy scattered here and there ... but nothing deters the spirit of these hardened people, this is the beginning of the slow season, waiting and preparing for the monsoon rains in June ... Following a brief introduction from Narsanna I felt my intention to support the women was well received - no long speeches - I mentioned Seed Savers support and my personal interest in documenting cropping patterns, seed varieties, restoration and preservation techniques, with their assistance and then a few hours of singing and dancing to begin the day, everyone participating. After stripping fresh and dried neem branches, custard apple leaves and collecting ash, the seed storage demonstration began. Chendrama, local 'Seed Queen' and energetic 'dalit' (untouchable/ tribal) woman who has worked for PCAI for 8 years, explained the various steps in the 'ash-seed-ash-leaf-cloth' layering technique, in dung-sealed baskets, casually answering our questions.. others eager to have a go and find a new skill... handling familiar, precious seeds... the older women telling stories, discussing traditions with the younger ones... till lunch appeared, on freshly stitched leaf plates, served by the men. The same two neighbouring villages (20 km apart) regularly meet to learn together and exchange ideas, alternating as host village, an effective way of ensuring support and spreading new skills rapidly. It was a sixteen hour day and hundreds of kilometres travel in 30-plus degrees. Demonstration Farm visit Narsanna's 11.5 acre farm in Bidekanne. Situated near a small village, on an isolated ridge-top, surrounded by forest (government eucalypt and glyricidia plantations) and degraded fallow lands, the Aranya Farm is living proof of what is possible even in the harshest of conditions. With limited water (a well that went dry when deepened and recently a bore supply), plenty of effort and optimism (plus two healthy bullocks!) these poor laterite soils have been transformed to dark fertile fields over two seasons, by using green manures and vermicompost and are now growing various fruit, nut and timber trees, many being nursed individually by legumes (Glyricidia, Sesbania, Tipuana, Crotalaria, etc). Annual fodder crops (i.e.,. sorghum, maize, pigeon pea and several traditional millets - little, pearl, finger and kodo) are broadcast and successfully intercropped with pulses, (groundnut, lentils, chick pea, safflower, and Dolichos lab lab niger) and others (lathyrus, linseed, mustard, sesame ) for oil and human consumption and herbs ... the diversity is incredible, a testament to soil resilience and natural restoration processes. 14 Jan - 16 Feb ... Mobile Biodiversity Festival - a month long series of 33 inter-village festivals (jataras) to celebrate biodiversity (seeds, agricultural traditions, animals) ended with a day of celebration, traditional foods and festivities ... the stage stunningly decorated with marigold and jasmine garlands, orange yellow and white set against woven banana leaf arches ... a simple and memorable event to mark a revolutionary phase in the recovery of this regions farming and cultural practices. So much joy and laughter, to be remembering the way things once were and now are again. One old man recalled the last time his village held such an event, over 50 years ago... when he was a small boy! Most people have forgotten the cultural aspect to agriculture in the push to produce for multi-nationals = globalisation is felt hard here. The women are determined to change things slowly, even if it means major sacrifice. A woman farm labourer still earns less than a dollar a day, (double for the men), but can earn five times that crushing stones in the next village... not to mention breaking their bones and spirits! Special moments that stand out... women crying out and appealing to their children to change back to farming old crop varieties, committing themselves to unmechanised low impact practices, requesting large farmers not to grow cotton and cane cash crops, but to feed their families and villages, challenging farmers to think of the soil, not just making empty profits from subsidised nutritionless food crops, women demanding appropriate technologies, for processing bulk grains, hoping that someone will hear them ... to save them precious time ... to spend with their neglected children. What strikes me most is how long the average (rural) working day lasts - generally from sunrise to long past sunset - 6 to 7 days a week, occasional festival days off only! And then there's the nouveau riche middle class in the cities now consuming at a western pace, in large department stores and supermarkets, driving new 4WD jeeps in designer wear - the paradox a direct result of globalisation! "Cyberabad" is unique; definitely not like the rest of India. 22 Feb... Day of planting and harvesting seeds on the demonstration farm, broadcasting maize and legumes. The Seed Savers' madagascar, black lima and swordbean are well established here, plus many types of pigeon pea. It costs about $40-50 to run a two day workshop for 20-25 participants. I am using up my volunteer allowance (<$40 per week) faster than I receive it, on local travel, printing, postage and internet mainly! So, it all adds up and I can't fund the workshops, even to tide us over. The first two are planned for the latter half of March and will go ahead definitely, the rest we will need to source funds for. STOP PRESS UPDATE Since receiving this report Seed Savers sent Julia money for four workshops. Julia gave seed saving workshops in several villages and visited other projects near Pune and Pondicherry to learn and teach seed saving. Workshop topics included: - Planting strategies, multi/inter-cropping - Traditional crop varieties/ non-hybrids - Seed & planting materials exchange - Kitchen gardens, herbs, perennials - Harvesting, processing & storage - Seed preservation techniques

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Classification

Subject  Seed Training
Regional relation  India - Hyderabad
Audience  NGOs - Friends of Seed Savers