Vol 11 No 4 & Vol 12 No 1 - SRISTI4)_12(1)HBOCT-2000_MAR2001.pdf · Vol 11 No 4 & Vol 12 No 1...

DRYLAND BIODIVERSITY (II) ..19

A Voice ofCreative Farmers, Artisans, Pastoralists

and Other Grassroots Innovators

Vol 11 No 4 & Vol 12 No 1October 2000 - March 2001

Being the way one is

A g r o b i o d i v e r s i t y :Intended and theUnintended Breeding inSeira Leone ........... 5

Institution: SharingMahuda Flowers .... 7

Profile: SuccessfulInnovations, a 'Failed'innovator .............. 11

Special: TraditionalEarth Quake ResistantHouses ................ 13

Review Essay: Cultural& Spiritual Values ofBiodiversity .......... 16

DeconstructingConservationFlagships ............. 30

A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Honey Bee Vol 11(4) & Vol 12(1) October 2000 - March 2001

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Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?


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Editorial

EditorAnil K Gupta

Associate EditorsKetki Desai, Riya Sinha

Editorial TeamVijaya Sherry Chand

Kirit K Patel, Shailesh ShuklaArun Chandan, T N Prakash

Vivekanandan, Sudhirendar Sharma

Graphics & DesignD T Padekar, Palash GraphicsUnnikrishnan, Satpal Chabra

Administrative AssistanceR P S Yadav, R Baskaran, Bala G Mudaliar

Kajal Shah, Nisha Binoy

Editorial AddressHoney Bee

C/o Prof Anil K GuptaIndian Institute of Management

Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015 India

Tel : 91-79-6307241Fax : 91-79-6307341

[email protected]

[email protected]

Home Pagehttp://www.sristi.org

Honey Bee Regional Collaborators

Abeja (Spanish)Mario Mejia Gutierrez

Carrera 43 No. 10-50 Apto. 502Telefono: 336 8531 Cali, Valle, Colombia

Hittalagida (Kannada)Dr T N Prakash

Dept of Agri Economics, University of Agri. Sci.,GKVK Bangalore, Karnataka - 560065 India

Loksarvani (Gujarati)Ramesh Patel, SRISTI P O Box 15050

Ahmedabad, Gujarat - 380 015 India

Makhir (Pahari)Dr. A. Chandan,P.O. Box No. 6, Chamba,

Himachal Pradesh-176310 India

Num Vali Velanmai (Tamil)P Vivekanandan, 45, TPM Nagar, Virattipathu,

Tamil Nadu 625 010 India

Sujh-Bujh Aas Paas Ki (Hindi)Sudhirendar Sharma, H-12 ODS Flats

Lajpat Nager 4, New Delhi 110024 India

Valorising Local Knowledge, Innovations and Practices

The benefit sharing with those who conserve biodiversity and associated knowledgesystems is a very important concern for planners, local communities, and civil societyorganisations in developing countries. International organisations such as Conventionon Biological Diversity, Food and Agriculture Organisation, and United NationsProgram on Environment have also been seized of the matter. But many practicalmodels have eluded us so far. Even for other innovators at grassroots, the issue ofvalue addition and benefit sharing is equally important.

Valorisation in local knowledge innovation and practices may take place in severalways, such as (a) recognition of a knowledge expert generates esteem and therebyincreases the probability of the knowledge, innovation or practices developed orpracticed by the expert being given greater attention and experimental opportunity;(b) the public attention to an innovator and the innovation through dissemination mayencourage other innovators at the grassroots experimenting with the innovation,providing feedback to the innovator or independently improving the first person’sinnovations. The knowledge network such as the one created by Honey Bee Networkcontributes in value addition horizontally for wider public good; (c) occasionallyscientists from the public or private sector labs may get interested in the innovationand may like to add value through further research with or without reciprocity by wayof benefit sharing. Therefore, value may be added and in some cases, benefits maynot be shared. This category includes all the cases of bio-piracy or in some casesinnocent exploitation because of lack of institutional norms to do otherwise; (d) valuecan also be added by private or voluntary sector labs with or without reciprocity; (e)whenever outsider agencies or institutions provide feedback to local communities and/or individuals engaged in knowledge production and reproduction, they add value tothe local community innovation systems in which new inputs generate new criteriaand indicators of the utility; (f) many times the knowledge erosion takes place becauseof lack of respect and faith among the younger generation towards the knowledge ofthe elders. Efforts to identify the ‘little genius’ through biodiversity competition amongyoung children in or out of the school help in raising the esteem of local knowledge inthe eyes of future leaders of the profession and thereby providing opportunity ofvalorisation over time; (g) local communities or network of innovators in their meetings(Shodh Sankals, experimenters’ clubs) not only recognise the innovators or askquestions (which may help in improving the technology) or provide feedback, or agreeto do experiments but also in some cases offer to buy the seeds or other products athigher than market price; (h) the value chain involves not only value addition in theproduct or the process, but also in doing market research, developing distributionsystem for non-commercial innovations or technologies or commercial marketingsystem, generating feedback from the users and modifying the product to continue thechain and (i) building dedicated facilities for innovators to do their own research andvalue addition, testing and getting certification can add tremendous value. Thecertification agencies often do not provide differential pricing for small innovators orlarge firms or innovators. In the process, many opportunities of value addition arelost.

Honey Bee Network began twelve years ago with the focus on (a) interconnectivityamong knowledge rich-economically poor farmers across language barriers, (b)providing visibility to local innovators and (c) lobbying against the tendency tomake people anonymous, by robbing them of any intellectual property rights.However, soon it became clear to us that despite fulfilling these goals, the rateat which real change in the lives of the people was taking place through knowledge



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networking was slow. We realised, inthe light of various options of addingvalue, that, an institutional innovationwas necessary to fill some of the gaps.We established GIAN (GujaratGrassroots Innovation AugmentationNetwork) in 1997 as a follow up ofICCIG, (International Conference forCreativity and Innovation at Grassrootslevel) January 1997 organised by CMA(Centre for Management in Agriculture)held at IIM-A.

GIAN has helped in filing patents onbehalf of inventors picked up fromSRISTI database, developed linkages withscience, technology and designinstitutions to add value to choseninnovations and helped convertinnovations into enterprise throughmobilization of investment fromTechnopreneur Promotion Programme(TePP) initially. They have helped inlicensing technologies to entrepreneurs intwo cases netting about Rs 84000 ( US$2000) and rupees three lakhs (US$ 7000)respectively to the innovators. Thebenefits sharing on the basis of patentsfiled but not granted demonstrates apotential of IP protection. The fact thatthe entrepreneurs have licensed and notcopied the technology also indicates somehope about emerging ethics in the marketplace.

Recently, friends of SRISTI in Singapore(FOSS) comprising several alumni of IIM-A have established a small fund withSRISTI to provide help to innovatorsthrough risk capital. Efforts are now goingon to establish a separate micro venturecapital fund to fill a major gap inconnecting innovators with enterprise andthat is the lack of risk capital or ventureinvestment.

While these efforts are going on, webecame quite aware of another major gapthat Honey Bee Network had not beenable to fill. This was adding value to localinnovation through on-farm, on-stationand in-lab research. Despite our bestefforts, we failed in getting manyexperiments done in public sector labs toadd value to local innovations. While we Anil K Gupta

did pursue on-farm research on herbalpesticides and some new plant varietiesdeveloped by the farmers, we could notbuild enduring linkages between formaland informal science around the country.SRISTI pursued experiments on farmersfield, and organised Shodh Sankal (clubsof experimenting farmers). We alsosponsored some research in agriculturaluniversities. But all this did not add up tomuch.

It is at this stage, Sadbhav Foundation, aprivate family trust based in Mumbaiapproached us to find out, how they couldparticipate in our exciting journey towardsmaking India innovative, linking creativepeople across the country and valorisinggrassroots innovations. We then putforward our vision of having a naturalproduct laboratory to develop antifeedants(and some herbal pesticides) to controlpest problems in crops, developindigenous veterinary medicine, growthregulators and microbial indicators formonitoring eco-system health. Sadbhav-SRISTI-Sansodhan Lab is a result. Aneffort started a year ago has become areality already. It is housed in a buildinglent by Ahmedabad Education Society inGujarat University Campus. The team ofyoung scientists have already developed22 herbal antifeedant/pesticidalformulations, eight veterinary medicineformulation and identified 60 microbialcultures as potential indicators of soil eco-system health. I must add here that thiscontribution of Sadbhav Foundation wasthe second major Indian financialinvestment in Honey Bee Network. Thefirst case was the support by GujaratGovernment for setting up GIAN.Otherwise, all the resources invested inHoney Bee Network of almost a milliondollars over 12 years originated fromabroad. This was not a very happysituation. Birth of National InnovationFoundation (NIF) last year through thegrant from Department of Science andTechnology, Government of Indiasignified a major endorsement of ourvision of making India a creative andinnovative society. But the resource baseof NIF (corpus of Rs. 20 crores-about fivemillion US$) is very small, given the

challenges facing us. The Union FinanceMinistry is still to decide about thecompensation package for the staff to behired for NIF. However, the NIF hasstarted working through the voluntaryhelp of Honey Bee Network members,SRISTI staff and a few professionals hiredon ad hoc basis. The first nationalcampaign for scouting innovations andoutstanding traditional knowledgepractices has generated more than 1500innovative practices. The national registerof innovations and outstanding traditionalknowledge is being built. It was veryencouraging to have Assam sendingsecond highest number of practicespreceded by Gujarat.

In the pre-budget meeting with theFinance Minister this year, I had pleadedfor several other steps to enhance the paceof making India innovative. For variousreasons, the Finance Minister did not findit possible to further strengthen the handsof innovators. The constraints of financialreallocation required due to massiveearthquake in Gujarat might have beenoverbearing. However, I have given thesesuggestions here (see box, page 3) so thatpressure on policy makers on behalf ofgrassroots innovators continues.

The Prime Minister acknowledged in theIndian Science Congress (January 2001)that the whole approach of technologydevelopment and transfer had to changeand become lab to land to lab. It is only amatter of time when knowledge basedeconomy will become a truly liberatedeconomy. Once the knowledge,innovation and practices of the peoplestart being recognised, respected,rewarded and revitalised by blending itwith modern science and technology, afundamental transformation of our societyand many other countries will follow. Nextdecade will belong to the knowledge richeconomically poor people who will asserttheir rights and get their due, no matterhow distorted our priorities seem to be atpresent.



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SynthesisControlling Bacterial and Fungal Diseases in Crops:Farmers' Wisdom (Part - II)

ajor diseases infecting cuminare wilt, black blight and

powdery mildew.

Wilt: Wilt of cumin is a fungal disease(c.o. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cumini)resulting in enormous loss of yield. It isvery difficult to control this diseasethrough modern means of chemical basedmeasures. Uprooting of the infected plantsafter the establishment of pathogen is theonly method. However, seed treatmentprior to sowing is reported to be aneffective method to prevent wilt. In thismethod, seeds are smeared with castor oilbefore sowing at the rate of two kg oil per25 kg seed [Laxmanji Dahyaji Thakor,Banaskantha, HB, 9(1): 16,1998].

Environmental factors are believed to playa major role in the occurrence and

diffusion of wilt disease (Mehrothra,1992). At times, dew and improperirrigation practices result in excessivemoisture and temperature (low to high)around the crop stand which are congenialfor the initiation of the pathogenic activity.According to Prof. Mohmad Elwakil(Faculty of Agriculture, MansouraUniversity), if the temperature andmoisture are favourable concurrently thenit might lead to epidemic. Farmers haveadopted many preventive measures forregulating moisture content around thecropped area through “microclimatemanipulation” in order to combat thedisease e.g. Goat droppings are burntalong with dried ‘fafdo thor’ (Euphorbiaspp.) for relatively longer period tomaintain a smoke blanket layer throughoutthe night over the field. It provides anunfavorable environment and helps in

arresting the pathogenic activity.[Dhulabhai Bharwad, Sorimbda,Surendranagar, 5(3): 12, 1994].

Neem extract has been found to be quiteeffective in controlling wilt. An extract

made out of 500 g neem leaf powder,soaked overnight in five litre water, isapplied twice to four metre by two metreplot of cumin crops. In the first dose, 100ml extract is applied to the plants showinginitial symptoms of wilt and after seven

M

This is a continuation of the review of farmers' practices/innovations published in Honey Bee over last decade. Thispart of the article has been compiled with the assistance of Shreshta Sarkar and Ketki Desai. We are grateful toDr. Y L Nene for very useful comments on the draft. Though he bears no responsibility for any inadequacy that maystill remain. : Ed

Agenda for Policy Change for Augmenting Grassroots Innovations

(1) A dedicated innovation financing fund of Rs.50 crores to be used for sponsoring time bound research in public, privateand NGO sector labs to add value to grassroots innovations, (2) A special 100 crore micro venture fund and venturepromotion fund. If risk capital is the key for technological change all around the world, why should not it be availablefor micro innovations. We have micro finance within the country and around the world. But we do not have micro venturefinance as well as venture promotion finance except a very limited TeP Programme. (3) Set up at least five regional GIANswith corpus of Rs. 5 crores each (4) A dedicated fund to link technical students with small scale industry associationsso that student projects solve specific problems. Thousands of technical education students do projects in isolation ofreal life challenges. If only these students could be linked up to small scale innovators, we would change the mindsetof the future leaders of our society and at the same time help students imbibe the creative spirit of the innovators.(5) Small Innovation Patent Systems. The transaction costs in the current patent system are very high and the resultis that small innovators find it beyond their reach. Consequently, their innovations would not get the protection that thesedeserve. An innovation patent system with shorter duration (say ten years) with five claims and very low fees, grantablewithin three months may help small innovators in agricultural or industrial sector. Whether communities and individualswant to share their knowledge freely with others or under specific licensing conditions should be a decision of the innovatorswithout our imposing our values on them. For all that we know they may share their knowledge with their peers withoutany expectation, as has been the case in Honey Bee Network. But with protection of their IPRs, one can also generatesubstantial income for them as has been demonstrated by GIAN. (6) Technological innovations focused specially on theproblems faced by women. Our experience is that large number of technological problems faced by women in day today life have remained outside the agenda of formal scientific research for so long. To illustrate, three innovations formodifying the pulley to draw water from the well, gum scrapper to collect gum from the thorny trees in dry lands anda bag filler for growing seedlings in the nursery solved problems which otherwise remained unsolved for decades andcenturies.



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days, the remaining extract is applied tothe whole bed as the second dose. Theaffected plants have been reported torecover within a week [DhulabhaiBharwad, Surendranagar, HB, 5(3): 12-15,1994]. Neem oil helps to prevent rusts,black spots of plants thus can act asgeneral fungicide (Indian HerbalPharmacopoeia, 1999). Studies haveshown that Nimbidin, the main constituentof the oil, is found to have varying degreeof insecticidal, bactericidal and fungicidaltoxicity (CSIR, 1986).

Blight: Black blight of cumin (c.o.Alternaria spp.) is the most devastatingfungal disease of cumin causing nearly 70per cent losses in the yield. Traditionalpractices involve various kind ofprophylactic measures in arresting theactivity of pathogen, e.g. after havingbroadcasted cumin seeds, the field isdivided into small beds. Later, narrowridges are made within beds so that theseeds accumulate on the ridges. This waythe soil, surrounding the plant, remains dryduring irrigation reducing the incidenceof disease [Bhagavanbhai TalashibhaiTavadiya, Bhavnagar, HB, 7(4): 16,1996].Farmers irrigate cumin crops only at twocritical stages i.e. after sowing and at theflowering stage to avoid the disease[Gopalbhai Jivabhai Patel, Mehsana, HB,3(1): 14,1992].

Foliar spray of ten per cent salt solutionhas been reported to be effective in dryingup of infected cumin clusters. It waspresumed that after the infected plantsdried up, the disease would be contained[Dhulabhai Bharwad, Surendranagar,HB, 1994, 5(3): 12-15]. While scientistsare of the view that practicing thistreatment might at times lead to the dryingup of healthy plants also.

Spray of 20-25 litre kerosene per acre atthe slightest onset of disease, has beenreported to arrest further spread ofpathogen [Dahyabhai PuroshottamdasPatel, Sabarkantha, HB, 5(2): 16,1994].There are various reports of, “kerosene oilbeing used directly as spray and asmedium of seed soaking for seedtreatment in Yemen for indigenous plantprotection” (www.aiys.org/webdate/

gtzrep.html). In another way of traditionalcontrol of cumin blight, seven kg branchesof Leptadenia pyrotechnica are soakedin an open water tank for a week and thefiltrate is sprinkled over the crop. This isreported to result in about 80 per centcontrol of the disease [Sukhdev Kumhar,Ajmer, HB, 7(1): 13,1996].

Powdery Mildew: It is also a fungaldisease (c.o. Erysiphe spp.) of cumin.Small white patches appear on uppersurface of leaf. These patches coalescetogether and cover the entire surface inthe form of powdery mass of spores whichultimately lead to the reduction of size andnumber of leaves. In severe conditionsearly leaf senescence is also reported.Field experiments have revealed that, “anaverage mean temperature of 26+10 C andmean relative humidity of 85-91 per centare the two main predisposing factors forpowdery mildews” (Saxena et. al., 1997).Seed treatment with ash in combinationwith various other ingredients and dustingon foliar crop provide protection from thepathogen.

A mixture of ten day-old bajra flour andash in the ratio of 1 : 4, dusted on cumincrop before flowering prevents infection.[Devjibhai Sangrambhai Joghajiya,Surendranagar, Comm: SakariaNarasinhbhai S, HB, 2(1): 16,1991].Recent research has shown that foliarspray of diluted milk (one part milk andnine parts water) helps in controllingpowdery mildew up to certain extent. Itwas reported that for controlling powderymildew, “irrigation should be carried outin the morning so as to allow the moistureto evaporate off the foliage during the day,since high humidity is one of the factorsthat helps the spread of fungal diseases”(http://www.tvorganics.com/main.cfm?action=showGardenTips).

Diseases of Legume Crops

Wilt of Pigeon Pea: The causal fungiFusarium oxysporum f.spp. udum is soilborne. It survives in the soil for a longtime (as long as five years) and causesmoderate to serious yield losses.[www.kari.org/narp/dfidpercent20theme/percent204/136.htm]. Traditionally,farmers incorporate common salt in soil

to control the spreading of wilt pathogen.[Shaikh Shabbirhussain U, Kheda,HB,3(1): 14,1992]. In another practice,broadcasting of powdered dried fish is alsofound to be effective against the pathogen[Deshmukh Ratnaben R, Valsad, HB,4(2&3): 20,1993]. Studies have shownthat “in India, crop rotation isrecommended to control the wilt causedby Fusarium oxysporum f.spp. udum,which is very common and damaging(Bogdan, van der Maesen)” (http://www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/pigeonpea.htm). Crop rotation withtobacco and intercropping with sorghumreportedly decreases the wilt problem(http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ newcrop/duke_energy/Cajanus_cajun.html).

Wilt of Gram: In traditional practice,seeds are smeared with kerosene oil beforesowing as a protective measure[Samratbhai Lakhabhai, Surendranagar,HB, 3(1): 14,1992; Thurston, 1992].

Groundnut Blight: The fungal blight(c.o. Alternaria alternata) [www.cropresearch.org /pages /issuesep99.htm]infects groundnut and characteristiclesions appear on the leaves. Soakingseeds in a mixture of two litre water and250 g asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida) per20 kg seeds for 12 hr, is one of thetraditional practices to reduce groundnutblight [Chandhari KalabhaiRaghnathbhai, Banaskantha, HB, 9(1):16,1998]. Gum resin of asafoetida yieldsan essential oil which acts both asbactericidal and fungicidal agent (Chopraet.al., 1996).

Diseases of Other Crops

Rots are of two types, dry and wet, causedboth by bacterial and fungal pathogens.In case of wet rot, the degree ofpathogenicity depends upon theavailability of moisture.

Vine Rot of Bottle Gourd: Caused byboth bacteria (Erwinia spp., Clavibacterspp.etc.) and fungi (Pythium spp.,Rhizoctonia spp., Phoma spp. etc.) [http://edis.ifar.ulf. edu/BODY_PG052]. Aspoonful of asafoetida powder is applied

Contd... on page 10



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usu and Limba - speaking farmersin Sierra Leone have a very rich

knowledge system for managing agrobiodiversity as a part of their overalllivelihood strategies. Cultivated uplandplots are differentiated into farms (Khe´)and gardens (Khende). Upland farms aretemporary fields cultivated according toshifting cultivating practices in whichfallow land is cleared and a crop rotationinvolving rice, groundnut and fundi(Digitaria exilis, also known as fonio) isfollowed for three or four years. Gardensare cultivated plots that are more or lesspermanent. Various tree crops like citrus,oil palm, mango etc., and other crops suchas ginger, pineapple, vegetables andtubers are grown on garden plots for selfconsumption as well as for market. Landheld by patrilineal kin groups is controlledby the eldest man of the group. Amongthe Susu, land is far more unevenlydistributed compared to Limba. Thevariability of crop and varieties withinfarming systems is influenced by bothnatural and social processes. Both theOryza sativa and Oryza glaberrimaspecies complexes of rice are consideredby geneticists as evolutionary specieswhich are still undergoing dynamicchanges. Rice is a predominantly selfpollinating crop. The percentage ofspontaneous outcrossing ranges from 0 to6.8 per cent in cultivated rice and 30-40per cent in wild types (Oka, and Chang1961). O. barthii and O. glaberrima havebeen shown to intercross and producehybrids which can coexist as a weed withthe cultivated plants (Ogbe & Williams,1978).

Farmers’ Taxonomy of Rice

Farmers in the study area differentiate andrecognise rice types according to

phenotype and duration. The mostcommonly planted varieties (e.g. disikono, samban konko) together with thosevarieties displaying particularly strikingvisual characteristics were easilyrecognised by all the farmers from theharvested samples. About 30 different ricevarieties are recognised in this manner.

In some cases the varietal name reflectscertain distinguishing phenotypicalpractices, e.g. the rice type known as salliforeh has a black seed coat and foreh inSusu means black; the same variety is alsoknown as salli oboleh in Limba, woboloibeing the Limba word for black. A riceknown by Limba farmers as marley hadpanicles with open branches because itresembles the dreadlocks of Bob Marley,the reggae musician. Names can alsoconvey something about the behaviour ofthe rice type; folokhono can be translatedliterally from the Susu as ‘hard to start’

(folo-de: to commence, to begin, to start;khono-de: to be bitter, hard or prickly)(Lacan, 1942), as the seeds of the swampvariety reportedly took slightly longer timethan the usual to germinate in the nursery.In Limba, the rice variety wegere wasreportedly called so on account of thenoise the ripened panicles made on thefarm as they were blown by the breeze -wegere is an onomatopoeia. In many casesthe varieties are named after the personwho first introduced the rice to the localarea (e.g. alhaji seduya, mabinty,mamasta, IDA), or may indicate the originof the rice (e.g. bassia, kukuna, siakaia,

kailahun, disi kono). Rices are commonlynamed after both men and women.

The etymological roots of different ricenames were not consistent among farmers.For instance, the Susu rice name nyaribombai (literal meaning beat/hit the cat)was variously explained to be a rice thatitself was used to hit a cat or a rice thatwas so sweet that it attracts plenty of rats.The cats followed the rats into the fieldand when a farmer went to chase the ratshe mistakenly beat the cat instead. Limbafarmers reported that the name referredto a cat belonging to a woman calledBomo. Likewise, the case of a widelycultivated groundnut variety known asmaris is an amusing example of hownames are adapted and are reinterpretedby farmers. In Temne the word marismeans ‘mate’ or ‘co-wife’. Among theSusu in the study area, it is widelybelieved that the first woman to bring thegroundnut to the area was unwilling toshare the seed with her co-wife. Whenthe second wife saw the seed she askedthe first wife to give it to her so that shetoo could plant it. The first wife couldnot refuse her mate's request so she gaveher some of the seeds. However, whenthe latter asked how to plant it, the firstwife told her to parch the groundnut seedbefore sowing it. The second wife plantedthe parched seed while the first oneplanted the raw seed. It was only theparched seed that germinated. Colonialagricultural reports record the varietiesmaris as an exotic type, suggesting thatthe name has no local significance at all.It is possible that the story about the co-wives may have been invented to preventpeople from being greedy with their seed.

Intended and Unintended Breeding ofRice: Growing Inter-specific Mixtures

While rice varieties can often getaccidentally mixed up either on thethreshing ground or during transportation

Agro BiodiversityAgro Biodiversity Augmentation and Conservation:The Intended and the Unintended Breeding in Seira Leone

1Department of Anthropology, UniversityCollege London. This article is based on herrecently concluded Ph. D thesis.

S

Catherine Ann Longley1

This apparent synchronisation offlowering times of rices planted inmixtures–something which hasnot been documented in the sci-entific literature–would appear topromote the likelihood of acci-dental cross pollination.



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or after sowing as a result of rainwaterrun-off, or while drying or storage, somefarmers intentionally mix varieties. Susufarmers mix the seed of two carefullychosen varieties – usually a glaberrimaand sativa variety. The farmers seem todo this for both gastronomic andagronomic advantages. The glaberrimatype retains a slightly hard texture whenit is cooked, and it is pleasantly fillingwhen eaten. It has a high gluten contentand is not easily digested so that a personhas a feeling of being full for longer aftereating it. The sativa variety on the otherhand is much ‘lighter’ in the stomach anda person feels hungry much sooner. Thegastronomic advantage of the sativavarieties lies in the texture and taste ofthe cooked grain, which are both softerand more tasty than that of the glaberrima.Thus the two rice types havecomplementary gastronomic qualities.Although Limba farmers may mix thegrain for cooking, they do not mix the seedof these two rice type on the farm. Susufarmers, however, sow a mixture of disikono (O. glaberrima) with samban konko,(O. sativa). The glaberrima variety is ableto withstand drought while the sativa hasless resistance to drought. A number ofSusu farmers explain how they originallymix the two seed types in carefully chosenratios for optimum performance andpreferred eating qualities. The ratio in

which the farmers mix the glaberrimavariety with sativa type of variety rangedfrom roughly 1:3 to 3:2 ratio. Farmersobservation suggest that rice varietieswhen planted together behave differentlythan when grown in pure stands. Ratherthan a divergent flowering time and theavoidance of competition, as might be

expected, a small number of farmers veryclearly reported that the varieties appearto imitate one another in terms offlowering and ripening times, paniclesizes and tilling ability.

This apparent synchronisation offlowering time of rices planted inmixtures-something which has not beendocumented in the scientific literature –would appear to promote the likelihoodof accidental cross pollination. Amongvarious other advantages cited by farmerspractising this technique for inter-specificcropping include an increased ability towithstand drought, increased resistance,reduced lodging, and/or reducedsusceptibility to bird attack.

Some farmers select off-types whichappear to be interesting to them.Whenever an off-type plant displays anyfeatures that arouse the farmers' curiosity,its panicle is selected for further testing.The panicles of desirable off-types arepicked one by one and kept separately forfuture planting. These are then threshedand the small quantity of seeds so obtainedis planted on particularly rich, moist soil,often near the farm hut or the bird scaringplatform. Susu farmers referred to suchvarietal seed trials with the phrase na matoh feh, meaning ‘to have a look’. It is bythis process of testing new varieties thatthey are able to ‘obtain sense’ (kakhili,

sotoi) or acquire knowledge about anunfamiliar rice type. The use of the wordkakhili by Susu informants in referenceto these varietal experiments isparticularly intriguing. Sense (kakhili) isthe general attribute in assessing aperson's ‘culturedness’ (Thayer, 1983;123-126).

Infants are completely lacking in sense(kakhili, muna) and are thus closest toanimals. In contrast, adult men (kheme,mokhe) who possess ‘fullness of sense’represent the apex of cultured humanity.There are several rice varieties namedafter particular individuals which mighthave been obtained as off-types thatwere tested, adopted and multiplied bylocal farmers. While the Susu communitypromotes novelty and encourages trialsof off-types, the Limba communitiesappeared to be more conservative withan emphasis on maintaining varietalpurity within rice fields by positiverouging. The concept of positive rougingimplies selection of off type from thefarm to be retained as seed for nextyear's experimentation. It is differentfrom rouging in general where off typesare removed and destroyed to maintainseed purity in farm.

Farmers in the case study area do notnecessarily have an understanding ofgenetic change and are not consciouslyworking to produce or select pre-definedvarietal types, but nevertheless areperhaps able to bring about changes inrice variability. By over emphasising therole of conscious selection in farmers’management of crop genetic resources,there is a danger of overlookingthe unintended ways in whichfarmers promote the on-farm generationof genetic novelty through farmingpractices and social interactions is quitehigh.

References

Oka, H I and W T Chang 1961. HybridSwarm between wild and cultivated ricespecies, Oryza perennis and O. sativa.Evolution 15, 418-430.

Thayer, J. S. 1983. Nature, culture and thesuper natural among the Susu. AmercianEthonologist 10, 116-132.

Longley, Catherine, A Social Life of Seeds: Local Management of Crop Variability inNorth-Western Sierra Leone. Ph. D Thesis,University of London.

Ogbe, D. & J. Williams, 1978, Evolution inindigenous West African rice. EconomicBotany 32, 59-64.

Susu farmer rouging off-types from harvested rice bunches



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hiloda is primarily a tribal talukain the Sabarkantha district in

North Gujarat. The total geographicalarea of the taluka is 722.55 sq.km, one-third of it is covered by forests. Thetribals are highly dependent on theforests as a source of their livelihood forfuel-wood, fodder, medicines, leaves,flowers etc. The Dhandhasan villagepanchayat (village council) has 500mahuda (Madhuca indica; syn. Bassialatifolia) trees grown on 75 hectares ofvillage common land situated one kmaway from the village. For the last 35years, people of this village have beentraditionally following the practice ofcollecting the flowers of mahuda on acommunity basis. The flowers are usedfor various purposes after drying them.Mahuda tree is supposed to be a goodsource of timber. The wood is used forvarious purposes including agriculturalimplements. This case exemplifiesunique contribution of local communitiesunder the able local leadership towardsprotection of the trees and sharing offruits and flowers, equitably.

Genesis

Earlier, people had the privilege touse the Mahuda trees according to theirrespective needs. Nobody in the village

objected to it. But as time passed withincreasing demands of households, theresource started becoming inadequate tofulfil everybody’s demand. People startedcapturing trees according to their ownwishes and this gave rise to regularaltercations and internal conflicts amongthe villagers especially with the poorersection. Looking at the state of affairs,Shri Doljibhai Lakhmabhai Damor, the

then sarpanch of Dhandasan villagebecame very unhappy. He felt that therewas a need to evolve norms for regulatingthe access. Consequently, one day hecalled a meeting of the villagers andconveyed his concern to them. Doljibhaicould convince the villagers to go aheadwith his idea, which essentially meantthat every household would get an equalshare of flowers every year. Thus from1965 onwards, this traditional practice

is being maintained with lot ofenthusiasm. The practice has more orless ended the conflict among thevillagers and seems to have increased afeeling of interdependence among them.

Socio-economic Status of the Village

Dhandasan is a small village with 465households comprising various castessuch as Damor, Kalaswa, Garcha, Asari,Vera, Gamethi, Pandur, Kharadi, Kaneja,Bunt, Katara, Baranda, Bhagora andPaargi. The main occupations are mainlyfarming and livestock rearing. There areapproximately 3,255 cattleheadsincluding cows, buffaloes, goats, sheepand bullocks. The important cropsgrown are makai (Zea mays), adad(Vigna radiata), tuver (Cajanus cajan),jowar (Sorghum bicolor) and wheat.Generally villagers do not use anychemical fertiliser. In this village,traditional varieties of makai, tuver andadad are also found. Each farmer hasapproximately two to four acres of land.There are 400 wells in the village andaround 26 borewells. Apart fromMahuda, nilgiri (Eucalyptus spp.), baval(Acacia nilotica), limdi (Murrayakoenigii), ganda baval (Prosopisjuliflora), khakhra (Butea monosperma)and neem trees are also found in this

InstitutionSharing Mahuda Flowers: A Contemporary InstitutionalInnovation for Protecting Trees and Sharing Benefits Equitably

Stories of decline of common properties abound but the sagas of success in this regard are not very common. Collectivemanagement of Mahuda1 trees and their usufructs in an equitable and sustainable manner drew SRISTI team to villageDhandasam in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. How the free-for-all attitude leading to frequent fights on sharing flowersand fruits and other products of Mahuda tree gave way to an unique institution resolving these conflicts is describedin this case study. The turning point was the decision of the then sarpanch Shri Doljibhai who decided to interveneand insist on evolution of local rules for the purpose. The case was originally scouted by the team of VIKSAT, Ahmedabad.It was later developed by Riya Sinha and Ramesh Patel with the help of Dilip Koradiya based on the preliminary workby the participants of Summer School on Management of Common Property Resources organised by Centre for Managementin Agriculture at IIM-A June 10-19, 2000. The farmers who have helped in preparing this article are: Babubhai ValjibhaiHera, Shakrabhai Dhulabhai Damor, Kailasben Mahendra Asari, Ranjitbhai Punajibhai Takhiyar, Savitaben BabubhaiKatara (Sarpanch), Manjulaben Dhanjibhai Katara, Laxmiben Bachubhai Asari, Dineshbhai Lalji Damor, Jivabhai NDamor, Rajabhai Nemabhai Asari, Bahchubhai Jeevabhai Asari. Jeevaji, Doraji Nenama, and Dhanjibhai Daljibhai Asari.Experience of another village Kanadara (see Box) provides an interesting parallel to the case described here. This casewas scouted by Mahesh Parmar of SRISTI team.

1Mahuda flowers are rich in sugars, used in the preparation of distilled liquors and vinegar. They are also used for making syrupand sweets and in the treatment of cough, cold and bronchitis.

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area. Every household individually ownsfour to six Mahuda trees (bitter andsweet). The literacy rate of this villageis moderately higher then it’sneighbouring ones. There are about 13Engineers, 43 army personnel, fivepolicemen, 30 teachers, 53 post-graduates, 50 graduates, one lady doctorand three veterinary doctors. Even ifmost of them have migrated away fromthe villages still part of their share ofMahuda is sent to them regularly. Thosemembers who have emigrated and areunable to attend the operation arerequired to send labourers during theoperation.

Apart from maintaining this institution,villagers do take part in other kinds oftasks collectively like the rituals involvedin a marriage ceremony, obsequies, birthof new born and likewise other suchsocial events.

Every year villagers of Dhandasanperforms a ritual during the month ofshravan. They select a particular day toappease the God for the well being ofeverybody in the village. A two-wheeledwooden chariot is carried from one endof the village to another with religiouschants and invocation. All the villagerstake part in this religious function. Thevillagers believe that this will keep themaway from evil eyes and protect themfrom adversity if any. The limitationbeing that, only men are allowed toparticipate in this event. The chariot iscarried over on a rotation basis from onevillage to another every year. Thevillagers have been performing this ritualtraditionally for years.

Boundary Rule

All the members of the village participatein the operation of flower collection.Only one person can participate fromeach household. Except the villagemembers no other outsider is allowed totake part in the collection of flowers norare they entitled to any share. Amembership fee of Rs 10 is fixed. Ifa single household lives separately, thenin that case to include themselves as

members, each individual has to providefresh application with a fee of Rs 10 tothe panchayat.

Mode of Operation

There are total 465 households in thevillage and all of them participate in thisoperation. The villagers keep a closewatch on the mahuda trees so thatflowers are not plucked from the trees.They are allowed to remain in the trees,till they get dried and fall automaticallyon the ground. Nobody is supposed totouch the flowers until the collectionstarts. A day after dhuleti (Holi) thepanchayat holds a village meeting todecide upon the method of operation,and selection of guards for three months.The village elders decide upon the wagesfor the current year to be paid foremploying guards in the field. Then ona specific day the village communityholds a meeting to decide the date ofcollection of the flowers. Every memberof the household takes part in theoperation of collecting the flowers inearly morning between 8 am to 1 pmand afternoon 3 pm to 6 pm on the datesdecided earlier. The flowers areassembled in one corner near anyparticular tree. Later, small bundles areprepared out of these according to thenames of the rightholders/members thatare maintained in a register. The bundlesare prepared randomly of equal weight,irrespective of who will get which one.

In this way one bundle of mahudaflower is given to each of the members.The operation continues for about 15days. If any member is unable toparticipate in the collection operationthen s/he must send a labourer as areplacement, otherwise a fine is imposedon the absentee for neglecting one'sduty. The same rule is applied on themembers who have migrated away. Ifanybody misses half a day then he hasto bring a labourer with him tocompensate his absence. If there is anyceremony in the house then more thanone person from the same householdcan participate in the operation dependingupon his availability for the rest of thedays.

Maintenance

All members of the community inDhandhasan are engaged in themaintenance of the mahuda trees. Basedon the tribal traditions, the villagecommunity has maintained a cooperativeattitude among themselves. Thepanchayat has nine members. The headof the panchayat, in association withothers members, takes all the majordecisions on behalf of the villagers. Inorder to achieve and maintain the securityof the mahuda trees, the villagers appointfour guards on daily wage system duringthe period of collection for three monthsstarting from the flowering stage. Everyhouse of the village contributes Rs. 10-



11

20 /- per month as a maintenance fee.The guards are recruited from the samevillage. Apart from the daily wage, theyalso receive their share of mahudaflowers. The mahuda flowers are soldin the market and the amount thusearned is utilised for meeting one'shousehold needs.

Resource allocation

In 1999, 18,600 kg flowers werecollected and each member got a shareof 40 kg flowers. Last year the totalcollection was 12,090 kg and eachmember received a share of 26 kg. Theamount of share for each memberfluctuates every year depending uponthe yield. When there is a good monsoon,the production of mahuda flowers isgenerally high. But, if it rains during theflowering stage of the flowers, then theyield of the flowers is reduced to a greatextent. The flowers are sold in themarket at the rate of Rs 10-12/kg.

Sanctions

If any person does any damage to themahuda trees in any way then withoutany questioning at the outset, he isbrought before the village elders. Aboutfive to ten elderly members of thevillage decide upon the amount ofpenalty. If the person belongs to a poorfamily then he is simply admonishedand left out with the condition that hewill not repeat such mistake again.

Reasons for not planting fresh saplings

While trying to explore the reason as towhy villagers did not take initiative inplanting fresh saplings of Mahuda treesanymore, several reasons were discerned:- They just did not think about it.

They did their duty just for the sakeof maintaining the traditional systemover the years.

- Some people felt that if they grewmore trees, people might be inclinedto consume more liquor made out ofthe mahuda flowers. This in turnwould lead to routine altercations andfights among the members. It might

Mahudas of Kanadara

A similar institution with five thousand trees of Mahuda was located in the Kanadaravillage of Vijaynagar taluka in Sabarkantha district. The village is situated fifteenkilometers away from Bhiloda, (Juni and Navi Kanadar) having about 4,000inhabitants. Before 1960, there were ten thousand trees of Mahuda in this Adivasi(tribal) region. But due to the rehabilitation of the migrants of Meshwa Dam, 5,000Mahuda trees were chopped off. In spite of it, Mahuda has a significant place inthe life of the local people of Kanadra.

The story somewhat goes like this. There was a king named Hamirsinh inVijaynagar who was a great lover of trees. In those days, there was a traditionamong the adivasis of offering wine to the king made out of their own Mahudatrees. The villagers believe that perhaps it is for this reason that they grew mahudatrees on a large scale. Since then, the villagers have developed certain norms forthe conservation and distribution of Mahuda trees. According to Sanjaji ManajiBhagora, an inhabitant of this village, this tradition exists for the last 40 years.Other trees found in this area are salad, dhavadi, saal, bamboo, timru, sadad,amla and sag.

Institutional Arrangement

Earlier, the villagers used to collect the flowers of Mahuda randomly and therewas no rule or limitations. At a later stage, villagers decided to collect Mahuda ingroups and then distribute among the villagers. But this did not work out becauseindefinite number of members from each household started taking part in thecollection of flowers. Some felt that their labour was not in proportion to the benefitthey received. As a result, it created friction among the members of group. Thevillagers thought of finding a better way of distribution and they came up with aninnovative method. They took an account of the total area of land and number oftrees of the village. Similarly they counted the number of falia (hamlets, i.e. areainhabited by particular caste/community/group located away from the main village)and the number of houses in each falia. Keeping in view the number of houses,they distributed the land area and number of trees among the households.

One member is identified as the supervisor from each falia. Juni (old) and Navi(new) Kanadara have 15 falia. The supervisor normally helps in protecting thetrees that fall under his territory by assigning responsibility to particular persons.To protect the flowers from birds, monkeys and humans, one person from eachfalia is appointed to guard the trees during day and night.

One person from every household is supposed to take part in the collection offlowers from their area. Women also go in equal number as men to collect theflowers. Nobody tries to collect flowers, from other than their own area. If nobodyturns up for collecting fruits from some family, then the wages for one labourer isdeducted from their share. Once this operation is over, the flowers are collectedand dried. Later, the flowers are weighed and distributed among the householdsin their respective areas. If somebody damages any tree of Mahuda, villagers finethe person for the damage he has done. If necessary, they inform the forestdepartment and get him punished.

Resource Allocation

During March to April, family wise share of mahuda is 12 to 13 munds (240-260kg). They get about Rs. 120 to 140 for this in the market. A single tree of mahudagives an average annual income of Rs. 3000 to 5000. The whole operation ofcollecting mahuda flowers takes about 25 days.



12

also create discord in the personallives of the members. Earlier, havingencountered such incidents andhaving faced the hardships thatpeople suffered, villagers were littleskeptical about increasing theproduction of mahuda flowers atpresent.

- There was an enormous growth ofganda baval (Prosopis juliflora) inthat area because of which peoplefound it difficult to plant freshsaplings.

- Since liquor was prohibited inGujarat, some people looked down

upon those who grew mahuda.Though this was not a widespreadfeeling given the role Mahuda playedin meeting various other livelihoodneeds.

- Plantation of Mahuda trees was notincluded in the agenda of the forestdepartment.

Use of Doli

Within two to three months, after theoperation, the mahuda trees are ready withthe ripened fruits i.e., doli. The ripe fruitsare collected by the people but, there isno established rule for this, and anymember of the village can perform thistask. The fruits are extracted to get oil.About 20 kg oil is extracted out of 12 to14 kilo of dry mahuda fruits whenprocessed in local oil mill, locally termedas doliyu. This oil is used for domesticconsumption as cooking food. The rate

on the affected portion of the plant andwrapped with a piece of cloth. Thistreatment helps in quick rejuvenation ofthe plant [Mohanbhai ShyamjibhaiPatel, Jamnagar, HB, 4 (2&3):20,1993].

Damping Off of Tobacco: This diseaseis mostly caused by soil borne fungi andsometimes by bacteria too. The diseaseinitiates as wet rotting and finallydieback of the entire seedling takes place[www.colostate.edu/Depts/AES/projs/620.htm]. For tobacco seedlings raisedin nursery, a mixture of ash (two to threekg) and castor oil 0.7 to 0.8 kg is spreadon the seedbed of 0.01 hectare area tocontrol the disease. The practice isfollowed two-three times at an intervalof seven to eight days [Dulsinh BhulsinhParmar, Baroda, HB, 3(1): 14,1992].

Red Rot of Sugarcane: Red rot ofsugarcane is characterised by reddeningof internal tissues of pith with whitetransverse bands and split canes whichemits alcoholic smell. Till nowfungicides have not been found effectivein controlling Red rot caused byColletotrichum falcatum. Mixture ofequal quantities of lime and castor cakeat the rate 15-20 kg per acre is sprinkledbetween two rows of the crop and thencovered with soil. This effectivelycontrols the disease from furtherspreading [Amrutbhai DayaljibhaiPatel, Valsad, HB, 6(1): 14,1995].

Onset and subsequent diseasedevelopment in case of both fungal andbacterial diseases are profoundlyinfluenced by environmental factors.Relative humidity, air temperature andprecipitation are found to be the mostimportant meteorological factors, whichinfluence the initiation and spread of thedisease. It is worthwhile to evaluate thetraditional practices as well ascontemporary farmers’ innovations interms of benefits and costs consideringthe long-term harmful effects causedby the chemical bactericides andfungicides.

References to be continued in the next issue

of dry doli of mahuda is Rs. 120 to 180per 20 kilogram. Such type of fruits areavailable on the trees only during themonth of May and June, and the flowersare available on the trees only during themonth of April and May.

Mahuda flowers are used as food whenfried with til seeds or groundnuts, or usedfor liquor, or preparing dhokla, a localfood preparation. Other use of Mahudaare:

(a) Two hundred grams of mahuda flowersare mixed with jaggery and heated. This

mixture is applied on the affected part ofthe body of the animal suffering from paincaused due to some injury (also applicableto humans); (b) if within a period of twohours after delivery, the placenta does notcome out from the body of the animal thenone to two kg of mahuda flowers couldbe given to the animal to eat; (c) if theanimal is physically injured, hasdeveloped pain, or has a wound anddeveloped germs, then the dry flowers ofmahuda are boiled in water and the animalgets relief after a hot fomentation of itsvapour; (d) if one kg dry mahuda flowersare fed to animals, it helps in increasingthe milk yield. During the drought times,the leaves serve as an alternative fodderfor animals; (e) Doliyu oil is applied onleather in order to make it smooth anddurable and increase the lustre; and (f) drymahuda flowers are used as fertiliser inthe farm to improve the productivity ofthe land.

Contd... from page 4



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nnigeriis a

village in Naval-gund taluka ofDharwad districtwith a popu-lation of abouttwenty fivet h o u s a n d

people. Agroclimatically, the area is inthe northern dry zone. The average annualrainfall is about 600 mm. During the lastten years the lowest rainfall recorded inthe area was in 1965 (270 mm) and thehighest in 1988 (811 mm). Annigeri andthe surrounding areas have deep black soiland are well known for chilli and bengalgram crops. Annigeri is also known forits tamarind grove – a 16 acre of land with1800 tamarind trees, made possible by Mr.Abdul Khadar Nadakattin, an innovativefarmer. He is a mechanic by hobby, asocial worker by commitment and aboveall an environmentalist as a practitioner.

First Experiment

As a child Nadakattin was very eager togo to school, but his father wanted him tobe a farmer. He was the only son of hisparents and was very calm by nature.Nadakattin could never get up early in themorning in spite of various efforts. Eventhe most powerful alarm failed to wake

him up. His innovative mind startedthinking of some mechanism that couldsolve his problem. Eventually this led himto develop a ‘water alarm’ - his firstinnovation.

He tied a thin rope at the end of the key ofthe alarm in such a way that when the keyunwound itself, the string tied to the keygot wound. The string was in turn tied toa bottle filled with water, when the keywas completely unwound, the bottlewould tilt and the water would fall on hisface. At 46, Mr. Nadakattin has still notgiven up his innovative spirit. Owing tohis experience and observant knowledgeof the prevailing geological and climaticconditions, he is now an inspiration toother farmers in that area. Today, he iscounted as one of the most progressivefarmers in Annigeri.

In Search of Alternative

Mr. Abdul Khadar Nadakattin hadinherited 60 acres of land and somesavings from his father. Agriculture in thisarea as in any other dry area, faced therisk of unpredictable rain along withscarce groundwater reserve. Like otherfarmers, he too faced this problem and thisled him to search for an alternative. Hedecided to practice horticulture. Heplanted mango, sapota and ber with chillias an intercrop in 16 acres of his land.Sapota and ber were planted alternativelyin between mango rows. Owing to thelack of sufficient water the idea failed totake off and the plants suffered heavymortality. With no other option left heremoved the remaining undersized plants.

But his innovative spirit was a drivingforce in his search for another alternativein the same field. He decided to cultivate

tamarind when he observed that in anorchard that was left uncared for a longperiod, the tamarind plants were standinggreen and had borne fruits also. Whileother plants in the orchard had perished.He realised that tamarind was an adaptabletree and could withstand difficulties. Tenyears ago in 1985 - a year of severedrought, he managed to transport waterfrom a distance of two to three km. Withmuch difficulty he planted 600 tamarindplants in pits in rows with a spacing of 20ft. With proper care all his plants survived.The plants continued to grow well inspiteof financial and other constraints for thefollowing three years. In 1990, inspiredby the success he planted 1,100 moreplants in ten acres.

One Innovation Leads to Another

The success of growing tamarind withscarce but alkaline water was aninnovation in itself. To overcome waterconstraints, he tried reclaiming water bya three-part filtration process and dug asmany as eleven borewells at a cost of twolakhs but only two of them yielded water.Later he dug six farm ponds to harvestrainwater. After monsoon, water from theborewell was used to pump into the ponds.The water was then used for floodirrigating the plants. He has alsoconstructed underground tanks to preservethe pulp of tamarind. Pulp preserved insuch a manner had a long shelf-life andcould retain the original quality andflavour for a longer period. He thenstarted value addition to the raw fruit bymanufacturing pickles and jam. His wifeand daughter made the pickle and jam,which was marketed as far as Hyderabad.

He thought of another new experimentwhen he faced problem in making pickles.

Profile

Ever wondered how would the house of a crazy innovator look like! A peep into the house of Mr. Abdul Khadar Nadakattingives you the right idea. Every corner of his house has a stamp of his innovative personality. He has developed severalinnovations improving the entire value chain beginning from cultivation of tamarind to separation of seed, slicing thepods and making pulp and pickle of the same. We are grateful to Dr. G N S Reddy of BAIF for bringing this uniquecase to Honey Bee’s notice and Dr T N Prakash, Editor, Hitalagida for documenting this very interesting story : Ed.

Abdul Khadar Nadakattin: Successful Innovations, a�Failed� Innovator

A



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The process of making pickle was labourintensive and tedious as one had to firstharvest tamarind from the trees and thenseparate seeds from the fruit manually.

A Device to Separate Tamarind Seeds

After spending about three lakhs rupeesand six months of hard and intensivelabour in 1994, he could finally design anddevelop a machine to separate tamarindseeds (fig. 1). He has been using itsuccessfully since then. The machineeffectively removes or separates seedsfrom tamarind fruit. It can carry out workequivalent to 500 persons per day. It hasa system wherein due to the sliding actionof the pegs that are tapered at the end, theseed is thrown out of the tamarind pod.He is of the opinion that the machine canprove to be a boon to the tamarind growersowing to its simple design and the uniquetechnique.

Tamarind Slicing for Pickles

The next step in making the pickle was tocut the unripened tamarind into smallpieces. The process was difficult andtedious. This led him to design a machinefor slicing tamarind in the same year(fig. 2). The machine serves multiplepurposes and can do the job moreefficiently and effectively. Within an hour,over 2.5 quintals of tamarind can be slicedinto required sizes using this machine.

Tamarind Harvesting Technique

Mr Nadakattin has also developed anothernovel and unique technology forharvesting tamarind from the trees. It does

in one day what would need about 1000man days. He had prepared the prototypein the year 1994, but did not go ahead asthe expected cost was Rs. Five lakh. Thetechnique could be an efficient alternativeto the present method.

Other Innovations

Mr Nadakattin has been striving andstruggling hard to discover theprogressive methods that can fit intomodern agriculture. In this direction hehas developed various other innovative,low-cost and farmer friendlytechnologies. In 1974, as soon as he left

school he developed a new kind ofbullock drawn tiller capable of deepploughing. Due to financial constraintshe was not able to produce the tillersat lesser cost for market. Followed bythe tiller, he developed a plough bladein which whetting was not needed. If atall there arose a need to sharpen theblade, it could be done with low flameor no heating at all. The blade did notget damaged much and hence remainedsharp for a long period. The bladecould be used in tractor ploughing too.In 1985 while he took up tamarindfarming he also invented a multi purposesowing machine. The machine wasused to sow seeds of varying sizes withproper spacing of seeds. It could be usedfor sowing seeds ranging from jowar togroundnut. It had a wooden roller withvarious sizes of depression to suit thesize of the seed. Manure could also bedistributed along with the seeds. Aroundthe same time, he also developed awater-heating boiler that can boil water

sufficient enough for bathing 20 peopleby using just five kg of wood chips, thattoo in five minutes. Furthermore, thiswater remains hot for nearly 24 hours.The boiler has an in-built mechanismfor multi-stage heating.

Other Side of the Coin

He has many such small and biginnovations in his name. He says that,“My emphasis has always been onsustainability, environment protectionand promotion of cost-effective, eco-friendly and socially acceptable methodsand practices in agriculture. Theseexperiments have, no doubt, producedsome positive results. But it has imposedunbearable burden on my limitedresources. It has taken away three-fourth of my property. Being a costlyaffair, it has pushed me into a debttrap.”

Nadakattin is now indebted to a tune of15 lakhs. He has already sold 40 acresof land for the sake of research. Hiseconomic condition has forced him tosell technology of ten of his agriculturalequipments to persons, who wereinterested in manufacturing theseequipments. He is struggling hard, dayand night, to save his remaining landand his precious tamarind groove, whichis on the verge of auction towards therecovery of loan. Though all hisachievements have brought himappreciation from politicians, researchersand scientists but his economic conditionhas remained the same. His visit to NewDelhi, several times for seeking financialassistance from the Government has notyielded results. He even sat on a hungerstrike accompanied by his wife and twodaughters, but all in vain. Finally onNovember 11, 2000 he gave a writtenappeal to the Chief Minister of Karnatakathat if his voice was not heard he wouldcommit suicide. He requested them tocome to his rescue and enable him tolive with dignity and honour andcontinue with innovations which mightprove to be a boon to the entirefarming community. His strugglecontinues.Fig. 1

Fig. 2



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unaffected. The Dhajji-Diwari buildingsremained intact in the 1885 Srinagarearthquake. Similarly, in Uttarkashi thetraditional 100 years old multi-storied buildings called Pherols haveincorporated basic features of earthquakeresistance.

The Pherols of Uttarkashi

Pherols are old traditionally built multi-storied structures found in Uttarkashidistrict. The main materials of

constructions are stone and wood withmud mortar. The construction isessentially coursed-rubble masonry type.The various earthquake resistant featuresin these types of houses are the use ofwooden tie-bands as beams and verticaltimber columns as pins to tie the inside

arthquakes are not a commonphenomena in most parts of the

world. Hence, houses in most ruralareas are not built to withstand seismicforces, resulting in heavy causalities —even in moderate quakes. In some partsof the world, however, where earthquakesare common, people have incorporatedthe critical elements of quake-resistancein their traditional construction method.

Traditional house building techniqueshave successfully demonstrated, during

past earthquakes in the Himalayanregion, that there is inherent safetycomponent associated with theconstructional design. This was foundduring the 1905 Kangra earthquake, thetraditional Kat-Ki Kunni houses in Kulluvalley made up of timber remained

and outside wyeths of a wall. Longstones with flat surfaces are distributedin the walls to make the loads verticalin the wall units and minimize thetendency of the wall stones to push orrun outward. Moreover, to distributesome of the seismic load verticallycorner reinforcements are provided bythe use of wooden blocks and long flatstones. Also, the height of the floor iskept low and there are minimum numbersof openings, for keeping the centre ofgravity low and also for insulationpurposes (For more details on “ThePherols” see HB 8(3):5, 1997).

Dhajji-Diwari Buildings of Kashmir

The Dhajji-Diwari buildings were theone to survive when part of the palaceand other massive old buildings collapsedin the Srinagar quake of 1885. The mostsignificant aspect of the Dhajji-Diwaribuildings is the combination of thebuilding materials used. These materialsare locally available and have been usedfor generations. The basic elements inthese buildings are the load bearingmasonry piers and infill walls. There arewooden tie-bands at each floor level.The foundation consists of rubblemasonry with lime mortar whereas, mudmortar is used for the rest of thestructure. The infill materials areusually adobe bricks bonded with mudmortar. The wooden bands tie the wallsof the structure with the floors and alsoimpart ductility to a structure that isotherwise brittle. The unreinforcedmasonry walls have stiffness but notstrength. In the absence of strength,flexibility is essential for quakeresistance. Here, the desired flexibilityis provided by the combination of woodand unreinforced masonry laid in a

Traditional Earthquake Resistant HousesR Chopra1, R Kumar1, K S Chawla2, T P Singh2

Readers may recall an article on the subject that was published in Honey Bee 8(3): 5, 1997. We never realised thatGujarat would face such a massive earthquake bringing in its wake so much destruction. We have updated that articlewith the help of the first author. We hope readers would realise the need for learning from the time tested designsdeveloped by the people. After all, Bungas in Kutch were not much damaged even in this quake. It is a different pointthat most people don't want to live in bunga type of houses : Ed.

1 People’s Science Institute, 252, Vasant Vihar-1, Dehradun 2480062 Construction Research Centre, New Delhi

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weak mortar. The wooden beams tie thewhole house together and ensure thatthe entire building sways together asone unit in an earthquake.

Kat-Ki-Kunni Buildings of Kulu Valley

Similar to the Pherols and the Dhajji-Diwari buildings, the Kat-Ki-Kunni or

timber cornered buildings sufferedminimal damage in the epicentral tractof Kulu Valley during the 1905 Kangraearthquake. This structure is almostidentical to the Pherols of Uttarkashi. Itcombines the weight, solidity andcoolness of a stone building with theflexibility and earthquake-resistingqualities of a wooden one. Here thewood bonding takes place at verticalintervals of three to five feet. Twoparallel beams are laid along the layerof masonry, one on the inside and oneon the outside. At the end of one wallthey are crossed by the beams on thewalls at right angles, and the woodenpins hold the crossing together. Cross-ties of wood, similarly hold the twoparallel beams in position at intervalsalong their length.

ReferencesBaker, L. 1993. A Report Concerning TheMarathwada Earthquake, p.30 (mimeo).

Bisht, R. 1993. “UnderstandingEnvironmental Health: A Study of FiveVillages in Pauri Garhwal” M Phildissertation, Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi.

ISET (India Society Of EarthquakeTechnology). 1989. A Manual of EarthquakeResistance Non Engineered Construction,Roorkee.

PSI (People’s Science Institute). 1992. DhartiHill Jaye, Jaan Na Jaye, Dehradun, (InHindi).

The “Honey Bee Saint”

assalam is a farmer and innovator par excellence. At the ageof 21 with a mind full of passion for plants, S.J. Rasslam joined

the police department as a constable. Even in the police station hepursued his passion by raising small gardens. This act was greatlyappreciated by his superior officers. In 1976, he took a voluntaryretirement from the police department and became a full time farmer.He decided to start apiculture in the small piece of land that hepossessed at Cheruvarakonam. Rassalam has developed a new hybridbee by crossing the local Indian bees (Apis cerana indica) with Italianbees (Apis mellifera). The hybrid bee had good disease resistanceand better productivity. Honeybees used to sit all over his body fearlessly.People from far distant places came to see this “Honey Bee” saint. Laterhe decided to start a plant nursery. After twenty years of hard worknow he runs a plant nursery named “Athma Nilayam Gardens” at Kerala,which has a very good collection of rare and endangered medicinalplants. He has collected and multiplied over 1000 type of plants in hisnursery. For quick and better rooting of various plant cuttings he hasbuilt a low cost “rooting chamber” or “humidity chamber” which provides

a very warm and humid atmosphere. Rassalam has also successfullydone grafting in mango, nutmeg and tamarind. “Avialchedi” (mixed plant)is another innovation by Rassalam. Using budding technique hesucceeded in developing plants which could bear tomatoes, bringals andchillies on various branches. During 1997 Rassalam was honoured withthe “Karshakasree” award instituted by Malayala Manorama, the leadingMalayalam daily, for being one of the best innovative farmer of thecountry.

Farmer: S J Rassalam, Athma Nilayam Gardens, Cheruvarakonam, Parassala P.O.,Trivandrum – 695502, Kerala. Telephone No – (04651) 61976. Comm: G SUnnikrishnan Nair, Anjana, T.C. 25/3178-1, Vanchiyoor, Thiruvananthapuram – 695035. Tele No – (0471) 462663

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17

Krishiraja: A Bicycle Hoe Invented by Gopal Malhari

hri GopalM a l h a r i

Bhinse is a 62 yearold marginal farmerof Shendurin villagesituated in JamnerTaluka of JalgaonDistrict. He has little

more than an acre of land. He owns nobullocks and has no money to hire intractor. Jowar, Cotton and Paddy are theusual crops that he cultivates on his farm.But this year due to lack of water hecultivated maize. Apart from varioussocio-economic problems, he also facesmany problems in agriculture. One suchproblem is the excessive growth of weedsin his fields. Initially, Gopal and his wifeused to remove weeds manually. It was atime consuming and tiresome job. Gopalbeing a poor farmer could not afford tohire labour. During this period, heconceived the idea of developing thisinnovative bicycle. One day Gopal saw aman carrying four quintal of flour onhis bicycle. A thought immediately struckhis creative mind, whether he could makeuse of the wheel in order to increase the

efficiency of the cycle. He purchased thewheel and the handle of a bicycle andfixed a rod with a blade at one end to thehandle of the bicycle. He fixed nut andbolts with the blade in such a way that hecould adjust the distance in the weeder andalso make arrangements so that the blade

did not cause injury at the time ofreversing while working. He gives creditto his wife and owner of Sachin WeldingWorks, both of whom helped him preparethis weeder. He has named the finalproduct as ‘Krishiraja’.

Another problem he faced was that theland he possessed was hard. He fixed apick-axe to ‘Krishiraja’ and got goodresults in the hard land by pressing thesame. Later he innovated a tiller also. Thetiller can cultivate upto a ¾ inch depth.He does most of his farming operationswith the help of this device. He no moreneeds bullocks for his farming operations.Using this machine a man of his age canremove the weeds from one acre of landin four to five hours. The machine is sosimple that even his 12 years nephew canoperate it easily. The cost of making thismachine comes to almost Rs. 1000-1200.Many farmers keep coming to his field tohave a trial of the machine. Some of themappreciate the machine and some othersdon’t approve of it. But he is confident

Having a small piece of land and facing all kinds of adversity could not prevent Gopal Malhari from developing aninnovative idea. He attached a blade and a tiller to his bicycle wheel to successfully carry out the inter-culture operations.Ramesh Mahajan, a regular reader of Honey Bee has sent the lead of this story originally published in Sakal MarathiNewspaper (Oct 4, 2000). We later contacted Shri Gopal Malhari who shared his insights in greater detail. : Ed.

about the utility of the machine he hasmade. He has made 213 more machinesof similar kind on the request of otherfarmers. He says that he will always thinkof new innovations without caring aboutsuccess and failure. Gopal Malhari Bhinsedeserves an appreciation for the spirit ofinnovation and enterprise that he hasshown, not withstanding his very weakeconomic condition.

(We request readers to keep looking for suchknowledge rich economically poor people whokeep innovating new solutions, no matter howhard challenge of life is. If they could do somuch with so little, couldn’t we do more? :Ed).

Farmer: Gopal Malhari Bhinse, Shendurni,Jamner taluka, Jalgaon district, Maharashtra

Comm: Ramesh Mahajan, 13 B Parvati Nagar,Peth taluka, Jalgaon District, Maharashtra –425001

S

Profile

Response

We had many interesting responsesto the cover story of HB11(3), 2000.What really happened was that,

Pritam sold the ox at a lower pricebecause he thought that the personwho did not smoke would neither resthimself nor allow his ox to rest. Onthe other hand, someone whosmokes will take break to smoke andeventually his ox can also rest duringthat period. The best response wasgiven by R Manisekar, 33, Block 5,Jeevan Griha Colony, J.P. Nagar IPhase, Bangalore - 560 078



18

ost of the biodiversity richregions are inhabited by variety

of indigenous and traditional populationhaving their own social, cultural andspiritual worldview guiding therelationships with nature within them andoutside. This volume represents UNEP’scontribution towards broadening thebiodiversity debate and make thecontributions of traditional and indigenouspeople visible. This publication arose outof the Global Biodiversity Assessment(GBA) commissioned by UNEP. DarrellA Posey has made a valiant effort in puttingtogether a very wide variety ofperspectives on human aspects ofbiodiversity and knowledge systems thathave evolved in dealing with it.

Chapter one looks at the inextricable linkbetween culture and nature. The evolutionof cultural landscapes has been shaped byhuman beliefs and values, which in turnhave influenced the occurrence and useof biodiversity. The secret and secularare considered inseparable. The spiritualityis considered the highest form ofconsciousness. Posey suggests that thetraditional knowledge is not localknowledge but knowledge of the universalas expressed in the local. The obligationto maintain the connections amongdifferent natural, sociological, climatic andother subsets of existence are supposedto define the individual and group identity.There have been debates whether localcommunities have always been concernedwith conservation and have not traditionalsocieties sometimes contributed to theextinction of certain wild life and otherkinds of biodiversity. However, it isgenerally agreed that local communitiesare more likely to use environmentally

sustainable practices when they havetenurial security and autonomy in resourceuse. Pierotti and Wildcat, two NativeAmerican scientists do not believe inromanticising the relationships of nativecommunities with nature. They observe,

‘those who desire to dance with wolvesmust first learn to live with wolves’ (7)1.On the other hand many nativecommunities didn't like the place wherethey live being referred as 'wildness' or'wild life' areas (8).

The debate between Winin Pereira and AnilK Gupta [1993] is recalled to underlinethat, ‘It is the traditional methods ofapplication, not just particular pieces ofknowledge that persist in a tradition ofinvention and innovation’. To that extenttechnological changes provide an input intoan ongoing vibrant and adaptive systemsof resource management. The traditionalecological knowledge is transmitted inmany ways through apprenticeship,collective memory, songs, physico spiritualceremonies and the whole range of othersocial cultural interactions. The traditionalhealth systems have always involvedcombining the link between mind andbody. The rights of people to resources,knowledge systems and their other humanrights, Posey argues, need to beintegrated. The corporate exploitation oflocal knowledge has continued because ithas been assumed that knowledge of localcommunities is a public domainknowledge. The code of ethical conducthave been developed by various societiesand academic bodies to guide the basis ofcollaboration among the communities andoutside researchers and institutions. Yet,author somehow fails to recognise thatmost of the ethno botanical researchcontinues to treat peoples' knowledge asanonymous knowledge. The principles for'Equitable Partnership' established byInternational Society for Ethno-biologyrequires various kinds of precautions tobe taken by the researchers whether it isin compensation or restitution, reciprocityand equitable sharing. However, not to treatthe knowledge of local communities as

Compiled and Edited by Darrell Addision Posey, Departmento de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal do Maranhao,Sao, Luis, Maranho, Brazil and Oxford Centre for the Environment, Ethics and Society, Mansfield College, Universityof Oxford, UK, UNEP and London: Intermediate Technology Group.1999. P.731

Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity: AComplementary Contribution to the Global Biodiversity Assessment(Part - I).

M

Review Essay

1Number in parenthesis ( ) are page numbersand square bracket [ ] indicate years

Darrell Posey was a great friend of HoneyBee network and SRISTI. He campaignedrelentlessly for the rights of indigenouspeople/local communities all around theworld. Dr Darrell Addison Posey died onMarch 6, 2001. Honey Bee Network praysthat his soul rests in peace. We needmany more academic- activists like him.The book review alongside is a smallhomage to his memory.

At the time of his passing he was theDirector of the Programme for TraditionalResource Rights, and a Fellow of LinacreCollege, University of Oxford. He was alsoTitled Researcher for the Brazilian Councilfor Science and Technology (CNPq), andProfessor at the Federal Universities ofPara and Maranhao. Darrell was thefounding president of the InternationalSociety for Ethnobiology (ISE), and wasthe Executive Director of ISE’s GlobalCoalition for Bio-Cultural Diversity, underwhose auspices he established theWorking Group on Traditional ResourceRights. He was the recipient of the first“Chico Mendes Award for OutstandingBravery in Defense of the Environment”,and was recipient, also, of the UnitedNations “Global 500” Award forEnvironmental Achievement. He wroteover 150 scientific and technicalpublications on ethnoecology, indigenousknowledge, human rights and sustainabledevelopment.

Obituary



19

anonymous contribution has not beenincluded in the guidelines, and the resultis that in conference after conferencepapers have been published by the authorswho have documented local knowledgewithout citing the producers orreproducers of local knowledge.

In a very interesting postscript to chapterone, Posey adds the story by ChristineMorris (16) inspired by her Kombumerri/Munalijahlai clients of Australia. The storyis about a bright boy who wanted to studya Christmas beetle. He however discoversthat to do so he must become a beetle andsuffer the inflections that other bright boyshave imposed on the non-human world(17).

Luisa Maffi looks at the linguistic diversityin Chapter two and brings in veryimportant relationship between thelanguage and the ability to conceptualisethe word. Any objective process ofrelationship that is important in the life ofpeople gets named and in that way thewords provide key to the categories thatdifferent cultures have used to make senseof the word around them. 'The words',Luisa observes, ‘for concepts are like pegson which we hang the meanings that westore in the store house of ourmind….verbalising helps us remember andreproduce meanings and thus make senseof reality. Through the verbalisationprocess we also learn much of our ownculture ethics’ (21). Out of the total 6703languages about half are spoken bycommunities having 10000 speakers orless and half of these in turn are spokenby communities of 1000 or fewerspeakers. Obviously most of the world'slinguistic diversity is carried by very smallcommunity of indigenous or minoritypeople.

It is being realised that the reduction oflanguage diversity reduces the adaptivestrength of our society because itconstricts the pool of knowledge availablefor us to learn from. The overlap betweenlinguistic and biological diversity is quiteremarkable. Ten out of the twelve megadiversity countries also figure among thetop 25 countries for endemic languages.

The erosion of language and ecologicalknowledge may go hand in hand. Jonah(36) suggests the use of native names forspecies so that one does not use onlyuniversal categories for characterisation.The popularity of western media oftenleads to a situation where westernisednames take precedence over the nativenames and accordingly the peculiarities oflocal names are lost. He suggests that topromote conservation of biodiversity it isdesirable to use native names for animaland plants so that the cultural spacecreated by these names can be organisedfor mobilising conservation efforts.

Chapter three edited by Andrew Gray dealswith indigenous peoples, theirenvironments and territories. Animportant point made by Laurie AnneWhitt (69-75) is about the metaphor andpower relationships embodied in themetaphors in indigenous and westernknowledge systems. The implementationof intellectual property laws has been oneway in which the power of westernscience is used to deprive localcommunities of their due rights. Forexample the Guajajara people of Brazil usea plant called Philocarpus jaborandi totreat glaucoma. Brazil earns about 25million dollars in a year from exportingthe plant to the corporations which havepatented it. Yet the local communitiessuffer 'debt', peonage and slavery by theagents of the companies involved. The

plant population has been respected bymost of the tribal communities. They haveelaborate rituals before tilling the land orharvesting plants for various purposes, theidea being that rituals impose restrains inthe tribe (70) to generate reciprocitybetween human groups and nature. Inmany places one is not supposed to pickup the first plant that one saw, because itcould be the last one. The author arguesthat the concept of innovation is quitedifferent in indigenous knowledge systemsand this approach requires receptivity,reciprocity and responsibility to the naturaland human world. However, I am not surewhether one can talk about only one wayin which innovations emerge in a varietyof knowledge communities. The authormay have over extended her argumenthere.

Elizabeth Reichul D., (82) discusses thegender based knowledge systems in thecontext of eco politics and underlines therole mothers have played in producingand transferring knowledge amongdifferent native communities. The role ofmen and women in transferring differentkinds of knowledge through a variety ofmetaphors and rituals influences the wayboys and girls understand their role indealing with nature. Glen Shefferd (93-95) provides a perspective from southernPeru about the way Shamans obtained newvarieties of crops and medicines and calledthe game animals out of their hiding places.

Shaman curando (Shaman healing). Source: Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity: UNEP,1999 (plate No.2)



20

Shamans received the transformativepower from diverse psychoactivesubstances including Ayahuasca(Banisteriopsis) and other plants. It maybe useful to mention here that this plantwas patented by an American using theknowledge provided by localcommunities. The US patent office hadto reject this patent when an appeal wasmade against this patent. The missionaryactivity among Machiguenga communitiesover the last three decades has done muchto disparage the traditional medicine aswell as shamanism.

Chapter four deals with the voices of theearth edited by Ranil Senanayake. Thischapter includes the statements oftraditional indigenous people withoutinterpretation so that their voices are heardas intended by them. Though thetranslation would have caused some lossof authenticity.

A native Australian person, Mick (126)from Yaraba community recalls how thewhites when they first came to Australiadeclared the place vacant and did notrecognise any aboriginal rights.Subsequently many people who are eitherof mixed origin or have moved intodifferent areas from their original ones donot know how tribal urge for their landrights would affect their future destiny.The aborigines suffer from diabetesbecause they have abandoned their naturalfoods and taken to refined foods. Heregrets that we seemed to recognise thevalue of something only when it was gone.Likewise, Kathrimila from Botswana (128-129) regrets that people were clearing asmuch land as possible disregarding theneed for ecological balance or even therights of wild life. Much of it washappening because traditional land rightsand institutions had given way. DanielMatenho Cabixi (132-134) from Braziltalks about an initiative called as Tucum(133) which aims at building capacity ofthe teachers to revitalise local culture. Aspecial pedagogy is being used to connectpeople with traditional values. The Paracipeople are being encouraged to give a fairchance to the traditional medicine. Hesuggests that scientific institutions could

help in the process of returning theknowledge to the Indians. Gamaillie, anInuit from Canada (134) recalls that whenhe was growing up, he was told to notonly learn to survive from animals but alsoto treat them as kindly as one would treat,a fellow human being. The cruelty toanimals was a taboo and even if one cameacross abundant animals, one wassupposed to hunt only as many as oneneeded. A similar feeling is expressed bymany native communities around theworld.

Michael Kapo (56-158) from Papua NewGuinea decries the tendency amongscientists not to pay attention to theknowledge of indigenous community.They would do certain tests and thenreport whether a river water was good orbad. However, the local people would plantroot taros near swampy areas and whentaro did not come up well, they knew thatthings were bad. But scientist did not payattention to such insights.

Chapter five looks at the Ethnoscience andthe application of traditional ecological

knowledge to conservation. Slikkerveer(69-177) in his introductory reviewhighlights the importance of understandingethnomethodologies and ethnosystems

approach. He does not explain why thetraditional knowledge systems or musicsystems require a prefix of 'ethno' in thecontext of developing countries and‘classical’ in the western knowledgesystem. These deep seated terminologicalblinkers have unfortunately being leftunquestioned in the entire volume and notjust in this chapter. Arun Agarwal (177-180) feels that efforts to document and‘scientize’ indigenous knowledge could bea doubly unfortunate process. One thatthese efforts took resources away fromthe more vital political process oftransforming the relations of power andsecond they provide a means to powerfulsocial actors to appropriate usefulindigenous knowledge. He ignores theefforts which are trying to precisely dothe opposite such as the one by HoneyBee network (535-537). The fact he didnot find any pioneering contribution in anydeveloping country such as by Majumdar[1927] and Singh and Verma [1969]demonstrates the usual bias. AshishKothari and Priya Das (185-192)characterise the resource conservinginstitutions, knowledge and culture of localcommunities as an inherent feature of theirexistence. At the same time they alsohighlight the weaknesses of thesecommunity systems to deal with decliningstrength of institutions and inability to copewith sudden technological changes.

They make a special reference to theefforts towards participatorydocumentation of the biodiversity by localcommunities through CommunityBiodiversity Registers. These registers aresupposed to prevent imposition ofintellectual property rights by outsiders byproviding proof of prior use. Maj-lis Foller(199-203) in an interesting contributionrecalls how Turnbull’s book, The ForestPeople [1988] conveys the tensionbetween local knowledge and the outsidersinterpretation of the same succinctly. Thelocal people, i.e. Pygmies state thatchameleon conveys to them the presenceof honey nearby. The scientists deny thatchameleons could make any such sound.The author argues that instead of onlycriticising asymmetric relationship formaland informal knowledge, there is a need

Indigenous woman from Chivay, Arequipa,Peru, exibiting at local seed fair. Source:Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity:UNEP, 1999 (plate No.13)



21

for a dialogue across different ways ofknowing and in the process modifying theso called scientific world view itself.

Prabha Mahale and Hay Soree (217-223)do not see any possibility of synthesisbetween traditional and local knowledgewith the external knowledge unless bothare considered subject to modification andbeing influenced by each other.Rosemary Hill and Dermot Smyth (227-231) refer to a very interesting model ofthe collaborative environmental researchwith Kuku-Yalanji people in the Worldtropics region, a World Heritage Area, inAustralia. They refer to a statement (229)issued by the local communities called'Julayinbul Statement on IndigenousIntellectual Property' [1993]. Theindigenous people declare in this statement,their willingness to share their intellectualproperty provided their fundamental rightsto define and control the property wererecognised. In this research, the outsideresearchers made a written agreementwith the Kuku-Yalanji organisation andpeople that ‘no cultural data would bepublished without their consent’. Tworepositories were established from theprimary raw data from the project, one ateach of the two local AborigionalCorporations. Photographs, transcripts oftaped interviews, plant specimens and datasheets and tapes besides the materialobtained from the researchers from otherlibraries, from outside the area weredeposited with the local people. The localcommunities were involved as researchassistants to contribute towards enhancingthe local capacity building of thecommunity. The research papers wereread individually to all Senior Custodiansof the community knowledge whoseinformation was used and writtenagreements were obtained beforepublication. In addition, feedback wasobtained from other aboriginalorganisations. The knowledge about firemanagement was utilised to develop a fireprotocol and for negotiating the customarylaw obligations of Kuku-Yalanji and theAustralian law obligation of thegovernment institutions. The localcommunities used fire to promote fire-prone open forest and to protect fire-

sensitive rain forest. The localcommunities have emphasised the needfor maintaining the integrity of culturallandscape while the government managershad focused more on the integrity onnatural landscape. There were occasionswhen the principal researcher was askedto stop research for a while till variousconcerns of local communities could beresolved. Any individual under thecustomary law could question the usebeing made of the material collected andthe authority under which it was releasedto the public. Hill and Smyth (227-232)provide a very interesting, innovative andauthentic account of a ethically andscientifically responsible and accountableway of doing collaborative research withindigenous communities. SubsequentlyBalkanu [1997] an aboriginal corporationhas issued guidelines aiming to ensure thatevery research activity should not onlyprotect aboriginal land and cultural rightsbut also ensure their equitable participationin all institutional research.The authors feel that a significant level oftrust and cross cultural understandingdeveloped before the onset of the projecthelped in evolving a operationalunderstanding. They advise that‘researchers aspiring to undertakecollaborative research should expect toinvest time and effort in learning to knowand be known by the cultural group withwhom collaboration is sought’ (232).James Fairhead and Melissa Leach (235-242) provide an extremely interesting

story of the role knowledge and cultureabout termites has played in West Africain dealing with various institutions localand external during colonial andsubsequent period. The local communitiesintroduced termites to destroy the buildingand papers of the French colonisers inearly 20th century. They also share, whatis an otherwise universal knowledgegenerated independently by people aroundthe world that presence of termite moundsindicated presence of water underground.And the fields having such mounds werepreferred for intensive gardening ofcertain crops. The use of termite moundsoil to fertilise the cultivated fields is alsowidely practised around the world. Justas the use of clay of mound for treatingvarious diseases among humans andanimals is well known.

The change in the mind of ecologist andeconomists is beginning to take place. They

have started considering the role oftermites in soil formation and soilrehabilitation rather than only as a pest.The local communities know that termitemounds provide home and food forpython, pangolins, chameleons, pamrates,and pale foxes. They are also reported toregulate the growth of certain flora andinfluence the germination of Baobabs(Adansonia digitata). Some communitieshave used dug out termite mounds asprototypical blast furnaces for ironsmelting (242). Clark looks at the historicalperception and role of social insects fromcultural perspective (242-246). The imageof beehives has been captured in variousarchitectural and artistic works.

To be continued in the next issue

Source: Cultural and Spiritual Values ofBiodiversity: UNEP, 1999 (Figure 5.6)

In this research, the outsideresearchers made a writtenagreement with the Kuku-Yalanjiorganisation and people that ‘nocultural data would be publishedwithout their consent’.



22

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year) to your friend,relative or anyone and/or �Combined Volumeof Honey Bee� issuesduring 1990-2000

Individual Rs. 1500Institution Rs. 2500

Vol 5 No 3 July - September, 1994

The Spirit of Sustainability





Converting Risk into Uncertainty : A Key to Sustainability



Vol 6 No 4 October - December, 1995

Vol 7 No 2 April - June, 1996

Vol 8 No 1 January - March, 1997

A Voice ofCreative Farmers, Artisans,

Pastoralists and Other Grassroots Innovators

Changing context uncovers new content... How can the ‘small’ make a difference?




To whom does the water belong?

Vol 10 No 4 October - December, 1999



Is Wild Not Beautiful?





Back to Basics...



In defense of the meek and the mute!

Vol 8 No 3 July - September, 1997



Turning away or getting closer?






23

Honey Bee

Num Vali Velanmai(Tamil Version of Honey Bee)P Vivekanandan, Editor, SEVA, 45, TPMNagar, Virattipathu, Madurai 625010, TamilNadu. email: [email protected]

12101 Beyond Chemical Pesticidesin Cotton

hite fly (Bemisia tabaci) isusually found on the dorsal

surface of the leaves. The nymphs are

small and flat with visible beaks thatsuck the plant sap. To get rid of theseflies, papers pasted with castor oil /grease are hung at five or six places inthe cotton field. Then air is blown usinga sprayer over the crop. The disturbedadult flies (white fly) come out of theplant and stick to the oily paper. Bythis method, ninety per cent of whiteflies can be successfully reduced.

Research shows that, “tiny white flies leavea shiny secretion trail that can mold,eventually leading to plant death. Strongsoapy water sprayed on plants eliminatesmold formations. White flies are naturallyattracted to yellow colour and can be trappedusing yellow sticky cards. White flies arehard to get rid of. They weaken the plantsby sucking the sap. To get rid of these flies,“try sticky tape, soap and citrus or vegetableoil sprays. Don’t kill spiders, as spiders kill

white flies and many other pests.” (http://www.windowbox.com/cgi-bin/expertsDisplayArticle.asp?TopicID=8&ArticleID=236)

Farmer:K.Balasubramanian, Sathura-mangalam, Pondicherry. See HB 2(1): 6-7,1991, 2(1): 16, 1991, 4(1): 12, 1993, 4(2&3):19, 1993, 5(1): 15, 1994, 10(4): 14, 1999for other measures to control white fly.

12102 Chrysanthemum for Controlof Pests

Farmers grow Chamanthipoo(Chrysanthemum coronarium) as bordercrop in the main field of brinjal toreduce the incidence of fruit borer pest.Also before raising banana, farmer raiseChamanthipoo. Once the flowers areharvested the stubble is incorporatedinto the soil by ploughing. This reducesthe incidence of wilt disease in thesucceeding banana crop and increasesthe fruit set in each bunch. This is atraditional practice in Kariamanickamvillage. Similar practice is followed inother parts of Tamil Nadu for the controlof nematodes in vegetable crops liketomato and chilies (See HB: 11(2) 9,2000).

Also see Honey Bee 3(1):15, 1992, 3(2):19,1992, 6(4):13, 1995, 8(3):7, 1997 for othermethods to control pest.

12103 Using Neem Leaves asManure

In the paddy nursery site (before sowingof paddy seeds) neem leaves areincorporated into the soil and puddledand allowed to decompose for twoweeks. Paddy seeds sown after thistreatment are believed to becomeresistant to pest and disease.

Farmer : Jeyarajkumar, Pandasolanallur,Pondicherry. See Honey Bee, 1(1):3-9, 1990,3(1):12, 1992, 7(1):6-8, 1996, 7(1): 13,1996, 8(2): 7, 1997, 8(4):10, 1997 for othermethods of seed treatment.

Animal Husbandry

12104 Luffa amara for Mastitis

Mastitis is an inflammation of mammarygland of cattle mainly caused by bacteriaand occasionally by fungi and algae.The most important symptoms areabnormality in milk secretion andswelling of udder and teats. About 100g of ‘peipeerku’ (Luffa amara) leavesare ground and smeared over the udderregion. In addition, about ten g rootsof ‘eswaramooligai’ (Aristolochiaindica) are pounded and mixed in 150ml of water and used for drenchinganimal. This solution is applied on theudder for three days.

See Honey Bee 4(4):17, 1993, 6(1): 10,1995, 7(3): 17, 1996, 10 (1): 8, 1999, 10(3): 19, 1999, 10 (4): 15, 1999 for treatingmastitis.

12105 Kudirai Valippu (Paralysis)

The symptoms of this type of paralysisare that the animal will always be in alying down position; shiver its legs and

froth will be coming out of mouth.About 100 g leaves of ‘eeswaramooligai’(Aristolochia indica) are ground welland mixed with 200 ml of butter milkand administered three times a day.

See Honey Bee, 6(1):10, 1995 and 9(3):9,1998 for other uses of Aristolochia indica.

Beyond Chemical Pesticides in Cotton

W



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12106 Rathakalichal (Blood TingedDiarrohea)

Blood tinged loose motion can be noticedin the affected animal. For thisleaf of ‘kombampalai’ (Holarrhenaantidysenterica) 200 g are ground welland diluted with 500 ml of water. Juiceout of one lime fruit is added to thisand the whole mixture is administeredto the animal three times a day.

Holarrhena antidysenterica acts as a,“stomachic, purgative, liver stimulant, anti-dysenteric and wormicidal” (http://www.exoticnaturals.com/appln.htm). Forcuring blood dysentery, “grind together theroot of Cassia fistula and the root ofHolarrhena antidysenterica and extract thejuice from ground root. Filter it. Take fourteaspoonful of this juice once a day for twodays. (D-2) [OR-3-2-225]” (http://www.rain-tree.com/canafistula.htm).

See Honey Bee 3(1): 17, 1992, 8(2): 9, 1997,9(1): 6, 1998 for other uses of Holarrhenaantidysenterica

12107 Adaippan (Indigestion)

Tympany or gastric trouble; difficult topass the dung; not taking feed are someof the symptoms of indigestion. Ahandful of leaves of ‘perianangai’(Andrographis alata) are ground welland diluted with 500 ml of water andadministered orally.

See Honey Bee 6(2): 10, 1995, 8(2): 7, 19,1997, 8(4): 11, 1997, 9(1): 9, 1999 and10(4): 9, 1999 for some more cure forindigestion

12108 Sprains or Swelling in theKnee Joint

A handful of leaves of ‘peenarisangu’(Clerodendrum inerme) are ground with

water and administered orally. Thesame plant residues should be used forsmearing over the knee joint. Anotherinteresting practice for curing swellingon knee joint was found in Banaskanthadistrict of Gujarat. Here the farmerJamalbhai Noorabhai Nandasaniya hasused the leaves of Calotropis gigantea(see Honey Bee 10(3) 15, 1999).

The fruit of Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa(Rutaceae) is roasted and the contents arecarefully removed. A paste is prepared withwater and used as a poultice to treat swollenand painful joints in cattle (http://www.nuffic.nl/ciran/ikdm/5-3/articles/veterinary.html).

See Honey Bee 11(1): 5-6, 17, 2000 and11(3): 6, 2000 for more uses ofClerodendrum inerme.

12109 For Poisonous Bite by Insects

The affected animal will show symptomsof skin lesions with little swellings; hairwill be erect and fever is also noticed.Fruit of ‘kollankovai kilangs’otherwise known as ‘akasa karudan’(Corallocarpus epigaeus ) is poundedwell to make a fine powder. It has tobe drenched after mixing it with cowsmilk.

See Honey Bee 6(1):10, 1995 , 7(1):8, 1996and 7(3):9, 1996 for other cure for poisonousbite.

12110 Asthma / Cough

When animals have difficulty in breathing,about a quarter measure of ‘kallathikai’(Ficus tinctoria), 50 g cumin and twoonion are pounded well, and administeredto the animal. Mixture of ‘kallathikai’,‘seeragam’ (Cuminum cyminum) andgarlic can also be used to relieve asthmaand cough (See HB, 7(1):8, 1996).

Ficus tinctoria is a common large treethat bears fruits in March and April. The latexis used to cure asthma in humanbeing. Half spoon latex of Ficus tinctoria istaken orally twice a day for seven / fourteen /twenty-one days depending upon thecondition. (D-7) [OR-5-1-76]( h t t p : / / w w w. m s s r f . o r g / F r i s 9 8 0 9 /Fris1182.html)

12111 Mandaikarappan (HornItching)

Itching is noticed in the horn region anddue to this the animal dashes its horn

against any solid surface, like a tree orwall. It is caused by a organism whichaffects the inner portion of horn. Hornswill grow sidewards in tilting or slantingposition. Hundred and fifty grams of rootsof ‘siru kachakampatti’ (Citrulluscolocynthis) are ground well anddiluted with 250 ml of water andadministered.

Citrullus colocynthis is commonly known asbitter apple or as bitter cucumber. It is aherbaceous plant. The stems are creeping withtendrils and the leaves are deeply lobedcovered with hair. The size of the fruits rangesfrom four to seven cm in diameter, areyellowish-green in colour and are poisonous(www.egora.fr/HTML/HTML Public/Tox-In/TOXIANGL/PROTOCOL/PLANTES/MONOPLAN/COLOQUI0. HTM). It is,“cathartic, emmenagogue, insect repellent,parasiticide, purgative, repellant (insect),urogenital, vermifuge, violent purgative. It isused to treat amenorrhea, ascites, bilious,cancer, fever, jaundice, leukemia andrheumatism” (http://www.best.com/~timj/herbage /A128.htm).

See Honey Bee, 5(4):13-14, 1994 and 8(1):10,1997 for other uses of Citrullus colocynthis.

Name & address of healer (for practice no.12104 to 12111) : Sri. Ayyathurai Konar,T.Krishnapuram (P.O) Saptur (Via), Pin - 625507. Peraiyur Taluk, Madurai District,TamilNadu.

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estern ghat is an importantarea in terms of diversity

hosting a wealth of plants. The fact that

Hittalagida(Kannada version of Honey Bee)T N Prakash, Editor, HittalagidaDept. of Agri. EconomicsUniversity of Agri. Science, GKVKBangalore - 560 065 Karnatakaemail: [email protected]

Women Folk of Western Ghats: Rich In Knowledge of Flora But Why soPoor In Status?

the western ghat hosts a rich floralpopulation is not a new information.But with the modernisation, the childrenin schools are becoming alienated fromtheir own roots. They do not get anopportunity to learn from the immensewealth of biodiversity based knowledgeavailable in local community. Womenespecially are rich in terms of thisknowledge. Dr. (Mrs.) Tejaswini,Scientist, Indian Institute of HorticulturalResearch, Bangalore opted to go out intoforest and document a sample of suchwealth.

12112 Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Local Scientific Name Part ApplicationName UsedOllekudi Memecylon malabaricum Leaves Extract of crushed leaves –

applied on skin beforetaking bath for curing skinproblems

Heddumbi Ocimum adscendens Leaves Extract is applied to skin ofcattle for controlling insects

Dalchini Cinnamomum zeylanicum Leaves Oil extracted from theleaves is applied towounds as medicine

Vayu vilanga Embelia ribes Leaves Leaves used as medicinefor leg pain

Tumbe Acacia leucophloea Leaves Leaves mixed with turmeric -applied on skin to controlskin allergy and irritation

Flowers Flowers boiled in milk -consumed as a medicineagainst common cold

Alale Terminalia chebula Dried Oil is extracted from driedfruit fruits - applied to the hair

for its cooling effect.

Hulisoppu Memecylon amplexicaule - To make brooms for using inthreshing yards

Basarimara Ficus infectoria - Wax, fuel

Lakki Litsea chinensis Leaves Mixed with grain to preventthe attack of storage pests.

Bellante Albizia procera - For washing hairs

Kumbarakodu and Shankarapura aresmall villages of Karnataka. Womenfrom poor families make a living bycollecting dried twigs or leaves fromthese forests. The author chose to go outinto the forest with three such knowledgerich women - Nagarathna, Shashirekhaand Nalini. They introduced the authorto a lot many plants and their useswhich were useful and valuable.

Comm: Dr. (Mrs.) Tejaswini, Scientist,Indian Institute of HorticulturalResearch, Hessaraghatta Lake Post,Bangalore 560089

Source: Mrs. Nagaratana, Shanakaramane,Kammaradi Post, Koppa Taluka,Chickamagalure District, Karnataka,Mrs. Shashirekha, Shrinagara,Bangalore,Mrs. Nalini, Krishnarajapuram,Bangalore.

W

Positions Available

Honey Bee is looking for part/full time copy editors, executiveeditor willing to work atAhmedabad or throughinternet : Ed



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Makhir(Pahari version of Honey Bee)Dr A Chandan, ERA, Khundian, DistrictKangra, Himachal Pradesh 176030email: [email protected]

12113 Bishkhappar against Poison

Bishkhappar (Stephania glabra ) tubersare cut into pieces and powdered.Hundred gram of this powder is mixedwith 200 g wheat flour and given to theanimals twice a day to treat foodpoisoning cases. It cures the problem intwo days.

12114 Stomach Problems

(i) Cuscuta reflexa (whole plant) fumesare given in the troubles of digestive tractinfections and any external swellings inanimals.

(ii) Juice made out of bark of ‘vihul’(Grewia optiva) in a dose of 30 ml twicea day controls worm infestation innewborn animals. Similarly, 100 g ash ofpine needle (Pinus roxburghii) mixed

with a litre of fresh water kills the wormin animals.

Kusum Lata, Una District, HP

(iii) Amaltas seeds are traditionally usedas purgative in animals. As it is laxativein nature, it induces purgation in animalsby drawing out fluid from intestines. Incases of severe constipation a mixture ofhalf kg of ‘amaltas’ (Cassia fistula) seeds,

250 g ‘ajwain’, 250 g ‘harad’, 250 gjaggery and half kg wheat barn are givento the animal.

12115 Urine Blockage

A decoction of flowers of ‘palash’ (Buteamonosperma) in a dose of 60 ml is givento animals twice a day for two days to curethe urinary blockage problems.

Poonam Kumari Paisa

12116 Paralysis

A decoction of flowers of ‘palash’ (Buteamonosperma) in a dose of 60 ml twicefor about 15 days is believed to cureparalytic attacks in animals.

Nisha Jwalamukhi

12117 Uses of ‘vacha’

(i) To relieve body pains and fever 100 gdried root powder of ‘vacha’ (Acoruscalamus) mixed with 200 g of wheat flouris given orally twice to animals. This is awidely used practice in Changar area ofKangra District.

Parvesh Kumar, VPO, Lagroo (Khundian)

(ii) A 50 ml paste prepared with fresh rootsof ‘vacha’ cures the infectious conditionsof mouth in animals.

Nirmala Kumari, Una district, H.P

(iii) A powdered mixture of 500 g rootsof ‘vacha’, 500 g ‘zhonkhra’ (Artemirascopoliria), 200 g ‘methi’ (Trigonellafoenum), 200 g ‘ajwain’, 100 g ‘saunth’(dry ginger) and 100 g black salt hasantipyretic/analgesic effect in cattle. Thismixture is administered at the rate of 10to 20 g twice a day as a nasal spray andtopical massage.

(iv) A powder mixture of 100 g ‘vacha’roots, 50 g ‘ajwain’ and 25 g Acaciacatechu is applied inside oral/buccalcavity to heal lesions in mouth of cattle.The mixture is given in a dose of five toten grams twice a day for three days.

According to NAPRALERT information,decoction of Acorus calamus used as ananalgesic and antirheumatic. To cure lowfevers in human essential oil is inhaled. Forintermittent fever essential oil prepared withChinhona bark is given orally. Ref. Motley, TJ:1994, The Ethnobotany of Sweet Flag,Acorus calamus (Araceae). Econ Bot 48 4:397-412. Dept Botany Univ Hawaii HonoluluHi 96822 USA. Commonly known as Sweetflag this plant is used for a number ofmedicinal reasons including, “as an analgesicfor the relief of toothache or headache, for oralhygiene to cleanse and disinfect the teeth, tofight the effects of exhaustion or fatigue, andto help cure/prevent a hangover” (http://w w w. h e r b a l - s h a m a n . c o m / d a t a b a s e /acorcala.htm).

Palash, Poison and Paralysis

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Dear Readers

You are the purpose of Honey Bee.Assert your right. Write. :Ed.



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12118 Control of Castor Semilooper

ormally semilooper (Achaeajanata) attacks Castor crop after

40 to 50 days of sowing. The larvaeconsume most of the foliage leaving justthe veins and petioles [http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/

type/achaea.htm]. To safe guard cropagainst semilooper attack, Shri ArjanbhaiBhalabhai Darbar uses goat urine andleaves of neem. Two kg of neem leavesare soaked in two to three litre of goaturine. This mixture is then distilled.About 500 ml of the distillate is dilutedwith 15 litre of water and sprayed overthe crops. The solution is sprayed againafter five days for higher efficiency.

Neem seed kernel suspensions serve aseffective antifeedants for Achaea janata oncastor. Ref: Chari, M. S. and C. M.Muralidharan. 1985. Neem (Azadirachtaindica Linn.) as feeding deterrent of CastorSemilooper (Achaea janata Linn.). J. Ent. Res.9(2): 243-245.

Farmer: Arjanbhai Bhalabhai Darbar, Jadol,Disa Taluka, Banaskantha. Gujarat. Comm:Pravin Rohit. See HB 3(3&4): 9, 1992, 4(2&3): 25-26, 5(4): 17, 1994, 6(2): 19-21,

1995 on other practices for controllingcastor semilooper. Source: Loksarvani 4(4):5, 1999.

12119 Controlling Leaf Curl witharitha

Shrimati Gitaben ManmohanbhaiIndrodiya uses juice of ‘aritha’ (Sapindusemarginatus) to control leaf curl diseasein rose plant. Hundred gram fruits of‘aritha’ are soaked in one litre of waterfor two to three days. The water is filteredand the filtrate is sprayed on the cropsevery third day. She feels that this spraymakes the leaves glisten and inducesflowering.

Farmer: Gitaben Manmohanbhai Indrodiya,Hingdach Society, Jetpur, Rajkot, Gujarat.Comm: Manmohanbhai V Indrodiya. See HB6(4): 13,15-16 1995, 7(1): 13, 1996, 7(2): 3-4, 1996, 8(2): 14, 1997, 9(3): 14, 1998, 9(4):17, 1998, 10 (1): 1999, 11 (3): 17-18, 2000 onother practices for controlling leaf curldisease. Source: Loksarvani 2(1): 7, 1997.

12120 For Protecting Pulses

Shri Bapjibhai Bhyalbhai Gavint hasdeveloped a practice for storing pulses.'Saag' (Tectona grandis) leaves are spreadin a basket made of paddy straw rope.Dried pulses are kept in the basket alongwith neem leaves, ash, piece of iron and

leather, ‘bhoy ringni’ (Solanumsurattense) and chaff of black/horse gram.The basket is then daubed with a mixtureof clay and cow dung. Bapjibhai claimsthat by using this practice one can storethe pulses for years without any damage/loss. He has been using this traditionalpractice for years.

Ginger can also be used for effective storage,“thirty g of ginger rhizome powder and 50 gof neem kernel powder can be mixed with onekg of any of the pulses such as cowpea,soyabean, pigeon pea, red gram etc. Grainsand pulses can also be stored by mixing themwith Neem oil (2-3 ml/kg of seed). The neemoil used against stored grain pests should be1-2% by weight of the grain.” (http://www.ciks.org/ppost/prevent.html).

Farmer: Bapjibhai Bhayalbhai Gavint,Bilpudi, Dharampur Taluka, Valsad, Gujarat.Comm: Nayan Gavint. Source: Loksarvani4(4): 6, 1999

12121 Treating Yoke Gall

Yoke gall is formed on the nape ofbullocks when the wood used for makingplough is not smooth. It is also formed ifthe height of the two bullocks is not equalor when there is more strain on one or boththe bullocks. Shri Rupabhai DhediyabhaiVasava suggests the use of ‘tanach’ leaves(Ougeinia oojeinensis) for treating yokegall. He applies paste of 100 g ‘tanach’leaves thrice a day for four to five dayson the gall.

Formerly classified as Ougeinia oojeinensisand Dalbergia oojeinensis, (Leguminosae,Subfamily Papilionoideae) this valuabletimber is now called Ougeinia dalbergioides.It is a medium-sized semi-deciduous tree, isa good fuel and also fodder. The calorificvalue ranges from 4900-5200 Kcal/kg. Leavesare used as cattle feed and highly valued,as they contain 12-15% of crude protein.Other parts like bark are also useful, “barkfibers are suitable for making rope and thebark is used as a fish poison and to reducefever.” (http://www.winrock.org/forestry/factpub/FACTSHO_ dalbergioides.html).Another use of the leaf is to cure conjunctivitisin cattle. The leaves are pounded and twoto three drops of the extracted juice is putinside the eyes of cattle daily in morning forthree to four days (http://www.mssrf.org/Fris9809/Fris1117.html).

Farmer: Rupabhai Dhediyabhai Vasava,Koililiva, Dediyapada Taluka, Bharuch,Gujarat. Comm: Villambhai Vasava andRamesh C Patel. See HB 3(3&4): 11, 1992,

Loksarvani(Gujarati version of Honey Bee)Ramesh Patel, C/o SRISTI, Post Box No.15050, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380 015.email: [email protected]

Control of Castor Semilooper

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4(4): 17, 1993, 9(1): 10, 1998, 9(3): 17, 1998,9(4): 19, 1998, 11(2): 13, 2000 for otherpractices for treating yoke gall. Source:Loksarvani 4(4): 6, 1999.

12122 Vitex Negundo to TreatMastitis

Mastitis is an inflammation of mammarygland mainly caused by bacteria andoccasionally by fungi and algae.Bacteria like Staphylococus aureus,Streptococus agalactiae and E. coli arethe most common pathogens causingmastitis in animals. The most importantsymptoms are abnormality in milksecretion and swelling of udder and teats.Milk becomes watery and blood-tingedwith or without clots or flakes. The udderand teats are hardened, swollen and feel

hot to touch especially while milking.Further, on milking a sticky fluid or puscomes out. To treat this disease MuljibhaiChelabhai Vasava uses root of 'nagod'(Vitex negundo). About 100 ml of juiceis extracted by grinding root or bark of'nagod'. The extracted juice is dilutedwith water and applied twice a day for fourdays on the sore on the udder.

Almost all parts of Vitex negundo possesssome medicinal utility, “the leaves are smokedto treat headache, and infusion of the leavesis used to treat ulcers and abscesses. Theflower buds are used to treat pneumonia, rootsas an expectorant and tonic, and oil is rubbedon rheumatic joints. The root, leaves, and fruitsare used to treat colds, coughs, bacterialdysentery, and to prevent malaria” (http://www.herbweb.com/herbage /A518.htm).

Farmer: Muljibhai Chelabhai Vasava,Padhvaniya, Zagadiya Taluka, Bharuch,Gujarat. Comm: Villambhai U Vasava. See HB4(4): 17, 1993, 6(1): 10, 1995, 7(3): 17, 1996,10(1): 8, 1999, 10(3): 14, 1999, 10(4): 8, 1999,10(4): 15, 1999 on other practices for treatingmastitis. Source Loksarvani 4(3): 6, 1999.

12123 Retention of Placenta

Retention of Placenta (ROP) is mostlyobserved in cows and buffaloes andoccasionally observed in goats and sheep.The characteristic symptom of ROP ismacerated and necrotic membraneshanging from the vulva after 24 hr ofpostpartum and later on a fluid vulvadischarge that taints the milk. For easyexpulsion of placenta after deliveryapproximately two kg pearl millet(Pennisetum americanum) grains, 100 gof 'methi' (Trigonella foenum-graecum)seeds, 50 g of 'asalio' (Lepidiumsativum), 25 g of 'suva' (Anethumgraveolens) and 500 g of jaggery areboiled in water for one hour. The cookedfeed (after cooling) is fed to cow or buffaloafter delivery. The placenta expels outwithin three to four hours after thistreatment. The practice is used commonlyin this area.

Farmer: Maganbhai Panchabhai Vaghasiya,Bhesan, Bhesan Taluka, Junagadh, GujaratComm: Dilip Koradiya. See HB 4(1): 14, 1993,5(2): 12, 1994, 5(2): 18, 1994, 9(3): 9, 1998,10(2): 14, 1999 for other practices on easyexpulsion of placenta.

12124 Foot and Mouth Disease

This disease locally called ‘kharva-mova’is a highly contagious viral disease of allcloven footed animals. The onset ofdisease is characterised by reduced milk

production andhigh feveraccompanied bysevere depression,anorexia followedby the appearanceof painfulstomatitis. Thereis profusesalivation andvesicles appear inthe mouth and

between the hooves. Because of this, theinfected animal stops feeding and startslimping.

a) Madhabhai Kahabhai Bhanbhaisuggests leaves of ‘arni’ (Clerodendrumphlomides) and tobacco for its treatment.About 50 to 100 g leaves of ‘arni’ and

ten g leaves of tobacco are ground andthe paste is applied on the hooves ofaffected animals twice a day for threedays. This prevents the secondarybacterial infection.

Farmer: Madhabhai Kahabhai Bhanbhai,Gundel, Khedbrahma taluka, Sabarkantha,Gujarat. Comm: Ishwar Valand

b) Fruit pulp of three to four ‘bili’ (Aeglemarmelos) fruits is applied on the hoovesof the animal twice a day for two days.‘Sitafali’ (Annona squamosa) leaves canalso be used as an alternative. Juice from200 g crushed leaves of ‘sitafali’ is appliedon hooves of the animals twice a day forthree days.

Farmer: Parsingbhai Gheriabjai Vasava,Moskut, Dediyapada taluka, Bharuch,Gujarat. Comm: Villambhai Vasava. See HB2(1): 20, 1991, 3(2): 20, 1992, 3(3&4): 12,1992, 4(1): 13, 1993, 5(3): 19-21, 1994, 6(4):9, 1995, 7(3): 9, 1996, 8(2): 15, 1997, 9(2):17-18, 1998, 10(1): 4, 1999,11 (1): 7-8, 2000

(Given large scale outbreak of FMD in Gujaratand elsewhere, SADBHAV-SRISTI-Sansodhannatural product lab is developing severalherbal medication for controlling FMDinfection. Interested NGO/farmers may pleasecontact SSS lab at SRISTI. We are also takingup some trials in the quake affected villages.: Ed)

12125 Making Wood for Furniture

Many a times crack appears on woodsstored for making furniture. Such woodthen can not be used for the purpose.Laxmanbhai Pethani has found aninteresting solution to this problem.Fresh wood log is buried under dryleaves and garbage and warmed forsome time. Later the bark is removedand the wood is buried in the dunghillfor 20 to 25 days. It is claimed thatwood cured by this process is ideal formaking furniture, as it doesn’t crack.Moreover, it is not affected by moisturein the atmosphere. It is advisable tostore the wood in shade.

Farmer: Laxmanbhai Mahgibhai Pethani,Patanvav, Ghoraji Taluka, Rajkot, GujaratComm: K J Sadariya, Gram Sevak, Jetpur,Rajkot, Gujarat. Source: Loksarvani2(1): 7, 1997



29

12126 Rhinoceros Beetle Control

hinoceros beetle (Oryctesrhinocerous) is a major problem

in coconut. To get rid of this pest, twokg of castor is ground and placed in a potfilled with one to two litre of countryliquor. This pot is then placed in the farmto possibly trap the beetles. One shouldtake care that the cows don’t feed on thecontents, as it is poisonous.

This beetle attacks different species of palmsincluding coconut, betel nut, sago palm anddates, “they fly at night and feed bytunneling into the young coconut leaves.This damage causes a typical V-shapednotch. If they reach the growing tip, the palmmay be killed. Even without that, severe lossof leaf tissue results in decreased nuts e t . ” ( h t t p : / / w w w . c r e e s . o r g /p l a n t p r o t e c t i o n / A u b We b / b u g w e b /i227.htm). One of the methods forcontrolling the pest is, “trap the adults withcastor cake. Soak castor cake at 1 kg in 5litres of water in small mud pots and keepthem in the oil palm garden to attract andkill the adults. Change the slurry once in amonth.” (http://www.the-hindu.com/2000/09/28/stories/0828002d.htm)

Farmer: P Sekar Pattu Pillai, East street,Ettukkudi

See Honey Bee 5(2): 17, 1984, 8(2): 8,1997, 7(1): 8, 1996, 10(3):12, 1999, 11(1):4-5, 2000 for other methods of controllingthis beetle.

12127 Grain Storage through Salt

Common salt is put under the vesselcontaining the grains. Insects cannotmove on the salt, thus their entry into thevessel is prevented. This method hasbeen followed traditionally and the costcomes to around three to four rupees only.

Farmer: G Panduinathan Govinda Raju,East Street, Ettukkudi

See Honey Bee 3(1): 15, 18, 1996, 7(1): 8,1996, 8(2): 7, 1997, 9(4): 10, 1998, 10(1):4, 1999 for other uses of common salt

12128 Plants as Indicators

Some plants like sunflower are sown alongwith the main crop to be used as indicators.These plants are sensitive to waterscarcity and hence show symptoms ofdrying under water stress. The farmerscan thus predict the time of irrigation.

Farmer: G Panduinathan Govindha Raju,East Street, Ettukkudi (Bhaskarbhai hasused croton for the same purpose in paddycrop. :Ed)

12129 Palm Leaf for RemovingSalinity

Palm leaves are incorporated in the fieldand kept bare for 60 to 70 days. Later the

farm is ploughed. Palm leaves absorb saltsfrom soil and thus facilitate soilreclamation. This is a traditional practice.

Farmer: K Subbiah Kanju Pillai, SouthStreet, Ettukkudi

12130 Leaf Spots in Banana

Tobacco leaves are soaked in cold waterfor two to three days. The supernatantsolution is taken and diluted with waterand then sprayed on the leaves with thehelp of hand sprayer. For effectiveprevention of leaf spots the solution issprayed early in the morning or late in theevening.

Farmer: S Ravi Subbiah, South Street,Ettukkudi

12131 Termite Control by Calotropis

Calotropis leaves are immersed in waterfor two days. Later, the extract ofthese leaves is diluted with water andapplied at the place of termiteattack. This method is quite cost effective.

Farmer: V Kannappan Vairukanna, SouthStreet, Ettukkudi

See Honey Bee 2(1): 15, 1991, 4(2&3): 11,1993, 5(2): 8,1994, 8(2): 14, 1997, 8(3):12, 1997, 12(1): 15, 2000 for othermethods to control termite. (Althoughtermite can also be very helpful in certainsituations: Ed)

12132 Prevention of GarlicSprouting

Ten kg of wet garlic is mixed with twokg of ragi in a clean empty vessel toprevent garlic sprouting. Ragi is usedbecause it has the capacity to absorbmoisture. This is a traditional method.

Farmer: P Ganesan, Temple Street, Tea Stall

This article is the result of the assignment submitted by the students of bachelors degree of Pandit Jawaharlal NehruCollege of Agriculture and Research Institute (PJNCARI), Karaikal, (Govt. of Pondicherry undertaking) as a part of theircourse work under taken in village. The assignment was done under the supervision of Dr S Anandkumar. He has specialisedin the field of extension education and has pursued research on organic farming, sustainable agriculture, intellectualproperty rights, indigenous knowledge, common property resource, etc. He belongs to that rare tribe of teachers whoare trying to inculcate a sense of pride among students in our traditional and contemporary knowledge systems. We hopeothers will follow suit and send us similar pedagogies of learning from people.

Deepening Education Process: Learning by Living with Farmers in Pondicherry

It's time to irrigatethe crop !

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The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.Why must you contribute to its cause?

Because even as you read this, myriad species of wild plants and animals, livestockbreeds, and crop varieties are dying out;

Because indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources leads to severe shortages ofwater, fodder and fuel; and disasters such as floods, landslides and famines;

Because the rate at which the earth is being plundered, there won't be much left tosustain human existence for long.

Because you have the power to make a difference

The Government of India has commissioned the developmentof a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).This process, coordinated by NGOs and official agencies, aimsto produce a series of action plan at local, state and nationallevels with inputs from thousands of people and groups allaround the country.

If you have information on biodiversity, ideas for workshops, public hearings, and todevelop a local level action plan, or in any other way to contribute to the NBSAPprocess, please contact organisers now.

Tele: 91-11-6415314, 6415385 Fax: 6219541; Email: [email protected]

11233 Control of Ants in Climbers

To control the movement of ants on theclimbers, cotton cloth dipped in keroseneis tied on the climber where the movementof ant is more. Due to the irritating effectof kerosene, ants and other insects get

repelled. Most farmers in this area use thistechnique.

Farmer: V Kannappan Vairakannu, TempleStreet, Ettukkudi

12134 Control of Earhead Bug

Four to five kg of rice bran mixed withone litre of kerosene is broadcast in paddyfield during the early morning hours. Thelimitation of this method is that it cannotbe used on a large scale.

Farmer: P Ganesan Poornaku, TempleStreet, Ettukkudi

12135 Red Soil to Prevent Insects

Red soil is mixed with water and smallpellets are made. These pellets are driedin sunlight and are mixed with pulses inthe storing vessel. It is believed that redearth has some acidic character whichrepels the insect pest.

Farmer: A Mutthu Arunachalam, Vedakka,Thirukkuvalai

12136 Metal Sheet in Coconut Tree

To avoid the climbing of squirrels andother herbivorous animals, metal sheetshaving a width of about two feet are fixedwith the help of nails all around the trunk.These sheets are fixed at about ten feetfrom ground level. This method is effectiveand is also economically feasible. (This iswidely used practice: Ed.)

Farmer: P Shekhar Pattu Pillai, Vadakkuveethi, Thirukkuvalai . Comm: ASenthamiyh Selvan, PJNCARI, Karaikal forpractice No. 12122 to 12136.

12137 Herbal Seed Treatment forReinvigorating Plants

To increase the nutrient content, droughttolerant capacity, germination percentageand vigour of pulse seedlings grown afterpaddy crop in the same field, locallyavailable leaves are used to treat seeds.Leaves of Calotropis, ‘karuvel’ (Acacianilotica), ‘pongam’ (Pongamia pinnata)and neem are crushed and dissolved inwater. Pulse seeds are mixed well withthe leaf extract. The seeds are kept asideovernight for uniform coating of theextracts on the seeds. Next day thesolution is drained and the seeds are driedin sun for two hours. These seeds are thenbroadcasted in the field.

12138 Storage

Leaves of ‘notchi’, neem and ‘pongam’(Pongamia pinnata) are collected and putinto the storage box or roomalong with the grains to protect them frompests and diseases. The leaves can be

changed regularly for betterresults. In another method, driedleaves of notchi, neem and pongam areput in a mud pot along with somedried chillies. These are then burntand kept inside the storage room.The process is repeated every weekdepending upon the intensity of pestattack.

Comm: C. Babu, PJNCARI, Karaikal

12139 Root Dipping Method

In order to have healthy and vigorouspaddy seedlings, the uprooted seedlingroots are dipped in powdered solution ofgroundnut and neem cake beforetransplantation. The solution is preparedby soaking groundnut and neem cake inwater overnight. Small quantity of thissolution is poured in the field in theirrigation channel. The seedlings sotreated establish easily and are lessvulnerable to pest attack for someperiod. The process is slightly difficultto follow, as it is laborious and timeconsuming.

Farmer: K Sambandam, Kamnapoor



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ansukhbhaiAmbabhai

Jagani (36 years)was born in amiddle class familywhich had twentybighas of land. Theyoungest among hisfour brothers, he

studied up to 5th standard and joined hisfather in agricultural work. He laterworked as a diamond cutter and a farmlabourer in various places beforereturning to his village to set up a smallwelding and drilling shop.

The farmers of his region are forced tofind a replacement of bullocks forcarrying out agricultural operations. Thereasons being the lack of fodder for thedraught animal due to the regularoccurrence of famine. The movementof farm labourers towards citiescompounds the situation further makingit difficult for farmers to hire labour.The availability of bullock has also gonedown. The villagers approached ShriMansukhbhai to look for an alternativethat could not only save labour but alsospeed up the process of farmingoperations.

Mansukhbhai had ten years experiencein self motivated R & D. It was in year1994, inspired by the ‘chhakdo’ (localthree wheel taxi in Saurashtra) he thoughtof utilising the Enfield bullet – a

Motorcycle Mounted Plough: An Innovation AwaitingRecognition and Support

powerful motorcycle commonly used inthe region as a replacement to thebullock. He decided to first convert thepetrol motorcycle into a diesel onedriven by a 5.5 H.P. engine. He thenremoved the rear wheel of the motorcycleand replaced it with an attachment withtwo wheels. He named the new machine

as “Motorcycle-Santi” (a multipurposetool bar conventionally used inSaurashtra region, drawn by bullocks).The differential of the new attachmentwas synchronised with the engine andthe speed of the same was kept low.The attachment was designed to use themultipurpose tool bar on which varioustilling, inter-culturing and sowingequipment could be mounted. This deviceis much smaller than the tillers used ontractors but it is stronger than the santipulled by bullocks. The machine iscost-effective and efficient. It cancultivate one acre of land in half an hourconsuming only two litre fuel. It hardlytakes 30-40 minutes to assemble anddissemble the attachment. It, however,at present suffers with one limitation.On reaching one end of the field, it hasto be shifted to the next row by lifting.Otherwise it can damage the entireplant-row in the process of the changingthe direction. An improvement beingthought is to provide hydraulic systemso that no mounting load is needed tokeep it firm on ground and a singleperson can operate it. Using motorcycle-

santi, the cost of weeding a hectare ofland is eight rupees and around tenhectare can be covered in a day.He has prepared a prototype which isfound to be good and used extensivelyby the local people. The santi has beendisplayed at the Indian Science Congress2000 as well as at the Swadeshi VigyanMela at IIT Delhi. The response hasbeen impressive. Most of the observersfound the innovation of great use.

Mansukhbhai's village is about 40 kmaway from the taluka place, Babra. Fordoing any kind of developmental researchwork he has to go to Babra. Thisbecomes very expensive and timeconsuming job. Despite this he is tryingto meet the demand of the local buyerswhich is increasing day by day, but dueto limited resources he is unable tosupply as per demand. To overcome allthese hurdles and to carry out thedevelopment work smoothly GujaratGrassroots Innovation AugmentationNetwork (GIAN) is helping him to seekfinancial assistance under theTechnopreneur Promotion Programme(TePP). GIAN would also helpMansukhbhai to contact various agenciesthat could provide him with technicaland design engineering inputs.

Mansukhbhai Jagani is an innovative artisan from Mota Devaliya village in Amreli district of Gujarat. He has developeda revolutionary farming machine entirely through his own efforts. He has designed a bullet motorcycle driven multipurposecontraption which can be used for ploughing, weeding, and sowing of seeds. It results in drastically reducing the costof these operations. Mahesh Parmar of SRISTI has scouted this innovation.

M

Profile

The Garden

An effective spray against mites andtheir eggs is made by mixing half cupbutter milk, four cups of wheat flourand five gallons of water.

In the early morning when dew isheavy, sprinkle rye or wheat flour onthe plants infested with cabbagewormand moths. The bugs get stuck inthe resulting dough, and then the sunbakes them.

Source: The Smallholder, No. 94, Winter 2001



32

necessities” (Jardel, et al. 1997; footnote2). Conservationists value it for itsscientific importance and its geneticpotential. Milpilla has also been used asone of the “flagship” species for justifyingthe reserve’s establishment (IMECBIO2000).

Nowadays, milpilla is found in fourlocalities in the Sierra de Manantlán:Las Joyas, Manantlán, Rincón deManantlán and San Miguel. It growsbetween 1,350 and 2,440 metres abovesea level in relatively open gaps of Pine,Pine-Oak and mesophylic forest (Benz,et al. 1990). The area under milpilla-populations vary in size from fivehectares in Manantlán and Rincón deManantlán, 40 hectares dispersed inLas Joyas, to 320 hectares in San Miguel(Jardel 1992). Different places wheremilpilla is found have been used forshifting maize cultivation, at least duringthe last twenty years (Benz, et al. 1990).Here, we will focus on the milpillapopulations in Las Joyas and San Miguel.

ndigenous knowledge andconservation strategy used by

farmers of San Miguel de Ayotitlan(SMDA) community may be crucial formanaging their natural surroundings. Wehave tried to focus our study on themost important wild endemic species ofthe SMDA community i.e. Milpilla.Various social and cultural processeshelp in conservation of this species. Aspointed out by Posey (1999), biodiversitycannot be conserved without linking itwith the cultural diversity that co-existswith it. The community of San Miguelis located within the Sierra de Manantlánbiosphere reserve (SMBR) in WesternMexico.

Differential Value Constructions

Many different values can be attributedto nature. Intrinsic and option valuesrefer to the right of nature to exist now,or in the future. Use and exchangevalues deal with obtaining products andservices for subsistence and commercialpurposes (Rolston 1994).

Through biodiversity conservation,conservationists attribute intrinsic andoption values to nature, while use andexchange values often are given shapeby scientific research and education.Nature’s ecological integrity must besafeguarded. Amongst farmers, use andexchange values dominate. Intrinsicvalues normally are not that common,while option values often are ofsecondary importance.

The establishment of biosphere reservessets new rules for governing naturalresource use and management, andmostly intrinsic and option values un-derlie them. These rules generally

include an exclusion of farmers fromnature in the strictly protected corezones, while sustainable land-use issought in the buffer zones. Involvingfarmers in conservation activities, how-ever, has challenged reserve managers(Gerritsen 1998). The latter stands incontrast with the fact that farmersin the SMBR have co-existed withnature for centuries (Laitner andBenz 1994) and in multiple ways(Gerritsen 2000). The description of themanagement of Zea diploperennis bySan Miguel farmers given below showsthis.

Presenting Milpilla

“Milpilla”, as San Miguel farmers call Zeadiploperennis, is a wild relative of cornand one of the endemic species of theSierra de Manantlán (Photo). Scientistsdiscovered it in 1977, and consider it as:“[...] one of the symbolic examples of theimportance of the conservation of wildspecies for its potential to resolve human

De-Constructing Conservation Flagships: The Case of Milpilla (Zeadiploperennis) in The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve in Western Mexico

Peter R. W. Gerritsen, Mireia Parera P. and Humberto Bustos S.1

Department of Ecology and Natural Resources, University of Guadalajara, P.O. Box 64, 48900 Autlán, Jal., Mexico.email: [email protected]

I

Photo 1: Milpilla as part of secondary vegetation (courtesy: Peter Gerritsen)



33

Milpilla in San Miguel and Las Joyas

Both in San Miguel and Las Joyas,humans have been present sinceprehispanic times (Laitner-Benz andBenz 1994). Thus, the size anddistribution of the milpilla-populationsis most probably related to indigenousland-use practices. Although theforegoing is not totally proved, it is nowaccepted that its current size anddistribution does depend on humanactions.

In San Miguel, farmers actively managemilpilla for three reasons, i.e. for raisingproductivity of traditional maize varieties,for improving resistance of traditionalmaize varieties against plagues anddiseases, and for obtaining high qualityfodder. During cropping season, farmersweed the majority of the milpilla plants.They also maintain, however, animportant number in their fields to assurehybridisation with traditional maizevarieties. Milpilla plants are maintainedboth within and alongside the cultivationfields. Weeding of milpilla is also doneto ensure its regrowth during the nextcrop season and for maintainingmilpilla´s genetic potential. After harvest,the hybridised ears of corn are guardedand the seeds sown during the nextseason. This is done three times, as ittakes three cropping seasons to obtaina good yield through hybridisation. Thedistribution and survival of milpilla alsodepends on freely roaming cattle, whoeat the milpilla plants and disperse itsseeds through their manure. Farmersalso actively spread seeds in their fieldsin order to secure sufficient pasture aftercultivation (Benz, et al. 1990; Sánchez,et al. 1991). Due to the SMBR’sestablishment, the milpilla populationin Las Joyas has become part of the corezone Manantlán-Las Joyas. In turn, SanMiguel has become part of both coreand buffer zone. Consequently, allanthropogenetic factors have beenexcluded in Las Joyas, whilemanagement practices could go on asdescribed before in San Miguel. Fromecological studies, it has become clearthat, in due course of time, the milpilla

populations may become geneticallypoorer and may be replaced by moreshade-tolerant species in Las Joyas, whilethey might survive and could begenetically richer in San Miguel (Benzet al. 1990). Thus, in the long termmilpilla will be threatened by extinctionfrom the core zone Manantlán-Las Joyas,as natural disturbances do not secure itssurvival. To prevent this, conservationists

have been elaborating a specialmanagement plan for rescuing milpilla,which is partially based on traditionalland-use practices (Sánchez 1999: pers.comm.).

Conclusion

This article clearly shows the importanceof farmer knowledge in conservingbiodiversity. In fact, farmer’s knowledgeand management practices are crucialfor the survival of certain endemicspecies, such as the case discussed here.This leads us to two general reflections.Firstly, a farmer perspective onbiodiversity conservation is needed.Secondly, it implies the creation ofappropriate interfaces between farmersand conservationists. These are needed,as values attributed to nature differbetween these two actors. Findingappropriate interfaces may help toimprove mutual understanding about bothbiodiversity and conservation. Thisdoes imply, however, a joint effort of allinvolved actors.

References

Benz, B.F., L.R. Sánchez V. and F.J. SantanaM. (1990) ‘Ecology and ethnobotany of Zeadiploperennis. Preliminary investigations.’Maydica 35: 85-98.

Gerritsen, P.R.W. (1998) ‘Communitydevelopment, natural resource managementand biodiversity conservation in the Sierrade Manantlán biosphere reserve, Mexico.’

Community Development Journal, Vol. 33,No.4, October 1998: 314-324.

Gerritsen, P.R.W. (2000) ‘A farmers’perspective on biodiversity from WesternMexico.’ Indigenous Knowledge andDevelopment Monitor Vol. 8 (2), July 2000:14-18.

IMECBIO (2000) Programa de manejo dela reserva de la biosfera Sierra de Manantlán,México. Mexico city: INE/SEMARNAP.

Jardel P., E.J. (Coord.) (1992) Estrategiapara la conservación de la reserva de labiosfera Sierra de Manantlán. El Grullo:LNLJ, Universidad de Guadalajara.

Jardel P., E.J., G. Cruz S. and S.H. GrafM. (1997) Manejo forestal comunitario enuna reserva de la biosfera: la experienciadel ejido El Terrero en la Sierra deManantlán. Paper presented at the XXInternational Congress of the Latin AmericanStudies Association. Guadalajara: April, 17-19, 1997.

Laitner-Benz, K. and B.F. Benz (1994) ‘Lascondiciones culturales y ambientales en lareserva de la biosfera Sierra deManantlán en tiempo de la conquista: unaperspectiva de los documentosetnohistóricos secundarios.’ Pp. 15-41 inPalafox, R.A. (coord.) (1994) Estudios dehombre 1. Guadalajara: Universidad deGuadalajara.

Posey, D.A. (1999) Cultural and spiritualvalues of biodiversity. A complementarycontribution to the Global BiodiversityAssessment. London: IntermediateTechnology Publications.

Rolston, H., III (1994) Conserving naturalvalues. New York: Columbia University Press.Perspective in Biological Diversity Series.

Sánchez V., L.R., J.A. Solis M., E. Cortéz,R.G. Jiménez G., A.L. Cárdenas T. and M.P.Rosales A. (1991) ‘Efecto del cultivotradicional del maíz sobre el crecimiento ydesarrollo de Zea diploperennis.’ BIOTAM(1991) Vol 3. (3): 51-58

Farmer’s knowledge andmanagement practices are crucialfor the survival of certain endemicspecies.

Advertising in Honey Beepays. Honey Bee is read bymost discerning policymakers, scientists, NGOs, andfarmers in 75 countries aroundthe world



34

Scientific name Vernacular Partsnames2 used

Plants used for bathingAnagallis arvensis N.Sabune -(Primulaceae) jhar

Boehmaria rugulosa N.Dar Bark(Urticaceae)Carissa carandas N.Karaunda Bark(Apocynaceae)

Phyllanthus parvifolius N.Khareto Whole(Euphorbiaceae) plant

Albizia lucidor (Leguminosae) N.Padake Bark

Plants used for Washing Cloth

Acacia ruguta (Leguminosae) N.Sikakai FruitSolanum aculitissimum N.Kantakari Fruit(Solanaceae)

Xeromphis spinosa (Rubiaceae) N.Main FruitAesandra butyracea N.Chyuri Oil-cake(Sapotaceae)

Madhuca longifolia Th.Mahuwa Oil-cake(Sapotaceae)Brassica campestris N.Sarson Plant-ashvar. sarson (Cruciferae)

Brassica napus (Cruciferae) N. Tori Plant-ashAsparagus racemosus D.Kurilo Root(Liliaceae) G.Pustu

Cyathula capitata N.Kuro Root(Amaranthaceae)

Sapindus mukorossi N.Ritha Seed(Sapindaceae)

Euphorbia parviflora N.Masino Whole(Euphorbiaceae) dudhi plant

Persicaria lapathifolia D.Phelwa Whole(Polygonaceae) makundo plant

Shorea robusta D.Sakhwa Wood-ash(Dipterocarpaceae)

Plants used for Washing HairDiplocyclos palmatus N.Sano Fruit(Cucurbitaceae) ghuru

Orneocnide frutescens T.Punji Roots(Urticaceae)

Pilea anisophylla (Urticaceae) C.Bangelau Roots

Sida acuta (Malvaceae) N.Balu jhar RootsGonostegia hirta (Urticaceae) T.Blensing SeedPouzolzia zeylanica N. Maslahari Whole(Urticaceae) plant

Scrophlaria urticaefolia N.Mokhi Whole(Scrophulariaceae) ghasns plant

Triumfetta rhomboides N.Balu Whole(Tiliaceae) plant

Jatropha curcas Ma.Aril Cotyle-(Euphorbiaceae). dons

Traditional Use of Plants for Bathing and Washing Clothes in Nepal

epal, a Himalayan country has unique blend of nature andculture. About 77% of its area is covered with mountains

and hills and the rest is the flat lands of terai in the south (CBS,1998). The country has about 0.1 per cent of world’s land surfacebut it claims over two per cent of flowering plants in its smallland mass. The people of this area use their own indigenousknowledge for using plants to fulfill their basic requirements. Thedata about the use of plants for washing and bathing was collectedin last fifteen years during the ethnobotanical study, conducted indifferent parts of the country. The author wishes to thank the tribalpeople viz. Mr. Ram B. Tamang of Godawari, Mr. Ghale Gurungof Kaski, Mr. Chet B. Majhi of Ramechhap, Mr. Bhishma Mallaof Jajarkot, Mr. Sani Lal Danuwar of Sindhuli and Mr. DhodhaiTharu of Banke who liberally shared their indigenous knowledge,extending full co-operation during the field study.

The table gives us the names of plants and their uses for bathingand washing. Altogether 31 species of plants of 25 genera and18 families were used for the purpose. The root, bark, whole plant,fruit, seed, oil-cakes and ash are mainly used for bathing, washinghead and clothes. The parts of plant are pounded and mixed inwater and then used for bathing and washing head. The root ofSida acuta Brum. f. and the bark of Carissa carandas L are usedfor removing lice whereas the root of Pilea anisophylla Wedd. isconsidered as anti-dandruff. For washing clothes, the parts of plantare ground and mixed with water. The clothes are immersed init and left for one to two hours. These are then beaten with awooden hammer and washed in clean water. In case of plant-ash,it is first mixed in water used for boiling the clothes for aboutone to two hours. After that, the same process is continued withclean water. Tharu people preserve the ash of Brassica campestrisL. var. sarson and Brassica napus L. for future use. Most ofthe information provided has not been recorded so far in Nepal.However, Manandhar (1992; 1991) has noted the use of Pileaanisophylla for washing head and to remove dandruff from Tamangand Tharu tribes.

References

CBS. 1998. Statistical Pocket Book, Nepal. Central Bureau ofStatistics(CBS), HMG of Nepal, Kathmandu.

Manandhar, N. P.1992. Folk-lore Medicine of Dhading district, Nepal.

Fitoterapia 36 (2):163- 177. Manandhar, N. P.1991. Medicinal Plant-lore of Tamang tribes of Kabhrepalanchok district, Nepal. EconomicBotany 45(1):58-71.

Narayan Prasad Manandhar1

N

1Author can be contacted at, Ka 3-16, Naya Baneshwar, P. O. Box 3389,Kathmandu, Nepal2Vernacular names: C.Chepang; D.Danuwar; N.Nepali; G.Gurung;D.Danuwar; Ma.Majhi; Th.Tharu; T.Tamang



35

Ancient and MedievalHistory of Indian Ag-riculture, and its rel-evance to SustainableAgriculture in the 21st

Century; Proceedingsof the Summer Schoolheld from 28th May to

17th June 1999.S.L. Choudhary, G.S. Sharma, and Y LNene (Eds.), Rajasthan College of Agri-culture, Udaipur, p.363

Dr Nene is an internationally renownedagricultural scientist who has been per-forming an unique service to the cause ofsustainable agriculture by way of bring-ing out a journal on Asian Agriculture His-tory under the aegis of Asian AgricultureHistory Foundation, Secunderabad. Thevolume under review brings togetherfourty nine very interesting papers aboutdifferent dimensions of ancient and me-dieval developments in the field of agri-culture. The volume begins with theitemised historical milestones in the evo-lution of agriculture and culture during thelast twelve thousand years. The refer-ences to agricultural practices and beliefsystems in Rigveda, Sangam Literature ofTamil Nadu, and Kautilya’s Artha-shashtraare brought out in several papers. The vol-ume includes papers on ancient agricul-tural practices relating to plant protection,irrigation, reclamation of soil, animal hus-bandry, soil fertility besides role of tradi-tional media in agricultural communica-tion. Some of these insights obviously haveconsiderable relevance even today.Balkundi (pp. 39-45) provides very use-ful knowledge about astronomical fore-casting of rainfall and measurement ofrainfall. Nene in his commentary onKrishi-Parashara provides a critical as-sessment of the recommendations givenin this document written probably duringfourth century A.D. The commentary onVrikshayur-veda is one of the very infor-mative section of the book particularlybecause of the practical remedies givenfor many common ailments observed intrees and crops. Many of these practices

such as use of milk for curing insectcaused wounds (pp.129), alone or in com-bination with honey, butter oil, cows urine,mustard extract etc., are still in use inmany parts of the country. Some of therecent findings seem to validate, seem-ingly controversial recommendations suchas cultivation and incorporation of sesamebefore growing other crops. Nene sub-mits that this could help in controlling theobnoxious weed namely Cyperusrotundus and also sesame could act as agood trap crop for striga (pp.131). Theauthor has compared the materials rec-ommended in Vrikshayurveda with thecontemporary knowledge of these mate-rials. For instance, the use ofClerodendrum phlomides (frequently re-ferred in Honey Bee issues 3(2):21, 1992,8(4):9, 1997, 9(1):15-16, 1998) has beenreported to have antifungal, antiviral,antifeedent, antibacterial and molluscicidalproperties. Similarly Aegle marmelos isreported to have many similar properties.Recent studies have shown that leaf ex-tract of this plant reduced the rice tungrodisease by interfering with leafhopperfeeding. The milk is supposed to have vi-rus inhibitory effect and its positive ef-fect on saprophytic bacteria could pro-mote antibiosis against pathogens (seeHoney Bee 3(3&4):8, 1992). The use ofSemecarpus anacardium as insecticidal,antiseptic, termite-repellent, anthelminticand antibacterial in plants and animals isvery popular even today. Taparia (pp. 245-251) provides an historical evolution ofanimal husbandry. Durve (pp. 262-267)provides very interesting review of his-torical evidence on pisciculture in ancienttimes. The use of fish, the most fertilevertebrate in rituals as a symbol of love,affection and appreciation is deeply en-trenched in West Bengal culture even to-day. The earliest literature on fish cultureis reported in China in 475 BC. The useof fish as manure for coconut, creepersand other plants is practiced in many partsof the country. Likewise the piscicidalproperties of different trees such asMadhuca indica and Myrica esculentaare well known in contemporary times.

The practice of sedating the fish by usingbark or leaves of different trees is widelypracticed in many tribal and farming ar-eas. The advantage of rice fish culture waswell known in ancient times.

The quality of the papers is uneven, asis expected in a compilation of this kindbut the fact that so much of extremelyvaluable information is provided in oneplace, makes this volume a necessaryacquisition in every library and personalcollection. There is no doubt that AsianAgriculture History Foundation wouldcontinue to bring out such publicationsfrom time to time and enrich ourunderstanding of a continuing traditionof invention and innovation over last3000 years. It is worth mentioning thatIndian Council of Agricultural Researchhas contributed to this summer schooland in that sense renewed a traditionof learning from the history began in60’s through publications by RoyChoudhary and M.S. Randhawa. Itremains to be seen as to how many ofthe insightsand leads provided in this bookwould be taken up for research by thescientists of ICAR and AgriculturalUniversities.

Indigenous RiceVarietiesS Arumugasamy, NJayashankar, KS u b r a m a n i a n ,Subhashini Sridhar, K.Vijayalakshmi, Centrefor Indian Knowledge

Systems, No 30, Gandhi Mandapam Road,Kotturpuram, Chennai – 600085 and Pes-ticide Action Network (PAN-AP), Malay-sia, p. 34.

The Centre for Indian KnowledgeSystems focuses on strengthening andreviving indigenous knowledge especiallyin the field of agriculture and health.The cultivation details, agronomicalfeatures and the phenotypic features of34 rice varieties are given in the booklet.

Book Worm



36

For example the Kurangu Samba varietyof rice has earheads that are very long.The earheads have 267 grains perearhead. This variety is suitable forgrowth in both water logging as wellas dry areas. Moreover it is highlyresistant to pest and disease (pp. 19).

The book provides some understandingof the reasons why indigenous varietiesare still conserved inspite of all thepressure from market and extensiondepartments. The authors request farmerswho require seeds to get in touch withthem. This is an appreciable effort andsimilar catalogues need to be brought outfrom different parts of the country. Thiswill help farmer to farmer exchange,providing some incentives forconservation of agro-biodiversity.

Toward A Global Sci-ence: Mining Civiliza-tional Knowledge.Susantha Goonatilake,1998, New Delhi; VistaarPublications, p. 314.

Susantha is well known to the readersof his earlier book viz., AbortedDiscovery: Science and Creativity in theThird World (Zed Press, London, 1984)which triggered considerable discussionamong the students of science andscientific temper in Asian sub continent.Susantha has an extremely interestingstory to tell about the European encounterwith Asia and a consequent effect ofEuropean imagination on Asian aspirationsand knowledge system. He bemoansthat many ancient countries includingJapan did not build upon their owntraditions particularly in the field ofscience and technology while developinga path of modernisation in the westernmould. The central thesis of the bookaccording to the author is, ‘that as theworld’s center of gravity shifts to Asia,there is not only an increased necessityto have local cultural inputs into science,but also the possibility of doing it. SouthAsia with its relatively long period ofdiscussions on the relevance of pastknowledge is eminently suitable for thetask’ (pp.xiii).

The book is divided in three sections andtwelve chapters. The section one dealswith viewing science without eurocentricblinkers. Section two explores the issuesof mining of knowledge of contemporaryscience particularly the efforts being madeto tap indigenous knowledge. Sectionthree looks at the future technologies usingtraditional or indigenous conceptualcategories particularly in the realm ofethics and philosophy of science. Thebook is extremely well researched andwell referenced with detailed notes at theend of each chapter. One could still findblaring gaps in the coverage as well asanalysis. But that is a minor criticismgiven the ground that author has coveredand the breadth of knowledge that has beenbrought together. On several subjectsauthor while criticising the use of westernlenses becomes vulnerable to use the samelimiting perspective to analyse the localknowledge. He does this while referringto the debates on indigenous knowledgeand also while looking at theconceptualisation of relationship betweenthe indigenous knowledge and the westernscience. For instance, the debate that DrY P Singh had started way back in 1969on the contemporary relevance oftraditional knowledge has been missed. Hegeneralises far too much about Chinesescholarship, when he observes that there

is been no sociological or other theorisingin China comparable to what he thinks hasoccurred in India on the relationshipbetween traditional knowledge andmodern science. The author perhaps hasignored the fact that China has not onlyfar better documentation of its ancient andhistorical knowledge but has also madefar more effective use of this knowledgein the contemporary times to become theworld leader in the field of herbal patents(Gupta 1999). Further the fusion betweentraditional and modern medicine in Chinais far more organic, institutionalised andfunctional than in India or other parts ofSouth Asia. To what extent such an

interpretation of history and contemporarypursuits reflects an intellectual burden ofWestern education is a subject of separatecommentary.

Chapter one begins in a very discursivemanner about the way global science isevolving. Chapter two takes on anambitious goal of tracing the trajectoriesfor civilizational knowledge. Whetherhaving a national strategy in science isnecessarily better than having ‘hundredsof strategies’ as in US, is a debatable point(pp.17). The biases in citation of literaturein the West are well accepted but similarbiases exist among the third worldscholars also who ignore the work of theirown peers particularly if it predates theirown work. Author provides a generaloverview of the discussion of the historyon science essentially suggesting that localknowledge can be grafted on to thedominant knowledge tree in two ways,one by demonstrating the specific inputsof direct validity and second by bringingin the new metaphors that help indeveloping the concepts. Chapter threedeals with the meeting ground betweeneastern and western knowledge systems.He submits that many elements of Greekknowledge systems were borrowed fromAsian classical Sanskrit text. For instancethe Samhitas of Charaka and Susruta seemto have more than a dosen coincidenceswhen compared with the Greek system(pp.28). The sharp differences in the wayknowledge system evolved in Europe andAsia could be traced in author’s view tothe European strength and ability to blendideas from different sources (pp.34).

Chapter four looks at the major turningpoints in science. He draws attention tovarious concepts in Jain tradition dealingwith the motion in a straight line and theconceptualisation of gravitation byBrahmagupta’s and Varahamihira. Heshows that formalisation of the conceptin the West may have taken place laterbut the knowledge did exist in Asia earlier.He underlines, what is now wellrecognised that many Indian alchemyideas had gone to the west through Arabs.For instance, a South Indian alchemistnamely Ramadivar taught salt based

Many elements of Greekknowledge systems were borrowedfrom Asian classical Sanskrit text.



37

alchemy in twelfth century Saudi Arabia(pp.50). Author draws attention to thethree major innovations that are supposedto have transformed British Agriculture in18th century as per the EncyclopediaBritannica. These were, the use of drillplough, introduction of crop protectionand selected breeding of cattle. All theseinnovations were well known in SouthAsia even according to the British records.However, the history of science andtechnology has not beencorrected in many countries for theseinaccuracies.

Chapter five deals with the concept ofIndigenous Knowledge. The author recallsthe question Joseph Neetham raised as towhy did science not develop in AncientChina? He demonstrates that the searchfor new knowledge, and efforts to classifythis knowledge into different categories,have always guided the effort of theindigenous communities all over theworld. He makes an important point thatthere are large number of different‘indigenous starting point for potentialtrajectories of knowledge-trajectorieswhich, if they were developed, wouldhave led to different explorations ofphysical reality’, (pp.71). He refers tothe ongoing exchange of biodiversityrelated resources and associatedknowledge between multinationalcorporations and local communities in thearea of bio prospecting through sharingof profits in some cases. But he fails tomention that the whole discipline of ethno-biology has evolved to deny the localcommunities and individual experts theiridentity as creative and innovative people.The people are treated anonymously.While looking for the contrast in thephilosophy of scientific pursuits in Westernand Asian societies, author somehowignores the strong similarities in thebehaviour of science in both the cultureswhen it comes to dealing with IndigenousKnowledge.

Chapter six deals with ayurvedicknowledge and need for giving importanceto local health traditions. It would havebeen useful to mention that the departmentof Indian system of medicine could hardly

get four per cent of the health budget ofIndia till recently. Surely one could notblame western science and westerninstitutions for such a deep seated biasesagainst local knowledge systems in Indiansub continent. China being an exception.

Chapter seven looks at the historicaldevelopment of mathematics, a subject inwhich Indians were first to develop theconcept of zero which got incorporatedin European traditions much later. The

relative emphasis on Algebra in India andChina and Geometry in Greece is worthnothing. Part of the reason why Greeksdeveloped a deductive logic and Indiandeveloped algorithmic knowledge could bebecause of the closer affinity in the ancientIndian linguistic and mathematictraditions. The tendency in the Indiantradition to provide proofs whether inmedicine, mathematics or astronomyrather than giving the prior reasoning mighthave affected, as the author rightly argues,the analytical tradition. However, he feelsthat new discoveries can still be made byexpanding the Jain conception of infinitiesand other similar indigenous ideas ofmathematics.

Chapter eight looks at the discipline ofpsychology. It is here that the westernscience seems to be paying maximumattention to incorporate the effects ofmeditational techniques and approaches todeal with ever increasing stress in modernlife. This is one area where Asianpsychological tradition seems to bedominating in many of the Westernanalytical explorations.

Chapter nine looks at how information andbio-technology are changing the way inwhich knowledge is produced anddisseminated. He questions the logicalgrowth of moral theory where moralitycoincides with the self interest. To him it

seems that the future technologies providethe way of looking at one's inner valuescarefully so that directions in whichdevelopment takes place do not divergethe gap between ones' search formeanings within oneself, and outsidematerial world.

Chapter ten looks at the emerging field ofvirtual reality and after giving a very densesummary of various philosophies, helooks at the emerging tension between theworld of virtual reality in the Westerncontext and Asian context. The westernfocus generally is on a single state ofconsciousness. The multiple state ofconsciousness in the Asian contextprovide different ways of dealing with thereal and the imaginary world.

Finally in chapter eleven, author tries todig deep and look at the possibilities ofcombining the Buddhist logic andphilosophy with the emerging westernphilosophies. Recognising the inter twiningof scientific and philosophical conditionsof human mind, the author summarisesin chapter twelve his basic argument. Hissuggestion is that one way in which asianknowledge system can fertilise thewestern science further is through the useof metaphors in which asian traditions arevery strong. He regrets that south asianscientists have themselves ignored thepower of metaphors while pursuingscientific research. The contribution ofRamanujam and his ways of discoveringmathematical proofs is a good exampleof how one can draw sustenance fromonce cultural roots. Susantha makes aninteresting point quite imaginatively whenhe borrows a Western metaphor tospeculate on the growth of Asian mind.He suggests that one could think of‘periodic table of various positions inanthology and epistemology’. He sees astrategic alliance of feminist approaches,ethno-knowledge and regional civilizationknowledge in making. To him, the taskahead is to mine civilization knowledge tomake the global knowledge system lessparochial and less chauvinistic. Butwouldn’t that require respect andappreciation for those genuinecontributions in which western scienceand technology abounds.

The whole discipline of ethno-biology has evolved to deny thelocal communities and individualexperts their identity as creativeand innovative people.



38

ational Innovation Foundation(NIF) launched its first National

Annual Competition for scoutinggrassroots technological innovations onOctober 3, 2000 in New Delhi in afunction chaired by Shri K C Pant, DyChairman, Planning Commission. NIF hastaken upon itself, the extraordinarychallenge of identifying creative andinnovative individuals in different parts ofthe country without any outside help. NIFis committed to provide intellectualproperty right protection to theseinnovators and help link innovation withinvestment and enterprise. NIF aims tobuild a national register of inventions andinnovations to forge a link betweenexcellence in formal and informal science.NIF and SRISTI are trying to providemultimedia and multi-language interfacefor rural and urban disadvantaged peopleto learn about the innovations and alsobecome part of the creative and innovativeinteractive community. A modelregistration system has already beeninitiated at the website of NIF (http://www.nifindia.org) initially in twolanguages but eventually it would be inall Indian languages. NIF invites privatesector as well as individual contributionsfor setting up autonomous micro venturecapital funds in different parts of thecountry to help convert innovations intoenterprise. NIF is also committed to helpset up incubators to convert innovationsinto enterprises, provide support totechnology networks and mobilise thehelp of mentors from private and publicsector to guide the budding innovationbased enterprises. NIF is an anchor forpooling the best practices developed bylocal innovators so that India becomesinnovative, creative and compassionate.

Children’s Science Congress

The focus of All India Children’s ScienceCongress this year was on indigenousknowledge. As a part of Gujarat state-wide efforts to encourage children to do

projects on indigenous knowledge,SRISTI and IIM-A joined hands withCommunity Science Centre, Ahmedabadand Satya Shodhak Sabha of Surat tocreate the awareness about the need oflocal knowledge. Prof. Gupta gave theinaugural talk at the Children’s ScienceCongress Gujarat chapter, held at Suratduring December, 2000. One of theremarkable entries was fromSurendranagar region mobilised byGanatar, an NGO working with thechildren of salt workers in Surendranagardistrict in running the school for them.One of the young students was very upsetabout the constraint of having to observethe pumpset while pumping water insteadof going to school. The reason he wasasked to do that was the pumpset mightget damaged if it was not switched offsoon after the water level went down. Hisduty was to switch off the pump as soonas that happened. The result was that hehad to skip the school whenever he had toattend to the pumping of water. He alongwith some other friends devised a simplecontraption (see fig. 1). Now, the pumpsetwould automatically get switched offwhen the water level fell below the levelrequired for the pumpset to pump thewater. For this purpose, an empty boxattached to a lever, was fitted to the switch

News & Views

N

In Defense of Grassroots Innovators: Celebratingthe Creativity of Unsung Genius of Our Society

of the pump. The box was so placed thatit was pressed down by the flow of waterand thus the pump kept working. As soonas the water stopped, the box and theattached lever moved to switch off thepump. A technological innovation madeit possible for this boy and many othersto attend the school afterwards.

Asian Innovation Award

SRISTI and Honey Bee Network werehonoured by Far Eastern EconomicReview through Asian Innovation GoldAward of 2000 (Far Eastern EconomicReview, October 26, 2000). Far EasternEconomic Review is a mainstreameconomical journal published by the DowJones and Company. Every year it invitesnominations for innovative solutions tocontemporary problems from the entireAsian pacific region. Out of the short listof twenty five nominees, SRISTI and anOphthalmologist, Dr. Ray Tsai fromTaiwan received the Asian InnovationGold Award. The jury included Dr.Gopalakrishnan, Director, EngineeringInstitute of India, Hyderabad, India;Mr.Charles Huang, CEO, Netbig.com,Hong Kong; Dr.Steve Hsieh, ViceChairman, National Science Council,Taipei, Taiwan; Mr.Raj Mitta, Managing

Fig. 1



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Director, Arthur D Little Southeast Asia,Inc., Singapore and Mr. MechaiViravaidya, Chairman Population andCommunication Development Asso-ciation, Bangkok, Thailand.

The entries ranged from technologicalground breaking work in high tech fields,such as genetic engineering and DNAsequencing and relatively low techinnovations such as those assisted bySRISTI and Honey Bee Network in India.Special mentions were granted to projectsin India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand,Singapore, The Philippines and Australia.The judges who were asked to rank eachnominee on a scale of 0 to 5, five beingthe highest, favoured consistently theinnovations that in their view improvedquality of life or enhanced productivitycompared to the ones that seemed cleverfor their own sake. A strong voice forprotection of traditional knowledge aswell as contemporary innovations throughprotection of intellectual property rightshas been articulated by Honey BeeNetwork. GIAN (Gujarat GrassrootsInnovation Augmentation Network) set upin 1997 has filed patents on behalf of theinnovators and helped in technologicaltransfer. The benefits in each case havebeen shared almost entirely with theinnovators. The National InnovationFoundation has now been set up sinceMarch 2000 to scale up this model all overthe country. The first annual campaignfor scouting grassroots innovations incollaboration with IIM-A and Honey BeeNetwork has attracted more than 1500innovations and examples of traditionalknowledge. What is remarkable is thatafter Gujarat from where we got more than400 entries Assam was the next with about200 innovations and traditionalknowledge practices. The NationalRegister of inventions and innovations isin the making. It may provide innovatorsa very important platform for seekingrecognition, IP protection, possiblepartnership with investors andentrepreneurs and facilitate necessarydiffusion through commercial ornoncommercial channels. The award isactually a recognition of the efforts thatvarious known and not-so-known

members of Honey Bee Network andSRISTI team have put in over the years ingiving voice to the knowledge richeconomically poor people.

Sixth Shodh Yatra from Nashik toDangs

The Sixth Shodh Yatra was pursuedduring December 23, 2000 to January2, 2001 from Mohandari village inNashik district, Maharashtra to Dhulda,Dangs District, Gujarat. The mostnotable feature of this Shodh Yatra wasa very large number of fellow walkerswho walked together with SRISTI teamto learn from outstanding traditionalknowledge holders as well ascontemporary innovators in the villageson the way. A detailed report of thisShodh Yatra will follow in the nextissue. It is important to mention thatthe situation of the tribals on theMaharashtra side was far better in termsof economic and other infrastructurecompared to the conditions in Gujarat

side. At the same time, the biodiversitywas much richer on Gujarat side. In thelong term, it would of course be verydifficult to conserve biodiversity andassociated knowledge system by keepingpeople poor. In most places, the localhealers and herbal knowledge expertswere very keen to share their insightsand experiences but they were also verybitter for not having received anyconsideration for their generosity.Biodiversity competitions were organisedin several schools on the way. In ahigher secondary school in Dalwatvillage the response from the students

and the village community was extremelyencouraging. One of the students viz.,Jayaram Gopalbhai Choudhury identified394 plants with their uses. Whenchallenged, he took a vow to identifythe remaining 300 and odd plants foundin the region also and thereby developa comprehensive biodiversity register ofthe region. Smt. Sitaben Tulsibhai ofSawarda Kasad village was one of themost distinguished lady herbal healerswe met during this Shodh Yatra. SRISTIdecided to help her develop a smallpharmacy of her own so that she coulddispense medicines to larger number ofpeople even at odd times. We hope thatin due course she would be able todevelop not only her own enterprise, butalso help other younger people to learnfrom her experience. The Shodh Yatraended in Dhulda village where thePrincipal Chief Conservator of Forestsjoined us in honouring the localinnovators and also motivating the localforest officials to work closely with theknowledge experts and help themconserve biodiversity.

International Conference on NatureFarming and Ecological Balance

An International Conference on NatureFarming and Ecological Balance(ICNFEB-2001) was held during March7-10 at Hisar. The conference wasorganised by International Society forNature Farming (ISNF) in collaborationwith CCS Haryana AgriculturalUniversity, Hisar. This conferencemanaged by students and organic farmerswas supported by SRISTI. The conferenceprovided opportunity for a dialogueamongst farmers, scientists, academicians,policy makers, social organisations,environmentalists and industrialists forevolving ecologically compatible systemsof production, processing, certificationand marketing. Several members ofHoney Bee network including fourfarmers practising organic farming. ShriDhirendrabhai Sonaji, Shri PathubhaiRathod, Shri Bhimsibhai Braiya and ShriBhadribhai Patel shared their experience.The Honey Bee database was alsoshowcased at the conference.



40

Dialogue

Award for Innovators

Sohini BhattacharyaRegional Representative (Western India)Fellows for Ashoka: Innovators for the Public,Flat 2A “Madhur Milan”, 14 B Road, KharWest, Mumbai - 400052

I am very happy to invite you to be anominator for Ashoka and nominatepossible candidates. Ashoka’s principalobjective is to find and support socialentrepreneurs in developing countries.These people are innovative individualswho utilize their entrepreneurial talent tosolve social problems. Ashoka is fundingover 1100 social entrepreneurs currentlyin 38 countries. We help theseentrepreneurs in two ways: by givingthem financial security so they can devotefull attention to implement their ideas andby putting innovators in touch with anetwork of others who are working onsimilar ideas to share information andcontacts.

(For what ever reasons; so far Ashoka hasn'tawarded any of our nominees. It could eithermean divergence in to the meaning ofinnovation or some other dynamics. Any way,please keep up your good work. : Ed)

Yet another Initiative for MarathiHoney Bee!

[email protected]

Sir, from Dr. Anjali Kulkarni I came toknow that there was some discussionregarding translating Honey Bee inmarathi while she and Mrunalini Phadniswere at IIM. I also learned that it hasnot yet materialised. One of my friendsis editor of a local Marathi daily ‘NavRashtra’ brought out by the famous NavBharat group. He has asked for yourpermission to publish excerpts fromHoney Bee. All the published materialwill be acknowledged and shall be dulysent to you. I am also looking for anappropriate person who can translatethe whole issue for publishing it in

Marathi. I am also trying to get in touchwith people working in rural areas foridentifying any innovations that havetaken place in Vidarbha, so that they canparticipate in the competition advertisedin Honey Bee.

(We have tried in past to identify volunteersfor Marathi as well as other languageedition including Telugu, Punjabi, Oriya,etc. But so far we haven’t found colleagueswho have sufficient drive within them selvesto take this voluntary task. But we welcomenew initiatives even if they fail. You canpublish material from Honey Bee with duecredit to farmers and the source :Ed)

Building Bridges Across Regionsand Cultures

R. RadhakrishnanSukkampatti Post, Thadicoombu, RindugalDistrict, Tamil Nadu – 624 709

I have just received the Loksarvani volno 5(5) of September – October 2000.Thank you very much for sending the

copy that is useful and informative tome. I congratulate Shri Jagdish PrasadParikh who has developed a varietyof cauliflower seeds. I have written tohim for asking cauliflowerseeds that will help us to produce inTamil Nadu.

(I hope you succeeded in your goal.Please do remember that Shri Parikh must getdue credit and return on his innovation. : Ed)

Web Site on SustainableAgriculture Needed

Ravi S. Kelkar (Director)Abinav Agri.-Human Resource developmentorganisation, 75, Greater Tirupati Colony,Opp. St. Mary school, Indore

We are pioneers in the field of technicalparticipatory management of farms inMalwa region. We have experts in the fieldof Agronomy (crop production), Plantbreeding, Medicinal crops, Agri-Businessetc. We are very much impressed with yourhoneybee magazine. We are regularlydisseminating useful information to thefarmers from Honeybee and we gotexcellent results. With the guidance of Dr.Y. L. Nene, we are preparing a webdirectory of Agri- Research workers,scientist, organisation, institutes etc. ifpossible can you send us useful Agri-websites name and e-mail addresses ofeminent persons from your knowledgebank.

(We have sent you a list of western sourcesseparately. We will compile a fresh list of websites for the purpose. Keep it up. :Ed)

African Honey Bee

Berckemans Masheka ZihindulaFODEPAD, B.P. : 241 Cyangugu, Rwanda

I am very delighted to get in touch withyou. I would like to subscribe to yournews bulletin and apply for the favour ofparticipating in your exchange network inorder to enhance my knowledge and havesome new skills to work for the ruraldevelopment in my country.

(As we have mentioned many times earlier, wewelcome new readers from all parts of theworld. One could either become paidsubscriber by paying US$ 10 per annum fordeveloping countries, US$ 30 for developedcountries. Or if one sends useful informationabout innovation from the respective regions,we will give them complimentary subscriptionfor a year in return. Does this soundreasonable? :Ed)

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!!!!!Honey Bee

Lok Sarvani Nu

m Va

li Ve

lanm

aiHittalagida

Sujh-Bujh

Aas Paas ki

Makhir

Abeja



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Homeopathy for Agriculture

Mr. G.S.R MurthyMIG 95, Opp to Z.P Colony, Srikakulam-53200, A.P

Thank you for introducing Honey Bee.Kindly accept my congratulations forthe successful bringing out of such auseful one. I have developed variousHomeopathic non-poisonous, organicplant protectors and a total package oforganic farming for paddy. I think thatthe bringing out of non-poisonouspesticide itself should go a long way inwithdrawing the poisonous chemicals inthe field of agriculture provided it isadopted. I feel that I have made a goodcontribution to agriculture with asimultaneous help to protect theenvironment and reestablishing theecological balance. I feel Honey Bee isa good platform to raise myvoice. Hope you would advise as tohow to take part in the task you haveundertaken.

(Dear Murthy, we have just received yourwrite up as well as a sample of homeopathicdoses for agriculture and animal husbandryWe would take up trials in our laboratoryand keep you informed of the progress. Yourwork is extremely relevant for sustainableagriculture. :Ed)

Honey Bee is a Habit

N Jayakumar2/103, Marys Cottage, Pushpagiri Road,Padappai, Thambaram (via), Kancheepuram,Tamilnadu – 601 301

During my Post graduation days I hadreferred to the Honey Bee newsletter formy dissertation. After my studies I hadworked as a researcher and later onmoved to work as a farm manager.During this period I came acrosscertain indigenous practices followed bythe rural people bordering AndhraPradesh.

The farmers here believe that if they putweight over the branches of jack treesthey produce more fruits. Similarly, innorth Kerala FYM bags are tied on the

branches of Jack trees to induce morefruit formation.

(We had received such a practice in HoneyBee 3(3&4):15, 1992. We will like to hearfrom other readers about other suchpractices. : Ed)

Honey Bee in Ethiopia

Bekele Samuel MengistuBadawacho District, SHONE, P.O.Box 18,Ethiopia, East Africa

I am glad to send you my warm greetingsfrom here. I am 24 year old and a graduateof Awassa College of Agriculture and nowI am Government employee,Horticulturalist and an extensioncommunication expert. I want to be amember of your network.

(Please send innovations from your regionsand we will be happy to send you Honey Beeregularly as mentioned earlier. Although youcan pay US$ 10 to cover printing charge onlyif you want to get news letter withoutcontributing any information on localknowledge or innovations. : Ed)

Wisdom from South to North

Bruce NaoeauGeneral Oelivery, Terrace, British Columbia,V86 4A6, Canada

Over a year ago I was sent acomplimentary copy of Honey Bee and Ienjoy reading some of the features likeDialogue, Indigenous TechnicalKnowledge from Tripura, Honey BeeHums etc. I found your magazineinformative, inspiring and full of practicalwisdom. In my opinion it’s a really great,genuine, practical and worthwhilemagazine to read. When I have more timeI am hopeful to gather together similarmagazines or publications from bothCanada and North America, that teachespeople through its articles or haveinnovative articles which would relate toHoney Bee readers.

(We look forward to hear from you. :Ed)

BBC Notices Honey Bee

Shabnam GrewalProducer - Global Business, BBC WorldService, Room 1209 White City, London W127TS

I am writing to you from London where Iproduce a weekly half hour Business

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Life after shelf life: Tree protectionpractice in Ladhak region

Prakash KashwanDevelopment Professional, Seva Mandir,Udaipur - 313004

Ladhak represents extremely difficultliving conditions and the cold desertregion get isolated from the rest of theworld for about seven months. Itnecessitates keeping adequate stocksof tinned food and other essentialsduring winter. The main activities ofpeople are animal husbandry andraising timber for their constructionrequirements. The difficulty is toprotect the young timber trees fromgrazing animals as patches of landwhere something can be grown areextremely limited. For overcomingthis difficulty tinned containers arethreaded on the tree poles. It obviatesthe need to put expensive tree guards

or erect any kind of fencing. In a wayit gives new life to the tinned materialafter it has lived its shelf life.

Further information in this regard can becollected from Mr. Gulam Nabi, Sia-Laguesthouse, Fort road, Ladhak.

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programme called Global Business for theBBC World Service Radio. Global

Business is a single-subject programmetransmitted world-wide 52 weeks a year.The programme is usually about a singleidea or issue in business of interest to aworld audience. The World Servicedelivers a huge world-wide audience (anestimated 40 million to an Englishlanguage audience alone), many of themkey opinion formers. People we haveinterviewed in this slot recently haveincluded Vicente Fox, President ofMexico (he talked of his plans to run thecountry like a corporation), Tom Petersthe management Guru, Fernando Espuelasthe young and dynamic boss of Star mediawho talked about his vision of a ‘unitedsouth America ‘ and Ricardo Semler – aBrazilian business man who ‘gave awayhis company’ and Edward de bono andJerry Yang of Yahoo. The presenter of theprogramme Peter Day and myself wouldvery much like to know the work ofSociety for Research and Initiatives forSustainable Technologies and Institutions(SRISTI) and ‘Honey Bee Network’. Ireally hope we can work something outof our common interest.

(We welcome interest and initiative of BBC.The philosophy of Honey Bee needs all thesupport it can harness for linking creativepeople across the world. : Ed)

Protecting Coffee withoutChemical Pesticide

Abigail MooreYayasan Adi Citra Lestari, Jl Setia Budi 14DPalu 9411, Sulteng, Indonesia

Many thanks for sending Vol 3 2000Honey Bee - it has been most interestingand informative. We would like to havemore information on item no. 11307 (pp.6) which mentions about protecting coffeewithout chemical pesticides. This articlegives a recipe for coffee stem borer. Iwould like to know if this has been triedon cocoa (chocolate) tree stem borer,which is a real problem for many of thepoorer farmers here, as chemical controlis costly for the product, application toolsand also labour intensive.

Also, could you send the articlesmentioned from past Honey Bee issuesregarding stem borer? HB 4 (2&3); 16,1993, 6 (2); 9, 1995, 9(4);17, 1998, 10(1);8,1999. I don’t really understand thesereference numbers, but have copied fromthe current issue article above. Also, any

other info you have relating to chocolateand coconut cultivation and protectionwould be most welcome.

(The articles that you have requested are onyour way. As far as the references areconcerned: 6 (2); 9, 1995 would mean VolumeNo.6, Issue No. 2 and Page no-9 and year ofpublication would be 1995. One can buy allthe back issues of last eleven years for Rs. 1500(individual) and Rs. 2500 (institution). : Ed)

Areas of Common Interest

M.NahasChairman, C-IT, email : [email protected]

Hope normalcy is restored after quakes. Isuggest the following areas for co-operation.

Promoting Sristi initiatives in Kerala,

Promoting projects like virtual villagesites in Gujarat, Promotion of practicesand innovations using InternetTechnology, Creation of contents foradvocacy in regional languages.

(We very much appreciate what you havealready done for developing web sites ofvillages in Kerala. I hope similar movementwill emerge in Gujarat and other parts of thecountry too. We look forward to co-operationwith you : Ed)

Herbal Pesticide Wanted

Shri Prafulbhai R PatelVillage Susva, Taluka Hadvad, DistrictSurendranagar

I work in a factory manufacturingchemical pesticides. But by experience Iprefer organic pesticides. I had seen aprogram on Doordarshan where ShriRajnikant Patel, Gramsevak talked abouthis experiments that were performed withthe help of SRISTI. I also saw the herbalpesticide kit developed by SRISTI. Iwould like to buy those. Could you pleaseguide me on this.

(You can write to Rajnikant Patel, at 67Jivanjyot society, Meghraj Road, Modasa,Gujarat. Also buy test bottles from SRISTI Lab,B/h Pharmacy College Mess, Boys HostelCampus, Nr. Vijay Char Rasta, Navrangpura,Ahmedabad - 380 009, for Rs. 50 each for 250ml. There are different herbal antifeedants thathave been developed so far in Sadhbav-SRISTI-Sansodhan lab. The pesticides are alsodeveloped in SRISTI lab. In addition, we havedeveloped herbal medicine for animal carewhich can also be obtained for testing purpose.: Ed.)

Farmer Breeder Gets Attention AtLast

Laljibhai Ramjibhai MuraniVillage Samdiyada, Taluka Upleta, DistrictRajkot

With the help of SRISTI team membersan article about my innovation waspublished in TOI January 7, 2001. I havereceived number of letters in response, themain being a letter from the All India co-ordinator of Oil seeds, Indian Council of

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Agricultural Research, Jabalpur. Later Dr.P S Bharodiya, visited our farm. He hastaken with him a sample of our eight lineseed of sesame and has also sent a sampleto Jabalpur.

(I am very happy that the scientists are payingattention to your research, but you should notbe discouraged if they tell you that yourselection is not so good. Ultimate test of atechnology is in farmers field. If farmers likewhat you have done, then nothing can comein your way. Keep it up. :Ed.)

Gifting Subscriptions

Dipak Kumar MaitiMatherdighi B.P.H.C, P.O. Matherdighi, Dist.South 24-Parganas, Pin 743329, West Bengal

I have gone through the October-November, 1996, Vol. 7 No. 4 issue ofHoney Bee collected from a friend whohas a little library. Some of the articles ofthis Newsletter are very attractive. I am apoor paid employee. I want to be a regular

reader of Honey Bee and hence seek yourguidance. Would you be kind enough tomake me an annual member at aconcessional rate.

(I leave it to your judgement as to how muchcan you afford. If you can afford Rs. 100 forfour issues, welcome. In exceptional cases, weaccept Rs. 50/- to cover the partial cost ofprinting and mailing. We also request readersto gift subscription for friends like Maiti. InRs. 125/-, one can gift a subscription to anyone in the country. We will send a letterindicating the name of the donor. :Ed.)

Exchange Journals

P SharmaManaging Editor, Krishi Vikas (weekly), F-58,Kalidas Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur - 302 016

Krishi Vikas weekly is a leading farmjournal dedicated to increase agricultureproductivity. It is highly circulated journalin Rajasthan. We would either like toexchange our journal with Honey Bee orsubscribe to your journal.

(We greatly appreciate if readers subscribe toHoney Bee which survives withoutadvertisement so far. However, we willwelcome regular exchange. :Ed)

Formal Research on InformalKnowledge

S C JainAssistant professor, Plant pathology,Rajasthan Agricultural University, S. K. N.College of Agriculture, Jaipur - 303 329.

We are going to prepare a project onthe "use of traditional practices for thecontrol of plant disease". We are in needof your valuable guidance and literatureavailable with you to prepare the projectwith more number of reviews ontraditional materials used for the controlof plant disease.

(We welcome your initiatives and will be veryhappy to support your initiatives. :Ed)

Strength of Soils

G GopalNo. 66 Dr Renga Road, Mylapore, Chennai -600 004

I happened to read the article in theHindu dated 26-11-2000 under the title"Strength of the soil". I would like toget the publication on such innovations.I understand that your institution is ina position to give more details about it.Please let me know whether yourinstitution is publishing a journal dealingwith it.

(Honey Bee has been sent to you. Pleasespread the word around. That is how HoneyBee network grows in the hearts of its readers.:Ed)

Innovation for Holistic Education

Anil Bordia72, Devi Path, Kanota Bagh, Jaipur -302 004

I have been receiving Sujh Bujh Aas PasKi regularly. It is a great little journal. Irespect and admire what you are doing inthe realm of indigenous knowledge andinnovation. I am hoping soon to start aprogramme called Dusara Dasak aprogramme for holistic education for ruralyouth in 11-20 age group. With the helpof SRISTI we will emphasise the need toidentify innovations and to developecapability to look at things in aninnovative way.

(We find your support and encouragement veryvital as ever. We are very keen to work together.:Ed)

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Obituary

With profound sorrow, we regret toannounce the sad demise of CharuSheela Naik on January 1, 2001.Born in 1948, Charu Sheela joinedFellow Programme of Management(FPM) at Indian Institute ofManagement, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) in1982 and since then was associatedwith IIM-A and SRISTI.

Charu Sheela had a very pensiveand reflective demeanour combinedwith a very sharp social sensitivity.She did a pioneering study on therole of rituals in conservation ofbiodiversity which was presented atGrassroots, January 11-14, 1997.In the recent past, she took initiativein the field of organic agriculture,women's knowledge on local healthtradition and other aspects ofcommunity based natural resourcemanagement. One of her mostvaluable contributions was to boostthe confidence of field researchersin SRISTI and Honey Bee Networkby remaining in constant touch withthem.

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Please send your contributions through bank draft in favour ofA/c Sristi Innovations at the editorial address; C/o Prof Anil K Gupta,Editor, Honey Bee, Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur,Ahmedabad 380 015 India. Phone: 91-79-6307241, Fax: 91-79-6307341Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

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