After the 2010 experience of too late arrival of the monsoon, we were worried about the likely recurrence of drought in 2011 and afterwards. Although Basudha's accession of ca. 700 folk rice varieties includes 14 drought-tolerant landraces that can withstand too late and too scanty rain, all the other varieties, especially those adapted to low- and deep low-land conditions, cannot survive in the event of prolonged drought period. The impending drought poses a great threat to the survival of our rice genetic diversity on Basudha farm, which has no irrigation facility. (Irrigation by pumping up groundwater is an unsustainable option.)
In 2010 we were able to save all the 686 varieties on Bhairab Saini's farm in Panchal, some 5 km away from Basudha. Bhairab sacrificed his farm plot for Basudha's conservation work for the year, but we cannot take advantage of his generosity every year; besides, we must find a sustainable solution to conserve the nation's wealth of vanishing rice varieties in situ.
This became a herculean onus of responsibility on my shoulders. Saving the rice seeds do not earn me any money, nor will anyone reward me for saving them, yet I must save them at all costs - for no one is prepared to do that. (A few farmer friends are already saving a few landraces on their own farms, but no one is capable nor willing to save all the 700 rice varieties in situ every year.) I searched for an irrigated land in 5 districts of West Bengal, but either the landowner asked for a price too high for my financial ability, or the neighbourhood was too suspicious for sustaining the conservation work - so I backed out. Against my will, I approached the State government for help with 2 acre of land (to be maintained at my own expense) to save the heirloom rice varieties, but received no material help as yet. [Read a news item here]
Although this year 2011 appears to be blessed with good rainfall throughout eastern India, this is no guarantee for a similar fortune for Basudha's rice accessions in the years to come. We deemed it wise to shift to a safer place where water is no limiting resource, even in the event of too late, or failed, rains.
Although we spread word to all people concerned with agrobiodiversity conservation, no gesture of support appeared from either governmental or elite non-governmental institutions. Finally, we received an offer of 1.1 acre of land with surface irrigation facility, from a group of indigenous farmers of Raygada district, Odisha. I have entered into an agreement to grow all our rice varieties on this land, and I will pay an annual rent of Rs. 4000. The villagers do not expect any financial return from the rice production on that piece of land, but are enthused to set up a local seed bank, using the heirloom varieties to be cultivated on their farms.
We transferred all the rice seeds from Basudha's accession to this new farm in the lap of Niyamgiri Hills, and sowed all rice seeds there, beginning from the 16th June 2011, with the help of local villagers, and Living Farms, a local NGO. The sowing was finished on the 21st June. Debdulal Bhattacharya is posted on the new farm, assisted by Pradeep of Living Farms. The transplanting of all the seedlings began on the 10th July, and the last rice harvested on the 17th January.
We are now staying in a bivouac - a mud shack built with the help of local villagers. We shall live there until we build a more comfortable new farm house with attached bathrooms. We have also installed two solar units for light and fan in the bivouac. In February 2012, we began building a new farmhouse, with stones and adobe.
We have also conducted several farmers' trainings in methods of ecological agriculture and seed saving. In response, 20 indigenous farmers from surrounding villages took from us, in 2011, seeds of 120 varieties from our nursery and planted them with great enthusiasm to their own farms, and pledged that they would maintain these rice varieties for years to come. This is something that we never experienced in Bengal. In 2012, farmers from Koraput and Malkangiri districts have also booked their demands for locally-adapted rice varieties to grow on their farms. They have also donated us seeds of a few traditional varieties for Vrihi's accession.
Good Bye Bengal. Long Live our heirloom rice seeds in Odisha.
