suggesting solutions

We have seen the geographic and climatic conditions of India and of Kerala in particular

reference to Malabar as a low-lying ,high paddy cultivation zone and its problems and

peculiarities from prehistoric to modern times. We have seen that Cassia

fistule(Konna)bloomed out of season in Kerala last year and drongo(insectivorous bird

which hatch eggs in Feb-March shifted to earlier times) has changed its breeding

habits. The threadbin bream (two varieties of kili meen)has shifted spawning season to

cooler months of October to March.(because of raise of sea temperature to 0.3 degree C

during last 15 years).Cochin based Central Marine Fisheries Research

Institute(CMFRI)states oil sardines which were abundant in Kerala coast was because of

the warm temperature for spawning, and now they have a wider area of spawning from

Maharashtra to Orissa coasts and this shows rising temperatures there. The impact of all

such changes on rain-fed agriculture ,lifestyle of communities in coastal area, the regions

biodiversity being lost by it, and shrinking of ecosystem of western ghats were discussed

in detail. In Tamil Nad also the changing patterns of rainfall is raising anxiety. They are

expecting short but intensive rainfalls in future .Usually they get rains spread over

months in equal intensity. The cities, coastal areas and deltas are under threat of floods if

the change happen but that was because of our poor planning and poor vision for the

future. What our ancestors foresaw from experience our new administrators could not

foresee. If they had foreseen it ,they would not have made so many houses and

constructions where they should not have been constructed, and they would not have

neglected age-old practices of agriculture for new ones which have no bearing for our

climate. Why did crops in 1000 acres of land in Tiruvarur and 500 acres in

Naagapattinam in delta area damaged by floods? If the seed of Pokkali (which is always

remaining above water level)was used in low-lying areas would this have happened? If

people were cultivating in all the low-lying fields and were living in plains ,and allowing

forests to grow on hills and hillsides would it not have been the best policy for protection

of ecology, human and animal life as well as for protection and greater production of

grains? So planning to live is not there in our present day administration is very clear.

And the removal of co-operative farming for individual property farming has lead to

several acres of land being uncultivated .We have to address these problems first. Then

we have to understand the dictum that to attract tourists forever ,the “concrete” jungles

(Construction works)are not enough. The protection of nature, heritage sites and cultural

identity is needed for tourism promotion. Either way ,traditional ways of thinking ,living

as part of ecology has to be redeemed.

1.For Indian conditions ,high cost projects are not suitable. Devise low cost methods

Devise methods for high moisture content and standing waters .( For wetlands of Kerala)

For dry land which needs irrigation facilities and with less rainfall the method has to be

different.This has regional differences .

Do not try to impose monoculture on high fertile biodiversity areas like Kerala.

How to reduce labor costs?

One is to Do yourself. The other is to do as a co-operative farming by whole village .For

this ,one has to conduct awareness classes and convince all ,including labourers,and

people who do not cultivate their land however small it may be, and also people who are

doing non-ecological exploitation of land including construction works.
.
To reduce energy requirements :-Use biogas and biological manure .For this protect

domestic animals (cows etc)

Use co-operative measures of group farming by entire village

Procuring seeds ,seed selection,packaging,transportation charges to be reduced

Use simple technologies wherever possible for maximum yield. Use locally available

fuel,nonconventional energy sources, and low-cost technology, and regional seeds

suitable for geographical area.

Improve rice processing as cottage industry

To reduce weeds growing in between rice saplings during the monsoons there is a simple

method of spreading dry hay or paddy straw between them. That will act as a effective

weed suppressant. Some people also spread jatroffa leaves but take care that only leaves

and not the stems are spread because jatropha stems easily grow roots in the soil. This is a

easy and cost effective system for preventing weeds so that the cost of removal of weeds

can be minimized.

Systematic rice intensification (SRI)system can be resorted to. This is supposed to use

least water (hence suited for areas with dry climates)and releases little methane .(Any

type of natural cultivation release less methane ).

All these can be done at short-term project levels

Apart from cash crops plant all vegetables needed for village in each house in kitchen

gardens. Encourage children in schools to do it .This will build up a new generation of

citizens who know the value of food production and love nature .

2.Packaging and transport losses to be brought to very low levels.

This has to be looked into by Govt

Irrigations with canals ,bund formation etc are to be looked into. The tanks,canals,wells

etc should be protected just as rivers. And none of the existing ones should be destroyed

for construction work. Rain water conservation scheme and schemes for preservation of

natural surface and ground water should be undertaken collectively by co-operation of

entire village .

Storage of grains for village use in conditions of emergency ./famines.

Cattle/fish /growth and use of it as organic recycling of energy process in food cycle to be

encouraged .That will reduce the energy pollution and also cost of manure

3.Plant fruit trees in every village instead of trees which have no fruits and which are just

for decoration and timber. This will be useful in famine /drought and also will keep

nutritional status of all children in village and reduce incidence of anaemia and leukemia

in villages and reduce cost of treatment and hospital stay as well.Reducing the hospital

expenditure by increasing the food sufficiency and vitamin requirements is better policy.

4.Goraksha:- protection of cattle and their health .Healthy environment and food ,grazing

,grass and hay and food for them .Have music for more flow of milk as well as for growth

of animals and plants.

Healthy cattle more productivity. More milk. This is urgent step.

Crossbreeding in village itself by a strong high variety bull(a proven high quality bull as

in olden days .I remember a bull in Ambazhathel for this purpose)) in village or by

semen banks.(at state/regional level.This will cost more than an individual bull and the

state has to have facilities for this )Train manpower for veterinary services. Cross breed

development by DNA markers is available in the present world.

Develop the feed and feed quality standards for cattle consistent with the breed and the

yield.

We can upgrade the crop residue and biodegradable waste for use as cattle

feed. Development of high yield fodder seeds .Hygienic sheds for cattle reduce risks of

diseases and cost of treatment.

High quality of milk processing to be practiced. Train farmers for hygienic ways of

collecting milk.

Use biogas as power supply for homes and for industries including uninterrupted power

for milk products /processing

Treat cattle with care. They are fundamental to our agrarian economy and love them and

talk to them and sing to them as you work .That will keep them happy and healthy and

give you more.

Make a pollution free environment both for man and cattle.

3.Timely harvesting and sowing of seeds of vegetables and other crops .Educate growers

regarding proper maturity indices in harvesting. Proper post harvest treatment like vapor

heating etc should be taught .High yield of vegetables and sharing them with

neighbours,and with local markets should be encouraged rather than sending them abroad

in poor preservation conditions which will make high levels of loss .

4.Promote Horticulture projects .This is having a major boom in business. Encourage

farmers to grow on a buy-back agreement of barter ,vegetables and fruits suited to their

regions with neighbors who do not have that condition.(esp. fruits,veg,grains etc).This

will give a permanent market for all produce for all people.

5.Long term programme as a multiprong programme .

The transport infrastructure

Financial assistance to co-operative and private institutions to develop infrastructure

.CA/MA(controlled modified atmosphere) for storage and transport facilities.

Processing of fruits/veg at farm level to reduce waste by educating farmers and giving

financial assistance.

Some of these are given by A.P.J Abdul Kalam (Visions for India pp 74-80 )but with

more of technological programmes which increase cost of production and thus end up in

less self sufficiency which is applicable only in certain conditions. In Kerala as a special

region many of them are not practicable and are cost consuming and unnecessary too.

Therefore I have charted out a more practical method suitable for our region. And for all

the poor farmers my methods should bring sustained food and productivity and hunger

should be eliminated as well as nutritional deficiency so that all get immunity at a

cost-effective way ,reducing cost of high medical treatments, cost of technology and

artificial methods of farming. In this mine is different from that of A.P.J.AbdulKalam

who gives much importance to the high cost technology for production .

ICRISAT (International crops research institute for the semi-Arid Tropics )is trying to

develop crops that grow in warm and dry climates to find a solution for an expected

future global warming converting the entire earth into dry arid lands. They work on crops

like millets,sorghum,chickpea and pigeon pea and groundnut etc .Millets and sorghum

has high salinity tolerance. They produce good yields even in warm weathers. The work

of ICRISAT is based on the assumption that warmer temperatures, persistent droughts

and erratic rainfall could send poor farmers right back to the bottom of the development

ladder. The brewing up of the perfect climatic storm has a confluence of

1.Climatic change

2.Dessertification of once fertile lands

3.high energy demands of the world

4.an exploding population which needs to be fed.

So ,how we deal with this should be with extreme care and proper planning.

Each region has its own climate, its own good crops and to take what the ICRISAT say

at face value is therefore not good. For rice growing law lands it is better to improve rice

growing itself. Do not try to convert to millets and desert seeds fearing a catastrophe that

might occur or not .But be selective about crops in different seasons.

The grains suitable for India (its different regions)have been described by various texts

right from Veda and has been tested through several millennia and by Indus valley period

a agrarian ecology and sharing had been in practice(or even before that)and this had

continued till British times as I had quoted from Logan in the case of Malabar. This

continuous system is our strength. Therefore ,based on regional peculiarities and regional

seasonal rainfall(which has nothing to do with general conditions or theories)make

practical plans and for this each individual in the village and each association or group in

the village can contribute their share of service and helping hand as a co-operative effort

.This is what a panchayath is for. It has to be for the welfare of all in the village and for

the welfare of the neighboring village and as a Venn diagram the welfare should extend

to entire nation and the globe. That is the concept of my health village scheme. It works

on co-operation, love and common welfare and is free from all differences on

caste,creed,community,race ,gender ,religion etc.It is based on Indian geographical

features, Indian climate and its observation and experimentation over millennia by our

ancestors and how they saw it and solved it and how the present generation see and solve

it so that the posterity (next generations)will see the land as green and as full of fresh

water and food and enjoy it and make use of it for propagation of a healthy happy race.


In a recent report on Hunger Index of India we find a similar pattern in Kerala,Andhra

and Assam because of its rice-growing low lands and climatic conditions.These are the

only three states that produce enough rice ,the staple diet of the South Indian to a great

degree and yet their hunger index is ranked “severe”though slightly better than the other

states.The only other state that has an equal status is Punjab and that is because of the

Green revolution of the five year plans which gave high yields of wheat.If the three states

mentioned above stop growing rice,and ask for rice from other states ,or from the

center,it just shows that their policies on agriculture especially Paddy growing has not

been adequate.The geographic features of Kerala especially South Malabar and Kuttanad

are best for paddy growing and if people start converting these wetlands for other

purposes they are jeopardizing not only the food sufficiency of the region,but also of

entire nation and by that they make the nutrition,health and agroeconomy of nation

suffer.If there is no rainwater or groundwater there is no food.Without water and food

,there is no life on earth.The sustenance of life is based on agricultural activities of

human race and in a geographically suitable land (like kol puncha wetlands) where both

agroeconomy,fisheries and green tourism can thrive and bring the state more revenue as

well as national pride,both the rulers and the ruled population should be aware of their

key role .

Nature has blessed us with beauty,water ,rains and food . Let us sustain it,sustain a

healthy ,happy and unified life in tune with nature .