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Journal ofthe Bombay Natural HistorySociety, 106(3), Sept-Dec 2009 277-279 AGRICULTURE AND CONSERVATION PersisTaraporevala1 Rhys Green2 andAshish Kothari1-3(Compilers) , 'Kalpavriksh,Apt. 5,Sri DuttaKrupa,908DeccanGymkhana,Pune411 004,Maharashtra, India. TheRoyal SocietyfortheProtectionofBirds,TheLodge,Sandy, BedfordshireSG192DL,UK. Email: [email protected] ’Email: [email protected] Presentations Around 40 years ago, the Indian government RhysGreenofRSPBandtheUniversityofCambridge, propagatedtheuseofhighyieldingvarieties(HYV)ofcrops UK,discussedreconcilingcropproductionwithbiodiversity bydolingthemoutatsubsidisedrates.Thesevarietiesneeded conservation. Agriculture is one of the biggest threats to chemical fertilizers and slowly changed the entire system of biodiversity because it leads toextensive loss ofhabitat and farmingthatoriginallyexisted. Initiallypeopleweresurprised the pesticide usage leads to environmental degradation. by the substantial increase in productivity, but overa period Agricultural environmentalists attempt to reconcile the two oftimetheyrealisedthattheyield stagnatedorreducedwith through two main practices - Land Sparing and Wildlife everyyearwhiletheneedforexpensiveandharmfulchemical Friendly Farming. fertilizers and pesticides increased. The people of Jardhar LandSparingconcentratesonhighintensityinputsand decidedtorevertbacktotheirtraditionalpracticesoffarming. productivity on a portion ofthe land, leaving the remaining The main methodthey usedwasthe Baranaja systemwhere land free for biodiversity conservation. Land sparing, if avarietyofcropsandplantsaregrowntogetherinwhatseems followedproperly,wouldhavebeensuccessfulinitsobjective. to be an incoherent and random melee, but the system is a Inpractice,however, often when landisleftuncultivatedfor time-tested method ofgrowing a variety ofcrops, providing biodiversity conservation, it is used for non-conservation a variety ofneeds, as also allowing biodiversity to flourish processeslikebuildingroadsandhouses.Thisseverelyaffects and keeping the soil healthy and productive. the feasibility ofthis form ofbiodiversity conservation. TheBeejBachaoAndolan (SavetheSeedsMovement) Wildlife Friendly Farming is low in production and was later started in the village to work towards recovering yield, but beneficial for the wildlife in the area. However, seeds that were lost due to the heavy influx of HYV (high- Wildlife Friendly Farming does not leave much land empty yielding variety) seeds during the Green Revolution. Since for pure biodiversity conservation. Both methods are likely thestartingoftheBeejBachaoAndolan,hundredsofvarieties to lower financial profits and farmers are compensated for ofseedshavebeen recovered. Thereare anumberofMahila economic losses that they suffer in order to help species Mandals (women groups) that look into farming and survive. The viability ofthese methods also depends on the biodiversity issues. ecosystem of the area. Studies must be conducted before a While protecting agro-biodiversity, the village methodischosen.Withglobalfooddemandsgrowingbytwo simultaneouslyputsystemsinplacetoprotectitsforests.This tothree times by 2050itisessential that we find methodsof has resulted in healthy forests and land, an increase in farming that can cater to the growing needs ofthe world as biodiversity and high underground water tables. This is well as help conserve biodiversity. essential forplaces likeJardharwhere a vast majority ofthe VijayJardharioftheBeejBachaoAndolan (BBA,or populationisstilldirectlydependentonagricultureandforest Save the Seeds Movement), presented his experiences with produce. The Beej Bachao Andolan also focuses on conserving agro-biodiversity (agricultural biodiversity), in information dissemination on conservation. his village Jardhar in Uttarakhand, India, and in other parts The major problems faced by Jardhar are the waning of the region through the BBA. He tracked the changes in interest ofthe younger generation in the movement and the perceptions and methods offarming. Traditionally, farming threats from destructive development projects like mining. wasanesteemedprofessionand soil wasapreciousresource Currently, the village is also trying to stop hybrids and that had to be valued. It was treated like a living entity that genetically modified(GM)cropsfromenteringtheirfarming needed nurturing and nourishment. Organic methods of systems.Theyare fearfulthatthegovernmentwill propagate farmingwereusedthatnaturallyletcropbiodiversity flourish GMseedsbysellingthematsubsidisedratesandadvertising and kept the soil healthy. them asthestrongestandhighestyieldingvarietiesofseeds. Areportonthesessionheldatthe InternationalConferenceon ‘ConservingNatureinaGlobalizing India’ atBengaluru;February 17-19,2009 AGRICULTUREAND CONSERVATION much like they did with HYV seeds. The people ofJardhar planningtoincreasetheavailabilityofnutritiousfoodforthe think that since Uttarakhand is supposed to be an organic elephant populations within forests. However, increasing GM state, seeds should not be propagated. forest cover does not necessarily reduce human-elephant SiddappaSettyofthe Bangalore-basedNGOAshoka conflict because degraded land often has a higher carrying Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), capacityofelephantsthanarichforest.Oftenmoreelephants talked about the agricultural and wildlife conservation are found inbufferzonesthanincore areas. This isapparent practices ofthe Soligas, a tribe in the Biligiri Rangaswamy inJointForestManagementsiteswhereforestshaveprovided TempleWildlifeSanctuary(BRTWLS).TheSoligasfarmon shelterbutnotfoodforelephants. Thus,theyraidcropfrom land and collect non-timber forest produce (NTFP) from farms nearby and then use the newly regenerated forests to within and outside the sanctuary. Priorto 1972 (the yearthe hide. Sukumar also noted that elephants are now travelling WildlifeActwaspromulgated), wildanimalsconsumedhalf to forests where they were not found earlier. He said that of the crops that were cultivated by the tribe, which they although the number of conflicts has reduced over the last tolerated,butlaterastheiraccesstolandreduceddramatically 20 years because the male population has decreased, the due to conservation policies, they could not afford to lose compassion people had for the animal has also decreased. such vast quantities ofcrops anymore. Thus,communitiesthattraditionallyrefusedtokillelephants Traditional methodsoffarmingarestillusedtogrowa even when there were human casualties, are now open to variety ofcrops and conserve seeds. They previously used culling animals toprevent farmraids. shiftingcultivation, leavinglandfallowforfourtofiveyears to let it regenerate before using it again. This method was Discussion laterprohibited within the BRTWLS, and broadcast sowing Thepresentations werefollowedby adiscussion. One methods in settled agriculture were adopted. However, the ofthemainquestionsrevolvedaroundwhatindividualscould irregularcroparrangementmakesitdifficulttoremoveweeds. dotosupporttheseefforts.Jardhariaskedpeopletorevaluate To tackle this problem, the sowing patterns were changed their own lifestyles and find out where they could make from broadcasttoin-line. The systematic rowsofcropmade changes. He suggested small things like terrace gardens, it easier to locate and remove weeds. However, different buyinglocallygrownfoodandorganicfoodifitwaspossible. problems cropped up with this method and it was He also asked people to reconsider eating industrial meat discontinued. Farmers on hill slopes and those who did not becausetheproductionandtransportationofsuchmeatcosts have cattle to help them cultivate, found this method a lot in terms ofresource consumption. cumbersomeandwerethefirstpeopletoreverttotheirearlier Some participants questioned the viability oforganic methods.Farmersalsorealisedthatremovingtheweedsgave farming by stating that it wasreplaced by Green Revolution wild boars better access to the crops. After four years of in the 1970s because organic farming was incapable of experimenting,mostofthefannershavereturnedtobroadcast producing sufficient quantities to feed the country. They farming. Traditional farming is currently threatenedboth by pointed out that food needs are much higherthan they were theincreaseinthenumberofcoffeeplantationsintheareaas before and will double or triple in the next few decades and well as the excessive growth ofLantana in theWLS, which wonderedhow organic fanning wouldbe sustainable now if in turn is forcing wild animals to enter the Soliga farms in it wasn’t earlier. They asked ifperhaps, it was necessary to search offood. continue with non-organic methods of farming and add to Raman Sukumar of CES and IISc, spoke about them by using genetically modified (GM) seeds. human-elephantconflictinagriculturallandscapes.According The speakers reminded the audience that the Green to Sukumar, this is an age-old problem and cannot be Revolutionwasaggressivelypushedontofannersbyheavily completely eradicated, however, one can definitely work subsidising the cost ofHYV seeds and fertilisers. However, towards reducing losses. There should be extensive studies these prices changed, the quality of the soil decreased and on the extent ofdamage caused by elephants along with the ultimately the production levels dropped, making this form variety and quantity of food available in the forest, as this offarming unsustainable. Furthennore, it has led to farmer information will help unravel the motivational factorsbehind suicidesacrossthecountryandthesedeathsmustbeaccounted theinstancesofcropraiding.Afterall,elephantstaketofields forwhileassessingthesustainabilityofnon-organicmethods forthesamereasonsthathumansdo-limitedaccesstoforest offarming. produce,andforthenutritionandthetasteoffarmgrowncrops. The speakers acknowledged that organic farming also These studies can be followed by bringing about had its drawbacks and said it should be used only when it changes in cropping patterns and enforcing landscape seemed to be the most sustainable (in terms of economics 278 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 106 (3), Sept-Dec 2009 AGRICULTURE AND CONSERVATION and ecology) option. Unfortunately, several farmers have landtypesandfarmingwouldbemoreeffective.Workingon forgotten traditional methods offarming because they have thesestructurestakestimeandenergy. InZaheerabad,ittook been using the Green Revolution methods fordecades. This fifteen years to prove that dry land farming was the more meantthateven though farmers mightwanttorevertbackto effective method. organicfarmingtheynolongerhavethemeansandknowledge The session ended with a discussion on GM seeds. A to do so. comparison was drawn between growing monocultures of GM GM Thespeakersfearedthatpushing seedswouldhave seeds and using traditional organic forms of agro- effects similarto that ofthe Green Revolution. The solution biodiversity. Peoplearguedthatifafarmhasarichdiversity tothiswas forming networksthatcouldhelpeachotherwith ofcrops, this diversity acts as a buffer. Ifa particular crop farming methods and seeds. Linking markets and locally gets infected and dies, there will still be other crops that produced food was also the need ofthe hour. This has been assure the farmer of some food and sustenance. This was achievedbytheDeccanDevelopmentSocietyinZaheerabad notthecasewithmonoculturesofhybrid, HYV,orGMcrops (Andhra Pradesh, India), by linking the public distribution as the produce of a whole farm would be wiped out if an systemtoavarietyoflocal,organically produced, nutritious infectionoradiseaseattackedthecrop.Thediscussionveered crops. to the ethical arguments for and against GM, and naturally In response to the question about the looming food available seeds. People were divided on whether they were crisis, the speakers said the solution was not more intensive more comfortable with one or the other kind of seeds. farmingonlargerpatchesoflandbutfarming moreessential Participants agreed that there was insufficient scientific foodstuffs rather than non-essential cash crops. They also data to prove whether one form of farming was better than recommendedadoptingeatinghabitsthatareeasiertosustain theotherduetoapaucityofexamplesofdirectcomparisons likeeatingmorebajraandunpolishedrice.Finally,onewould between the two forms. However, observations from the alsohavetoquestionthesocialhierarchyoffarmingmethods. variousexamplesoforganic,sustainable,biodiversefarming For instance, dry landfanning is viewed as inferiorto water suggested that such alternatives could be viable in the long intensive irrigatedmethodseven ifit ismoreeffective under run for India, and provide appropriate resolutions for certain conditions. Ifsuch false hierarchies were done away the conflicts between agriculture and biodiversity with,appropriatemethodswouldbeadoptedtosuitparticular conservation. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 106 (3), Sept-Dec 2009 279