An Overview Of Our Solution
As a solution to arrest simplification of agriculture, MSSRF’s climate smart farming intervention in an agrobiodiversity hotspot of India helped over 10,000 households in about 5,000 ha of land to revive bio diverse farming practices. 50-60 Master Farmers demonstrate successfully sustainable income from small holdings. The highlights are revitalization of shade grown coffee agro-forestry system, rice cultivation with number of climate resilient rice varieties, conservation of > 200 crop varieties, establishment of over 1000 nutritive gardens, Seed villages, nearly 200 RET plant species, > 400 species of medicinal plants and many little known species of food and nutrition value. The intervention through a C4 approach - conservation, cultivation, consumption and commerce proved effective for achieving sustainable agricultural production and consumption.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Asia
General Information
Organization type
Nonprofit
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Forests
Population impacted
>10,000 families
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
5000 ha (coffee and rice)
Production quantity
15,00,000 (cofee and rice)
People employed
30 staff and several self help and farmers group members
Solution
Describe your solution
MSSRF facilitated a paradigm shift in the present “high input/low diversity food production to high diversity/low input farming system” in Wayanad- a climate hotspot of India. MSSRF’s Community Agro-biodiversity Centre (http://mssrfcabc.res.in) in Wayanad and Kuttanad Below Sea level Farming System (A GIAHS site) promotes sustainable food production and consumption activities since 1997. The approach is trans-disciplinary where a team of multi-disciplinary scientists working in collaboration with community biodiversity practitioners. We have developed and perfected a conceptual model called ‘C4’ continuum for community level management related to the overall agro-biodiversity, including its curative, culinary and cultural dimensions. The ‘C4’ actions were in Conservation, - in situ, on-farm and ex situ involving seed bank, and community gene bank, and in vitro cultures with focus on plants of food, health and conservation value; Cultivation with the goal of promoting low external input sustainable agriculture focussing rice and shade coffee; Consumption focused on reduction of under nutrition through revitalization of traditional food habits including the use of underutilized crops and tubers, survey of prevailing micro nutritional deficiencies; and Commerce with the purpose of creating an economic stake in conservation and livelihood security through FPO. Since the 4 Cs are closely linked, progress in one ‘C’ is possible only with progress made in the other three C’s.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
The activities held in four work packages: Food and Nutrition where Nutritive Gardens with selected assemblage of fruits and vegetables, and nutrition literacy/skill trainings in blending traditional and modern culinary preparations promoted; Climate Action and Biodiversity Conservation with the ‘C4’ actions related to diverse food crop species and varieties of rice; promotion of Coffee agro-forestry with integration of RET trees; capacity development of Biodiversity Management Committees in mainstreaming climate and biodiversity concerns in agricultural development and of farmers in adopting climate and biodiversity compatible LEISA practices; Climate and Biodiversity Knowledge for developing coffee agro-forest system as a carbon neutral brand, and a mechanism to promote eco-tourism, and organization of annual Local Seed Diversity Fairs for identifying climate resilient varieties; Income Generation for market development approach for farmers’ produces. The focus at agrobiodiversity management is at three levels: Genetic to understand the diversity of crop varieties and other diversity of wild origin that have direct value to local communities; Species on conservation of those endangered species figured in various Red Lists, at Ecosystem, the fragile Agricultural Landscapes, and Sacred Groves and Ponds. The major enabling conditions included the decentralised govt system, and the credibility of Prof Swaminathan’s leadership. The trans-disciplinary solutions, partnership with empowered GRIs, LSGs and the conserved (on-farm and in-situ) rich genetic resources became the key success factors. The major obstacle of short term project funding mode is now being addressed by getting core support from the central and state S&T departments. We have successfully demonstrated the resourcefulness of its team as both scientists and community mobilisers for sustainable development.
External connections
The work on community agrobiodiversity development resulted in MSSRF becoming the first organization from India to join the Satoyama Initiative, and to serve in their steering committee. Since 2013, CAbC is a member of IUCN and BGCI. These partnerships helped in cross-learning on a global basis the sustainable food production strategies. The National Biodiversity Authority became a consistent donor for the Seed Festival of the Centre. Strong partnership established with Kerala State Science Council, Agriculture and Forest Departments, Biodiversity Board, Medicinal Plant Board, KFRI and TBGRI for strengthening and replicating the C4 approach. Advocacy and Actions with the learning of trans-disciplinary knowledge for Biodiversity management in the state become a routine function of the Centre. With support of the State Agriculture Department, tribal department, lead bank, farmer groups, and marketing agencies mapped the extent of vulnerability of farmers in the area. Hundreds of Agro-clinics and Farmer counselling services were organized through VRCs. In collaboration with the Forest department ex-situ conservation and sustainable collection protocols developed for several RET species. Our efforts contributed the state’s five year planning and the State Planning Board, for the first time to consider biodiversity mainstreaming for local development. The Centre proposed the outcome indicators in the State Plan for biodiversity management based on their C4 framework.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Since late 1960s Agriculture in India saved millions of lives by successfully avoiding the historically recurrent famines, and lifting millions out of poverty, thanks to the “green revolution”. But unfortunately, the green revolution became “greed revolution” resulted in critical negative environmental externalities. The Indian Agriculture where at least 600 million people depend for their livelihoods still finds trouble in fully recognizing the significance of Eco-agriculture in combating the disadvantages related to agricultural production. Wayanad –predominantly a Coffee Agro-forest System of Kerala has experienced drastic land use changes like shade coffee to open coffee and rice fields to banana plantations, followed with high input-low diversity farming practices paved way to nutrition insecurity, loss of innumerable biodiversity and ecosystem services. Keeping food production and consumption sustainable becomes a big challenge for Indian agricultural practitioners.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Wayanad is one of the richest centres of biodiversity in India and a lead district in production of coffee, spices, medicinal and aromatic rice and supply of NWFPs. And is one of the earliest locations of coffee plantations. The district lost rice paddies from 30,000 ha to 10,230 ha during the last 30 years. Robusta variety of coffee, which doesn’t need much shade, occupied >70% of about 67,000ha of coffee. Amongst the local communities, >90% of the farmers are small holders, and tribes Paniya and Adiya stood as one of the most deprived social groups in India. Also, they constituted the majority of Kerala’s under nourished people. MSSRF’s study on the food baskets of these communities showed they had rich choice of foods in the past. But, the land use changes and agrarian crisis once made this district a farmers’ suicide spot. Now a climate hotspot too! Complete impoverishment of the vulnerable tribe populations and small holder farmers prophesied.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
The work resulted in improving the income of ca. 10,000 families through multiple farm livelihoods in the C4 actions in rice, vegetables, coffee and medicinal plants. Conserved ex-situ and on-farm over 100 traditionally cultivated crop varieties, > 200 RET plant species, and over 600 species of medicinal plants. First time in south India, legal recognition brought for 26 farmers’ varieties of rice through the PPVFR Act 2001. Ten Seed villages for Rice and to maintain on-farm the 26 FVs; A Botanic Garden with over 1500 locally useful plant species and germplasm of many varieties food plants. >100,000 seedlings of 160 RET species distributed. Wayanad became the first district in the state to have largest number of traditional rice varieties in cultivation. Plant Genome Saviour and Green Farmer Awards came to our five farmers and one of our grass-root institutions. The efforts helped Kuttanad Below -Sea level Farming System to get the global recognition of FAO promoted GIAHS status.
Language(s)
Malayalam
Water
CAbC became the resource support organization for the Watershed based agriculture management in the district. By promoting rice cultivation (rain-fed) in over 200 ha ensured water storage and recharging wells of at least 500 farm families. The tree planting effort helped in water conservation and ground water recharge in many locations. As part of the programme eighty tribal households in a tribal hamlet were provided with access to safe drinking water.
Food Security/Nutrition
Identified and popularised naturally occurring nutrient rich food plants. Nearly 20,000 women and men had undergone various training and capacity building programme in sustainable food production. As a result over 1000 nutritive gardens established and ensured availability of diverse leafy greens, vegetables, pulses, tubers and fruits. As part of Orchard development, distributed saplings of coconut, mango, garcinia, gooseberry with organic inputs.
Economic/Sustainable Development
There are 50-60 Master Farmers in our circle who have proven farming is sustainable by all means. For example, Mr. Eldho, an innovative farmer where our farm school operates earns 400,000 annually from just 1.25 acres of farm. Another farmer who conserves high diversity of crops and fish earns an appreciable income. These farmers now connected to the Farm tourism initiative of the district. The Green Markets benefitting at least 500 families to have consistent income.
Climate
Promotion of shade coffee in ca. 1000 ha with integration of native tree species has proved as a natural stock for carbon removals. 1 ha shade coffee farm with large trees can sequester 70-80 tonnes of carbon per ha, which is +_ equivalent to the carbon stored in equal area of forest. A fully sun grown coffee in one ha can only store < 10 tonnes of carbon. As an adaptation strategy, rice fields and many traditional rice varieties with traits of drought and flood tolerance getting popularised.
Sustainability
The newly gained capacity and confidence amongst the tribal society and the small holder farmers helped them to have sustainable income generation and livelihood options. Our research showed new explorations to value-chain studies and policy initiatives play a major role in sustainable income generation. The Commercialization efforts helped to build strong opportunities for the income security of tribal communities through market-driven eco-enterprises including farm-tourism. Now we are organizing a tour package called Bio-Education Tour by linking our Master Farmers with Hotels. The Sustainability Indicators are: Enterprises on organic vegetables and herbal products; FPO; LEISA farms, and on farm conservation and cultivation sites.
Return on investment
Average 30 staff in partnership with the GRIs and Kudumbasree women groups that together have at least 1000 farm men and women implemented these activities. Since 1997, we executed 51 projects, with a budget around 150.43 million, in which 2 million raised through the Centre’s Coffee farm, and Plant Nursery in the last five years. We rate this only as an investment for getting the gains like tribal and other vulnerable community men and women involving in sustainable production and marketing of LEISA products; promotion of Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Foods; Conservation and promotion of RET tree nurseries; the C4 Methodology for social development interventions and methods and practices for promoting Climate Smart Agriculture.
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
This project will be replicated in other locations of Kerala to make an ‘Evergreen Revolution’ which sustains agricultural production in perpetuity. The community agrobiodiversity management, with climate smart Coffee Agro-forestry System which has low carbon foot print will be an effective approach towards high crop productivity and enhanced income. Now the State budget 2017-2018 earmarked 5 million to us to up-scale the community agro-biodiversity activities. The State Science Council is taking steps to recognize MSSRF as one of their grant-in- aid institutions to promote the Community Agro-biodiversity Science. The replication idea is to organize the small and marginal coffee farmers of the state to develop the marketing potential of Shade Coffee as a global green brand and ensuring raised income for 10,000 farmers and a minimum of 25,000 acres of farm. We calculate the cost per farmer 30,000 for a period of three years. The central government’s assistance will be very crucial.