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Who cultivates traditional paddy varieties and why? Findings from Kerala, India


Affiliations
1 Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
2 Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
 

Traditional paddy varieties are climate resilient, local stress-tolerant, low-input intensive and valuable sources of genetic diversity that have been under the threat of extinction from rising preferences for high yielding varieties. However, farmers in few pockets of the globe continue to cultivate traditional paddy varieties. This study therefore is an attempt at investigating who cultivates them and why they do so, through the survey of 225 paddy farmers in Wayanad district of Kerala. Results revealed that traditional paddy varieties were grown mainly by marginal and tribal farmers for chief purposes of self-consumption, and for associated traditional values and conservation. Farmers’ varietal selection decisions were found to be influenced by varietal traits related to consumption aspects, consumer demand, pest and disease resistance. Therefore, by cultivating traditional paddy varieties, farmers have been conserving these valuable genetic resources on-farm. However, stronger concerted institutional interventions are required for full-fledged, systematic and sustained in situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity

Keywords

Agrobiodiversity, in-situ conservation, traditional paddy varieties, varietal traits.
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  • Who cultivates traditional paddy varieties and why? Findings from Kerala, India

Abstract Views: 290  |  PDF Views: 124

Authors

Shenaz Rasheed
Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
P. Venkatesh
Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
Dharam Raj Singh
Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
V. R. Renjini
Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
Girish Kumar Jha
Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
Dinesh Kumar Sharma
Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India

Abstract


Traditional paddy varieties are climate resilient, local stress-tolerant, low-input intensive and valuable sources of genetic diversity that have been under the threat of extinction from rising preferences for high yielding varieties. However, farmers in few pockets of the globe continue to cultivate traditional paddy varieties. This study therefore is an attempt at investigating who cultivates them and why they do so, through the survey of 225 paddy farmers in Wayanad district of Kerala. Results revealed that traditional paddy varieties were grown mainly by marginal and tribal farmers for chief purposes of self-consumption, and for associated traditional values and conservation. Farmers’ varietal selection decisions were found to be influenced by varietal traits related to consumption aspects, consumer demand, pest and disease resistance. Therefore, by cultivating traditional paddy varieties, farmers have been conserving these valuable genetic resources on-farm. However, stronger concerted institutional interventions are required for full-fledged, systematic and sustained in situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity

Keywords


Agrobiodiversity, in-situ conservation, traditional paddy varieties, varietal traits.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv121%2Fi9%2F1188-1193