India's rice revolution

Below is very interesting article entitled “India’s rice revolution,” which appeared recently in the U.K. Guardian newspaper about revolutionary rice farming here in India. 

India's rice revolution 

In a village in India's poorest state, Bihar, farmers are growing world record amounts of rice – with no GM, and no herbicide. Is this one solution to world food shortages? 

Sumant Kumar was overjoyed when he harvested his rice last year. There had been good rains in his village of Darveshpura in north-east India and he knew he could improve on the four or five tonnes per hectare that he usually managed. But every stalk he cut on his paddy field near the bank of the Sakri river seemed to weigh heavier than usual, every grain of rice was bigger and when his crop was weighed on the old village scales, even Kumar was shocked. 

Rice grains ripening in field

This was not six or even 10 or 20 tonnes. Kumar, a shy young farmer in Nalanda district of India's poorest state Bihar, had – using only farmyard manure and without any herbicides – grown an astonishing 22.4 tonnes of rice on one hectare of land. This was a world record and with rice the staple food of more than half the world's population of seven billion, big news. 

It beat not just the 19.4 tonnes achieved by the "father of rice", the Chinese agricultural scientist Yuan Longping, but the World Bank-funded scientists at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, and anything achieved by the biggest European and American seed and GM companies. And it was not just Sumant Kumar. Krishna, Nitish, Sanjay and Bijay, his friends and rivals in Darveshpura, all recorded over 17 tonnes, and many others in the villages around claimed to have more than doubled their usual yields. 

The villagers, at the mercy of erratic weather and used to going without food in bad years, celebrated. But the Bihar state agricultural universities didn't believe them at first, while India's leading rice scientists muttered about freak results. The Nalanda farmers were accused of cheating. Only when the state's head of agriculture, a rice farmer himself, came to the village with his own men and personally verified Sumant's crop, was the record confirmed. 

The rhythm of Nalanda village life was shattered. Here bullocks still pull ploughs as they have always done, their dung is still dried on the walls of houses and used to cook food. Electricity has still not reached most people. Sumant became a local hero, mentioned in the Indian parliament and asked to attend conferences. The state's chief minister came to Darveshpura to congratulate him, and the village was rewarded with electric power, a bank and a new concrete bridge. 

Click here to read full article and here to view video slide show.

Erythrina Indica – Coral Tree

The Erythrina Indica tree outside my house is currently in bloom and looks glorious. Erythrina Indica (Indian Coral Tree; Tamil = Kalyana Murungai) is a species of the genus Erythrina which contains approximately a hundred trees and shrubs. Erythrina is from the Greek word erythros, meaning red in allusion to the colour of the bloom and Indica to its country of origin. This tree which is commonly found throughout Tiruvannamalai District, is cultivated as a support for various climbing plants (particularly the betel leaf). As it is also an excellent nitrogen fixer, the Erythrina Indica is often planted in fields to improve yield.

Most resplendently adorned tree

The leaves of this tree fall once a year and is followed by the blooming of beautiful scarlet blossoms. This tree will now attract a multitude of bird visitors to its wonderful coloured leaves. Salim Ali in his, “the Book of Indian Birds,” positively identifies the Erythrina Indica as a tree with its seeds and brightly coloured leaves, that is strongly favoured by birds. When in bloom, the tree's scarlet red flowers attracts; crows, mynas, babblers, starlings and green parrots to feed upon the nectar inside the flower and thereby pollinate the tree. To view Salim Ali’s list of Indian trees favoured by birds, go to this link here. 

Wonderfully vivid scarlet flowers

This highly valued ornamental tree has been described as one of the gems of the floral world. It grows along the coastal and inland districts in deciduous forests. The Indian Coral Tree can reach sixty feet height and spread twenty feet. It has stout branches armed with black tiger's claw spine and curved prickles on its long leaf stalks. Though the timber of the tree is light and soft, it is durable when heavy woods are deemed unsuitable. 

Asian Pied Starling feeding on the flower

Mountain of Medicine Update

The Mountain of Medicine project has been underway since August 2003 and since then over 3,000 trees and shrubs of 170 different species have been successfully planted on the Hill, and a nursery has been started to provide the seedlings for the following years and for other reforestation efforts on the Hill. Seven local people are employed full time, with up to twenty-five being involved on a seasonal basis. 

Below is a pictorial representation of the current status of the Mountain of Medicine. Beautiful. 

Eventually the park will include: 

1. A fully functioning nursery. 

2. An area of cultivation of medicinal herbs of commercial value. 

3. An area of zero human interference to act as a control plot showing what natural regeneration is possible on Arunachala hill if biotic pressures are excluded. 

4. The creation of a showcase natural forest will full range of plant strata, with particular emphasis on medicinal plants. 

5. Cultivation of medicinal tree species and associated lianas and shade-loving herbs with a view to sustainable harvesting. 

6. An awareness and educational centre for the general public, farmers and young people. 

7. A living example of organic cultivation, pest control and maintenance.