Gene bank to promote traditional rice farming

KALPETTA: Scientists of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) at Puthurvayal in Kalpetta are getting ready to implement a novel project — a community gene bank to promote and propagate the seeds of traditional rice, vegetables and yam varieties of Malabar region in association with select farmers, including the tribal farming communities in the district. We are planning to conserve and multiply the lost traditional rice varieties with the help of tribal and other traditional rice farmers in the Malabar region, Dr. Anilkumar, director, MSSRF, told The Hindu on Sunday.

Climate change is posing a challenge to the farming community. There is need to preserve and multiply traditional rice seed varieties in view of the likelihood of climate change impact, as the seed varieties have innate drought-resisting and light sensitive nature, he added.

The project will be implemented by Seed Care, a farmers' collective formed to promote traditional seed cultivation, with technical support of the scientists of MSSRF. The project envisages providing seeds of as many as 50 lost varieties of rice crops, which have been preserved in the gene bank of the MSSRF in Chennai under the leadership of M. Geetharani, to select group of farmers to promote the cultivation. They, in turn, will hand over the seeds to farmers.

In the preliminary stage, the MSSRF will provide the samples of traditional seeds free to members of Seed Care. Apart from the rice varieties, Seed Care will promote the cultivation of different traditional varieties.

Source: The Hindu, 5th April 2010