KALPETTA: Wayalnadinte Vayalukal (The paddy fields of Wayalnadu), a 20-minute documentary on the impact of extensive pesticide and chemical fertilizer application in Wayanad district, was screened at the Press Club Auditorium here on Wednesday.
The documentary was produced by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), an NGO, in the district to sensitise farmers against overuse of pesticides, especially in plantain fields and in the plantation sector of the district.
Change in crops
Pesticides and chemical fertilizer began to be used extensively in the district after paddy cultivation was replaced by plantain and ginger crops, N. Anilkumar, director, MSSRF said. The agrarian society was adversely affected by the overuse, he added.
The impact and remedial measures for the crisis are the themes of the documentary. The ecological effects, including extinction of rich microbial diversity, several rare flora and fauna such as edible greens, medicinal plants and insects, are depicted in the documentary.
Wild leafy vegetables and several species of fresh water fishes, the main sources of the food of tribespeople once, are also on the verges of extinction.
Spurt in cancer cases
The sudden spurt in deadly diseases like cancer, especially among tribespeople, was also highlighted in the documentary.
“It took nearly a year to complete the documentary. We are planning to screen the documentary throughout the district with the help of social service organisations and local administrative bodies. Time is ripe for attempts to save an agrarian society from the clutches of an imminent disaster,” Suma Vishnudas, director of the documentary said. Camera was wielded by Jayapraksash Kootalida.
As part of the screening, a workshop on the ‘Social and ecological impacts of extensive pesticides application in Wayanad district' was organised for the media and selected farmers.
C. Jayakumar, director, Thanal and Dr. Anilkumar led the classes.
Source: The Hindu,9-12-2010
The documentary was produced by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), an NGO, in the district to sensitise farmers against overuse of pesticides, especially in plantain fields and in the plantation sector of the district.
Change in crops
Pesticides and chemical fertilizer began to be used extensively in the district after paddy cultivation was replaced by plantain and ginger crops, N. Anilkumar, director, MSSRF said. The agrarian society was adversely affected by the overuse, he added.
The impact and remedial measures for the crisis are the themes of the documentary. The ecological effects, including extinction of rich microbial diversity, several rare flora and fauna such as edible greens, medicinal plants and insects, are depicted in the documentary.
Wild leafy vegetables and several species of fresh water fishes, the main sources of the food of tribespeople once, are also on the verges of extinction.
Spurt in cancer cases
The sudden spurt in deadly diseases like cancer, especially among tribespeople, was also highlighted in the documentary.
“It took nearly a year to complete the documentary. We are planning to screen the documentary throughout the district with the help of social service organisations and local administrative bodies. Time is ripe for attempts to save an agrarian society from the clutches of an imminent disaster,” Suma Vishnudas, director of the documentary said. Camera was wielded by Jayapraksash Kootalida.
As part of the screening, a workshop on the ‘Social and ecological impacts of extensive pesticides application in Wayanad district' was organised for the media and selected farmers.
C. Jayakumar, director, Thanal and Dr. Anilkumar led the classes.
Source: The Hindu,9-12-2010
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