Pastoralists demand land rights as Banni grasslands of Kutch readied for cheetah breeding

Maldharis demand land rights as government readies Banni grasslands of Kutch for cheetah breeding

Since the initiation of India’s cheetah reintroduction project since a year, the central government is planning a cheetah breeding and conservation centre in the Banni grasslands of the Great Rann of Kutch, located in the Kachchh district of Gujarat. The Banni grasslands have been identified as capable of supporting over 50 cheetahs by the Wildlife Institute of India and Wildlife Trust of India. 

Banni is the largest grassland in Asia and is home to around 40 different species of grass. While adverse climatological conditions and high salinity limit agriculture, the grasslands have historically remained free grazing land and are highly suitable for animal husbandry practised by the Maldharis who have inhabited 48 villages in the grasslands for centuries with over 1.5 lakh cattle. The daily yield of the Banni breed of buffaloes is estimated to be over 1.5 lakh litres of milk.

Following the government announcement of the breeding centre, the Banni Breeders Association (BAA), a union comprising breeders from all Banni villages, met the district collector to mark their opposition stating that the community was not consulted in the decision-making process. Although the breeding centre itself is not a primary concern for the Maldharis, they are concerned over the potential threats to their traditional livelihoods and the future well-being of the local Banni buffalo (Mongabay, India).

Uttarakhand farmers rethink agricultural practices as climate change threatens yields 

Global warming is affecting agriculture in the Himalayan region and changing rainfall patterns have left farming in disarray in the region. A recent study by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) predicts that crops grown in the Himalayan region will be severely affected by the end of the century with wheat yields decreasing by up to 12 percent.

As a result, farmers in Uttarakhand are rethinking traditional agricultural practices by making a strategic transition to livestock farming and forestry and experimenting with new agricultural practices by experimenting with new crops and species and venturing into animal husbandry, poultry and fish farming. Many people are also taking up beekeeping and goat rearing, that are offering lucrative profits.

Climate change has increased the risk of monkeys and pigs destroying crops and farmers are coping by moving into mushroom cultivation and growing hill pulses (bhatt, gahat) along with grains like madua (finger millet) and kuttu (buckwheat) that are sold at very good prices preventing migration and connecting rural youth with the enterprise (Down To Earth).

Karnataka couple preserves rare native varieties of paddy

Asma and her husband Aboobakar from Karnataka have been working tirelessly to conserve indigenous paddy varieties since the last 13 years. The couple has so far documented 840 native varieties, including nagasampige, karingajavili, raktasali, jugul and rajamudi. Of these, almost 85 percent have been successfully germinated while they aim at documenting 1,000 varieties with 100 percent germination.

The couple’s mission began with a desire to have their own paddy field. In 2010, they attempted to cultivate the crop on their 0.4-hectare (ha) land in Murathangadi, located on the border of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. However, they found that several farmers were turning their backs to agriculture due to labour and resource requirements. Traditional paddy varieties had nearly disappeared with the focus on high-yielding crops.

The couple began finding indigenous paddy varieties by visiting places with a history of the crop’s cultivation in Karnataka and some parts of Kerala. They cultivate the collected seeds on their land as well as on three other plots taken on lease from acquaintances. The seeds are sun dried and planted on natural soils, without spraying pesticides or fertilisers. Fields are mulched after the harvest to preserve the soil nutrition levels (Down To Earth).

Improved water management empowers women in Bundelkhand

Bundelkhand has been a bare, dry expanse, but now has transformed into green fields with orchards and ponds due to water conservation methods leading to decrease in migration of men from the villages into cities in search of work. This was as a result of a pilot experiment in the villages of Lalitpur, Singar, and Sutta villages (in the Bundelkhand region of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh) with the adoption harvesting methods and the construction of water harvesting structures with government support and community involvement.

The team included hydrologists and socio-economic scientists from the ICRISAT Development Center. who worked with the consortia members of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Agroforestry Research Institute (ICAR-CAFRI), Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (ICAR–IGFRI), and state and local governments.

Many farm ponds and borewells had run dry in this region due to the large fall in the water table. Through the project, 78 farm ponds were revived, leading to water recharge in the wells. The damage caused by over-drilling groundwater from open wells/borewells was reversed by implementing a range of natural resource management methods, including the haveli cultivation system. The water-engineering interventions increased groundwater recharge, raised the water table by 2–10 meters, and improved crop productivity by 20–80 percent.

This transformation immensely benefited the lives of women who earlier had to undergo the daily task of collecting water for their households. Since water was now available throughout the year, women resorted to growing fruit trees, crops like groundnut, chickpea, and wheat and raising goats and cows. School attendance improved as girl children did not have to help their mothers fetch drinking water or irrigate the farms (Krishak Jagat). 

 Citizens and experts join hands to draft a declaration for rights of rivers in Maharashtra

Citizens and experts in Pune have come together to draft a declaration for the rights of rivers following the alarming degradation of rivers in the state posing a threat to climate, wildlife, public health, and livelihoods. The draft is being prepared with the help of experts working for river conservation and protection, aiming to protect rivers and freshwater ecosystems, across Maharashtra.

Most of the rivers across Pune have maximum untreated sewage flowing into its waters and high level of pollution and encroachment at multiple places on riverbanks. This has drastically affected the health of rivers and adversely affected the environment and human health.

Citizens have constantly raised their concerns over the quality of river water across the district and have implemented various initiatives to create awareness among the citizens for river conservation and environmental protection (Hindustan Times). 

This is a roundup of important news updates from 16th January to 31st January 2024. Read our policy updates here.