UN heritage status for Koraput farming system in Odisha: Recognised for promoting food security and conserving biodiversity

Article and Image Courtesy: Down to Earth

Author: Jyotika Sood

Farmers in the region have conserved hundreds of rice varieties

Traditional farming systems in India have received a major boost at a time when Indian agriculture is struggling to come to terms with modern technologies. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has accorded the status of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) to the traditional agricultural system being practiced in Koraput region of Odisha.

The official announcement was made by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the inauguration of Indian Science Congress at Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. The Traditional Agriculture Koraput System is the first agricultural system in India that been recognised for its outstanding contribution to promote food security, biodiversity, indigenous knowledge and cultural diversity for sustainable and equitable development. The recognition has come following a proposal submitted by Chennai-based MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) to conserve the practice.

Route to rural prosperity

The proposal stated that Koraput region in Odisha, with over 70 per cent poor tribal people, has significant genetic repository in the global context. As many as 79 plant angiosperms species and one gymnosperms species are endemic to the region. Despite the genetic richness, no significant initiative was taken to use this legacy to help the region overcome acute rural poverty. The MSSRF proposal said the foundation wanted to design a system to provide opportunity for developing efficient people-centric, pro-nature, pro-poor and women oriented programme in the region to usher in rural prosperity.

The Koraput region situated in the Eastern Ghats is a high land plateau with number of hills and hillocks. The tribal people have indigenous knowledge system for their various agricultural practices. For example, they use their traditional knowledge to check viability of seeds before sowing, maintain soil fertility and conserve the landraces (old seed strains which are farmer-selected in areas where subsistence agriculture prevails largely) of rice and other crops. The knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation by families.

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