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Munda tribal farmers in Rantal, Odisha, have revived indigenous paddy varieties through organic farming.
Rantal, a hamlet with 42 families in Jujomura block of Sambalpur district in Odisha, has emerged as a model village for organic farming of indigenous paddy varieties. The farmers, belonging to the Munda tribal community, exchange native rice seeds among themselves through a barter system every two years.
They cultivate different varieties in rotation. This practice helps break the cycle of pests and diseases and keeps the soil healthy. Continuous cultivation of the same crop depletes specific nutrients, while crop rotation helps maintain soil fertility and balance.
The 42 families migrated from Bihar to Rantal in 1980. Over the years, they gradually adopted organic farming to live healthier and remain in harmony with nature.
“Some years ago, two people in our village died due to tuberculosis. We realised their death was the result of consuming high-yielding varieties (of paddy) grown using chemicals. This prompted us to switch over to organic farming,” farmer Ajay Dang, a Munda tribal, tells 30Stades.
Today, the Mundas of Rantal cultivate indigenous paddy varieties across 90 acres using organic farming techniques.
Mundas, who mostly live in Sambalpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts, belong to the Austro-Asiatic group and speak Mundari. Their main occupation is settled farming and the collection of minor forest produce.
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With the advent of the Green Revolution in the mid-sixties, high-yielding paddy varieties like ‘Puja’ and ‘Lalat’ replaced traditional varieties. As a result, native landraces such as Talmuli, Sona Harin, Dasmati and Mugdhi—once widely grown in Sambalpur—were wiped out from farmlands.
Beginning 2015-16, Sambalpur-based non-government organisations Desi Bihana Surakshya Manch (DBSM) and Patang began working in Rantal to promote organic farming and revive indigenous paddy cultivation. Farmers were also feeling the burden of the high investment required for agrochemicals used in high-yielding varieties.
DBSM and Patang explained how excessive use of agrochemicals adversely affected human and soil health. “We started counselling and training 70 farmers in batches in 2017-18. As the Mundas are an organised and disciplined tribal community, they opted for organic farming. A few who still cultivate high-yielding varieties adhere to organic farming practices,” says Saroj Kumar Mohanty, the DBSM convener.
DBSM has so far conserved 256 indigenous paddy varieties.
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Preparation of organic manures and bio-pesticides
During the training programmes, farmers learned to prepare organic manures such as vermicompost and jeevamrut, and organic pesticides, including bijamrut, neemastra and brahmastra. They were also trained in soil structure assessment, seed treatment and seed storage.
The farmers have collectively set up more than 33 vermicompost pits. Each pit measures about four feet in height, eight feet in length and three feet in width.
"Fresh cow dung, agricultural waste and earthworms are used. Each pit produces between 80 kg and one quintal of vermicompost," says Suryanarayana Dash, former senior programme manager of Patang.
“We provided Rs 2,500 to set up vermicompost beds under the Paramparagata Krushi Vikash Yojana, which has now been wound up. Similarly, Rs 10,000 to Rs 15000 was provided for setting up a vermicompost cement pit. We also provided about five kg of earthworms per pit per farmer free of cost,” says Tankadhar Sahoo, former Chief District Agriculture Officer, Sambalpur.
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“Beejamruta is prepared by mixing fresh cow dung, bovine urine, lime water, hemp (called bhang) and arakha, neem, karanja and bay (called ‘Badhar’ locally) leaves. About 15 kg is required per acre,” says Joseph.
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Organic pesticide ‘Bramhastra’ is prepared by boiling leaves of custard apple, neem, dhatura, karanj and castor in bovine urine. Neemastra is prepared by mixing neem and arakha leaves with cow urine and water. “While Neemastra is applied when the plants sprout, ‘Bramhastra’ is applied to control pests if required,” says Ajay.
An intensive study was undertaken to identify native paddy varieties suitable for different land types. Lowland, locally called ‘bahala’, is suitable for varieties like ‘Jhuli’ and ‘Assam chudi’, which mature in 130 to 150 days.
Upland, known locally as ‘atta’, is ideal for varieties such as ‘Sathia’ and ‘Saria’, which are harvested in 60 to 70 days. For other land types, varieties like ‘Palasi’ and ‘Harishankar’, ready in 80 to 100 days, are cultivated.
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Yields, costs and market returns
The tribal farmers in Rantal quickly moved away from chemicals to organic paddy farming. “We had to invest Rs 7000 to Rs 8000 per acre to grow high-yielding varieties, which required chemical fertilisers and pesticides. However, one acre of indigenous paddy requires an investment of only Rs 1000 to Rs 1200 under organic farming. The major part of this is incurred on the preparation of vermicompost, organic manure and bio-pesticide,” says farmer Joseph Surin, who grows ‘Talmuli’, ‘Suna Harini’ and ‘Mugdhi’ on 3.5 acres.
“The per-acre production of different paddy varieties varies between nine and 12 quintals. We sell six to seven quintals at Rs 50 per kg after keeping the remaining for domestic consumption,” Joseph adds.
Some farmers, like Ajay Dang, still cultivate high-yielding varieties alongside indigenous ones, but strictly follow organic practices.
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“I grow indigenous varieties on two acres and the high-yielding ones on 1.5 acres. While the per-acre yield of the indigenous variety is about 17 quintals, the output of the high-yielding varieties is over 20 quintals. I sell surplus indigenous rice at Rs 33 a kg and that of the high-yielding varieties at Rs 23 per kg,” says Ajay.
Community initiatives for soil and irrigation
Rantal receives an annual rainfall of about 1000 mm, but occasional dry spells pose challenges. To address this, villagers have collectively built a check dam, locally called ‘Kanta’, at the foothills of a nearby hill. Spread over one acre, it stores the stream’s water.
“They have also dug a huge pond (locally called ‘bandha’), covering about one acre. Similarly, they have dug two tanks, each covering an area of about 50 decimals. The agriculture department met the labour cost under MNREGA. Each labourer received Rs. 273 daily under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MNERGA,” says Sugad Kandulana, the village’s ‘Gaon Saathi’, appointed to coordinate between government agencies, NGOs and farmers.
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The village has three local committees called ‘Pancha Dalas’, each with 10 to 12 members aged between 25 and 45 years. For tasks, like soil preparation and application of organic manure and pesticides, a farmer pays Rs 100 to a Pancha Dala.
Farmers also engage one of the three all-women self-help groups, Saant Maa, Rose Mary and Jeevan Jyoti, for activities such as transplantation and harvesting, paying Rs 900 per engagement.
“The villagers also store a portion of paddy as seeds in sacks for their use in the next season by mixing the seeds with dried neem and karanja leaves,” says Suryanarayana, former senior programme manager of Patang and now an independent agriculture consultant in Sambalpur.
(Niroj Ranjan Misra is a Cuttack-based freelance writer. He writes on rural and tribal life, social issues, art and culture, and sports.)
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