Mukti: Rediscovering Indigenous Paddy Varieties for Sustainable Agriculture

The Sundarbans, comprising over a hundred islands on the Indian side, is home to more than five million people across 54 inhabited islands surrounding the reserve forest. Agriculture is their primary livelihood, followed by fishing and crab-catching. These low-lying populated islands are encircled by earthen embankments, creating a freshwater ecosystem amidst the surrounding saline waters of deltaic rivers. The region is highly vulnerable to sea level rise due to global climate change.

During colonial settlements (late 19th to early 20th century), agricultural technology was primitive, and local salt-tolerant rice varieties were cultivated, suited to the specific soil and climatic conditions. However, the Green Revolution introduced High-Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, replacing many local varieties due to their higher productivity. This shift has been detrimental to the region’s food security, as evidenced after Cyclone Aila, where storm surges inundated the islands with saline water, causing massive agricultural losses and forcing significant outmigration of working adults for labor jobs.

This event prompted a realization among the local population about the trade-off between high productivity and food security. It was discovered that some local rice varieties, historically grown by their ancestors, had survived in small quantities in remote corners of these islands.

In response, Mukti, along with local farmers, initiated a project to revive these salt-tolerant local rice varieties for large-scale farming due to their unique benefits:

• High Salt Tolerance: These low-yielding varieties have a high capacity to withstand land salinity.
• Organic Nature: Traditional varieties require minimal chemical fertilizers or pesticides, relying mostly on organic manures like cow dung.
• Low Cost of Production: Seed costs are negligible as farmers preserve seeds from the previous year’s production. These varieties also need minimal fertilizers and pesticides, reducing overall production costs.
• Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity: Indigenous paddy seeds are part of the cultural heritage, reflecting the knowledge and wisdom of indigenous communities. Their preservation safeguards biodiversity, ensuring the survival of unique plant varieties.
• Global Food Security: Rice is a crucial crop, feeding more than half of the world’s population, especially in Asia.
• Resilience and Nutrition: Indigenous paddy seeds adapt well to marginal conditions, making them essential for resilient agriculture and sustainable food systems in a changing climate. They also contain a wide array of antioxidants, making them highly nutritious.

As a pioneering effort, Mukti’s agriculture team planned to cultivate indigenous rice varieties on 2 bighas of land with three farmers. The primary objective is to revive native paddy and rice varieties to maintain a sustainable agricultural society. Currently, three farmers are involved in this experimental cultivation on 3 bighas of land. Mukti aims to expand this initiative to at least 30 farmers in the future.

The paddy seed varieties currently promoted by Mukti include Gobindabhog, Kamini, Konakchur, Ramshal, Tulaipunji, Gheus, Datshal, Tulsi Mukul, Kumragor, Bohurupi, Kalo Mota, Aghanibora, and Morichshal.

Raising widespread awareness about this initiative will enhance the knowledge base for effective adaptation policies, ensuring future food security for the Sundarban region in the face of climate change and sea level rise predictions.