POLICY

BRIEF

Conservation of Crop Diversity and

Utilization in Tribal Areas
1. Background addition. Furthermore, the tribal farmers (mainly
confined to the tribal belt of Rajasthan), due to their
India is home to about 18 percent of the world's
beliefs and belonging are more attached with their
population, 15 percent of the world's livestock, 4.2
own seeds. Henceforth, it requires some needful
percent of freshwater resources, 1 percent of the
support in the specific area for small and marginal
forests and 0.5 percent of pasture land. It is gifted
farmers. According to the tribal communities in
with rich natural biodiversity of indigenous crops.
Southern Rajasthan, there has been a considerable
During the 20th century, India had more than 100,000
change in the food habits, over the past several years.
varieties of rice, now, only 6,000 varieties survive.
The diet pattern has gradually moved away from
With this, it is visible how we are losing our
traditional cereals and locally available vegetables to
indigenous varieties of crops. In Rajasthan, the
modern-day staples like wheat.
indigenous crop diversity had a rich menu of more
than 200 crop-types. However, some of those Following are some of the traditional crops and its
forgotten crops are still cultivated by some farmers, in local varieties that have nutritional value to the local
limited areas like in the tribal areas of Banswara, natives. These landraces or genotypes are now at the
Dungarpur and Pratapgarh districts of Southern verge of extinction over a period of time due to
Rajasthan, for their household consumption mainly changing agricultural scenarios.
due to their passion. In the situation if major crops
A. Crops:
face threat due to climate-change induced weather
1. Maize landraces – Gangdi Makka, Dudh Mogar,
extremities in terms of reduced production, it Peeli Makka, Sathi Makka, etc
becomes necessary for diversification of crops which 2. Paddy landraces –Kali Kamod, Pathariya, Jeera,
can help small land holding farmers to sustain their Mota Dhan, Mota Dhan Safed, Malkamod,
livelihood. Basmati, Panidham, etc
3. Black Gram landraces – Desi Urad
Significance of traditional crops and 4. Cotton landraces – Kapi (herbaceium spp.)
varieties 5. Gram landraces – Desi Chana, Bhura chana and
Kala chana
Traditional crops and its landraces of maize, paddy, 6. Wheat landraces – Wajia
black gram, gram, cotton, small millets and other fruit 7. Arhar landraces – Safed Tuar, Peeli tuar and Lal
and vegetable crops are being cultivated over the past Tuar
several years by local farmers who have their own B. Vegetable crops –
1. Brinjal landraces – Desi Baingan (Kantewale)
land races and seeds. These seeds are highly adapted
2. Tomato landraces – Desi Cherry Tamatar (juicy)
to the local climatic and geographical conditions and
3. Sponge gourd landraces – Desi Gilki
do well under sustainable agriculture by the small and 4. Ridged gourd landraces – Jhumka Turai
marginal farmers. The land races are known to have a 5. Gourd landraces – Desi lauki
limited potential of yields but do well under 6. Beans landraces – Kali, Safed valor papdi, Toli
sustainable farming conditions. Due to agriculture papdi, Jhalar ghasini papdi
improvements, several high yielding varieties were 7. Cucumber landraces – Kachri, Dangra
developed and recommended over the years but they 8. Leafy vegetables landraces – Methi, Rajan,
Luniya, Dhimdi, Sheol
have limitations for its suitability in various climatic
C. Fruits –
conditions. The landraces, because of their broad
1. Lemon landraces – Godada Nimbu
genetic base, nutritional value and adaptability, need 2. Mango landrace – Juicy Kerry
support for its conservation, utilization and value

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 Photo: Mapping of Indigenous varieties of crops which have extinct or on the verge of extinction

2. Small millets and its utility in 2.1. Nutritional aspects availability of small
sustainable agriculture millets

Small millets are a group of small grained cereal food Millets are a natural source of iron, zinc, calcium and
crops which are highly nutritious and are grown other nutrients that are essential for curbing the
under marginal / low fertile soil with very low inputs problem of malnutrition in India. They have higher
such as fertilizer and pesticides. They are also known content of niacin, B6 and folic acid, and calcium,
as nutri-cereals and provide most of the nutrients iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Small millets
required for normal functioning of the human body. are more nutritious compared to fine cereals. They
These minor millets generally have a shorter growing contain higher protein fat and fibre content. The
duration (2-4 months) and thus do well under rain fed dietary fiber, due to higher viscosity and water
conditions. It also fits under a wide range of cropping holding capacity, plays a key role in reduction of
systems and is adopted well under changing blood glucose level as well as insulin response. It also
environments thus resume greater importance for lowers the level of cholesterol and decreases the risk
sustainable agriculture and food for livelihood of bowel disorders. Millets contribute to antioxidant
security. It is a traditional crop of various districts of activity with phytates, polyphenols, tannins,
Rajasthan and is majorly covered by tribal anthocyanins, phytosterols and pinacosanols present
communities and cultivated under sustainable in it having an important role in aging and metabolic
farming conditions. diseases. Millet grain possesses high antioxidant
activity in vitro relative to other cereals and fruits.

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Finger millet is the richest source of calcium (300- their processing, negative perceptions as a food of the
350 mg/100 g) and other small millets are good poors and policy neglect when compared to other
sources of phosphorus and iron. Millets are easy to crops (Karthikeyan, 2016).
digest, contain a high amount of lecithin and are
The millets have the potential to emerge as a potential
excellent for strengthening the nervous system. For
alternative food, feed, and fodder crop as it is highly
fulfilling the nutritious requirement of small and
resilient towards high temperature and drought which
marginal farming communities with poor social
makes it a climate-ready crop. The nutritional aspects
economic conditions, the enormous use of this
of small millets in comparison to other cultivated
forgotten crop, thus is a powerful way to contribute to
crops like wheat and rice is very high. Finger millets
nutritional security.
have very high calcium (364 mg) when compared
Millets are grown in the area and conditions where with wheat and rice while finger millet, porso millet
other cereal crops do not stand well (Paterson et al., and sorghum have high content of magnesium i.e.,
2009). The productivity of millets is affected due to 146 mg, 153 mg and 133 mg respectively comparing
change in climatic conditions. There are many factors to wheat flour (125 mg) and rice (19 mg). When iron
which affect the area under cultivation millets and content is compared, it is 4.6 mg in finger millet while
decline in consumption due to lesser remunerative 6.4 mg in pearl millet while it is 3.9 mg in wheat flour
price, limited productivity, high labour involved in and 0.6 mg in rice.

Finger Millet – Ragi Foxtail Millet - Kangni Porso Millet - Cheena

Kodo Millet Little Millet – Kutki Barnyard Millet - Sama

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 2.2. Utilization as cattle fodder
Annually, millets account for 11% of the 30 million
tonnes crop residues produced in India. The decision
Utilization of small millets as a food product
of the farmer to select the crop and variety are greatly
Millets are traditionally consumed as staple
influenced by the ability of the crop/variety to meet
foods in the Indian diet in various forms like:
their fodder requirements from stover, although
 Finger Millet (Ragi) is used for cooking
stovers are poor in nutrition compared to green
Mudde in Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu,
fodder. Stovers contain less protein, total digestible
Andhra Pradesh while for cooking Roti in
nutrients and less palatable than green forages.
Uttarakhand.
Finger millet, kodo millet and little millet may also be  Barnyard and little millet found place for
used as sole forage crops as they provide good quality niche use, as a bhagar food, consumed during
forage. Finger millet straw is used in many parts of fasting. Also, the traditional foods such as idli,
the country for feeding all categories of animals, such dosa and murukku cooked with these millets
as working animals, milch animals and dry animals. are very popular in parts of southern India.
This serves as an important source of dry fodder  Kodo millet and little millet used in tribal area
which is a must in the daily ration at least in small of MP and Chhattisgarh,
quantities. It is said that for all kinds of cattle, finger  Finger millet and Barnyard millet as paleu or
millet straw is superior to that of rice. chencha, a savoury porridge cooked in
Barnyard millet has an important place in dairy due to buttermilk in Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu
the high palatability of its fodder. Its fodder can also etc.
 The de-husked grain of small millets is
be used for making hay or silage. Porso millet green
plants and tefs are good fodders for cattle and horses, cooked like rice and eaten.
 Foxtail millet grain is usually cooked whole
also used as hay. However, forage from porso millet,
foxtail millet are of lower quality. Green fodder from like rice (millet rice) or made into meal. It is
most of these millets can also be made into silage and also consumed as stiff porridge called sargati,
used during off-season feeding. or as leavened bread known as roti, after the
de-hulled grain has been milled into flour.
3. Preferability of Millets in Tribal  In parts of South India, the grain of small

Areas millets is processed very similar to the

parboiling of rice. Often, roti and porridge are
1. Small millets are grown in a variety of agro made and consumed. It is also made into flour,
ecological situations viz. plains, coast, hills as used for making puddings or cakes.
well as in diverse soils and varying rainfalls,  In some regions minor millets remain
widely differing in thermo and photo periods. cultivated only on a small scale but are
2. They are known for resilience and drought culturally important for particular foods
enduring capacities and are less prone to major stuffs, such as ritual breads made from brown
pests and diseases. top millet in restricted districts of South India.

3. These are indispensable in tribal and hill

agriculture where the crop substitution is difficult.
4. It meets their nutritional requirements.

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The trend of proportion of small millets out of total period indicating its suitability.
cereal production in Rajasthan shows a gradual
5. Banswara and Dungarpur cumulative share of
decrease in 57 years from 1956 to 2013. From the
small millet area compared to Rajasthan is
above-mentioned graph it can be depicted that the
increasing from 67% to 80% in the last 13 years,
area of small millet production out of total cereal
indicating its acceptability in the tribal
production has decreased gradually. The area of small
community.
millet crops of various districts of Rajasthan can be
referred from table 2 indicating the scenario and Further considering the area productivity of small
various trends as mentioned below: millets in two tribal districts of southern Rajasthan
i.e., Banswara and Dungarpur (in comparison to
The area of small millets in Rajasthan has shown
Rajasthan), various following trends have been
drastic reduction of about 58% from 2007-08 to
observed (refer Table 3)
2019-20. The available data indicates the following:
1. No definite trend is observed in the production and
1. The decreasing trends in area of small millets from
productivity in both the districts indicating its
approx. 15580 to 6562 in the last 13 years have
higher dependency on climatic factors including
been observed in the state of Rajasthan, indicating
rainfall pattern.
its extinction.
2. Rajasthan as well as these tribal districts are
2. The same trend can also be seen for individual
having a sizable quantum and capability to
districts whereas in some districts (Rajsamand,
produce small millets indicating possibilities for
Pali and Pratapgarh) has even reached to nil area
its value addition.
for cultivation.
3 Area of Udaipur has a continuous decreasing trend
i.e., from 1031 to 164 ha
4. Area of Jalore is having constant trend through the

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 Table3: Area, Production and productivity of Small Millet crops of
Banswara and Dungarpur in comparison to Rajasthan

Area(ha) Production(mt) Productivity(kg/ha)

Year
Banswara Dungarpur Rajasthan Banswara Dungarpur Rajasthan Banswara Dungarpur Rajasthan

2007-08 4677 5664 15580 1390 4502 9630 282 795 618

2012-13 3780 5648 12962 564 3588 7125 149 635 550

2019-20 2341 2817 6562 209 173 955 89 61 146

Source: Rajasthan Agriculture Statistics at a Glance, Directorate of Agriculture, Rajasthan.

4.1. Reasons for Declining Area of cultivation using non-pesticide management

techniques. A few rows of millets separating rows of
Millets
more susceptible leguminous crops is a common
The major reasons for declining the millets crops are practice that can be adopted. There is a need for
as follows: innovative processing technologies for value
1. Low priority due to its coarse nature and addition of millet grains so that it can be consumed by
environmental dependency. large populations in rural and urban areas.

2. Low remunerative as compared to other Policy Recommendations

competitive crops (Maize, Cotton, Soybean, etc).
 Conservation and value addition of traditional
3. Lack of input subsidy and price incentives. crops
4. Subsidized supply of cereals through Public Traditional food items and uncultivated crops
Distribution System (PDS). which are viable should be brought in the seed
5. Change in consumer preferences and acceptability. system. The farmer's varieties should be notified
and conserved so as to bring them in the crop
Considering the extent of acreage of small millet plan. Package of Practices needs to be developed
crops, it is apparent that it is ignored by the policy for strengthening of traditional crops.
makers. However, these crops are of local importance
and are suitable for small and marginal areas under  Crop diversification
sustainable agro-environments. Following are the In order to improve food security, soil health and
key features of small millets crops: livelihood of small and marginal farmers,
They are highly resilient in adopting to different government agriculture policy should focus and
ecological conditions and are ideal for climatic promote 'crop diversification' instead of
change and contingency planting. Being C4 plants, monocropping. A policy of 'Crop Diversification'
these are more environmentally friendly with high needs to be developed wherein the forgotten
water use efficiency and low input requirements, but seeds and crops be brought in the government
are equally responsive to high input management. programme.
Due to their short duration, low water requirement  Promotion of traditional crop varieties in
and high drought tolerance, small millet fits in Government Safety Net Programs
contingency planning to mitigate drought.
Traditional crops including small millets need to
Their resistance against pest attacks is a characteristic be promoted through its increased cultivation and
that comes in very handy when planning a mixed crop value addition for supplying it in government

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 safety net programmes like Integrated Child minerals. It is therefore recommended to supply
Development Services, Mid-Day Meal and seeds of traditional crops along with mini-kits to
Public Distribution System. Various states like the resourceful farmers.
Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana have
 Methodology for multiplication of traditional
demonstrated successful models of incorporating
crop ariety seeds
these traditional crops into government nutrition
programmes, which are improving the nutritional The multiplication of locally available traditional
status of children. crop seed can be done at the banner of Rajasthan
State Seed Corporation Ltd. A mechanism to
 Improving Crop Diversity through supplying
multiply the truthful level seed of these
mini kits
nutritional rich traditional crop varieties needs to
Distribution of mini kits is a popular methodology be developed for tribal areas by the Government
to demonstrate the productivity of improved of Rajasthan. The responsibility to multiply
varieties among farmers. In tribal areas, mixed these seeds can be given to FPOs working in the
cropping keeping the maize and paddy as a main tribal area. Those FPOs, after getting needful
crop is a popular technology being followed by seed production training from the state agriculture
the small and marginal farmers within the rainfed universities and agriculture department may
ecosystem. For inter-cropping farmers generally produce truthful level (TL) category of seeds.
use the seeds of their traditional crops which The seed will be multiplied in supervision of the
helps to suffice their nutritional requirements RSSCL who are going to procure the seeds and
such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and will be made available to farmers along with the
mini kits.

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 Head Of ice:
Village and Post Kupra, District Banswara, Rajasthan (India)
Ph: 9414082643 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.vaagdhara.org

State Coordination Of ice:

A‐38, Bhan Nagar, Near Queens Road, Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Ph: +91 141 2351582