Can We Blend Reductionism and Holism? - SRISTI1)HBJAN-MAR96.pdfSoil health is in fact supposed to be linked with plant health. Further, the pest-predator relationships also need to

��

�� !��"�#�� $� ��

%�& ��'�� (�! ��

Can We Blend Reductionism and Holism?

2 A Dialogue on People's Creativity & Experimentation

��

A Sufi Tale

O Mountain! High and

mighty reaching into the skies

How you seem absorbed in

self regarding.

Although only a small bird;

yet I am free

To dance on a flowerhead,

while your feet are in chains

Source: Quatrains (Persian) Baghdad: Al-Maarif Prer 1975: 52/3, in Idris Shah,1978, Learning How to Learn ,

London: Penguin Books.

� Discourse on Scientific Name ...... 3

� Debate: Patent on Neem! Part III . 4

� Honey Bee Hums ......................... 7

� Yam Storage ............................... 10

� Sonar Traps for Fishes ............... 10

� Survey of Innovations ............... 11

� Horse Husbandary..................... 14

� Ecopreneurship .......................... 15

� Adding Value to IndigenousKnowledge ................................. 17

� Book Worm ................................ 18

� News & Views ........................... 19

� Dialogue ..................................... 20

Honey Bee stands for

(a) People to people networking inlocal language, like crosspollination by bees, and

(b) Assurance to providers ofknowledge that they would not beimpoverished because of sharingthe knowledge, just as flowers donot complain when pollen is takenaway.

��

��

Eye of the Bird: Is Specialization Possible without Reduction?

In ancient India, there was a famous Guru (teacher) calledDronacharya. He taught princes and kings the art of archeryat his ashram, a school situated deep in the forests. The fivesons of King Pandu were his choicest students. One day, he

decided to test the skills of the five brothers. He hung a model of a birdon a branch and asked each of them, one by one, to take aim at thebird and tell him what they saw. The eldest brother, Yudhishtar, said thathe saw the entire cosmos of which the earth was a part, then a tree whichwas a part of the earth, and finally a bird hung on the branch of thetree. Dronacharya asked him to sit down. The next brother saw the earth,tree, branch and the bird. The Guru told him to sit down. Then camethe turn of Dronacharya’s favourite student Arjun, the hero of the BhagwadGita, a part of the ancient epic poem, Mahabharat. Arjun could see onlythe eye of the bird, and nothing but the eye. He became the best archerof his time, surpassed only by the tribal, Ekalavya, who was not admittedby Dronacharya to the ashram since he was a commoner.

Seeing just the eye of the bird reflects an extreme reductionist attitude justas seeing the whole cosmos shows a holistic perspective. We need bothperspectives, the reductionist as well as holistic, and not just the holisticone, as many environmentalists claim. Any theory building requires drawingboundaries in order to ‘reduce’ the phenomena being studied. On the otherhand, we need a holistic view so that the inter-connections between thedifferent parts of nature can be seen. Sustainability requires balancing thesetwo ends of the spectrum.

��

��

�� !"#$$%&'��(� ��)�*�� '+��,��-.��'

Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ? 3

��

)%� ��

Editor

Anil K Gupta

Associate EditorsKirit K Patel

Astad R PastakiaSrinivas Chokkakula

Editorial Team

Sumati K SampemaneVijaya Sherry Chand

Jitendra Suthar Shailesh Shukla

Jyoti CapoorJayvir Anjaria

Riya SinhaNiraj Joshi

AssistanceRamesh PatelHema PatelAlka Raval

S Murali KrishnaA S Reddy

Graphics & DesignD T PadekarKrina Patel

Palash GraphicsScan Point

Other Sources of IllustrationsLoksanskruti Ma Pashuo

LayoutUnnikrishnanRajesh Patel

Secretarial AssistanceR Baskaran

Balaganapathy MudaliarJivabhai Kotiya

Editorial AddressHoney Bee

C/o Prof Anil K GuptaIndian Institute of Management

VastrapurAhmedabad 380 015

India

Tel : 91-79-407241 91-79-6564979 (R)

Fax : 91-79-6427896 Telex : 121-6351 IIMA IN

Gram : INDINMAN

Email : [email protected] [email protected]

Home Page: http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/ ~anilg/sristi/sristi.htm

In Defense of Optimal Reductionism!: Science,Sustainability and Society

Scientific pursuits in different disciplines have at least onecommon goal and that is to uncover the order existing in nature. If naturebehaved erratically, would conditions of generalizability, replicability and refutabilityhold? This pursuit has guided the inquiry and search for patterns among allcommunities of the world and at all times. The pace, pattern, and processof inquiry has varied in north and south and in the pre-industrial revolutionperiod and afterwards.

Models of how nature works were, at times, so ‘comprehensive’ that theindividuals or groups concerned did not even try to change anything drastically,lest the ripple effect create chaos. K M Munshi (Gospel of Dirty Hand, 1952)pointed out the difference between communities which ‘progressed’ and whichdid not. Some communities were overawed by nature. They retreated more andmore into adjusting to the constraints imposed by the natural order. So muchso, that many of these tribes vanished or became totally isolated from the restof society. Others tried to overpower nature such that the basic balance itselfwas violated. Those civilizations also vanished or introgressed. The challengethus is to recognize how much disturbance nature will accommodate withoutlosing the very basis of life and its continuity.

One way this challenge has beenunderstood is through the struggle betweenreductionism and holism. If we try tounderstand the secrets of nature bybreaking a system into its parts andassuming that other parts (not being studiedat a time) are not changing i.e. areconstant, then we have used a reductionistapproach. It is obvious that other thingsdo not remain really constant and yet thedegree of change in one parameter canbe shown to be related to another. Theoriescan thus be built only through reduction.If everything was related to everything else and all causal connections had tobe studied at the same time, no causal statement can ever be made.

If system-wide effects of any change are not studied and monitored properly, it isunlikely that we would be able to make the systems sustainable. That is the reasonwhy many of the ill effects of our actions are understood only when the problemsbecome very serious. Global warming and the ozone hole are two such examples.If we do not follow a holistic approach, more and more such problems will becomeapparent and life will perhaps not continue at all!

How do we balance the reductionist approach with Holism? The cover storyshows that specialization is not possible without reduction. Every society hasproduced specialists of various kinds at all times in history. We would not witnessthe Taj Mahal, Ashoka Pillar or location specific agricultural implements etc.,


��

if there was no attempt by anyone tospecialize. Reductionism also helps intargeting. One can develop a drug thataffects only a particular part of the body.The smart drugs can go inside the bodyand perform an action at the exact site ofdisorder and not just in the right organ. Theholistic medicine on the other hand tries tomake the system itself robust and able tocorrect the disorder slowly and steadily.Both the approaches have limitations.

The Honey Bee approach recognizes thatwithout blending the holistic and reductionistperspective, we cannot generate sustainablesolutions that are productive, efficient anddurable. Thus, soil fertility will have to be

restored when high levels of production impair or deplete it. Pests will have to be controlled when we disturb thetraditional cropping systems and new crop varieties or animal breeds are introduced in a region. Even in the traditionalsystems, pest problems can arise and cause excessive damage if no control is attempted. However, while doing so,we have to recognize that all the micro and macro nutrients have to be combined in the right proportion along withorganic matter to make the system healthy. Soil health is in fact supposed to be linked with plant health. Further,the pest-predator relationships also need to be monitored and kept in balance.

The issue is: should solution be such that it becomes a more serious problem after a while? Should we use onlychemical fertilizers or pesticides such that ability of nature to renew itself is impaired threatening the prospect ofsustainability.

We realize that we can commit the same mistake that we are trying to correctif we only follow the reductionist approach in developing herbal productsdelinked from their ecological and social context. Herbal pesticides, even basedon farmers' innovations will not solve the problem entirely unless we also situatethese solutions within eco-ethical and socio-ecological context. Thus, theapproach of allowing nature to work itself and heal itself will have to becombined with aided solutions. The combination of reductionist and holisticapproaches will have to be developed for each situation. In this search, theso called contradictions between western and eastern sciences are meaningless.Each culture is capable of destroying nature and itself in the process, givenan opportunity. It is true that different cultures and civilizations have orientedtheir search for understanding patterns underlying natural variation in differentaspects of nature. But experimentation, trial, error, careful observations, andderivation of viable theories have been the goal of every community. How elsecan we explain more than five hundred examples of farmers’ contemporaryinnovations as well as traditional knowledge published in Honey Bee so far?

A Regret:

We regret that we are not as regular as we should be in publishing HoneyBee. This issue is reaching you very late. But let me assure you that by theend of this year, we will be regular. Please keep sending your contributionson various aspects of creativity and innovations at the grassroots. I look forwardto seeing some of you at the forthcoming International conference on thesubject next January.

Anil K Gupta

Are You Joining Us?

Conference on Creativity:

Readers may recall the earlierannouncement about the InternationalConference on Creativity andInnovation at Grassroots forSustainable Natural ResourceManagement being organized at IIM-Ahmedabad, January 11-14, 1997.We have accepted more than 140abstracts of which about 47 are fromabroad. Session on heuristics ofinnovator, native American knowledgesystems, tree and forest basedinnovations, combining sacred withsecular institutions and farmersinnovations etc., are among the verywell represented themes. Last datefor receiving abstracts has beenextended till August 31, 1996. Evenif you receive this issue late, pleasewrite to us at editorial address.

��


��

In a recent meeting of agriculturalresearchers which took place inAyacucho, Peru (National Conferenceon Andean Crops, September 1995) ascientist working at the IPC (InternationalPotato Center) with headquarters inLima, confronted an agronomist whodefended the wisdom of her Andeancommunity. The scientist who was nothappy with her criticism of modernscience, wanted to know from herwhether the scientific name that aresearcher gave to a particular ecotypeactually affected the peasant mode oflife. He was of the opinion that it didnot. Science could only help and neverobstruct peasant life, he felt.

The scientific name is a concept whichcarries a particular conception of theworld which is different from theAndean one. This naming is not neutral,and in our opinion, affects peasant lifein two ways. The first is that thescientific name hides peasant nurturingrelegating it to the background if notobliterating it altogether.

From then on a potato is not called bythe name that makes reference to itsqualities and attributes that a givenculture appreciates in the nurtured potato,e.g. puka suytu (in Quechua pukameans red and suytu means elongated),but by a generic and universal conceptwhich makes reference to propertiesthat are objective and recognizable bythe scientific community. The newlanguage serves as a medium ofcommunication among persons ofscience but not among the peasantnurturers themselves.

Through this objectification, peasantwisdom is replaced by a concept whichemerges (in some cases bearing the nameof the scientific “discoverer”) to makereference to a newly discovered realitywhich transforms the potato into anavailable resource which can beappropriated, patented and sold.

The new term makes reference to andhighlights “new” characteristics. Throughthis it makes appear something that wasnot previously identifiable by science andhence cuts its relation with the culture inwhich it emerged. From a living beingwhich nurtures and is nurtured by aconcrete community, it becomes througharticulation of the new name, a universalresource ready to be managed. In thiscontext, peasant nurturance becomes adatum of reality and the peasant becomesa simple “informant”.

The second way in which scientificnomenclature affects peasant life iswhen the technician provided with thisnew scientific knowledge works in thepeasants’ plots. The new knowledgeimplicit in the seed which he/she bringsis considered superior to the kind ofknowledge associated with the localecotypes. This superiority is establishedby virtue of the fact that the technician’sseed has gone through the approvedscientific protocols. As a corollary, localecotypes are considered. They aregenerically named “under exploited minorcrops”, “less productive crops”, or“unimproved crops”, etc. As if this wasnot enough, the so called “improved”variety is projected with the help ofmarketing and media experts, as being

��

�� !�"��#

Grimaldo Rengifo Vasquez

How is the peasant affected by the fact that the potato is named “Solanumtuberosum” by the scientific community? Grimaldo Vasquez of Lima, explainswhy it makes a world of a difference to the farming community. This articlewas communicated to us by Jorge Ishizawa of PRATEC, Jr. Horacio Urteaga1818, Lima, 11, PERU, Telefax: 51-1-4639545. It is dedicated to the memoryof Eduardo Grillo.

“miraculous”. In this way the objectiveof the scientific community seems to betransforming local life, stimulatingerosion and loss of not only localwisdom, but also of the ecotypes whichmake possible the culture of nurturanceof the potato. Thus it is not naive andinnocuous to call our potatoes Solanumtuberosum.

PRATEC: Opening a Lonely Furrow

Today when the search for alternativetechnological paradigms is on all aroundthe world, it is gratifying to know howsustained efforts of some trainedscientists and social workers in theAndean region of Peru have succeededin influencing the mainstreamsignificantly. They offer courses onAndean technologies, farming systemsand knowledge systems accredited tothe universities of Ayacucho andCajamarca, Peru. PRATEC membershave also taught in Ecuador, Bolivia,Chile etc. They do not confrontwestern knowledge all together butdraw upon it whereever it is useful, asdo the peasants. Each foundingmember of PRATEC was a prominentmember of a mainstream organizationsbefore they set up PRATEC. GrimaldoRengifo Vasquez resigned as a Directorof Peruvian Development projects.Eduardo Grillo quit his post as DirectorGeneral of the Governments’Agricultural Statistics and ResearchBureau. Julio Valladoliid was aProfessor of Agronomy at Universityof Ayacucho. PRATEC echoes thespirit of SRISTI very closely and wehope to have more contributions fromthem in the future. :Ed

��

��

��

��


��

David: Your statement that “every farmer in any part of the world being free to use neemin whichever way s/he wants”, needs clarification. Technically, farmers are not anylonger free to use neem absolutely in any way they want, in that they cannot produceand market the patented product which is derived from neem. Patents do not in any wayrestrict the farmers’ rights to use neem in traditional ways, or to develop or produceproducts or processes using neem that are different from the patented products orprocesses.

Anil: You are right about the restriction on farmers’ use of patented process. However,there is another side to this restriction. Normally, any company holding a patent will fileinfringement suit only against someone from whom the company can claim damages. Nocompany will gain anything by filing such a suit against a small farmer. The cost of filing suitwill be much more than any damage that could be recovered. Though, I do feel if theprocess is such that small farmers can use it at their farm, they should have the freedom todo so - a kind of farmers' exemption.

David: Is the application of neem derivatives known for certain to be environmentally sound?Or, can we only say that it is less environmentally unsound than chemical pesticides, and ifapplied properly is unlikely to have adverse impacts? (Do we know how to define “proper”application?)

Anil: BOSTID study on Neem (Washington: National Academy Press, 1992:5-8) observed:"Whatever the mixture or formulation, neem-based products display several remarkablequalities. For example, although pests can become tolerant to single toxic chemical such asmalathion, it seems unlikely that they can develop genetic resistance to neem’s complexblend of compounds-many functioning quite differently and on different parts of an insect’slife cycle and physiology. Certainly they won’t do so quickly. Several experiments havefailed to detect any signs of incipient resistance to mixture. For example, even after beingexposed to neem for 35 successive generations, diamondback moths remained as susceptibleas they had been in the beginning".

David: In general, it is rarely safe to say that a biological resource is bound to be inexhaustible.Thus, I would caution against statements which conclude that commercial collection ofneem seeds cannot possibly harm neem trees. Are there other threats to neem trees thatcould combine with seed collection to intensify the impact? Do we need to give farmersincentives to plant and maintain neem trees, to ensure that over collection (combined withother threats) does not harm their reproduction?

Anil: As I have explained in the previous article on Neem (HB Vol 6(3):6 & 6(4):6), due tolow dormancy, seeds can not be stored easily for long time without damage. Soon after therains, these will germinate and die out. There is practically no risk of neem being over exploiteddue to collection of seeds or leaves because it is easy to grow and that too on degraded landsor light dry soils. Market incentives in the form of good prices for neem seeds and otherproducts should be useful incentives besides availability of good seeds as well as access ofpoor to the lands. For conservation of diversity of germ plasm and knowledge of people, aninternational fund (contributed by the national and international users of neem knowledge)for research in value addition, in situ and ex situ conservation, biotechnological propagation

*�+ �

While the debate on patenting of neem continues, news about the patenting of productsby two Non Resident Indians on another plant product viz. turmeric (‘haldi’) powderused traditionally for local medicinal formulations in India has underlined the need foraddressing the issue of people’s rights over traditional knowledge once again. In thisissue two legal experts, David Downes and Shayana Kadidal join the debate.

$��!��"�%%%&�'��(��)�*��+��

How freeare farmersto use neem?

Insects can'tdevelop resis-tance to neemproducts eas-ily

Will increasein demand not

increasesupply?

How safeis it?

David is aSenior Attorney atCentre for InternationalEnvironmental Law,1621 Connecticut Ave.NW Suite 200,Washington DC 20009,USA


��

of candidate plants, etc., is certainly called for.David: Some argue that Grace doesn’t deserve the patents because they are for merely‘trivial’ improvements on traditional methods. Perhaps one response is, if the improvementis ‘trivial,’ then Grace gains nothing — and others lose nothing — from Grace having theexclusive right to use the improvement. Thus, farmers are not harmed by such patents. If,on the other hand, Grace’s innovation is not trivial, then they should gain some protectionfor their investment in an innovation for the same reason that informal innovators deserveprotection for their creativity.

Anil: Basic objections are two fold: one, the protection sought is too wide i.e. for a largenumber of solvents, two, many of these solvents have been tried by others in the past.Hence, both novelty and broadness are being questioned. My own view is that innovation bythe company which does add new knowledge should receive protection in so far as thatcompany also agrees to share part of the profits with the proposed international fund. Afterall, they did not stumble upon this knowledge by chance or entirely through their owneffort. Protection of IPRs of the corporation has to go hand in hand with that of thepeasants.

David: You state that “any synthetic analogue of a natural product is patentable because itdoes not exist in nature in that form.” If, by analogue, you mean an identical compound, thenI am not sure that the proposition is correct. A purified form of a natural compound can bepatented, whether the compound’s structure itself results from natural or artificial processes.A process for synthesizing a naturally occurring compound can be patented. But the compounditself, in a general sense, cannot be patented if it occurs in nature. Isn’t that right?

Anil: I agree though it needs furtherclarification.

David: You offer some good criticisms ofproblems in Indian agricultural policy thatrelate to the neem controversy. It wouldbe very useful if you articulate explicitlythe positive steps government could taketo revise policy to encourage a shift awayfrom chemicals and to encourage domesticR&D in both the formal and informalsectors in India.”

Anil:Government must make the popularization of herbal pesticides an integral part of futureagricultural growth policy. There already exists a fast track for registration of neem basedpesticides but the subsidies on chemical pesticides continue, just as many pesticides bannedin the west continue to be marketed in India. The existing laws are proving to be the majorbarrier in the development of eco-friendly herbal pesticides. Indiara a non-toxic herbalpesticide developed by Mr. Sukhatme in Pune about ten years ago has been successfullytried in many countries, but was not registered by the Indian government for reasons bestknown to itself. The policy bias in favour of chemical pesticides does need to be tempered.

Shayana: The patent reexamination petition, signed by FET (Foundation of EconomicTrends) and many others, contends that there is prior art, in the form of articles publishedin several Indian journals, which disclosed the idea that aprotic solvents help preserve thepesticidal effects of neem oil. I don’t really make a claim about these contentions... theissue of when a printed publication that is not readily accessible in the US constitutes priorart is very muddled. What I do claim is (1) that under US patent law, the unpublishedor unpatented prior activities of Indian users, be they indigenous users or corporations,are not recognized as preempting such a patent, whereas if, e.g., prior unconcealed useof the idea had occurred somewhere in the US before Grace’s invention, such use, ifproperly proven,

�� !�"�� !

�� #�� "�� "��"�� $��%�� !� ��" ��

�&��'��!�((�)��(**(

What isprior art?

Newknowledgeneedsprotection

Pesticidesbanned inwest are

still sold indevelopingcountries

Can syntheticanalogues

be patented?

Trivialisingpatent orpatenting

trivia!


��

would void the patent; and (2) since one cannot patent agricultural or pharmaceuticalinventions (neem relates to both fields!) in India, as in many underdeveloped countries,it is likely that anyone who invented such techniques for neem preservation would justkeep them secret. (Why publish a commercially valuable idea that cannot be patented?perhaps to inform other users - farmers etc.- but would this be done on paper or by wordof mouth? Would publication ever occur in a journal that reached the US, as it must toconstitute prior art?) As regards the “printed publication” issue in US patent law, I shouldjust add that whatever rules there are on paper concerning this subject, American courtshave often found ways to disregard printed sources which judges have found too obscureto qualify as prior art. But again, I don’t really make any claims about whether petitioner’sclaims are factually true or not. However, the typical patent receives only about 10-12hours of examination, which is hardly enough time to go digging into university librariesto try to find articles in less well-known foreign agricultural or scientific journals. Thethinking is that the really valuable patents will end up in litigation, and all the facts aboutpossibly invalidating prior art will come out in detail then.

While my contentions are limited to the idea that the US exclusion of some foreign priorart - specifically “prior use, knowledge or invention”, which are valid prior art if theyoccur within US borders -is sort of irrational in today’s world, and leads to messysituations, I don’t really make the claim in this paper that, under current US law, theGrace patent is invalid. Certainly, if the FET contentions about the idea being in US printedpublications are true, then the patent may very well fall on reexamination—in fact, mostpatents issued from the PTO fail when subjected to closer inspection. This aside, though,I must say that as a former chemist I find the patent discloses the simplest of inventions,and though it might not be “obvious” in light of US-admissible prior art, might fail as“obvious to try” under the stricter European standards applying that doctrine. It is truethat commercialization in India might not suffer from a lack of patentability there.However, the US promises to be the largest market for neem based pesticides, becauseof the environmental cache of the product (all-natural/ biodegradable/ clean-kill (eg. notan instant kill like pyrethrins which leave insect corpses around one’s lovely garden)), andits current expense. If access to this market is limited to one company, Grace, theresulting monopoly will not benefit those trying to sell neem seed.

Anil: The doctrine of prior art does deserve to be modified as should many otherprovisions of modern patent law. I was told by Chris Blanch of Franklin Pierce LawCentre some years ago that a particular patent was upheld when questioned on groundsof availability of a thesis in a library because the thesis in question had not been cataloged.Thus, it was not considered reasonably accessible. My contention is that if we follow thesame principle, then much of the traditional knowledge is patentable in US and elsewherebecause it is not reasonably accessible to any outsider. As evident in the case of the patenton the application of turmeric powder for healing of wounds, the limits of credulity havebeen surpassed. In the meanwhile CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,India) has filed objection to this patent. Surely, such disputes clearly demonstrate the needfor greater transparency on the subject of the precise espousal of rights that knowledgeof people bestow on local communities and individuals. Turmeric has been used forcenturies for its healing properties and the library of any pharmacy college will havedozens of references on the subject. The efforts of this kind could have four implications:i) Governments in developing countries may attach urgency to patent bill reforms so thatthey can take corrective steps. ii) they could take this issue up in WTO as a dispute. Theissue also needs to be raised at third COP of CBD. iii) reject the application if patenteeof such patents were to ever seek recognition under Indian patent laws. iv) campaign forexplicit position under TRIPs on the patentability of traditional knowledge in publicdomain. However,the developing countries have more to lose by blanket ban on such arich source of knowledge of people. Instead, we should plead for a global registrationsystem for innovations and at the same time insist on redefining what may constitute priorart as argued by Shayana.

Anil can becontacted at

Editorial Address

Are patentsnot adaptableto the ethicsand excellenceof peasants?

Shayana is a chemist

and also an expert inpatent laws. He can be

contacted at77 Sejon Drive,

Sayville, NY 11782,USA.


��

Hittala Gida (Kannada version of HoneyBee) Editor, Dr T N Prakash

The following practices have beentranslated from Hittala Gida Vol 1(2), byK R Babu, A Raghavendra Rao and JayantiRajgopal .

1 Inducing cows into heat

Shantharam Siddi of Uttara Kannadarecommends that such cows should befed with sprouts of 'munduga' (valindivu).A kilogram of the sprouts fed every dayis enough to bring a cow into heat early.

2 Preventing Abortion

Aaseesarada Narsimha Murthy of UttaraKannada district says, “If you see to itthat the pregnant cow does not eat`banifoo’ leaves, then she is saved fromabortion”.

3 Increasing Milk Yield

Narayana Siddi from Chittinahalli village,Uttara Kannada district claims that onekg of tubers of ‘byne’ plant can increasemilk yield if they are cooked and fed tothe cow for nearly one month everyday after calving.

4 Facilitating Calving

Shantaram Siddi adds; “For an easy andtimely delivery, feed the cow with nearlyone kg of sugar cane trash.

5 Treating Prolapse

Mr S S Kamat of Karwar suggests, “Ifthe uterus comes out during delivery,push the uterus inside slowly afterapplying extract of touch-me-not(Mimosa pudica) plant to the hands.The extract is prepared by crushingtwo to three handfuls of leaves oftouch-me-not plant.

6 Preventing Intestinal Worms

According to Nekkare RamchandraShastri of Adyanadka village, DakshinaKannada district, about 100 g of rawpapaya seeds should be powdered andmixed with one litre of water and fedto calves to make them immune toworms in the stomach.

7 Tick Control

Moved by the suffering of cows andcalves from ticks, Narasimha Murthyof Uttara Kannada sought and found asolution. He reports that spreading theleaves, flowers and stems of Lantanacamara’s on the floor of the cattle-shed is an effective way of driving theticks away.

All the above practices were documentedby V K Arunkumar.

8 Storing seeds within coconut shells

Fully grown coconuts with unripekernels are selected and soaked inwater for about two months.Afterwards, they are dried well in the

,�� -��,��)��,��)�&��

The following three pages carry practices published in various local languageversions of Honey Bee. This is in line with Honey Bee’s goal of generating a platformfor promoting exchange of knowledge across languages and cultures..

sunlight. The interior of such a driedcoconut is cleared by a rod insertedthrough the eye of the coconut.Vegetable seeds are put in through thehole. The hole is then closed with pithof coconut and covered with lime.Usually, these coconuts are stored ona shelf inside a kitchen, where it isdifficult for mice and other pests todamage them. Thus seeds can be storedup to two to three years. Thecoconut shells can be used for severalyears, sometimes over generations.This practice is being used in theareas in and around Mangalore(on the border of Karnataka andKerala).

Lantana camara


��

tree as shown in the figure. Thereafterthe hole is plugged with cow dung andkerosene mixture. Due to this the‘avarai’ yields well. It is a traditionalpractice followed in this village and othersurrounding regions.

Comm: Shri Karippiah, Vill: KeblingAmapatti, Dist: Kamaraj, Tamil Nadu

3 Storing Hay

Dry sorghum and maize straw arearranged in a stack for prolonged storing.While stacking the hay, common salt issprinkled over every layer of straw as itis arranged. Approximately ten kg ofsalt is used for storing straw harvestedfrom one acre.

4 Coconut Pest Control

Neem oil and kerosene are mixed inequal quantities and sprayed on Coconuttrees to control the black headedcaterpillar and Rhinoceros beetle.

Some farmers put plants of ‘kolunchi’(Tephrosia purpurea) in the primordialregion of coconut trees to preventattacks by the Rhinoceros beetle.Farmers also grow ‘karpooravalli’Coleus armaticus, a medicinal andaromatic plant, in the coconut orchard.They believe that the strong odour of thismedicinal repels the rhinoceros beetle.(See HB Vol5(2): 17 & 5 (3):8 for otherways of controlling this beetle. :Ed)

Thavasi Perumal, Peyodu, SanthapuramPost,Kanyakumari 629 201, Tamil Nadu.

5 Jaggery Making

At the time of crushing sugar cane, wealso put five or six ‘desi bhendi’(Hibiscus spp) plants into crusher for

Herbal Pesticide from Grass oil

The palmarosa grass is widely grownby many farmers in Tamil Nadu. Itsoil has export value and it fetches agood income. It has been found thatthe water left-over in the condenserafter the oil is distilled from thePalmarosa grass, can be cooled andused as an insecticide against suckingpests of chilli & cotton.

Comm: L A Ravindran, 24/1 NGO Colony,Srivilliputhur 626 125, Dist: Kamaraj.

-��,��,��,��)*�,��,,��&��

1 Seed Treatment

Before sowing, seeds of cereals andpulses are immersed in water mixed withcattle urine and powder of Acoruscalamus. The seeds which are floatingon the surface are thrown out since itindicates poor quality. Dried healthy seedsare used for sowing in drylands. It isbelieved that this treatment developsdrought resistance in the plants. Thispractice is noticed in some villagesadjoining Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.

Comm: Dr S Ramasamy, Madras FertilizersLtd, Tamil Nadu

2 Marriage of ‘Avarai’ and Moringa

During the rainy season ‘avarai’(Dolichos lablab -a pulse crop) seedsare dibbled underneath Moringa trees.The growing vine is made to passthrough a hole made about one footabove the ground level in the moringa

every one ‘kopparai’ (a vessel whichholds around 100 litres of juice) of canejuice. This helps to precipitate andseparate out all impurities. When this isdone, no soda needs to be added. (Asimilar practice was once very common inGujarat and is still practiced in WesternUttar Pradesh for making jaggery on thefarm.The Hibiscus spp grows wild oncommon lands in Gujarat. It is amazingthat how the practice of using it as aclarifier agent has spread from North ofcountry to South or vice versa: Ed)

R Krishnasamy Gounder, Uzhavagam,Ganapathy, Coimbatore - 641 006.

Following practices are collected from anindigenous veterinary medicine expert,Mr Ayyathurai Konar, (Vill: KottamalaiAthur, T. Krishnapuram - 626 535, Dist:Madurai)

6 Snake Bite

Leaves of ‘adithinapalain’ Aristolochiabracteolata are pounded and mixed withequal quality of fresh butter. It is givento the animal who becomes victim ofsnake bite or other poisonous creaturesto reduce the poisonous effect.

7 Cough and Asthma of Animals

Fruits of ‘kallathikai’ (Ficus tinctoria)‘seeragam’ (Cuminum cyminum) andgarlic are pounded together and madeinto small balls. These are administeredto the animals in the morning for threedays to relieve cough and asthmadiseases.

Following practices are reproduced from Nam Vazhi Velanmai - Tamil versionof Honey Bee. For further details please contact Mr P Vivekanandan, EditorNam Vazhi Velanmai.


��

��&��"��$�� .��,

Vallabhbhai Gothi

Mr Vallabhbhai Gothi (203, Mafer Apartment, Saru Section Road, Jamnagar-361008) and Dr Girdharbhai Atara (Professor at Ayurveda College, Jamnagar)have been pursuing research on the practices mentioned in Vrikshayurveda (anancient Indian script), on the fields of followers of Swadhyay Parivar. The Swadhyaymovement is a socio religious movement mainly in Western India. This article istranslated from Lok-Sarvani (Vol. 1(1): 4), Gujarati version of Honey Bee.

Several years ago Dr, Atara had comeacross verses in the texts ofVrikshayurveda which described the useof buttermilk as a growth stimulantespecially for stimulating profuseflowering (Bahupushpikaran). One suchverse is reproduced below:

��

�� !��"��

�� #��$%&��' (��

In 1993, Mr Gothi encouraged ShriBavanjibhai Rathod of Satapar village totake up an experiment on the use of buttermilk. Bavanjibhai sprayed butter milk ona twenty-five-day old rainfed crop ofgroundnut (variety Gujarat-10). To hissurprise he found a spectacular effect onthe growth and yield of the crop. The yieldof pods was higher by about 250 kg/acrewhile fodder yield was almost thrice

compared to the control. These resultsinspired Bavanjibhai to make a completetransition to organic farming. JamanbhaiVadi of Khengarpur village tried butter milkon cotton and sesamum crops. Heobserved that spraying of buttermilkhelped both the crops to survive thewater stress period of 47 days caused bydelay in the last spell of monsoon rains.Jamanbhai could get some yield in thetreated plots while all the crop in the otherfields failed completely due to dry spell.

Similarly in Batipur village , Mahendrabhaiand his brother tried buttermilk on theirtwo acre cotton field. To deal with pestproblems they decided to spray extractsof tobacco and neem leaves instead ofchemical pesticides. In the control plotchemical pesticides were used for pestcontrol. The yield of cotton was almostthrice in the plot treated with buttermilkand botanical pesticide. The cost per acrewas Rs. 50/- only, which was the costof tobacco leaves. In contrast the costof chemical pesticides was Rs. 5000 peracre. (Readers may recall severalpractices published in previous issues ofHoney Bee about various uses ofbutter milk. :Ed.)

Butter milk spray Control

Making Mango Tree Bloom

Approximately 100 g leaves of eachFicus religiosa, Ficus benghalensis,Ficus hispida, Glycyrrhiza glabra areboiled in mixture of 1 litre of Milk and 8litre of water till the volume of the entiremixture get reduced to 1 litre. This liquidis applied 4 times as soil manure to theMango tree at the interval of 10 days.

Source: Vrikshayurveda quoted by Dr KVijayalaxmi and Dr Shyamsundar CIKSMadras, Comm: P Vivekanadan.

Lok-Sarvani ImprovesFarmers’ Yield Sustainably

We have just received a letter fromMr. Manilal C. Chavda, a farmer ofTrasand village in Dholka, Ahmedabaddistrict, Gujarat. After reading aboutthe growth stimulating properties ofbuttermilk in Lok-Sarvani, he decidedto test the idea on his farm withextremely satisfying results. Excerptsfrom his letter follow.

“I am a marginal farmer owning 6.5'vighas' (1.5 ha.) of land. Last year Icultivated about two vighas of castor.As per the information given in yourjournal I sprayed about two liters ofbuttermilk at the flowering stage in onevigha of the crop. The plot in whichI had sprayed buttermilk yielded about50 `maunds’ (1000 kg) of castor whilethe untreated plot yielded only 400 kg.”

“I had also cultivated fenugreek crop inone 'vigha' of land. In this crop Isprayed buttermilk twice at the time offlowering at an interval of twenty days.I got a yield of 220 kg as compared tothe neighbours who got only 180 kgfrom three 'vighas' of land.”

“I also used this growth stimulant ontwo 'vighas' of wheat with very goodresults. I got a yield of 60 `maunds’(1200 kg) from those two vighas.”


��

Yam is an important carbohydrate staple food in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria supplies about seventy per centof the world’s yam. Ethnocentric attachments to yam arehigh in Nigeria particularly in the southeast agro-ecologicalzone. Most of the ceremonial yams (large tubers weighingfive to ten kg) are produced in the lowland andalluvial flood plains of the forest and derived savannaareas.

In Anam, a flood prone area of Anambra state, yam isthe principal crop. These are cultivated without the useof inorganic fertilizers. Harvesting starts as early as April-May in order to avoid damage caused by floods. Thusmost of the yams are harvested at a stage when theyare physiologically immature and contain about 70 - 80per cent moisture. Because of the high moisture contentthey are prone to rot.

To deal with this problem, the Anam farmers havedeveloped a suitable method of storage referred to as theCeilsmo method. Not only does the method preventrotting but it also enhances the breaking of dormancy.The Ceilsmo method consists of spreading out the freshlyharvested tubers on the ceiling of a kitchen or a livingroom where cooking with firewood is done (see figure).The smoke from the fire-place serves as a fumigant. Thefire also increases the room temperature and relativehumidity near the ceiling where the yams are stored. Itis hypothesized that this increases the rate of biochemicalreactions and hastens curing of the yams. Seed yams canbe stored in this way for three to four months.

(Abridged version of article sent by G. O. Chukwu, National RootCrops Research Institute, Umuahia, Nigeria) (A similar storagemethod has been reported earlier in Honey Bee (1993, Vol 4(1):11)for storage of maize cobs/onions. :Ed.)

��"��,�� /�" %�)�,��0�� )��-��,�&��-��1�� .��

If your telephone handset disappears one day, what will youimagine? Some one has played a prank on you or that itmight be sold by a petty thief in a local flea market. Wouldyou ever imagine these handsets being used as fish traps?We came across a news item to this effect in a localnewspaper recently (Mid Day, June, 1996).

It is not unusual for crazy people to try out new things andimprove their livelihood prospects. Some of these trialsbecome the harbinger of new ideas and products. It is truethat many of these innovations may not be sustainable. Forexample when fishermen use dynamite to kill fish, not onlythe young fish die, but the coral reefs are also damaged.However, fisherman in a Malaysian village were veryimaginative and perhaps not so insensitive to the sustainabilityof their practice.

The telephone department, Malaysia was very worried whenthe handsets from pubic telephones started disappearing oneafter another. On investigation, they came across a mindboggling innovation. Fishermen in a coastal village tookthese handsets and attached the same to two long wires.These handsets were lowered in the water and the lose endswere attached to a battery with a switch. When the connectionwas made to pass the current, a shrieking sound came outof the handsets. This sound attracted the fish which werecaught easily.

G. O. Chukwu


��

�� %��

$��2�

(�! ��

TeamAnil K Gupta

Kirit K PatelJitendra H Suthar

Vijay ChauhanDilip Koradia

Alka RavalAstad Pastakia

Ch SrinivasS Muralikrishna

Hema PatelRamesh PatelRiya Sinha

Subhashchandra ChothaniPrabhakar Joshi

D C SharmaRohit BrandonShushil Sharma

Through this column we have been communicating selected traditional as well ascontemporary innovations and practices of Gujarat state. As the Honey Bee philosophyhas been spreading in other states, we have decided to use this column to reflect thecreativity and innovations at the grassroots in these states as well. In this issue wecarry some intriguing practices from the state of Rajasthan.

Inspired by the success of the Rural Development Department, Gujarat Government,the Rajasthan Government decided to organise a state wide competition for scoutingof innovations. The leadership was provided by Mr. M. L. Mehta, Chief Secretary,Rajasthan Government who has been a staunch supporter of the Honey Bee philosophyand is also a member of SRISTI’s Advisory Committee. Departments of Agricultureand Adult Education were made the hub.

The process began with a two day workshop organised by the Rajasthan Governmentin collaboration with IIM-A and SRISTI during December 17-18, 1995. The purposeof the workshop was to develop a strategy for scouting innovations. Outstandingvillage level extension workers, agriculture officers, livestock workers (Gopal),informal teachers (Shiksha Karmis), school teachers, health workers (Sathins),agricultural scientists, innovative farmers etc., were invited. Top level policy makersof various programmes and schemes in the state including the chief secretary, secretaryand directors of education and agriculture etc., also attended the workshop. SRISTIwas invited to share its experiences and provide methodological inputs.

Soon after the workshop, the Rajasthan Government announced a state wide contestfor scouting of innovation among farmers and grassroots functionaries. Wall posterswere prepared and sent to most village panchayats in the state. A special monitoringcell was set up in the Department of Agriculture. An informal editorial committeewas also set up to launch a local version of Honey Bee Newsletter in Marvadi language.The results of these initiatives are eagerly awaited.

In this issue, we present some of the innovative agricultural practices shared byparticipants in the workshop. As Rajasthan has predominantly arid and semi aridclimatic conditions, problems of soil pests like rat, termite and white grub are verycommon. Hence, many of the plant protection practices are targeted at these pests.While the principles or processes are similar to the ones used by the farmer innovatorsin Gujarat, the materials used are often quite different mainly due to differences inlocal biodiversity. We invite readers to test these practices and send us their criticalcomments.

Innovations

��

� ��

� ��

� ��

� ��

� ��

� ��

� ��!��

� ��"��

� ��#��$�

� ��

� ��%��

� ��&��

� ��

� �� '��

� ��(��&��)�$��

� %��*��%�$��$��*��(��

� %��*�+��&��$��*��(��

� �� &��,��

� ��-��&��

� ��.�� ,��

� %��*��&��/�0��&��

��+��&��(� ��$��

� �� (� ��

White grub control through lime

It is a severe problem especially in anymonsoon crops. Kesharam Nehra, afarmer from village Pratap Pura, brings40-50 kg lime and spreads it in the openfor 2-3 hrs. Because of the moisture inthe air it becomes granular and smooth.This lime is broadcasted in a field beforethe monsoon.

It is incorporated in the soil throughploughing immediately afterwards. Thiscontrols the problem of white grubs inthe following monsoon crop. Somefarmers melt lime in water and give itwith irrigation water instead ofbroadcasting it. However this treatmentis feasible only in irrigated crop.

Shri Sundaram Verma of Sikar districthas made an interesting observation onthe activity of the white grub. According

��.�


��

to him white grub prefers to stay nearthe moist layer of soil, hence it is alwaysfound in the upper layer of soil duringthe month of July. Any control remedygiven during this period is found moreeffective. (Lime may affect soil pH whichmay influence availability of soilnutrients. : Ed)

Kesharam Bhagavanram Nehra, Tehsil:Laxmangadh, District: Sikar

Rat control: Extract of Ipomoeafistulosa

Leaves of Ipomoea fistulosa(‘videshi aak’) are boiled in water andfiltered. Sorghum grains are boiled in thisextract and placed near the rat burrows.It is believed that rats die aftereating it. (Readers may refer to plantprotection practices based on this plantpublished in HB Vol 3(2):17 and Vol4(2&3):19).

Shri Ramgopal, Tehsil: Zhalra Patan,District: Zalawad, Comm: Mr Ayubali,Agriculture supervisor, C/O Asst. Dir ofHorticulture

2 Cement, maize flour and sugar:Luring rats to death

Small quantities of cement and sugarare mixed with maize flour and placednear the rat burrows. It is believed thatwhen a rat drinks water after eatingthis mixture, cement becomes hard inthe stomach leading to the death.

Shri Ramgopal,Tehsil: Zhalra Patan,District: Zalawad, Comm: Mr Ayubali,Agriculture supervisor, C/O Asst. Dir ofHorticulture

Curing of tobacco

Farmers make small bundles ofharvested tobacco leaves and keep themin logs for about 10-15 days to improve

its quality. Bundles of tobacco arelayered on calotropis twigs spread onthe ground. Again, calotropis twigs arekept and tobacco leaves are spread overit. Farmers are of the opinion that thissystem of making alternative layers ofcalotropis and tobacco leaves improvesthe quality of the tobacco during curing.These layers are kept for about 10days, till a peculiar smell emanates fromthem indicating ripening of leaves.

Comm: Chaudhari Ramjatan Srisuvalal,Sharirampura, Tehsil: Shambhar Lake,District: Jaipur

Enhancement of fruit settingin ‘turai’ gourd

‘Turai’ is a cross pollinated crop. Itsfruit setting is directly affected bybees and other pollinating insects.Approximately 100 ml of honey ismixed with 10 litre of water andsprinkled over the 'turai' crop in theevening. This increases the pollinationof flowers because of the increasedvisits by bees and other insects whichare attracted by the smell of honey.Farmers believe that this practice helpsin better fruit setting.

Prem Prakash Sharma, AgricultureSupervisor, District: Jaipur

Carrot hates nematodes

Farmers broadcast seeds of carrot alongwith wheat seeds. Carrot plants areremoved during first and second weedingonce the wheat crop gets established.Many farmers of Jaipur district believethat carrot plants prevent the infestationof nematodes.

Comm: Prem Prakash Sharma, AgricultureSupervisor, District: Jaipur

Anticipating sowing time for mustard

Mustard is sown as winter crop on alarge scale in Rajasthan. The area underthis crop has grown at a very fast ratein the last few years. If ants are observedgoing out of their burrows during noontime or soon after, it indicates the besttime for sowing of mustard seeds in thefield. Normally mustard is sown in thefirst fortnight of October just at thebeginning of the winter. Farmers explainit by saying that presence of ants outsideduring noon time indicates a decline inthe temperature because of onset ofwinter. Mustard is a very thermosensitive crop.

Comm: Chaudhari Ramjatan Srisuvalal,

��./

��.0��.�

��

Cement

��.1

��.�2�

��.�2�


��

Tehsil: Shambhar Lake, District: Jaipur

Cumin blight: Ineffective moderntechnology

Sukhdev Kumhar, could not controlblight in his cumin field last yeardespite having used all the recommendedinsecticides. At last he experimentedwith an indigenous method.Approximately 5-7 kg branches of‘kheemp’ (Leptadenia pyrotechnica )

Comm: Prem Prakash Sharma, Agri.Supervisor, Via: Achrol, District: Jaipur

Corn traps termites

Small holes of about one cm diameter aremade all around in the earthen pot. Emptymaize cobs (‘sitto’) are kept inside. It iscovered with narrow necked earthen pot(‘surai’). Several such pots are kept atvarious places in soil at the depth ofabout one meter and covered with soilcarefully. Termites love empty maize cobsand hence get lured into the pot. After 3-4 weeks colonies are found in the pot.These pots are removed carefully anddestroyed. Some farmers make small deeppits in the field at various places in summerand add cattle dung in it. The termites getdrawn to these pits. After a few days thefarmer sprays kerosene over it anddestroys it.

Comm: Prem Prakash Sharma, Agri.Supervisor, Via: Achrol, District: Jaipur

Termite control: Herbal pesticidemade in manure Pit

Approximately five kg of calotropis and‘kheemp’ (Leptadenia pyrotechnica )twigs each are cut into small pieces andput in an earthen pot or other container.About one kg. of salt and 10 litres of urineof either human or cattle are added to it.This container is closed air tight andkept in the manure pit for 15-20 days fordecomposition. The suspension is filteredthrough cotton cloth and the filtrate isapplied as an insecticide with irrigationwater. Approximately 10 lit of thisinsecticide is required for one ha of land.

Comm: Chaudhari Ramjatan Srisuvalal,

‘Kheemp’(Leptadenia pyrotechnica)

were kept in an open water tank. Aftera week, the filtrate was sprinkled overthe crop. This resulted in about 80percent control of the disease.

Sukhdev Kumhar, Tehsil: Bijay Nagar,District: Ajmer Comm: Suresh Kumar Jat,Agri supervisor (Horticulture), District:Ajmer

��.� ��.32�

��.�

Plant extract to cure leaf curl

Leaf curl is a viral disease andcharacterized by curling of leaves. Thecrop remains stunted. Some farmersprepare extract of ‘kheemp’ (Leptadeniapyrotechnica ) and tobacco and spray itover the chilli crop for effective controlof the disease.

Sukhdev Kumhar, Tehsil: Bijay Nagar,District: Ajmer Comm: Suresh Kumar Jat,Agri supervisor, District: Ajmer

Maize as a border crop against leafcurl

Farmers of Kota district believe that thisdisease is spread by tiny insects. Theygrow maize around the chilli field toprevent entry of insects. Maize leaves cancause injury to the soft bodies of insects.Sometimes maize is grown inside thechilli field on the boundary of plots forthe same purpose.

Prem Shankar Nagar, Tehsil: Sangod,District: Kota, Comm: PremswarupGautam, Agri Supervisor, District: Kota

Mixing organic and inorganic inputsto control pest

Twigs of calotropis are kept in the earthenpot and about 50 g urea is added to it.Approximately one litre of water is addedand it is sealed air tight by plastering itsmouth with clay soil. This container iskept in a manure pit for two months. Bythis time, calotropis twigs getdecomposed and get mixed with water.The extract is filtered and used for seedtreatment of wheat, barley and gram.Crops treated in this manner do not getaffected by termites. The same extractmay be poured into pots of ornamentalplants, to protect them from various soilpests and increase the growth. Thisinsecticide reportedly does not affect theearthworms adversely .

��.2�

��.2�

��.32�


��

Loksanskruti Ma Pashuo

Can we conserve cultural diversityindependent of the accompanyingbiological diversity? The question isanswered in this outstanding bookwritten in Gujarati by the renownedwriter Jorawarsinh Jadav (2,Professors’ colony Navrangpura,Ahmedabad - 380 009). It deals withthe cultural significance of animals anddescribes eleven animals including thehorse, camel, goat and donkey. A veryinteresting account of the historicalbackground, evolution, mankind’srelation with animals, the various breedsthat used to occur in the past etc. hasbeen supplemented with beautiful linedrawings. Indeed the author has basedmost of his research for the book onthe drawings available at the time andeach illustration has a story to tell.

The part dealing with the horse isespecially informative about the variousindigenous breeds which used to existearlier and which are now extinct or onthe verge of extinction. Thirty sixdistinct breeds of Saurashtra have beendescribed. Moreover detailed accountsof their colour, size,maintenance,decoration, gait and other facets of theirlife give an idea of the indigenousknowledge existing about horse breedsat the time. The book has even identifiedlocal horse experts. Today knowledgeabout horse breeds is vanishing evenfaster than the breeds themselves.Books such as Loksanskruti MaPashuo give us only a glimpse of thetremendous storehouse of indigenousknowledge we had and how rapidly it isgetting eroded.

dry ginger powder (0.25 kg) are mixedwith jaggery in the ratio of 2:1. A ball ismade out of the mixture and fed to thehorse every morning.

3 Stronger legs: Longer leaps

Jaggery (50 g), one egg, 'ghee' (25g),dry ginger powder (25 g) are mixed withjowar flour and fed to the animal everyday.

A Table Spoon of Seaweed aDay Keeps the Vet away!

In the US, many horses spend thewinter on grass or alfalfa hay, whichbecomes less nutritious through theseason. In pastures with degradedsoils, micro-nutrient deficiencies(especially that of selenium) are notuncommon.

Horse managers have increasinglystarted using dry, powdered seaweedas a source of micro-nutrients forthe animals. Horses fed withpowdered seaweed acquire a “bloom”(glossy coat and aura of health),resistance to diseases and strength.People with excitable horses findthat this treatment also calms downthe animals.

Method of preparation: takeseaweed (any type), dry it and grindto a fine powder.

Dosage: Add one tablespoonseaweed per day to the animal’sfeed. It may be sprinkled eitheron cut grass or over grainration.

Source: Personal communication fromSusanna, California, USA.

Horses played an important role in thefeudal system of agriculture in Gujarat.They were mainly used by the Garasiacommunity which controlled most of theland and other natural resources. TheGarasia landlords needed horses tosupervise large tracts of land. Horses weremost suited because they were very fastand could travel over rough and undulatingterrain. Over time, the Garasias developedtheir own methods of managing andhusbanding horses.

With the modernization anddemocratization of society after attainmentof independence, the feudal system beganto break down. The use of horses inagriculture also began to decline. As thehorses begin to disappear from thefarming scene, the fund of indigenousknowledge about their husbandry is on theverge of disappearing.

We give below three practices that ensurebetter performance of farm horses as toldto us by Ganpatsinh Barad of Deshadvillage, Bharuch. We request readers inGujarat to look for more practices so thatthe erosion of this vital knowledge can bechecked.

1 Enhancing agility and energy

'Khaskhas' (Vetiveria zizanoides) seeds(750 g), 'ajmo' (Trachyspermum spp)seeds (750 g), almond (150 g), sugar(750 g) are added to jaggery in the ratioof 1:1. Balls are prepared from the mixtureand fed to the horse every day.

2 Increasing the blood supply

Various ingredients viz. 'methi' (Trigonellafoenum) seeds of (5.00 kg), 'kalijeeri'((Vernonia anthelmintica) 1.50 kg),'kalu' (0.75 kg), turmeric (0.50 kg)'hing' (Asafoetidia spp) powder (0.25kg), black salt (0.25 kg), 'ajmo'(Trachyspermum spp) seeds (1.50 kg),

��""��,� 3�� +��),�&4� �� 5��)��

��


��

��+��,� !�� (��6Astad R Pastakia

)��4��4

Context

Bhaskarbhai Hiraji Save, resides at Dehri,a coastal village, five km from the industrialtownship of Umargaon. In the early fifties,Bhaskarbhai gave up his job as a schoolteacher to take up farming on about 4.5acres of land. He was amongst the firstto adopt the use of new chemical inputs.He also became an agent of a leadingchemical fertilizer company.

During the sixties, like most of the farmersat Dehri, Bhaskarbhai used to growvegetables, to supply urban customers inBombay and Surat. In 1968-69, hesuffered heavy losses, due to anunexpected drop in the price of vegetables.Since then, he had switched over tohorticultural crops such as coconut,chikoo and banana.

His farm, named Kalpavruksha, comprisesof 14 acres of irrigated land. About 10acres are devoted to horticultural crops,where Sajiv Kheti is practiced. Thisinvolves cultivation of crops with minimalinterference in natural processes ie.,allowing nature to do the production. Inabout 1.5 acres of land, Bhaskarbhaicultivates organic paddy, wheat, pulsesand vegetables for home consumption. Hemakes the following distinction betweennatural and organic farming:

1. In natural farming silt is added to thesoil as an external input while in organicfarming, organic fertilizer is used.

2. No ploughing is done under naturalfarming while in case of organic farmingone initial ploughing is necessary.

3. Weeds may be suppressed but notremoved in natural farming while in

organic farming weeding is necessary.Bhaskarbhai has two sons who practiceSajiv Kheti as taught to them by theirfather. The elder son owns a farm of 28acres, named after his daughter, Sonali.Bhaskarbhai and his sons have also takenup Sanghvi farm of 24 acres, for organiccultivation on a partnership basis with aBombay based industrialist, AshokSanghvi.

Trigger for change

In 1957, after about five to six years ofchemical farming, Bhaskarbhai realizedthat the intensive use of chemicalfertilizers was affecting the balance ofavailable soil nutrients and its long termproductivity. Chemicals also had anadverse effect on soil micro-flora suchas bacteria and earthworms. Thisrealization prompted him to give up thefertilizer agency. As an experiment, hedecided not to use chemicals in aboutone acre of his land. In due course, hecompletely gave up the use of chemicalinputs on his farm. The transition tonatural farming was a gradual one andinvolved simultaneous search foralternative methods of doing things.

Search for alternative methods

Chemical farming was inconsistent withhis new belief in non-violent agriculture.He soon learnt to make nature his Guru(teacher), which provided the answerswhenever there was a problem. He learntthat agriculture could be made profitableand could be rid of much of the drudgery,by allowing nature to perform most of thefunctions. This led to radical measuressuch as doing away with weeding andtillage operations and relying on natural

predators to bring down pest populationsbelow the economic threshold level. Thepackage of technology that emerged overthe next few years (See Box) implied astrategy that had striking resemblance tothe “do nothing” method of farming beingdeveloped by Masanobu Fukuoka inJapan so far as horticulture wasconcerned.

An alternative method of farming requiredpatient exploration and experimentationover a long time frame. Perhaps the switchto perennial crops like coconut and chikoo,which have a life of about 100 and 400years respectively, may have helpedachieving this long term perspective.Bhaskarbhai’s attempt was to blendmodern concepts with traditionalknowledge. Some of his experimentsgiven below will testify to his approach.

1 My neighbours called me stupid

One of the early trials was made on thebasis of a research finding of Dr H G Patelof the Gujarat Agricultural University. DrPatel who had studied the Japanesemethod of paddy cultivation hadmentioned the importance of oxygen,because of which methods involving the

Venerated by some farmers of Maharashtra as “Krishi Sant”(agricultural saint)for his pioneering work on natural farming, and yet without a following in his ownvillage in South Gujarat, Bhaskarbhai Save remains an enigma in the post greenrevolution phase of Indian agriculture. Bhaskarbhai, a contemporary of Fukuoka,did not receive the kind of media attention that the latter received. However,during the past five-six years he received more than ten thousand letters from allover the world seeking information about “Sajiv Kheti” (living agriculture/ naturalfarming).


��

Key elements of “Sajiv Kheti”in Orchards

1 Khed (ploughing) - No ploughing isnecessary. One should rely on nature’sown ploughman - the earthworm. Sinceearthworms have punching action, rootsof crops are not broken. An earthwormmakes 20 holes/24 hours. A populationof 4 lakh earthworms/acre will make 7crore 20 lakh holes. This is consideredoptimal. (Some scientists disagree. Theybelieve that if the earthworm populationincreases too much, it may harm the rootsof the plants by physical action. :Ed.)

2 Khatar (fertilizer) - The nutritionalcycle should be maintained by recyclingfarm waste. The soil turned out byearthworms is two times richer in Caand Mg and five times richer inPhosphorus.

3 Pani (water management) - Waterconsumption should be frugal. It can becut by more than 90 percent by adoptingvarious techniques such as mulching,use of live moisture stress indicators etc.In this manner the consumption worksout to be about 12-15 lit/tree ascompared to 80 lit/tree in case of dripirrigation and 210 lit/tree in case offlooding. The high humus content of thesoil makes this possible. During watershortage it absorbs moisture from theatmosphere. In case of excess rainfall ithelps the water to drain out.

4 Jeev-Jantu (pest management) -“Jeevo Jeevasya Jeevanum”: Oneshould rely on biocontrol taking placein nature eg. tree-ants control severalinsect pests. They also feed on fungusthat attack custard-apple and otherplants.5 Khard (weeds) - Weeds may besuppressed if necessary but they shouldnever be removed, because they performseveral functions. They conservemoisture, maintain soil-air and provideprotective covering to the soil. Weeds donot compete for fertilizer (some maydisagree! :Ed). They compete forsunlight. If the soil is alive, crops willgrow earlier and weeds will not be ableto overtake them.

use of flowing water produced betteryields as compared to those usingstanding water. Bhaskarbhai recalled:

“I tried it in two fields. My neighbourscalled me stupid for removing water fromthe field. Sure enough, the two fieldsbecame better within a week’s time. Myneighbours thought that I had put inchemical fertilizers during the night!”

2 Trees and trenches: Learning fromnature

One of the early ideas was the “trenchand platform method” for growinghorticultural crops. The trees were plantedon the platforms sixteen feet wide. Thetrenches were used to feed nutrients andwater to the roots of the plants. Almostall the organic waste of the farm as wellas farm yard manure were placed into thetrenches.

Bhaskarbhai recalled “forests grow on themountains, where the soil layer is thin,and not on the plains where nutrient richsoil is found."

3 Learning from past generations

The idea of adopting proper spacing incoconut crop in order to ensurepollination, was picked up from a folksaying:“Lage to ne lage; Ne ne lage to lage”(If the leaves of two coconut trees toucheach other, especially during a breeze, theywill disturb the pollen and as a result,

fruiting will be adversely affected. Henceoptimal spacing should be such that treesdo not touch each other).

4 Natural moisture meter

Frugal use of water resources is animportant part of Bhaskarbhai’s packageof technology. He was able to cut waterconsumption by about seventy percent bysupplying water in the alternate irrigationchannels, using organic mulch, improvingsoil water holding capacity and througheffective monitoring of the moisturecontent in different plots.

He evolved an ingenious method ofmonitoring the soil moisture content. Heonce brought a potted croton plant to hisfarm, for ornamental purposes. He soonnoticed that croton plants showed signsof moisture stress quickly. The leavesstarted curling up slowly from the apexportion of the plant. Further more, theroots of the croton, were confined to thetop nine inches of the soil, the layer whichneeded careful monitoring. SoonBhaskarbhai began planting croton plantsall over the farm. Apart from adding tothe aesthetic value of the farm, these serveas low cost, natural, moisture meters.

5 Getting more from less

In another experiment, in a twenty yearold chikoo plantation, the effect ofremoving alternate rows of trees, wasrecorded. The results showed that byreducing the plant density to half the

Do we have right to draw blood along with mother's milk?


��

original, (from 70 trees per acre to 35 treesper acre), the gross income had increasedto more than 150 percent. This wasbecause the plots with lower plant densityhad produced larger fruits, which fetchedhigher price in the market.

6. Co-existence with sentient beings

Bhaskarbhai asserts that a number ofpests and diseases can be seen on his farm,but before their populations build up toeconomic threshold levels, these getcontrolled by natural predators.

Black headed caterpillar is a serious pestof coconut through out the Deccanplateau. He observed that the ‘bul bul’(Pycnonotus cafer) bird was one of itsnatural predators. This bird perchedusually at a height of six feet. He decidedto plant ‘curry patta’ (Murraya koenigii)trees around the coconut trees. Not onlydid the trees provide the natural habitatfor the birds, these also fetched additionalincome through the sale of its leaves.

Self evaluation

Bhaskarbhai found that although therewas an initial drop in productivity, this wascovered up within three years. Afterwardsthe productivity began to go up steadily,simultaneously improving the quality ofproduce.

He has demonstrated that with properrotation of short, medium and long termcrops, not only could the land be put tointensive use, but the problems of shortterm liquidity and transition losses couldalso be taken care of. In the long run SajivKheti was extremely profitable. Accordingto his estimate the Cost to Benefit ratio onhis farm worked out to 1:7.

Diffusion

During the past five years, Bhaskarbhaihas begun spreading the message of SajivKheti. The growing influx of visitors onhis farm made it necessary for him to putaside every Saturday, exclusively forvisitors from India and abroad.

Despite widespread interest in hismethods, there are only a handful offarmers who have adopted the technology.However, few have remained unimpressedby his achievements after visiting his farm.

Fermented milk products are well knownthroughout the world for their taste,nutritive value and therapeutic properties.‘Dahi’ (curd) is an Indian fermentedproduct known for its palatability,refreshing taste and therapeutic import-ance as claimed in Ayurvedic literature.

However, very little scientific researchhas been done on therapeutic use ofacidophilus milk in India. Recent researchinitiated by Dr P K Gupta, Dept ofMicrobiology and Public Health, G B PantUniversity of Agriculture and Technology,Pantnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India led to thedevelopment of a new product withgreater therapeutic value for humans than‘dahi’.

Many conditions such as abusive andimproper dietary habits, starvation,alcohol consumption, stress, diseases ofthe digestive tract, oral antibiotic therapyand surgical operations considerablyreduce the population of Lactobacillusacidophilus in the intestine of hosts. Thisin turn gives rise to intestinal maladiesincluding diarrhoea, flatulence andinfection by enteric pathogens. Lack ofß-galactosidase activity in the intestinegives rise to lactose intolerance syndromein humans.

Dr Gupta’s research showed thatLactobacillus acidophilus strain could becharacterized on the basis of theirtherapeutic properties like prevention ofcolon cancer, reduction of cholesterollevel in blood, improvement of lactoseintolerance and antagonistic action against

pathogenic and food spoilage organisms.L. acidophilus strains that fermentedmannitol were even capable of growingat low pH and in presence of 0.3 per centbile salt. This indicates that these strainscould establish in the human intestinaltract in the adverse conditions. Theresearch also revealed that mannitolfermented strains exhibited cholesteroluptake from the blood serum which couldbe beneficial for the high blood pressureand coronary heart patients.

Acidophilus milk was prepared byinoculation of three per cent (v/v) activecultures of L. acidophilus - 1899(hypocholesterolmic) and L. acidophilus- 301 (antagonistic). A dose of 200 - 300grams of the acidophilus milk (109 viablecells per ml. and 0.8 percent titratableacidity) for feeding human volunteerswas used. The results showed that useof acidophilus milk reduced bloodcholesterol and gastrointestinal disordersin the human body to some extent. Thefaecal bacterial enzymes, that is,glucuronidase azo reductase and nitroreductase that convert procarcinogens tocarcinogens in the colon were alsoreduced to some extent.

Dr Gupta reports that small dairyentrepreneurs have come forward toadopt the process of making L.acidophilus based fermented products.

(abridged from Gupta P. K. “Therapeutic Valueof Lactobacillus acidophilus in whole cow milk”).Dr Gupta can be contacted at College of VeterinaryScience, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture &

Technology, Pantnagar - 263 145, India

4))��,��%�)�,��7��),�&-�� .��"��)��+

In recognition of this achievement,farmers of Maharashtra have informallyconferred on him the title of “KrishiSant” (agricultural saint). Perhaps impliedin this title is a sentiment that whatBhaskarbhai was doing was worthemulating, but was beyond the scope ofthe common farmer. How else can oneexplain the poor diffusion of hisenvironment friendly technologies?


��

Natural Pest and DiseaseControl Henry Elwell &Anita Maas, (1995), Harare:Natural Farming Network (P

O Box 301, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe)p 128; US$ 5, (ISBN:0-7974-1429-0)

This compilation of information related tothe management of pests and diseases ofcrop plants is based on the experiencesof practicing farmers and gardeners. Thebook is divided into four parts. First partdeals with the conceptual framework forunderstanding natural pest and diseasecontrol. The authors stress that effectivepest control does not mean eliminating allthe members of the particular pestcommunity from fields and gardens. Theaim should be to minimize crop damageby regulating pest populations. This ispossible only through an ecologicalperspective integrating structural andfunctional attributes of the agro-ecosystem. In part two the authors presentsome examples of important pests anddiseases with their life cycles, method ofdamage and simple ways for control. Thethird part deals with the significance ofunderstanding the role of bioresources innatural pest control. The last chapterprovides examples ofnatural pest control for stored seed andgrains.

Many good illustration make thebook very reader friendly. Itprovides access to a wealth of informationto farmers and scientists on on-farmexperimentation in variouseco-systems.

... (SMK & RG)

-��5�6��#

Sacred and ProtectedGroves of Andhra Pradesh(1996), Hyderabad: WWF-India (Andhra Pradesh state

office, View Towers, Lakdi ka Pool,Hyderabad-500 004), p 96; Rs. 200.

The tradition of maintaining sacred groveshas been in existence in India for centuriesbut their importance and significance inconserving biodiversity had been largelyoverlooked even after the British left India.It was only after the systematicdocumentation of the sacred groves inMaharashtra and then along the Westernghats that these areas have startedreceiving some attention. The state officeof WWF-India has done a commendablejob by bringing out this preliminaryinformation on the sacred and protectedgroves of AndhraPradesh.

The book is an inventorisation of thesacred groves of Andhra Pradesh,probably the first of its kind in the country.It is a product of the efforts of universitystudents, faculty and others involved inthe documentation. It provides anexhaustive district wise listing of thegroves with notes on the climate of theregion, locations of groves, and the hotspots of rare/endangered or endemicflora and fauna found in theseregions. Some good colour platesadd to the attractiveness of thebook.

This book will be of utmost use to thoseinterested in conservation of biodiversity.It is well known that many sacredgroves harbour the climax vegetation ofthe region to which they belong. Similarstudies need to be carried out in otherstates where sacred groves exist. Studieson contemporary institutional innovationsfor conservation of biodiversity are alsoneeded. ....(NJ)

Global PesticideCampaigner Quarterly,Pesticide Action Network(PAN), North America

Regional Center, 116, New MontgomerySt. # 810 San Francisco, CA94105, USA

The Campaigner is the official journal andnews magazine of the PAN, aninternational coalition of citizens’ groupsand individuals who advocate adoption ofecologically sound practices in place ofpesticide use. Established in 1982, PANcurrently links over 400 organisations insome 60 countries, coordinated by fiveRegional Centres. PAN is well known forits Dirty Dozen Campaign, an internationaleffort launched on June 5, 1985, targetingsome of the most hazardous pesticides forban or strict controls. The GlobalCampaigner reviews the progress of thecampaign in over forty countries. Thenews section is a valuable source ofinformation on the negative externalitiesof pesticides, as well as on the progress(or the lack of it) made by variouscountries in banning toxic chemicals andadopting safer and ecologically soundalternatives.

Electronic News Service

Apart from the Campaigner, PAN alsoprovides Online information services.PANNA Update Service (PANUPS) is aweekly news service featuring articles onpesticide use and sustainable agriculturefrom around the world. to subscribe, sendemail to [email protected] withthe message “subscribe panups”.

Pesticide Information Service (PESTIS)is an online database containing pesticidereform-related material that PANNA isdeveloping in collaboration with a numberof other groups. For EcoNet users,PESTIS is available in the online databasessection (in the main menu) under NewsServices. PESTIS is also available on theInternet via the EcoNet Gopher. See alsoPANNA'S Webpage, http://www.panna.org/panna/ ..(ARP)

NORTH AMERICAREGIONAL CENTER


��

Sodh sankal: A club ofexperimentors

In Saurashtra, SRISTI has beensupporting a Sodh Sankal -an informalnetwork of innovative farmers, artisans,pastoralists, veterinary experts, localscientists, teachers and developmentworkers etc. The aim is to provide aself supported local platform wheregrassroots innovators can interact,respect, reward, critic and scale upinnovations being developed by membersof the network.

The lead was taken up by AmrutbhaiAgrawat, an innovative artisan and amember of the SRISTI advisorycommittee. He organized a meeting ofinnovators on 19th May, 1996 at thefarm of Shri Thakarshibhai -anotherinnovative farmer of Pankhan villagewho has developed a new groundnutvariety through selection. About 75innovative farmers, artisans, veterinaryexperts, scientists, artists and teachersattended this meeting at their ownexpense, on the invitation of Amrutbhaiand Thakarshibhai. Many members sharedtheir innovations with their new peergroup. They declared their firmdetermination to initiate a movement tosupport innovators in Gujarat.

Teachers as change-agents :quality education for all -Aworkshop of outstanding primaryteachers, 14-15 December 1995

Shri Ajitsinh M. Solanki, Principalof the Manas Primary School,Vallabhipur, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat,organized a two day workshop of about50 district panchayat primary schoolteachers of Bhavnagar district incollaboration with the district educationcommittee, State Department ofEducation, district wing of the PrimaryTeachers’ Federation and SRISTI.

The focus was to learn from extraordinary

��7!��

innovations developed by teachers withoutany outside help. For instance ‘Shala BinaTala’ (School without locks) was oneexperiment narrated at this workshop.Education minister Gujarat Governmentand Director (Primary Education) andsenior functionaries of teachers’federations listened to the innovativeexperiences of teachers.

Several experiments were describeddealing with: methods of improvingenrollment, retention and attendance ofbackward communities and girls,increasing achievement levels ofchildren, improving the quality ofschooling, tapping alternative knowledgesystems, resource mobilization,networking, institution-building andalternative models of schooling. Amongthe follow up activities were theplanning of a newsletter and otherworkshops for promoting laterallearning.

FAO seeks advice of the youngergeneration

The FAO is taking a second look at itsrural development strategies in thecontext of the post cold war scenario.The Directorate of Rural Developmentin FAO decided to get together youngdevelopment workers and academicsfrom different parts of the world toparticipate in a workshop and adviseFAO. The workshop at Godollo, Hungaryduring 9-14 April, 1996 was attendedby about forty participants, most under

�

�

the age of forty. Mr. Astad Pastakiafrom SRISTI represented India at thisforum.

Decision support systems forgrassroots innovators

International Institute of SoftwareTechnology of United Nations Universityorganized a workshop on “SoftwareTechnology for Decision Support Systemsfor Sustainable Development” at Macauduring February 25-March 8, 1996. Theworkshop was cosponsored by IDRC(International Development ResearchCentre) of Canada and The MacauFoundation and Instituto Politecnico deMacau. More than 40 delegates fromdifferent parts of the world discussed theirexperiences. Srinivas Chokkakula fromSRISTI attended the workshop andpresented a paper on the operationalisationof Knowledge Networks (see H B 6(4):1).

Case studies on innovations inforests and tree conservation

A one day workshop was jointly organisedby SRISTI and IIM-A on 13th January1996, for the FAO/FTPP to discuss theconceptual issues involved in carrying outindepth case studies related to forest andtree conservation. The purpose of thecases is to highlight the initiatives andinnovations of the people at the grassrootslevel in South East Asian countries. It wasdecided to organize a workshop in January1997 as part of the forthcomingInternational conference on Creativity andInnovations at the Grassroots, where thecase writers would present their cases. Ifyou have innovative experiences to share,please write back to us.

Pesticide action network’sworkshop

A workshop on the “SustainableAgriculture Info-Doc Collaborators” wasorganized by PAN (Pesticide ActionNetwork) Asia and the Pacific during29 March - 1 April, 1996, at Penang,Malaysia. Prof Anil Gupta and Dr SMurali Krishna from SRISTI attended

�

�

�

Mulchand Chitara

�


��

National research station goesorganic!

Dr K C DalalNational Research Centre For Medicinal andAromatic PlantsBoriavi,Ta. AnandGujarat - 387 310.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Researchhas recently established this NationalResearch Centre. We have got 50 acres ofvery fertile land which has not beencultivated for nearly five years.

I wish to use only organic manures andother biofertilizers and wish to avoid useof chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc.

I seek your assistance in developing a non-chemical system of farming for raisingmedicinal plants to be utilized for traditionalsystem of medicine. An early reply isrequested.

(We are delighted with your plans to make theresearch center go organic. Perhaps it will bethe first such case in the history of modernagricultural research in the country. We lookforward to a long term relationship of mutualsupport, and welcome you to the Honey Beenetwork. :Ed)

IRED joins Honey Bee network

Dr O D DateIRED West Africa19, Balogun StreetAnifowoseP.O. Box 326Nigeria

I work for IRED (Innovations et Reseauxpour le Development - or DevelopmentInnovations and Networks) as itsRepresentative for Anglophone WestAfrica. Our Regional Office in Asia is inColombo. We work very closely withgrassroots organisations. At personal level,I am actively involved in training andresearch in Participatory Rural Appraisalas well as Indigenous knowledge andTechnology Systems. I believe, that thereis a lot to share on both continents.

I received the Honey Bee a few times when Iwas at the University of Ilorin and wish thatyou place IRED West Africa on your mailinglist.

(We shall put you on our mailing list. Yourexperiences and views on indigenous knowledgebased innovations will enrich Honey Beenetwork. Send us your contributions soon.Please also consider subscribing to Honey Bee.:Ed.)

Little solutions of Puerto Ricanfarmers.

Judith Van RiperCoral Beach II 1802Carolina, PR 00979-5709

I recently read your article in Cultural Survivaland am impressed by the initiatives takenthrough the Honey Bee network. I believeyou are on the right track.

I am a farmer in Puerto Rico. I face problemssimilar to the ones you describe, except thatin Puerto Rico there is no one under 50 yearswho remembers some of the old techniquesor plant varieties. People were told in the1950’s that industrialization would make themrich. So when the older leaders in ruralcommunities died so did their knowledge.The government agencies are moreinterested in trying to make US styleagriculture fit a mountainous tropical islandrather than learning how to optimize theassets of the island. In many ways India andmany countries in the poor tropics were betteroff not having the $ to buy the “newagriculture”.

I have found that academics here do not wishto get their hands dirty and continue tobelittle the attempts of the few innovativesmall farmers by describing these as non-modern. University programmes train peopleas paper-pushing agronomists, but little helpis available for farmers trying to solve theproblems - like the simple solution to spreadthe manure you described (Amrutbhai’s bullockcart, See HB 6(4): 3).

I would be very interested in sharing someof the little solutions which I have found towork in my moist sub-tropical area. Many ofmy crops are similar to those in parts of India. It would also be my desire at sometime in the future to work in some capacity inagricultural research in India.

(Your candid observations about the state ofagriculture in Puerto Rico should be an eye-opener for policy makers in many countries inthe South. Your little innovations are eagerly

*��8��

�

awaited. We firmly believe that the path tosustainable agriculture will emerge throughthese little innovations and adaptations which arespecific to the local micro-climates. Do let usknow if we can be of support in your work inany way. :Ed)

Will drug companies help toconserve biodiversity?

Angelika Laub (Sr)Wilgespruit Fellowship CentreP O Box 81, Roodepoort1725 TransvaalSouth Africa

In the February issue of Eco News Africa,Honey Bee newsletter is mentioned in thecontext of Property Rights on the utilizationof plant and animal material indigenous to acountry.

The theft of plant material used bypharmaceutical companies for medicinalpurposes by our indigenous healers isalready happening in South Africa. Can theHoney Bee be helpful in this respect forgenuine development. Kindly send me asample copy.

(We would be most happy to join hands with youin this important subject. Write to us in greaterdetail. : Ed)

�

��

�

S H

Shu

kla


��

Registration facility for smallinnovations

N. Murthi AnishettyPlant Genetic Resources ServicesPlant Production and Protection DivisionFAO, RomeItaly

As you are aware FAO, through itsCommission on Plant Genetic Resources, isinitiating the process of the revision of theInternational Undertaking on Plant GeneticResources to harmonize the undertakingwith the Convention on Biological Diversity.The process will include germplasminformation as well as realization of farmers’rights.

I am pleased to note that SRISTI would alsoprovide a registration facility for informalinnovations. In my opinion this is essentialand unless such registration anddocumentation exists it would be difficult forthe communities that develop suchinnovations for Sustainable Development torealize the benefits.

(While we have mooted the idea of a globalregistration system for small innovators at thegrassroots level at various fora, we have still notbeen able to get it initiated. We think this can bestbe achieved through a collaborative effort ofinterested international organisations such as theFAO, IFAD, IDRC etc. We need to discuss thisidea further. :Ed)

Validating an ancient Egyptianpregnancy test for cattle

Arun K AgrawalKasturbagram Krishi KshetraP.O. KasturbagramIndore - 452020

I have planned experiments for validation ofthe ancient Egyptian pregnancy test forcattle which, Dr. T. Veena and R.Narendranath attempted to validate at theUniversity of Agricultural Sciences,Bangalore.

In their experiment they used only wheatseed. Wheat is sown only in rabi (winter)season and not in kharif (monsoon) and zaid(summer). However, breeding among cattleis not restricted to rabi season. Hence weneed to test whether the results hold true inkharif and zaid seasons as well.

Therefore, we are carrying out an experimentin all three seasons and with different crops,to check the validity of this ancient test inmodern times.

(We await the findings of your experiments withgreat interest. We wish that more and more NGOswould take such initiatives in future. :Ed)

Local initiative for validation offarmers’ innovations

S R Sundara RamanSatyamangalam-1Erode- 638401

I request you to send some informationabout the trials that you are conducting forvarious crops so that I too can try the samein my area and let you know the results. Ialso have a specific query in connection withone of your ongoing trials which usesturmeric powder in combination with ash inthe ration of 1:1. Are you mixing it with wateror dusting it directly on the crops?

(It is dusted directly. :Ed)

Research in biological sciences notaddressing holistic issues

Dr Suresh K. SinhaNational Professor (ICAR)Water Technology CentreIndian Agricultural Research InstituteNew Delhi - 110 012

I retired only yesterday after attending theSCOPE general Assembly in Tokyo. It wasa new kind of experience. The developedworld now recognizes the biodiversity ofsoils and seed materials as an importantproject. Somehow, I feel that in our country,research in biology is not addressing theholistic issues. Consequently, despite ournatural advantage, we will be left behind.The story of neem is not very different.Some of us are keen and recognize theimportance of not only neem but otherindigenous species and practices. We doget lip service from many. To me now, itappears that research will have to growoutside the Government system. Howshould it be done? I look forward to adiscussion on this issue.

(We agree with your observation about the lackof holistic perspective in modern research. Thisis particularly important when we deal withbiological/ ecological systems - see also thisissue’s editorial. One way to rectify this malady

is to learn from the heuristics of local expertsand grassroots innovators. The second issueraised by you is equally important and we wouldbe happy to have it discussed in the debatecolumn of Honey Bee. Would you like to initiatethe debate? :Ed)

A new knowledge network in theoffing

Mr Girish BhardwajPRA UNITE-7/73, Lajpat SocietyShahpura Arera ColonyBhopal - 462 016

Recently our PRA Unit has decided to workon traditional technologies. In fact we arenot clear how we would go about it but tobegin with we have thought of exploring,documenting and promoting the farmerbased research on some specific issues.

(We are looking forward to learning from yourexperiences. As you might know, we do notapprove of so called PRA kind of approaches.We are sure that once you start learningfrom people, you will come to the sameconclusion. :Ed)

Innovations need protection

P B VekariyaRajmoti SocietyTimbawadi RoadJunagadh- 362 001

I am an engineer and have developed duringthe course of my dissertation work, a newtechnology for the generation of energyusing renewable resources. All thetheoretical and practical information aboutefficiency, design of system and case studieson real assumptions are completed. I seekyour guidance about assessment, protectionand commercialization of this technology.

(We can meet to discus this idea. Keep up yourinventive spirit. :Ed)

�

�

�

�

�

�

Tamil

NamVazhiVelanmai

P Vivekanandan

43, TPM Nagar

Virattipathu

Madurai 625 010

Tamil Nadu

Loksarv

ani

SRISTI

P O B

ox

1505

0

Amba

wadi

P O

Ahmed

abad

380

015

Dzo

ngkh

a H

oney

Bee

Theneecha

Hindi (?)

NR

TI

Min

istr

y of

Agr

icul

ture

Thi

mph

uD

zong

khog

LO

BE

SAB

hutta

n

Thenetiga

Dr Geervani

Vice-chancellor

Padmavati Mahila

Viswavidyalayam

Tirupati

Andhra Pradesh

Hittala

gida

Dr T N

Prak

ash

Dept o

f Agri

Econ.

UAS, Heb

bal

Bangalo

re 560024

Telugu

Kannad

a

Gujarat

i

Spanish (?)

Bhu

tane

se

Oriya (?)

Malayalam (?)Madhuchakra

��#+��4�"��,�� -�� 5

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ��

Category National International

Patron Rs 2000 US$ 200Supporter Rs 500 US$ 50Scientist/Professionals Rs 120 US$ 30Foreign aided NGOs Rs 500 US$ 50Farmers/NGOs (without foreign aid)-Large Rs 100 US$ 50-Small Rs 50 US$ 25Students Rs 50 US$ 20Unemployed Worker Rs 5 Free

Institutions/Libraries Rs 2500 US$ 100

� � � � � ��

Individual Rs 1500 US$ 250Institutions/Libraries Rs 10000 US$ 1000

Concessional rates may be considered for readers from developingcountries on request. Please send your contributions throughbank draft/postal order/money order in favour of A/c SRISTIInnovations at the editorial address; C/o Prof Anil K Gupta,Editor, Honey Bee, Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur,Ahmedabad 380 015 India. Email: [email protected]

Pro

pose

dSR

IST

IL

ogo

If u

nd

eliv

ered

ple

ase

retu

rn t

oP

rof

Ani

l K

Gup

taIn

dian

Ins

titu

te o

f M

anag

emen

tV

astr

apur

, A

hmed

abad

380

015

Ind

ia

To ____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

Sujh-BujhDr Sudhirendra Sharma

Energy & Env. Group

H-12 ODS Flats

Lajpat Nager 4

New Delhi 110024

Documents

Can We Blend Reductionism and Holism? - SRISTI1)HBJAN-MAR96.pdfSoil health is in fact supposed to be linked with plant health. Further, the pest-predator relationships also need to