Rahibai Popere, commonly known as the Seedmother hailing from Akole taluka of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, was recently awarded the prestigious Padma Shri. This recognition aims to acknowledge her valuable contributions in preserving landraces (wild varieties of widely cultivated crops), thus aiding local farmers and promoting biodiversity at the village level. Currently, hybrid crops dominate the agrarian landscape, an aspect we will delve into in more detail.
About Hybrid Crops
Hybrid crops result from cross-pollinating two distinct plant varieties, leading to offspring or hybrids that encapsulate the best traits of both parents. For instance, selective breeding over time has produced varieties of rice and wheat that offer higher yields, encouraging farmers to adopt these types. However, the constant selection and breeding over decades have limited the genetic base of most crops.
Impacts and Limitations of Hybrid Crops
Although hybrid crops come with certain advantages, they also pose several issues. Biodiversity enables a natural mechanism for crops to develop traits necessary to adapt to challenging environments. However, extensive human intervention in crop selection has resulted in many commercially grown crops losing this ability, which could be detrimental.
Explaining Landraces
Landraces refer to naturally occurring variants of popularly cultivated crops. Unlike commercial crops, which are developed through selective breeding or genetic engineering for specific traits, landraces evolve naturally.
The Significance and Benefits of Landraces
With climate change looming large, scientists and policymakers face the challenge of creating crop varieties that can resist both biotic and abiotic stresses. Landraces, with their rich genetic pool, could be part of the solution. The broader the gene pool, the higher the possibility of developing traits that can help survive extreme climate events.
Contrary to common belief, landraces can yield better results than hybrids when cultivated using proper agricultural practices, and at a lower cost. Additionally, many landraces offer a higher nutritional profile than commercial variants.
Examples of Landraces
One such example is Kalbhat, a unique landrace of scented rice that had nearly disappeared from cultivators’ fields as hybrid variants gained popularity. Kalbhat has superior climate resilience compared to commonly grown rice and can withstand floods or droughts more effectively.
The Need for Landrace Conservation
Currently, landraces persist only in a handful of rural and tribal areas, but even these are dwindling due to lack of adequate conservation efforts. The traditional knowledge about cultivating these crops and saving their seeds is also disappearing.
Community-led Programs for Conservation
The BAIF Development Research Foundation’s community-led programme is a commendable initiative that could be replicated across various states. This charitable organization, based in Urali Kanchan near Pune in Maharashtra, spearheads agricultural development. Its mission involves identifying available germplasms and creating seed banks through community participation.
Research into Landraces
A significant amount of information about the germplasms of landraces remains undiscovered. It is crucial to understand how these landraces might contribute to developing climate-resistant agriculture. Nutritional profiling of these crops could potentially play a key role in combating deficiencies.
