- Peter Gubbels

Part I of this article  appeared yesterday

Experts

Local farmers are the real experts in site specific land use. They have proved this beyond doubt (much to the embarrassment of ‘foreign experts’ from the World Bank) at Veheragala - in a remote corner of Mahaweli system C approximately 30 km east of Dehiattakandiya.

In 1981 the Veheragala area was covered in forest. Then tragedy struck. A visiting team of World Bank experts recommended the clearing of 5000 acres of forest to establish a Cashew plantation here. These ‘foreign experts’ recommended Cashew for the area because the land was above command of the irrigation system, "Cashews fetched a good export price", and therefore could make a significant contribution to economic growth in Sri Lanka. The World Bank offered a loan to cover the cost of the entire operation, and our government accepted this offer with enormous gratitude!

In 1984 the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL) assisted by the Sri Lanka Cashew Corporation (SLCC) began to implement the ‘Cadjuwatte project’.

Bulldozers shaved the land of its forest cover. Motorized graders laid out roads. Construction crews moved in and buildings began to mushroom all over the area. Cashew seedlings were stuck into the soil with the first monsoon rains using hired gangs of contract labour. Bereft of its natural forest cover, the soil began to erode rapidly. Before long coarse unproductive Illuk grass (Imperata cylindrica) began to invade the land. As the Northeast Monsoon rains began to intensify, over 70 per cent of the land area became water logged and most of the Cashew seedlings began to suffocate and drown. When the rains subsided, and during the dry months of July-August, a scorching wind reduced the Illuk grass into a tinder dry condition ready to erupt into a blazing inferno at the touch of a carelessly thrown cigarette butt. Cashew seedlings that had survived the flood were now charred beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, peasant farmers in the ‘purana’ villages of Aralaganwila and Pimburattewa (bordering Veheragala) were laughing their guts out at this march of folly. " This land is transformed into a virtual swamp during the ‘maha’ season (November-February). It is ideal paddy land during this time of the year… Our parents and their ancestors were growing paddy/rice in the Veheragala area long before the Mahaweli officers came here. There are remnants of many small tanks (wewas) scattered over the Veheragala region. They are hardly recognizable as tanks now – their bunds have gaping holes, the bulldozers, which came here with this Mahaweli project, have flattened some. No one in their right senses will recommend Cashew to be grown on this land", they claimed. These weather beaten dry zone peasants were dead right. Yet the learned consultants from the World Bank, and even our own Sri Lankan agronomists attached to the Mahaweli project had chosen to ignore indigenous knowledge and plain common sense.

Innovators

Barely ten years ago, I was interacting with a group of farmers in the Dehiattakandiya area. They were interested in trying out a green manure crop (Sesbania rostrata) in their paddy fields. The idea was to test the feasibility of growing this fast growing legume in farmers’ paddy fields during the ‘fallow period’. There was a period of about 2 months between the maha paddy harvest in March and the cultivation of the ‘yala’ paddy crop in May-June when the paddy fields lay fallow.

Sesbania rostrata was a legume, which had the ability to grow well on poorly drained, heavy clay soils. It was also unique in that it had the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen via nitrogen fixing bacteria (Rhizorbia) contained in stem nodules. Sesbania plants were potentially a rich source of Nitrogen for the rice crop when ploughed into the soil. However, in order to function effectively, Sesbania rostrata needed to be inoculated with a specific strain of Rhizorbia (bacteria). Obtaining adequate quantities of the bacterial inoculant proved to be a problem because of its high cost. We decided to shelve the planned experiment until we could find a cheaper source of innoculant.

While passing through the area about a month later, I was surprised to see a bright green patch of Sesbania growing amidst the stubble of a recently harvested paddy field. As I walked up to take a closer look, a woman farmer who owned this field came running saying: " Mama ape kandayame getaluwata visadumak hoya gatta" ("I have found a solution to our group’s problem.) She had indeed! The healthy Sesbania plants had a profusion of stem nodules.

How did she accomplish this task? She had picked some nodules from a Sesbania rostrata plant growing beside the fence of the Girandurukotte agriculture research station, crushed them on the miris gala (grinding stone), added the crushed nodules to a bucket of water, and sprayed this suspension on 3-week old Sesbania seedlings. Here was farmer ingenuity and innovation at its best.

Varietal selection

Farmers excel in selecting crop varieties to suit their specific needs. Sometimes, they select technologies, which have been rejected by official research (scientists). One of the most striking examples is that pertaining to the rice variety ‘Mahasuri’ introduced to India from Malaysia for testing in 1967-68. After two years of work, this variety was rejected by breeders on account of its lodging behavior. A farm labourer in Andhra Pradesh had some how carried a few seeds of this variety back to his village. When grown in farmers’ fields its performance was excellent. Within a few years it spread to several provinces – Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh mainly through ‘farmer-to farmer extension’. Indian farmers liked this variety because of its "excellent grain quality, semi-tall growth, high tillering, heavy panicle and high milling out-turn. For quite some time the variety was not officially released by government, but farmer pressure compelled government to "notify" the variety under the seeds act thereby paving the way for duly certified seed to be issued to meet increasing farmer demand. ‘Mahasuri’ became the third most popular rice variety in India within a very short time!

‘Bandakka miris’

A chili selection made by farmers in the Ranorawa village is gaining in popularity in Anuradhapura district. Farmers claim that this selection is more drought resistant, and provides more picks than the officially recommended variety- MI2.

‘Murunga Me’

In the ‘chenas’ around Yodakandiya (Hambantota district), where cowpea tends to be an important cash crop, a farmer selection – ‘Murunga Me’ is preferred to the conventional ‘Bonchi Me’ because it matures early, and continues to provide 12-15 picks (of pods) every 3 days.