Conserving biodiversity resources on small farms in India

In regions where plant genetic diversity is high, farmers’ fields are important for conserving plant genetic resources (PGR). Poor women farmers play an essential role in this conservation. Recognising this role is vital for the sustainable management of agrobiodiversity.

Conserving andmaintaining stocks of plant genetic diversity is increasingly vital for futureagricultural production. Research from Humboldt University, Germany, examinesthe institutional structures governing PGR in Kerala, south India. The researchfocuses on institutions that have taken innovative steps to support theinterests of women in biodiversity management. The research aims to determinewhat institutions are needed to coordinate agrobiodiversityconservation with agricultural activity.

The Wayanad district is one of the richest areas ofbiodiversity in India. However, there are many conflicts over environmentalissues and land use patterns. Banana and arecanut plantations threatencultivation of rice landraces (ancient types of crop plants whose geneticdiversity helps them adapt to their growing environment). Officially, the statehas banned the conversion of rice lands to other uses but agricultural labourers,with strong unions, argue for the continuation of this activity. Theunorganised group of small farmers who cultivate low-productive rice cannotcome together as an interest group because of the part-time nature of theiroccupation.

Beyond ricefields, conservation efforts focus on many different kinds of biodiversity andagricultural systems. These include:

• wild food gathered in forests
• cultivated and wild medicinal herbs
• PGRson integrated organic farms.

Each system hasits own property rights and relative governance structures, and the role ofwomen within each varies. The Kattunaikki tribalpeople live in small groups in the forest, collecting and processing plants forsale as food and medicine. Their specialised knowledge, shared between men andwomen, helps maintain and utilise the bio-diverse forest. New environmentalpolicies changed property rights and Kattunaikkapeople lost their customary access rights.

Home gardenfarming in almost all homes has evolved over hundreds of years, and women’s homegardens are significant for biodiversity conservation. A non-governmentalorganisation in Wayanad works with women’s self-help groups to promote thesustainable use of medicinal plants and to revitalise traditional primaryhealth care. Successful collective action has increased local group knowledge,but there are barriers, such as quality management and market access, to increasingthe scale of the initiative and entering formal markets for medicinal plants.

Organic farmingas an agricultural strategy has gained momentum in Kerala. Collective action isbuilt on the exchange of species and varieties as a way to improve cultivationpractices and establishing formal organic markets. Women are active in thismovement, working to conserve biodiversity-rich agriculture.

Conservationfor its own sake is an uncommon concept in Kerala. Agrobiodiversityconservation often occurs as a side-product of farming systems. However, eachproduction system contains mechanisms for agrobiodiversity conservation. Tomaintain this, the research recommends:

• Rules for implementing the 2002Biodiversity Act, currently being developed, must take care in their use ofterms. Legal definitions of ‘farmer’ and ‘community’ have an impact on tribaland gender equity in agrobiodiversity conservation.
• Social differences exist betweencommunities: any efforts to coordinate and regulate the conservation ofagrobiodiversity must recognise this.