Manjula Masthikatte

Sharmila Joshi

Editor

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Syed Ghani Khan almost collapsed that day. He felt uneasy
while tending to the crops on his field. The fumes from the pesticides he was
spraying began to make him dizzy. “That’s when I thought: What am I doing? If I
can feel this way then surely I’m poisoning the people who eat the paddy, after
I spray such pesticides on it. I should stop this,” he says. 

Since that turning point two decades ago, in 1998,
Ghani stopped using any chemical pesticides or fertilisers. And he started
cultivating only desi
paddy. “I used to accompany my father and other elders of the family on
their visits to the fields. Among the many crops they cultivated, desi paddy was relatively low,” he recalls. 

Less than 10 people in Mandya cultivate desi varieties through organic farming, estimates the
42-year-old farmer from Kirugavalu village in Karnataka’s Mandya district, where paddy is grown on 79,961 hectares.  “Indigenous paddy lost its importance
because of how long it took to grow, and even after the wait, the yield was
[sometimes] low. You would see more weeds than the actual crop,” he adds.

Many farmers were persuaded that hybrid varieties
would bring consistently higher yields in shorter durations. Sometimes that did
happen – for a while. It often also meant, say proponents of desi varieties,
a much higher use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and water. Even as the
yields tapered off, the costs kept going up and the side effects on health and
farm finances began to show.

Noticing the slow disappearance of indigenous paddy, Ghani began collecting and
preserving different desi varieties in 1996, when he collected 40 types
of seeds. His enthusiasm to collect such seeds grew over time, and now he has
more than 700 indigenous paddy varieties from all over India. To procure the
multitude of seeds, Ghani engages in a sort of barter system with farmers from
various states, including Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil
Nadu and West Bengal.

In his house – Bada Bagh (Big Garden) – where he lives
with his wife, three children, and his brother’s family – his passion is evident
as soon as you enter the door. Along the walls are neatly stacked rows of numerous
paddy seeds in glass jars, as well as paddy flowers (ears of corn). Next to
these are details about each variety, placed there as information for visitors
– eager farmers, agriculture students from across the state, and others who
come to Bada Bagh. It’s like a walking tour of India’s rich paddy diversity.

“My work is more
focused on the preservation of different breeds rather than seeking a profit
from its sales,” says Ghani. He sells the seeds for a nominal amount to those
willing to harvest them using organic methods.

Growing paddy on
an acre costs between Rs. 8,000 and Rs. 10,000, he says. It’s unlikely for a
farmer to incur a loss on indigenous breeds even if the yield is lower than
that of hybrid varieties. “Organically
grown paddy fetches 20-40 per cent more in the market than varieties cultivated
using chemical pesticides,” he adds. 

Indigenous paddy also has medicinal properties, Ghani
says. For example, a variety called ‘Navara’ is useful for arthritis and joint
pain, while ‘Karigijivili Ambemohar’ is used to increase breast milk in
mothers. Another breed called ‘Sannakki’ helps cure diarrhoea in children and
‘Mahadi’ paddy is used (ingested) to treat fractures in cattle. 

And in Tamil Nadu, Ghani says, there’s a paddy variety
called ‘Mappillai Samba’ that is given to a young groom to increase his
strength. Traditionally, in some parts of the state, the groom must lift a
boulder to prove his strength.  ‘This
paddy apparently can give him the energy to perform this feat.

Some of these details – where the paddy is grown,
differences in taste, their medicinal properties – are also listed on the walls
below each sample of the grain in Ghani’s house. “Desi
varieties have their own characteristics and special qualities. They are
different in size, shape and colour,” he says.

Bada Bagh, which Ghani inherited from his father, is
situated on 16 acres of farmland in Mandya. Here, the family grows paddy, mangoes
and vegetables, and they rear livestock. Ghani’s 36-year-old wife Syeda Firdose supports him in his efforts to preserve desi paddy. She also makes wall art, garlands and
jewellery from agricultural waste, and sells it to visitors or in local shops
at modest prices.

Besides being a seed preservation centre, their house
is now also a classroom for informal demonstrations for students and visitors
about the wonders of paddy.  Ghani’s
accumulated knowledge has locally earned him the reputation of being a ‘farming
scientist’, and he has become a consultant in agricultural matters. This takes
him to different cities and various schools, colleges, agriculture science centres
and other institutes, where he speaks about natural farming and seed
preservation.

Despite his
efforts, Ghani has not received much help from the government, though he has
received a few awards. In 2007, an organisation in Mandya gave him the ‘Arasama
Mensegowda Award’ for innovation in agriculture. His other accolades include a
government of Karnataka’s ‘Krishi Pandita Award’ of 2008-09 (that gave him Rs.
25,000) and the ‘Jeevavaividya Award’ in 2010 (which came with
Rs. 10,000).

“Indigenous varieties should be preserved and
eventually must reach the people,” he says. “We can start by identifying the
different kind of paddy we have.”

Kirugavalu’s desi ‘farming scientist’

கிருகவலுவின் விவசாய அறிவியலாளர்

കിരുഗവാളു ഗ്രാമത്തിന്‍റെ സ്വന്തം ‘കൃഷി ശാസ്ത്രജ്ഞൻ’

"ಕಿರುಗಾವಲಿನ ದೇಸಿ 'ರೈತ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಿ'"

किरूगावलु के देशी ‘कृषक वैज्ञानिक’

کیروگاولو کے دیسی ’زرعی سائنس داں‘

किरुगावलुचा देशी ‘शेतकरी वैज्ञानिक’

কিরুগাভালুর এক গেঁয়ো ‘কৃষিবিজ্ঞানী’

କିରୁଗାଭାଲୁର ଦେଶୀ କୃଷି ବୈଜ୍ଞାନିକ

Kirugavalu

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Kirugavalu’s desi ‘farming scientist’

Syed Ghani Khan, a paddy farmer in Karnataka, cultivates only indigenous varieties using organic methods, and collects and preserves paddy seeds from across the country to counter their slow disappearance

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