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Rajasthan Ki Rajat Boonde (Hindi) by Anupam Mishra; Environment section, Gandhi Peace Foundation, 221-223, Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi-110 002. 1995.
The ‘Silver Drops’ (‘rajat boonde’) of Rajasthan is a well illustrated discussion on the indigenous water conservation structures in Rajasthan. In some sense, the book also gives a new interpretation to ecological and cultural history of Rajasthan. The first issue that is taken up is the portrayal of deserts in the text books. The general perception of deserts as barren and backward regions is decried. The existence of outstanding architectural and city planning traditions incorporating conservation of most scarce resource i.e. water is an evidence of living eco-compatible tradition in the desert.
Desert people have developed indigenous indicators of rain. There is a detailed classification of clouds and their relation to the prospects of rainfall. The classification is based on shape, size, movement and other attributes of clouds. Sixteen divisions of direction are used to define the movement of various kinds of clouds to accurately predict rains.
It is natural that given low rainfall and discontinuous aquifers, the techniques for selecting locations of wells and constructing these would be quite developed. Three kinds of water conservation strategies have been devised: ‘palar pani’ or the collection of surface run offs; ‘patal pani’ or groundwater; ‘rejani pani’ or water found below the surface and above the underground aquifer ie., in-situ conservation of moisture in the top layer of the soil. Author illustrates how for digging a well of 50 to 60 ft deep, about 6000 feet long rope made of local grass is needed to line the walls. Generally the wells have a small diameter; this is to make it possible for water to accumulate even when it collects slowly, trickling from the sides and to reduce evaporation; it is also easy to cover the mouth of small well. Many variations in the design of wells and ponds are described.
Earlier, even in cities, rainwater flowing off the roofs was channeled into underground tanks. Some of these underground tanks are still functional in parts of Rajastan (and also in Gujarat). There are tanks and wells for common use; some of which can store as much as 30 million litre of water. One such tank was built 350 years ago in Jaigarh Fort near Jaipur. ‘Khadins’ were developed to impound water by building bunds as long as five to seven kilometres; the water so stored is used for growing winter crop. The book is an unique commentary on self-reliant means of conservation of water, soil in saline and non-saline conditions for individual and collective use through traditional and contemporary innovations. The author urges the reappraisal of technologies which have stood the test of time and deserve to be revived. The book provides the addresses of several individuals and local institutions in different parts of Rajasthan who are working to revive traditional water conservation technologies.
It is difficult indeed to capture the poetry of this book in this short review but it would suffice to state that commentaries of this kind reinforce one’s faith in human ingenuity in dealing with stresses and evolving innovative survival mechanisms. Students of dryland development, water conservation, traditional technologies and grassroots ecological and social movements will have a lot to learn from this book. We hope that this book will be translated into different languages soon.
Food from Dryland Gardens: An Ecological Nutritional and Social Approach to Small-Scale Household Food Production by David A. Cleveland and Daniela Soleri, Center for People, Food and Environment (CPFE), Tucson, Arizona, USA, 1991.
This is the first major project of CPFE, a non-governmental organization supported by UNICEF, highlighting the relevance of indigenous agricultural production system in various developing countries. Its focus on household gardens underlines the contribution of secondary sources of food and income in human survival.
The book is divided into four parts and 19 chapters dealing with gardens as a development strategy contributing to nutritional needs, particularly of children and women; garden management including soil, water, seed, pest & disease management etc; garden harvest describing methods of seed storage, food processing, storing, marketing etc; and also a glossary and a list of references.
Information on nutritional values highlights the fact that many of the low esteem fruits are actually rich in nutrients. For instance, dried cassava leaves provide as much as 313 mg of calcium per 100 g; every 100 g of cooked cowpea leaves provide 0.3 mg of vitamin B1.
The section on garden management includes besides methods of plants propagation, the methods of preparation of pots for garden plants. The section on plant management has some interesting information about allelopathetic weed management: for example, squash (Cucurbita pepo) grown in southern Mexico discourages weeds by covering the soil. Also the Tarahumara Native American farmers living in the high-altitude drylands of Chihuahua, Mexico allow Jaleomata to grow on the edges of their maize plots or in patches of fertile soil where compost is dumped. This weed produces dark, sweet edible berries in higher quantities than the ones growing in wild. There probably was some selection even in the weeds. In southern Zimbabwe, a common weed, wild marigold (Tagets minuta), has been found to significantly reduce the population of root knot nematodes in soil where it grows (marigold has been known to help in controlling of nematodes in India also. :Ed.)
The sections on pest & disease management and food processing & seed storage deal with some of the common methods used by farmers. The discussions on land use management and nutrition are comprehensive, but the sections on risks & coping strategies and those dealing with indigenous knowledge leave much to be desired.
The list of resource organizations and the detailed bibliography will be of much interest to researchers in the field. The book will serve as a good introductory text to essentials of dryland garden management for undergraduate students and village level workers.
Newsletter
Nycap News
New York Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, PO Box 6005, Albany, NY 12206-0005
A very strong, well informed, and devoted network of activists and volunteers bring out a remarkable newsletter with the aim of “educating the public and government about alternatives to economic poisons (pesticides) and ways to change public policy on pesticide use and regulation”. The board of NYCAP particularly tries to seek grassroots support of individuals who choose a “least-toxic” life style. We at Honey Bee share this goal of NYCAP and realize that along with generation of awareness, we also need to develop alternatives and hence our commitment to farmers’ innovations for non-chemical pest control approaches.
The summer 1995 issue of newsletter provides useful information about Dioxin which is difficult to get rid of. When chlorine is used in any industrial process including incinerators, dioxin is formed. Among the known sources of Dioxin are incineration of garbage and medical; waste, manufacturing of chemical pesticides etc. Dioxin bio-accumulates and has hazardous consequences.
There is a lot of interesting information on alternatives: One little brown bat can catch 600 mosquitoes in an hour, growing castor beans around garden discourages shallow tunneling by rabbits, squirrels etc. Adding castor oil (also practiced in Gujarat and other parts of India) into the soil where moles tunnel and feed, helps control them. How many readers know that corn gluten meal could kill 60-90 percent weeds in spring? What is even better, this ‘herbicide’ breaks down into fertilizer. Another very important section of newsletter is about the effect of pesticides on children and how to educate them and their parents about it.
We strongly recommend this newsletter to every one concerned about safe environment and those who just do not want to wait but act. There is a lot of advice though mainly suited to western context as to how can individuals make a difference. But when we imported these chemicals from there, there is no harm at all in learning about how to get rid of them. We must remember that governments world over are dominated and influenced by the chemical pesticide industry. And yet individual scientists, activists, lawyers etc., can make considerable difference.
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee: 6(3) 15-16, 1995 |
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