Rayagada youth does farming to save biodiversity

Mahendra Nauri is a 30-year-old man of Kerandiguda village in Rayagada district. He is a farmer but with a difference. What he says about his farming is about his passion for maintaining the biodiversity of the area -- the land and forest around him, which forms a part of the Niyamgiri Hills.

Mahendra has two acres of land in his village, where he cultivates three varieties of traditional rice -  bahurupi, lalboro, badana andbanjibuta. In addition, his land also cradles a variety of vegetables, pulses, oilseeds and millets - as many as 70 in number. And, all varieties are local.

“We never depend on market for food,” says Mahendra. His father,

Lokanath, is his guide and teacher who has long 50 years of experience of traditional farming. Chemical fertiliser and poison have made inroads into the remote tribal villages of the area, some tribals have even planted eucalyptus in their farm lands and doing cotton by applying high doses of chemicals, but Mahendra and Lokanath have never turned towards that.

“There is no use of chemicals in our soil. The soil does not need of  any external inputs like chemical fertiliser or poison to kill pests. If the health of the soil is good, it takes care of everything. What you need is a mahua or a sahaj tree in the field bund that provides shelter to the birds, lizards and frogs. They will take care of the pests and insects that harm our crops,” says Mahendra.

 Mahendra is very passionate of conserving the diversity of the soil and plants. He has converted a barren land of about 60 decimals into a dense natural forest. “The variety of plants in our forest reflects how better it is. We had estimated the density of trees and diversity of species in the forests of our village. The density as well as the  diversity is high in some areas of the forest, but in spite of remarkably high density, some areas are lacking diversity,” explains Mahendra eagerly indicating that the decrease in the diversity is a cause of concern.

Why did Mahendra get interested in traditional agriculture and forestry is an inspiring story. “I was reading in class VII, in Bisamkatak High School, when I was arrested by the police force. My fault was that I was carrying a leaflet handed over to me by some activists who were conducting a meeting there. The police caught me alleging that I was having Maoist connection as I was having Maoist literature, although I was yet to look at that leaflet. I was put in jail even though I had not attained 18 years,” narrates Mahendra, who had to spend six months in jail before he was released on bail.

Mahendra completed graduation in science in Bisamkatak College and shifted to Revenshaw University, Cuttack to read biotechnology.

But, his financial condition did not allow him to complete the post graduation. He returned to his village and decided to work with his father. “My father has conserved a rare variety of rice seed known as badna, which can be grown at any time of the year. He has also conserved the traditional practices,” says Mahendra and adds that he has been inspired by his father to stay in the village to take the legacy of natural farming forward.

“However, my understanding of the traditional methods widened when I came in contact of Dr Debal Deb. Deb, an internationally famous rice conservationist, has conserved more than 1,000 varieties of rice seed. He is staying in Kerandiguda village for last eight years and helping the tribals of the region to revive their traditional knowledge of conservation,” adds Mahendra.