The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands consists of 305 small, scattered islands located in the Bay of Bengal. The islands are separated from the Indian mainland by a vast stretch of sea some 1200 km wide. Nearly 86% of the total geographical area is covered by lush green tropical rain forest.

The topography of A&N Islands is largely hilly, but also features small, flat areas and narrow valleys. The soils are acidic, the pH varying from 4.5 to 6. The surface soils are usually light to medium, and the sub-surface soils medium to heavy. The amount of available phosphorous is low, and the level of available potassium low to medium.

The islands have a tropical climate, hot and humid, with an average annual rainfall of 3000 mm, which falls between May and November. The average temperature ranges from 18 to 30°C, with slight variations (3 to 5°C) in the minimum and maximum temperature.

Of the 305 islands, only 36 are inhabited; the total population is 0.28 million. Most people (73%, or 0.2 million) live in one of the 547 census villages; the average population of these villages is 376. The statistics on occupational distribution show that 22% of the working population are engaged in agriculture; of these, 16% are cultivators and 6% agricultural laborers.

Agriculture is clearly the mainstay of the islands. Large-scale agricultural exploitation began in 1949, when agriculturist families, most of them from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), were settled there. They were each allotted 2 ha of paddy and hilly land and 0.4 ha of homestead land. This was the dawn of a new era of agriculture in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. And yet, while land and water resources are available, production and productivity have remained consistently low, ultimately leading to the import of large quantities of food from the Indian mainland. The A&N Islands are heavily dependent upon the central government of India. There is a general realization that this dependence must be reduced and the production potential of the land harnassed; as a result, the concept of agricultural sustainability has gained much currency in recent years. But any developmental effort must take into account the poorly developed institutional structure in these remote islands, most of which are not within easy reach of each other. Communication with the outside world as well as inter-island contact is maintained through visits by ships and small boats. Due to various factors, however, such visits are erratic, thus complicating the situation still further. The problems which this presents must be acknowledged, if the dynamics of tropical island farming systems is to be seen in its proper context.

The realities of tropical island farming
The foremost requirement for efficient crop production is seed of good quality. Farmers need sufficient quantities of good quality seed at the required time, at a reasonable price, and available at the location where it is needed. Moreover, seeds should have good germination properties and be free from seed-borne diseases. The timely availability of quality seed is a basic condition for the improvement of crop productivity on the limited farmland which is available. This can only be ensured by a well-organised seed supply system.

The prevailing system of seed supply on the A&N Islands is a traditional one, whereby a farmer produces most of his own seed, and obtains new varieties either from the State Department of Agriculture, the local market, another farmer, or any other source he can manage to find. Once the seeds have been obtained, they are kept for a long period. Our research showed that over 80% of the seeds used were saved by the farmers themselves. In some cases, farmers even manage to get by on their own seeds until a new variety is obtained (Bandyopadhyay and Saha 1996). This means that it is extremely important for farmers to ensure that their seeds are properly preserved, i.e., in such a way that the condition, viability and physical properties are maintained over the years.

Research
A survey was designed to document various methods of seed selection and preservation practised by the farmers of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for the main food crops (rice, pulses and vegetables). Eight villages on Andaman Island were randomly selected. In all, one hundred respondents were personally approached for the interviews, which were of a highly interactive nature. A flexible semi-structured interview schedule was employed to collect information. The research also made use of the anthropological approach known as participant observation.

Findings
The disappointing germination rate due to the poor quality of the seeds is the main obstacle when it comes to increasing agricultural production on the A&N Islands. The farmers resort to a variety of measures in an effort to solve this problem, adapting their strategies and employing different techniques for the various crops. These strategies are described below. In addition, farmers often resort to a simple but effective strategy: they sow more seed than is actually necessary. This is usually done in areas where attacks by scavenger fowl, snails and wild birds are a problem. The same procedure is followed when there is a likelihood of future crop damage due to climatic stress. For instance, if a farmer is sowing vegetable seeds and foresees that heavy rains may reduce the generation rate by as much as 30%, he may decide to simply sow 30% more seed.

The following description covers the other ingenious methods farmers in the research area resort to in an effort to ensure the quality of their seed stock. In the case of rice, pulses and vegetables--the three most important food crops on the islands--farmers vary the ways in which they select the best seeds, employing different techniques for different crops. A description of the traditional methods of preserving the grains is also given below.

Rice

Selection:

- In selecting paddy seeds for the next sowing, farmers first identify a few rows where plant growth is better than in the surrounding area. These plants are harvested separately and the seeds carefully threshed.

- Farmers also select seeds during harvesting: since paddy is usually stacked in bundles, they can easily identify bundles bearing panicles with bold, heavy, undamaged and fully ripe grains to keep as seed.

- Farmers may even cut away the panicles of the standing crop to obtain seeds by threshing.

- Another common practice is to first select the plot from which seeds are to be collected, and then remove any alien varieties, weeds or other plants before harvesting. Other farmers simply keep some seeds of any variety they happen to be harvesting.

Preservation:

- The selected grains are first cleaned, dried in the sun, and then preserved for the next sowing. There is also considerable variation in the methods used to preserve seeds.

- Most farmers keep the paddy grains in a gunnysack (bag made of jute fibre) or a plastic bag.

- Many farmers were observed mixing the grains with neem leaves (Azadirachta indica) or the leaves of the local "samalu" plant (Vitex trifolia). This appears to be an indigenous alternative to imported BHC (benzene hexachloride) dust, which not all farmers can afford to buy.

- Farmers often store the grains in a special container known locally as "dole". This is a drum-like container made of thin bamboo strips. Both the inner and outer walls of the dole are plastered with mud. Seeds are kept in the dole along with mango and samalu leaves; sometimes BHC dust is added.

- After placing the seeds in the bag or dole, the container is made airtight by firmly closing the opening. For occasional drying, the grains are sometimes exposed to sunlight. This practice has been quite useful in maintaining the keeping quality of the seed.

- Drying is usually repeated two or three times, at an interval of 3-4 months; this will depend upon the weather condition, since the A&N Islands have a rainy period lasting seven months (May—November).

Pulses

Selection:

- Farmers pay special attention to the selection of bold and fully ripe pods. This may be done right in the field, where good pods are handpicked for further processing.

-The other method consists in harvesting the plants/pods and then selecting the good pods.

- Another common practice is selecting a few healthy plants bearing bold and ripe pods, harvesting them separately, and then selecting those suitable for seed.

- Once the pods have been selected, they are dried and the seeds extracted. These are again carefully dried in the sun before being stored.

Preservation:

- Pulse grains are usually stored in glass jars; these are preferable to the plastic, tin or other metallic containers which are occasionally used. Some farmers paint the inside of the metallic containers.

- Most seeds are mixed with neem or samalu leaves before storing; sometimes the leaves are combined with wood ash.

- After placing the seeds in the container, it is firmly closed to make it airtight. It was observed that some farmers deliberately did not completely fill the container.

- Storing grains in this way is believed to protect them from pests and disease. However, occasional checks are made, and if there is any sign of damage, the grains are again exposed to the sun, carefully dried, and mixed with fresh leaves and/or ash before they are replaced in the container.

Vegetables

Selection:

- The seeds to be preserved should be bold, fully ripe and undamaged. For this reason, extra care is taken in selecting the seeds. As in the case of rice and pulses, farmers employ various techniques. For example, when selecting the seeds of fruit vegetables like bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, cucumber, tomato, chilies, etc., the fruits are allowed to mature, ripen and dry while still on the plants. These mature fruits are picked and further dried by repeated exposure to sunlight. Then the seeds are extracted from the fruits, washed, cleaned and dried in the sun.

- Bottle gourds, pumpkins and ridge gourds may be kept hanging from the roof for months after they are picked. Then they are cut open, and the seeds are extracted, cleaned and thoroughly dried in the sun before final storage.

- In the case of "brinjal" seeds, farmers sometimes pick the ripe fruit, store it in a polythene bag, and allow it to rot. It is then washed in water and the seeds are strained out. They are then cleaned and dried thoroughly in the sun.

- In selecting the seeds of pod-bearing vegetables like french bean or lady's finger, the methods are almost the same as for pulses. Both pods and seeds are repeatedly dried in the sun before storing.

Preservation:

- Once the seeds have been extracted, cleaned and thoroughly dried, they are stored in a container. Vegetable seeds are preferably kept in an airtight glass bottle, a plastic container, or one made of tin or other metal. Leaves of the neem or samalu plant are mixed with the seeds.

- One innovative way of preserving seeds of gourds like bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, etc., is to keep them in cowdung cakes. Small balls or cakes are made from fresh cowdung, and well-dried vegetables seeds are placed inside them. These balls are then dried along with the seeds, usually by placing them on the walls around the house. When it comes time to sow them, the seeds are taken out of the balls or cakes. This method of preservation has been found to be quite effective against insect and fungal damage, while ensuring the appropriate level of moisture and the viability of the seeds.

- To ensure the keeping quality of the seeds, and to protect them from fungal or insect damage during storage, they are occasionally taken out and dried in the sun. The seeds are usually dried two or three times at intervals of 3-4 months.

Policy implications
In view of the fact that there is no organized system of seed supply that can ensure the steady flow of new germplasm on these remote islands, the farmers' possibilities for selecting, improving, storing and propagating local varieties of seed must be increased.

The practice of including neem leaves with the grains to be stored is a very old one in India, and today farmers from different parts of the country successfully use this method for storing the seeds of major food crops (Samanta and Prasad 1995). As this study has demonstrated that the leaves of Vitex trifolia are equally effective for this purpose, the use of samalu leaves can also be tried elsewhere.

Farmers place a great deal of emphasis on the sun-drying of grains before, and even during, storage. This is necessary to maintain the keeping quality of the grains and to prevent them from insect or disease damage. However, the long rainy season in these islands makes sun-drying more difficult. It would be interesting to see if some type of mechanical drier could be developed as a alternative, after which a feasibility study could be set up.

Dr A.K. Bandyopadhyay
Director
Central Agricultural Research Institute
P.O. Box 181
Portblair 744 - 101
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
India
Tel: +91-3192-33 276.
Fax: +91-3192-33 281.

Dr G.S. Saha
Scientist
Aquaculture Extension Section
Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA)
Dhauli, Bhubneshwar 751 - 003
Orissa
India

References
- Bandyopadhyay, A.K. and G.S. Saha (1996) Survey on crop area, seed rate, sources of seeds and indigenous seed preservation techniques of Andaman farmers. Research bulletin. Portblair: Central Agricultural Research Institute.
- Samanta, R.K. and M.V. Prasad (1995) 'An indigenous post-harvest technology', Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor 3(2): 12-13.