IK Monitor Research (7-2)

Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, July 1999

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Research

Coping with heat and water shortages on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Agro-climatic conditions on the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Islands are favourable for growing spices, coconuts, and other cash crops. But the rather extreme seasons pose a serious challenge to the islands' growers. A prolonged rainy season (May to November) is followed by a period of intense summer (December-April). Annual rainfall averages 3000 mm and sometimes exceeds 4200 mm, but since there is no permanent source of water for irrigation on the islands, the absence of rain in the summer creates an acute crisis. Research has confirmed that traditional methods for managing plantations often make ingenious use of materials that are locally available. Encouraging these methods could have far-reaching implications for the practice of sustainable agriculture in the fragile and humid tropical environment of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Farmers on these islands have developed ways of coping with the extreme heat and dryness of summer, when water levels--especially in the hills-- fall so low that the plantations' survival is threatened. Newly planted seedlings suffer most. Keeping them alive in the scorching sun is a big problem for the farmers, especially when all the ponds have also dried up completely. Even supplies of drinking water are threatened at this time; irrigating crops during the peak of summer is out of the question. Although the plants are basically left to the forces of nature, the farmers have found ways to reduce the severity of the problem at least to some extent. The following practices have been recorded.
A very popular practice in this region is to plant coconut and arecanut seedlings close to banana plants. Banana plants grow well, manage to withstand the extreme summer, and mature quickly. Once established, they create shade and also keep the surrounding area moist and cool since they store much water in their roots and stems. When coconut and arecanut plants are planted among banana plants, their roots are protected during the hot, dry season. The first one or two years are critical for coconut and arecanut plants. If they can survive these years, the plants can manage on their own.
In the hills of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where water levels drop most severely in summer, it is difficult to raise the especially vulnerable arecanut seedlings. Farmers therefore place the seedlings near well-established coconut trees, which offer them shade.
Some farmers make particularly clever use of the fibrous husks that are left after arecanuts are extracted from their pods. Instead of throwing away or burning the fibres, they place them in a circular ditch they have dug around the base of the arecanut plant. This protects the stem from direct sunlight and keeps the area cool by reducing the evaporation of water from the soil. And as the fibres slowly decompose, they become organic manure that adds fertility to the soil. The farmers find this very effective, and the practice is rapidly becoming popular among them.
Some farmers have been observed to cover the base of coconut plants with leaves from the same plant. This also prevents direct sun from drying out the stem and it keeps the base cool. The leaves, when they decompose, turn into organic manure.
Another problem for farmers on the islands is salt water. Low-lying areas are flooded with sea water during high tide. A coconut plantation suffers when roots are in frequent contact with salt water. To protect the coconut plant from this direct contact, farmers collect clay soil and pile it up around the base of the plants. This practice is particularly useful for newly planted coconut seedlings, which are particularly vulnerable to salt water. In order to protect arecanut seedlings from the adverse effects of salt water beneath the soil, farmers plant the seedlings shallowly.
The researchers who investigated these and other traditional practices found that the farmers were reserved and hesitant to explain their skills. They feel shy about these practices and think that to talk about them in these modern times is to admit their own ignorance and inferiority. In our opinion, this attitude could be overcome by the assessment, standardization and dissemination of practices that are identified as successful. They should be promoted as encouraging a sustainable man-environment relationship.
For more information, please contact:
Dr A.K. Bandyopadhyay, Director, Central Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 181, Portblair -744 101, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
Fax: +91-3192-33 281.
Or: Dr G.S. Saha, Scientist (Extension), Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Dhauli, Bhubneshwar -751 003, Orissa, India.
Fax: +91-674-463 407.
E-mail: cifa@400.nicgw.nic.in

Indigenous knowledge in fish hatchery management in West Bengal, India

Fish is an important source of protein. In India the major food fishes are all carps: the major carps Catla (Catla catla), Rohu (Labeo rohita) and Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala); and the Chinese carps Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). These species attain gonadal maturity in confined water, but spawn in the natural riverine habitat. To make possible fish husbandry, the production of seed must be manageable. In 1957 the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CFIRI) in Barrackpore, West Bengal achieved a breakthrough in spawning these carps through the administration of fish pituitary gland extract. This formed the basis for the 'induced breeding' technology, a technique that has been standardised and diffused throughout the country. A large section of India's fish farmers are now able to produce fish seed on their own farms. However, the success-ful hatching of eggs remained a problem. One way to overcome heavy mortality among hatchlings is by identifying the ecological parameters required for the embryonic development of the fish eggs, and providing favourable incubating conditions for hatching and survival. This can be done in hatcheries: the non-adhesive, water-hardened eggs (3.5-5.5 mm diameter) are transferred to circular cement hatcheries. Commonly known as 'eco-hatcheries', they have running water, which makes it possible to produce large quantities of fish seed.
The state of West Bengal, which pioneered the production of fish seed in India, accounts for some 75% of India's total production. From 1989 on, 174 eco-hatcheries, 42 glass-jar hatcheries and 7 indoor hatcheries have been set up throughout the State, producing thousands of millions of seeds a year. This has not only helped the State to reduce its dependence on natural riverine sources of fish seed collection, but has also enabled fish farmers to get good quality fish seed.
But despite optimum water conditions and proper management, there is still a high mortality rate among hatchlings. This is due to the premature bursting of eggshells. The shells become thinner due to enzymatic activity during embryonic development, and cannot withstand even slight fluctuations in the pressure of the water circulating in the hatchery. As a rule, carp eggs hatch 18-20 hours after fertilization, at a temperature of 28-320C. If hatching takes place before that time, premature hatchlings will not survive.
Having learned of indigenous knowledge being applied to overcome these hazards, the CFIRI set up a participatory rural appraisal involving villages in the North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia and Murshidabad districts of the State. Samples from the hatcheries of 12 fish farmers in each district were taken; six of them made use of the indigenous knowledge technique and six did not. A total of 72 hatcheries were studied.
Indigenous farmers use a solution made from an extract of Catechu (Acacia catechu) and Myrobalan (Myrobolus indica). They take 2 kilos of dry Myrobalan fruit and 250 grams of Catechu cake, which they crush to a powder, mixing it together with a little water. This is kept overnight. The next morning, 2 litres of water is added and the solution is boiled for an hour. The decoction is then sieved and the solution is separated, after which it is added to the water (approximately 600 ml per 100 litres of fish eggs). The exact dose may vary according to the location. After 5 minutes, the water is brought into circulation. This treatment turns the good eggs a faded red, and the bad eggs bright red.
It was found that adding the solution hardened the eggshells so that they did not burst until about 18 hrs after fertilization, producing mature hatchlings. More spawns survived, meaning higher profits (see table). An analysis of the decoction indicates that the presence of tannin helps to toughen the membrane of the eggs. An additional advantage is that good and bad eggs take on a slightly different colour, making it easier to assess the fertilization rate.

Table: Improvements through IK

District Category of farmers
Survival percentage of spawn

Used IK technique Did not use IK technique

North 24 Parganas
South 24 Parganas

Howrah

Hooghly

Nadia

Murshidabad
70 - 85%
65 - 78%

68 - 75%

79 - 81%

62 - 72%

52 - 65%
49 - 64%
32 - 44%

38 - 48%

50 - 59%

44 - 52%

33 - 42%

For more information, contact:
Utpal Bhaumik, S.K. Saha or A. Mitra, Central Inland Capture Fisheries Research Institute, Extension Section, 743 101 Barrackpore, West Bengal, India.
Tel.: +91-33-5561 190/5561 191.
Fax: +91-33-5560 388.

IWIM: Interdisciplinary Working Group In Medicinal Plants

Indonesia is one of the so-called 'megacenters' of biodiversity. A significant portion of the world's biological richness is found in this archipelago nation. Conservation of this wealth of plant and animal species is one of Indonesia's priority issues with respect to natural resources. This has been repeatedly stated--in the Indonesian country study on biological diversity, in the Biodiversity Action Plan for Indonesia, and in Agenda 21-Indonesia.
Traditional medicine in Indonesia still relies to a large extent on plant materials taken from the wild. For this reason if for no other, a general action plan or national strategy should be formulated for the conservation and sustainable use of Indonesia's medicinal-plant resources. In May 1998 the Indonesian Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (INRIK) hosted a group of professionals interested in medicinal plants, which decided to establish itself as the Interdisiplinary Working Group In Medicinal Plants (IWIM). The leaders of this group are Professor W. Erdelen (bio-geography), Professor Kusnaka Adimihardja (anthropology), Professor Sidik (pharmacognosy), and Dr Moesdarsono (phytochemistry). At an ethnobotany symposium held in 1998 in Denpasar, Bali (Indonesia), IWIM launched a campaign under the title 'Biodiversity, bio-geography and conservation'.
The working group IWIM has the following aims:
- recording information on how medicinal plants are used by traditional societies before any more of this indigenous knowledge is lost;
- identifying the wild species that are collected;
- studying the genetic variation;
- recording the species' geographic distribution and habitat requirements;
- conducting feasibility studies for the cultivation of medicinal plants.

Despite the financial crisis which has dominated the economics pages of Indonesia's newspapers since mid-1997, IWIM has gained support from various institutions. Currently, IWIM is concentrating on a project involving the plant genus Curcuma, which belongs to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). This group of plants was chosen because only 18 species of Curcuma are reportedly used in Indonesia, and detailed preliminary information on the genus is already available. This makes it a good first subject of investigation. The project will begin with the generally familiar ways that Curcuma is used in Indonesian systems of traditional medicine, and proceed to a detailed, interdisciplinary study of these medicinal uses.
For more information, please contact:
IWIM, Professor Kusnaka Adimihardja, c/o UPT. INRIK -UNPAD, Ruang K-3, Jl. Dipatiukur no. 35, Bandung 40132, West Java, Indonesia.
Tel./fax: +62-22-250 8592.
E-mail: inrik@melsa.net.id