Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, November
2001 Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, November
2001
Contents IK Monitor (9-3) | IKDM Homepage | Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl | © copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 2001.
Research
Farmer's knowledge of water management methods in the dry zone of Sri
Lanka
Research has been carried out in Sri Lanka on local, traditional methods for
coping with water shortages. The agro-ecological dry zone of Sri Lanka is
characterized by mean annual rainfall of less than 1750 mm, with a pronounced
dry season. To the farmers, it has always been of vital importance to have
methods for conserving water and to possess knowledge about rain and the
patterns, times and quantities in which it falls. When farmers could forecast
the amount of rainfall to expect in the coming season, they could decide which
crops and crop varieties to plant.
In Sri Lanka, as perhaps in other countries, methods for forecasting rain and managing water are typical examples of knowledge which is passed down orally from generation to generation. For the present research, farmers were therefore interviewed who are familiar with the techniques of the past. The interviews yielded particulars on how rain was forecast and how land was prepared and water managed in former times. The data collected in one village was checked against the data obtained in other villages. Three villages were selected at random: Selveheragama, Thimbiriwewa, and Mawathawewa. In addition to the information thus collected, the researcher himself over the past two years has examined various tanks, feeding areas and waterways in the dry zone. The researcher also empirically examined records and rain forecasting methods over a period of about ten years.
The research has yielded details about the irrigation system that was in use before 1977. In that year, Sri Lanka introduced open economic policies. Under the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Program, the longest river of the country, the Mahaweli, was diverted mainly to the dry zone and big reservoirs were constructed. Many tanks were linked to these reservoirs, creating a major irrigation system. The existing tanks that collected rainwater were rebuilt and modernized.
This programme , together with deforestation and the resulting reduction in chena cultivation (a shifting cultivation practice in highlands under rain-fed conditions), has brought about a change in water-management technology. The earlier methods for conserving water have been abandoned, and the knowledge of rain forecasting has been lost. The old methods had been both environmentally friendly and sustainable. The aim of the present communication is to report on the recent efforts to retrieve and document this knowledge for future use.
Findings: irrigation
Most interesting are the details about the shapes of the tanks and the feeding (irrigated)
areas. In the dry zone, there had been a system of tanks constructed in a sort
of cascade, with one tank below the next. The excess water from one tank
automatically flowed to the tank just below it. Only water from seasonal rains
was collected in these small tanks. At the level just below each tank, land was
prepared and always grown with paddy. Vegetables and cash crops were also grown
on this land.
Since tanks were constructed in a cascade, the areas fed by the tanks were also arranged in a sort of cascade. The areas fed by the various tanks were separated by bunds and hedges. Normally there were several canals running parallel to each other from the tank's water sluice. The first canal provided water for the first section of land. The farmers who worked this first section were not entitled to take water from the second and third canals. If they did so they were punished. The second canal went to the end of the second section of the field and so on. Thus, each farmer was ensured of water.
In fields fed by tanks, paddy was normally grown in two seasons: the more rainy one from September to January, and the drier one from March to July. The documented methods for conserving water include the selection of drought-resistant seed varieties, and the careful timing of ploughing. The technique for sowing is remarkable. The normal system is to sow paddy after a second ploughing has made the field muddy. In the research area, farmers strewed paddy seeds during the second ploughing. This enabled them to make efficient use of rainwater. By the time they needed to draw water from a tank, the paddy plants had been thriving for 15 days or more.
Findings: weather prediction
Farmers engaged in cultivation activities had discovered several ways of
forecasting the amount of rain that would fall in the coming season. All these
methods were based on environmental factors such as flora, fauna, and the time
of the year. The following observations were documented and examined. If at the
beginning of the season wood-apple trees (Feronia alephantum), karamba (Carissa
carandas), and meegon karapincha (Clausena indica) bear more fruit than
usual, there will be more rain than usual. As regards fauna, the farmers know
that if after the first two or three showers of the season the wasps make their
nests larger and the spiders make their webs larger, the year will not bring
sufficient rain. The same will be true if the crabs build their hollows closer
to the source of water (tank, lake, etc.). On the other hand, if the crabs build
their hollows on high ground farther away from water reservoirs and wet places,
heavy rains will fall during that year.
Conclusion
The research has elicited farmers' intimate knowledge of the environment.
Farmers traditionally take into consideration many aspects of their environment,
such as the shape of the land and the behaviour of fauna and flora. They
discover correlations between these and the rainfall characteristics. For
purposes of water management, farmers in the dry zone had a technology based on
the shape of the land where their tanks and fields were located.
It is important to note the relationship between economic activities (here agriculture) and the environment. This environmental economics is a crucial issue, and traditional knowledge and skills can provide important clues. It is therefore urgent that we evaluate traditional practices before they disappear. With the adoption of major irrigation systems, people forget how they practised these techniques and over the course of time they tend also to forget environment issues. Moreover, with the process of development under a market economy, the environment has become a hot issue. But before environmental issues are addressed, it is important that economists understand how the various environmental phenomena are interrelated.
For more information, please contact:
Tikiri Nimal Herath, Senior Lecturer I, Department of Economics, University of
Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
E-mail: n-herath@sjp.ac.lk
Using farmers' knowledge to control soybean pests
In India, the state of Madhya Pradesh is the country's largest producer of
soybeans (Glycine max L. Merill), accounting for 72 per cent of total
production. In the last five years, however, soybean production in Madhya
Pradesh has been unstable due to erratic environmental factors and heavy attacks
from insect pests. As a majority of farmers cannot afford the agro-chemicals
recommended for controlling pests, research has been done on the indigenous
practices with which farmers themselves combat soybean pests.
The research yielded most interesting findings. The practice developed by local farmers to combat a new pest is particularly spectacular: the flower of a plant known locally as mahua (Madhuka latifolia) is used to fight Scalopendra spp. Resource-poor farmers also use their knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine to manage the pests that damage soybean crops; this has now been documented for the first time. The present research will be the basis for further cooperation between farmers and an interdisciplinary team in order to develop sustainable pest-management technology.
Research methodology
A study area was chosen in the southern part of Satpura plateau, Madhya Pradesh.
Soybeans are grown there over an area of some 50 square kilometres; seven
villages in this area were randomly selected. From these villages, 170
resource-poor soybean growers were randomly selected as the sample for the study.
The field study took place from June to October 2000. The investigator used a combination of methods: participatory rural appraisal (PRA), group discussion, and personal interviews using a schedule. The findings were submitted to an entomologist for validation.
Results
The seven most effective indigenous practices for dealing with soybean insect
pests are presented here in some detail. The first three are especially
noteworthy because they are based on substances readily available to the whole
community at no cost. The same can be said of the fourth remedy, but with some
reservation. The fifth and sixth practices require buying ingredients on the
market, which makes them less accessible to resource-poor farmers. Surprisingly,
the seventh practice turns out to be the most attractive and effective of all,
for both rich farmers and poor farmers.
Conclusion
This research, conducted by one investigator and validated by an entomologist,
needs a follow-up. The identification of seven practices is just a beginning.
Any type of technology has two dimensions that must be addressed before the
technology will be comprehended and adopted by rural people, namely the
socio-economic and the biophysical dimensions. Dissemination of the technology
to other areas is then an additional challenge. Even under similar biophysical
and socio-economic conditions, interdisciplinary teams and the farmers
themselves have to work together to develop a sustainable technology.
For more information, please contact:
Dr Ranjay K. Singh, C/o Dr C. B. Singh, Dean College of Agriculture, C2, Krishi
Nagar Colony
JNKV, Jabalpur MP 482004 India.
E-mail: ranjay_jbp@rediffmail.com
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