An Appeal To Save Folk Rice

An Appeal

Green Revolution causes a great erosion of crop diversity in India. Before green revolution near about 100,000 varieties of rice were found in this country, but the mono culture policy ( i.e. cultivating a few chemical fertilizer sensitive dwarf varieties throughout the country)of green revolution abolished most of them.Now, after five decades of green revolution about two third portion of Indian agricultural field have become sick and pest attack increased by 500% in Indian Rice Field. The yield of chemical fertilizer sensitive dwarf varieties is decreasing.In this situation the farmers are seeking alternatives. The Indigenous rice varieties is a good alternative , because they have pest resistant properties, they can tolerate a wide variation of environmental stresses and some of them give good yield , even better than the so called high yielding variety of green revolution. But those varieties are not very easily available to the farmers because most of them are abolished and still surviving varieties can be found in very remote parts of our country.

For last two decades I am engaged in collection and conservation of Indigenous rice varieties of India so that those varieties can be easily available to the farmers. I give several indigenous rice varieties to many farmers. Those farmers are now practicing chemical free farming with those varieties. Presently I am conserving 443 different indigenous rice varieties, as germination capacity of rice seed reduce drastically after one year, so I have to cultivate all the varieties in every year and it is very expensive.I bear all the expenditure by myself. I never applied for fund to any NGOs or Government Organization. Recently I have to spend a lot of money for medical treatment of my age old father and mother, so now I am in economic hardship.In this connection I am requesting you to provide me some financial help so that I may continue conservation of Indigenous Rice Varieties. If you think that conservation of indigenous rice varieties is necessary for sustainable and poison free food production, I hope you will please give response to this appeal.

If you wish you may help please donate money or if you wish to visit my work contact me [email protected]

ABHRA CHAKRABARTI

MANKAR, BURDWAN, WEST BENGAL,INDIA