˘ ˇ - SRISTI3)HBJUL-SEP99.pdfWill you stand by the IPRs of peasants ? 3 Honey Bee Vol 10(3)...

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2 A Dialogue on People's Creativity & Experimentation

Honey Bee Vol 10(3) July-September 1999

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Honey Bee stands forpeople to people networking inlocal language(s), andassurance to providers ofknowledge that they would notbe impoverished by sharing theknowledge:when bees cross-pollinate,flowers do not complain thatpollen is taken away.

Printed, published and owned by Kirit K Patel on behalf of Sristi Innovations, B/2, Srikrishna Apartments, Near Lad Society,Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380 015. Printed at M/s Colourman Offset, Ahmedabad. Editor: Anil K Gupta

Regular Features

Honey Bee Hums

Novel Tamarind seed ........................................... 8

Harnessing Traditional Wisdom ............................. 9

Survey of Innovations ..................................... 13

Bookworm ........................................................ 19

Dialogue ............................................................ 20

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Chabutara for Feeding Birds : A Callfor revival .................................. ...10

Catching Fish With BambooHooks...................................7

Not enough for everyone's need !

This legend is from the Squamish Nation, Coast Salish, onthe west coast of Canada. The Cheakamus River is north ofthe town of Squamish and flows into Howe Sound.

This story comes to us from Cliff Boldt and his Grade 4/5’s from BrooksbankElementary school in North Vancouver, Canada.

A long time ago, even before the time of the flood, the Cheakamus Riverprovided food for the Squamish people. Each year, at the end of summer,when the salmon came home to spawn, the people would cast their cedarroot nets into the water and get enough fish for the winter to come.

One day, a man came to fish for food for his family for the winter. He lookedinto the river and found that many fish were coming home this year. He saidthanks to the spirit of the fish, for giving themselves as food for his family,and cast his net into the river and waited. In time, he drew his nets in, andthey were full of fish, enough for his family for the whole year. He packedthese away into cedar bark baskets, and prepared to go home.

But he looked into the river, and saw all those fish, and decided to cast hisnet again. And he did so, and it again filled with fish, which he threw ontothe shore. A third time, he cast his net into the water and waited.

This time, when he pulled his net in, it was torn beyond repair by sticks, stumpsand branches which filled the net. To his dismay, the fish on the shore andthe fish in the cedar bark baskets were also sticks and. He had no fish, hisnets were ruined.

It was then he looked up at the mountain, and saw Wountie, the spiritprotecting the Cheakamus, who told him that he had broken the faith withthe river and with nature, by taking more than he needed for himself andhis family. And this was the consequence.

And to this day, high on the mountain overlooking the Cheakamus andParadise Valley, is the image of Wountie, protecting the Cheakamus.

The fisherman? Well, his family went hungry and starved, a lesson for allthe people in his family.

Source: http://www.reedbooks.com.au/heinemann/global/sqamfish.html

Is the lesson valid only for his family ? Don't we all behave like this man?We mined soils, did not replenish all the nutrients we withdrew. We minedgroundwater. We mine the air of all the oxygen nature so generously providesus everyday. But how long ? When will young people say, No ! to the rapaciousrelations with nature ? As Gandhiji said, "the world has enough for everyone'sneed but not enough for everyone's greed!!

Sneeze Wood for StoringGrains.............................2

Scouting Innovation ....................5

Across the globe.........................12

The Rustic Wisdom of Jamnaben...16

Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ? 3


Editor

Anil K Gupta

Associate Editors

Suchitra NarayananRiya Sinha

Editorial Team

Vijaya Sherry ChandShrabani Bose

Brij KothariKirit K Patel

Shailesh ShuklaJyoti Capoor

Sanjay GoswamiSrinivas Chokkakula

S MuralikrishnaMahesh Prajapathi

Graphics & Design

D T PadekarPalash Graphics

UnnikrishnanSatpal Chabra

Administrative Assistance

R P S YadavR Baskaran

Balaganapathy MudaliarKinnari ShahNisha Antony

Editorial Address

Honey BeeC/o Prof Anil K Gupta

Indian Institute of ManagementVastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015

India

Tel : 91-79-6407241 Fax : 91-79-6427896

Email

[email protected]@iimahd.ernet.in

[email protected]

Home Page

http://csf.colorado.edu/sristi

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Anil K Gupta

Populist Policies Versus Long-term Development

The results of recent Indian elections have exploded a myth that the voters onlycare for short term gratification and do not reward political parties and candidateswhich want to pursue long term development. The ruling party in Punjab lost electionsdespite making power free. Likewise, in Andhra Pradesh the party which promisedfree water and power, lost. The party which conveyed the seriousness of thesituation and the need for rational pricing of water and power won the election. Itappears that the voters are seeing through the short term game plan of the politicians,in some regions of north and south and have opted for a long term development.

Recently, I was invited by a state pesticides formulators association to talk aboutnon-chemical alternatives. I asked them as to why did they invite me knowing mystrong views against the chemical pesticides. Their response was that they sawnew alternatives emerging on the horizon in the coming years and thus the invitation.The markets are able to foresee a signal, but public sector researchers seem a bitslow in catching it. I also asked these formulators and representatives of severalMultinational pesticides industries present on the occasion, as to why there wasnot a single hoarding any where about the safety measures that farm workers andfarmers need to undertake while using the pesticides. There was no satisfactoryreply. I may recall here an interesting advertisement by a leading global company inNewsweek some years ago. It read, ‘‘A case where prevention is not better thancure’’. The message was very clear. Chemical pesticide firm was telling the readersthat preventive sprays were not a good strategy. One should use only the needbased approach. Why should the same company in India not issue such anadvertisement ? Despite hundreds of farmers' having committed suicide last year,the administrators in India are neither vigilant nor sensitive to the dangers of theshort term gains through chemical pesticides.

I believe that the results of recent election therefore should encourage our politicalestablishments to reorient their policies. Populist policies slowly give away to rationaland sustainable choices. There are several issues which deserve serious attention:To what extent farmers’ lobby see the futility of subsidy oriented approach of chemicalintensive agriculture ? Why not use the unique databases like that of Honey Bee onfarmers’ innovations as a basis for participatory research in ICAR institutions aswell as state agriculture universities to develop green alternatives?

The sustainability thus requires not just the right polices in terms of which resourcesto be used, at what rate and how but also the public education about the safe andthe right way of using the same.

Time has come when certain reforms will have to begin from the top. Changingmoods of Indian electorate have to be rightly interpreted and without losing time,strong signals have to go from the top leaders of our educational, developmentaland other institutions that charity begins at home. We have always advised howrural people should live and use natural resources but urban use of natural resourceslike water has not been adequately regulated.

Sustainability is not a bug that bites only when people vote against populist policies.It can also bite when elite institutional leaders at all levels in our society startsetting up good examples.



Sneeze wood for storing maize

‘Sneeze wood’ (Ptaeroxylon obliguum)leaves and bark are used for storingmaize. Branches of sneeze wood are usedto store unshelled maize. Or else these arespread over leaves of the sneeze wood.The bark of the tree is burnt and the ashis mixed with grains while storing. Thebark is grey when young and turns brownon ageing. The powdered bark is aneffective pest repellent. The smoke outof burning sneeze wood helps in wardingoff insects during storage of maize. Onekg ash or sneeze wood powder is mixedwith 20 kg of grains.

Source: Saidiki A Hagio Kwekanga,Lushoto

Maize cob ash repel large grain borer

Maize cobs are burned and the ash iscollected. The ash is mixed in aproportion of 20 kg of cob ash with100 kg of maize grains or beans. This

method is particularly used for storinggrains in a bag. This is very effectivein keeping away larger grain borer.Residue of bean plant is also burnt andused in the same way. The ratio is eightkg of ash with 100 kg of maize grainsor beans.

Source: Darani farmers of Tubugwe,Dodoma and Bahati group of farmersUhambule, Mbeya

Euphorbia for storing grains

It is commonly used as a hedge plant.Branches of finger Euphorbia (Euphorbiatirucalli) tree are burnt to ash. Onecup full of ash is enough for storing20 kg of grains.

Source: Amasi Alute, Samaka, Singida

Maerua layering keeps off pests

Approximately 20 kg of Maerua (Maeruaedulis) leaves are plucked and spreadon the floor of a granary having acapacity of about 500 kg.The grains are filled to about half ofthe volume of the granary followedwith a layer of maerua leaves(approximately one tin). The remainingpart of the granary is filled up withgrains, finally layering it again with onetin of Maerua leaves on the top.

Source: Noel Sajilo, Zepisa, Dodoma.

Knobwood for storing grains

‘Knobwood’ (Zanthoxylum chalybeum)

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Jane Kitange1

Readers may recall first part of this article published in the last issue was based on the excellent work done bycolleagues at INADES Formation, Tanzania. When we visited their office early this year, we were impressed by theirspirit of scouting local knowledge, acknowledging the innovators and disseminating it in local language amongthe farmers to help them learn from each other. This is precisely what Honey Bee advocates everywhere in the worldso that market for non-chemical innovations and ideas expands, providing in the process, recognition and rewardto creative communities and peasants. We invite readers of Honey Bee in 75 countries, to initiate similar effortsand share with us the results, so that cross-continental Knowledge Network of innovative grassroots people continuesto grow. :Ed

Source: Vaileth Mnange of Chaamkoroma,Dodoma and Samuel Mwaluko of Chololo,Dodoma

can grow into a large tree if left unpruned.The bark has grey colour and it is slippery.The leaves emit a lemony smell whencrushed and the flowers are greenishyellow in colour. The fruits are red brownand later turn purple on maturity. The

following two methods are used forstorage:

a) The leaves are pounded and then dried.This mixture is layered at the bottom ofthe granary and also in between and onthe top of the grains in layers. b) Driedbark of the roots of knobwood arepounded and sieved. One kg of thispowder should be mixed with two bagsof grain of 90 kg each.

(Some of these practices are also used byfarmers in India. It only shows that farmersin Africa or Asia have discoveredsimultaneously, similar innovations aroundthe world when faced with similarchallenges: Ed)

1P.O. Box. 203, Dodoma, Tanzania



Table:1

Sr. Name of the Name of the Plant/ Specific use/feature Processing featureNo. Participant part used

(1) Ramiben Karamada Relief from sunstroke Sour and tastyHiraben VegetablesGamar (Carissa congesta)

(2) Pooniben (1)Wild mango Preventive for sunstroke Prepared in oilGanabhai chutneyGamar

(3) Jamnaben (1) Fang greens Relief from cough Prepared in oil, alongShantibhai with mango, buttermilkGamar

(4) Amriben (1)Karamada (berries) Relief from sunstroke Tasty, cooked in oil

(5) Soniben (1)Goonda (berries) Relief from cold Cooked in waterSabalabhai leaves (Citrus dichostoma)Gamar

(6) Dhuliben (1)Rajka Good for vision Cooked in waterGulbhai (Alfa-alfa) greensGamar

(7) Pemiben (1) Mahuda Roti Tonic Dried Mahuda flowers are soaked inBhamabhai (Madhuca indica) water. This water is used for

making the dough.

Food has always occupied a primary position in human life. The type of food we consume not only reveals ourtaste but also the cultural basis of domestication of wild crops, animals and use of cultivated as well as uncultivatedplants. Wherever civilizations have flourished a distinct culinary pattern has also evolved in that region. The peoplegenerally make use of the ingredients which are easily available. SRISTI has been organising culinary competitionsto rediscover the hidden genius of women in biodiversity rich economically poor region. Idea is to explore howcultivated and uncultivated food enrich the taste and provide incentives for conservation of biodiversity.

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SRISTI has been organising biodiversitycompetitions among children as well asadults to scout outstanding pursuers ofnature. Likewise, to identify creativewomen who possess special culinaryskill in utilizing local biodiversity, culinarycompetitions have been organised duringShodhyatra as well as separately. Onesuch contest was organised on May 7,1999 in village Gavra, districtBanaskantha in Gujarat. The aim wasto (a) document indigenous knowledgeof women about various uses ofbiodiversity, (b) identify culinary diversity

within a village (after all, this diversitydoes provides one to articulate one'sparticular identity as a culinary expert,among many other identities), (c) studythe relationship women have with nature,(d) understand how the wild(uncultivated domain) and thedomesticated domain blend and how'weeds' (companion plants) becomeingredient for recipes and (e) how taste,health, medicinal uses and conservationsare combined in the process. Many ofthese recipes are traditionally learnedover generations. But whenever a lady

joins a family after marriage, contestationfor culinary supremacy starts in a subtlemanner and finally the family membersmake some recipes continue as theywere evolved in the long past and someare modified, or created totally afresh.Sometimes same recipe is used fordifferent purposes. The culture, perhaps,manifests in a most unique waythrough culinary creativity. The followingtable gives details of some selectedrecipes that are prepared from plants /herbs/other materials procured from theforests.



(2) Rajka greens Tonic, good for toothache Cooked in waterRajka is available easily

(3) Sweet tamarind Prescribed for toothache The black seeds aregreens chopped into small

bits and cooked in oil and water

(4) Lakhaluni greens For stomach disorders Cooked in water(Portulaca oleracea)

(8) Babiben (1) Mahuda Tonic and energy booster Dough is made fromDevabhai (Madhuca indica) Mahuda flower extract

bhakri

(2) Koori porridge Tonic Made in buttermilk(Urginea panicoides)

(3) Koori porridge Served to guests Honey is used as a sweetener(sweet)

(4) Koori milk Tonic especially for children Made in milkporridge

(5) Goondi leaves Relieves pain in hands/feet Cooked in water(Cordia rothii)

(6) Sour tamarind Relieves pain Cooked in waterleaves (Tamarindusindica)

(7) Karamada vegetable Prescribed for sunstroke Tasty, cooked in buttermilk

(8) Mahuda curry Tonic for new mothers Made with ghee, honey and jaggery

(9) Tandalja greens Protects against liver Available easily(Amaranthus lividus) disorder and also acts a

mild purgative .

(9) Lailben (1) Pumpkin vegetable Good for digestion. Prepared in oil.Rajabhai (Cucurbita maxima) Pumpkin can beGamar preserved for two years. Presence of gravy improves its quality

In winter cornflour alongwith pumpkin is used forboosting energy.

(2) Fang greens Useful for cough. Prepared in buttermilk. Can be made in(Rivea hypo- Roti (bread) made by adding water, but buttermilk provides bettercrateriformis) wheat flour gives energy taste and flavour.

during summer.

(10) Fatiben Timru Tonic Can be made into roti, matar or vadaManiben (Diospyros melanoxylon) (Matar is a kind of pancakeGamar bark powder+cornflour prepared by mixing wheat flour, ghee,

and honey/ jaggery)

Sr. Name of the Name of the Plant/ Specific use Processing featureNo. Participant part used



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Shri Sajib Barua1, Honey Bee Network members and Dainik Janmabhoomi had jointly organised a competitionon documentation of local knowledge in the month of February, 1999 in collaboration with SRISTI. The outstandinginnovators/communicators were given awards on July 11, 1999. In this issue, we publish a few selected practicesfor plant protection, contributed by Biren Bordoloi and Simantra Borah. We regret that the farmers' names arenot given in this article. We urge all our contributors to kindly ensure that acknowledgement of the innovativefarmers is not missed.

Healing wounds and infection on goats’hooves

Often goats are found to be sufferingfrom infection on their hooves causedby injury or some other ecto-parasites.As a remedy, the hooves are firstproperly washed with potash solution.If potash is not available water is used.

After this used-mobil oil is poured orapplied with cotton on the wounds. Thisroutine should be continued for threedays.

After proper washing, people also usecamphor powder mixed with coconutoil on the wounds instead of mobil oilto heal the wounds.

Alternatively, the leaves of peach plant(Prunus persica) or ‘nora bogori’ (inAssamese) are finely ground and appliedon the wound.

Treatment of eye disease in cattle

The cattle are sometimes found to besuffering from certain eye diseases that

cause the eyes to become redaccompanied by profuse watering. Theremedy involves chewing on a ‘tamul’(arecanut) in its raw or fermented formalong with a betel leaf with bits oflime and tobacco. After chewing forsometime, the accumulated spit is sprayedon the infected eyes twice or thrice aday. The infection is cured within threeor four days.

(Readers may refer HB 8(1):15,1997;6(4):10,1995;9(3):9,1998 for morepractices on eye disease. :Ed)

Plant protection practices

Jute rope and kerosene for keepingpests at bay:

When the paddy crop attains tilleringstage, the paddy leaves are infested bysmall pests like armyworm and cutworms. These pests start consumingthe leaves first and later on roll up theleaves and remain inside. This resultsin reduction of the growth rate of thecrop.

To overcome this problem, a long ropemade of jute or coconut fibre soakedwith kerosene is used. This rope is thenheld by two persons standing on theedge / boundary of a plot and draggedfrom one end to the other in such away that the kerosene on the rope getsthinly applied on the plants infested bythe pests. This will either kill the pestsor make them fall on the ground. Thus,the crop can be saved.

(Readers may recall that somewhatsimilar practice was reported in HB3(3&4):17, 1992 for controlling pests ofpaddy: Ed)

A handful (about 10 ml.) of kerosenemixed with five to six litres of waterif sprayed on the plants can also solvethe problem. Alternatively, a solution ofblack tobacco leaves may serve thepurpose.

Fruit setting in Papaya tree

In many cases, the plant bears morenumber of male flowers. For inducingsuch plants to bear female flowers, thefollowing methods are followed:1. A ‘mekhala’ (an Assamese costume

partly resembling the petticoat) ora cloth is wrapped on the tree.

2. At the bottom of the tree, somethin wooden pegs/nails are insertedinto the tree trunk.

3. The roots that remain exposed aretrimmed.

4. The top portion is sometimeschopped off and the new branchesthat emerge will bear femaleflowers.

(Readers may recall, similar practices ofpapaya were reported in HB6 ( 2 ) : 6 , 1 9 9 5 & H B 3 ( 3 & 4 ) : 1 5 , 1 9 9 2 .Although it must be added that thesepractices are not always effective and wewill like to hear from readers whetherthey have practical experience of validityof these practices. :Ed)

To keep the stem borers at bay

There are several methods to controlstem-borers :(i) The paddy field is flooded with water(without any drainage) for one or twodays. (ii) Goat droppings are scatteredaround the plot of infested paddy. (iii)Leaves of ‘germani bon’ (Dichrocephala

1Sajib Borua, P.O. Barbheta, Jorhal-785004 Assam



latifolia) or ‘neem’ may be scatteredin the field. (iv) Fruits of ‘rabab tenga’(Citrus grandis) and ‘kachi’ (Alocasiaindica) plants may be chopped andscattered in the fields.

Scaring away birds with Colocasia

Just after oilseeds are sown, the seedsare consumed by birds visiting thesefields.

Stems of black coloured Colocasia(‘kachu’ in Assamese), found widely inAssam are scattered at various spots inthe crop field. These colocasia stemslook like snakes and scare the birdsaway.

Test of soil - tilth

A piece of raw / fermented arecanut(‘tamul’) with a betel- leaf and a pinchof lime are chewed together and spit onthe ploughed spots which need to betested. If the soil becomes blackish,it indicates that the soil is well tilled.Or if the soil turns reddish, then the testis negative, indicating the need for moretillage.

Grain storage

After harvest, paddy is stored in twoways in the granary:i) In bunches tied together with thestems attached (without threshing).ii) Storing grains after threshing

When bundles of harvested paddy arebrought to the granary for storage, thebundles should be placed on the floor

of the granary in such a way that nospace is left between two rows and thepanicles touch each other as also thestraw / hay touch each other.

The next stratum is stacked, by pressinghard one’s feet so that no empty spaceis left out in between or is reducedto the minimum. Between each layer,a few leaves of neem should be laidotherwise young soft leaves of mangoor ‘posottia’. (Vitex negundo) treesmay be alternatively used. If it is storedin this way, insect pests cannot causeany serious damage to the storedmaterial.

Repelling pests with tobacco

While storing rice grains (with husk),the grains should be sun - dried properlyafter threshing. Before storing the grainsin the granary, the entire floor iscovered with jute-sacks. This sackcloth is treated for about 30 minuteswith tobacco solution (which is boiledfor some time) and then dried. Thegrains are layered with another layer ofjute/sack treated with tobacco solution.This wards off any pests that mayattack the grains. (Care should be takenthat the jute sacks treated with tobaccosolution are dried properly before usingas layers in the granary).

Preserving grains in toom

The grains which are brought solely forpreserving as seeds should be properlyexamined so that no impurities or seedsof unwanted varieties / species getmixed up. After that, the seeds areproperly sun-dried. For preserving theseeds large basket like containers (called‘tooms’ in Assamese) are made byweaving thinly cut stems from youngbamboo plants. The hay / straw of thesame variety of paddy of which seedsare to be preserved is laid in such away that no grain can pass through.After filling the containers (tooms) withgrains, the straw should be tied on oneend at the top. Tobacco powder issprinkled over the ‘toom’. The ‘toom’may be hung on to the roof or kept

Increasing soil productivity byshock wave effect - A RussianInnovation:

The method is based on using air-shock waves of low intensity gen-erated by special equipment mountedon a tractor. The shock waves di-rected at the soil surface speed upthe vital activity of soil bacteria andpromote a drastic increase of theirnumber that results in an increase inthe content of nutrients and hence insoil productivity. The mass of themounted equipment is about 1000 kg.The method has no analogues in theworld practice. A ten per cent in-crease of crop germination andcapacity leads to a shortening ofcrop ripening period. In contrast tochemical method of soil cultivation,this method ensures production ofecologically pure food products.

Source: The Ministry of Science andTechnology, Policy of the RussianFederation , Russia and world :Sci-ence and Technology (Ecolink) jour-nal.

in a safe place in the granary such thatno rodents or rain can damage the

grains. In this way, seeds can bepreserved for a very long time.



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1Fisheries Research Centre, AssamAgricultural University, Jorhat-785013

Grewia optiva, known as 'bheemal' inKumaon region in lower Himalayas is abroad leafed, 5-6 meters high tree. It hasvaried and important uses in severalroutine human activities. The barkseparated from the stem of the tree isused for making ropes. The stems of thetree are cut and kept immersed in smallwater reservoirs like lakes and ponds forabout two weeks. This makes theremoval of bark from the stem easy. Thebark is also used for making cloth.

Apart from this, dry pieces of stem areused as fuel wood especially duringwinters.

Once kindled, small pieces of one-meterlength can last for more than forty

Stem (on ground) and the sun-dried barkbefore being used

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minutes. This is then used as indigenoustorch by local people.

The wood of the tree is used for makingcot frames, ores of the boat and otherarticles as it is strong and capable ofwithstanding pressure.

The leaves of this tree are good fodderfor cattle. It is observed that the feed of'bheemal' leaves increases milkproduction in the milch cows.

The enigmatic aspect of this tree is thatit is found to be growing only nearhuman habitations.

Source: Joona Sheel, Sristi, Ahmedabad

U K Baruah, A K Bhagowati and R K Talukdar1

Bamboo hooks

Use of hooks and lines for catching fishis an age old practice employed by almostall fishing communities of the world.Generally hooks are made of metals suchas iron, stainless steel and brass. Weobserved an exceptional type of gearsmade of bamboo in lower Assam. Thefarmers and fishermen of Barpeta,Qoalpara, Dhuburi, Bongaigaon andKoknyarb districts of Assam use thesetype of gears and lines to catch fishspecially in rice field where depth of water

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Figure-1

middle of the piece. The other end of theline is tied with a float made of jute stem.

Operating the Gear

This method is useful for catchinginsectivorous fishes like 'koi' (Anabasspp.) and snake headed fish (Channaspp.). Grasshoppers are used as bait forluring the fish. The head, legs and wingsof the grasshopper are removed. Boththe ends of the hook are closed andinserted inside the body of the grasshopperlongitudinally. It keeps the hook locked.As the fish eats the bait, the hook isunlocked and becomes straight with forceand both the ends pierce through thecavities beneath the opercula and the fishgets hooked. Figure.1 illustrates themethod of operation.

Hundreds of gears and lines are operatedat a time in one rice plot starting fromfrom one end to the other and thecollection is also done in a similarmanner. The process is continued till thewater recedes.

ranges from 50 cm to 1.00 m. They havedeveloped this practice traditionally.

Making the gear

To make the gear the outer portion/layerof a bamboo (one-two year old) is scrapedand smoothened with a sharp knife. Thisis cut into small pieces of about 3 mmwidth and 50 mm length. Thickness is somaintained that the bamboo strip can bebent and both the ends meet. The endsof the bamboo strip are pared to makethem sharp. A cotton line is tied to the



Nam Vazhi Velanmai(Tamil Version of Honey Bee)P Vivekanandan, EditorSEVA, 43, TPM Nagar, VirattipathuMadurai 625010, Tamil Nadu

and 22

10301 Tick and mite control in cows

In order to control ticks and mites, infes-tation of cattle, a slurry is made out of

tank silt also known as ‘karambaiman’ andone kg of pounded ‘usila’ leaves (Albiziaamara). The solution is smeared all overthe body of the animal. The animal is thenmade to stand in the sun for a few hours,after which it is given a bath. The treat-ment keeps away the blood sucking para-sites and ensures a lustrous skin.

Source: Perumal Koundar, Thathasolaipatti,Manaparai, T.K, Trichy district

10302 Healing foot and mouth disease (FMD)

Devannipatti is a small village nearSivagangai. Last year there was an outbreakof Foot and Mouth disease during NorthEast monsoon period. Almost all cattlewere affected by the ‘aptho’ virus caus-

ing mortality of calves in some cases.The following practices were imple-mented to control the FMD virus infec-tion:i) Daily cleaning of hooves and mouthportion of animals with hot water (boiledwith common salt)

ii)Administering leaf juice extract of'tulsi' (Ocimum) for oral intake. About1/2 kg of tulsi leaves are pounded andsqueezed for oral administration. Thisis sufficient for four animals includingone calf. It is given once a day forthree days.

Source: Panchavarnam, Devanipatti,Idayamelur post, Sivagangai district

10303 Cure for anorexia, giddiness,cough

About quarter portion of an earthen ves-sel is filled with charcoal. To this 10 gbark of neem, 25 g each of tender leavesof ‘pungam’ (Pongamia glabra),‘muddakkathan’ (Cardiospermumhalicacabum) and ‘thumbai’ (Leucasaspera) along with a pinch of ‘googal’(Commiphora wightii) are added. The

mixture is smouldered and the animal isexposed to the fumes so emerging, tillsweating is observed around the muzzle.This is done twice a day and continuedfor 2-3 days till the animal becomes nor-mal.

Before this treatment, a few drops of aconcoction made out of pepper and driedginger is applied in the nostril, ears andeyes of the sick animal.

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10304 Control of intestinal worms

Fifty grams of dried ‘ginger’ (Zingiberofficinale), 500 g of tender leaves of‘guava’ (Psidium guajava) are cut andpounded together. This is made into bo-

lus and administered to five or six calvesat a time. This is an effective cure fordiarrhoea caused by intestinal worms.

10305 Manuring by Tamarind

Twenty measures (about 30 kg per acre)of tamarind seeds are applied in the paddyfield, 10 days after transplanting of paddycrop. The seeds will bulge and it will givean appearance of tea water. This will givedark green colour to leaves and give aboost to crop growth and yield.

Farmer: Armugam, Ponnakulam,Muthupatti post, Sivagangai district

10306 Preparation of herbalpesticide

A mixture is made with one litre of neemoil, three kg of fine sand and three kg ofcow dung and stored in a shade coveringwith a moist sack for three days. On thefourth day the mixture is dissolved in 150litres of water and sprayed in the cropfield. The neem oil thoroughly mixes withwater and sticks to the crop while spray-ing. It is effective against all sapsuckingpests of paddy, chilli, jasmine, etc.

Farmer: M Mani, Sathyamangalam , Erodedistrict

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10307 Controlling grasshoppersthrough Sesbania

The paddy crop is usually attacked bygrasshoppers and viruses. In order to

protect the crop from such pests thefarmers grow ‘jayanti’ (Sesbaniaaegyptiaca) as a hedge all round the field.

10308 Solving the algal problem

The paddy crop normally suffers fromalgal problem due to stagnant water inthe fields. The stagnant water causesthe growth of algae. The algae formsa layer and stops the air circulation. InSandila, farmers use twigs of ‘arhar’(Cajanus cajan)and make a bundle ofthese twigs. These twigs are made toflow along with water cutting throughthe algal layer.

10309 To control mosaic virus intomato

Vegetable crops like tomato are proneto mosaic virus. In order to control thevirus farmers use oil cakes of neemor mustard which are powdered andapplied near the root region mixed withwater. This is very effective in controllingthe virus.

10310 Mustard controls deformity inbrinjal

Ringworm infestation causes deformitiesin brinjal fruit. To prevent this the rootsare treated with oilcake of mustard appliedwith water. This treatment results in bigshiny brinjals.

10311 Mixed cultivation

Farmers cultivate ‘jowar’ (Sorghumvulgare) in one row while cultivating‘mustard’, to increase the productivityof the crop. While cultivating potato,particularly during the end of the season‘fennel’ (Foeniculum vulgare) is alsogrown. Growing fennel gives the farmersa profit of Rs 50,000 per hectare of land.

When cereals are grown, during the lastround of irrigation, ‘barseem’ (Trifoliumalexandrium) is sown. Within 20-25 daysafter the cereal is harvested, barseem canalso be harvested as green fodder for thecattle. This also increases the fertility ofthe soil.

Compiled by: Rampratap (ProjectManager) & S C Rajput (TCO)

10312 Thwarting Neelgai attack

Mainpuri district has a lot of guavaorchards. But the main cause of concernhere is to prevent the attacks by hordesof bucks. Sometimes these hordesdestroy the entire orchard and the farmerhas to suffer a major loss. In order tocontrol the attack, farmers have come upwith a new way of thwarting theseanimals. A ‘guava’ is taken and the innerpulp of the fruit is removed. A sulphose

tablet is put inside the fruit and the openingis sealed with wet dough. All the whilethe gas emitted by the sulphose tabletkeeps on accumulating inside the fruit.

These fruits are either hung from thebranches of the tree or are tied to a branchto be used as a bait. When the Neelgai

eats the fruit it gets poisoned leading todeath of the animal.

Compiled by: Ramesh Ranjan (DistrictSurveyor), Sarvoday Ashram, Mainpuri

(Obviously, we should not encourage suchpractices which lead to the death ofanimals. Introducing predators like wolvesmay be one way to achieve ecologicalbalance: Ed)

10313 For storage of seeds

Farmers of Kanpur district store uradand other legumes like chickpea and peasby mixing ash with seeds. The chickpeaand pea seeds are smeared with mustardoil. Thus the seeds are stored for a longtime.

Compiled by: S H Khan, Project Managerand Avdhesh Singh, District Surveyor,Kanpur

Sujhbujh(Hindi version of Honey Bee)Shalini Sharma, EditorEEG, J-50, ODA FlatsLajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi 110024

The Uttar Pradesh Land Development Corporation, Lucknow has beenworking in collaboration with farmers of various districts under an on-going Wasteland Development Project. During the project work, a largenumber of practices were documented on local knowledge from the farmersof Sandila, Mainpuri, Allahabad and Kanpur. A few of them are describedbelow. However, we regret that the names of the farmers or innovators arenot mentioned.

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Human perception of nature hasmoulded the relationship among variousstakeholders, including non-human livingbeings. The tradition of feeding birdsperhaps is very old and found amongmost cultures around the world. However,it has continued as a living traditiononly in some regions. Except the urbanpockets where pigeons are generally fedgrains, in rural areas, such a practiceis often found in dry regions. Gujaratis no exception. Most of the bird-feeding platforms and indigenousinstitutions are found in North Gujaratand other similar region. Differentnorms have evolved among localcommunities for pooling grain andfeeding the birds.

During a visit to some villages inand around Balaram-AmbajiSanctuary, semi-arid regions ofBanaskantha district, we came acrossseveral examples of ‘chabutaras’.

Setting

Omprakash from Kanpura village ofPalanpur taluka has been maintainingthe village ‘chabutara’ for over fourdecades. He owns a small shop in thevillage where people exchange theirgrains for other commodities.Omprakash built the present ‘chabutara’in memory of his father about thirtyyears ago. The cost of construction atthat time was Rs.500. Some relativesand villagers had provided shramdanand money for the purpose. The‘chabutara’ is a small 10-12 ft high

platform constructed withbricks with an open pan on the topwhere grains are kept. The design andarchitecture of a ‘chabutara’ mayvary from village to village. For

instance, the ‘chabutaras’ located inPedagara (Palanpur taluka), BajothiyaMahadev, Malpuriya (near Chitrasani)are quite different in shape andarchitecture.

How does it work ?

Birds from six surrounding villagesof Gavara, Ganji, Isariya, Dabchitra,Karmdi and Dholiya come to the‘chabutara’ for their daily feed.Omprakash begins his day by feedingtwo kg. of wheat/maize grains tobirds visiting the ‘chabutara’.Everyday, Omprakash and his unclechecks the quantity to ensure thatthe birds have enough grains tofeed themselves. In their absence,Omprakash’s servant takes care ofthis task.

Whenever anybody commits an unlawfulaction like stealing cattle, cutting treesfrom village commons (Gauchar) andforest, they are asked to give certainamount of grains as a penalty.Sometimes people from Kanpura villagegives the grains which are vowed incase of the fulfilment of their wishes(Manyata). In case of social-offence,the offender is asked to give five kgof wheat grains towards the ‘chabutara’.Sometimes they request Omprakash totake a small share of the grains thatthey had sold and keep it separatefor the birds. Last year, maldharis(pastoralists) from Isariya villagecontributed 20 kg. of wheat and maizefor the ‘chabutara’. Most of the birdsflock to the ‘chabutara’ either in theearly morning or in the evening hours.Regular visits are made by pigeons,sparrows, Indian maina, ‘Hola’ (pinkheaded dove) and sometimes peacocks.The frequency of visits increases duringlate-summer months and monsoon(May to August) when alternative

Chabutara (a platform) is an institution that focuses on feeding birds particularly in seasons when food becomesscarce. Such an idea perhaps emphasises about the sensitivity we need to have for the rights of other non-humanliving beings to co-exist with us, even in a drought year. This case has been documented by Shailesh Shukla andDilip K Koradia, SRISTI members with the help of other team members. This practice is managed in some villagesby nature loving individuals while in others, it may be managed by communities collectively.

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Pedagara (near Malan) Narpatbhai BhedidanGadhri and DesaiJoraji Monaji

Malpuriya BhawansinhMadhasinhDarbar

Kantiya Vas Ganapatbhai(Dungarpuri’s Amirambhai of VavSacred place) and forest department.Virampur

Bajothiya Mahadev Prajapati community(Pedagara)

Sustaining the spirit: Challenge ahead

The ‘chabutaras’ of Kanpura is well maintained. But Omprakash is not happy with the indifferent attitude of the localcommunity. While the culture of ‘chabutara’ is more popular in surrounding villages, the people from his village havenot shown enough enthusiasm and interest. Omprakash believes that in some of the villages these ‘chabutaras’ whichwere maintained well, need restoration. Mere financial support is not enough. Omprakash has expressed his willingnessto organise workshops/meetings in surrounding villages with SRISTI’s support to revive both the spirit and norms ofone of the oldest institutions. He is also planning to create drinking water facility near the‘chabutara’ after learningfrom the experiences of Bajothiya Mahadev’s ‘chabutara’.

He observed that grains meantfor birds were eaten away bymonkeys and rats. He realised theneed for feeding the birdsexclusively.

Inspiration came from another‘chabutara’ built by Bhansali trust.Grain-feeding is voluntary.

How to use the amount leviedas penalty for breech of socialcustom was a big question. Thismoney should be used to servethe nature and god.

People put grains as penalty also.

Generally, grains are fed to birdson religious and social occasions.

He was a regular visitor to thesacred place. In the memory ofhis daughter-in-law Kailashben,he decided to build a chabutara.

The chabutara is located in asacred place where sixteen speciesof medicinal trees are grown andprotected. The priest Thakordasjiand visitors often donate grains.It is managed by the head priest.Villagers from surrounding villagegive 5 kg each every year fromwhich 2.50 kg is kept separatefor the ‘chabutara’.

Community driven initiative toreturn to nature.

Every year 10 kg grains perfarmer are contributed voluntarily.It is managed by the local templepriest Nirmaldas. Some of thevanishing tree species of Kaladhav,Aritha, Kanji, wild bear, AnkalUmber, etc. have been protectedin the sacred grove. The templeis managed by the communitytrust. A caretaker is appointed tolook after the ‘chabutara’.Drinking water facility is createdfor human beings through handpump. People form small bundsto check excess water afterdrinking and the stored water isused by birds.

Village Name Initiators Inspiration Special features

Table: Distinctive features of some other chabutaras :



Clay Prevents ‘Medh’!

Termite and 'medh' (Rhinoceros beetle)damage the trunks of the mango trees andaffect the bearing of the tree. It is black incolour and make hole in the trunk. It eatsaway the inner portion. Simultaneous in-festations of both the pests (beetle andtermites) reduce the crop yield substan-tially. In the rainy season the damage issevere. Farmers take one kg 'geru' (redcoloured clay used for painting) in onebucket of water (12-15 litres) and coatthe trunk and large twigs thickly with thissolution at the onset of monsoon and againin winter. To protect the fresh and younggrafts from termite, these are coated withcattle dung. The combined use of the twomethods effectively prevents infestationsin small orchards.

Source: Sukdhevsingh Makhubha Gohel,Dist. Bhavnagar, Comm: Kanti J DabhiHoney Bee Vol. 5(2): 17, 1994

Controlling beetles by raw cowdungand dried fish !

During sunset, a flat basket filled withraw cowdung mixed with dried fish isplaced near the coconut tree to attract theRhinoceros beetles. When the pests gather,they are killed manually.

Source: Sumantra Baruah, Assam

Jaggery does the trick

This pest causes poses a major threat tothe farmers of coconut trees. Jethabhaiof Junagadh district, Gujarat has a differ-ent way of tackling the beetle. He insertsa thin metallic rod into the he holes boredby the beetle on the tree trunk. The peel-ings are removed. Approximately 25 g ofjaggery is dissolved in 100 ml of hot wa-

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A farmer, Mr.Shanmukayya of Doddaga-Denahalli has been able to successfullycontrol or prevent the attack of Rhinoc-eros beetle in more than 3,000 palms inthe past eight years. He uses a uniquemixture of herbal extracts for the pur-pose.

1. The liquid extracted from the opium(Cannabis sativa) plants (locally called‘ganja’).

2. Latex extracted from Ficus sppThese two are mixed together and pouredinto the hole bored by the beetle. Ac-cording to him, this makes the beetlecome out itself, and it can then be col-lected manually and killed. The solutionwhen poured into the center of the crownalso prevents beetle attacks for nearlythree months.

The plant products used here are envi-ronmentally safe compared to the chemi-cal control methods. A line of researchin this aspect would be very useful fordeveloping pollution-free control methods.

Source: T Shivashankar, Coconut researchsection, Arasikere, Dist. Hassan,Karnataka, Honey Bee 5(3): 8, 1994

Repelling pest by Tephrosia

a) Some farmers put plants of ‘kolunchi’(Tephrosia purpurea) in the primordialregion of coconut trees to prevent attacksby the Rhinoceros beetle.

b) Farmers also grow ‘karpooravalli’ (Co-leus aromaticus), a medicinal and aro-matic plant, in the coconut orchard. Theybelieve that the strong odour of this plantsrepels the rhinoceros beetle.

Source :Thevasi Perumal, Kanyakumari,Kerala, Honey Bee 7(1):8, 1996

ter. The solution is poured into the holesbored by the beetle. Each coconut tree thatis affected is subjected to this treatment.It is effective for 8-9 days. The same pro-cedure is followed again after 10-12 days.Sometimes the holes drilled by thesebeetles are also closed with tar whichcauses the insect to die of suffocation.

Source: Jethabhai Arshibhai Kamaliya,Junagadh. Comm: Mansukh Rojara

Sandy solution for beetle menace

In Karnataka, Sheshagiri Rao reported thatfarmers pour sand into the hole made bybeetle expecting that a few grains will fallinto the space between the head and tho-rax region. Once this happens, the beetlesare unable to move their heads and die.

Source: Gomathinayagam, Tamil Nadu.Honey Bee Vol5 (2): 19, 1994

Pineapple fatal for the beetle:Columbian Solution

In Colombia, a farmer Enrique has stud-ied the food habits of the beetle and hascome up with a unique way of trappingthese pests. He uses a trap which con-sists of two slices of pineapple in a cylin-drical container and hangs it near thecrown of the coconut tree. He also makestwo small holes at the bottom of the con-tainer so that rainwater does not get filledin the container. After eating the two slicesthey are not able to climb out as the sur-face proves to be slippery and thus starveto death.

Source: Loksarvani 2(3): 13, 1996

(For more practices on rhinoceros beetlerefer Honey Bee, 8(2): 8, 1997 & 5(2): 19,1994 : Ed )

Rhinoceros beetle is one of the most serious pests of coconut and causes an annual loss of about 10 percent in coconutyield in India. The beetle breeds in the manure pits and the adult bores into the crown region of the tree resulting in thereduction of leaf or a spadix (loosing an entire bunch). Often the tree is killed by this pest. We have put together varioussolutions found by farmers over the last few years in different parts of the country and even outside, for instance inColumbia, Latin America. In every issue, we will have one such problem on which cross-cultural response of creativefarmer will be synthesised. We will welcome comments from the scientists, policy makers and voluntary workers who mayor may not have paid attention to this source of creativity.



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TeamDilip Koradia

Pravin H RohitMahesh Parmar

Chiman H ParmarIshwar S Kiradiya

Ramesh F TaviyadMahesh PrajapatiS Muralikrishna

Hema PatelRiya Sinha

Sanjay GoswamiKirit K Patel

Anil K Gupta

Collaborating Institutions

Mahila Gram Vidyapith, Nardipur

Gram Bharati, Amrapur

Sabar Gram Vidyapith, Sonasan

Lok Niketan Vidyapith, Ratanpur

Lok Bharati, Sanosara

Nootan Bharti Vidyapith, Madanagadh

J C Kumarappa Gram Vidyapith, Gadhada

B M Shah Gram Vidyapith, Zilia

Nootan Gram Vidyapith, Thava

Banas Gram Vidyapith, Amirgadh

B R S College, Dumiyani

Gandhi Gram Vidyapith, Vedachhi

B R S College, Shardagram

Shree Saraswati Gram Vidyapith, Samoda

Gujarat Agricultural University

Dept of Rural Development, Govt of Gujarat

Dept of Education, Govt of Gujarat

Dept of Forest and Environment, Govt of Gujarat

Jai Research Foundation, Vapi

L M Pharmacy College, Ahmedabad

Bharatiya Agro-Industries Foundation

Department of Microbiology, Gujarat University

M S University of Baroda

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

Self Employed Women's Association, Ahmedabad

Dept of Botany, South Gujarat University, Surat

10314 Sesame sown after summercrop yields more

After the harvest of ‘bajri’ (Pennisetumtyphoides) in summer, it is ideal to sow‘sesame’ (Sesamum indicum) during themonsoons. This increases the productivityof the crop. Ratilal Vallabhai sows sesameafter the harvest of bajri particularly whenthe chances of rainfall are less. He lets theresidues of bajri (like the stem) afterharvesting grains in the field, which areploughed properly afterwards. These cropresidues provide ample organic manure forthe sesame crop thus resulting in a betteryield. Most of the farmers in Jhanda villagefollow this practice.

Farmer: Ratilal Vallabhai PatelDist: Kheda, Comn: Rajesh V Patel

(Refer HB 8(2):13,1997, HB 5 (1):15, 1994,& HB 6(3):9,1995 for more such practiceson increasing crop productivity:Ed): 10315 Control of pod borer in Tur

At the onset of pod formation in ‘tur’(Cajanus cajan) crop, the possibility ofpest attacks also increases.The prominentpest of this plant is the green caterpillar(Heliothis spp). To control this pestNarayanbhai uses citric acid.Approximately 10 g to 25 g of citric acidis dissolved in fifteen litre water and this

solution is used for spraying on the crop.This controls the incidence of greencaterpillar without any side effects on thecrop. There is yet another alternative whichis spraying 10 ml of kerosene mixed in 10litre of water to control the pests.

Farmer : Narayanbhai Patel, Dist:. Kheda,Comn: Naresh Gohil

(Refer HB 6(1):13, 1995, HB 9(1):16, 1998& HB 9(3):10,1998 for other practices ofcontrolling green caterpillar :Ed )

10316 Aloe prevents fruit rotting

Vegetable crops like brinjal are affected bya disease which leads to rotting of thefruit. Ultimately the plant dries up. In orderto prevent the infestation, Narayanbhaiuses ‘kunwarpatha’ (Aloe vera). A solutionis made of one litre water and eightcrushed leaves of Aloe. It is then sprayedon the crop which is infested. This isbelieved to be effective remedy forpreventing rotting of fruits and does nothave any side effects.

Farmer: Narayanbhai R ChudasamaDist: Junagadh, Comn: Jagdish L Vaghela

10317 Khakhra for moistureretention

Germination of maize is delayed whenthere is less rainfall. In order to retain the

Complexity, Diversity and Simplicity of Local Knowledge Systems

The farmers try out different things and some times without knowing each other, theydiscover similar solution of the same problem independently. Obviously, if there wasgreater degree of communication among farmers, they would perhaps be able to buildupon each other’s solution. But it is also possible that their initiative might get stifled.Some of the potential experimenters may feel diffident about their own ability to solveproblem since some others, more articulate than them have already solved so, manyproblems.

Aloe is another such plant which has been used in cosmetic industry extensively apartfrom human and animal herbal products. But its use in agriculture is rather rare. NarayanBhai ‘s innovation about its use for checking fruit rot is really innovative. If we had apatent system which permitted such small innovations with profound potential impact tobe quickly protected, we would have liked to file his patent first and then publish. We hopethat policy makers will realize how difficult it is us for us to make a trade off in favour ofpublishing unique knowledge while it can be protected. We are publishing it because itcan solve serious problems of so many farmers through our local language versions.Hopefully, policy makers are listening to us.



moisture of the soil the farmers inBanaskantha region follow a practicewhich has dual purpose. The leaves of‘khakhra’ (Butea monosperma) arespread in the field in which maize has beensown. These leaves retain the moisture inthe soil and induce quicker germination inthe maize seeds. Later on, the leavesdecompose to form organic manure forthe maize crop. The leaves are spreadthroughout the season in the field. Theleaves also deter the attack of termites onthe crop.

Farmer: Dungrabhai Dungaisa, Dist:Banaskantha. Comn: Purshottam Patel

10318 Tamarind and Mahua scarepests of cotton

Certain pests like Spotted bollworm andPink bollworm attack the cotton plantfrequently. In order to control theinfestation, a 500 ml stock solution ismade with an equal amount of ‘mahua’(Madhuca indica) and tamarind(Tamarindus indica) bark. This solutionis filled into a pump (with a capacityof 15 litre) and sprayed on the infectedcrop. If the attack is severe then thesame solution is sprayed once againafter a week. If used more than twicethen there are chances of the rootsgetting burnt. This practice has beenused for over 30 years. However, thisneeds to be used judiciously.

Farmer: Arjanbhai D Kodarvi, Dist:Banaskantha, Comn: Jethabhai Pardhi

(NAPDB refers to Napralert database onNatural Products, Chicago) NAPDB: Plantextract of Tamarind has anti-viralproperties. Ref: Singh R 1971 PhytopatholMediter vol 10:211

Ethanol extract of Madhuca dried stembark acts as an insecticide.Ref : Atal CKet. al 1978 Indian J Exp Biol 16: 330-349

10319 Increasing soil fertility bycrop rotation

In order to increase the productivity andmaintain the fertility of the soil, farmersof village Machla follow a unique method

of crop rotation. In the first year duringthe kharif season ‘maize’ (Zea mays) issown (It is a deep rooted crop )Thefollowing year ‘rice’ (Oryzae sativa) or‘black gram’ (Phaseolus mungo) is sown(these are shallow rooted plants) The thirdyear ‘castor’ (Ricinus spp) is sown (Itis a deep rooted plant) and fourth year‘groundnut’ (Arachis hypogaea) is sown.(Groundnut and black gram ensure a goodsupply of nitrogen). This ensures a goodmixing of all the layers of the soil as thecrops have varied root depths.

Farmer :Dabhi Keshabhai Kalabhai, Dist:Banaskantha, Comn: Parmar LeelaBhartha

10320 Multiple transplantingiincreases fruit yield in Papaya

The farmers in the village Mandalifollow a procedure which increases thefruit production. The ‘papaya’ (Caricapapaya) seedling is uprooted and sownat a different spot. Fifteen days afterthat it is uprooted once more andplanted again at the same spot. This

actually causes a decrease in the heightof the plant and finally results in thegrowth of reproductive phase. Therebythe plant yields more fruit.

Farmer: Prajapati Chaganbhai KodarbhaiDist: Banaskantha, Comn: Dhabhi Ramji

(Refer HB 3(3&4):15,1992,HB6(2):6,1995 &HB 8(4):13,1997 for morepractices dealing with papaya. :Ed)

Animal husbandry

10321 To mend fractures

The animal suffers from immense paindue to fractured bones. Area around thebroken bone becomes swollen and asthe bones rub against each other thepain is aggravated. Gemabhai uses barkof ‘khakhra’ (Butea monosperma),seeds of ‘guwar’ (Cyamopsistetragonoloba ) for making a linimentfor bone fracture. The injured animal

is given two eggs to eat. Then it is madeto lie down and the fractured bone isfirst set in the right position. Thereaftera paste made out of 200 g of greenbark of ‘khakra’ and 200 g seeds of'guwar' is smeared on the affected area.This is then bandaged and supportedwith thin bamboo strips around thefractured bone. The bandage is kept onfor twenty one days. Meanwhile thebone heals completely.

Farmer: Gemabhai Lalabhai Barayia,Dist: Kheda, Comn: Pravin Rohit

(Refer: HB 8(1): 14, 1997, and HB 8(4):9,1997 for more practices on mendingfractured bones: Ed)

10322 Treating swelling of theudder (Mastitis)

Any cattle particularly cows or buffaloeswhen afflicted with mastitis show aremarkable decrease in milk production.The production of milk decreases byabout 30 per cent. This bacterial diseaseis usually caused due to any injury on



by over 80 per cent of the farmers inthis region.

Farmer : Govindbhai Hasubhai GadhviDist: Surendranagar, Comn: LaljibhaiBhadaniya

(Refer: HB 3(2):22, 1992, HB5(3):16,1994, HB 7(3):9, 1996 & HB9(3):9, 1999 for more practices ontreatment of fever: Ed)

10324 Curing eye ailment

Whenever a cattle is injured in the eyethere are chances of it getting a scarin the eye. This injury causes the eyesto be watery and a reddish dot like scarappears in the sclera region of the eye.If not treated at the earliest the cattlemay even go blind. A veterinary healerDevkaranbhai Lakhabhai uses the bark

of ‘angoria’ ( Balantes aegyptica). Thebark of this tree is rubbed on a stonealong with little water. The paste obtainedis anointed in the injured eye of theanimal with the finger. This treatmentis repeated twice a day on two daysinterval for ten days. The scar formedin sclera region disappears. He has beenusing this mode of treatment for over30 years.

Farmer : Devkaranbhai Lakhabhai RabariDist: Banaskantha, Comn: MaheshParmar

(Refer: HB 6(4):10, 1995, HB 9(3):9,1998,& H B 9 ( 3 ) : 1 7 , 1 9 9 8 f o rmore practices on treatment of eyeailments: Ed)

10325 Black salt and jaggery curestympany

When the cattle graze excessively onthe tender green grass during the

monsoon, the chances of its sufferingfrom tympany increases. Due to gasformation, the stomach region appearsswollen and the cattle has trouble inbreathing. Because of this it also stopschewing the cud. A solution of 5 g‘hing’(Ferula asafoetida), 25 g ‘dryginger’, 100 g black salt, 50 g ‘soovadana’(Anethum sowa),25 g‘ajma’(Trachyspermum ammi) and 500g of jaggery is boiled alongwith onelitre of water. The solution is boiled tillthe amount of water is reduced tohalf. After cooling the solution theanimal is made to drink it. This curesthe animal within three hours and theremedy is believed to be 100 per centeffective.

Farmer : Bhikalal Prabhudas MasaniDist: Amreli, Comn: Dilip D Koradiya

(Refer: HB 3(1) 1992, p 17, 18, HB3(3,4)1992, p20, HB 5(3) 1994, p 15, HB 5(4)1994, p4, HB 9(3) 1998, p11 for morepractices on treatment of tympany:Ed).

10326 Calotropis reduces swelling

Swelling on any part of the cattle’s bodyoccurs due to injury, microbial infection,or intake of any poisonous compound.This swelling can also cause problemsin other systems of the animal. Like,the digestive power of the animaldecreases and blood circulation alsodecreases. The swelling is prominent inthe areas below the knee joint of theanimal and also in the neck region.Swelling on the leg causes the animalto limp slowly. Two kg of bark orleaves of ‘akada’(Calotropis gigantea)is boiled and made into a paste. Thispaste is smeared on the swollen regionafter cooling. This remedy is so effectivethat if the paste is smeared just once,the swelling goes away within two tothree days.

Farmer: Jamalbhai NoorabhaiNandasaniya, Dist: Banaskantha, Comn :Pravin Rohit

(Refer: HB 6(4):10, 1995, HB 7(3):9,1996, & HB 5(3):6, 1994 for morepractices on treatment of swelling on thebody:Ed)

the teats. The teats and udder arehardened, swollen and feel hot to touchespecially while milking. On milking asticky watery fluid or pus comes out.Effective treatment for such a diseaseis using the root or bark of‘Nakti’. Approximately 100 ml of juiceis extracted out. This is smeared on theaffected area twice a day for fourdays. This treatment gives relief to thecattle.

Farmer: Mooljibhai Chelabhai Vasava,Dist Bharuch, Comn: William U Vasava

Refer: HB 8(4):17, 1997 and HB 4(4):17,1993 for more practices on treatment forswelling in the udders.

10323 Tea, pepper and ginger forpyrexia

During the monsoon, cattle are oftenaffected by fever. In such a condition,the cattle feels cold and starts shivering.The food intake of the cattle decreasesconsiderably and it passes yellowcoloured urine frequently. As a remedyto this fever, Shri Govindbhai Gadhviuses the following ingredients: tea leaves(Camellia sinensis) black pepper (Pipernigrum) and dry ginger (Zingiberofficinale). Approximately 100 g dry‘tea’ leaves, 25 g powdered ‘ blackpepper’ and 25 g dry ginger powderare dissolved in two glasses of waterand boiled. After cooling, the solutionis given to the cattle to drink. This doseis given once a day for two days andthe cattle is relieved of its fever. Thishas been used traditionally for manyyears and is used as a remedy for fever



The power of inquisitiveness

She was born in a peasant family in thePanchmahals. The area around her villagehas a picturesque view surrounded byforests, lakes and hills. She had lived arough life and now at an age of around64, she is a treasure-trove of knowl-edge. She grew up tending goats andcows and when they fell ill, she gave themone or two curative herbs and thusstarted her foray into the world of me-dicinal plants. She would always bewatching her mother or her grandmotherwhile they were collecting the plantswhich were to be used for formulations.Later on she made a note of the differentplants used for curing various diseases.She was always curious to know moreabout the medicinal plants.

The formative years

Jamnaben was married at the tender ageof fifteen into a household which had alarge livestock holding. She was given theresponsibility of looking after 15 headsof cattle. After finishing with her choresfor the day she would take the cattle outto graze in the forests. It was here thatshe developed the knowledge of medici-nal plants and learnt the practical applica-tion of each of them. Whenever any ofthe cattle had any problems during thenight she and her husband attended tothem. They would go and pick the plantsfrom the forest and try out new formu-lations. She was wholeheartedly sup-ported by her in-laws in her venture.

She recalls an incident about a buffalo shehad. The buffalo had eaten green jowarand was foaming at the mouth. Jamnabentried all the usual remedies like makingthe buffalo drink a solution of poundedlocal herbs but all these proved ineffec-tive and then an idea struck her .She

thought why not give cocum, jaggery anda few flowers of mahuda as an antidoteto the food poisoning.The buffalo on tak-ing the concoction started getting better.She was absolutely thrilled when hermother-in-law gave her a pat on the backand said, "my daughter-in law sure has alot of working knowledge". It was a mo-ment of triumph for Jamnaben when shefelt that all her experiments resulted in abetter knowledge of treating animals.

With time, she had three sons and all ofthem are literate enough to read and write.Her first born is the headman of the vil-lage. Her grand daughter is studying forBachelor of rural studies. She providesher a lot of input about the modern vet-erinary practices. This gives Jamnanbenmore ideas in innovating the traditionalpractices that she has been following.

The lady veterinary practitioner

Jamnaben’s house was the most soughtafter by people who had sick animalswhich needed to be attended on. She wasconsidered a specialist when it came tocuring a animal. Many a time peoplewould take Jamnaben for scouting ofmedicinal plants. The respect and the hap-piness she gets out of helping people isthe one of the best things she loves abouther profession. Now a days there are out-breaks of new diseases and sometimesrecognizing the symptoms itself becomesvery difficult. Sometimes she feels thewild varieties of the medicinal plants havebecome less effective. Only recently acow had to be treated for diarrhoea. Shetried many combinations but of no avail.The cow could not be cured and it finallydied. All the cases of Jamnaben have notbeen sure success stories but then it is alla part of the profession. Despite this, shefeels that the varieties of medicinal plantsneed to be conserved so that people can

make use of the treasure that nature hasgifted us. Jamnaben is really happy thatSRISTI is one such organisation whichis definitely trying to put together andconserve the vast amount of traditionalknowledge prevalent in the times. (Theissue of course is: How to conserve herknowledge and the diversity on which thisknowledge is based. What kind of incen-tives will work in which situation, is part ofthe research, SRISTI has been pursuing. Wewelcome comments from readers to solvethese issues : Ed).

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When it comes to treating animals in and around Timla village, dist Panchmahal there is none as famous as JamnabenSomabhai Damor. She has learnt the secrets of all the healing herbs by watching her mother and grandmother at work.She has not merely tried the proven traditional remedies but also experimented with some modifications. She is one ladyto reckon with when it comes to curing animals the herbal way!

Jamnabenhad in her an innate

urge to unravel the secretcurative powers

of the medicinal plants.She was always open to

newer combinationsand ideas whichpaved way for

experimentation.

Jamnaben’s recipe for increasing milkproduction in cows during summer.

She suggest that the cattle be given lessfibrous food to eat. Care be taken thatit is given food that is easily digestible.Any other nutritious supplement likecastor cake or oilseed cake be given ina semi -solid form. As far as possiblelet the cattle stay in a cattle shed whichhas a covered roof. The cattle begiven a wash at least once a day sothat the body temperature is maintained.Thus the production of milk can bemaintained.

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The knowledge of an elaborateethnotaxonomy of social insectsindicates the high cultural significanceof eusocial bees and wasps for the‘Pankarare’. They are the peoplewho belong to the north-eastern partof the state of Bahia, Brazil. TheIndians interact with these insects inmany different ways, using them asfood and medicine, consuming wildhoney in religious festivities, andutilizing bee’s wax to make tools,such as bullets, or as stopper pots.Not only is the honey eaten, but alsothe larvae and pupae of the bees.The ‘Pankarare’ roast Apis meliferascutellata and Polybia sericea larvae intheir combs, then extract them withsmall sticks to be eaten alone ormixed with manioc flour. The‘Pankarare’ go primarily to thecaatinga to search for those beeswhose honey is of higher quality,such as orupa and some stinglessbees. Informants assert that thequality of honey depends on thequality of the tree on which the hivewas made, the age of the hive andthe flowering season. Honey-producingwasps, by contrast produce littlehoney, which is of low quality, buttheir larvae are very nutritious.When harvesting their honey, theycan eat larvae and pupae locally ortake them home for their childrenand wives. Although used as a foodsource, ‘Pankarare’ does not keepfierce bees, (Hunn 1977) as is donein other communities. It is interestingto note that these resources arereadily available to men because

they harvest wild hives. In additionto larvae consumption, the pollensacs (fio azedo) of abeia-branca areused medicinally against influenza.‘Pankarare’ sell honey in the marketin Paulo Afonso, generating cash tobuy foodstuffs such as sugar, flour,salt. This activity is conducted in thedriest months of the year when lowagricultural production coincides withhigher honey productivity. Honey isalso important when hunting incaatinga woods, where water andfood are available only for thosewho know how to achieve theseresources (Banderia 1993)

The importance of insects as a foodis indicated by the number of calorieswhich is obtained by the ingestionof bee larvae, and is considered a

high energy food. Honey produces4.053 kcal/kg against 4.756/kg forthe pupae (Ramos-Elorduy and Pino1990). Bees and their products havebeen noted as important for theirhealing powers by ancient andmodern medical sciences and in manydifferent human societies. Honey isthe main resource recommended incases of diabetes, bronchitis, oralmicoses, sore throat, intestinal wormsand impotence. It is considered also

a powerful antidote against bites ofsnakes and rabid dog bites. Themultiple uses of stingless bee honeyas medicine is justified by its chemicaldiversity (Pampalona 1992). Thebactercidial properties of bee productswhether pollen or bee glandularsecretions added when honey isdehydrated (Cortopassi-Laurino andGally 1993) are well known. In‘Pankarare’ ethnoentomology, twospecies of social wasps of thepolistinae have been used asmedicines. A bath of the smoke fromburning nests of tarantata (Polybiasericea) and exu-de-cachorro(Protopolybia exigua exigua) is thoughtto be useful in treating evil eyes andstrokes. At least one resource istraditionally used in ethnoveterinarymedicine. A piece of an arapua nestis dissolved in water and used tobathe dogs affected with fleas orscabies. Indeed, insect products arereputed to have immunological,analgesic, diuretic, anesthetic, anti-rheumatic and even aphrodisiacproperties.

Bees and their products have beennoted as important for their healingpowers by ancient and modern medicalsciences and in many different humansocieties (refer table-1 on page 18).

References1. Hunn, E. 1977. Tzeltal folk zoology:

the classification of discontinuitiesin nature. New York: AcademicPress. p. 234

2. Ramos-Elorduy, J. and J. M. M. Pino.1990. Contenido calorico de algunosinsectos comestibles de M‚xico.Revista da Sociedad Quimica delMexico, 34 (2): 56-68.

3. Pamplona, B. C. 1992. Mel: daantiguidade ao seculo XXI. In:Reuniodasociedade brasileira para oprogresso da si ncia, 44, Anais. S

1.Based on electronic communicationand abstracted from the book: Folktaxonomy and cultural significance ofAbeia to the Pankarare, North easternBahia state, Dept of biological sciencesM 3, Br 16, University Avenue,44031-460Fierade Santana, Brazil.

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showering the snake with small twigscollected from a nearby place. Gradually

Pankarare Scientific name Raw materials Usage Indicationsname

Abeia-branca Freiseomellita silvestrii "fio zedo" (pollen pot) eaten influenza

arapua Trigona spinipes honey eaten diabetes

cupira Partamona cupira honey eaten throat inflammation

exu-de-cachorro Protopolybia exigua nest inhaled evil eyeexigua

mandassaia Melipona quadrifasciata honey eaten snake bites

maribondo- Apoica pallens nest inhaled dizziness, asthma, strokechapeu

mosquito-preto Plebeia mosquito honey eaten throatachemassaged "sapinho" (oralmicoses)

oropa Apis mellifera honey eaten diabetes, bronchitis, tuberculosis,scutellata hoarseness, verminousis

wax inhaled headache, dizziness

papa-terra Cephalotrigona capitata honey eaten snake bites

tarantanta Polybia sericea nest inhaled "mal do tempo" (stroke)wax eaten diabetes

urucu Melipona scutellaris honey eaten snake bites, rabid dog bites,impotence

Many of the medicinal plants havebeen discovered by some naturalincidents. In this line a new experienceis not only worth-sharing but thrillingto narrate. The incident had beenexperienced very recently by one ofour employee Mr. Rajesh Topno'smother Late Mrs. Silbiya Topno fromKanakloya village, dist Gumla.

On the day of this event she was ona walk- around the fields adjacent tothe village, when she saw a bird(Vanellus indicus) repeatedly divingtowards the earth, and screaching allthe while. Being curious she movedcloser to the spot. As the bird wastargetting a particular spot she couldlocate it easily and to her surprisefound an angry Cobra intent on someobject.

After all her diving antics failed todrive away the snake the bird started

��"��"$��%��&��"��Miss S. Topno1

1Centre for Women Development, Tapkararoad, P.O. Torpa, Ranchi, Bihar

Contd... on page 19

Indoneesilla echioides

the snake lowered its head and retreated.After making sure that the snake hadgone she cautiously approached thespot. There she found a bird’s nestwith two eggs in it. It was thus clearthat the snake was after the eggs andthe bird was trying to protect itdesperately. It also became evidentthat the twigs were being spread todrive away the snake.

These twigs obviously had someingredients in them to repel the snake.Thus the medicinal use of this plantwas discovered. It also showed thatanimals also have intuition about themedicinal use of plants.

The local name of the plant is Gusumpuru (Mundari)

Table - 1 Healing repertoire of Pankarare Indians



(��*+��

Biological and CulturalDiversity:

The role of indigenousagricultural experim-entation in development

Gordon Prain, Sam Fujisaka and MichaelD Warren, Intermediate Technology,Publications Ltd., London WCIB 4HH,UK.

Agriculture is the oldest biotechnologyand peasants who are experimentingand innovating in a constant struggleto survive the vagaries of nature, areno less than the contemporary scientistsand technologists. Critics of the farmingsystems research feel that the ultimatesolution to the rural developmentprograms lies in strengthening andempowering indigenous capacities fordeveloping solutions.

The fifteen contributions to this volumecover case studies from many regionsof Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia.Majority of the studies focus on on-farm experimentation. The indigenousconcepts of experimentation (shifleli) inMali, and traditional water resourcemanagement systems of Sudan bringout the scientific temperament of the so-called indigenous people. Of specialsignificance is the role of indigenousapproaches to biotechnology that includefarmers' expertise in the conservation,evaluation and exploitation of geneticdiversity of plants.

The local response to the problems ofsoil fertility and weed invasion in Sierrede Santa Marta, Mexico effectivelysolved by the experience of a localfarmer from Tatahuicapan provide furtherevidence that collaboration betweenfarmers and scientists can help establishthe range of alternative strategies foradoption and improve the efficiency ofthe technology generation process. Heallowed velvet bean plants to grow asan inter-crop alongwith summer- maizewhich led to the establishment of a earlyground-cover that checked erosion.

The collection of case studies clearly

portrays that farmers world-wide areinvolved in experimenting andreinventing, therefore policy-makersshould try to design a favourable policyfor them to harness their potential inthe participatory technologydevelopment.

Aaj bhi Khare hain Talab

Anupam Mishra, ParyavaranKaksh Gandhi ShantiPrathishtan 227, Deen DayalUpadhyaya Marg, New Delhi- 110032, Price : Rs.120

Right in the centre is a smalldot(bindu)

which is the source of life,

right within the main boundary are thewaves, and outside are the steps.

On all four directions are flowers which

spread their fragrance of life all around,

dependent on water is an entire systeman entire life form ,

it seems a simple and easy way ,

but to draw out in a few lines such anexpression is a difficult job......

The book is an excellent piece for thosewho are interested in understanding thepractical history of natural resourcesconservation. The book deals with thebasic and fundamental aspect of lifewhich is water. It describes how theponds and lakes were built and whatwas the social purposes of constructingthem. The devotion and dedication thatpeople had for such social service isreflected in almost all the pages of thebook. It shows how the variouscraftsmen were alloted different workand how each one of the artisans hadhis own unique style to contribute. Forinstance, the ‘maapdand naagyashti’(measuring pillars) were actually meansto measure the water level in ponds.Such pillars had different figurinescarved on them like that of the lotus,snake, conch and the wheel. Eachemblem denoted a particular depth of

the water in the pond.

The book traces the caste pattern basedon the kind of work done by variouscommunities.The making of a pond wasconsidered the most sacred deed of apersons life. The naming of pond wascelebrated as a grand festival and it wasknown as ‘pran prathishta’ ceremony.Inmany places a detailed description aboutthe ponds can be found inscribed oncopper plates and stone pillars.

It also traces geographically how variousnames of the water reservoirs emergedand how each one of them was relatedto the original sanskrit word. Hat is rootof the word which means to destroy. Sothe ponds which had become uselesscame to be called ‘hati taal’. At thesame time ‘haathi taal’ is altogetherdifferent, it simply meant a pond whosedepth was equal to that of the height ofan elephant.

The book is a must read for people whoneed to know more about how the socialcustoms and practices came into beingthrough the traditional water harvestingdevices.

contd.... from page 18

Botanical name - Indoneesillaechioides (Linn.) Shreem.Family -Acanthaceae

Use: The extract of whole plant is usedin snake-bite

References :Bressers, J. 1951. TheBotany of Ranchi District, Bihar, India

Ghosh, T.K. 1971. Studies on the flora ofRanchi District.Ph. D Thesis, RanchiUniversity, Ranchi, 2 Vols.(Unpublished)

Haines, H.H. 1925. Botany of Bihar andOrissa, Vol. I-VI.

Hoffmann, J. 1950. EncyclopaediaMundarica. Vol 1-13



been conducting all our programs withinour means other than the small fundswe received from the Dutch embassyin Sri Lanka. Therefore, we have de-cided to develop a small-scale produc-tive farm unit as an income generatingavenue for the association. We shall beextremely grateful to you if you couldkindly assist us in developing the same.

(We have a very large database on bothtraditional knowledge and contemporaryinnovation in small scale livestock man-agement. We realize that the farmers youwork with can't pay much. But we arekeen that when you do share ideas thatwe send, with local communities, pleasedo encourage those farmers to send theirletters of feedback. We will translate yourletter and share the same with local in-novative farmer. The feeling that, inno-vation by a farmer here could solve aproblem there, is great and we will beginwith this reciprocity ! You can also con-tact Dr. D V Rangnekar ( Vice President,BAIF Development Research Foundation,P O Box. 2030, Asarwa Road, Ahmedabad-380016, Gujarat (India) who has richexperience in this field and BAIF can sendyou lot of literature on conventional tech-nologies. :Ed)

Sharing of Knowledge

SabharmateeSambhav, Rohibank, NayagarhOrissa - 752090

Honey Bee inspires us! This year weconducted our annual bio-diversity com-petition (seed collection) among schoolchildren on 7th March and amongwomen, on 8th March which is also thefoundation day of ‘Sambhav’. We aresurprised to see that a child who stoodfirst bought 734 varieties of seeds ! Werejected 61 and rest were his credit!.Is it not amazing? We conducted anature camp for rural children. Theyidentified systematically 29 varieties ofbirds & 139 varieties of plants in theirmorning sessions in two days. Thesethings encourage us a lot. Recently Ifinished a study on ‘paddy’. We used

)��,��

Experimenting with water pulley!

Manoj MishraPersonnel Officer(monitoring and drink-ing water) AKRSP, Sayla, Surendranagar-363430 Gujarat

First off all we would like to congratu-late you and your team for having made

us aware about this technology (waterpulley whose design was modified byAmrut Bhai Agrawat). The first experi-mentation at Sejakpar village has comeup commendably well. The villagers areoverwhelmed by the sheer usefulness ofthis simple yet effective technology. Atotal of twelve pulleys have been in-stalled there, half of them with lockfacility and other half without lock- soas to facilitate the use of pulley forthose not having the required ropediameter. On subsequent discussion withthe villagers after the installation ofpulley it was found that this arrange-ment is excellent but since the well hasto serve water both for drinking as wellas domestic use, lot of people throngat the same time to collect water. Wereceived further demand from othervillages too in our working area. We arethinking of training some of the indi-viduals from AKRSP (I) initiated peoplesinstitutions at village level. In fact weneed to work out some kind ofoperationalisation norm for such kind oftraining, if any. It would be apt to senda team of blacksmiths for an exposure

to workshop where manufacturing pro-cess is on.

There have been some problems likeheight of installation, breadth in be-tween the two angles used as support.But, it was a learning lesson for all ofus. We hope the same might not occuras intensively in future installations.

(The water pulley (HB 9(3) p.21, 1998)whose design was modified by AmrutbhaiAgrawat in Pikhore village has beenmaking waves, as your letter shows. GIANhas been trying to disseminate this tech-nology. The real challenge is to installsuch a modified pulley in every villagewhere open well exists so that womencould be saved of the drudgery. Pleaseplan to recover the cost of the pulley sothat other farmers can demonstrate thissimple but effective technological changewhich did not take place for so manycenturies. Keep it up. : Ed.)

Generating income through live-stock unit

Damitha RajapakseIntegrated Livestock Development Asso-ciation, 258, Moragoda Road,Mudungoda, Srilanka

We have been interested in developingsmall-scale livestock programs in amore productive manner whilst integrat-ing multi-purpose tree speciesethnoveterinary and productive breeds.At the same time we have identified thatthere is a segment of people who arewilling to sacrifice and dedicate pro-vided they get sustainable results ontheir efforts through innovative con-cepts. Therefore, our prime objective isto develop this segment as a profitgenerating integrated sustainable animalagro group. Developing a small scaleintegrated livestock units could generatefast income for families provided theyare productive with low feed cost. Ourassociation has no capacity to employfull time members in order to developand monitor the programs. We have

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Sue CurtisLarkrise, Swallowcliffe, SalisburyWilts SP3 5PH

The Spirit of Sustainability - AnAnthology of Honey Bee CoverStories

Published by Sristi Innovations, P.O.Box: 15050 Ahmedabad - 380 015India Price $7 Plus postage

Just as the bees collect pollen fromflowers and in doing so pollinatethem, the Honey Bee Network col-lates and disseminates information onenvironmental issues. Ideas frominnovators, farmers and artisans arepooled for the good of all.

This booklet of short illustratedparables taken from the various HoneyBee magazine is written in a simplestyle. They make compelling readingbecause they have important mes-sages for us all, like the story of theman who saw a great many star fishmarooned on the beach and startedto throw them back into the sea.When asked by an onlooker if hereally thought he could make any

differencehe threwback an-o t h e rs t a r f i s hand said,“Made adifferenceto thatone”.

Another story tells of a King whofinds a vine growing around hischariot wheel. He then leaves hischariot behind and walks back to hispalace rather than deny the vine thesupport it sought.

These stories remind us of theinterconnectivity of all things. Theyurge us to take responsibility forourselves and everything with whichwe share the planet.

‘participatory learning method’. In thelocality we found a person who knewmore than 150 uses of paddy/rice! Webegan our study on ‘festivals andbiodiversity’ last year, it is still continu-ing. Recently I began another study on‘Temples and biodiversity’. In my pre-liminary visits, I could note 156 varietiesof plant product and 13 animal/birdproduct used in Sri Jaganath temple.Lot of interesting things I found outfrom the books which I referred duringmy literature review work. Scholarship/fellowship is never a limitation for me.I will continue to learn and share. Iwould be happy if you could spare yourprecious time to advise me on the abovesubject. My best wishes for Honey Bee.

(You have made an excellent beginningand must keep up your efforts. You maylike to look into the classification of birdsand plants by local communities. Whatparameter do people use to classify. Like-wise, how do people recall these plants,animals, seeds in this cultural reportoireof songs, stories or tale. What are thepossible ways in which functional tradi-tion could help in conservation of diver-sity of associated knowledge. We awaityour detailed report and the photographof winners for possible publication in theforthcoming issue of Honey Bee. :Ed)

Honey Bee hums inTurkmenistan!

George JosephAmbassador of India, Ashgabat(Turkmenistan), c/o Ministry of ExternalAffairs, D.B. Section, South Block, NewDelhi - 110 001

Greeting from Ashgabat. I was pleas-antly surprised to read back numbers ofHoney Bee and other literature sent tome. According to me, the Honey Beeaddresses a very important task viz. ofinvolving the forgotten rural inventors inthe developmental process.

Turkmenistan is experiencing certaindifficulties with hard currency payment.I can think of a few institutions herethat would treat Honey Bee publicationas a God sent, but would not be able

to pay for the same. Essentially, theEmbassy will have to pay for it andmake it available to the institutes as agift, after translating the text intoRussian in using their own resources.(It is so gratifying to learn that HB canbe of help to people of Turkmenistan.This only shows the power of HB philoso-phy and the potential of what well wish-ers and voluntary members of HB net-work can do to promote people to peoplelearning and networking. Don't worryabout the cost, HB can reduce the costfor farmers in Turkmenistan, we will feelrewarded ! Please encourage farmers inyour country to share their creativitywith us. :Ed)

Information required!

Ardeshir B. DamaniaGenetic Resources Unit, ICARDA, POB5466

In the Vol 12(3) issue of DIVERSITYmagazine on page 77 you have men-tioned the example of the farmer inGujarat who was able to control ter-mites in his field with the use of highHCN sorghum plants. Has anythingfurther been done with this innovation?Has any way been found to preventharmful effects of this practice (soak-ing high HCN sorghum plants in irri-gation waters) on the beneficial soilfauna?

(I wish other scientist were as keenobserver of insights as you have beenand they follow up the farmers' innovationpublished in Honey Bee. No ! nothingfurther has been done. May be ICARDAwill take lead. Once scientist in ICARDAstarts then scientists in ICAR and otheragricultural institutions may also follow.That is how colonized minds sometimerespond, isn't it? :Ed)

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Attention Readers

The back issues of Honey Bee areavailable at concessional rates. Pleaserush your order at the editorial address:

Combined Volume Rs.1000 $ 250

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Please send your contributions through bank draft in favour ofA/c Sristi Innovations at the editorial address; C/o Prof Anil KGupta, Editor, Honey Bee, Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur,Ahmedabad 380 015 India. Phone: 91-79-6407241, Fax: 91-79-6427896Email: [email protected]

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