Sustainability of Tribal Farming: The Case of Natural Farming Model in the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala

Abstract

This paper discusses about the potential of a natural farming model to sustain the livelihood of tribal farmers living inside a forest ecosystem of Kerala state. The study was conducted among 32 families residing in the poopara village inhabited by the Muthuvan tribes, located inside Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala state, a well protected ecological portion of the Anamalai sub unit of Western Ghats. The cropping system adopted by the tribal farmers was rainfed and mixed with both annual and perennial crops with no use of external inputs. Zero tillage and stone bundsto prevent soil erosion, and mulching with green and dry leaves throughout the year to conserve soil moisture were the main features of the area. Though they were using the traditional/local crop varieties yet average crop yields were found to be moderate and more or less on par with the Kerala State average yields for crops like pepper, wild turmeric/kasturi manjal and cardamom. However, average yields were below state average for some other annual crops like ginger, turmeric and vegetable crops. The high nutrient requirement and surface feeding nature of ginger and turmeric might be the reasons for the poor yields of these crops under tribal farming.Since, these crops were cultivated in slopy lands that were prone to soil erosion, soil nutrient levels may not be enough to meet the nutrient requirement. The standard of living of the farmers was poor because of a number of constraints like lack of proper marketing facilities in the nearby areas of their settlement and no bargaining power to get a reasonable price from the middlemen. To improve the livelihood of tribal farmers all these issues need to be tackled with proper policies and programmes.