TRIBAL SUB PLAN A Decade of Service to Tribals

Abstract

The carbohydrate rich root and tuber crops are next to cereals and grain legumes in supplying energy to the world population. The vegetatively propagated root and tuber crops i.e. sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), greater yam (Dioscorea alata), taro (Colocasia esculenta), elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius), cassava (Manihot esculenta), yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus) and arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) etc. have great flexibility in adjusting any farming system and also, they are the best climate resilient crops under changing climate. The Regional Centre of ICAR-CTCRI, Bhubaneswar and ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram have developed number of high yielding and nutritionally rich varieties and resource use efficiency technologies of tuber crops. The technologies very well fit into crop diversification as well as farming systems. Under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP), the Regional Centre of ICAR-CTCRI, Bhubaneswar has demonstrated tuber crops technologies in crop diversification as well as location specific farming systems in 1840 tribal farmers fields in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh states for a decade (2012-2021). Under TSP, the Regional Centre of ICAR-CTCRI, Bhubaneswar has distributed quality planting materials of greater yam tubers 69500 kg, elephant foot yam corms 34800 kg, colocasia/taro cormel 20000 kg, sweet potato vine cuttings 38.6 lakh and tubers 2080 kg, cassava stem 42800 nos. and yam bean seeds 822.5 kg at free of cost to the tribal farmers. Under this project, backyard poultry 6220 nos., ducks 750 nos., goats 109 nos. and pigs 120 nos. were also distributed to the tribal farmers for improving their livelihood. Seeds of cereals (rice 260 kg and maize 70 kg), millets (ragi 26 kg), pulses (red gram 66 kg) and vegetables seeds 18.6 kg and seed kits 1085 were also distributed to be included in their farming system to achieve food and nutritional security. Tribal farmers also contributed elite land race seeds of rice, ragi, maize, red gram, green gram and black gram for farming system demonstrations. To reduce the drudgery of field operations, small agricultural implements were distributed to the tribal farmers. Sprayers 539, hand hoe 717, sickle 717, crow bar 717, pickaxe 717, cultivator 118, garden hoe 118 and spade 688 numbers were distributed to the tribal farmers. As the tribal farmers’ fields are adjacent to the forest, to protect tuber crops from animals GI mesh fencing material 3370 kg were also distributed. Raised cement floor for goat keeping (57 Nos.) and duck-shed (55 Nos.) were also constructed near to their fields. Most of the tribal villages are remote, with less accessibility and without electricity and hence, during 2016-17, a solar pump set was installed in Dayanidhiguda village, Koraput Block, Koraput District, Odisha and during 2017-18, one more solar pumpset was installed in Ranchi district, Jharkhand for irrigating the crops during dry spell and also to cultivate crops during rabi season. Seventy-four trainings and exposure visits were organized to train 4068 tribal farmers (2505 men and 1563 women) on scientific methods of tuber crops, cereals, pulses and vegetable crops cultivation, backyard poultry, duckery, goatery and piggery farming. Crops and animals performance were monitored by the experts by regular field visits. The results of the demonstrations indicated that tuber crops yield was influenced by the locations. The yield variation of greater yam was 22.3-26.2 t/ha, elephant foot yam 20.2-25.0 t/ha, colocasia/taro 14.3-15.8 t/ha, sweet potato 11.6-14.2 t/ha, yam bean 15.4-20.5 t/ha and cassava 15.4-18.3 t/ha. Tuber crops-based farming system (0.4 ha model) resulted in net return of Rs 120938/0.4 ha with crops and backyard poultry, and Rs 148375/0.4 ha with crops, backyard poultry and goats. The income of the tribal farmer is doubled with the inclusion of tuber crops in their cropping/farming system and they had sufficient food for household consumption. Thus, food and nutrition security and livelihood improvement are achieved through tuber crops technologies.