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Travelling across Lakhisarai district in northeastern Bihar, one is bound to see field after field of paddy, the crop grown here for generations. But as one approaches Durdih village, the paddy fields are divided by small agroforestry farms, filled with pulses and vegetables.
A little over 4 hectares (ha) in Durdih is under agroforestry, says Neeraj Kumar, a resident of the village. Of this, 2.8 ha are farm plots, and the rest are kitchen gardens adjoining houses. “These agroforestry farms are a part of our effort to break the village’s dependence on paddy monoculture,” he says.
Kumar started the agroforestry initiative in 2018, after returning from Karnataka. “I studied law at the Karnataka State Law University, but I really wanted to work with the farming community of the village. Upon my return, I recognised the adverse impacts of the overreliance on paddy,” he recalls. Lack of crop diversity, dependence on pesticides and chemicals and increased risk of poor yield due to extreme weather are some of the issues farmers highlighted.
To encourage a shift from paddy, Kumar and his sister, Swati Yadav, started a non-profit called Khetee and took up agroforestry on 0.2 ha in the village. As more farmers joined the initiative, agroforestry plots and kitchen gardens sprung across the village. “We grow pulses like pigeon pea and green gram, oilseeds such as flax seeds and mustard and seasonal vegetables such as potato, brinjal, onion, yam and radish,” says Ashok Pandit, a farmer who has a 0.2-ha agroforestry plot on his land. “We also have fruit trees like banana, papaya, guava, mulberry, mango, sugarcane and bamboo," he adds.
Farmer Sunita Devi says the agroforestry plots have cut dependence on pesticides and fertilisers. Khetee also helps the cultivators avail various government support schemes, such as for irrigation, to help the yield. “There are issues due to climate and weather vagaries, but overall, our yields have improved and our food diversity has increased," says farmer Leena Yadav. Another cultivator, Gopal Yadav, adds, "We no longer depend on the market to buy nutritional food. The agrofrestry plots provide pulses and vegetables we need.”
Earlier this year, Khetee also started a seed bank in the village to conserve traditional crop varieties. “Farmers who have agroforestry fields select the best seeds from their plots and bring them to the bank. We focus on local, traditionally-adapted seed varieties that are often more resilient to pests, diseases, and drought,” says Swati Yadav. The seed bank is managed by the farmers and works on a barter system. "We exchange seeds in a 10:20 ratio (10 seeds borrowed, 20 seeds returned). We currently have seeds of 180 varieties of vegetables, fruits, cereals and trees. Each seed is tagged and detailed records are maintained for future reference,” she adds.
Soni Kumari, who helps manage the seed bank, says so far this year, the farmers have displayed the collection at agricultural fairs in Lakhisarai district and in Patna. As the agroforestry initiative continues to expand in Durdih, farmers are also promoting its practices in the nearby villages, says Kumar.
This article was originally published in the 1-15 August, 2024 print edition of Down To Earth