Written by Abraham Dereje
Various indigenous seed varieties collected from the hands of the community are expected to be preserved in the seed bank
Like in many parts of the world, agriculture in Ethiopia has focused on boosting crop productivity with the application of various technologies for a couple of decades now. As a result, today there is an increased supply of improved seed varieties more than ever before. Artificial fertilizers are distributed to farmers in almost all directions of the country. However, the increase in crop yield was not without worrying side-effects on the farm plots and the surrounding environment in general. Once farmers use these fertilizers on their plots, they are compelled to increase the amount in the next crop season to get better yield and it is almost unthinkable for a farmer to grow crops without using these fertilizers.
MELKA Ethiopia, a local NGO, has been undertaking community based aggro-biodiversity management schemes with the community in Telecho Kebele Wolmera Woreda in Oromia State. The project aims to provide the necessary support and technical assistance to conserve their traditional seed varieties and maintain biodiversity to strengthen their adaptive capacities to the effects of climate change. The organization aspires to introduce domestic remedies to challenges of food insecurity and climate changes by working in collaboration with the farming community. According to a press release by the organization, crop genetic diversity is best conserved on-farm and tested and utilized by smallholder farmers.
MELKA Ethiopia decided to embark on its intervention in the community after realizing problems such erosion of culture, land and forest degradation and decline of local’ varieties of seeds. Creating an opportunity for the local community to draw lessons from other areas of the country was the first step of its intervention. MELKA took Telecho farmers to areas where farmers already had started to conserve their indigenous seed varieties and established a community seed bank with the support of another local NGO. The experience they got eventually helped the Telecho community to reclaim their lost seed varieties for which they demanded support from MELKA. This enabled MELKA in collaboration with the community to commence its task of seed conservation, land and soil conservation and sustainable climate change adaptation strategies.
Bedda Debele, 50, is a farmer who lives in Telecho Kebele. He told this reporter that the improved seed varieties he took from the research centres have become less resistant to the changing climate and he decided to look for the previous seed varieties which he abandoned to use since a couple of decades now. He says he has gradually shifted to the use of indigenous seed varieties with organic fertilizers and the challenges from changing climate and overall ecosystem has diminished. “What you need to do is to properly prepare your plot and use compost before you sow the seed. I even did not use artificial fertilizers.
The harvest was more than he expected, according to Bedda. “Although improved seeds give better yields compared to the indigenous ones, they are becoming easily vulnerable to weeds and other weather related changes. The local seeds were disease and weed- resistant when properly used,” he noted.
Woinshet Tekle, 38, is also a farmer who told this reporter that she had received indigenous wheat, bean and barley seeds from MELKA Ethiopia. “Previously, we used to use improved seeds for many years. Now, I am convinced that it is better to use our indigenous seed varieties side by side with the improved ones. We should not completely abandon what was originally ours. I would like to thank MELKA for bringing back these varieties which we almost have stopped using them since many years,” she said. The community has had better quality harvest from the indigenous seeds since the last couple of years, she added.
Recently, the interventions by the organization continued with the inauguration of a seed bank and exhibition of various indigenous seed varieties by the students and farmers of the community at Telecho. “This is a very important event as it has created a moment of knowledge transfer from the elderly to the new generation about the seeds,” says Million Belay(PhD), founder and Director of the organization. According to him, the main purpose of the exhibition is to collect and preserve the indigenous seed crops that have been in the hands of the farmers for centuries. What is more, the organization aims to create a community campaign for the rehabilitation of the degraded land and soil. The occasion brought together men and women from different age groups with different skills and knowledge.
“Our agricultural practices are yet to adapt to climate change related challenges,” he added. Agricultural development strategies should not only focus on improved seeds, but also inculcate indigenous seed varieties for the diversity of seeds and farming methods, Million noted. According to him, it is possible to commercialize agriculture and at the same time diversify the number of seed varieties at hand. Not only productivity, due emphasis should be given to health and environmental issues related to our products while planning for agricultural development, Million reflected. Farmers should have more options to take the best seed varieties based on different criteria they use in doing so.
He says productivity could significantly increase by improving the state of the soil via utilization of organic fertilizers and this has been practically witnessed on plots of farmers at Telecho. Farmers at Ejere and Telecho kebeles have started to select the best from the improved and indigenous varieties at their disposal. “We should not take only one option We can work on both the indigenous and improved varieties,” he exclaimed.
Oromia Special Zone Administration Deputy Head Admasu Teshome says the organization’s intervention, which is helping the farmers to preserve indigenous seed varieties using improved seed varieties from research institutes, could boost productivity by increasing options at hand and introducing new methods of farm utilization. It is also helping the effort of the government to rehabilitate severely eroded plots, he noted. He commended the organization’s pledge to continue working with the community till 2015.
Admasu says the seed bank is vital for the preservation of different indigenous crop and plant species and use them as bases of future research for improved seeds that could boost agricultural productivity in the country. In addition to collecting the indigenous seed and plant varieties from the community, the zone is working in collaboration with the organization to use some of them on farmers’ plots and expand the use of organic fertilizers like compost, he added.
Sourced here: http://www.ethpress.gov.et/herald/index.php/herald/development/5077-preserving-indigenous-seeds-maintaining-biodiversity
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