Guest guest Posted June 14, 2002 Report Share Posted June 14, 2002 > Farming Has Changed in Mysore > Source: The Hindu > MYSORE, INDIA, May 18, 2002: Farming in Mysore has changed in the last 30 > years. Favoring the use of chemical fertilizers, monoculture farming and > hybrid varieties, the younger generation has lost sight of many of the > benefits of traditional farming. As a result, many varieties of crops have > either become extinct or they have changed in their characteristics. For > example, the President of the Raitha Hithavakshana Horata Samiti says, "A > case in point is ragi. Earlier, it was used as food, and the ragi straw > was used as fodder for cattle. It had a distinct flavor and was popular. > Today ragi continues to be used as a staple diet among the farmers in > southern Karnataka. But the ragi stalk is no longer used as a fodder as it > is inedible and unfit for consumption." Similarly, a variety of rice used > to make idli, (a steamed rice and dal cake) called "attalli batta" is now > extinct. When farmers used to plant ten different varieties of crop as > opposed to one, the risk of disease was less. Soil quality has been > reduced by chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Younger farmers have lost > touch with the traditional methods that maintained genetic diversity and > have yielded to market demands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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