In southern Odisha farmers are switching from water-guzzling eucalyptus trees to diversified farming of traditional crops to boost soil fertility, crop yield, household income and dietary diversity.
Groves of tall eucalyptus trees stand out in the rugged, tribal landscape of Koraput district in southern Odisha. But they may not be there for long.
This Australian native is “alien” to this land, planted decades ago as a “cash tree” because of its prized hardwood, craved by the paper pulp and furniture industries, and as firewood for brick kilns and earthenware factories. Its oil is a bestseller too.
“It grows fast and even cattle don’t eat it. Traders often give away free saplings. There’s always an assured price for its lumber. Which is why many farmers adopted eucalyptus plantations,” said Ghasi Gadaba of Gelaguda village.
The trade-off would have been fine for Koraput natives living off their land had those water-guzzling eucalyptus trees let farm crops grow under their canopy.
But they don’t.
Eucalyptus is turning out to be an invasive species that crowds out native vegetation and chokes out traditional crops like millets, pulses, leafy greens, mushrooms, tubers and spuds. Those are staple ingredients of desia khadi, meaning the food prepared with local produce.
Eucalyptus was introduced in India by Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan in the 1790s as an ornamental tree. It became a cash crop after 1980, feeding a growing demand for wood.
If we put all our land to eucalyptus, what will we eat?
Ghasi’s wife Pujari Gadaba spells out the cons of eucalyptus.
“Men from paper mills persuaded us and hoping to earn good money, we planted eucalyptus on land where we grew millets, pulses, oilseeds and cereals. We grow most of our food. If we put all our land to eucalyptus, what will we eat?” she said. “Eucalyptus takes at least seven years to mature. It can be profitable if you have 10 acres. We are small farmers with hardly three acres.”
The commercial push for eucalyptus has been a major threat to Odisha’s biodiversity and to its tribe folk’s food security.
Lakshmi Paraja of Chendijhila village regrets planting eucalyptus three years ago on her single-acre parcel.
“Eucalyptus sucks out the life of all crops. It damages the soil so badly that even grass can’t thrive on it,” she told Village Square.
Eucalyptus roots and leaves secrete toxins that restrict growth of grass, herbs and shrubs. The trees are also helplessly prone to wildfires because of the oil and resin they secrete.
A eucalyptus tree devours about 1,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of biomass, absorbing moisture through its dimorphic root system: lateral roots suck out surface water, while vertical roots go nine metres deep and deplete groundwater.
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Nandu Jani, assistant agriculture officer at Boipariguda block, said farmers have reported loss of soil productivity and fertility after plantation of eucalyptus.
The farmers are now switching back to diversified farming of crops which are less thirsty and give a better yield and hence, increase soil fertility and household income.
“We want to go back to our traditional crops. Those bear our ancestral roots. Our children will become strong like our grandparents only if they eat our desia khadi. Mandia pej (finger millet porridge), suan bhat (boiled little millet), kandul (tur dal), kanda (tuber), saag (greens), chhatu (mushroom). The more we eat this food, the healthier we become,” said Lakshmi Khila, a tribal woman from Chendijhila village.
Local NGOs with support from the Odisha government are encouraging farmers to revive their traditional multi-cropping and inter-cropping system. The Odisha Millets Mission, a flagship programme of the state government, is also helping the cause.
“But it’s not easy to restore soil fertility. It takes time,” said Ghasi, who has cleared his eucalyptus trees to make space for diversified crops like pulses, millets, cereals, oilseeds, tubers and vegetables.
Farmers were trained to make organic manure to restore soil nutrients, ensure quicker germination, robust plant growth and resistance to pests and diseases. It took Ghasi around five months to prepare the soil covered with eucalyptus leaves suitable for crops.
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Lakshmi’s husband Harihar is a happy man after years of brooding over his eucalyptus disaster.
“I was able to sell finger millet at a minimum support price set by the government. I sold at Rs 3,300 a quintal. It’s a first for me. I earned over Rs 30,000 from finger millet last year. Arhar dal fetched me Rs 12,000,” he said.
Lakshmi is happy because there’s more variety on the plate.
“When you grow diverse crops, you harvest different crops at different times of the year,” said Mani Majhi of Parabhadi village.
The surplus is sold in local weekly markets.
“That’s how we managed to earn money throughout the year. That is not possible with eucalyptus,” Majhi added, pointing to indigenous seeds of finger millet, little millet, black gram, red gram, and maize.
The old wisdom of biodiversity is regaining ground.
“A minimum support price should be offered for other traditional crops as well. It will help preserve agrobiodiversity, the key to mitigate climate change and malnutrition and bring dietary diversity,” said Pratap Jena, a block coordinator.
The lead image at the top shows eucalyptus plant (Photo by Flora Westbrook, Canva)
