'Waterman' Rajendra Singh bats for native seed rejuvenation, groundwater conservation

Ahmedabad, Nov 30 (PTI) India needs to protect and preserve its native seeds and rejuvenate their gene pool for agriculture sustainability and food sovereignty instead of opting for genetically modified (GM) varieties, renowned water conservationist and environmentalist Rajendra Singh said here on Saturday.

Singh, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner widely hailed as 'waterman of India', was interacting with media after joining as professor and chair of Anant Centre for Indigenous Knowledge System and Practices set up by city-based Anant National University (ANU).

"I have told the government and also requested the honourable judiciary that we need to protect and preserve the basic attributes and basic values of our native seeds. We will have to go back to the native gene pool of our seeds, because therein lies our food sovereignty and agricultural sustainability. There is no other way out," Singh told PTI.

GM crops are more prone to diseases compared to the seeds developed within one's own ecology, said Singh, who has attended consultations organised by the Union government for the proposed draft national policy on GM crops.

"Native seeds are today in degraded condition. The first approach should be to develop them using organic farming to enhance their disease-resistance capacity. This will not take more than five years. There is pollution in our air and soil. Therefore, it will take some time for our native seeds to rejuvenate their gene pool," he asserted.

Incidentally, the Supreme Court recently directed the Centre to evolve a national policy with regard to GM crops in the realm of research, cultivation, trade and commerce.

The bench directed that the national policy be formulated in consultation with all stakeholders, including experts in the field of agriculture, biotechnology, state governments, representatives of the farmers, etc.

Singh, who has worked extensively in the field of water conservation by helping build traditional structures such as 'johad' and check dams to collect rainwater, said there was need to sync the crop pattern of an area with its rainfall pattern for better conservation of groundwater.

Youngsters should be made aware of the alarming condition of the country's groundwater level and must be connected to our traditional knowledge system for a mass movement and a shift in behaviour.

"Today, 84 per cent of India's underground aquifer is overdraft. Our youth should know the situation we are facing if we need to achieve seed and soil sovereignty in agriculture. What we are witnessing is that our crop pattern is totally out of sync with our rain pattern. If anything, they are today linked to the market dynamics. People sow what is demanded by the market, and this has caused water scarcity," he said.

India never faced water shortage earlier when the crop cycle was linked to the rainfall cycle, he added.

ANU provost Anunaya Chaubey said Anant Centre for Indigenous Knowledge System and Practices will take a scientific and organised approach to map India's diverse indigenous knowledge systems, including current practices and those at risk of extinction. PTI KA BNM