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| ISSUE NO. 653 |
| This week's newsletter is part of an ongoing series on indigenous crops being cultivated by last-generation farmers in India, by Sanket Jain. You can read Jain's essays on finger millet, maize, indigenous sorghum, and ancient wheat in our archive. Jain is an independent journalist and documentary photographer based in Kolhapur, India. He is a Senior People's Archive of Rural India fellow, where he's documenting vanishing livelihoods and dying art forms from India's remote villages, and is also the co-founder of Insight Walk, a nonprofit that offers teaching fellowships to rural community women. These women work to ensure every child in their village has access to contextual education of their choice - at Insight Walk, every student designs their own syllabus. Follow Jain's work on instagram @snkt_jain. MALUBAI WADKAR PROUDLY SAYS . . .
90-year-old Malubai carries a legacy of cultivating the udid for over 75 years. Her most interesting memory of black gram is how the crop survived the 1972 drought, one of the most devastating droughts of the previous century affecting 20 million people, which formed 57 percent of Maharashtra state’s rural population situated in Western India.
Believed to be first cultivated in South Asia, black gram is resistant to a larger spectrum of pest attacks and remains one of India's most important pulse crops. It can be cultivated in almost any soil.
Malubai's son, Tanaji, 63, owns 1.5 acres of land and has been farming since he was in grade 3. Tanaji is the fourth generation in his family to continue the legacy of cultivating black gram. He worries, however, that “the next generation wouldn't even know of this variety.”
In 2010, India produced 1.24 million metric tonnes of black gram, which doubled to 2.78 million in 2022. But despite being the world's largest pulse crop-producing country, the indigenous varieties are swiftly vanishing in India, says Tanaji, who also labored for over 35 years as a power loom worker.
In the past two decades, several hybrid varieties have been released which are easier to harvest. “Cultivating the traditional black gram requires a lot of effort,” says Malubai. In her village, Minche of Maharashtra state, this traditional variety is cultivated only once yearly, considering the optimal climatic conditions. It's usually sown after June 25 and harvested in October. Last year, they planted it on just 0.025 acres of land. “We managed to harvest 20 kilograms. It should have been at least 30 kilograms, but the rainfall pattern has changed completely,” she says.
Despite heat waves, irregular rainfall spells, hailstorms, and other climate change calamities, traditional black gram requires no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. “Its roots are extremely strong, which is evident from how laborious it is to harvest this,” explains Malubai.
To overcome these challenges, people followed a tradition where they bartered their labor. “Sometimes, I helped others harvest black gram, and in return, they helped me. When working with friends, no task seems difficult,” shares Tanaji. Even today, they follow this pattern. However, it's just the handful of farmers who now cultivate traditional crops. “Hiring laborers has become costly because of the rising cost of production,” says Malubai. “So traditional methods hold the key to the future problems.” Moreover, she shares that black gram seeds can be preserved for at least two years by storing them in raakh (ash).
Today, the traditional variety fetches at least Rs 100 ($1.2) per kilogram in her village. “In cities, the price goes even higher,” says Tanaji. However, the Wadkars never cultivated it for profit. “We never sell udid. Instead, we give it to friends and relatives for free. The more people it reaches, the more beneficial it is for this planet,” says Malubai.
The Wadkars also cultivate sugarcane, soybean, groundnut, emmer wheat, and other crops. From her profound farming experience, she says, “As traditional crops began fading, we started losing many delicious and healthy food items.” For instance, the indigeneous black gram was used to make dangar (a traditional winter food item made using black gram flour), amti (curry with a sweet and spicy flavor), papad (thin Indian flatbread made from lentil flour), and much more. “You replace it with a hybrid variety, and immediately, the taste changes.”
Black gram has 24 percent protein, almost three times those of cereals. Moreover, its nutritional fodder is a perfect feed for milch animals. Despite the benefits that outweigh the lesser yield, Malubai remains one of the few farmers in her region preserving it.
Talking of preserving the traditional seeds, she says, “Even if the younger generation spends just an hour with us daily, we can teach them how to preserve it.” Unfortunately, she says none has turned up. However, that hasn’t deterred her. “No matter what, we will preserve these seeds. This is our food and identity.”
Yours in food, justice, and food justice, |
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