Abstract

Protection of stored agricultural products against insect attack is essential for safe and steady supply of high-quality grains. Indigenous practices of grain storage are advantageous as they indulge in little or no cost and are readily available. The study was carried out with an objective to document the traditional storage practices adopted by the farmers of tribal communities of Nalgonda District of Telangana  state. Data collection was done through direct interview method with the farmers maintaining the storage structures. This paper highlights the scenario of the crops cultivated for five decades by the tribal community and identifies the indigenous grain storage practice adopted and the constraints encountered in practicing the traditional method. Post harvest, the produce is stored for a long period before consumption for future use. In storage, insects, mites, micro-organism, birds, rodents and environmental factors like moisture cause significant losses. Proper storage of food grains is necessary to prevent spoilage, to increase keeping quality and for monetary reasons. The practice of following traditional method for storage of various household items dates back to the very earliest periods of known history. Certain practices are unique to a given culture of a society and vary between countries, regions, villages and even communities based on their habitat and the crops cultivated. Tribal communities have accumulated knowledge of household practices over generations by observation, experimentation and by handling age old people’s experiences and wisdom. Many of the indigenous practices adopted by them find their credibility even in the modern era. According to Nagnur Shoba et al (2006), the logic behind use of the traditional fool proof storage system to protect stored produce from insect infestation for considerably longer periods was the user-friendly material used for storage structure and its association with scientific reasoning. Keeping this in view an exploratory study is conducted to know the traditional grain storage practices adopted and the extent of modifications taken place in the past five decades in the tribal communities of Andhra Pradesh.

Time series analysis through focus group discussion revealed that during 1960 and 1990 the major crop cultivation in the tribal communities included cereals, pulses, millets and vegetables. Jowar and Ragi, were the major crops as they were the staple food of that time. It was also revealed that inter cropping was practiced. During 1980s paddy was introduced in little portions on experimental basis in these communities. It is interesting to know that so grown rice was served as meal only for school going boys in the family. With the advent of green revolution in 1960s and its spread till 1990s, the focus has shifted towards cultivation of paddy in large scale resulting in gradual reduction in the cultivation of other cereals, millets and pulses. Jowar and Ragi cultivation was radically reduced by 2010 and they were replaced by rice which became the staple food of the population. Presently, maize, cotton and paddy have become the preferable crops irrespective of the land holding of the farmer. With regard to vegetables and fruits cultivation, till 1990s indigenously grown brinjal, pumpkins, drumsticks and leafy vegetables like bachata, Gongora were grown while among fruits guava, custard apple, berries, and mangoes were in cultivation. During mid 1990s new vegetable varieties were introduced including cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes varieties, beans, spinach, and coriander. Banana and papaya were included among fruits. One of the main reasons attributed for the shift towards paddy cultivation was changes in cropping pattern and this shift towards paddy is due to high yield varieties which are fertilizer responsive and also declaration of minimum support price by government. This scenario has gradually led most of the farmers to abstain from storing other commodities except paddy which might be due to the fact that paddy is in demand as cash crop and it being the staple food. This analysis reveals that the tribal areas are influenced by the policies and market demands, thereby cultivation of pulses, cereals and millets has undergone a radical change in the past five decades.