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Journalism of Courage
Agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 98, had a strong association with Odisha – over the past two decades, his organisation, the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), has actively worked in Koraput district’s Jeypore region. After completing his PhD from Cambridge University, Swaminathan had joined the Cuttack-based Central Rice Research Centre, a unit of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
MSSRF’s regional centre, the Biju Patnaik Tribal Agrobiodiversity Centre (BPTAbC) at Jeypore, helps tribal farmers protect their intellectual property rights. “Professor’s (as Swaminathan is referred to) guidance and values will always remain our guiding light. Koraput had a special place in his heart. Wherever he went, he mentioned Koraput and its rich biodiversity,” Prasant Kumar Parida, director, BPTAbC, told The Indian Express. Swaminathan had last visited BPTAbC in 2011.
Swaminathan also worked in mangrove restoration and preservation of coastal land in Kendrapara district of Odisha for around 12 years since 1994.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also recalled his association with Odisha, saying that Dr Swaminathan started his early days of research in the state and was always available to help its farmers in every possible manner. “His foundation is closely associated in improving farming activities in tribal areas of Odisha. His death created a huge void in the field of agricultural science,” said Patnaik.
Jeypore was once known to be the home of the largest number of rice varieties in India, which were vanishing fast. Concerned about this, the MSSRF undertook research in 1998 to improve the condition of farmers while revitalising the vanishing rice varieties.
The MSSRF has also been working on conservation of biodiversity, promotion of sustainable livelihoods through micro-level interventions, and establishment of community-managed gene, seed, grain and water banks. The organisation has also been instrumental in promoting genetic literacy and documentation of local conservation traditions.
The foundation also supported women tribal farmers in forming self help groups and taking up activities like water resource management, wasteland reclamation and marketing of kala jeera, a specialty rice.
Initiatives taken up by the MSSRF in participation with local tribal communities led to Jeypore receiving the prestigious Equator Initiative Award in 2002 for conservation of plant genetic resources and traditions, said Parida.
The Odisha government has provided 5 hectares of land to MSSRF for establishment of the BPTAbC, to research the vast medicinal plant resources in the region. The centre established an ex-situ (conservation of biodiversity outside their natural habitat) conservation centre of medicinal plants of major tribes in the regions, including Paroja, Bonda, Kandha, Koya, Saura, Gond, Gadaba, Bhumia and Bhatra. Specific land patches were assigned to every community to cultivate plants they use for healthcare needs.
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