There are initiatives ongoing to encourage farmers in the area to grow a range of green leafy vegetables including Amaranthus as part of mixed cropping.
Financial advantages of Amaranthus
Even though it is known to be very nutritious and is still consumed but in a limited quantity, it also has economic advantages and allows farmers to have multiple harvests to increase their revenue. But cultivation was gradually on the wane and with it a slice of culinary culture.
“A wide range of green vegetables, such as Kirkire Soppu and Dantina Soppu, are referred to as amaranthus and are used in limited quantity. Additionally, its cultivation and growth are steadily declining, and we want to reintroduce it to society," said Krishna Prasad, Director of Sahaja Samruddha, an organization that promotes the production of indigenous crops as well as maps the diversity of crops in Karnataka.
He also said that Danttu and stem amaranth used to be cultivated in household gardens and hilly places and once cultivated, farmers harvest it and increase their income
In an effort to popularise Amaranthus, Sahaja Samruddha purchased 30 kinds of the indigenous crop from various regions of the nation, and all of them were experimentally grown on Srinivas' farm in Ramenahalli, H.D.Kote taluk of Mysuru district.
Field Visit
According to Sahaja Samruddha, in order to discover which varieties, work best on farms and to get input from possible end-users, a group of experts including scientists, visited the farm last week for Participatory Varietal Selection Training.
“In order to encourage its production among the local farmers, the organization also wanted to determine which traditional varieties were amenable to the local climatic circumstances. The goal was to encourage farmers to preserve the traditional varieties in addition to increasing agricultural diversity”, Mr. Krishna Prasad added.
The crop provided the most nutrition per calorie compared to most foods, according to Aravinda Kumar, Assistant Professor at the College of Horticulture in Mysuru, who also noted that Amaranthus was a fantastic source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, B, and C and a fantastic source of vitamin K.
For the participants, the field trip was also intended to help farmers understand how to include Amaranthus into their mixed-cropping plan, encourage crop diversification, and provide rural communities with the tools they need to build on indigenous and traditional knowledge, skills, and traditions.
There were 65 participants from Mysuru and the neighboring regions in the field day, which helped determine the types that the majority of men and women farmers prefer as well as the reasons for their demands.
Participants, including those who know what grows well in their soil, were asked to choose the best variety among the 30 cultivars at the farm that will be pest and disease-tolerant, climate-adaptable, and good for cooking. According to Mr. Krishna Prasad around 10 varieties have been chosen for future replication and distribution to a larger area.
