Koslanda: rice paddy
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Koslanda: rice paddy
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Rice is Sri Lanka’s staple food crop, and it is widely cultivated. The cultivation of rice, of late, has been mostly confined to large-scale mono-cultivation of a few genetically modified varieties of rice over vast areas of the country. Historically rice was an inherent part of life in Sri Lanka, with a family’s wealth being determined by the quantity of rice they possessed. The Attuwa or the rice storage house was the centre of a family’s prosperity. Each clan were the proud cultivators of their own special variety of rice, so that each region made different rices their signature crops. As time passed by, under the guise of the “green revolution” the high-yielding “miracle-brands” of rice introduced by the Rice Research Institute in the Philippines wiped out most of the non-genetically modified seeds of traditional rices. Thus whole strains of rice were lost, and the whole form of rice cultivation was revolutionised. The tractor replaced the buffalo and the rituals and lifestyle associated with rice culture slowly disintegrated to leave in its wake vast colonized fields of rice that was further nutritionally impaired by heavy processes of polishing and stripping before it hit the store shelves.
Studies have shown that brown rice, which is the most widely consumed rice in Sri Lanka, is particularly popular in village areas. According to Dr. D.P. Atukorale, it is the most nutritious form of rice in Sri Lanka. Dr. Atukorale in his article on the Nutritional Value of Rice, (Colombo: The Island newspaper, Saturday, 16 March 2002) states that brown rice provides rice bran which lowers blood cholesterol, reduces the risk of bowel cancer, diminishes the formation of kidney and bladder stones and can help normalize the blood sugar levels of insulin dependent diabetics. Brown rice is thus a valuable part of any diet, far superior to white, processed rice, which if consumed on a large scale, continually, can be most unhealthy. Rice cultivated organically is also gaining popularity. On the world market in particular, the adverse effects of pesticides and an increased awareness of the health risks have prompted an increased interest in organic and traditionally cultivated produce.
Our aim is to setup a Living Heritage rice certification programme with students from Guru Gama playing a vital role. This extension programme intends to re-introduce the cultivation of traditional varieties of rice, and to resurrect traditional methods of agriculture to preserve the purity and the tradition, which we are attempting to perpetuate. Living Heritage Trust has sourced 20 varieties of traditional rice, which have been preserved from the piracy of genetic modification. It is our intention to promote the cultivation of these traditional varieties of rices. By giving local farmers living adjacent to the Guru Gama, and the incentive to cultivate using traditional methods, we will preserve the fast vanishing varieties of rice that are inherent to Sri Lankan villages, which now, as specialty rices become a fast developing product in the global market, are a valuable revenue earner. We intend to give the farmers guaranteed purchase orders to increase the incentive to practice traditional agriculture, which will make them economically independent and boost the local economy.
Rice cultivated in this manner will be far more than organic. The cultivation methods encompass the rites, rituals and lifestyle that go hand-in-hand with the preservation of the environment, as small-sale agriculture inherently is far less rapacious and damaging to its environment than large scale farming of any kind. The training at Guru Gama, will also focus on teaching rural agriculturists and young people to look at rice and its cultivation as a part of their culture, and to make this culture an economically viable resource. The rice, cultivated under our stringent specifications with all the ancient rituals and traditions, on small-scale fields, will be given “Living Heritage Rice” certification, which declares it a traditionally cultivated product. This will form a source of direct income for the farmers and it can also be marketed to other eco-tourism ventures, giving Sri Lanka a brand for its traditional varieties of rice.
The traditional cultivation of rice will form the core of our program aimed at preserving traditional lifestyles. We believe that making traditional living sustainable and profitable to those who pursue it will not only result in preventing the loss of part of our culture, but also give modern youth in the villages opportunities in areas where they might excel. Today cultures ‘embodying traditional lifestyles’ have been recognised as a vital component of Global Bio-diversity and have been earmarked for conservation in the Convention on Bio-diversity Article 8(j). At present the Koslanda region has been selected for the cultivation of organic tea, and by mega companies like John Keels Holdings, as the site for organic farming. The nature of the enterprises that these other companies and we are setting up within the region will provide employment to the local population and bring increased revenue to the area. However, in order to validate and preserve the “sanctity” and wholesomeness of the region, which is indeed its most valuable resource, there is a corresponding necessity to protect and preserve the natural environment. The re-marketing of Sri Lanka in the global tourism market demands the preservation of what sets us a part. The preservation of what is traditional to us, our food, our rituals and our culture, is now no longer simply important to sentimental nationalists – it is an economically viable way to steer Sri Lanka into the next century, and give us a global presence while preventing us from joining the long march into standardisation where we are at present en route.
The Living Heritage Trust
1, Horton Terrace
Colombo-7 Sri Lanka
Email: info@livingheritage.org
