Asma Banu, an English teacher from Sanoor village near Murathangady in Karkala, has been selected for the Plant Genome Saviour Award for her efforts to conserve nearly 1,540 traditional rice varieties.
Udupi: Asma Banu, an English teacher from Sanur village near Murathangady in Karkala, has been selected for the Plant Genome Saviour Famer Recognition for her efforts to conserve nearly 1,540 traditional rice varieties. They cultivate paddy on about 1.5 acres of leased land and grow hundreds of varieties in separate containers around their house for conservation and documentation. He initially maintained around 100 varieties, but the demands of his job made conservation difficult. The couple harvests about 15 quintals of paddy annually, though production is not their primary objective. Asma is also studying quick-maturing strains from Tamil Nadu that can reportedly be harvested in about 45 days, compared with the longer duration required by conventional varieties. Daughter Mariam Afna is a Class 10 student, while son Afran is an undergraduate.
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“It is my dream to conserve and document as many paddy varieties as possible, not only from India but from across the world,” Asma said. She said her husband began growing paddy nearly a decade ago while working as a hotel manager. Asma recalled that Afna, while in Class 9, delivered a talk at the “Beeja Parampara: Conserving Our Past, Cultivating Our Future” programme in Bengaluru, which was also attended by a team of German scientists. Reacting to the recognition, she said this is an inspiration that educated people can also take up paddy cultivation and conservation. She said it is an award to the efforts put by the entire family.
Along with her husband, Abubakkar, she has been nurturing a living repository of rice diversity. The couple records each variety’s growth period, yield, characteristics and cultivation requirements. Their aim is to create a database useful to farmers and researchers. Asma then joined the effort and helped expand the collection. Their collection includes Assam Black, Burma Black, Selam Sanna, Rajbhog, Navara, Raktashali, Gandhasale, Raja Kayame and Nagasampige, a rare variety. Their children also assist in the conservation efforts. Asma and Afna also participated in a workshop held as part of the initiative. Download the TOI App.
Last year, scientists from the Mandya Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) collected the seeds to verify their authenticity and have since been conducting experiments at the centre.