A step to address the malnutrition through Pulses diversity: An initiative by MSSRF

Dr. Merlin Lopus

Pulses are the dried edible seeds of cultivated legumes and belong to the family of peas, beans and lentils. Pulses are important for nutrition and attenuate protein hunger in a country like India, which has the largest number of people with malnutrition in the world. India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses, but facing a pulses deficit of about 6 million tonnes. Protein rich grain legume crops can play an important role in combating protein mal-nutrition in the developing countries through mixed diet of cereals and pulses. Recent analysis by the multi country LANSA consortium project led by MSSRF depicted the importance of pulses to address the malnutrition in India where 37% of children under 5 are stunted and 34% are underweight (NFHS-4). According to a study by the FAO, roughly 75% of plant genetic diversity has been lost worldwide since 1990s. Farmers have left their local varieties and land races for genetically improved and high yielding varieties. Therefore, conservation of local varieties is important as it is the source of nutrition and climate resilient farming systems. A centralized pulse Germplasm with 21 local varieties of pulses are maintained at the M S Swaminathan Botanical Garden with the support of DST and the concept has extended to the community. The purpose of starting a community centric botanic garden is to demonstrate the best practices, methods, skills and strategies needed for enhancing the community conservation efforts that have stronger impacts on the food, nutrition, health and livelihood security of the forest dependant and small holder farm families. Over the years, the concept of community agro-biodiversity management become perfected with the approach of integrating conservation, cultivation, consumption and commerce – a 4C dimension of sustainable genetic resource management, partnering with local communities and synergising modern science and traditional knowledge.

Since 2008, CAbC-MSSRF is promoting the program seed village. Seed village programs assures good quality seeds of local varieties for cultivation at selected sites which in turn leads to enhanced production of pulses. This program aims to address the issues of malnutrition and climate change. Since pulses need less than one-fifth the water rice requires, they are also water-smart. Getting farmers to grow pulses is important to increase income, reduce water for farming and improve nutritional status. Another objective of this program is the enhancement of soil nutrition in zero cost by choosing pulses for the crop vacations of paddy fields. So far nine pulse seed villages in 64 acres at Wayanad and Kannur districts was established by the institute.