Gaur Paper

							  Combating Desertification: Building on Traditional Knowledge
           System of the Thar Desert Communities
                               1
           Dr. Mahesh K. Gaur                             Dr. Mrs. Hemlata Gaur
           Lecturer-in-Geography                             Executive Director
          Department of Geography                Institute of Environment Management &
        SBK Government PG College,              Sustainable Development, 10/35 Chopasni
    Jaisalmer-345 001 Rajasthan, INDIA.          Housing Board, Jodhpur-342008. INDIA
         maheshjee@rediffmail.com                          iemsd@satyam.net.in


                                     ABSTRACT

       Thar Desert of western India is known for its rich communities, ancient culture
system and traditions. The communities have evolved strategies to live with its most
hostile environment. This culture has provided several miracle plants of immense
food and medicinal value to the modern civilization. Rural livelihood knowledge
system has been a key feature of the Thar Desert communities since pre-historic
period. It reflects time-tested techno-scientific knowledge with proven track record of
sustainability especially during the natural hazards like drought and famines. The
cultivars have protected the biodiversity with which they have symbiotic relationship
and have been the part of the Thar Desert ecosystem. They have derived their basic
needs for survival from the desert biodiversity, that is, food for themselves (leaves,
fruits, nuts, tubers, pods etc.), fodder for their livestock, fuel for cooking, fibers for
clothing, timber, ropes, bark, bamboo, and grasses for animal feed, housing and
farming medicinal herbs for health care, and diverse goods like gums, resins, honey,
waxes for their economic benefits. In turn, they protected the desert ecosystem,
conserved its biodiversity through and also enriched its fertility through various
socio-cultural and religious activities, faiths and practices like orans, gauchars,
baoris, tanka, nadi, etc. Further several of the traditional skills of local communities
in arts and crafts, music and instruments have made aware modern man of the art
and techniques of utilizing sustainably local biological resources and their
biodiversity along with waste products of the forests, without harming the desert
ecosystem. Knowledge of the use of fibers for making furniture, ropes, mats and
baskets; use of cow, goat and buffalo hides for carrying water, camel hide for storing
Ghee (butter), and for making shoes and other leather articles for daily use; the use
of plant dyes for dyeing and coloring in the world famous textile industries of Barmer,



                                            1
Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Pali; handicraft items from locally available trees like Fog
(Calligonoum polygonides), Khejari (Prosopis cineria), Rohida (Tecomella undulata),
desi babool (Acacia nilotica), Jal (Salvadora oleoides), kair (Capparis decidua), Aak
(Calotropis procera), ber (Zizyphus nummularia) etc. and use in building purpose –
all have from the cultural practices of local communities that has been developed
through trial and error method. The traditional cultural and socio-religious values are
fast dwindling under the impact of materialistic approach, industrialization and
development. And present-day development schemes and efforts further aggravate
the situation by usually ignoring their indigenous knowledge system but offer
replacing traditional infrastructure of soil & water conservation with new construction,
and replacing indigenous management arrangements like biodiversity conservation,
livestock and economy management, soil & water conservation management and
other livelihood supporting instruments with state bureaucracies. Thus throwing
man-made relationship in the red-tappism. This present paper endeavour to illustrate
and somewhat try to emphasize that for reasons of environmental conservation,
combating desertification and natural hazards, and institutional stability of common
property resources (CPRs), indigenous rural livelihood systems should be wisely
assisted and propagated, rather than mindlessly replaced or abandoned under the
tutelage of state bureaucracies.

Thar Desert: An Overview
       The Thar Desert of western India is the most densely populated hot desert
in the world. It lies between 24040’ to 30012’ N latitudes and 6903’ to 7600’ E
longitudes, covering an area of 210,016 sq.km. which is about 64.1 per cent of
the Rajasthan State. It comprises of twelve districts of Rajasthan namely,
Barmer, Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jalore,
Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali and Sikar. Typical characteristics of the Thar
are: (i) slight off with astonishing variability; (ii) large diurnal variation of
temperature and high maximum temperature during summer season causing
great evapotranspiration; (iii) scanty and xerophytic vegetation and practically no
agriculture making it necessary for inhabitants to depend upon the animal
resources resulting in sparse and nomadic population; and (iv) long and



                                           2
frequently occurring droughts and famines. Thar desert supports 17,509,490
persons. It is one of the densely populated deserts of the world having a
population density of 59 persons per sq. km.

Irrigation water is now available following the completion of the Indira Gandhi
Canal project. However, dryland-farming practices, where water for plant growth
is supplied entirely by rainfall, still predominates.




                                            3
      Combating Desertification: Building on Traditional
      Knowledge System of the Thar Desert Communities
            Dr. Mahesh K. Gaur                           Dr. Mrs. Hemlata Gaur
           Lecturer-in-Geography                            Executive Director
          Department of Geography               Institute of Environment Management &
        SBK Government PG College,             Sustainable Development, 10/35 Chopasni
    Jaisalmer-345 001 Rajasthan, INDIA.         Housing Board, Jodhpur-342008. INDIA
         maheshjee@rediffmail.com                         iemsd@satyam.net.in



Introduction
       Man’s struggle for natural resources conservation had started in antiquity.
Various conservation-related techniques that mitigate resource degradation were
practiced. Techniques pertained to maximize conservation of land and water to
maintain plant, animal and human population on a sustainable basis. Indigenous
land and water use systems, cropping patterns, livelihoods, life styles, rainwater
harvesting techniques, vegetation conservation and preservation, livestock
migration and pastoralism, have been evolved over centuries to match the
endowments and vulnerabilities of the local bio-resources. Traditional knowledge,
coupled with the culture and religion, has played a major role in the development
and preservation of the eco-system of the Thar desert.
       Unfortunately, basic requirements of the local people sometimes force
them into activities that lead to a loss of biodiversity. Therefore, it is essential that
programs aimed at conserving biodiversity should take into account the basic
livelihood systems of local people. Moreover, indigenous knowledge can be used
to fulfill socioeconomic needs and conserve biodiversity at one and the same
time. The present article endeavors to explore the diversity of the traditional
knowledge systems practiced by the people of the Thar Desert (map -1).




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Traditional knowledge
Traditional communities and the environment
       Traditional communities have long had a significant interdependence with
the lands and environments in which they live. These land and environments are
vital for their survival, providing a wide array of substances for food, shelter and
implements. They also provide a source for a variety of objects for both ritual and
everyday use. The land and environment is also significant in traditional society’s
cultural, religious and social systems. Traditional communities of the Thar desert
are custodians and stewards of their lands and environments, and have been
entrusted by ancestral charters for these through successive generations.
The land, its features, environments and products form cultural landscapes,
which are given significance by traditional belief systems. These cultural
landscapes are both the result of, and provide the focus for, ancestral events.
Together with traditional social, political and religious systems, lands and
environments are interwoven into a tightly integrated cultural systems that derive
their meaning from the ‘Dreaming’. This integrated cultural system forms the
basis for their indigenous knowledge.

What is traditional knowledge?
   Traditional communities of the Thar Desert have a vast knowledge of, and
capacity   for   developing   innovative       practices   and   products   from   their
environments. The following distinctive features characterize indigenous
knowledge:
          collective rights and interests held by traditional communities in their
           knowledge
          close interdependence between knowledge, land, and other aspects of
           culture in traditional societies
          oral transmission of knowledge in accordance with well understood
           cultural principles, and
          rules regarding secrecy and sacredness that govern the management
           of knowledge.
   Systems of knowledge, and their products and expressions are vital to
ensuring the continuity of Traditional cultures, and are important vehicles for
enabling Thar Desert communities to adapt their societies and cultures to


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introduced societies, cultures and technologies. By maintaining cultural diversity,
recognition   and   protection   of   Indigenous   knowledge     can   also   benefit
environmental conservation and sustainable management.

Traditional Desertification Combating System (TDCS)
       Despite its intra-regional heterogeneities a number of important features of
the region’s natural resource base and their implications may be renowned.
       First, highly erodible and nutrient-poor soils and paucity of moisture do not
permit intensive use of land. They favour activities like pasture based livestock
rearing as against crop farming. Secondly, low and unstable rainfall and short
period of moisture availability cause greater uncertainty for production of grain
(i.e. maturing of crop) as against producing other biomass from the same crops.
Thirdly, the natural vegetation including desert trees, shrubs, perennial grasses
(and even perennial grasses at times) are relatively less sensitive to length of wet
period and fluctuations in rainfall than the domesticated crops. The former
imparts greater certainty to production.
       Historically, the societal response to these constraints and potentials have
emphasized the land use practices and cropping systems which enhanced
quantity ad certainty of production and thereby helped sustain livelihood activities
without unduly increasing the use intensity of land. (Jodha, 1982)
       Traditional desertification combating system is an integrated approach to
land use/land cover that is characterized by the deliberate maintenance of trees
and other shrubby perennials in fields and pastures. The desertification
combating system has traditionally helped farmers to meet their needs for a
variety of goods and services. The desertification combating system of the
people of the Thar Desert consists of rainfed agricultural lands and community
protected lands known as gauchars and orans.
       An important and related issue was the prevalence of crop and livestock
based mixed farming systems in this area. This further reinforced the need and
utility of integrated use of diverse sources of the Desert biomass. Religious flavor
had been given by the local communities and drawn up laws and regulations to
minimize the cutting of tree in these lands.


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Traditional Systems:
   1. Animal-human relationship
      Animal human relationship and its role in desertification is important to a
   greater extent in the Thar desert. Livestock is an important asset of the
   inhabitants and it significantly supplements household’s economy. Livestock
   rearing is the traditional functional specialization of different castes and
   communities of the region. Raika is the most predominant traditional livestock
   rearing community. Gujjars, Rajputs, Jats, Mali, Kumhars and Sirvi also rear
   livestock in addition to cultivation. Overstocking and leading to overgrazing
   are often being the consequence of a demographic increase higher than the
   basic productive capacities of the habitat. Livestock has remained an asset
   for survival during scarcity period. As these hardy animals like goat, sheep
   and camel can survive in any desert or arid environment without much
   environmental support. Local breed of these bovine animals are superior in
   combating physiological stress caused by the reduction in the daily water and
   feed intake.
   Furthermore, they were utilized efficiently. Like, hide for fetching and storage
   of water and butter (locally called Ghee), bone for carving purposes, milk and
   other milk products for local use. Most important feature behind the rearing of
   the animals were – that these animals did not require any special attention for
   rearing as well as feeding and used to deliver calves every 6-8 months. So
   they used to sell them and earn money. As a result there was a perennial
   source of income to the inhabitants.
   2. Settlement:
   Societal adaptation to Thar Desert conditions can be drawn from its origin. It
   is till date available in the form of various practices ranging from scattered
   settlement pattern (called Dhanis, (fig-1) and nomadism on the one hand to
   folk agronomy and ethno-engineering (involving a variety of measures
   designed) for conservation and security of water on the other.
   Desert communities traditional system of response vis-à-vis scarcity to
   maximize production and make out a living and combat desertification



                                          7
included indigenous agro-forestry, crop-fallow rotation, common property
resources (CPRs), folk agronomy emphasizing crop production, collective
security measures against crop and fodder scarcity, crop-livestock based
mixed farming, supply led adjustments in use of production, etc, constituted
important provisions of the desert farmer’s production centered strategies.
These provisions, mostly helped in meeting different objectives of the
traditional societies including sustained supply of forage and fodder.

3. Fallow land system:
To combat the process of desertification, the foremost necessity is to improve
checks on the relatively high increasing population in arid zone. The
traditional practices have been followed since time immemorial are, leaving
land fallow for a longer period to gain fertility and protect open land from the
wind erosion. So the traditional communities used to achieve their twin goals
of higher crop production, especially fodder, and lower use of several
measures. The practice of crop-fallow rotation and provision of traditional
agroforestry are two important methods of the Thar Desert communities.
The crop-fallow rotation has had significance in rebuilding of soil fertility but
also provided space for grazing and collection of fodder, fuel and minor forest
produce.
a) Provision of traditional agroforestry: The number of trees, especially khejari
(Prosopis cineraria) and ber bush colonies within the fields and matt
(shelterbelt) on the field-borders were different components of traditional
agroforestry system in the villages of Thar Desert. Trees provided fodder, fuel
and other minor forest produce, besides keeping part of crop land under
natural vegetation.
Ber, hingona and aak (Calotropis) bushes deep roots were cut before planting
the next crop. They used to sprout and grow with the crops.
Khejari trees were lopped for fodder and fuel every year after the harvest of
kharif (rainy) season crops. Trees growing on the matt were not cut, except
for fuel, thatching etc. though camel and goats were allowed to browse on
them.


                                      8
In fact desert trees are adapted to overcome natural hindrances and are less
affected by rain conditions compared to crops.
b) Agroforestry
   Sewan Grass: In the heart of the Thar desert, where eking out a living is
   as difficult as anywhere else in the world, the sewan (Lesirus sindicus)
   grassland is an important gift of the nature to the Thar Desert. Through
   thousands of years, it has provided vital nutritious fodder for the cattle of
   the pastoral inhabitants of the area. Sewan rangelands are spread in the
   low rainfall (100-150 mm) zone of Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer districts.
   Popularly known as the king of the desert, sewan is remarkably adapted to
   the desert. Extremely finicky about the timing and amount of rainfall,
   sewan's roots can however lie low and wait for years at a stretch, despite
   recurring periods of drought. A couple of showers is all it takes for the
   grass to maximize its production. It has a high protein content of 7-11 per
   cent. Local communities swear that the butter and milk from cattle fed with
   this grass is a distinctly darker shade of yellow and highly enriched.
   Sewan is cut and stored by the villagers for use in times of drought and
   scarcity. The grass can be stored for up to 10 years. Regular browsing
   and moderate cutting are good for the grasslands and promote growth.
   (Fig-2)
   4. Water Harvesting System:
   a. Khadeen (tiny low height earthen dams)
   Khadeen is a land-use system in the Thar Desert in which runoff from a
   catchment is stored in fields at lower levels behind a bund. Khadeen is an
   earthen dam that is just 4 -6 feet in height and 1000 to 3000 feet long and
   made of mud. A khadeen or the mud dam covers an agricultural field on
   three sides. One side is left open for entrance of rainwater. Rainwater
   collected thus (in a Khadeen) is soaked by the soil within 2 to 5 weeks.
   This increases the soil-moisture and yields Kharif crops like Bajra, Moth,
   Til, Jowar, Guar, Moong, Matira, etc., in spite of scanty rainfall. It has been
   a tradition to harvest rainwater by constructing Khadeens for cultivation in



                                      9
the hard soil of Thar Desert. Khadeens are seen as an oasis in the desert
even by the propounders of the modern technology and they do not see
any alternative due its low cost and benefits.

Fields immediately behind the bund typically remain submerged during the
rainy season while those at higher levels within the khadeen have assured
moisture for a rainy season crop. A post rainy season crop is grown on
stored moisture in areas that are submerged during the rainy season.
Even in a drought, a rainy season crop is assured; and in a good year, a
more remunerative post rainy season crop can be produced.
Community khadeens include the fields of many farmers behind a single
lengthy bund. Soil moisture and nutrient conditions and hence cropping
possibilities vary depending on the location of a field within the khadeen.
(fig-3)

b. Tanka:
Rainwater harvesting is an age-old tradition of Thar Desert. Different
regions have varying kinds of underground tanks, locally known as
‘Tanka’. Where natural catchment is not available, a 1.5 to 2 feet high mud
embankment is constructed to produce the desired effect. This artificial
catchment facilitates the collection of rainwater inside the Tanka. Even
today, Tanka is used in 80% of rural households for harvesting rainwater.
(fig-4)

c. Nadi - Pond -Baori
It had been a common phenomenon to construct a pond or nadi (a local
man-made pond) for rainwater harvesting purposes, in the entire Thar
Desert. The augaur (catchment area) and pachaur (excess water drainage
exit) are maintained meticulously. (fig-5)
The special systems of Baori (step well) and pond were very popular in
the Desert area till the last one-decade. In the olden days, ponds and
baoris were constructed with the active help of community labour.
Rainwater collected in the ponds was utilized for the first six months of the



                                  10
      rainy season. The Baoris underneath these ponds were used for the
      remaining six months. The pond-water, which used to percolate through
      the pond, was collected in the Baori. Hence, water was there available
      throughout the year. Grazing cattle, defecating or urinating, and felling
      trees, or plants in the augaur and pachaur of the pond was strictly
      prohibited. The entire village-folk used to clean up the Nadi and Baori
      regularly.

      d. Roof-top collection of rainwater:
      It has been a tradition of the Thar Desert communities to collect roof-top
      rainwater during the monsoon season. This water was collected in the
      tankas and big earthen pots and was used for drinking purposes by the
      communities. Water from tankas were used after the nadi water exhausted
      and in the last earthen pot water was utilized. Nadi water was used both
      by human beings and livestock.
6. Soil & Water Conservation Strategies:
      Indigenous knowledge of following conservation strategies provide an
      evidence that crop residues, manures and leaves of vegetation were used
      for mulching the fields. Growing of legumes (cowpea, Mung-bean, Moth-
      bean), creepers as watermelon, Kakkari (Cucumis melo), Kachri (Cucumis
      callosus), Tumba (Citrullus colocynthus) and fodder crop (cluster bean)
      provide better protection to land against soil erosion.
      Another important practices were the stubble mulching that had been
      followed for checking the sand movement. Stubble and their roots bind the
      soil and avoid its erodibility. This traditional age old practice used to
      facilitate in combating desertification process.
7. Maath or Med-Bandhi:
      It has also been one of the important practices followed in the Thar desert
      to check sand movement from field to field. A mud wall is to be raised on
      field boundary and various plant species are planted over this boundary to
      protect trespassing of men, animals and reduce wind velocity to combat




                                        11
       the process of desertification. Plants like Munja, Phog, Aak, Kumbhat, Kair
       etc. are grown over the boundary or nearby to check aeolian movement.
8.Kana Bandhi:
       It is one of the oldest practice to check sand movement in the field itself.
       The twigs, branches of bushes are used to fix in a rectangle to avoid
       erosion of the fertile top soil of the field. The soil almost remains in the
       field and this traditional practice to avoid starting of the desertification in
       situ. (fig 6 & 7)
9. Night penning of the animals like cattle, sheep, goats, camels, etc. In the filed
       to collect organic manure to increase soil fertility by adding humus in the
       soil. It improves the soil condition to increase aeration, water retention and
       convert complex substances in simpler forms for increasing fertility.
       Owners of the large fields used to offer shelter to the herds of the sheep
       and goat so that excreta of these animals remained in their field and add
       organic material.
10. Tillage practice: It is practiced at the time of onset of monsoon to receive
       more moisture in sandy soil. At the time of clearing of field all the weed are
       to be uprooted either manually or mechanically but shrubs like Bordi (Z.
       nummularia) tree like Khejari are left for checking erosion and adding
       fertility to the soil.
11. Religious Practices
       Religious Practices are also followed since times immemorial to combat
       desertification process like “Oran” where nobody is allowed to cut trees or
       shrubs only animals can graze over the “Oran”. Vast areas of “Oran” full of
       biomass are to be utilized by the small animals for grazing over dropout
       top feed and grasses.
       The “THAN” of “Majisa”, “Jamboji”, “Jog Maya”, “Bhomiaji”, “Pabuji”,
       “Harbuji”, “Ramdeoji”, “Mamaji” are established under the shed of the
       green trees and nobody is allowed to cut trees, twig leaves etc. due to the
       fear of the God/Goddesses. (fig-8) These practices are followed to




                                         12
      maintain proper ecosystem and reduce the expansion of the process of
      desertification.
      The rural attitude of AHIMSA was manifested and incorporated in the very
      fabric of religions which prohibited killing of animals. Even Bishnoi owing
      to the religious sentiments do not cut green trees and kill animals.
      Planting of trees around temples, religious places, farms, wells and
      community places are followed since old ages to check spreading of
      desert in villages. The traditional transfer of land by inheritance and
      succession has led to small size uneconomical fragmented holdings
      therefore the quality of land can be improved by adding organic manure
      through humus. Even practices like mixed cropping and mixed farming
      followed from ages to increase stability among inhabitants.
      Desilting of the nadis and Tankas are to be done on ‘Nirjala Egyaras’
      which comes in the month of May & June to increase the capacity for
      receiving rains. Tobas are also one of the major sources of the drinking
      water led to the de-desertification. To receive more water in the water
      bodies of the rural areas the aagor (catchment area) and pachore are to
      be cleared, and plants are grown to avoid soil or mud to the open water
      bodies. Drinking water points are also operated on the main routes and
      paths for passengers passing in hot weather.

Disappearance of traditional desertification combating systems
      Changing socio-cultural values, population growth, heavy dependence for
fuel and fodder supply, rich revenues from the markets, medicinal value of the
shrubs and trees and role of middlemen, and extravagance in cultural and
religious activities has resulted in a greater need for monetary income. Although
local communities are well aware of the consequences of deforestation, their
socioeconomic priorities promote the cutting of trees as well as pressure on the
precarious land resources, thus leading to the disappearance of the traditional
desertification combating system.
      Due to increased contact with the people in the cities and invasion of
western lifestyle through mass media, the local population--especially the


                                       13
younger generation--are in danger of losing touch with their rich cultural heritage.
The young people regard the knowledge passed on to them by their ancestors as
inferior to the knowledge they have gained through formal education. This
perception has created a communication gap, and affected the flow of traditional
knowledge related to the system from the older to the younger generation. This,
together with increased expenditures on social and religious activities, such as
temple festivals, birth to death ceremonies, and various festivals, has made
these communities economically poor. The need for large sums of money to
repay loans is leading to the disappearance of their trees and ultimately causing
death to the entire traditional system. Destruction of the forest ecosystem has
placed people in a most vulnerable situation.
       In addition to the socio-cultural constraints, certain outside factors are also
unfavorable to the survival of traditional desertification combating systems. With
a view to increasing the revenues of the local people, under Social Forestry
project a number of Israeli Babool species were introduced. This plant has a
characteristic feature that it does not allow any other plant to grow under it.
The consequences of the disappearance of traditional desertification combating
systems.
       The rate of deforestation has had a direct impact on food security and
nutrition. The removal of shade trees like khejari, babool, hingona, etc.has
affected the survival of intercrops such as root and tuber crops, and bean
varieties. Tractorization has been a bane for the agriculture of the Thar Desert.
Due to this number of khejari and babool trees has declined sharply in the region.
The decline in cereal production during the last few years has meant that people
cannot set aside anything for home consumption.
                                        ******
Acknowledgement:
              Financial Assistance for this study was provided by the
              University Grants Commission, Ministry of Human Resources
              Development, Government of India. Critical reading, of this
              paper, by the Dr. R.P. Dhir, former Director, Central Arid Zone
              Research Institute, Jodhpur, India is sincerely acknowledged.




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                                            ***********




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