Ropai mela motivates farmers to conserve local crop genetic resources in Patharaiya VDC, Nepal

Shree Kumar Maharjan

Background
Ropai Jatra or Mela is a festival celebrated for planting rice in the farmers’ fields, in which group of farmers and other participants including tourists plough and levels the field using pair of bullocks, plant the rice seedlings singing traditional folk songs (called ASARE GEET in local language). It is celebrated on Asad 15 of nepali year (i.e., June 29) every year as a symbol of end of planting period in most of the areas. In recent years, it is gaining popularity in the various parts of Nepal, due to increased interests and participations of tourists and tourism organizations and addition of some interesting events and competitions on muddy paddy fields like Folk song competitions, planting rice competitions, Bull race competition playing with mud (HILO KHELNE in Nepali), serving traditional food items, playing PANCHE BAJA (traditional musical instrument) as a symbol of good fortune and several other entertaining games.

This ceremony is important for Nepalese farmers, because rice is main staple food crop in Nepal and also contributes 20% to agriculture GDP that is grown in all the three major agro-ecological regions i.e. Tarai and Inner Tarai, Hills and Mountains that include approximately 73%, 24% and 3% respectively of the total rice areas in the country. That’s the reason behind the declaration of the day as ‘National Paddy Day’ by the Nepalese government.

Farmers and other participants enjoy the day with planting rice in their fields and singing 'Asare Geet', including bull races and playing with mud with the hope of more production of paddy from their rice fields. These songs enumerate the joys and sorrows of the farmers. During the day, all the participants are fed with curd, bitten rice, rice pudding and chapattis. It is a special day for the Nepalese as it is celebrated as one of the important agricultural practices in the country- that of planting paddy. The farmers have to rely on rice harvest that planted in this season for year round food and beverage in most parts of the country.

Nepal is well known for rich in biodiversity. In case of rice diversity, there were more than 8000 varieties of rice in ancient time. But due monoculture of some high yielding varieties and other biodiversity threats most of the local varieties were replaced. Western Terai Region is famous for globally important rice diversity as it is famous for landraces like Shyamjira, Kanakjira, Raimanuwa and more than 32 species of rice varieties are grown in farmers' field at present. Farmers have reported the presence of wild rice (Oryza rufipogan) in this region. Though, the region is rich is rice diversity, the large mass of farmers were unaware about the importance of conservation and utilization of these diverse landraces due to introduced improved cultivars, lack of researches in farmers field.

To realize the importance of local crop genetic resources and National paddy day, Ropai mela was organized in Patharaiya VDC of Kailali district by Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD)/WTLCP, in coordination Krishak Samuha Samanwaya Samiti, a local farmers’ group. In which farmers planted 16 local varieties of rice in 3m x 3m plot area as rice plantation competition. Name-lists of those rice landraces are Karangi, Nirmoi, Thapachini, Santha Seto, Satha Kalo, Saunthayari, Ratanpuri, Santhayari, Kalonath, Lal chand, Bel khole, Anjana, Ghyupuri, Bejanta, Anjani, and Bagari. Almost all of these varieties are collected from farmers’ fields.

The aim of planting 16 rice varieties in one area is to establish diversity block, which is an experimental block of farmers’ varieties managed by local farmers for research and development purposes. Farmers will measure, compare and analyze morphological characteristics of those varieties and validate farmers’ descriptors by frequent monitoring and evaluation for consistent in naming and describing local varieties. In addition, it will also raise public awareness on rare cultivars, seed exchange, in-situ/ex-situ conservation and regeneration of crop for community seed bank.

In that Ropai mela, large mass of the public including farmers, other agriculture related stakeholders, district line agencies, and media persons got information about local rice varieties and national paddy day. It is an initiative to recognize farmers and farmers group as conservationist, as farmers are conserving their local varieties in their own field. Major events of the day were:

1. Rice plantation competition
Rice plantation competition was interesting event for farmers and other invitees on that day. Four farmers from each individual farmers group were allowed to plant rice per plot. Based in evaluation criteria developed like plantation quality (including land preparation, spacing maintenance, number of rice seedlings per hill etc), time taken; composition of farmers participating competition (male, female and youths, age old farmer etc) and entertainment during planting (singing Asare song, playing with mud etc), first second, third and fourth were declared and interesting prizes were agricultural tools like Halo, Faruwa, Kuto and Hajari. Chairman of the farmers committee, Khem Chand told that such competition is necessary as it encourage farmers to conserve more diversity in their own field. It is also necessary to conduct such competition at the time of harvesting also, which makes farmers more concern for higher and better quality production of agriculture produces.

2. Musical Environment with Traditional Panche Baja
Environment of the mela was fully entertaining with local folklore music (Panche Baja) of Damai Community, as it is a sign to good starting and/or end of every work. They were excited to show their traditional music and dance.

3. Traditional folk songs and food (Asare Geet both in Nepali and tharu language)
As farmers group in Patharaiya is mixed of Pahadiya and indigenous tharu communities. So, some of the farmers were singing nepali Asare songs while tharu communities were singing tharu songs, which made the environment more enjoyable and delightful. All farmers and invitees including media reporters enjoyed the day with traditional food (Dahi, Chiura, Khir and Kera) and also playing with mud (HILO KHELNE).

Lesson learnt
Ropai mela was big exposure for farmers and even media reporters, district line agencies that motivated farmers to conserve landraces found in Western Terai Landscape areas. They realized the value of local landraces and Ropai Mela. Most of the farmers, even district line agencies and media persons were unknown about locally available landraces of many crops and vegetable species. Farmers groups of Patharaiya are excited as district line agencies, media persons visited and interviewed their places and appreciated their initiations of conserving different local crop and vegetable species including rice landraces. On the other hand, media persons are interested to document and prepare documentaries and stories on conservation and utilization of locally importance crop species and landraces. In addition, district line agencies appreciated the ropai mela and they advised to extend such program covering more geographical areas. This program added further interest and enthusiasm among farmers and farmers groups to involve and conserve more local crop genetic resources and to be model farmers in terms of conservation and sustainable use of these resources.

Conclusion and Remarks
As government of Nepal decided to celebrate National Paddy day organizing Ropai mela and other events throughout the country on Asad 15, Far-western region celebrated it for the first time in its history with the initiation of LI-BIRD and Krishak Samuha Samanwaya Samiti of Patharaiya VDC. For effective and efficient conservation and utilization of locally and globally important genetic resources, exposure to different professionals and line agencies and appreciation by such professionals are necessary in addition to economic return from those genetic resources. With exposure to different media and professionals from district level line agencies and their appreciations, farmers are interested to conserve more crop genetic resources in the locality. In addition, government of Nepal should develop strategies to promote such conservation and utilization of locally and globally important crop genetic resources. Most of the farmers don’t have irrigation facilities throughout the country. Still farmers are depending on rainfall for their cultivation and production. In this sense, farmers are responsible for producing food crops in order to reduce hunger in country. So, the government should feel responsible to provide important facilities necessary to produce more foods per unit area. Farmers are hoping new development strategies in agriculture sector in favor of farming communities in the process of developing new constitution and new Nepal.
In addition, agriculture based tourism is gaining popularity with its potential events like ropai mela for the diversification of tourism industry in Nepal. The government should develop tourism promotion strategies in order to integrate agriculture as one of important tourism sectors in Nepal.