Traditionally, the coastal wetlands in many parts of India have been used for sequential paddy-fish cultivation under different forms of institutional structures. In Kerala it is called Pokkali. In the recent years there’s a decline in Pokkali cultivation.
- Pokkali rice is a saline-tolerant, indigenous rice variety grown in the Alappuzha, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala.
- This lesser-known rice variety is developed in low-lying coastal areas and employs one of the oldest organic farming techniques.
- Pokkali is a system in which the farming alternates between rice and prawn; the fields are used alternately for rice farming and prawn and shrimp cultivation.
- Pokkali is cultivated with no fertilisers, be it chemical or organic, as it is grown in waterlogged areas.
- This organically-grown rice is famous for its medicinal qualities and peculiar taste and has high protein and fibre content.
- Due to its geographical specificity, Pokkali was conferred a geographical indication (GI) tag in the year 2008.
Challenges faced:
A shortage of skilled labour, the lack of technology that suits a soggy soil, low crop prices and the disturbance to and encroachment of the marine and estuarine ecosystems are the main factors for the decline of this sustainable farming practice.
Note:
- In West Bengal, this agriculture-fisheries integration is known as bheries, in Karnataka it is called gajani, in Goa and Maharashtra it is called khazaan and in Kerala it’s pokkali.
- Kuttanad below-sea level farming system has been recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). It is unique as it practices rice cultivation below sea level.
Kuttanad is a region covering the Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta Districts, in the state of Kerala