Traditional Rice varities and its impact on farmers
Why did Let’sLive choose traditional rice varieties of rice and its impact on farmers
Before we get into the context of the title, let us first try to answer the questions below, which will throw light on why preferred to choose them.
- What are traditional rice varieties and why is it gaining so much traction these days amongst users.
- Are other types of rice not traditional then ?
- How many varieties of traditional rice varieties available in the market today
- By buying traditional rice, how does it help the farmers
- Does traditional rice consumption help the soil rejuvenation
What are called as traditional rice varieties?
Traditional rice varieties are exceptionally rich in genetic diversity and possess excellent traits, including better grain quality profile, health and nutritional values, and resistance to climate related stress, pests, and diseases.
Traditional rice varieties are mostly pigmented (available as red rice, black rice and so on) and hence rich in antioxidants and polyphenols.
Now let us look at their strengths
GRAIN QUALITY – better grain quality profile, with sweet aroma and excellent palatability
HEALTH – health benefits can include low sugar content, making them a better choice for consumers who are suffering from diabetes, overweight, or are regulating their sugar intake.
NUTRITION – rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and micronutrients (iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, etc.)
CLIMATE-RESILIENT – show high levels of resistance to pests and diseases and tolerance to environmental stresses (drought, flood, salinity)
ECONOMIC SUPPLEMENT – cheaper to cultivate; yields valuable byproducts including fodder for cattle, mulch for soil, and hay for thatching roof.
How many traditional rice varieties are there in India?
Rice is rich in genetic diversity, with thousands of varieties grown throughout the world and India is home to 6000 varieties, at present. Originally, India had more than 110,000 varieties of rice until 1970, which were lost during the Green Revolution with its emphasis on monoculture and hybrid crops
West Bengal is the largest rice producing state in India.
Today there are 12 traditional rice varieties native to Tamil Nadu
Why is traditional rice varieties gaining traction with users
The fast paced lifestyle also brought along with it several abnormalities within our body. Eating at odd times, eating junk food and eating unhealthy food, snacking, lack of adequate rest all these have contributed to various diseases which include diabetes, blood pressure, heart ailments, digestive ailments, cancer etc. to name a few.
The traditional rice varieties, due to its high nutritional value, to a large extent prevents these above mentioned chronic ailments. The primary reason being, the traditional rice varieties have high fiber content and hence users feel less compelled to keep snacking.
So after corona, people are paying attention to their health like never before. So the general awareness about food and the quality of lifestyle is slowly taking roots in the family.
Is white rice not Traditional then ?
In the late 1960, the green revolution, which paid more attention to food security of people, brought in new cultivation techniques, whereby fast growing rice varieties were introduced. So, what is the difference in this approach ? Traditional rice varieties have a 8 month - 1 year crop cycle. So the crop goes through all the seasonal cycle, whereby becoming hardy and packs in lot of nutritional value.
But the non-traditional rice varieties are harvested every quarter and hence they do not go through the grind of season whereby their nutritional values are greatly reduced. Also, after the harvest, the grain is polished which removes any fiber or protein that the grain may have.
So, in a nutshell, this is the fundamental difference between traditional rice and others.
How does it help the farmer when we consume traditional rice
An important point to be noted is that traditional rice varieties are hardy in nature and hence they do not require harmful chemicals or pesticides to be sprayed on them. Traditional systems which include creating fertilizers out of cow waste and other organic waste is good enough to keep away any bugs. But traditional rice varieties have limited yield and due to the long gestation period, the farmer can harvest only one or two crop per year. So the economics of traditional rice cultivation does not pay the farmer enough to sustain his family. But as the demand grows, more farmers are likely to take up traditional rice cultivation and hence it will help the farmers and consumers alike.
Does traditional rice consumption help the soil rejuvenation
As discussed above, due the hardy nature of the traditional rice varieties, harmful chemicals and pesticides are not needed, Due to this, the soil does not undergo any stress due to chemicals. The soil nurtures all living organisms which are essential for any good food crop. They are naturally maintained. This ensures that the soil rejuvenates once the harvest is done.
Let'sLive Traditional Rice
Let’sLive procures black rice from its farmers directly. The produce is carefully stored after harvest and sent to our customers after the due testing. No preservatives are used in our storage. As and when orders are received, the product is cleaned and sent to the customers directly. Our technically qualified team coaches and transfers advanced technology to our farmers to better utilize resources and save the environment from unnecessary wastages.
To order rice from Let'sLive : https://www.letslive.shop/collections/rice
About Let’sLive
Let’sLive is a social empowerment enterprise committed to enhancing and improving the livelihoods of tribal and farming communities. We work directly with small-scale farmers so that our customers can get access to products that are natural, pristine, and picked from the lap of nature. We encourage and provide advice for practicing ethical farming and eco-friendly methods to all those who partner with us.
At Let'sLive we are passionate about bringing in 100% all-natural and healthy products directly from the farming and tribal communities to your doorstep like Pure Raw Honey, Traditional kinds of rice, etc. We want our consumers to enjoy and have direct access to the products that are pristine and picked directly from the lap of nature. The mandates by which we operate are:
* Value every life around us by encouraging ethical farming
* Leverage local knowledge and promote legacy harvesting practices with high hygienic standards
* No preservatives or artificial processing on any of our products
* Each product can be traced to its origins and the people involved in its making
* Educate consumers on the importance of consuming rich and natural local produce
Due to above mentioned vision, we are committed to protecting all the stakeholders involved in the process. Consumers, farmers, and ofcourse the ecosystem.
We take great care and pride in educating our farmers and providing the necessary technology to harvest and market the produce in its pristine form, so that our consumers are assured about the quality of produce that gets shipped from Let’sLive.
To know more about us read here