Paradigms of participatory enhancement of rice productivity: Suggestions based on a case study in India

Tribal areas in Orissa are rich in crop diversity including rice. Farmers r equire rice varieties with preferred cooking properties. Modern high-yieldi ng varieties do not fulfil this need. Therefore local varieties and landrac es rich in genetic diversity are still grown. Increasing costs of cultivati on and livelihood disrupt this practice, consequently hastening genetic ero sion. In this back-drop, providing them a sustainable livelihood is a prime concern. The results of a designed study of rice production under farmers' management and practices have suggested a few paradigms of participatory g enetic enhancement outlined in this paper.