U’khand: Campaign to study impact of changing weather patterns on traditional crops launched

Sarvodaya Mandal Tihri and Beej Bachao Andolan have started a campaign to study the impact of changing weather patterns on traditional crops and the changing food habits of people in Uttarakhand hills.

The two organisations -- working to promote village products and preservation of traditional seeds respectively -- began on Wednesday a yatra (study tour) from Askot village here as part of the campaign. The tour will conclude in Aarakot village of Uttarakashi district after 25 days.

''Our teams will study the present condition of jal, jungle, zamin (water, forest, land) in hill villages, their changing nature and the causes of those changes,'' said Sarvodaya worker and the father of Beej Bachao Andolan Vijay Jardari.

The tour will cover the entire hill region of the state crossing through Bageshwar, Almora, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Tihri.

It aims to awaken the farmers and women of the hills to the impacts of changing weather patterns and the harm caused to the environment by the pace of development.

''We will also study the state of 12 traditional grains (barah mana) cultivation in the hill regions find how traditional hill agriculture has been affected by weather change forces,'' said Raghubhai Jardari, spokesperson of the campaign.

The campaign will also study the effects of wildfires on hill forests besides collecting data on plantations done by forest department on Harela festival or Himalaya Diwas.