Women with kodo millet in Mandla district, Madhya Pradesh, India. Credit P. Mathur/ Bioversity International Underutilized crops in the livelihoods, diets, and adaptation practices of Gond farmers in Eastern Madhya Pradesh Baseline results from the programme “Linking agrobiodiversity value chains, climate adaptation and nutrition: Empowering the poor to manage risk” Underutilized crops in the livelihoods, diets, and adaptation practices of Gond farmers in Eastern Madhya Pradesh Table of contents CONTRIBUTORS _____________________________________________________________________________ 3 PROJECT COORDINATORS _______________________________________________________________________ 3 IMPLEMENTATION AND FIELD TEAMS _______________________________________________________________ 3 ANALYSIS AND REPORT _________________________________________________________________________ 3 ADVISORS ___________________________________________________________________________________ 3 CITATION ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3 ABBREVIATIONS _____________________________________________________________________________ 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _______________________________________________________________________ 5 INTRODUCTION ______________________________________________________________________________ 6 ROLES OF AGRICULTURE FOR BETTER FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY ____________________________________ 6 MINOR MILLETS _______________________________________________________________________________ 7 NATIVE VEGETABLES ___________________________________________________________________________ 8 HOLISTIC VALUE CHAIN APPROACH ________________________________________________________________ 9 BASELINE STUDY ______________________________________________________________________________ 9 Target sites _______________________________________________________________________________ 9 Household survey _________________________________________________________________________ 9 RESPONDENT AND HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS _________________________________________ 13 GENDER ___________________________________________________________________________________ 13 AGE AND EDUCATION _________________________________________________________________________ 13 ETHNICITY __________________________________________________________________________________ 14 HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND COMPOSITION _____________________________________________________________ 14 EDUCATION AND LABOR IN THE HOUSEHOLD ________________________________________________________ 15 WEALTH ___________________________________________________________________________________ 15 FARM CHARACTERISTICS ___________________________________________________________________ 17 LAND ______________________________________________________________________________________ 17 LIVESTOCK _________________________________________________________________________________ 18 CROPS ____________________________________________________________________________________ 20 HOUSEHOLD INCOME _______________________________________________________________________ 25 CROPS FOR INCOME __________________________________________________________________________ 25 LIVESTOCK FOR INCOME _______________________________________________________________________ 28 OTHER NATURAL RESOURCE-BASED INCOME SOURCES _______________________________________________ 29 LABOR, SERVICE AND OTHER INCOME SOURCES _____________________________________________________ 30 TYPES AND NUMBERS OF INCOME SOURCES ________________________________________________________ 31 MOST COMMON AND TOP INCOME SOURCES _______________________________________________________ 33 CULTIVATION AND SALE OF THE TARGET CROPS ____________________________________________ 35 MINOR MILLETS ______________________________________________________________________________ 35 KODO MILLET _______________________________________________________________________________ 36 Cultivation of kodo millet __________________________________________________________________ 36 Management of kodo millet ________________________________________________________________ 37 1 Underutilized crops in the livelihoods, diets, and adaptation practices of Gond farmers in Eastern Madhya Pradesh Sale of kodo millet ________________________________________________________________________ 39 KUTKI MILLET _______________________________________________________________________________ 42 Cultivation of kutki millet __________________________________________________________________ 42 Management of kutki millet ________________________________________________________________ 43 Sale of kutki millet ________________________________________________________________________ 45 VEGETABLES ________________________________________________________________________________ 48 Cultivation of vegetables __________________________________________________________________ 48 Management of vegetables ________________________________________________________________ 49 Sale of vegetables ________________________________________________________________________ 50 FOOD SECURITY AND DIET DIVERSITY _______________________________________________________ 51 FOOD SECURITY (ACCESS DIMENSION) ____________________________________________________________ 51 Months of adequate household food provisioning _____________________________________________ 51 Coping Strategy Index (rCSI) _______________________________________________________________ 52 Food Aid ________________________________________________________________________________ 54 DIET QUALITY _______________________________________________________________________________ 55 Food Consumption Score (FCS) ____________________________________________________________ 55 Food groups in the production system ______________________________________________________ 63 CONSUMPTION OF TARGET CROPS __________________________________________________________ 65 KODO MILLET _______________________________________________________________________________ 65 KUTKI MILLET _______________________________________________________________________________ 66 VEGETABLES ________________________________________________________________________________ 68 CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION _____________________________________________________________ 70 CHANGING CROP SPECIES AND VARIETIES _________________________________________________________ 70 CHANGES IN CROP, LAND, SOIL, WATER, AND PEST MANAGEMENT _______________________________________ 72 CHANGES IN LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT ___________________________________________________________ 74 TOP ADAPTATION ACTIONS _____________________________________________________________________ 75 GENDERED ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND INSTITUTIONS ___________________________________ 77 GENDERED ACCESS TO INFORMATION _____________________________________________________________ 77 GENDERED ACCESS TO INSTITUTIONS _____________________________________________________________ 78 SYNTHESIS AND CLOSING REMARKS ________________________________________________________ 80 KODO AND KUTKI MILLET _______________________________________________________________________ 80 UNDERUTILIZED CROPS IN DIET DIVERSITY AND FOOD SECURITY _________________________________________ 81 CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION __________________________________________________________________ 82 CONCLUSIONS ______________________________________________________________________________ 82 REFERENCES _______________________________________________________________________________ 83 2 Underutilized crops in the livelihoods, diets, and adaptation practices of Gond farmers in Eastern Madhya Pradesh Contributors This analysis and report were prepared in the context of the Project “Linking agrobiodiversity value chains, climate adaptation and nutrition: Empowering the poor to manage risk” supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the European Union, and the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) from 2015-2018. The analysis has been made possible by the efforts of the Project coordination and implementation teams from Bioversity International and Action for Social Advancement (ASA), as well as many contributors to the design of the survey tools. Project coordinators Stefano Padulosi (Global Project Coordinator, Bioversity International) Ashis Mondal (Project Coordinator for India, ASA) Implementation and field teams Arun Joshie, Manisha Garg, Shaji John, Saurabh Saxena, Rajesh Dhakad, Nitesh Dhakad, Ram Dayal Sagitra, Lakhan Singh Rajput, Goha Singh, Devlel, Anil Kumar, Sandhya, Bhairav Singh, Rajesh Namdev, Jaipal, Jawahar, Rajesh, Ajay, B.S. Jhare, Sharad Mishra (ASA Development Services) Analysis and report Gennifer Meldrum, Gaia Lochetti, and Gaia Gullotta (Bioversity International) Advisors Gina Kennedy, Jessica Raneri, Jacob van Etten, Elisabetta Gotor (Bioversity International) The questionnaires were designed in a consultative process starting with working groups on best indicators at the Project launch conference, followed by rounds of comments on the questionnaires by the Project coordination team and conference participants (Padulosi et al 2016). Citation Bioversity International and Action for Social Advancement. 2017. Underutilized crops in the livelihoods, diets, and adaptation practices of Gond farmers in Eastern Madhya Pradesh, India: Baseline results from the programme “Linking agrobiodiversity value chains, climate adaptation