JUST BEFORE May—when the amaltas and the gulmohar trees spread out their spectacular show—the kachnar tree too flowers in all its glory. The flowers look like orchids and have a delicate fragrance, but they are not as common as the amaltas and gulmohar, and it is quite easy to miss them. There is a tree near my house in Delhi which hugs on the wall of a government primary school. But I doubt whether children have spent much time to appreciate its beauty or even play with its two-lobed leaves, shaped like butterfly wings.
But tribal communities in Jharkhand, however, will not miss it as they consume every part of this multipurpose tree. The flowers, fruits and leaves are edible and are an important source of nutrition. In fact, the leaves are a perennial source of food, unlike other flowers and fruits that provide nutritional support only for a short period. They can also withstand the vagaries of extreme weather. Trees-borne foods, like kachnar leaves, form the second-biggest source of food, after herbs, in Jharkhand, write Lal Ratnakar Singh, former chairperson of the Jharkhand Biodiversity Board and Varsha Rani of Birsa Agricultural University in their analysis on the role of leafy greens in food and nutritional security of tribal communities in the state.
VARIED PREPARATIONS
Esta historia es de la edición June 16, 2020 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 16, 2020 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara