Tubers come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and pack quite a punch
THE HUMBLE potato, a tuberous crop, has come a long way, and in its triumphal march, has sidetracked all other foods to occupy the prime place on our dining tables. But its cousins are not so lucky. The fat and ungainly elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) does not enjoy potato’s wide acceptance. The somewhat spindle-shaped tania (Xanthosoma) is lost amidst colourful veggies piled over it in markets. “Other tubers like cassava (tapioca or Manihot esculenta), taro (Colocasia esculenta) and greater yam (jimikand or Dioscorea alata) share a similar fate,” rues Abdul Nabeel, a farmer from Kozhikode district of Kerala, who grows all these tubers.
There are others like him who share the passion of growing tubers. Shaji N M from Wayanad, Kerala, grows 200 tuber varieties on his 0.80 ha plot. He has earned the sobriquet “The Tuber Man of Kerala” for his enterprise. Shaji also conserves wild tuber varieties that tribals have been gathering from forests for centuries.
Denne historien er fra February 16, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 16, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.