Tibet's Geography and Agriculture

Shen, T.H. "Agricultural Resources of China". Cornell University Press: Ithaca, New York. 1951. Print

Shen talks just briefly of the pasture lands of Tibet. He explains them as being rugged, desolate, and barren. Most of the land is wasteland and the rest is meager grazing land. There are very limited agricultural sections. Vegetables can be grown at the bases of the highlands, and barlely and grasses at higher elevations. Food produced there is not sufficent for the populations and depends to some extent on imports through caravan routes.
This kind of information is key in comparing farming in India and the changes and adjustments they have had to make to farm in India. Rain in Tibet is between 300- 600mm while in Bylakuppe it rains approximately 35in just in the summer.

Indian Agriculture

Ray, Shovan. "Handbook of Agriculture". Oxford Univeristy Press. 2007. New Delhi, India. Print

This book overviews economic policies, agriculture and environment, agriculture and poverty reduction, food security and food demand, changing agrarian and rural systems. By reading this book I will be able to better understand Indian influences on Tibetan agriculture and the changes of agriculture in India. It will help me know what to expect as far as climate and farming systems.

Gatekeepers

As part of my journal today I decided to find some people to contact in Bylakuppe that could help me find an opportunity serve on the farms. Though many of the email address I found were old I did find a few that may be able to help. One of the organizations I emailed was the Himalayan Insitiute. They are based in Pensyvaniya but have helped in several Tibetan communities all over India, particularly Bylakuppe and Rabgayling. One  of there projects is to build trees to help return chemically damaged soil to its organic state.


They have also played a part in helping diversify crops on the plantations. I hope that by contacting them I can find more specific information out about where I can help on these diversified plantations and that they can help me contact individuals that can build my rapport in the community.

One of the other organiaztions I contacted was the Bylakuppe Settlement office which is connected to the Central Tibetan Relief Commitee. They play a  key role in training and demonstrating orgainc farming  in over 10 Tibetan Refugee communities. "In each settlement one or two agriculture extensionists organize trainings and assist the farmers to adopt several organic techniques, which include both traditional and modern practices.

• Soil fertility is maintained by appropriate crop rotation, green manures, cover crops, application of compost, vermicompost, biofertilizers, and traditional preparations like jeevamruth and panchagav.
• Pests and diseases are controlled through the application of home-made leaf extracts, integrated by purchased biopesticides whenever necessary.
• Biodynamic methods have been introduced and are increasingly popular among farmers."http://ctrc.tibet.net/agriculture.html

As I get in contact with these different organizations I can a hoping I can gain access to farms in Bylakuppe and individuals that I may interview. I want to gain rapport with  the Tibetan refugees so that I can become involved in farming in Bylakuppe. As I gain more and  more contacts I can recieve access to the farms thourgh gatekeepers.

Project Background

As part of my project in India I had to research background information to purpose why my project would be beneficial. A I wrote it really made be begin to think about the how I am going to approach asking my questions. Using my annotated sources I was able to come up with the following: 

“The Tibetan culture will never die,” says Collen McKnown, an avid researcher and journalist for the Tibet Post International (McKnown. CST. 2011). In 1959 the Dalai Lama and tens of thousands of Tibetan citizens fled to India to escape the Chinese invasion (United State Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. 2003). Previous to moving to India, the Tibetan people’s main industry was animal husbandry and herding.  Now that Tibetan citizens no longer have the expansive land required for herding they have had to learn how to farm on the limited land offered by the Indian government.  I propose to study this transition- study how Tibetan refugees have learned to farm on India’s soil.

In Tibet families were able to provide organic crops for their own family. Though the plot of land was modest they were able to have a well balanced diet based mainly off of meat then followed by barley and seasonal crops. In India land is more space than in Tibet so the Tibetan refugees had to accommodate to farming on little land. At this point they were still farming organically as they had done in Tibet. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the green revolution began in India and the Tibetan communities caught on as well. Fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and high-yield seeds became popular because the amount of crops that could be harvested and exported. In 2002 the Dalai Lama made a statement encouraging a balanced and healthy diet (Central Tibetan Administration. 2012).  The objectives of Dalai Lama’s organic farming policy as stated by the Federation of Tibetan Co-Operatives in India Ltd. is as follows:

• “To protect, preserve and rejuvenate the environment and biodiversity.
• To offer assistance and support to the international movement against consumerism. More specifically by persistently opposing the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, hybrid and genetically engineered seeds, etc.
• To make future Tibet is a storehouse of organic grains to the rest of the world.
• To achieve sustainable livelihood in the Tibetan settlements in India by turning the present agriculture land holding into a source of sustainable income generation.
• To achieve in making organic farming, animal husbandry and other allied activities as remunerative opportunities. Thereby we can encourage the educated Tibetan youth to live in settlements.” (Federation of Tibetan Co-Operatives Ltd. 2009)

Bylakuppe has taken these objectives seriously and started to apply them to the community almost immediately. In 2002 the Tibetan Farm Project, an 80 acre plot of land dedicated to farming, transitioned to completely organic farming because of the Dalai Lama’s call to produce healthy organic food just as they did in Tibet. Bylakuppe is the largest Tibetan refugee settlements in India and is the sixth largest organic farming community in India(Federation of Tibetan Co-Operatives. 2009). As part of my study I would like to learn how they made the adjustment from the green revolution to being an organic farm.

The Organic Research and Training Center in Bylakuppe has played a key role in educating the community about organic farming.  They have trained Tibetan exiles on the Tibetan Farm Project to rotate crops, create natural composts, and construct proper irrigation systems utilizing India’s vastly different environment (Himalayan Institute. 2011).  While all this talk of organic farming, pesticide free, and feeding the whole world is great talk there are still many concerns and problems that have to be confronted. Lobsang Chodack, a family farmer from Mundgod (the largest Tibetan organic farm community), emphasizes his concerns with organic farming stating that it requires more paid help to take care of the farm and much less product is produced than from fertilized farms. In order to maintain his organic farm teak trees must surround his farm in order to keep the cows out; the soil must be a mixture of 5kg cow dung, 1kg cow urine, and 1 kg jiggery to detract pests and still pests attack his crops somehow (McKown. Mundgod’s Tibetan Farmers. 2011). Chodack shows that on his farm alone he is confronted with three specific challenges that conflicts with the Tibetan organic farming objectives. First, he is not producing a large enough crop to contribute to the storehouse of organic grains for the world. Pests are invading his crop causing  small harvests. Secondly, because pests still invade his farm even when using natural pesticides it makes it difficult to remain resistant to chemical fertilizers and pesticides because it is either lose your whole harvest or use fertilizers. Lastly, since Chodack needs extra assistance on the farm resist the pests it does not provide a sustainable income due to the loss of income to pay for the helpers. As a result of all this Tibetan youth do no find farming as a sustainable enough income to remain on the settlements (McKown.CST. 2011). Although this is in different community, I expect similar problems to be occurring in Bylakuppe. In interviewing farmers I would like to know the depth of these problems on an individual and societal level and also learn if there are other challenges specific to Bylakuppe.

      Stu Nicholls reports a brief history of Bylakuppe in which he discusses the difficulties of sustaining a family solely off of farming. Most original families have a small crop of land for agricultural use but due to the lack of irrigation facilities families have to engage in other activities such as trading, restaurants, shop keeping, etc. (Nicholls. 2011). To help with sustaining farms in Bylakuppe the Dickey Larsoe Co-operative Society Ltd. was installed to help with loaning seeds, fertilizers, urea, and other agricultural inputs on a credit basis. As a result the farmers are obligated to return agricultural products to the Dickey Larsoe Co-operative Society Ltd. warehouses where they can sell the products to open markets for gain. There is lack of further information on how this cooperation is currently being used. I hope to find out more information while I am in India.

 The growing concern among the younger generations of Tibetans in Mundgod is that farming is no longer a profitable occupation as exemplified by Chodack. As a solution the Central Tibetan Administration advises farmers to farm cash crops such as alphonso mango, coconut, cashews, and amla to boost farmers’ gain. Still young Tibetans desire to grow up and become doctors, nurses, and dentists which puts the older generation of Tibetans in fear of their children forgetting their culture (McKown.CST. 2011).

            Though there have been many implemented plans by the Dalai Lama, the Central Tibetan Administration, and the Federal Tibetan Co-Operative there are still many struggles with adapting. By going to Bylakuppe, a prime opportunity for interviewing and observation, I will be able to interview individuals like Chodack so see their experiences and how they have progressively learned and become better at their trade. By observing and meeting the the Organic Research and Training Center I hope to be able to assist in their objectives in training and assisting individual farms and farmers produce a good harvest that can sustain themselves. I also plan on looking at the Dickey Larsoe Co-Operative Society to observe how they are benefiting the community and expanding the farming community. Through each of these ideas I propose to observed how the Tibetan Refugees have adjusted and learned to farming on India’s soil.

Works Cited

United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. India: Information on Tibetan refugees and settlements, 30 May 2003, IND03002.ZNY. < http://www.unhcr.org/

refworld/docid/3f51f90821.html>. Accessed 24 February 2012

Xu, Jianchu; Yang, Yong; Li, Zhuoqing; Tashi, Nyima; Sharma, Rita; Fang, Jing. “Understanding Land Use, Livelihoods, and Health Transtion among Nomads: A Case of Gangga Township Dingri County, Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.” EcoHealth. 5,104-114 (2008).

 Federation of Tibetan Co-Operatives. Untitled Document. 2009. <http://www.ftci.co.in/

consolidated-information-on-15-member-coop-socities.htm>. Accessed 20 February 2010.

Central Tibetan Administration. Department of Home: Central Tibetan Administration. “Agriculture: Tibetan Organic Farming.” 2012. Web. 10 January 2012. http://ctrc.tibet.net/agriculture.html

Federation of Tibetan Co-Operatives Ltd. Tibetan Organic. 2009. <http://www.ftci.co.in

/F41923/tibetan_organic.html>. Accessed 20 February 2010.

Himalayan Institiute. “Bylakuppe Settlement.” 2011. <http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/

            humanitarian/tibetan-settlements/bylakuppe-settlement/>. Accessed 19 February 2010.

McKown, Colleen. “Mundgod’s Tibetan Farmers on Organic Methods and the Monsoon Pattern”. The Tibet Post International. 29 Sept 2011.

McKown, Colleen. “CST Pricipal and Students on Changing Times, Tibetan Identity”. The Tibet Post International. 26 September 2011.

Nicholls, Stu. Central Tibetan Admistration: Department of Home “A Brief Story of Lugsung Samdupling, Bylakuppe, Karnataka State.” 2011. <http://ctrc.tibet.net/

settlements/india/south/lugsam.html>. Accessed 20 February 2012.

http://tdlsociety.com/tractor_Section.aspx

Neolithic Transition in the Indus Valley

Lemmen, Carsten; Khan, Aurangzeb. “A Simulation of the Neolithic Transition in the Indus Valley”. Geophysical Research Letters. 5 October 2011. DOI:10:1029

This article discusses the lack of research between the fourth and second millennium. To study this time period Lemmen and Khan investigated the precursors and rise of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC)  through the establishment of agriculture, dense populations, and technological developments between 8000 and 3000 BC. To look at these artifacts and historical outlook they observed over 1000 archaeological artifacts.  They also simulated a picture of technology, agriculture and population developments in the IVC. The results from this Global Land Use and Evolution simulator showed that the timing of agriculture transitions fit the archaeological chronology of the Neolithic sites in Pakistan, it hints to earlier than observed Neolithization of India, the archeologically suggested South Asian agricultural complex, and there is a relationship between archeological artifact richness and simulated population density.

Although this article is historic in comparison to what I am going to be studying it is interesting for know that thousands and thousands of years ago the Tibetans were still farming, so it is a trade that has been passed on for generations as it continues to be. The artifacts show that barley was still a main crop produced just as it is today.

Mundgod Tibetan Settlement

McKown, Colleen. “Mundgod’s Tibetan Farmers on Organic Methods and the Monsoon Pattern”. The Tibet Post International. 29 Sept 2011.

This article discusses concerns with farming and organic farming, the monsoon, and having the future generation continue the farming tradition. In Mundgod, a Tibetan settlement about seven hours south of Bylakuppe, there are nine camps six of which are fully organic. The Dalai Lama expresses the importance of producing organically, just like they did in Tibet, in order for good, healthy food. Lobsang Chodack from camp eight emphasizes his concerns with organic farming stating that it requires more paid help to take care of the farm and much less product is produced. In order to maintain his organic farm teak trees must surround his farm in order to keep the cows out; the soil must be a mixture of 5kg cow dung, 1kg cow urine, and 1 kg jiggery to detract pests and still pests attack his crops somehow. The Central Tibetan Administration is beginning to advise farmers to grow cash crops such as alphonso mango, coconut, cashews, and amla to boost farmers gain. There is a roaming fear that the younger generation will not keep the family tradition. The younger generations are leaving the farm to the parents care and Lobsang believes the only way to keep them involved is to gravitate towards modern technology. Lastly the monsoons of the last few years have been unpredictable so it is impossible to know how to protect the crops. My questions are if they could predict the weather how would it change farming techniques? Would location be different? Does the future generation plan on eventually continuing the farm? If so, will they continue organic farming?

PBS: India's Story on Agriculture

While researching how  India’s monsoon rains affect farming I ran into an agricultural explanation by PBS. While I thought the amount of rain would make it more difficult to farm it is in reality much needed, if anything, it is the wind that can destroy the crops. Over the years irrigation systems have been developed that lessen the impact of fluctuations in the monsoon season but it has not eliminated the effects of the wind. Over the last few decades it has been necessary to monitor monsoon progression, developing contingency plans, and building seed reserves of alternative crops to protect India’s agricultural industry which eploys approximately 2/3 of the population. In 2008 India was ranked first in tea, jute, sugar cane, and cashew production. Approximately 43% of India’s land is used for farming and nearly a third is for rice cultivation. Some of the first information written for agriculture in India is found in the Rig- Veda. It describes plowing, fruit and vegetable cultivation, fallowing, and irrigation.

While this explains a lot of India’s history I would like to see how much this applies to the Tibetan communities. I would like to see what different corps the Tibetans grow in contrast to Indians. What percentage of Tibetans work on the farm? Although I won’t be able to find exact statistics I would like to observe the different percentages maybe on a per family basis. Do more girls or boys work on the farms? What is the communication like between the sexes on the farms?

Subsistence and Rural Livelihood

Fischer, Andrew M.. “Subsistence and Rural Livelihood Strategies in Tibet under Rapid Economic and Social Transition”. Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies. 4 (Dec 2008).

This article discusses the role of subsistence in the livelihood strategies of rural Tibetan households during rapid economic and social transition. Fischer argues that subsistence is highly valued in these rural communities because it provides a choice. First, this is observed through “subsistence capacity” and income poverty and asset wealth. Second, Fischer relates that many rural Tibetans rely on low wage manual jobs despite the fact that this kind of work is used for a transition out of agriculture and low levels of education.

By observing the first paradox Fischer is able to account for not only physical wealth but also the aspects of wealth that are difficult to capture through conventional measures. He looks at wealth in terms of being able to subsist in household production. In one graph it shows the per capital rural household incomes. It appears that Tibet is fairly well off but in reality the graph does not account for inflation. Once again when looking at agriculture productivity it seems as though Tibet is above the national average but when you look at output to worker they fall far behind the national average. Conclusions show that low wage jobs are not worth it for small families because inflation will continue because of the rise of the nearby privileged public job sector. For my project I am curious how much economy affects the wages of Bylakuppe farmers. Do the farm workers tend to be of lower income families? What kind of wages do they make? How important is their job to them? How often are they finding new help?

Schematic

In class on Friday we drew schematic thought maps to help us organize our thoughts about our field studies. It was helpful to split up my idea into categories: Who, Where, How, and other questions. In answering my main question, "How have Tibetans learned to farm on India's soil?" or, "How have Tibetans adapted to the their agriculture to the new climate and terrain," these categories helped me realize what information I have, and some of the information I need. For example, I know all that the internet can teach me about the Tibetan Farm Project, but how can I get in touch with the people in charge and can I work on the farm to get some hands on experience? I also know I want to spend time in the markets looking at the behind the scenes stuff - how is the market set up? Is it open air, in a warehouse? Is refrigeration available or does everything have to be sold right away? I probably won't be able to find a lot of this out until I'm there, but maybe a few answers can be found before I'm there.

Agriculture: Tigetan Organic Farming

Central Tibetan Administration. Department of Home: Central Tibetan Administration. “Agriculture: Tibetan Organic Farming.” 2011. Web. 10 January 2012. http://ctrc.tibet.net/agriculture.html

                Previous to the exile of Tibetan citizens, families were able to provide organic crops for the whole family. When they arrived in India families were not provided with enough farming area for families, particularly for organic farming, so individuals had to leave the home to find work. In 2002, the Exile Tibetan Government set up a plan to encourage settlements to provide for their families, Indians, and the whole world through organic farming. This is being achieved through training Tibetan exiles to rotate crops, create natural composts, and construct proper irrigation systems utilizing India’s vastly different environment. The connection with my project is that I want to see how effectively these methods have been employed in Bylakuppe, and how sufficient the community has become because of them. Is Bylakuppe able to grow most of its own food, or does it rely heavily on importing? Has the diet of the Tibetans there adapted to the crops that grow in southern India, or have methods been found to cultivate traditional foods for a taste of home?

Statement of Intent

I was finally forced to come to some kind of conclusion with what to do for my field study, so here it is!


"The main goal or purpose in going to Bylakuppe India is to study agriculture and farming of the Tibetan exiles. My questions that I would like to explore are: How have the Tibetans in Bylakuppe learned to farm on India's soil? What kind of problems have they confronted (ex. pesticides and fungus) How have/are they transition to organic farming? For my own personal benefit I would like to also look at natural medicines and remedies in the home.

In order to answer these questions I plan to volunteer on local farms particularly on the Tibetan Farm Project, 80 acre experimental farm which has practiced organic farming for the past 10 years, in Bylakuppe to understand how the farm functions. I plan on meeting with leaders that run the Tibetan Farm Project and those that help run it. I would also like to interview various individuals in the community to understand the importance of having organic farming readily available. As a result I would like to be able how agriculture and farming is of key importance to Tibetan society, and I would like to begin to understand the Tibetan beliefs, customs, and values."

Currently I am more excited about getting to know the people and the culture. A friend of mine went to Jordan last semester and always talked about the fun of immersing yourself in the culture. He was able to make many, many friends. He was able to work in a perfume shop and learn how to make his own perfumes. He was invited to friends houses which allowed him to truly learn and love the people. This is certainly the kind of experience I want to have.