Ramachandran K G
Boiled or fried wild tubers and honey was one of the favourite dishes of the indigenous community people in Nilambur valley. Some of these community groups, like Kattaunaicken, Paniya and Muthuva, also used to cultivate some of the common yam species in the past around their houses. Tubers were one of the major sources of carbohydrates for the community members. But, there is sharp decrease of tuber usage in the traditional diet of tribal community members these days as revealed by community members in several meetings organised in their hamlets. With an aim to increase the consumption of tubers and simultaneously for addressing the depressed health scenario of tribal community members here, the project supported and promoted tuber cultivation among all Adivasi community groups.
A 20 kilogram kit consisting of six different varieties of tubers and rhizome species, like chena, chemb, kachil, nanakizhangu inchi and manjal, that arecommonly cultivated in this part of Kerala, were sourced from local areas and distributed to 93 families in three tribal hamlets namely Ettappara, Naranga poyil and Chennampotti. The tubers were distributed to these families in the months of October, November and December 2020. If the tuber harvest is good then seeds will be collected from these families for the community tuber bank at Ettappara.
The planting season of the tuber crops is yet to start in parts of Nilambur. It will be starting by the end of the month of April and continue till the middle of May every year. They have kept the tubers treated and ready to plant once the first summer rains are received.
