Indigenous rice varieties show flood resilience in India
A set of traditional Indian rice varieties exhibit traits that help them cope with prolonged or intense rainfall. Notable examples include Kajejaya, Rajbhog, Deepwater, Hangseswari and Saraswati, with farming-system adaptations in Odisha delivering additional income for farmers.
Key takeaways
- Certain traditional Indian rice varieties can survive or adapt to flooding, offering resilience in climates with heavy rainfall.
- Kajejaya, Rajbhog, Deepwater, Hangseswari and Saraswati were identified as examples of flood-tolerant or waterlogged-tolerant rice types.
- A farming system in Odisha links deepwater rice with fish farming and post-flood vegetables, yielding notable per-area earnings for participating farmers.
What Happened
Researchers and farmers in India are highlighting traditional rice varieties that can tolerate heavy or prolonged rainfall. Specific examples include Kajejaya Rice from coastal Karnataka, Rajbhog Rice from Maharashtra, Deepwater Rice from eastern India, and the flood-adapted Hangseswari and Saraswati varieties in Odisha. In Odisha, a farming system developed around deepwater rice, fish rearing, and post-flood vegetable cultivation has been adopted by around 150 farmers in Puri district, with reported earnings of Rs 80,000–Rs 90,000 per hectare.
Why It Matters
As climate patterns shift toward more extreme rainfall and flooding, diversified crop options that survive or even thrive under waterlogged conditions can provide resilience for farmers. The existence of multiple varieties with distinct flood-adaptation traits suggests an alternative to relying on a narrow set of high-yield crops when weather becomes unpredictable.
Background
Indigenous crop diversity has been sustained by farmers and researchers across India. Conservation of diverse rice varieties in various regions has yielded seeds that tolerate different flood scenarios, from prolonged inundation to rapid water rise. Some programs emphasize linking crop choice with farming systems to make better use of water-logged landscapes, rather than solely focusing on yield under optimal conditions.
Key Facts
- Kajejaya Rice is an indigenous red rice variety cultivated in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, Karnataka, noted for surviving flooding up to a week, though extended floods can reduce yields.
- Rajbhog Rice, a traditional variety from Maharashtra, is listed among seeds conserved by Rahibai Soma Popere, who has cultivated 48 indigenous varieties across 17 crops.
- Deepwater Rice is used in flood-prone eastern India and can elongate stems to keep leaves above rising water, with different flooding types requiring distinct traits.
- In Odisha, Hangseswari and Saraswati are used in a farming system that combines deepwater rice, fish, aquatic crops and post-flood vegetables; about 150 farmers in Puri district adopted this approach, reporting earnings of Rs 80,000–Rs 90,000 per hectare.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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