Can tech help cardamom farmers?

Priti GuptaTechnology Reporter, MumbaiGetty ImagesBeautiful however delicate, cardamom is a demanding crop”Individuals usually suppose cardamom is a profitable crop – it might be. However it’s additionally the hardest crop a farmer can domesticate,” says Stanley Pothan, who has been farming cardamom within the southern Indian state of Kerala for many years.Prized for hundreds of years for its complicated, fragrant flavour, cardamom is fiendishly troublesome to develop.”Cardamom is a really delicate plant – susceptible to ailments and pest assaults. You must be always within the discipline, watching each leaf, each flower. It calls for consideration each single day,” says Mr Pothan.It is also extraordinarily delicate to climate situations.”Final 12 months’s summer season was brutal – we misplaced a good portion of our crop to the warmth. Guatemala, the world’s largest cardamom producer, misplaced virtually 60% of its crop that season, and we too suffered badly right here in Kerala,” he provides.That poor harvest contributed to a 70% bounce in cardamom costs final 12 months to 1,178 rupees (£10; $13) per kilo, up 70% in comparison with the earlier 12 months, in response to figures from India’s Spice Board.Cardamom has at all times been costly, normally the third costliest spice by weight, after saffron and vanilla. Farmers can be eager to lift their output, nevertheless it’s not straightforward. “One dangerous summer season or surprising rain can wipe away the complete effort. That is the tough actuality of cardamom farming,” says Mr Pothan.Stanley PothanStanley Pothan says cardamom is the “hardest” crop to growThe government-funded Indian Cardamom Analysis Institute (ICRI) is attempting to ease the burden of tending to cardamom’s wants.”Our focus is on crop enchancment, pest and illness surveillance, soil administration, capability constructing, and know-how switch associated to cardamom,” says A.B. Rameshwari, Director of the ICRI, which is a part of the federal government’s Spices Board of India.One among its instruments is an app that farmers can use to watch the well being of their soil and offers them tailor-made suggestions on greatest handle it.”Know-how is now not separate from farming. It’s now a day by day instrument for cardamom growers, from checking soil well being on an app, to monitoring rainfall and illness alerts on their telephones,” says Dr Rameshwari.”Even small farmers right this moment are utilizing digital instruments. They do not must rely solely on native recommendation, they will examine the soil high quality, moisture, and even illness signs proper from their discipline.”In the meantime, scientists are searching for hardier cardamom varieties. “We’re primarily specializing in creating cardamom varieties which can be tolerant to main ailments and pests, whereas additionally being excessive yielding and local weather resilient,” says Preity Chetty, assistant professor on the Division of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Kerala Agricultural College.They’ve made one breakthrough, by discovering a cardamom selection that may develop with restricted water. The researchers are additionally delving into the genetic make-up for cardamom to seek out genetic markers for fascinating traits. That information ought to pace up the breeding of extra productive crops.”Not like different spices, research on cardamom are restricted, particularly on the molecular degree. There is a lack of molecular markers for reproductive or yield traits, which we at the moment are attempting to deal with,” says Dr Chetty.GraaymaOnly saffron and vanilla are dearer than cardamom by weightOne key course of in cardamom farming is drying the pods as soon as they’ve been harvested. Historically solely the bigger farms may afford to arrange their very own dryers, usually fueled by wooden. “Smaller farmers needed to rely on middlemen or neighbours for drying, which frequently affected the standard,” says Annu Sunny, who based the social enterprise, Graamya, in 2016 to assist farmers in Kerala.”As cardamom is the queen of spices and a money crop lot of individuals have began get in to cultivation,” she says.”It is a very difficult crop. It takes 10 to 12 years to essentially perceive cardamom, the way it behaves, what it wants, when to behave and when to attend. Each season is sort of a new experiment,” she provides.To assist farmers with the drying course of, Graayma has launched heat-pump dryers.Graayma expenses 10 rupees per kilo, which is considerably cheaper than wooden drying which value round 14 rupees per kilo. “The end of the product is significantly better, there is not any smoke, no uneven heating, and the pods retain their pure inexperienced color. That is essential as a result of color decides the value.”Mathews GerogeMathews Geroge switched from banking to natural farmingGrowing cardamom with the assistance of fertilisers and pesticides is difficult sufficient, however some farmers are going a step additional, by taking an natural strategy to cultivation.”Once I first began, I had no concept what I used to be entering into,” says Mathews Geroge, previously a banker who turned to farming in Kerala in 2020. “Once I first spoke to scientists on the Cardamom Analysis Institute, they discouraged me. They mentioned cardamom is simply too delicate and troublesome to develop organically.”Initially they seemed to be proper – round 90% of his first crop was destroyed by pests and native merchants rejected his cardamom as a result of, to them, it regarded in poor situation.After two years of experimentation he turned to the traditional Indian cultivation strategies of Vrikshayurveda, which he says has purchased extra success. However it’s nonetheless not straightforward.”Even right this moment, I would not say I’ve mastered cardamom farming. It is nonetheless a problem. Some seasons are good, some aren’t. However now I perceive the rhythm of the crop – when to behave, when to attend, when to let nature do its job.”In the end, Mr Geroge thinks natural farming will be capable of compete with conventional strategies.”Sustainable farming begins with decreasing enter prices. Many farmers suppose natural means costly, however when you make your personal inputs and perceive your soil, you’ll be able to truly earn higher with much less dependence on chemical compounds.”One side of cardamom farming that’s unlikely to vary quickly is the necessity for expert staff. Mr Pothan estimates that labour accounts for 75% of his prices and most of that’s spent at harvest time. “Harvesting is a talented job – principally completed by ladies. They know precisely which capsule is prepared and which is not. They could pluck one or two from a bunch and return to the identical plant after 45 days for the subsequent spherical. That is why it is so labour-intensive,” Mr Pothan says.Ms Sunny says these jobs are more likely to be safe.”Mechanisation in cardamom is restricted. You possibly can mechanise spraying or de-weeding, however not pruning or harvesting. Each innovator who visits our farm appears at cardamom and says ‘we’ll remedy this’. However nothing concrete has come out but.”Mr Pothan agrees and provides that cardamom calls for extra than simply good course of. “In cardamom, there is not any shortcut. You possibly can’t automate every part. It is a type of crops that wants each science and soul.”Extra Know-how of Enterprise