ALAPPUZHA: For over 150 years, the farmers of Kuttanad have toiled hard in the paddy fields that lie nearly two metres below sea level. And now, after a prolonged wait, their efforts are being acknowledged. That too in a big way! The United Nations Food and Agriculutral Organisation (FAO)has recognised the region as a Global Agricultural Heritage Zone. In an official letter to the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) chairman and agricultural expert M S Swaminathan, the organisation has informed that the ‘Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System’ (KBSFS), is unique in the world.Kuttanad is the second heritage zone in the country to get this recognition from the FAO. Earlier, the tribal farming method in Koraput, Odisha, was recognised by the FAO as a Global Agricultural Heritage Zone last year.“The MSSRF has submitted the project to the FAO with the help of the Kottayam Natural Society and the State Government. At the initial stage, the FAO has sanctioned an amount of $30,000, apart from issuing a certificate. The certification will now help the farmers and the state to continue this age-old technology to ensure food-safety for the country,” Swaminathan said.
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