Context

Internally displaced tribal families in the Godavari Valley persist in employing the ancestral ‘deda’ method to conserve seeds of pulses and food crops, inherited from their ancestors in Chhattisgarh.

Deda Method

• Storage of seeds: The seeds are stored within leaves and tightly packed to resemble boulders when viewed from a distance. 
  • These packaged seeds are then encased in Siali leaf (Bauhinia vahlii), locally referred to as ‘addakulu’, to create the deda.
• Three-Layer Seed Preservation: Each deda consists of three layers. Initially, wood ash is scattered within the Siali leaves. 
  • Then, lemon leaves are used to encase the ash, forming a protective layer. Finally, the seeds are stored inside this casing and sealed. 
  • Each deda is designed to accommodate a minimum of 5kg of seeds.
• Advantages of Deda Method: The Deda method ensures that seeds are shielded from pests and worms, allowing them to be viable for cultivation for up to five years. 
  • This technique is particularly effective for preserving pulses such as green gram, red gram, black gram, and beans.

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About Muria Tribes

• Geographical Location: Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
  •  They communicate in Koya, a Dravidian language.
• Settlements: Muria settlements are recognized as homes to Internally Displaced People (IDPs), numbering approximately 6,600 in Andhra Pradesh. 
  • They are commonly referred to as ‘Gutti Koyas‘ by the indigenous tribes.
  • Gutti Koyas were granted  Scheduled Tribes  Status in Chhattisgarh, But Not in Telangana.
• Muria Farming Practices : The Muria tribes engage in subsistence farming.
• Small-Scale Mixed Crop Farming: The Murias typically cultivate mixed crops on small-scale plots measuring below half an acre. 
  • Maize and pulses are their primary crops, with minimal reliance on paddy. Paddy cultivation employs the direct-sowing method.