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Indigenous Management Practices of Betel-leaf (piper Betle L.) Cultivation by the Khasia Community in Bangladesh

Dr. Rafiqul Haider
Divisional Officer
Bangladesh Forest Research Institute

Abul Khair
Professor
Department of Botany, jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka

Mahfuzur Rahman
Professor
Department of Botany, jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka

M. Khairul Alam.
Chief Research Officer
Bangladesh Forest Research Institute

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The Khasia community, living within reserve forest of Sylhet Division mostly in Moulvibazar district. Traditionally they grow betel-leaf on trees which is different from plain land betel-leaf cultivation. Tree based betel-leaf cultivation is a productive and sustainable agro forestry system. Average farm size is about 1.21 hectares per family. The study recorded 86 support tree species in the farm land. Stocking density in the farm land is 1452 trees per hectares excluding seedlings and saplings, with a wide variety of diameter classes. Artocarpus chama and Areca catechu are the most suitable support tree species for betel-leaf farming. Farmers propagates betel vine through stem cutting. June-August is the optimum time for planting betel vine. Support tree pruning and mulching are essential management practices for betel-leaf farming. Leaf rot and stem rot are two common diseases occur in betel-leaf farm. Male members conduct farm actively and harvesting of betel-leaf and the female members operate betel-leaf processing and marketing. The state of the art of betel-leaf cultivation as a viable and sustainable farm, lie in its management practices, a skill of the Khasia community. To extend this farming practice one is to understand its cultivation and management practices.

Keywords: Indigenous management, Betel-leaf cultivation, Khasia community, Bangladesh

Location: Moulvibazar, Bangladesh

Start Date: 00-01-2010

End Date: 00-12-2011

Program Area: Conservation and Biodiversity

Commodity: Medicinal Plants

Objectives:

a) To document indigenous tree based betel-leaf cultivation and management practices by the Khasia community.

Methodology:

Moulvibazar district is selected as the study area, as it is the representative of natural hill forest and most of the Khasia community lives in this district. Three villages (punji) namely; Lawachara (site 1), Kalengi (site 2) and Patrakhola (site 3) selected purposively to study the betel-leaf management practices. Topography of the three study areas are more or less similar and is undulating with slopes and hillocks ranging in generals from 10-20 m in height and rarely 60-80 m. The soils are dark brown, sandy clay loam of Pliocene origin. The climate of the study area is generally worm and humid, better weather turns cool in the winter. Temperature ranges from 50C in January and 37.70C in March. Annual rainfall varies approximately from 2400-3800 m with maximum rainfall bearing in May to September due to monsoon. The study was conducted during 2010 and 2011. Documentation has been done with permission of Khasia community people. Information was collected through field visits, interview with Khasia people, continuous field monitoring, focus group discussion and vegetation study through quadrat sampling method.

Source of Information: Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, Vol. 12(2), April 2013, pp. 231-239

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1. Government

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Khasia betel-leaf cultivation is an income generating, land based, long term agro forestry farming system. This production system had developed a traditional management system of its own. Preparation of cutting, planting of two-branched, four-branch, six-branch cutting, pruning of support tree of ‘kolom kora’ mulching, preservation of cutting in the moist soil in very hot days, harvesting of betel-leaf with special type of ladder are the indicators of their own management practices. Farm activity and harvesting of betel-leaf is the task of male, on the other hand female members operate processing and marketing of betel-leaf is also the indication of their own traditional management practices. Such management practices are directly related to the livelihood of the Khasia ethnic community. This type of forest farming differs from slash and burn system of hill cultivation and the Khasia betel-leaf cultivation is one of the methods of tree diversity conservation. There is no research based information on the effect of soil erosion due to pruning of support tree, weeding and cleaning around the betel vines. No information is available on etiology of Khasia betel-leaf diseases. So, there is enough scope of biological and socio-ecological research and effect of Khasia betel-leaf cultivation on tree diversity conservation, local ecosystem, environment and traditional indigenous knowledge. So, in-depth research on tree based betel-leaf cultivation and management practice are emphasized.

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