Traditional diet helps tribal people keep anaemia at bay – Andhra Pradesh

The few villages in Adilabad district that remain difficult to access […]

Much of tribal traditions with respect to agriculture and food habits can be seen in original form in these habitations as they were left untouched by developments elsewhere.

Seasonal and viral diseases account for death of scores of tribal people in this district every year. Anaemia, especially among young women and children, has been identified as the root cause of such deaths.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor, had conducted a survey on incidence of anaemia among tribal people inhabiting a dozen remote villages on the route to Jodeghat in Kerameri mandal. Of the nearly 300 persons subjected to tests, only one was found anaemic and the reason was not far to look for.

The villagers in Jodeghat, Patnapur, Babejhari, Shivguda, Chalbadi among others carried on with traditional desi crops while the rest of the agency migrated to commercial hybrid crops. Neither Bt cotton nor fertilizers and pesticides found their way into these villages owing to problems of logistics.

Local varieties of food grains like jowar (sorghum), maize, beans, green gram and a host of oil foods continue to be cultivated here. These provide for the nutrition that the tribal bodies require.

Rice, which was a luxury for the poor tribal people, became their staple diet after N.T. Rama Rao introduced the Rs. 2 a kg rice scheme. It replaced all the rich and varied food including a variety of tubers found in the jungles.

“Our people took to rice but shun the rich in nutrition starch which contains all the water soluble vitamins. The decrease in vitamin intake has decreased resistance among them,” says Thodsam Chandu, a Gond doctor who is Additional District Medical and Health Officer in the agency.

Dr. Chandu says tribal children can be made aware of various traditional vegetables if backyard gardening is introduced in ashram schools and other hostels. Old crops should also be brought back into cultivation as a permanent measure of food security in these parts, he adds.

Source: “Traditional diet helps tribal people keep anaemia at bay” by S. Harpal Singh, The Hindu, ADILABAD, April 20, 2012
Address : https://www.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/article3332923.ece
Date Visited: Fri May 18 2012 11:01:11 GMT+0200 (CEST)

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The tribal food basket has always been diverse and nutritious >>
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“Health spending by the Indian government as percentage of GDP has long been one of the lowest for any major country, and the public health system is chronically dismal.” – Pranab Bardhan in “The two largest democracies in the world are the sickest now” | Learn more: Scroll.in, 24 August 2020 >>

Context | Health care for communities identified as “poorest of poor” (PVTGs)

India is designated as the melting pot of so many ethnic groups dwelling at the same time under the common umbrella of a unified nation. Among these varied ethnic groups, some of them have been categorized under article 342 (1) of the constitution and have been labelled as Scheduled Tribe. In the post independent scenario, several schemes for upliftment of STs were run by the government but it was found that all these groups did not come up to the same level of development. Some of them were at much lower strata than others. Thus, in order to ensure the development of these communities, they were, for the first time in 1975-76 (during 5th Five-year plan) and thereafter-in 1993, identified as poorest of poor among the STs and were designated as Primitive Tribal Groups and thereafter constitution of India renamed and declared as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Out of the 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups, 13 are residing in Odisha; they are becoming increasing vulnerable due to loss of their customary habitat. The health troubles of rural areas especially in the tribal areas need a unique concentration, because the tribal people have typical health problem.

Source: 2019 PhD thesis (Abstract) by Jayanta Kumar Nayak titled “Health Seeking Behaviour and Health Care Services among the Hill Kharia Mayurbhanj District Odisha”, Department of Anthropology, Central University of Orissa
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10603/257651
Date Visited: 21 May 2025

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Learn from M S Swaminathan – a world renowned scientist – how biological diversity contributes to public health, people’s livelihood and environmental security in addition to food security: his call on fellow citizens to use and share resources in a more sustainable and equitable manner; outlining the long journey from the 1992 Earth Summit to a commitment to foster inherited knowledge through India’s Biodiversity Act and Genome Saviour Award; an award intended to reward those who are “primary conservers” – guardians of biological diversity!

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What does it mean to be Indigenous?

Indigenous Peoples can be identified according to certain characteristics:

They are politically and socially marginalized.

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There are more than 5,000 different Indigenous Peoples around the world comprising 476 million people – around 6.2% of the global population. They are spread across more than 90 countries in every region and speak more than 4,000 languages.  | Learn more (Amnesty International) >>

Source: “INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS” by Amnesty International
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