Kerala farmers fight to preserve world’s only variety of salt-resistant rice – and the ecosystem -Kamayani Bali Mahabal

As Scroll.in’s Mridula Chari and Harsha Vadlamani search for clouds along the west coast, they meet farmers who are attempting to return to a traditional system of alternating paddy and shrimp cultivation.

Each year, Kerala’s backwaters attract around 1.8 crore visitors to stay on houseboats, get lengthy massages and gawk at elephants. Few tourists realise that the placid backwaters are the site of a low-key battle – a battle to preserve pokkali, the world’s only salt-resistant rice variety.

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