Will Rajasthan’s hardy desert berry survive the changing landscape?

Her wrinkles stand out. She is wearing a long, elaborate ghaghra, her head is covered with an odhni. A gold-coloured forehead pendant in the parting of the hair, a chunky gold neckpiece, a gold nose ring, silver bangles and anklets complete her look. Seventy-year-old Ganga Devi loves her traditional Rajasthani get up.

A resident of Melba village in Rajasthan, she shares with Mongabay India the interesting story behind her ornaments. “When we were growing up, there were only ker bushes all around. In March-April, our whole day was spent in plucking, boiling and drying ker. We used to sell them at Rs 2 per kg. I used that bonus money and got these ornaments made for me and my family,” she says in the typical Rajasthani dialect. “Today, like the gold, the price of ker has also increased to Rs 1,200 [per kilo],” says Ganga Devi, talking about the dry berry-like fruit of ker (Capparis decidua), which is a widespread desert plant in Thar.

The dry climate of the Thar desert limits the availability of fresh green vegetables and that has led to the practice of eating dried components of trees and plants throughout the year. These include plants such as sangri, kumtia and ker. Ker...

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