Ancestral Agriculture

Sawa, Medo, Mijhri are our traditional crops, which our ancestors used to cultivate by plowing with bullocks and a plough. They consumed these crops throughout the year and saved seeds in their homes for the next year's sowing. We still practice farming today.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our plows and bullocks till the fields, we sow millet, maize, make furrows, and plant small seeds, and also save seeds for the next year. This is a legacy from our ancestors, which we still have today and which we utilize.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Here, we cultivate Sawa, Medon, Mujhri, Kodo, and pulses using the 'Batririri' method. We also store the seeds at home for the following year and then re-sow them in the field; this practice is a legacy from our ancestors.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Even today, we farm with a plough and oxen and earn our livelihood. Since ancient times, our ancestors have ploughed fields with a plough and oxen, and sow only the seeds preserved at home, such as kurthi, sawa, medo, and mijhri.

— Ram Kumari

We are a tribal community, we farm using ploughs and bullocks, and we sustain our lives. We clear forests and bushes to make fields, and we cultivate sawa, medo, mijhri, and maize, which were grown by our ancestors, and we also preserve their seeds.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our ancestors have been cultivating Kodo, Barnyard, Foxtail, Finger millet, Horse gram, and Barley since ancient times, which are very nutritious. We always preserve their seeds and cultivate them every year.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We sow with great effort without irrigation, and cultivate crops by plowing with oxen and a plow. We save seeds for many years, which come in handy.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

From the very beginning, we cultivate a second crop without irrigation using old methods and traditional seeds. The method of storing these seeds is also traditional, and our fields are ploughed using bullocks.

— Rupesh Maravi · Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh

We cultivate seeds such as chickpea, lentil, mustard, and horse gram using traditional, possibly rain-fed, farming methods. We preserve these seeds and cultivate them using this traditional agricultural practice.

— Laxmi Sahu

I cultivate pulse crops without irrigation. We save pulse seeds, among which horse gram, black gram, and pigeon pea are the oldest varieties. We save these seeds for cultivation every year. Our ancestors used to cultivate using manure and traditional ploughs.

— DASHARATH SINGH

We cultivate sawa mejhari. Our ancestors also did.

— Manjusha Marko · Dudhi, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We have traditional seeds here like Saadia, paddy, pigeon pea, semi-native gourds, Karaiguta, Chipra, etc. We preserve these every year and cultivate them using old traditional methods without irrigation.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

We save and sow our traditional seeds. Such as chickpea, sorghum, Bhadi, pearl millet, etc.

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We do traditional farming. We save rain-fed seeds and cultivate crops like sorghum and chickpea.

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We still have traditional seeds like Kodo, Kutki, Maize, Sorghum, Kulthi, Arhar, etc., which we sow using old methods even without irrigation facilities. Even then, our crops ripen.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

In our region, we all cultivate rain-fed crops like pigeon pea and maize, and this is our heritage.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We cultivate a second crop. The valuable seed of our family is Horse gram. Our ancestors have given us Green gram, Black gram, Horse gram, and Finger millet. We follow the farming methods of our ancestors.

— Basanti · Nayagarh, Odisha

We save our traditional seeds that we have inherited.

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We should still cultivate Saav Medon Mijhari, which has been passed down since ancient times. Our ancestors used to farm without fertilizer, and by eating it, they remained strong, healthy, and powerful. Therefore, these seeds should be preserved even today.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We preserve the pulse crops that we have received from our ancestors.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. And I also cultivate every year using this method, by preserving Urad and Kulthi seeds.

— Kumudini Chhanchan

We cultivate paddy, wheat, and pulses in our village and want to preserve this as a heritage.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Yes, we practice traditional farming and also conserve indigenous seeds.

— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh

Old traditional farming includes Kodo, Menjri, and Sawan, which have been cultivated according to age-old traditions. Protect your crops.

— bachcha lal · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. And I also cultivate every year using this method, by saving black gram and horse gram seeds.

— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha

Yes, we cultivate and preserve traditional seeds.

— Selina Pangi

We cultivate zero-irrigation crops, including pulses and oilseeds, and also conserve them, as they are part of our heritage.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

We farm using traditional methods.

— Sunil oraon · Bero, Ranchi, Jharkhand

Yes, pulses are cultivated in this. According to our ancestors, we also preserve seeds.

— Jagannath Baraik · Bayang, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Jharkhand

We will practice traditional farming and save seeds for next year.

— Sathimambalaka · Tado, Rayagada, Odisha

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. I also cultivate every year using this method by saving black gram and horse gram seeds.

— DASHARATH SINGH · Jamunkira, Sambalpur, Odisha

We have a lack of irrigation resources, due to which we cultivate crops every year using traditional methods and traditional seeds, and even today we have old traditional seeds available.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulse crops as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. I also store black gram and horse gram seeds and cultivate every year using this method.

— Kumudini Chhanchan

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop using organic methods without irrigation. I also cultivate every year using this method by storing black gram and horse gram seeds.

— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha

We have been farming since the second year, following traditional and organic methods. We also save our own seeds and cultivate them every year.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

They practice traditional courtyard farming, having done so since their ancestors. They keep us committed to the conservation of seeds.

— Man Singh Bankira

We farm using the old method.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

In ancient times, we used to cultivate with ploughs. We used to cultivate black gram, horse gram, green gram, paddy, etc.

— RINA BEHERA · Sundargarh, Odisha

We preserve old seeds for sowing work, which explicitly includes Moong, Kili, and Mustard.

— Vijay Kumar bhardwaj · Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh

We want to preserve rain-fed crops like maize and jute, which are part of our old heritage, for future generations.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh