Seed Saving & Food Security

Our traditional seeds are exhausted, the old seeds are no longer available.

— Kachala Choudhary

We have a water shortage even for double cropping. Due to this, we are using our own seed paddy and doing less threshing, as we have sown the paddy in the field.

— Padmini Bhoi · SKIP NO LOCATION

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

In our region, people depend on rainwater, so we only use zero-irrigation seeds, and we have traditional seeds available, which are maintained using traditional methods.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

My name is Sabita Pradhan. My village is Ghosaguda. The block is Tikabali. In earlier times, we used to cultivate in the forests. And we used to cultivate millets, corn, black gram, and horse gram. We used to cultivate all those. Fertilizer was not even needed there. And even if we want to cultivate now, we are not getting seeds. That's why we are requesting the government that if they provide us with seeds, we will be able to cultivate and sustain ourselves.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

The oldest seeds have run out, let's bring seeds from the market.

— Kachala Choudhary

We have held back the seeds. After the rain, we will sow mustard, horse gram, black gram, and green gram. We cultivate by sowing, but in stony and barren places, it doesn't grow.

— Puspanjali Nag

On our vacant land, we grow a second crop without irrigation, using traditional seeds and traditional methods.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya 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

Earlier, we planted rice because it rained according to the season. Now, we are cultivating cotton because it has not rained according to the season.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

We are cultivating moong without water. We are cultivating moong with our own seeds. The government is delaying in providing seeds.

— Kusha Mahakud

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

Traditionally, we store our own moong seeds and sow them in the Rabi season, immediately after the Kharif season, even with zero irrigation.

— Lily Barik · Kalahandi, Odisha

This time, we are not receiving seeds from the agriculture department, which is a problem. We need to get some seeds from the agriculture department.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey

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

Yes, we grow a second crop without irrigation and also maintain old traditional seeds according to customary methods.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

We store moong pulse seeds using traditional methods and sow the seeds as a Rabi crop with zero irrigation after the Kharif season crop harvest.

— Ahalya Sahu · Kalahandi, Odisha

We live in an irrigated area, and due to the lack of water, we grow the same seeds that will give us a harvest that works for us and yields with less water.

— Sonmati · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are cultivating paddy this year. We will save the seeds and cultivate next year. No

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

In our region, zero irrigation crops are sown, mainly pulses and oilseeds, and we practice traditional farming and conserve pulse seeds.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

My name is Chandrika Pradhan. My village is Panga Bidungia, block is Tikabali. In the olden days, we used to keep seeds in pots. We kept them because, in the olden days, we didn't use fertilizer. Nowadays, we are using fertilizer. That's why we can't keep our seeds for many days. We want to return to the previous state.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

Yes, on zero-irrigation land, we grow a second crop, and the maintenance of traditional seeds and farming methods are still done using our old methods.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

My name is Jarunal Pradhan, and my village is Piparodi. And the GP (Gram Panchayat) is Piparodi block, Tikabali. In the past, we used to clear the forest there and plant millet, ragi, and corn. But today, we are not able to get those seeds. That's why we are requesting the government for seeds.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

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

It seems Kuntula Pada village is Kutrabali. In Delhi, there is also Titrabali. In the past, we used to plant seeds like paddy, millet, maize, etc., in the hills. And no fertilizer was used in this cycle. That's why our health was good. And now we are unable to get these seeds. Therefore, we request the government. If you provide us with seeds, we will be able to cultivate. Thank you.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Sabjan Mitra Pradhan. My village is Dibaoala. My Panchayat is Godimunda, and my Block is Tikabali. In the olden days, we used to cultivate and live off queer, died, and mandia (millet). In today's time, we don't get those seeds. That's why we can't even cultivate. If we get seeds from the old times, we can cultivate and live.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

I have old paddy seeds.

— Kachala Choudhary

Yes, on our fallow fields, even without irrigation, we grow other crops and use traditional seeds, ploughing and sowing with oxen according to old methods.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

We sow seeds without water and harvest seeds.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Lamingi, Rayagada, Odisha

Before, we used to cultivate crops without water: bajra, maize, kodo, mezhri, and arhar (pigeon pea).

— Kamleah Kumar · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

No, the old traditional seeds are no longer available, so now we immediately buy them and use the seeds.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

After cultivating paddy, I am cultivating green gram and black gram, and traditional farming methods are not protecting these seeds.

— Pankajini Chhatria