Reviving Traditional Crops

We will cultivate pulses using very old traditional methods, so that we can use them in our diet.

— Pushpalata Surtange · Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh

Our ancestors used to cultivate Bhadi kodra, jowar, pulses, and oilseed crops.

— Kachala Choudhary

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 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

The things we used to cultivate before were black gram, green gram, cowpea, horse gram, etc.

— Batakrushna Sahoo

Our ancestors used to cultivate millet without mixing any chemical pesticides; they used cow dung as fertilizer. And those foods were very good.

— Sastensh khura

People of the past used to cultivate saawa, kodo, menjhari, bajra, and maize, and their bodies were strong. But today, by eating grains grown with fertilizer...

— Kamleah Kumar · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our ancestors used to consume grains like Kuri, Kudra, Humli, and other similar produce. Those grains are now gone. If the government conducts a survey/preservation effort for them, it would be very beneficial for our people in the future, meaning there would be no illnesses or similar problems.

— Mohan AHARI · Udaipur, Rajasthan

Previously, we used to cultivate all crops like moong, urad, and kulthi, and we want to continue doing so in the future.

— Jyoti Senapati

The methods that our ancestors taught, which is farming, and now if we implement that, considering the market's demand, if we adopt our old methods, then we...

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

Our ancestors were cultivating. They grew urad and moong. The soil gave them a different kind of produce, and they nurtured the seeds for it.

— Mukunda Majhi · Udulibeda, Malkangiri, Odisha

Before, all of us tribals used to plow the fields with a plow and bullocks. We would sow medo mujri and also kurthi, which was very nutritious food. It was sown without fertilizer and would grow readily.

— Babulal Ayam · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Sukanti Pradhan. My village is Lambakupa. GP is Pikorodi. Block is Tikabali. District is Kandhamal. In our rural areas, the main food items that were cultivated, such as ragi, millet, maize, black gram, and green gram, did not require fertilizer. That's why our ancestors lived for a long time. Currently, because we are not cultivating our traditional food seeds, many kinds of diseases are occurring. So, if we can get traditional food and seeds from the government, then we can return to our previous state.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

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

From the time of our ancestors, they used to cultivate with a plow. Immediately after paddy cultivation, they would grow mustard, groundnuts, horse gram, black gram, and green gram. Our subsequent generations have forgotten this practice.

— RINA BEHERA · Sundargarh, Odisha

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

I am a farmer. Our father, grandfather, and uncles used to cultivate using traditional methods. They used to farm without fertilizer and without chemicals. And that farming was good for crops like horse gram and ragi.

— Parikshit Majhi

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

In our village, earlier, people used to cultivate fields with ploughs and oxen and worked very hard. At that time, they would sow Kodo, Sawa, Medo, and Mizri, and grow them without fertilizer. They used to sustain themselves with that, from which individuals...

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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 mung bean, urad, horse gram, ragi, and mustard. At that time, it used to rain, and there were forests.

— Anirudha Marai

But we need to protect the traditional farming that was done before.

— Niranjan Bisi · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha

Traditional agriculture

— KRUSHNA KHILLO · Semiliguda, Koraput, Odisha

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

Old seeds should be preserved using organic fertilizer, and traditional farming should be practiced following natural methods. This can benefit the agricultural sector.

— Mohan AHARI · Sarera, Udaipur, Rajasthan

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

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 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

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

Traditional agriculture and heritage

— KRUSHNA KHILLO · Semiliguda, Koraput, Odisha

My ancestors used to emphasize farming using organic methods.

— Madan Hantal · Pujariguda, Malkangiri, Odisha

Previously, we ourselves used to cultivate moong, Didhan Lar Golandi, Mahipal paddy, red paddy, Kalachu paddy, and Sarai paddy.

— Padmini Bhoi

We save stable seeds and kuluth seeds are valuable for our family. We have old seeds like millet, kuluth, moong. We sell them and use them as food.

— Basanti · Dashapalla, Nayagarh, Odisha

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

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh