Seed Preservation Practices

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

Earlier, we used to store our grains in traditional bins. At that time, the crop used to grow well. But now, if we keep the seeds in steel bins, they are not sprouting. So, we want to return to our old ways.

— Hariparkash kharadi · Katarwas Khurd, Udaipur, Rajasthan

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

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

The traditional seeds have diminished. Therefore, the traditional seeds from earlier times, give them back to us again, as they have been decreasing.

— Suresh Miniaka

Even today, in our tribal areas, the method of traditional seed conservation by ancestors is adopted.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

Earlier, we used to keep seeds in earthen pots with neem leaves, but now those pots are not available. Their traditional profession is slowly coming to an end, and we are also forced to move towards modernity.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

These seeds have been inherited by us through many generations. We preserve them with the thought that they might not be available to us in the future or could become extinct.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

Our task of storing seeds involved keeping them in our mud granaries. We kept other seeds separately for eating. These were traditional mud granaries made of mud from our ancestors' time, and they were used for farming.

— Hariparkash kharadi · Vijayanagar, Sabarkantha, Gujarat

Yes, we save old seeds.

— Kachala Choudhary

My name is Mutiy Pradhan. My Gram Panchayat is Pikorodi. My Block is Tikabali. My District is Kandhamal. Our mothers used to store seeds in the olden days. They would keep seeds in pots near the fire in 'Putra Jakore'. Nothing would happen to them. Today, in today's date, farming is done with fertilizer and pesticides, which is why this year, the seeds cannot last even for a year. That's why we want to live like before.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

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

Chickpeas and gumbra are our old seeds, which we preserve and then sow.

— Vinita Singh Yadav · Mukasim, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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

— Vijay Kumar bhardwaj · Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh

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

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

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

These native seeds were inherited by us from our ancestors.

— Sunil oraon · Verno, Gumla, Jharkhand

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

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

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

— Sathimambalaka · Tado, Rayagada, Odisha

Yes, we cultivate and preserve traditional seeds.

— Selina Pangi

We have received our traditional native seeds from our ancestors, which we conserve and protect for the coming generation.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

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

Yes, we also grow other crops without irrigation using traditional methods, which we call 'unhari' crops. We also store their seeds using traditional methods.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Yes, due to the lack of water facilities in our fields, we grow Rabi crops using traditional methods without irrigation and also maintain traditional seeds using traditional methods.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

I have old paddy seeds.

— Kachala Choudhary

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

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

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

We are gradually destroying the traditional seeds of ancient times. We should preserve those seeds. Otherwise, some medicines and plants are leading to their extinction.

— VEER SINGH SIJUI · Gitilāta, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Jharkhand

We save old seeds so that they do not become extinct or disappear in the future. We save them so that they remain available in the future and can be cultivated.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

We traditionally keep the seeds and cultivate in the coming year.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

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

These seeds are inherited, given by our ancestors.

— Kachala Choudhary