{"id":41124,"date":"2025-04-14T19:13:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T13:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=41124"},"modified":"2025-07-04T15:26:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T09:56:23","slug":"saving-traditional-varieties-of-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-04-2025\/saving-traditional-varieties-of-seeds","title":{"rendered":"Saving Traditional Varieties of Seeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The traditional seeds are rapidly disappearing after the adoption of the green revolution and modern agricultural policies.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Traditional Seeds?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Traditional seeds, also known as indigenous or heirloom seeds, are naturally evolved and locally adapted over generations. These seeds are:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open-pollinated and can be saved by farmers,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rich in genetic diversity,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adapted to local climatic and soil conditions, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Culturally embedded in local food systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Benefits of Traditional Seeds<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climate Resilience: <\/strong>Tolerant to drought, floods, and extreme temperatures.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Require less irrigation and fewer chemical inputs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Biodiversity Conservation:<\/strong> Promote genetic diversity critical for ecological balance and future crop improvement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutritional Value: <\/strong>Millets and pulses contain higher fibre, protein, and micronutrients compared to polished grains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Sustainability:<\/strong> Lower input costs as farmers can reuse seeds and rely less on commercial seed and agrochemical markets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural and Heritage Value: <\/strong>Integral to traditional food practices, festivals, and indigenous knowledge systems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Example: <\/strong>Navara rice, a traditional medicinal rice variety from Kerala, is used in Ayurvedic treatments and temple rituals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for the Decline of Traditional Seeds<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Policy Bias toward High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs): <\/strong>Green Revolution policies focused on maximizing output from a few staple crops like rice and wheat.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Government subsidies, MSP, and procurement favoured HYVs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Market and Consumer Preferences:<\/strong> Urban markets and public food schemes prioritize polished, high-yield grains.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of awareness about traditional grains leads to poor demand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inadequate Institutional Support:<\/strong> Weak community seed banks and poor conservation infrastructure.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Limited investment in research and development for improving traditional varieties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commercialization of Agriculture: <\/strong>It has led to the dominance of seed corporations and input-intensive farming models (use of Chemical fertilizers, mechanization, irrigations etc), which prioritize hybrid and genetically modified (GM) seeds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Initiatives and Best Practices<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Odisha Millet Mission: <\/strong>Promotes production, consumption, and marketing of millets in tribal districts.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Empowers local farmers and encourages nutritional security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community Seed Banks: <\/strong>Grassroots initiatives in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Odisha support <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-06-2025\/preservation-traditional-seed-varieties-in-india\"><strong>seed conservation,<\/strong><\/a> exchange, and revival.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF): <\/strong>Tribal Agrobiodiversity Centre in Jeypore, Odisha conserves over 1,200 rice varieties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>FAO and Biodiversity International Programs: <\/strong>Global initiatives to document, conserve, and enhance genetic diversity in agriculture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): <\/strong>Supports organic farming using traditional seeds and indigenous practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Policy Reorientation: <\/strong>Integrate traditional crops into MSP, PDS, and midday meal schemes.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Include climate-resilient crops in the National Food Security Mission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening Seed Sovereignty:<\/strong> Expand well-funded community seed banks and regional conservation centres.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promote Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) with farmer-scientist collaboration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Market and Branding Support:<\/strong> Launch awareness campaigns on the health and environmental benefits of traditional crops.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create GI tags, organic labels, and e-commerce platforms for indigenous grains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education and R&amp;D Investment:<\/strong> Revise agricultural curricula to emphasize traditional knowledge systems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Allocate research grants for improving productivity of traditional varieties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/127968\/OPS\/GAHE7CEEF.1+GTTE8D5DO.1.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The traditional seeds are rapidly disappearing after the adoption of the green revolution and modern agricultural policies.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What are Traditional Seeds?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Traditional seeds, also known as indigenous or heirloom seeds, are naturally evolved and locally adapted over generations. These seeds are:<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Open-pollinated and can be saved by farmers,<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-04-2025\/saving-traditional-varieties-of-seeds\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41124"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46914,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41124\/revisions\/46914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}