{"id":45590,"date":"2025-06-17T20:01:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45590"},"modified":"2025-07-04T15:30:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T10:00:19","slug":"preservation-traditional-seed-varieties-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-06-2025\/preservation-traditional-seed-varieties-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Preservation of Traditional Seed Varieties in india"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Agriculture and&nbsp; Biodiversity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) recently examined community seed banks (CSBs) across India and raised concerns over declining intergenerational transfer of traditional seed conservation knowledge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of Traditional Seed Conservation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Genetic Diversity: <\/strong>These seeds have a <strong>broad genetic base<\/strong>, making crops naturally resilient to pests and diseases.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unlike monocultures that suffer rapid disease spread, traditional polycultures buffer such risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Resilience:<\/strong> With erratic weather becoming the norm\u2014ranging from cloudbursts to droughts\u2014traditional seeds provide insurance. In mixed cropping systems, even if some varieties fail, others survive and yield well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sustainability:<\/strong> Open-pollinated and reusable, these seeds thrive under organic farming methods, unlike commercial hybrid seeds that demand chemical inputs and must be bought each season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Community Seed Banks (CSBs)<\/strong><br>&#8211; CSBs allow farmers to borrow traditional seeds and return double the quantity post-harvest. This ensures seed security, especially in ecologically fragile or tribal areas.<br>&#8211; Yet, India lacks a concrete policy framework to govern CSBs. The Seed Bill 2019 remains pending, and no formal structure yet exists to integrate farmer-led seed systems into the national agricultural strategy.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Seed Conservation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Declining Youth Engagement:<\/strong> Young farmers increasingly prefer hybrid or genetically modified (GM) seeds, lured by perceptions of higher yield.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Support for CSBs:<\/strong> Most community seed banks (CSBs) operate with minimal funding, <strong>largely run by NGOs or self-help groups<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Government schemes often exclude them, offering no formal recognition or incentives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Erosion of Cultural Practices:<\/strong> Familial transmission of agricultural knowledge has weakened over generations.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Traditional seed-saving customs, like <strong>Rotiyaana in Uttarakhand<\/strong>, are vanishing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy Gaps and Exploitation of Farmers\u2019 Rights: <\/strong>Despite laws like the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers\u2019 Rights Act (PPVFRA), documentation of \u201ccommon knowledge\u201d seed varieties remains poor.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This vacuum allows individuals to register age-old community varieties as private property, risking biopiracy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Preservation Practices on the Ground<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Odisha\u2019s Niyamgiri Foothills: <\/strong>Farmers sow diverse millets, vegetables, and herbs like tulsi and marigold, ensuring ecological balance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Barah Anaj System, Uttarakhand:<\/strong> Revived by the Beej Bachao Andolan, it promotes the cultivation of 12 traditional crops together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Teeratha Village, Karnataka:<\/strong> Youth are involved in <strong>Participatory Variety Selection (PVS)<\/strong> through the <strong>Sahaja Samrudha CSB network,<\/strong> testing and selecting the most suitable millet varieties in &#8220;diversity blocks&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chizami, Nagaland:<\/strong> A women-led CSB not only conserves seeds but also imparts hands-on training to youth and school students on traditional farming and storage.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In many regions women play a central role in <strong>storing seeds in mud pots or bamboo baskets with neem leaves<\/strong>, ensuring viability without chemicals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch (BBSM),<\/strong> established in <strong>2014,<\/strong> has revitalised seed-saving through community-led festivals in Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad\u2014highlighting seed sovereignty as a people\u2019s movement.<\/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 Integration and Legal Protection:<\/strong> Fast-track documentation of common knowledge varieties to prevent unjust privatisation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Incentivising Young Seed Savers:<\/strong> Offer awards, training, and financial support to youth engaged in seed conservation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Integrate seed-saving in school curricula and rural skill programmes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promoting Decentralised Diversity:<\/strong> Encourage in-situ seed preservation in forests and farms.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cluster-level CSBs (one per 100\u2013200 villages)<\/strong> can ensure localised seed sovereignty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Revitalisation:<\/strong> Leverage festivals, folklore, and family traditions to connect youth with their agrarian heritage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Traditional seed conservation is not just about biodiversity, it is about ecological security, food sovereignty, and cultural continuity.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With the right mix of policy, public support, and intergenerational collaboration, India\u2019s seed saviours can help us build a more resilient agricultural future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/wildlife-biodiversity\/indias-seed-saviours-will-the-next-generation-preserve-our-seeds#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThere%20is%20a%20need%20to,risk%20losing%2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Read this in Hindi: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs-hindi\/17-06-2025\/%e0%a4%ad%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%a4-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%95-%e0%a4%ac%e0%a5%80%e0%a4%9c-%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b8%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%ae%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%82-%e0%a4%b8%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b7%e0%a4%a3\">\u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092a\u093e\u0930\u0902\u092a\u0930\u093f\u0915 \u092c\u0940\u091c \u0915\u093f\u0938\u094d\u092e\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u093e \u0938\u0902\u0930\u0915\u094d\u0937\u0923<\/a><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) recently examined community seed banks (CSBs) across India and raised concerns over declining intergenerational transfer of traditional seed conservation knowledge.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Importance of Traditional Seed Conservation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Genetic Diversity: These seeds have a broad genetic base, making crops naturally resilient to pests and diseases.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Unlike monocultures that suffer rapid disease spread, traditional polycultures buffer such risks.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Climate Resilience: With erratic weather becoming the norm\u2014ranging from cloudbursts to droughts\u2014traditional seeds provide insurance. In mixed cropping systems, even if some varieties fail, others survive and yield well.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Sustainability: Open-pollinated and reusable, these seeds thrive under organic farming methods, unlike commercial hybrid seeds that demand chemical inputs and must be bought each season.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-06-2025\/preservation-traditional-seed-varieties-in-india\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/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-45590","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\/45590","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=45590"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46915,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45590\/revisions\/46915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}