Dryland Seed Stewardship

We farm using traditional methods.

— Sunil oraon · Bero, Ranchi, Jharkhand

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

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

We farm using the old method.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey · 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

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

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, 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

Traditional agriculture

— Common Ground · Phiringia, Kandhamal, Odisha

Traditional agriculture

— KRUSHNA KHILLO · Semiliguda, Koraput, Odisha

We still have traditional seeds like Kodo, Kutki, Maize, Sorghum, Kulthi, Arhar, etc., which we sow using old methods even without irrigation facilities. Even then, our crops ripen.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

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

We do traditional farming. We save rain-fed seeds and cultivate crops like sorghum and chickpea.

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We have a lack of irrigation resources, due to which we cultivate crops every year using traditional methods and traditional seeds, and even today we have old traditional seeds available.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya 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 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

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

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

— Sathimambalaka · Tado, Rayagada, Odisha

Traditional agriculture and heritage

— KRUSHNA KHILLO · Semiliguda, Koraput, Odisha

We have been farming since the second year, following traditional and organic methods. We also save our own seeds and cultivate them every year.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

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

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

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

Yes, we conserve traditional seeds using traditional methods and also farm using traditional methods, where, by God's grace, the crop grows even without irrigation.

— Rupesh Maravi · Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh

They farm using plows pulled by oxen, practicing traditional farming where they sow and grow old varieties, and now they also sow some new hybrid varieties.

— Ram Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

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

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

Yes, we do a second crop with zero irrigation and follow traditional farming as well as seed preservation.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

We do farming with ploughs and bullocks, cultivating crops like saawa, medo mijhri, and pulses such as arhar (pigeon pea), urad (black gram), and baturi. Nowadays, government seeds for pulses are also available. We also cultivate crops like chana (chickpea), matar (pea), and masoor (lentil).

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Another farming is barley cultivation done without water, and its seeds are also kept. This is our traditional farming, which is preserved every year for the purpose of sowing seeds.

— Ram Kumari

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. And I also cultivate every year using this method, by preserving Urad and Kulthi seeds.

— Kumudini Chhanchan

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

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

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Yes, we do second crop farming with zero irrigation, and we also practice traditional farming methods and seed conservation.

— AbhiLL Ipsa

Yes, we grow zero-tillage crops like mustard, gram, barley, and also follow traditional farming methods and seed conservation.

— Laxmanlal

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

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulse crops as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. I also store black gram and horse gram seeds and cultivate every year using this method.

— Kumudini Chhanchan

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. And I also cultivate every year using this method, by saving black gram and horse gram seeds.

— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha

And we do traditional farming with dryland irrigation. Yes, we grow Tira Batri and Akri crops.

— Jeevan Kumar

Our ancestors used to cultivate pulses as a second crop without irrigation, adopting organic methods. I also cultivate every year using this method by saving black gram and horse gram seeds.

— DASHARATH SINGH · Jamunkira, Sambalpur, Odisha

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

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh