A dimension within Dryland Seed Conservation
Highlights dryland and traditional farming techniques, with a strong emphasis on seed saving for pulses and oilseeds.
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Overall Community Sentiment
AI-synthesised pieces woven from many community voices on this theme. They may contain errors or interpretation — they're a reflection of the stories, not a record of fact.

Even without irrigation, our traditional seeds and old farming methods ensure our crops ripen, providing food for our homes.

Facing the prospect of future water scarcity, our community relies on cultivating traditional zero-irrigation crops to secure food and conserve precious resources.

After the main harvest, we harness the land's natural moisture to cultivate a vital second crop, ensuring food and oil for our families.

Our tribe thrives by practicing traditional, zero-irrigation farming and conserving indigenous seeds, deeply connected to our nature-worshipping culture.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Traditionally, we store our own moong seeds and sow them in the Rabi season, immediately after the Kharif season, even with zero irrigation.
— Lily Barik · Kalahandi, Odisha
We do farming without irrigation, such as barley and pulse varieties like 'baturi' and 'kerav'. Barley does not need water, and 'baturi' and 'kerav' are sown after the rice harvest and grow well. We also preserve their seeds, which are useful for sowing next year.
— Ram Kumari
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
In our area, crops that require zero irrigation, such as pulses and oilseeds, are cultivated.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
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, we preserve traditional seeds and sow them. This helps during the harvest season for the Rabi crop. It is also beneficial even without irrigation.
— Santosh Barik · Narala, Kalahandi, Odisha
We do traditional farming. We save rain-fed seeds and cultivate crops like sorghum and chickpea.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
We cultivate zero-irrigation crops, including pulses and oilseeds, and also conserve them, as they are part of our heritage.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
In our region, even without rain, we cultivate crops like moong, urad, and horse gram. We also preserve their seeds by mixing them with neem leaves.
— Kunakanta Behera · Dashapalla, Nayagarh, Odisha
Yes, we practice zero-irrigation farming and also conserve seeds. For example, horse gram, Kodo millet, little millet, finger millet, and black gram are zero-irrigation crops.
— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
Yes, we practice zero-irrigation farming and also conserve seeds every year such as Kodo, Kutki, Madia, Ragi, Kulthi, Urad, Hirwa.
— Birohin · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
Yes, we grow a second crop without irrigation and also maintain old traditional seeds according to customary methods.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
We cultivate zero-input crops like chickpeas, flaxseed, and pigeon pea. Even with less water, the crops ripen, and their seeds are also collected. Narayan Lal Baranda.
— narayanlalbaranda5@gmail.com · Jhapa, Dungarpur, Rajasthan
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 preserve our own seeds and cultivate mustard, growing this rabi crop without water and without chemical fertilizers.
— Laxmi Bagh · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha
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
Yes, we practice zero-irrigation farming and conserve seeds like millet, madia, ragi, kulthi, kodo, kutki.
— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
After Kharif season cultivation, we do zero irrigation farming for Rabi crops like moong, urad, horse gram, etc., pulse seeds.
— NAGRIK VIKASH SANGATHAN · Ampani, Kalahandi, Odisha
Yes, we practice zero-irrigation farming and also conserve seeds annually, such as Kodo, Kutki, Madia, Jowar, and Bajra.
— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
In our region, zero irrigation crops are cultivated, mainly pulses and oilseeds.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
In our region, zero irrigation crops like oilseeds and pulses are grown.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
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
Immediately after the Kharif cultivation, we cultivate pulse crops like moong (green gram) in the Rabi season. This is done with zero irrigation, using seeds that we have saved beforehand.
— Santosh Barik · Narala, Kalahandi, Odisha
Yes, we do a second crop with zero irrigation and follow traditional farming as well as seed preservation.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
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
Yes, we used to cultivate and are still cultivating moong, urad, chana, masoor, and other seeds with zero irrigation. And more profit.
— Naukeshi Sahu
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
On our vacant land, we grow a second crop without irrigation, using traditional seeds and traditional methods.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
For our zero-irrigation Rabi crops such as black gram, mung bean, sunflower, and chickpea, we follow seed practices.
— Abhimaneu Sabar
They cultivate Botra Tivra using zero irrigation and preserve its seeds for the next year.
— MANNOO LAL BHOI
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
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
Yes, we grow zero-irrigation crops and also conserve seeds. Every year, we plant zero-irrigation crops.
— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
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
The voices in this theme were gathered by these organisations through their community reports.