A dimension within Dryland Seed Conservation
Centers on traditional agriculture, crop cultivation, and the crucial practices of seed saving and preservation.
150 voices speak to this
Each dimension splits this theme further — keep drilling to see how it breaks down.
Positive
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.

By carefully collecting and preserving seeds from our first harvest, we ensure a second, nutritious crop and maintain our traditional farming methods for generations.

By preserving our traditional, rain-fed seeds and planting them with care, we ensure food for our families and fodder for our animals.

We carefully save seeds from our diverse crops like chickpeas, lentils, and mustard, ensuring we can grow them again next year and maintain our livelihood.

By cultivating a variety of crops, preserving ancestral seeds, and exploring animal husbandry, we build a resilient livelihood for our community.
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 do traditional farming. We save rain-fed seeds and cultivate crops like sorghum and chickpea.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
Yes, we practice traditional farming and also conserve indigenous seeds.
— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
We save and sow our traditional seeds. Such as chickpea, sorghum, Bhadi, pearl millet, etc.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
We will practice traditional farming and save seeds for next year.
— Sathimambalaka · Tado, Rayagada, 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
We are cultivating a second crop. In our second crop, we are farming by saving seeds of chickpeas, lentils, and mustard, and applying manure using our traditional farming methods.
— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha
Yes, we cultivate and preserve traditional seeds.
— Selina Pangi
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, we grow Sun Na Shishai crops using traditional farming methods, so we practice seed conservation.
— Laxmanlal
We do farming. We save some seeds beforehand and then cultivate. This way, we get many crops, including green gram, black gram, and pigeon pea.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
Yes, we grow zero-tillage crops like mustard, gram, barley, and also follow traditional farming methods and seed conservation.
— Laxmanlal
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 do a second crop with zero irrigation and follow traditional farming as well as seed preservation.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
We are cultivating a second crop in Dhanapur, and by keeping our own seeds safe, we are farming using traditional cultivation methods. This is our
— Padmalochan Majhi · Ratachua, Rayagada, Odisha
Yes, we are cultivating for the second time. We are preserving those seeds using traditional methods.
— Selina Pangi
Yes, we do second crop farming with zero irrigation, and we also practice traditional farming methods and seed conservation.
— AbhiLL Ipsa
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
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
Yes, pulses are cultivated in this. According to our ancestors, we also preserve seeds.
— Jagannath Baraik · Bayang, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Jharkhand
Yes, we are cultivating a second crop. We are growing lentils, moong, kalath, and their seeds are also in their traditional way.
— Trinath badanayak · Malakanagiri, Malkangiri, Odisha
Yes, we grow a second crop without irrigation and also maintain old traditional seeds according to customary methods.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
We farm at our home and manage our household with it. We cultivate pigeon pea and other pulses with low water, and also sow barley. These require less water, and we also save them for the next year. This way, we preserve the seeds.
— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
We cultivated rainfed crops like pigeon pea, mung bean, and black gram, and will continue to cultivate and preserve them for the future.
— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Yes, we cultivate dryland crops such as madiya, kodo, and kutki in our region, and we also conserve seeds for every year.
— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh
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 also preserve seeds in a traditional way.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
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
Yes, we cultivate barnyard millet and finger millet and also conserve seeds.
— Manjusha Marko · Dudhi, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Certainly, we cultivate a second crop in Shuneshwar Sachin and also follow traditional farming methods and seed protection. Our traditional foods include Mandia (Ragi) and Kangu (Foxtail millet), among others.
— jitendra khila · Lachery, Malkangiri, Odisha
We traditionally keep the seeds and cultivate in the coming year.
— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha
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 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
We save our traditional seeds that we have inherited.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
Yes, we grow a second crop with zero irrigation and follow traditional farming methods and seed conservation.
— Laxmanlal
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
We cultivate zero-irrigation crops, including pulses and oilseeds, and also conserve them, as they are part of our heritage.
— 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
We farm using traditional methods.
— Sunil oraon · Bero, Ranchi, Jharkhand
The voices in this theme were gathered by these organisations through their community reports.