Brief Context
In Context The traditional seeds are rapidly disappearing after the adoption of the green revolution and modern agricultural policies. What are Traditional Seeds? Traditional seeds, also known as indigenous or heirloom seeds, are naturally evolved and locally adapted over generations.
Source Content
Syllabus: GS3/ Agriculture
In Context
- The traditional seeds are rapidly disappearing after the adoption of the green revolution and modern agricultural policies.
What are Traditional Seeds?
- Traditional seeds, also known as indigenous or heirloom seeds, are naturally evolved and locally adapted over generations. These seeds are:
- Open-pollinated and can be saved by farmers,
- Rich in genetic diversity,
- Adapted to local climatic and soil conditions, and
- Culturally embedded in local food systems.
Benefits of Traditional Seeds
- Climate Resilience: Tolerant to drought, floods, and extreme temperatures.
- Require less irrigation and fewer chemical inputs.
- Biodiversity Conservation: Promote genetic diversity critical for ecological balance and future crop improvement.
- Nutritional Value: Millets and pulses contain higher fibre, protein, and micronutrients compared to polished grains.
- Economic Sustainability: Lower input costs as farmers can reuse seeds and rely less on commercial seed and agrochemical markets.
- Cultural and Heritage Value: Integral to traditional food practices, festivals, and indigenous knowledge systems.
- Example: Navara rice, a traditional medicinal rice variety from Kerala, is used in Ayurvedic treatments and temple rituals.
Reasons for the Decline of Traditional Seeds
- Policy Bias toward High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs): Green Revolution policies focused on maximizing output from a few staple crops like rice and wheat.
- Government subsidies, MSP, and procurement favoured HYVs.
- Market and Consumer Preferences: Urban markets and public food schemes prioritize polished, high-yield grains.
- Lack of awareness about traditional grains leads to poor demand.
- Inadequate Institutional Support: Weak community seed banks and poor conservation infrastructure.
- Limited investment in research and development for improving traditional varieties.
- Commercialization of Agriculture: 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.
Key Initiatives and Best Practices
- Odisha Millet Mission: Promotes production, consumption, and marketing of millets in tribal districts.
- Empowers local farmers and encourages nutritional security.
- Community Seed Banks: Grassroots initiatives in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Odisha support seed conservation, exchange, and revival.
- M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF): Tribal Agrobiodiversity Centre in Jeypore, Odisha conserves over 1,200 rice varieties.
- FAO and Biodiversity International Programs: Global initiatives to document, conserve, and enhance genetic diversity in agriculture.
- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): Supports organic farming using traditional seeds and indigenous practices.
Way Ahead
- Policy Reorientation: Integrate traditional crops into MSP, PDS, and midday meal schemes.
- Include climate-resilient crops in the National Food Security Mission.
- Strengthening Seed Sovereignty: Expand well-funded community seed banks and regional conservation centres.
- Promote Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) with farmer-scientist collaboration.
- Market and Branding Support: Launch awareness campaigns on the health and environmental benefits of traditional crops.
- Create GI tags, organic labels, and e-commerce platforms for indigenous grains.
- Education and R&D Investment: Revise agricultural curricula to emphasize traditional knowledge systems.
- Allocate research grants for improving productivity of traditional varieties.
Source: TH