Odisha Launches Landmark Scheme to Revive Forgotten Foods and Neglected Crops Across the State

Bhubaneswar: To preserve agricultural heritage and boosting farmer livelihoods, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha, has officially launched the scheme titled “Revival and Sustainable Intensification of Forgotten Food & Neglected Crops in Odisha.” The initiative, developed under the guidance of Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, has received formal government approval.

The scheme aims to revive Odisha’s traditional food and crop culture by focusing on conservation, cultivation, value addition, marketing, and awareness generation. It will provide targeted financial and technical support to cultivators, especially tribal farmers, with an emphasis on preserving agrobiodiversity and promoting nutritional security.

The roots of the scheme were laid during an International Symposium held in November last year, inaugurated by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The event brought together agricultural scientists and scholars from across the globe to discuss strategies for revitalizing neglected food systems and indigenous farming practices.

Highlighting Odisha’s rich agrobiodiversity, the scheme acknowledges the state’s 64 tribal communities and its agro-ecological hotspot regions such as Koraput, a UNESCO-recognized Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Site. The program seeks to build on the legacy of agrobiodiversity champions like Padma Shri awardees Kamala Pujari, Sabarmatee, Prof. Radhamohan, and Patayat Sahoo—individuals known for their exceptional work in seed and plant conservation.

The scheme sets out several core components: collection of germplasm and documentation of traditional food cultures, support for custodian farmers and community seed banks, promotion of landrace cultivation with incentives, post-harvest value addition, creation of awareness among rural and urban populations, enhanced marketing avenues including exports, and collaborative research with protection of farmers’ rights.

A key highlight of the scheme is the Kamala Pujari Participatory Research Fellowship, aimed at documenting community knowledge on neglected crops and traditional farming practices.

Over a five-year period (2025–26 to 2029–30), the scheme will be implemented across 25 blocks in 15 districts strategically located near biodiversity-rich regions. It is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 farmers by bringing them into the fold of neglected crop cultivation.

“The scheme is designed to document hundreds of landraces and associated recipes, conduct nutritional profiling, and develop a comprehensive digital knowledge platform. We envision positioning Odisha as a global leader in reviving forgotten foods and neglected crops,” said Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment.