Workshop Highlights Traditional Agro-Biodiversity for Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Rainfed Areas

New Delhi: A Multi-Stakeholder Convention on “Reviving Agro-Biodiversity in Rainfed Areas through Traditional Varieties for Climate-Resilient Agriculture” emphasized the vital role of traditional agricultural and horticultural varieties in combating climate challenges. The event, held in New Delhi, brought together policymakers, experts, and grassroots stakeholders to deliberate on strategies for preserving and promoting traditional crop varieties.

Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Union Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, highlighted the government’s commitment to fostering traditional agricultural varieties through schemes like the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), Farmers’ Producer Organizations (FPOs), Seed Development Programs, and the National Food Security Mission (NFSM).

“Traditional varieties offer unique traits such as superior taste, aroma, nutritional richness, and adaptability to local conditions,” Dr. Chaturvedi noted. He proposed cultivating these varieties in clusters and marketing them as premium products to attract niche buyers.

Dr. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, CEO of the National Rainfed Areas Authority (NRAA), discussed the Authority’s role in motivating states to invest more in rainfed areas. “Rainfed regions face vulnerabilities and insufficient investments compared to their requirements,” he said, emphasizing the importance of targeted efforts to address these disparities.

Experts like Dr. K.S. Varaprasad, Former Director of ICAR-IIOR, and Gyanendra Singh, Director of ICAR-NBPGR, advocated for the co-existence of released and traditional seed varieties to benefit farmers. They urged the government to support in-situ conservation and integrate traditional varieties into national policies.

Farmers and seed saviors from 10 states, including Tamil Nadu and Odisha, showcased indigenous seeds and shared stories of success and challenges in conserving traditional varieties. Discussions emphasized the need for:

• Formalizing community-managed seed systems.
• Providing infrastructure support and minimum support prices (MSP).
• Encouraging grassroots organizations to take an active role in seed conservation.

With 61% of India’s farmers dependent on rainfed agriculture across 50% of the country’s land, the workshop underscored the importance of traditional varieties in addressing challenges such as low soil fertility and climate variability. Currently, informal seed systems, like farmer-to-farmer exchanges and community-managed seed banks, meet 60% of seed requirements in these regions.

Stakeholders agreed on linking traditional varieties to markets and incorporating them into natural farming schemes. The workshop drew inspiration from the Government of India’s successful millet promotion strategies, suggesting a similar roadmap for traditional crop varieties.

Organized by the National Rainfed Areas Authority (NRAA) in partnership with the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRAN) and Watershed Support Services & Activities Network (WASSAN), the event concluded with a call for developing an action plan and recommendations for the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.