Latest news with #SahajaSamruddha
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Desi seed festival to be held in Mysuru to create awareness on crop diversity
Highlighting the alarming erosion of agricultural biodiversity, Sahaja Samrudha, in association with Rebuild India and Sahaja Seeds, is organising a Desi Seed Festival in Mysuru on July 5 and 6 at the Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry. The two-day event - scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both days - aims to revive awareness and promote the conservation of indigenous seed varieties, bringing together seed conservators, farmer scientists, enthusiasts, and consumers. The seed expo will feature over 100 varieties of native crops, including rice, millets, tubers, pulses, greens, and vegetables. In addition, traditional groundnut types, rare pigeon pea varieties, black and green chickpeas, and value-added products from neglected crops will also be exhibited. Juices made from underutilised fruits will be served, introducing the visitors to forgotten flavours. Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samruddha, an organisation working to promote agricultural diversity and document indigenous crop varieties, said that traditional seeds and crops are vanishing from the fields, and with it, a slice of Karnataka's farming heritage is also disappearing. This is happening due to farmers now preferring high-yielding hybrid and commercial varieties of crops, he said. Mr. Krishnaprasad said that indigenous seeds — preserved for centuries by farming communities — are now at risk of extinction, replaced by crops driven by market demand, changing climate, and consumer preference. He pointed out that regions such as Kollegal and Periyapatna were once bastions of millet cultivation, but they have been edged out by tobacco cultivation since the last few decades; and barely a few varieties exist in the tribal belt of H.D. Kote. Similarly, in Malavalli and surrounding taluks, maize has muscled its way into farmlands that once nurtured a diverse mix of native crops, he added. He said that dryland paddy farming is almost extinct, though it was quite common in drought-prone areas of Nanjangud and Gundlupet. Apart from tobacco and maize, cotton cultivation, too, has hastened the demise of some traditional crop varieties, Mr. Krishnaprasad added. Among the traditional rice varieties, Yellandur was known for Ratnachoodi, while the border areas of Chamarajanagar cultivated Salem Sanna. Similarly, Periyapatana in Mysuru and Arkalgud in Hassan were bastions of Rajabhog. But today, they rarely cultivated, according to Sahaja Samruddha. The net result, as per the conservators, is the loss of genetic and crop diversity, and erosion of ecological balance. Hence, the Seed Festival will bring alive a slice of agricultural heritage of the region, promoting the sale of desi varieties like Rajamudi, Ratnachoodi, Sindhoor Madhusale, Gandha Sale, Dodda Baira, Burma Black, Chinnaponni, and HMT rice, alongside Jagalur ragi and native vegetable seeds. Recognising the role of younger generations in safeguarding agricultural diversity, a drawing competition titled 'Desi Seeds for the Future' has been planned for children aged 5 to 12. The competition encourages children to explore seed culture, rituals, and the dangers of hybrid dependency. Drawings are to be submitted by 12.30 p.m. on Sunday. In addition, seed identification contests for both children and adults will add an interactive element to the festival, fostering curiosity and knowledge sharing, according to the organisers. For further details, call 70900 09944.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Millet Magic: How 3,000 farmers sowed life on parched lands in Karnataka
Bengaluru: What began as a modest effort on parched parcels of land, totalling 50-acres, has now grown into a successful agricultural movement, spanning over 2,000 acres across 23 villages in Dharwad and Haveri districts. Nearly 3,000 farmers came together to revive drought-stricken farmlands through cultivation of millets — quietly turning years of adversity into a sustainable success story. This grassroots transformation was triggered by a prolonged five-year drought that devastated the region before 2021. Once dominated by water-intensive crops like soya, Bt cotton, and maize, the area was facing an agrarian crisis. With dwindling yields and incomes, farmers were searching for alternatives. The answer came in the form of millets — climate-resilient, low-input crops that require minimal water. Under the global CROPS4HD (Consumption of resilient orphan crops & products for healthier diets) project, the initiative is being implemented in Karnataka by SWISSAID India in collaboration with Sahaja Samruddha, an NGO promoting agro-biodiversity and organic farming. Six millet varieties — little millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, proso, kodo, and browntop — are now widely cultivated, alongside forgotten pulses like horse gram and moth bean, and traditional greens like amaranth. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Anitha Reddy, director of Crops4HD project in Dharwad, said it's a mindset shift. "We started small, with farmers cultivating millets on just a quarter-acre each. As they saw better yields and reduced risks, confidence grew, and the acreage expanded." To overcome skepticism, demonstration farms played a vital role. Devakumar, retired director of the University of Agricultural Sciences, explained agricultural melas and peer interactions helped farmers. "They saw the crops, interacted with cultivators, and got technical inputs from experts. That changed their perspective." In Nov 2022, 2,000 farmers came together to form Devadanya Farmer Producer Company, which now includes 5,000 members. The collective helps farmers access seeds, training, and better markets while promoting soil and water conservation. "With support from FPO, our input costs have dropped by up to 12%, and profits are finally visible," said Eshwaryagowda B Patil, a farmer and FPO director. As Krishna Prasad of Sahaja Samruddha put it, "We're not just growing crops, we're cultivating resilience, confidence, and a more sustainable future for farming. " Display at Beejotsava A two-day seed festival kicked off Saturday in Bengaluru, organised by Institution of Agricultural Technologists along with Sahaja Samrudha, featuring participation from over 200 seed conservators across Karnataka and other states. Along with Devadanya FPO, there are 30 other stall exhibits, which include 100+ varieties of millets, over 1,000 paddy varieties, legumes, root crops, greens, and vegetables, including Bengal's pulses, Odisha's rice varieties, and tuber crops from Kerala's Wayanad region. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
22-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Scorching sun brings brisk business for rural women
Hubballi: While most people are reeling under soaring temperatures, about 10 women near Hubballi have turned the heat to their advantage. In Matighatta village, five women are converting grains into daal by soaking them in water drums and drying them in the sun, claiming their naturally dried daal is healthier. In Tirtha village, five women are producing millet rice using solar power, saving around Rs 4,000 in electricity bills monthly and earning an average income of Rs 7,000. They are actively promoting millet consumption and encouraging its cultivation among local farmers. Ratna Hosalli, a member of Shri Vinayaka Stree Shakti Sangha, Mattigatti, told TOI that the Sangha has 16 members involved in various activities. "We saved Re 1 from the sale of each mask during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the total pooled amount was Rs 25,000. Since we were involved in various productive activities, Sahaja Samruddha, SWISSAID, and FiBL organisations offered a machine to make green gram, tur, urad, chana gram, and cowpeas into daal last year. We established a dal processing unit by setting up a shed on a piece of land belonging to Kavita Alagawadi, who is also a member. We are paying a rent of Rs 2,500 per month to her. We pour whole grains into water drums and later dry them in the hot sun. After confirming that they are completely dry, we make dal through the machine. We registered a turnover of Rs 1.2 lakh in 2024. However, we also suffered a loss as it was a learning process for us. This year, we started the unit in Jan itself, and five of us are working in it, getting wages of Rs 250 per day," she explained. Other women, Nirmala Alagawadi, Kavita Alagawadi, Iravva Mugali, Renuka Rayapur, and Saroja Arali, said that their unit can function only during summer when grains can be properly dried. "If we get a drier, we can run it throughout the year," they added. Currently, they are offering their services to farmers of about 18 surrounding villages, procuring grains from fields, and selling the dal through melas and organic stores. Their dal is in demand from many cities across the state. As farmers do not need to pay commission like they do in APMCs, they are sending their produce to this unit. Profiting with millets by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Bibijan Halemani, a member of Bibi Fathima self-help group, said that they established a community millets processing unit in Tirtha village with the financial support of ICAR-IIMR Hyderabad, SWISSAID, and FiBL, with the cooperation of Sahaja Samruddha, a Bengaluru-based organisation. "We procured three machines worth Rs 26 lakh three years ago and obtained a loan of Rs 2 lakh. Selco Foundation offered solar panels at a 90% subsidy. We are converting millets such as foxtail millet, little millet, kodo millet, and browntop into rice and rawa. We are providing healthy food for consumers and encouraging farmers to grow millets. We are getting a salary of Rs 300 per day, and 5-6 women are working here. Now, we are looking for machinery improvement and want to have a lift to carry bags of millets to pour into machines," she explained. She further said, "Our turnover was Rs 8 lakh in 2022-23 and Rs 12 lakh in 2023-24. We are saving electricity bills of Rs 4,000 per month using solar power-based machines." No holiday Both these units are working without a weekly holiday between 10am to 6pm and extend working hours whenever required. While the dal processing unit is shut on Amavasya day every month, the millets processing unit works all days of the week. Working women can avail leave whenever they want.
