Seed sovereignty

Navdanya pioneered the movement of seed saving, which began in response to the crisis of agricultural biodiversity. We realize that conservation of agricultural biodiversity is impossible without the participation of the communities who have evolved and protected the plants and animals that form the basis of sustainable agriculture.

The Navdanya program works for promoting ecological agriculture based on biodiversity, for economic and food security.

For last 2 decades Navdanya has worked with local communities and organizations serving more than 2,00,000 men and women farmers from the States of Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Navdanya’s efforts have resulted in the conservation of more than 2000 rice varieties from all over the country including indigenous rice varieties that have been adapted over centuries to meet different ecological demands.

We have also conserved 31 varieties of wheat and hundreds of millets, pseudocereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables and multipurpose plant species including medicinal plants.

Over the past two decades Navdanya has initiated Community Seed Banks with many partners including Beej Bachao Andolan in Uttar Pradesh, Green Foundation, Navdarshanam and Centre for Tropical Ecosystems, all three in Karnataka, Rishi Valley in Andhra Pradesh, Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems in Tamil Nadu, Vrihi in West Bengal, Prakruti Paramparika Bihana Sangarakhna Abhijan in Orissa, Kisan Samvardhan Kendra in Madhya Pradesh, Kisan Vigyan Kendra in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage in Kerala, and Hazaribagh, Jharkhand and the Women’s’ Alliance and Ladakh Ecology Group in Jammu & Kashmir.

Navdanya encourages partners to become self sufficient & self supporting to reflect our philosophy of seed sovereignty.

Navdanya has established 34 seed banks in 13 states across the country as we believe in operating through a network of community seed banks in different ecozones of the country, and thus facilitating the rejuvenation of agricultural biodiversity, farmer’s self-reliance in seed locally and nationally, and farmer’s right.

It is interesting to note that saline resistant seeds conserved by Navdanya in Orissa have helped the victims of the super cyclone that hit Orissa in October 1999 to re-establish sustainable agriculture.

Harmonizing its philosophy, Navdanya has also established a conservation and training center at its farm in Doon Valley. More than 70,000 farmers are primary members of Navdanya. These farmers in turn are spreading the movement in their neighboring villages through Bija Yatras.

Today, the biodiversity conservation program which are directly run by Navdanya or supported by it, are underway in Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, West Bengal, Karnataka, Haryana. In August 2004, Navdanya organized Vasundhara – International Organic Farmers’ & Seed Keeper’s Gathering - of around 300 farmers and seed keepers, to celebrate diversity and renew their vow to keep agriculture and biodiversity free and in the commons.