Saving Traditional Varieties of Seeds, Pg7

• India’s traditional seed varieties—once key to food security and biodiversity—are vanishing.

• Causes:

  • Market demand focused on high-yield hybrid varieties.
  • Government food schemes and procurement favour rice and wheat, sidelining millets, pulses, and indigenous seeds.
  • Seed industry’s preference for mass-produced hybrids discourages local conservation.

• Though hybrids offer high yields, they:

  • Depend heavily on chemical fertilizers.
  • Need more water; vulnerable to climate shocks.
  • Reduce food quality and nutrition.

• In contrast, traditional seeds are climate-resilient, withstand droughts/floods, and enrich soil.

• India’s agri-policy prioritised productivity over diversity.

• Examples like Odisha Millet Mission show promise, but lack nationwide momentum.

• Even research is geared toward enhancing yields, not conserving diversity.

• NGOs and seed conservatories like MSSRF’s Tribal Agro-biodiversity Centre in Odisha are working to:

  • Revive traditional crops via community seed banks.
  • Involve farmers in co-developing improved varieties.
  • Promote climate-resilient farming systems.

• Government Support Needed:

  • Create regional seed conservation centres.
  • Ensure financial incentives and MSPs for traditional crops.
  • Include traditional varieties in midday meals, ration shops, hospitals.
  • Enable branding, processing, and marketing of native produce.

• India is at a crossroads:

  • Inputs are rising, soil is degrading, climate shocks increasing.

• Future food systems must be:

  • Diverse, climate-smart, and locally rooted.
  • Focused not only on yields but nutrition, environment, and cultural resilience.

• Shift from high-yield to high-resilience agriculture is essential.

Mains Mock Question:

Q. Discuss the significance of conserving traditional seed varieties in the context of India’s climate resilience, nutritional security, and sustainable agriculture. Suggest measures for their promotion and mainstreaming. (GS-3 | 250 words)