International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Seed Mothers

The Adivasi communities of Odisha, India, have experienced substantial losses of many natural resources from their area, which are key elements ensuring their food and livelihood security. Many farmers from the Adivasi communities have lost diverse varieties of traditional local crops like millet based mix crops while trying out market seeds. The local resilient crop systems have been destroyed through this process. The male-dominated Adivasi People’s Organizations identified resourceful Adivasi women in the villages and termed them as Seed Mothers. These Seed Mothers were the key to help ORRISSA team to challenge the assumptions of the modern farming orientation and stimulate new learning from the community. This report explains the work done by the Advivasi communities.

Topic(s)
Sustaining local crop diversity
Subject area(s)
Enhancing crop diversity for local needs, Strengthening seed systems
Subject category(ies)
Enhancing local capacity, Gender related content, Improving the knowledge base for local crop diversity, Raising awareness of local crop diversity value, Strategies and action plans
Publisher
Organisation for Rural Reconstruction & Integrated Social Service Activities (ORRISSA)
Publication date
2016
DOI
Resource link
Resource type
Article or presentation, Case study
Resource format
PDF
Primary geographic focus
Asia
Open access
Yes


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