Jeypore: A national consultation workshop on seed systems was organized at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Jeypore to strengthen food and nutritional security. Held from February 27 to 28, the event marked the 30th anniversary of MSSRF in Odisha and the centenary celebrations of Dr. M.S. Swaminathan.
The workshop brought together intellectuals from diverse backgrounds to share research findings, policy recommendations, and community-level experiences on formal and informal seed systems.
Discussions highlighted the importance of community seed banks, conservation of local landraces, preservation of indigenous seeds, and the inclusion of women and youth in producing and disseminating high-quality indigenous seeds.
The aim was to ensure these seeds reach farmers, promoting nutrition, health security, sustainability, and climate resilience.
Participants included conservation farmers, researchers, scientists, scholars, policymakers, and advisors from various institutions representing both tribal and non-tribal communities across India.
Key stakeholders included the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha, as well as representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR).
Experts in seed systems integrating conservation, nutrition, and climate adaptation, along with voluntary organizations, community groups, and tribal farmers, actively participated in the discussions.
The workshop concluded that seeds are crucial for ensuring food and nutritional security and overall ecological health.
Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha, paid tribute to Professor M.S. Swaminathan and Padma Shri Kamala Pujari, acknowledging their global contributions to agricultural heritage.
Dr Padhee praised MSSRF’s efforts in strengthening seed systems and noted that traditional farmer varieties often outperform scientifically developed ones.
He stressed the need for effective policy-making to address the “5S” challenges: superficiality, speculative decisions, shallow actions, secrecy, and scientific ignorance. A clear, research-driven, and farmer-inclusive approach is essential for sustainable seed security.
Koraput Collector Kirti Vasan expressed gratitude to MSSRF for uniting like-minded intellectuals and farmers to strengthen climate-resilient seed systems.
He reiterated the commitment to work with Koraput farmers, focusing on seed production, agricultural development, increased productivity, and economic growth.
MSSRF, in collaboration with the government, has taken several steps to develop Gram Panchayat Development Plans and will continue to work closely with the administration.
Various voluntary organizations, including CYSD, PRADAN, FES, I-Concept, Navagami, Agragami, WASAN, and farmer groups, showcased traditional indigenous seeds of various crops.
Acknowledging MSSRF’s impactful work on food and nutrition security, the Jeypore team is deeply involved with the administration in developing a model village. The administration pledged continued support for MSSRF.
The program was led by Dr. Prasanta Kumar Parida (Director) and Dr. Oliver King (Director Biodiversity), with Dr. Soumya Swaminathan (Chairperson) presiding.
Notable participants included Dr. Kuldeep Singh (Head, Gene Bank, ICRISAT, Hyderabad), Dr. K.S. Varaprasad (Advisor, APAARI, Thailand), Shalini Bhutani (Senior Legal Researcher and Policy Analyst, FAO, New Delhi), Dilip Roy Choudhury (Joint Registrar, PPV&FRA), Dr. C. Tara Satyavathi, Dr. Jay Rana (Country Representative, Bioversity International and CIAT, New Delhi), Dinesh Balm (Associate Director, WASAN), Dr. G. Hariharam (Executive Director), and Dr. Rengalakshmi (Executive Director). Dr. Girigan Gopi (Senior Coordinator), Akshay Kumar Panda (Senior Coordinator), Dr. Kartik Lenka (Scientist), Dr. Bharati Sahu, Dr. Asit Manasingh, Niranjan Goud, and the entire MSSRF team successfully organized the event.
