1. How did your journey begin? What drew you to conservation work and when did you start?
When I joined PRADAN in the year 2000, I was posted in Sundarpahari block of Godda district, Jharkhand, where I started working with Adivasi communities in the villages. The Paharia community resided on the Rajmahal Plateau and their principal livelihood was Kurwa – a system of shifting cultivation where multiple crops were taken on hill slopes without any tillage or use of any agrochemicals, machinery or irrigation. They only used Indigenous seeds of upto 18 crops and biomass mulch for farming.
I was particularly amazed at this system of farming where, after 2 years, the land was left fallow for regeneration in the next 5-10 years. Compared to the conventional system – where modern seeds, agrochemicals, heavy machinery and irrigation from groundwater were necessary – for the Paharia, none of these were needed.
For the next two decades, Sundarpahari became my home; I continued to reside there even after leaving PRADAN in 2009. I started working on conservation of fallow forests by encouraging communities to take up cover crops after the 2-year farming cycle (guided fallow) followed by planting of tuber crops as forest gardens. We also started conservation and promotion of different marginal crops and varieties. In the process, a Community Seed Bank was established for some of the important crops as well as the endangered varieties.
2. When reflecting on your work from the past decade, could you share some milestones and accomplishments you've achieved?
In 2012, I carried out a study of Indigenous Paddy Varieties for the National Consortium of SRI (System of Rice Intensification), which gave me the opportunity to travel to six states of India and interact with farmers and organisations who were cultivating Indigenous Paddy Varieties and maintaining them. In the process, I realised there were several Indigenous Varieties that outyielded modern ones on several points apart from just productivity; their value ranged from biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, nutrition, culinary, cultural, fodder and value-added products while requiring fewer inputs and less water.
I had also collected more than 200 paddy seed samples during the study and, after the completion of the research, I decided to sow them in Hemlal Murmu’s field. I discussed with him the importance of maintaining these varieties and he agreed to spare one of his land parcels for a Diversity Block. This work continues to this day. When I shifted to Paraswada (Balaghat District) – Madhya Pradesh in 2020 – I brought with me all those varieties and have been carrying out the Diversity Blocks every year. In the last 12 years, 676 farmers have received seeds from us for conservation, multiplication and promotion.
Through the Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch, I came to know and meet several farmers and individuals across the country who were conserving different crops and species. I became the Co-Convenor and organised several Beej Melas and workshops across the nation to not only showcase the wealth of seed diversity, but understand and respond to the challenges faced in conservation as well as through the implications of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Biopiracy.
Subsequently, I also started conserving several of millets, cotton, oilseeds, wheat and barley with farmers across several states and am currently engaged in characterisation studies of different varieties.
Currently, I am also engaged with Keystone Foundation, Revitalizing Rainfed Area Network (RRAN) and National Coalition of Natural Farming (NCNF) and several CSOs towards capacity building of farmers and CSOs on Indigenous Seed Conservation, Characterisation, Multiplication of the varieties.
3. In hindsight, looking at the trajectory of your life and career, can you identify pivotal moments or signs that guided you toward your current purpose? Was there a particular turning point that crystallized your direction?
I think working in Sundarpahari with the Paharia community and learning their ways and modes of thinking was most pivotal in compelling me to continue in this field. Later, this was further crystallised while interacting and working with other Adivasi communities in Central India. Their independent and unassuming attitude and oneness with nature only reflected their deep-seated wisdom and conscious choice of living lightly with diversity and decentralisation. They continue to be my teachers.
The particular turning point was probably when I visited Vidarbha and Punjab and witnessed farm suicides and cancers firsthand – the terrible consequences of modern agriculture.
4. What is the most fulfilling aspect of your role or job?
To learn and implement seed conservation and multi-cropping systems with custodian communities in their diverse ecosystems and experience the small yet important changes.
The opportunity to share this timeless wisdom and experience with interested individuals and organisations across the country.
5. In the realm of conservation research and academia, what has remained a constant since you began, and what is the most rapidly evolving aspect?
Currently, the conservation of traditional seeds and organic/natural farming has gained immense popularity, which is exciting. However, mainstreaming practices — such as standardization, centralization, concentration, and maximization — are challenging diversity and the communities that act as its custodians. This approach continues to promote a reductionist view that overlooks the interconnectedness essential to resilience.
6. What advice would you offer to aspiring young conservationists?
The splendour of diversity cannot exist without the all the elements working to make it happen.
Conserving ecosystems and embedded communities needs to be done on an urgent and immediate basis.
Young conservationists need to take up at least one ecoregion where diversity still abounds and work with the community in reviving and regenerating ecosystems, cropping systems and traditional culture. There is no substitute for this; it’s the gold standard.
7. Do you uphold the concept of maintaining the 'Jugalbandi'* of people and nature in the Central Indian landscape? If so, how does your work or your organization's work reflect this?
Yes! I do not think there is any other way. Humans have been in the Central Indian landscape for time immemorial and in many ways have influenced ecosystems through coupled systems and competitive release. It is only in recent history that things are at the brink principally due to the unbridled growth that serve only the powerful few.
Our work on reviving and maintaining traditional cropping systems, indigenous seeds, uncultivated foods, restoring forest fallows and springsheds, and building community institutions for forest rights and entitlements upholds the value of co-existence of local/indigenous people and nature.
8. Is there anything else you would like to share with us, such as a new initiative, an outstanding student, or an intriguing field experience?
During my last study of shifting cultivation systems in Central India, I realized how empathetic and thoughtful Adivasi systems are. The Paudi Bhuyan and Juang communities of North Odisha allocate the middle parcel of land to widows and single woman, so that their crops are protected from the ravages of wild animals.
Also, their cropping systems of Ekan and Biringa require neither ploughing nor the application of manure, or even irrigation or engage machinery, and can thus be managed by widows and single woman on their own without depending on others. Such are uniqueness of these age old ways, which in their simplicity solve great complexities.
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