The traditional seeds are rapidly disappearing as farmers increasingly focus on new hybrid variety seeds, sidelining thousands of diverse indigenous seeds.

What are Seeds?

• A seed is a fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo capable of germinating to produce a new plant​.
• Seeds are evolutionary tools, changing properties across generations to adapt to climate, soil, pests, and farming practices​.

What are Traditional Seeds?

• Traditional seeds typically refer to seeds passed down through generations, often heirloom or open-pollinated varieties. 
• Farmers and gardeners save them for consistent traits, cultural value, or adaptability to local conditions.
• Characteristics:
  • Non-hybrid: Produce offspring identical to parent (true-breeding).
  • Non-GMO: Not genetically modified. (Genetically Modified Organism)
  • Locally adapted: Suited to specific climates/soil.
  • Cultural value: Linked to heritage, festivals, and traditions.

Significance of Traditional Seeds

• Genetic Diversity & Biodiversity Preservation: Act as reservoirs of genetic traits essential for crop improvement, pest resistance, and disease tolerance​.
  • Loss of traditional seeds is linked to a 75% reduction in crop diversity since 1900, per FAO estimates.
  • Nagina mustard provides disease-resistant traits for new mustard varieties​.
• Climate Resilience: Adapted to local environmental stresses – drought, flood, heat, poor soils​​.
  • E.g., Navara Rice (Kerala), Bhalia Wheat (Gujarat) – thrive in water-scarce and arid regions​.
• Low Input Requirement: Need less water, no chemical fertilizers, and minimal external inputs​​.
  • Suitable for organic, low-cost, and smallholder farming systems.
• Seed Sovereignty: Farmers can save, reuse, and exchange seeds freely, reducing dependence on commercial corporations​.
  • Beej Bachao Andolan (Uttarakhand) promotes inter-village seed exchange and conservation​.
• Nutritional & Health Value: Millets and pulses offer higher fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals compared to polished grains​.
  • Serve the dietary needs of local populations.
• Cultural and Heritage Importance: Embedded in local rituals, festivals, and culinary traditions​​.
  • Act as living links to indigenous knowledge systems and ancestral wisdom.
• Resilience through Community: Often preserved through community seed banks and inter-village exchange networks​.
  • Support seed guardianship and intergenerational knowledge transfer​.
  • Community Seed Bank Campaign in Uttarakhand – restored 81 traditional seed types​.
  • Rahibai Popere (Seed Mother, Maharashtra) – saved 80+ native seeds; promotes traditional cultivation​.

Issues with Traditional Seeds 

• Lower Yield: Often produces less compared to hybrid or GMO seeds, impacting commercial scalability.
  • Indigenous rice varieties like Kalanamak yield less than modern hybrids. One study found that Kalanamak rice grown under the Kalam system yielded 3504 kg/ha, while a normal transplanting system yielded 2415 kg/ha.
• Market & Consumer Demand Deficit: Urban consumers prefer high-yielding, polished rice and wheat over millets or indigenous grains​.
  • Despite being nutrient-rich, millets are largely absent in food programs, discouraging farmers from growing them​.
• Policy Bias Toward High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs): Green Revolution and subsequent agricultural policies favored HYVs, especially wheat and rice.
  • MSP, procurement, and subsidies heavily tilted toward HYVs​​.
  • R&D investment focuses on a few commercial crops, ignoring biodiversity.
• Commercialization of Agriculture: Rise of corporate seed companies has made farmers dependent on patented or hybrid seeds​.
  • Traditional seeds offer no commercial incentive due to lack of standardization and branding.
  • Hybrid seeds (like F1 hybrids) dominate because of their high yields and commercial viability—but can’t be reused​.
• Weak Conservation Infrastructure: Traditional seeds rely on community exchange and storage, not formal supply chains​.
  • India lacks sufficient well-funded community seed banks and regional conservation centers. 
• Loss of Traditional Knowledge & Practices: Decline in traditional seed use has caused erosion of indigenous knowledge of seed selection, breeding, and storage​​.
  • Modern agricultural education often ignores traditional wisdom.
• Neglect in Agricultural Research: Traditional seeds are largely excluded from formal breeding programs.
  • Lack of focus on improving traits (e.g. pest resistance, yields) of indigenous varieties hinders their competitiveness​.
• Decline Due to Monoculture & Global Trends: Monoculture and uniform global food preferences have led to the displacement of traditional crops.
  • 75% of plant genetic diversity has been lost since 1900; just 15 crops account for 90% of global food production, according to the FAO​.
• Regulatory & Legal Challenges: IPR regimes, seed certification laws, and seed market liberalization have made it harder to legally exchange and sell traditional seeds​.

Key Initiatives for Conservation of Traditional Seeds

• National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR): Established in 1976, conserves 94,609 native Indian varieties of crops and trees across multiple gene banks.
  • Supports ex-situ conservation through long-term seed storage in different agro-climatic zones.
  • Acts as India’s central node for plant genetic resource management.
  • India’s first gene bank was set up in 1996 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR) in New Delhi.
  • Indian Seed Vault, a backup seed bank located in Chang La, Ladakh, which was built in 2010.
• Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA): Regulatory body established by the Central government to implement the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001.
  • Registered 1,896 native Indian varieties, enabling farmers to commercialize them legally.
  • Encourages individual and community conservation of native biodiversity, especially in agro-biodiversity hotspots.
  • Provides awards and recognition to custodians of indigenous seeds.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): Developed 2,900 improved crop varieties since 2014 using native gene pools.
  • Focused on high-yielding, multi-stress tolerant varieties suited to diverse agro-climatic conditions.
  • Covers cereals, pulses, oilseeds, horticulture, fiber crops, and underutilized crops.
• Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF): Program under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
  • Implemented since 2016-17 to promote tree plantation on farmlands.
  • Encourages use of indigenous tree species like Indian rosewood, teak, Malabar neem, poplar, etc.
• Community Seed Banks (State-Led and NGO Initiatives): Help collect, preserve, and distribute traditional seeds at the village level.
  • Beej Bachao Andolan in Uttarakhand. 
  • Seed banks: Adapa Mahila Utpadaka Dala-Jhirihjhira and Ahinsa Community Seed Bank in Odisha and assistentialist seed Bank in Andhra Pradesh​.
• Odisha Millet Mission: Revives cultivation of traditional millets in tribal areas.
  • Links production with local markets and nutrition programs (schools, PDS).
• Seed Testing Infrastructure: 161 State and 6 Central Seed Testing Laboratories operational.
  • Ensure seed quality by checking germination rate, purity, moisture, and health.
  • Seed testing is regulated under the Indian Seeds Act of 1966 and the Seed Rules of 1968.

Way Forward: Conservation of Traditional Seeds in India

• Mainstream Traditional Seeds into Policy and Procurement: Expand Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement programs to include millets, pulses, and indigenous grains.
  • Integrate traditional crops into midday meals, ICDS, and PDS schemes for nutrition and market support.
• Strengthen Community Seed Systems: Establish and scale up Community Seed Banks across agro-climatic zones.
  • Promote inter-village seed exchange networks, especially in tribal and mountain regions.
• Promote Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB): Encourage collaboration between farmers and scientists to improve traditional seeds without losing their resilience.
  • Focus on breeding for local adaptability, climate tolerance, and nutrition.
• Preserve Indigenous Knowledge and Practices: Document traditional agricultural knowledge related to seed selection, preservation, and farming methods.
  • Include it in agriculture education curricula and local capacity-building programs.
• Support Agro-ecology and Organic Farming: Link traditional seeds with organic and natural farming movements to reduce input dependency.
  • Provide incentives for low-input, biodiversity-based farming through schemes like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and SMAF.
• Create Consumer Awareness and Market Linkages: Launch campaigns highlighting health, ecological, and cultural benefits of traditional crops.
  • Promote branding, GI tagging, and direct-to-consumer platforms for native grains and produce.
• Enhance Seed Conservation Infrastructure: Strengthen NBPGR gene banks and make regional repositories more accessible.
  • Upgrade state seed testing labs to support analysis and quality certification of traditional varieties.
  • In the 2025-26 budget, it is announced the establishment of a second national gene bank, with the capacity to conserve 1 million lines of germplasm.
• Assert Leadership in Global Biodiversity Discourse: Build regional alliances and forums to push for agro-biodiversity in international platforms like COP and FAO.
  • Frame India’s traditional seed conservation as a climate justice and food sovereignty issue.

Conclusion

India must balance productivity with sustainability by integrating traditional seeds into mainstream agriculture through policy support, research, and market linkages. A diversified food system ensures long-term food security amid climate change.

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