Mongabay series: Conserving Agro-biodiversity

The Conserving Agrobiodiversity series looks at a gamut of stories from the fields of India -- from technological advances to traditional knowledge, from saving seeds to modifying them -- all focussed towards protecting the diversity of crops and food we eat and efforts to ensure food security for generations to come. In the quest to feed a burgeoning population, India's agriculture is scrambling for ways to keep up production in the face of climate change and livelihood challenges. Whether it is going back to basic natural farming methods, unlocking genetic diversity of primary crops or bringing traditional grains back into vogue, institutions and individuals across the country and working on new and old ways of conserving agrobiodiversity.  

Kerala farmers go bananas over diversity

“Every district in Kerala has its favourite banana,” said Nishanth K., a 49-year-old banana farmer, from Kerala’s Wayanad district, who has over 250 varieties of bananas on his farm. “Wayanad…

Excavating farmlands for highways

The top soil on a farm determines how bountiful a crop will be. In Haryana, farmers have sold this crucial resource to the government for highway projects. Among them is…
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