Not pictured: the dozens of hands cutting, sorting and hauling rice. The sweat-soaked saris and brows. The awe of witnessing the preservation of biodiversity. ...
Not pictured: the dozens of hands cutting, sorting and hauling rice. The sweat-soaked saris and brows. The awe of witnessing the preservation of biodiversity.
Farmers at Navdanya’s Bija Vidyapeeth Biodiversity and Conservation farm plant rice in June for harvest in early October.Farmers surround rice with finger millet and marigolds to manage pests and potential cross-pollination.Working in 3×3 foot plots, farmers save seed from the center 1×1 foot to ensure that true seed that did not cross pollinate with another variety. 716 rice varieties cultivated this year – all with different traits, tastes, and growing patterns.Bundles of rice drying in the field.Dehradun Basmati waiting to be threshed. Some rice varieties are grown in bulk to sell locally, or feed staff, interns, and those that come to Navdanya’s seasonal courses on agroecology.“Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being.” ~Dr. Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya
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