National Seed Diversity Festival

National Seed Diversity Festival, 2017

June 9 – 11 @Anna University, Chennai

Timings :  10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The National Seed Diversity Festival 2017 is a  soil friendly movement which aims to uphold the sovereignty of the seed as also the rights of the humble farmer.  With the collaboration of ASHA & Bharath Beej Swaraj Manch, along with Safe Food Alliance – Tamil Nadu and Sahaja Samrudha, NSDF 2017 focuses its attention on throwing light on the Variety of Seeds of the Various Crops of Our Country and on safeguarding them. This festival will bring together key seed savers and custodians across the country to discuss issues endangering the indigenous varieties of seeds and to get down to action in safeguarding the sovereignty of the Seed and the Farmer.

The lifeline of agriculture, SEED has been preserved and reused over generations by local farming communities maintaining their diverse indigenous seed varieties. The agricultural biodiversity and our heritage is maintained and developed by this art of preserving and reusing seeds.

The present dependence of farmers on external inputs of seeds and other inputs has increased over a period of time. The genetic erosion of our system of agriculture now has resulted in the depletion of knowledge, skill and preservation of our agricultural practices and seeds.

The restoration of diversity of our traditional crops in traditional methods by farmers who are seed savers is happening at the same time. such exemplary seed savers are visiting ‘Namma Chennai’ to share their experience in this journey of sustainable self sufficient agriculture.Join us in welcoming these 100 plus seed savers with their more than 3000 varieties of seeds and celebrate the sprouting of self sustainable agriculture with them.

Let us felicitate this unrelenting task of restoring heirloom seeds and carry the torch of motivation to all corners of this country.

Such agro-diversity is of immense value to both farmers as well as consumers of this country and this is a rich heritage that these seed savers are protecting and reviving for the entire society. The larger society is hardly exposed to the importance of this heritage and this Festival is expected to educate all visitors about the nutritional superiority as well as superiority in terms of stress tolerance that these varieties possess. These varieties, usually also grown in a mixed cropping regime, have the ability to bring back environmental sustainability into our farming, given that these are low-chemical-input varieties.

Highlights:

• to show-case, celebrate and conserve India’s incredibly rich diversity of agricultural seeds and bio-cultural heritage
• to highlight community conservation traditions of participatory selection, innovation and shared rights over diversity of crop seeds and related knowledge
• to highlight forests as food producing habitats and the richness of uncultivated foods in India and its food cultures
• to inspire policy changes and initiatives towards community led in-situ conservation, regeneration, use and sharing of locally adapted crop diversity and related knowledge, protected from exclusionary/patented private property claims
• to inspire consumer support towards purchase and consumption of traditional crops/ varieties to support farmers’ shift towards cultivation of these nutritionally superior crops

Attractions:

Diversity display, water purification techniques, traditional food,organic produce, kids corner, potter’s wheel, seed ball making, knowledge sharing by experts, seed and sapling sharing,spinning Natural dyeing demo, Organic clothing, alternate books,composting, terrace garden- tips and inputs, & much more..

The National Seed Diversity Festival, 2017 is happening at College of Engineering, Guindy – Anna university Campus on 9th 10th and 11th June.