adopt a rice seed

adopt a rice seed

We are a seed bank in Niali, Odisha.

Each year we sow, grow and harvest 500 varieties of indigenous rice. By doing this every year, we preserve indigenous rice and keep the seed alive. We distribute these rice seeds free of cost to farmers in an effort to regain seed diversity and sovereignty.

By adopting a seed, you can keep one variety of indigenous rice alive through its life cycle for one year.

Natabar Sarangi

How does my contribution help?
Natbarji’s seed bank ( RDCGK) has a small field that it uses to replant 700 varieties of rice each season. It costs approximately 2,000 rupees to keep a seed alive. Keeping a seed alive involves finding the seed, creating optimal sowing conditions for the seed, planting it, growing and then harvesting the seed, and distributing it to local farmers. Your contribution ensures that one variety of indigenous rice will be able to grow for one harvest cycle.
What will I receive when I ‘adopt a rice seed’?
Natbarji’s seed bank ( RDCGK) has a small field that it uses to replant 700 varieties of rice each season. It costs approximately 2,000 rupees to keep a seed alive. Keeping a seed alive involves finding the seed, creating optimal sowing conditions for the seed, planting it, growing and then harvesting the seed, and distributing it to local farmers. Your contribution ensures that one variety of indigenous rice will be able to grow for one harvest cycle.
Who is eligible to contribute?
Natbarji’s seed bank ( RDCGK) has a small field that it uses to replant 700 varieties of rice each season. It costs approximately 2,000 rupees to keep a seed alive. Keeping a seed alive involves finding the seed, creating optimal sowing conditions for the seed, planting it, growing and then harvesting the seed, and distributing it to local farmers. Your contribution ensures that one variety of indigenous rice will be able to grow for one harvest cycle.
What is the Rajendra Desi Chasa Gabasena Kendra Seed Bank ( RDCGK) ?
Natbarji’s seed bank ( RDCGK) has a small field that it uses to replant 700 varieties of rice each season. It costs approximately 2,000 rupees to keep a seed alive. Keeping a seed alive involves finding the seed, creating optimal sowing conditions for the seed, planting it, growing and then harvesting the seed, and distributing it to local farmers. Your contribution ensures that one variety of indigenous rice will be able to grow for one harvest cycle.
Why do we need a rice seed bank?
Natbarji’s seed bank ( RDCGK) has a small field that it uses to replant 700 varieties of rice each season. It costs approximately 2,000 rupees to keep a seed alive. Keeping a seed alive involves finding the seed, creating optimal sowing conditions for the seed, planting it, growing and then harvesting the seed, and distributing it to local farmers. Your contribution ensures that one variety of indigenous rice will be able to grow for one harvest cycle.
How does the seed bank work?
Natbarji’s seed bank ( RDCGK) has a small field that it uses to replant 700 varieties of rice each season. It costs approximately 2,000 rupees to keep a seed alive. Keeping a seed alive involves finding the seed, creating optimal sowing conditions for the seed, planting it, growing and then harvesting the seed, and distributing it to local farmers. Your contribution ensures that one variety of indigenous rice will be able to grow for one harvest cycle.
  • JUNE

    Soil preperation with Organic Manure

  • EARLY JULY

    Rice Seed Sowing

  • EARLY AUGUST

    Rice Saplings

  • LATE AUGUST

    Transplantation

  • SEPTEMBER

    Weeding

  • OCTOBER

    Farmer Training

  • NOVEMBER

    Flowering

  • DECEMBER

    Harvesting

  • JANUARY

    Seed Preservation

  • MAY

    Seed Distribution

In conversation with Natabar Sarangi

One day, about twenty-five years ago, Natabar Sarangi, a 65 year old retired village school teacher, decided to search for and plant different varieties of traditional indigenous rice in his village Niali, around thirty-five kilometres from Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Upon searching he found a wide variety of indigenous rice, some good for breakfast, some to make kheer and some that tasted good with mutton. Over time, and with the help of others, he collected more varieties of rice. Some rice grew well even through droughts and floods. Some could withstand saline soil, others grew best in red, black or sandy soil. Some preferred being planted in lowlands, some in highlands.

Each rice was compatible with a unique soil and climatic condition. A young farmer, Yubraj Swain helped him. They planted rice in small patches, nurtured and looked after the rice, and harvested it every single year. Again and again, year after year, and now they have almost 500 varieties of local, indigenous rice.

Listen to the story of how the collection of seeds began and of the making of the Rajendra Desi Chasa Gabasena Kendra here:

READ TRANSCRIPT

Adopt a rice seed

Natbarji’s seed bank (RDCGK) has a small field that it uses to replant 700 varieties of rice each season. It costs approximately 2,000 rupees to keep a seed alive. Keeping a seed alive involves finding the seed, creating optimal sowing conditions for the seed, planting it, growing and then harvesting the seed, and distributing it to local farmers.

Your contribution ensures that one variety of indigenous rice will be able to grow for one harvest cycle.

Rs. 2000 per donation

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ADOPT A RICE SEED
adopt a rice seed