Machnoor Seed Bank Wins National Honour for Seed Conservation
SANGAREDDY: Machnoor Seed Bank, run by women farmers of the Deccan Development Society (DDS) in Sangareddy district, has received national recognition with the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award from the Union Ministry of Agriculture for 2023–24.
The award will be presented in New Delhi later this month by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, acknowledging the group’s contribution to conserving indigenous seed varieties and promoting organic farming at the grassroots level.
Women farmers lead local seed movement
The Machnoor seed bank, managed by around 2,000 women members across Bahilabad, Raipalli, Mogudampalli, Kothapally, and other villages, has been producing and distributing organic seeds for years. The farmers not only cultivate millets and pulses but also prepare their own seeds and share them with neighbouring farmers.
“We have been cultivating and preserving millet varieties for years. Getting a national award for our work is a proud moment for our village,” said a DDS member.
Traditional varieties preserved
The bank stores a wide range of seeds such as foxtail millet, sorghum, horse gram, chickpeas, green gram, sesame, and castor. The women use traditional methods to protect seeds from pests, mixing them with ash and neem leaves and storing them in earthen pots. Seeds are lent to farmers during the sowing season, and those who borrow return double the quantity after harvest.
Recognition for grassroots biodiversity efforts
The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA), a statutory body under the agriculture ministry, selected DDS for its long-standing role in protecting local crop diversity. Members said the recognition validates their decades of community,led work in preserving seed heritage.
“It is a matter of pride that our village level efforts have earned national recognition,” said a DDS representative.
