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Madhya Pradesh has consistently emerged as one of India’s agricultural powerhouses, both in terms of cultivable land and total cropped area.
The central state recorded 30.05 million hectares of total cropped area in 2020-21, surpassing other agricultural states like Uttar Pradesh (28.2 million ha), Rajasthan (27.44 million ha) and Maharashtra (25.73 million ha).
MP is also the second-largest in terms of state-wise food production after Uttar Pradesh from 2018-19 to 2023-24.
In India, an adequate availability of seeds for cultivation is important for the farmers in the state. To ensure availability, farmers, non-profits and women’s groups have come together to create a thriving network of Community Seed Banks (CSB).
These CSBs are working to conserve traditional, climate-resilient varieties of crops.
This is crucial given that the state’s economy relies significantly on agriculture, with a large portion of the population involved in farming. Preserving traditional climate-resilient seeds is not merely a cultural practice but an economic imperative.
CSE’s report on community seed banks showed that MP hosts over a dozen of active seed banks supported by organisations like Caritas India, Manav Vikas Seva Sangh, the Agha Khan Gram Samarthan Sansthan.
Besides these, there are seed keepers such as Abhar Mahila Samiti and individual farmers from the Routes to Roots, a non-profit overseeing farm management naturally.
These banks conserve a range of crops from millets, pulses to vegetables, fruits and even traditional varieties of guava and papaya. Together, they have helped preserve over 85 climate-resilient varieties of crops across districts like Khandwa, Vidisha, Chhatarpur and Sidhi.
Shri Mahakal Seed Bank at Indrakheda village in Khandwa district, managed by Agha Khan Gram Samarthan Sansthan, focuses on small grains such as kodo, kutki, rala, ragi, sawa, jigani, bajra and jowar. These are important in climate risked environment due to their minimal water needs and high nutritional value.
The Routes to Roots collective in Neemach cultivates traditional, naturally grown varieties of tomatoes, brinjal, carrots, chana and perennial toor, which can produce as much as 15 kilograms per plant annually, along with drought-resistant fruits such as guava and papaya. It also conserves Bansi wheat, a high-gluten variety suitable for rainfed conditions.
These CSBs are lifelines for the farmers who struggle daily to adapt to extreme weather. The Muthava Baba Group Seed Bank in Devlikala stores drought-resistant millets like kodo, barnyard, foxtail and pearl millets and vegetable crops like kakdi and brinjal that survives with minimal input.
Meanwhile, Baburajput Kisan Samuh Seed Bank supports farmers in Vidisha district with a mix of soyabean, paddy and native maize and jowar varieties selected for their hardiness and deep roots.
Women farmers also play a central role in seed conservation. Shila Bai, who manages Aman Seed Bank at Rampura village in Vidisha district has 33 varieties ranging from pulses to oilseeds. It also includes multiple varieties of maize, bottle guard, brinjal and mustard that are stored using traditional methods and exchanged using traditional seed loan model — borrow one, return two.
The Sita Ram Community Seed Bank in Vidisha, managed by Pooja Bai, stores wheat (variety codes 306 and 1544), soyabean (variety codes 95 and 2044), bottle gourd, groundnuts, sesame and papaya. Meanwhile, Rahisa Bi oversees a seed bank in Chikali village with over 50 local varieties, including rice, maize, eggplant, pumpkin, and ladyfinger. At the Chanchal Community Seed Bank, Sharda Bai organizes crops such as wheat (varieties Luban and Sharbati), soyabean (variety codes 2044 and 2069), and various pulses and vegetables.
Seed banks are knowledge hubs more than storage spaces. At Jivan seed bank in Sidhi district, for instance, Biran Singh preserves everything from sawa millet and desi maize to moringa, guava and desi tomato. All of them are tied to cultural memory and regional diets.
The Devmaharaj kisan samuh seed bank in Vidisha hosts mix of 20 crops, including vegetables like eggplant, bottle gourd and fruits like mango, jamun and papaya.
Despite their success, most seed banks operate without government support. They struggle with funding, infrastructure and lack of scientific storage options. Also, many young farmers are turning to hybrids due to aggressive marketing and lack of awareness.
"From the challenges of setting up and sustaining operations to gaps in technical knowledge, and threats posed by poor distribution systems and changing climate conditions, seed banks face hurdles at every step," said Pradeep Kumar, Program officer, Abhar Mahila Samiti.