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Youth prefer hydrid, genetically modified seeds over traditional seeds
Farming no longer lucrative for new generations who choose off-farm jobs
Silver lining: Community Seed Banks such as those in Karnataka's Teeratha village and Nagaland's Chizami village successfully engage youth
Experts say seed knowledge must be imparted in interesting ways, so that young people find the work redeeming & enjoyable
In Karnataka’s Teeratha village, young people are trying to revive millet cultivation through the Sahaja Samrudha Community Seed Banks (CSB) network. They are helping the organisation in the process of Participatory Variety Selection (PVS), where they help test and identify the best-performing seed varieties. For this, they grow many types of millets in one field called a diversity block and pick the best ones. Sometimes, more than 70 types of millets are grown in one block.
Involvement of young people is important since most of the work of preserving traditional seeds in the country is done by older farmers, mainly women who store seeds carefully in mud pots, bamboo baskets with neem leaves and glass jars.
Sahaja Samrudha's initiative will ensure that the next generation will continue this work when the current seed keepers are gone.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) studied seed banks across India and found that fewer young people are getting involved in seed conservation and there is a growing gap between generations.
One of the biggest challenges facing CSBs is the shift in younger farmers’ preference towards hybrid and genetically modified seeds. Hybrid and company-made seeds are promoted as modern and high-yielding. These are supported by government schemes. Also, commercial seeds cannot be reused and must be bought every season, while traditional seeds can be saved and shared.
“Young farmers often think traditional seeds are old-fashioned,” the report added. “They prefer fast-growing hybrid seeds promoted by seed companies. They don’t want to put in the hard work that seed saving needs.”
Another reason is the lack of income and recognition for seed-saving work. CSBs usually don’t receive financial support from the government. Most are run by NGOs and self-help groups on small budgets.
Even within farming families, the knowledge once passed from grandmothers to granddaughters, or fathers to sons, is not being transferred with the same intensity. Traditional seed selection rituals like rotiyaana in Uttarakhand, where women select the strongest stalks before harvest, are fading.
Youth in rural areas are drawn to off-farm jobs and associate traditional agriculture with hard labour, low returns and limited mobility.
“Seed work is seen as low-paying and not attractive. Without market support or training, youth are not motivated,” said G Krishna Prasad, founder of Sahaja Samrudha, a Karnataka-based seed-saving network. “But if young people are involved in variety selection, growing and marketing seeds, they start to take ownership.”
There are bright spots too. Other than Teertha village in Karnataka, the Chizami CSB in Nagaland is fully managed by women. They not only conserve seeds but also teach students and youth groups how to select, store and grow these traditional seeds. This keeps the old knowledge alive and a reason to connect with their land and heritage. The Northeast Network supports this effort.
“There is a need to build trust and pass down traditional knowledge,” said Prajeesh Parameswaran from the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation. “Most of the seed saving, especially for small millets and vegetables, has always been done by women. We must involve youth now, or we risk losing this knowledge forever.”
Experts believe seed saving must be made interesting, rewarding and interesting work. This can be done by:
Education and training: Teach students about seeds and farming traditions. Give awards, training and support to young seed savers
Official recognition: Including seed savers and CSBs in government farming and rural employement programmes
Local festivals and stories can make youth proud of their traditions and roots
India has a history of 10,000 years of agriculture, 9,940 of which were chemical-free, seed-sovereign and youth-driven in their own way. The question today is not just whether the seeds will survive climate change, but whether the next generation will value them enough to keep saving and planting.