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As the world celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity 2026 on May 22, concerns over disappearing species and collapsing ecosystems are growing globally. But in the tribal hills of Odisha, biodiversity survives quietly in fields and the memories of women farmers.
Across districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Gajapati, Sundargarh and Nabarangpur, tribal communities continue cultivating dozens of traditional millet landraces adapted to drought, erratic rainfall and poor soils.
Long before millets entered policy discussions and urban health markets, tribal farming communities cultivated a remarkable diversity of crops across Odisha’s rainfed uplands. Finger millet varieties such as Bati mandia, Kangra mandia, Kalaguduli mandia, Dasarakhai mandia and Budha mandia still survive in scattered farms and community seed systems. Traditional little millet, foxtail millet, kodo millet and sorghum varieties also continue to persist despite rapid agricultural change.
These are living repositories of ecological knowledge shaped through generations of farmer-led adaptation. “Traditional seeds survive where hybrid crops often fail,” says Raimati Ghiuria, popularly known as the ‘Millet Queen’ of Koraput, who has spent decades conserving indigenous crop diversity. “Traditional seed carries our cultural identity.”
Yet many of these landraces are disappearing. Monoculture farming, commercial seed systems, changing food habits and climate uncertainty have pushed several traditional varieties to the margins. Now, under the Shree Anna Abhiyan (SAA), a state-supported initiative involving tribal farmers, local organisations and researchers is reversing that decline.
Odisha’s tribal landscapes are among eastern India’s richest centres of agricultural biodiversity. Most cultivation here is rain-fed and dependent on fragile ecological conditions. For centuries, farming communities selected millet varieties based on rainfall patterns, soil conditions, taste, nutrition and resistance to pests.
The result is a remarkable range of climate-adapted crops.
Field documentation conducted across tribal districts has revealed significant diversity among traditional millet landraces. Some mature early and escape erratic rainfall. Others survive long dry spells or perform well in poor soils where commercial crops struggle.
Many varieties are deeply linked to local food systems. Finger millet remains central to traditional porridges consumed during lean agricultural periods because of its nutritional value and ability to sustain households during food shortages.
In Koraput, traditional ragi varieties are distinguished by grain colour, earhead shape, maturity duration and culinary use. Bati mandia, one of the region’s most valued finger millet landraces, is recognised for its purple earheads, brick-red grains and compact panicles.
Naming practices themselves reflect ecological knowledge.
For instance, Kalia ganthi mandia derives its name from the dark pigmentation visible on plant nodes. Hata Bhanga mandia refers to a variety that is easier to harvest because its stalk breaks quickly by hand.
“These names carry generations of observation,” says Rukmini Khila, a farmer from Koraput. “Farmers in our region know the behaviour of each crop.”
Across Odisha’s tribal regions, women farmers remain central to conserving traditional seeds. They select grains after harvest, preserve seeds using traditional methods and exchange local varieties within villages. Their decisions are shaped by taste, cooking quality, nutrition and storage capacity.
In Mayurbhanj, Subasa Mahanta, locally known as Mandia Maa (Millet Mother) continues cultivating indigenous millet and paddy varieties despite declining interest among younger farmers.
“These seeds survive difficult seasons,” she says. “If we stop growing them, they will disappear forever.”
In Keonjhar, Sanjulata Mahanta preserves local millet varieties adapted to changing rainfall conditions. In Kandhamal, Kudeladu Jani maintains mixed cropping systems that reduce climate risk and support soil fertility.
Women-led conservation practices have helped many landraces survive despite drought, migration and changing agricultural policies. Millets are also woven into local culture. Short-duration little millet varieties such as Jhati gurji and Sana suan remain associated with Nuakhai, the major harvest festival celebrated across western Odisha.
One of the most important conservation efforts is taking place directly on farms. This approach, known as in-situ conservation, allows traditional landraces to remain under cultivation in the ecosystems where they evolved. It preserves both biological diversity and the traditional knowledge linked to farming practices, food preparation and seed selection.
Under the SAA, tribal farmers are encouraged to cultivate multiple traditional millet varieties rather than replacing them with uniform commercial seeds.
SAA is implemented by Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) as the Programme Secretariat, local NGOs and community groups to strengthen seed exchange networks and biodiversity-focused farming.
In Chitrakonda block of Malkangiri district, an agro-ecology centre is currently cultivating 113 traditional millet landraces collected from different parts of Odisha. These include finger millet, little millet, sorghum, pearl millet, foxtail millet and barnyard millet varieties.
The trials help researchers and farmers assess how local landraces respond to changing climatic conditions while strengthening community seed systems. Community biodiversity plots and farmer-led documentation initiatives are also helping younger generations reconnect with traditional crops once considered obsolete.
Alongside field conservation, community seed banks are playing an increasingly important role. These local repositories allow farmers to store, regenerate and exchange traditional seeds without depending entirely on external seed markets. They also strengthen seed sovereignty in remote tribal areas.
Through SAA, WASSAN has supported the collection and documentation of dozens of traditional millet landraces from across Odisha. Many of these are now preserved in medium-term storage facilities under the State Seed Testing Laboratory.
The collections include finger millet, little millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet and brown-top millet landraces that might otherwise have disappeared. But farmers say conservation cannot remain limited to storage alone.
“Seeds survive only when farmers continue growing them,” says Bhagabati Majhi from Bargarh.
As climate change intensifies across India, traditional millets are regaining importance. Compared to paddy, millets require far less water, tolerate erratic rainfall and can grow in marginal soils with minimal external inputs. In many tribal regions, they remain among the few crops capable of surviving recurring droughts and ecological stress.
Farmers say several indigenous finger millet varieties continue yielding even during prolonged dry spells that damage commercial crops. Early maturing landraces also help households secure food before rainfall failure deepens later in the season.
Scientists increasingly recognise that these traditional crops may contain genetic traits crucial for climate-resilient agriculture in the future. For tribal communities, however, their value has never disappeared.
In Gajapati district, Babita Dalei says traditional millets helped families withstand uncertain monsoons and food shortages for generations. “These crops stayed with us during erratic rainfall and prolonged dry-speels,” she says. “That is why we still protect them.”
The revival of traditional millets is more than preserving old seeds. It is also about rebuilding local food systems and restoring farmer autonomy.
For decades, agricultural policies heavily favoured rice cultivation while many climate-resilient traditional crops received little institutional support. As a result, several indigenous millet varieties declined sharply across Odisha.
Today, renewed interest in millets offers an opportunity to rethink agricultural development in ecologically vulnerable regions.
Supporting tribal seed keepers, especially women farmers and community-led conservation systems could strengthen biodiversity protection, climate adaptation, nutrition and rural livelihoods simultaneously.
But farmers and researchers say long-term support is essential. Community seed systems, local procurement, participatory breeding and farmer-led conservation initiatives require sustained investment.
The future of these crops ultimately depends on the people who continue cultivating them.
On this International Day for Biological Diversity 2026, Odisha’s millet farmers remind us that biodiversity flourishes in farming landscapes, traditional seeds, and the knowledge of communities who have safeguarded them for generations.
The future of climate-resilient agriculture depends on these vanishing crops and on the tribal women who continue saving them, one harvest at a time.
Susanta Sekhar Choudhury works as a Programme Manager-Seed for Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Bhubaneswar.
Pritesh Sundar Roy works as a Programme Officer-Seed for Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Bhubaneswar.
Pulak Ranjan Nayak works as a Senior Programme Officer-Seed for Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Bhubaneswar.
Bikash Das works as a Programme Officer-Seed for Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Bhubaneswar.
Biswa Shankar Das works as a Senior Programme Officer-Seed for Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Koraput.
Suresh Kumar Sahoo works as a Programme Officer-Seed for Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Bhubaneswar.
Views expressed are the authors’ own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth