Workshop on Native Seeds at Bhoomi Farm, Tiruvannamalai

Sundar and Chandrasekar, are two young natural farmers from Tiruvannamalai committed to preserving native seeds of vegetables, tubers, fruits and crops. Inspired by the renowned organic scientist Nammalvar Ayya, they have travelled across Tamil Nadu, meeting numerous villagers and collecting native variety seeds. They now devote themselves to educating other farmers on the importance of these native seeds during the current time of climate change, multiplying these seeds and sharing these seeds for further distribution and adoption.

Recently, we organized a workshop where the farmer duo spoke about native seed varieties. They spoke at length about the - Importance of Aadi pattam in Tamil Nadu, heirloom seeds, preserving seeds during cultivation, which plant to choose, which fruit in the plant to choose, when to harvest them for seeding purpose, methods to preserve the seeds, etc.,

They shared 22 varieties of vegetables with the participants with instructions on planting, growing, seed harvesting & preserving and sharing to sustain the cycle. Nearly 40+ people attended the program, mostly neighbourhood farmers.

For the farmers, this was an eye-opening session. The duo highlighted the importance of native seeds and the nutritional benefits of a diverse diet of vegetables. Remarkably, they offer these seeds free of charge, refusing to commercialize their efforts. Their goal is to ensure farmers become self-reliant. The workshop was incredibly informative, and participants left with a renewed commitment to saving and growing native seeds.