Agriculture
Karnataka Women’s Seed‑Saving Group Wins National Plant Genome Award
In 2018, Bibijaan Maulasaab Halemani gathered 14 women from Teertha village in Karnataka’s Dharwad district to collect and preserve traditional crop seeds that were disappearing from local farms. The small collective, now called the Bibi Fatima Women’s Self‑Help Group (SHG), has expanded to work across 30 villages, helping farmers revive millet cultivation and preserving more than 250 varieties of seeds, including millets, pulses, paddy and vegetables. The group’s seed bank, established next to Halemani’s house, distributes seeds to farmers and operates a system where farmers can borrow seeds and return a larger quantity after harvest.
The SHG received guidance and support from Sahaja Samrudha, an organization that promotes organic farming and sustainable agriculture. In 2022, the women set up a millet processing unit in Teertha with assistance from Sahaja Samrudha, the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad and the CROPS4HD project. The unit, powered by solar panels from the SELCO Foundation and trained by the Millet Foundation in Bengaluru, helps farmers process and market millet products, reducing their dependence on middlemen.
The group’s efforts have contributed to the revival of millet‑based mixed cropping systems in 30 villages in rainfed farming areas. The SHG was selected for the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award, instituted by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The award carries a cash prize of ₹10 lakh, a certificate and a memento. The award ceremony is scheduled for November 12, 2026, in New Delhi.
Halemani, who grew up watching her father conserve seeds, began the initiative to make high‑quality traditional seeds available to farmers and encourage the cultivation of crops suited to local conditions. The group’s work has been recognised by The New Indian Express for conserving indigenous crop varieties, protecting traditional seeds and promoting sustainable farming practices. The award adds national recognition to a journey that began with a simple seed‑saving practice and has grown into a community‑led agricultural initiative.