Awareness Campaigns

To popularize the traditional crop varieties several consumer-producer awareness programmes like the Red Rice Mela(fair), Millet mela and Biodiversity Fairs an elaborate periodic festivals began being organized from the year 2006. These events highlighted the nutritional and medicinal value of traditional varieties, the concept designed by Sahaja. Now more than 10 organisations in Odhisha, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chathisgarh, West Bengal, Punjab and Jharkhand adopted this concept, which resulted in value of neglected crops and has created a new market for these. Ten coloured rice varieties and 35 traditional rice varieties are liked by consumers and have made inwards into the modern kitchens. Similar has been the response from consumers with Millets.

Many safe food, organic food, red rice food, millet food preparation contests, where the women participated enthusiastically and many traditional food recipes saw light. Best food recipes were chosen and many value addition products are prepared and marketed by women groups in most marginalized, dalit and tribal women groups. Annual events were welcomed with overwhelming response from consumers and 25 tribal groups participated with different kinds of roots and tubers in the ‘Roots and Tubers Mela’ in 2017 and 2018. Similarly Jackfruit Mela in 2018 and 2019 was to stress the importance and benefits of desi varieties of jackfruit with no contamination of pesticides.

Jackfruit Festival – a two-day ‘Jackfruit Mela,’ was organised by Sahaja Samrudha Samsthe and Rotary Club of Mysore West at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry, Mysore. Mela was organised to stress the importance and benefits of desi varieties of jackfruit with no contamination of pesticides. The response was overwhelming from the public which had a turnout of over 15000.

Over 2,000 saplings of various trees were also sold at the Mela. Cooking Contest was organized, where different cuisine of jackfruit was put on display.

Mysuru Beeja Utsav

The three-day Monsoon Seed Festival, jointly organised by NABARD, Sahaja Seeds and Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, began at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry on Vinoba Road in Mysuru. Around 2000 varieties of rice, ,millets, vegetables were on display. Special feature of the festival was an organic seed production workshop and also farmers brought in seeds to be exchanged with their fellow farmers. As many as 40 farmers and seed producers from many other states participated with showcasing heirloom seeds and some produce of traditional varieties of vegetables.

Roots and Tubers Mela – in Mysore , Dharwad, Chennai and in Bangalore Roots and tuber crops are under-exploited and thus deserve more research input and also there is a need for popularizing them for our food security and better enrichment of our diet. In this background ‘Roots and Tuber Mela’ was being organised in Mysuru by Sahaja Samrudha in collaboration with the Department of  Horticulture and University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot. The Tuber Mela witnessed the display of a remarkable knowledge of the edible tubers that the tribals gather or grow on the farms and with rich diversity showcased by the 25 tribal groups, who participated with different kinds of roots and tubers. The focus of this Mela would be to sensitise the urban community towards the benefits of tuber consumption and explore more value addition and include them into the cultivation.

Similarly Roots and Tuber Mela was organized in collaboration with Green Path and Sahaja

Oganics in Bangalore and with Restore in Chennai. Soliga and Irula tribes participated in the festival with their diverse tuber collection.

Desi Cotton Mela – Native cotton varieties regained its lost ground with revival efforts of Sahaja Samrudha. The Mela organized in association with ‘TULA’, a non-profit enterprise, featured special varieties of cotton varieties, spinning wheel and cotton fabrics from various states of the country.

SEED FESTIVALS- Seed Festivals are celebration of revival of biodiversity, the festivals were conducted in many villages that displayed local seeds and farming practices. The festivals began in 2002 where exchange of seeds, experience and knowledge on farming practices between farmers.

State level Seed Festivals were organized that brought in farmers and Seed Savers from different districts of a State on to a common platform.

Beejotsav-National Seed Festivals organized in several states of our country would be a carnival of different varieties of seeds. Varied group of organic farmers, seed savers would gather to exhibit the rich diversity of each region and state. The national seed festivals are celebration of sustainable agriculture, seed saver and farming communities.

The Organic Seed Festival was a significant part of the 19th Organic World Congress-2017. Theseed festival organized by Sahaja Samrudha with Save our Rice brought together 65 Seed Saver groups from 15 states displayed from various village communities across India and showed the forgotten treasures of biodiversity. Over 4,000 different varieties of seeds were on display, along with relevant posters and information. 

SEED and FOOD FESTIVALS

Monsoon Seed Festivals were conducted in 2 panchayats and in 2 districts, where farmers from about 30 villages participated. The festival encouraged sharing of knowledge, their experience with traditional seeds and initiate a discussion about reducing their dependency on market seeds. More than 500 farmers both men and women participated exhibiting about 350 different crops and the traditional food culture.

Rabi Seed Mela was organised in Malali village Dharwad cluster. The event featured the display of over 100 varieties of native seeds and panicles. Food and Recipes made of NUS Crops (Little Millet, Browntop Millet, Foxtail Millet and Green Gram) were displayed by SHG members. Women SHG members and about 250 farmer both men and women and school children from around 15 villages participated in the Seed Mela. Talks by Seed Savers and Model Organic farmers inspired many farmers Farmers also exchange their varieties and get the most suitable variety as per their respective climatic conditions. To boost the reach of these fairs, various women groups and farmer groups from other villages and Research Institutes, Government departments were also invited. Such event increase awareness and have local farmers realizing the potential of traditional seeds and an increased interest in conserving the local traditional varieties.

Food Festivals – are a celebration of diversity and forgotten recipes. Forgotten festivals and Food festivals are organized to popularize and bring back the forgotten traditional recipes, lesser-known grains & vegetables and underutilized food crops and reconstitute the taste and nutritional value for the urban consumers with a vision to conserve and raise the demand for less heard and underutilized crop varieties. The food festivals attracted more than 23,000 consumers in all.

Forgotten Food Festival, Roots and Tubers Festivals, Jackfruit Festival in different locations of Hubli, Dharwad and Mysore. The forgotten foods received a red carpet welcome by the consumers. were prepared in the food festival and methods and techniques of preparation of modern recipes shared with the participants.

Chennai Tuber Festival – the two day event left the consumers amazed with the diversity on display. The diversity food stalls drew large crowds that had different varieties of foods and snacks and healthy recipes prepared from the different varieties of tubers.

Avare Mela – was celebrated for four day featuring the many recipes made out of seasonal crop, with exhibition and sale of Field bean crop.

Soppu Mela, where diversity of green leafies attracted consumers. Recipes were shared of more than 60 different food items.