Bhubaneswar, June 18: The Odisha government has launched a scheme “Revival and Sustainable Intensification of Forgotten Food & Neglected Crops in Odisha”.
The scheme aims to revive the traditional crop and food culture of Odisha by focusing on their conservation, cultivation, value addition, marketing, and awareness generation across the state which will ensure additional financial support to the cultivators, especially tribal cultivators.
The scheme has been developed under the guidance of the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and has been formally approved by the government. Odisha is renowned for its rich crop and food diversity and presence of agro-ecological hotspot regions including the Koraput region, which is recognised as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Site.
The state is home to 64 tribal communities with a deep history of community custodianship of protecting agrobiodiversity. Traditionally tribal and rural communities of Odisha have historically associated with numerous crops including tubers, pulses, oilseed, leafy vegetable, wild fruits etc for cultivation and consumption. The scheme builds upon the legacy of individuals like Padma Shri awardees Kamala Pujari, Ms Sabarmatee, Professor Radhamohan, and Mr Patayat Sahoo, who have been recognised for their seed and plant conservation efforts.
The comprehensive scheme outlines several key objectives, including germplasm collection and documentation of associated food cultures, indigenous technical knowledge supporting community conservation through custodian farmers and community live seed banks through state resource centre, promoting the cultivation of forgotten landraces with incentives and technical support, developing post-harvest processing and value addition, generating awareness in both rural and urban areas about traditional food & neglected crops, facilitating marketing through various channels like FPOs and WSHGs, including potential exports, and fostering research and multi-stakeholder collaboration while protecting farmers' rights.
The scheme is planned for implementation in 25 blocks across 15 districts of Odisha for a period of 5 years (2025-26 to 2029-30), strategically located near biodiversity hotspots and ecologically significant regions. The initiative is expected to directly benefit approximately 60,000 farmers by bringing them under the cultivation of neglected crops. A unique aspect is the inclusion of the Kamala Pujari Participatory Research Fellowship to document traditional knowledge and neglected crops. The expected outcomes include documenting numerous landraces and recipes, increasing their availability, conducting nutritional profiling, developing an open digital knowledge platform, and positioning Odisha as a global model for reviving forgotten food & neglected crops said by Principal Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee.
