Traditional community-led seed system for maintaining crop vigour, diversity and socio-cultural network in view of the changing climate: a case study from western Himalaya, India

Abstract

This study describes the traditional seed system for maintaining crop vigour through seed selection, storage and exchange practices by the local farmers inhabiting the Shivalik-Bhabar tracts of western Himalaya in Una district of Himachal Pradesh state, India. The study area falls in sub-tropical zone where the arable land is heavily laden with cobbles and pebbles. Three villages, namely, Baliwal, Pubowal and Janani, were selected for documenting the traditional seed system. Chain referral method was used for identifying the Key Knowledge Holders and households ( N =136) from the selected villages. Along with the documentation, a participatory experiment on traditional seed storage of indigenous and high-yielding varieties of wheat and maize was conducted during two cropping seasons, i.e. Rabi (Nov–Mar) and Kharif (Jun–Oct), respectively, to validate the traditional knowledge of local farmers. The results of the experiment showed that traditional treatments of seeds using dry neem ( Azadirachta indica ) leaves, safety match sticks and a combination of both acted as disinfectants during storage with slightly differing levels of effectiveness. It has been observed that the traditional seed system is playing a crucial role in maintaining the crop vigour and diversity and also strengthening the socio-cultural relationship among the local farming communities. Graphical Abstract