FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE WITH FOOD
This series is a collaboration between Goya & Greenpeace. Writers, researchers and activists explore what sustainability looks like out in the field, and as an extension, in your kitchen. From seed libraries and their importance in the face of climate change, to how the cultivation of ragi is woven into the needs of soil, livestock and nutrition; finding alternative uses for spent grain in the microbrewery capital of India, and offering insight into building your own toolkit for gauging sustainability, this series offers a slice of what sustainable, organic agriculture and consumption in India looks like today.

To learn more on sustainability, organic farming and the impact-driven work of Greenpeace in the field, click here.

As train lines and roads turn along the southern bend of the eastern Himalayas, the Assamese district of Jorhat reveals itself in bursts of greenery. River Bhogdoi, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, slices through the region’s centre. The area is a hotbed for biodiversity and a haven for agricultural activities. It is also home to a unique library that possesses a collection of heirloom rice landraces; the first of its kind in northeast India. 

Mahan Chandra Borah, the pioneer of Annapurna Seed Library, had one goal in mind: to preserve indigenous varieties of rice seeds from perishing. The 39-year-old Meleng village native — who hails from a lineage of rice farmers — established the humble institution at his home, built alongside a little-less-than-an-acre of farmland reserved to cultivate crops on rotational basis. He started small, by borrowing only three varieties from his neighbours. “At the time, a rising consumer demand and new farming techniques encouraged farmers to grow improved and hybrid varieties of grains,” recounts the history-graduate-turned-farmer. “In the process, traditional varieties started to dwindle and I wanted to do my bit to conserve seeds before it was too late.” Cut to 15 years later, the library now boasts an impressive 400 native seeds from different parts of the northeast and the rest of the country.

What is a Seed Library?

So, how does a seed library operate? It comes close to a book library in nature. Digital portal seedlibraries.weebly.com defines it as “a place where community members can get seeds for free, or for a nominal fee, and is run for the public benefit. While some communities focus on getting folks to garden and grow their own food, others regard it as an important step to develop a network of seed savers, create locally adapted varieties, and respond proactively to climate change or loss of gene integrity due to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or to preserve genetic diversity.” After cultivation, members are expected to return a portion of the output to the library or exchange it with fellow members. Borah, who distributes the seeds among other farmers at no cost, insists that they swap the seeds among themselves in order to strengthen the agricultural system on a grass root level.