ANANYA SEEDS PVT LTD

Background of the Company

About: Ananya Seeds Pvt Ltd was registered at Bangalore on 14th November, 2011 and is owned by first generation techno-
commercial entrepreneurs in the leadership of Dr.L.K.Pandey having three decades of experience in seed industry. Ananya Seeds Pvt
Ltd aims to become a leader in the Indian Seed Industry through research and marketing of scientifically produced high quality seeds.
It has been Judged Best Manufacturing Startup Company in CII Industrial Innovation Award, 2015 and also as Top Ten Promising Start
Ups. The Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI) awarded Flame Award Asia for promoting vegetable and Leadership Award,
2017. It has been working in collaboration with Ekal Gramotthan Foundation to establish Community Seeds Bank as a CSR
initiative.

Significance: The importance of Community Seeds Bank can’t be over-emphasized. It enables farming community to conserve and use
traditional and well adapted in their habitats. It also gives them power to register under the law and can monetize it while granting
permission to exploit its genetic potential. These traditional varieties are climate resilient varieties and much adaptable compared to hi-
tech seeds being developed using modern genetic tools. In changing climate, these can grow very well under much stressed conditions.

Title of the study: Promoting ‘Community Seeds Bank’ in Forest and Tribal Villages to conserve seeds of traditional varieties.

Area of focus: All villages of India under the working area of Ekal Gramotthan Foundation (Ekal Abhiyaan).

Intervention/Approach: Under the aegis of EGF, we have been motivating farmers and their groups to establish self sustainable
Community Seeds Bank. We are taking help from ‘Bioversity’ for the knowhow and technical guidance. Dr Arnab Gupta has very kindly
agreed to train and support this task. He participated in a training program organized for skill development of Centre In-charges of
EGF. We also met the Director of Bioversity at New Delhi office to seek his support and hand holding for this great cause.
Outcome: Conservation practices using Community Seeds Bank approach. Much assured varieties having climate resilience and ability
to grow under abiotic stresses. Local varieties are genetically more diverse, which makes them more stable for withstanding climatic
variation, pests, diseases and other stresses. When seeds from different varieties are not saved, diversity is lost. By planting different
varieties, farmers can benefit from the ones that provide higher yields, as well as those that are less productive but more tolerant to
drought or floods.

Type (Beneficiaries/Individual): Resource poor farmers will be the biggest beneficiaries. By diversifying their produce, farmers can
reduce the risk of economic losses and maximize their food security rather than maximizing yield per se. Some local communities have
survived for thousands of years by cultivating unique local varieties, which have adapted over centuries to specific environmental
conditions, for example, to shortages of water, strong winds, and limited soil nutrients.

Description

Functions of a CSB include: storing seeds in the proper manner, lending seeds to those who request them and keeping records of
seeds returned. A very important duty of CSB members is promoting traditional agricultural practices through the use of local seeds.
These members are responsible for maintaining the purity of seeds by monitoring the farming methods of members who contribute
to the seed bank and ensuring that they employ organic farming method. They are, therefore, trained in seed selection and storage
techniques. CSBs aim to enhance the livelihood of resource-poor farmers and to ensure nutritional security while coping with climate
change by broadening the genetic base of locally available crop diversity and conservation of crop diversity. EGF shall be setting up
CSB by financial support throughout the setup and functioning of the CSB; the space/room shall be arranged by EGF or in a
community owned property. The management of the CSB shall be done by a committee created by the EGF selected from the
community itself and staffs of the EGF. For the conservation processes, as mentioned in the following, The EGF shall arrange storage
facilities, containers, desiccating agents to procure further equipments. A repository of all the samples (one copy) shall be
maintained in the CCSB for safekeeping and display. The EGF will be supporting these CSBs technically in collaboration with Ananya
Seeds Pvt. Ltd starting from Orissa and Jharkhand villages. The local varieties are often specifically adapted to the environmental
conditions characterizing the particular area, for instance being resistant to certain pests, diseases or climatic conditions. With the
challenge of climate change, preserving these locally adapted crop varieties is highly important and the best place to do this is on the
farmer’s field.