The liberation of society and nature from the growth imperative is possible only when intergenerational equity is established by subjugating private interests to that of the community. We believe that indigenous ecological  ethic contains the seed of subversion of  the hegemony of developmentality.

VRIHI

Vrihi began its journey in 1997 as a partner of the nationwide folk crop conservation movement, headed by Dr. Vandana Shiva’s Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE). Dr. Shiva continues to inspire Vrihi’s work. CIS gratefully  acknowledges the funding support it received from RFSTE for Vrihi’s activities till March 2000. Since then, Vrihi has  been running on its founder’s personal funding support and donations from friends, especially Dr. Paoloroberto  Imperiali of  Rome.                                                                                                                                Vandana Shiva ►

◄ Paoloroberto Imperiali

With support from professional scientists, writers, educators and environmental activists, Vrihi has evolved as a consortium of indigenous farmers, scientists and environmental activists who are engaged in in situ conservation and exchange of folk crop seeds. Vrihi volunteers periodically organize farmers’ workshops to promote awareness of folk crop genetic diversity conservation and ecological agriculture.

Accessions

The seed bank has built up on the hundreds of rice samples by farmers donated to Vrihi volunteers. It was initially quite difficult for farmers to believe that someone needed the traditional, ‘primitive’, ‘unscientific’ seeds for any modern work that has no commercial returns. However, when they were convinced that saving the indigenous crop seeds would contribute to the country’s food security, they came forward to donate their seed samples, and pledged to exchange these seeds for other varieties with neighbouring farmers. Vrihi serves to facilitate the exchange.

Vrihi’s collection has expanded by accessions made by expeditions into the interior villages of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Rice samples from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Italy, donated by farmers and rice scientists abroad have enriched Vrihi’s stock. By 2007, the number of accessions of folk rice varieties in Vrihi has exceeded 550. Over the past 10 years (1997-2007), Vrihi has distributed seeds of folk rice variety to about 670 farmers in 12 districts of West Bengal.
                                                                                                                                            Jugal, the double-grain rice ►

Vrihi’s collection includes a number of unique rice varieties. An example is jugal, the double-grain rice variety. Breeding experiments with folk rice varieties in the farm of CIS have also added novel varieties to the wealth of Vrihi. Examples are subasita, a long-grain variety with strong aroma, and kinari, a drought-tolerant variety. 

Publications

Vrihi distributes a set of posters and handbills for indigenous farmers, describing

(a)    the benefits of conserving and growing folk rice varieties in indigenous farms, especially in limiting soil and climatic conditions;

(b)   the risks of genetically engineered crops that are being illegally commercialized by Monsanto and its associates;

(c)    the risks and costs of chemical farming, which can be eliminated by ecological agriculture.

The handbills are in simple Bengali language. Some of these are also translated into Oriya for distribution in Orissa, in collaboration with local NGOs.

Vrihi has brought out India’s first copyrighted Biodiversity Register of folk rice varieties.[1] The copyright is held by Vrihi as a consortium of farmers who cultivate the rice varieties on their farms. The register gives a list of all farmers who either donated or received different rice seeds for in situ conservation. An enlarged and updated version of this register, incorporating description of characteristics of 416 rice landraces, was published in 2005.[2]

An ecological agriculture primer for farmers, describing methods of composting, seed saving, seed purification, nutrient management, pest and disease management, and water conservation, is forthcoming[3]. 

Seed Exchange Protocol

Any farmer can receive any indigenous rice variety, free of cost, from Vrihi seed bank at Beliatore. The seed exchange centre is open between the 1st and the 8^th of every month from February through June. The office closes in the month of June, because farmers finish sowing their seeds by the end of June. 

 Vrihi volunteers assist the farmer who intends to take rice seeds in choosing the rice varieties appropriate for his/her farm’s land type, and soil characteristics, and local climatic conditions. 

 In case a farmer visits the seed bank in the first week of any month between February and June, and finds it closed before his arrival, he may leave his name and address on a slip of paper and return home. He may also mention the name of a variety he would intend to recieve, or just the type of land (rainfed upland/ irrigated medium land/ deep lowland) where he would intend to grow the seeds. Vrihi volunteers will take bags of rice seeds appropriate for his farm.
In order to receive seeds from Vrihi the farmer must give seeds of at least one indigenous rice variety (about 1 kg) in exchange. Or else, if the farmer does not have any seeds to exchange, must pay a ‘security deposit’, ranging from Rs. 100 to Rs. 500 for each variety of seeds. A paper receipt is issued against this payment, which is refunded when the farmer returns 1 kg of that rice after harvest.

Location

Vrihi Beej Binimoy Kendra is located in Dharmarajtala, Beliatore (23°20´ N, 87°13´ E) in the district of Bankura. Beliatore is a big village, directly connected by road from Durgapur, Bardhaman, Bishnupur, Bankura and Puruliya towns.

Map of West Bengal, showing location of Beliatore