Beej Bachao Andolan

The ‘Beej Bachao Andolan’ (Save the Seed Movement or BBA] is not only a crusade to conserve traditional seeds but also to promote agriculture and local tradition. A farmer and social activist, Vijay Jardhari realized that modern agriculture was destroying traditional farming. In the late 1980s, the movement was initiated by the group of activists of Hemwal Valley of Tehri and led by a farmer and social activist Vijay Jardhari. ‘Beej Bachao Andolan (Save the Seeds Movement) was started from Jardhargaon of Tehri district, Uttarakhand.

Because of the adverse effects of Green revolution, many indigenous practises and seeds have been lost.  Earlier there were more than 3000 varieties of rice in Garhwal before Green Revolution, now there are only 320. “We started the ‘Beej Bachao Andolan’ as an awareness campaign in 1989 for farmers to discontinue growing cash crops like peas, potatoes and soybean, and promote indigenous practices like the ‘Baranaja’,” Vijay Jardhari said.

It is a traditional method of mixed farming and intercropping of twelve species in agriculture.

Achievement:

His dedication not only brought change in the lives of villagers but also changed the attitude of the government.

The Agriculture Department accepts that his Barahnaja scheme is being practised all over the region.

People like him can bring a significant change in the agricultural practices in today’s fast eroding farming sector.

The success of movement can simply be measured by the collection of about 350 varieties of paddy, eight varieties of wheat, four of barley, 220 varieties of kidney beans (rajma), eight of cowpea and 12 varieties of navrangi dhal. 

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