GRAIN CASH SEED BANK

“INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY,
DEVELOPMENT – A NEW
MANIFESTO”
 STATISTICS
INDIAN AGRICULTURE

 Total net sown area is 141.0 million hectares.

 Out of which rain-fed farming account for 85.0
million hectares in 177 districts.
 Constitutes around 60% of the total farming
area in the country.
 RAIN-FED
AGRICULTURE
Monsoon

 Contributes 44% of the total food grain

production of India.
 Produces 75% of pulses and more than 90% of
sorghum, millet and groundnut from arid and
semi-arid regions.
 Provide livelihood to nearly 50% of the rural
population and 60% of cattle population of the
country.
 INDIAN FARMING
The crops are broadly divided into three categories,
KHARIF, RABI AND SUMMER CROPS

 The KHARIF season starts from June and ends

in September.
 Millets (Bajra and Jowar), Paddy (Rice), Maize,
Moong (Pulses), Groundnut etc.
 The RABI season is during October to February.
 Wheat(gandam),Barley, Mustard, Peas
(mater), bajra, Maize,Raw WHEAT.
 Summer season is between March and May.
 Pulses (Arhar), vegetables & sugarcane.
 RESEARCH BY

ICRISAT
 Land is left fallow after the harvest of Kharif
Paddy i.e. 12million ha of rice land is left fallow.
 Mostly in the east of our country i.e. 93% in
Orissa, 84% in West Bengal ,85% in Jharkhand

 Due to : Lack of continuous Irrigation facilitates

& maintenance
 Resulted in : Wastage of available soil water ,
residual nutrients & soil fertility. Leaving it unfit
for cultivation.
 NEED OF THE HOUR
1. To identify endemic constraints of farmers and
provide opportunities to overcome .
2. Empower poor farmers with income security .
3. Improved use of land by growing short-duration
crops & other farming activities .
4. Income diversification of the farmers leading to
better livelihood.
5. Enhance the long term sustainability of rice
productivity.
6. Promoting Agro Forestry and Agri-Business Sector.
7. Growing other crop have beneficial effect on soil
fertility.
 STRATEGY
 Rainfed Rabi Cropping Programme (RRC) – It was
used by 26,000 farmers for Chickpea cultivation.
 Limitations in chickpea cultivation – Programme
started by CRS , seeds were supplied by them which
was then multiplied and maintained by farmers.
 It resulted in Low paddy yield which had no marketable
surplus and farmers had no funds to buy more seeds .

Concept of GCS Bank was introduced into RRC to

address issue of
1. Seed Supply
2. Marketability
3. Sustainability
 CONCEPT OF GCS BANK
 A seed bank stores seeds as a source for planting in case
seed reserves elsewhere are destroyed.
 It is an apex body
 It represents all sections in the village community
 Take care of seed supply system
 Helps to resolve the issue of paddy and chickpea seed
availability
 It is open to help villagers for other seeds.
 It invites integration of marketing with seed supply
 Farmers ‘deposit ‘surplus grain that is sold in bulk and new
seeds are purchased.
 Banks generate seeds and capital and recycle capital.
 Ability to grow second crop makes it more viable.
SEED BANK
SEED BANK
 SUCCESS OF GCS BANK
 Farmers found GCS banks, very effective with
appropriate training and adoption of suitable
market strategy.
 The GCS Bank model is highly cost effective
requiring only a single injection of capital.
 It gives importance to women in decision
making surrounding cropping patterns.
 Gives suitable platform to start marketing of
other crops.
 Farmers can get income of 10,000-12 /-per ha
in 1st yr.
THE MOBILE SEED BANKS
The mobile seed banks celebrated the liberation :-
 The Dalits from the clutches of the rich upper caste landlords
 Their total dependence on them for seeds to sow in their small
pieces of land.
 It was also the celebration of empowerment of Dalit women as
they went around with the seeds.
 The carts had covered 70 nearby villages across 60 to 80 km .
 The procession on February 13 was the culmination of their
successful journey.

A small village in Medak district,Andhra Pradesh, twenty bullock

carts decorated with paintings, moved along the streets of
Pastapur,called 'mobile seed banks' started their month long
journey on Pongal day (January 14), and ended on Shivaratri
(February 12).

In 30 days.The carts had covered 70 nearby villages across 60 to

80 kilometres. The procession on February 13 was the culmination
of their successful journey.
 Success Story by : Saruppamma
 Saruppamma talks about her mobile seed bank, "This
is the 11th year that I am going around with the seeds
we have collected. I have 40 to 45 varieties of seeds
and because of my success, other villagers also listen
to me. I don't use any hybrid seeds, I don't use any
fertilizer or pesticide. I use only panchagavya (low cost
organic input for both crops and animals) and that is
enough to keep my soil fertile. So, I show my seeds
and tell others to use only organic seeds. There was a
time hybrid seeds had come here and spoilt our soil.
Not any more. I tell the villagers that sowing organic
seeds is like praying to Mother Earth. I have seen a lot
of change in these many years."
 ENVIRONMENTAL SUITABILITY
 Growing legumes that fix atmospheric nitrogen, such
as chickpea, Improve soil fertility.
 Increase in soil nitrogen capacity in the most natural
way.
 The benefits of crop rotation is well known.
 Increased productivity reduces the pressure to increase
the area under cultivation by using marginal land.
 It can break damaging pest lifecycles by crop rotation
 Chickpea is well adapted to draught.
 Increase the ability of farmers to cope with climatic
variation.
 Minimizing risk and maximizing opportunities, in
marginal environment.
 CHALLENGES FACED
 Market information was flashed as biggest problem in
tribal communities.
 Difficulty in selling grains and buying seeds
immediately after the harvest of kharif crop.

Selling of chickpea is difficult :

 It’s a new market.
 Poor prices in local/dist. Market.
 Distance to big markets.
 Lack of quality issue such as grading, cleaning.
 Collection of seed in time from farmers-major
concerned area.
 SEED SPECIFIC CONSTRAINTS IN
SUPPLY SYSTEM

 CHICKPEA: The existing system of a single

crop per year of rainfed paddy, does not
generate enough capital to buy new chickpea
seeds, so farmers trapped in a negative cycle.

 UPLAND PADDY VARIETIES: it is less

profitable to produce seeds of lower yielding
upland varieties than higher yielding
transplanted varieties.
 FUTURE RECOMMENDATION
 GCS bank need rigorous marketing and bookkeeping.
 GCS bank should start initial value addition process for
each of their product.
 GCS bank can be effective if started from kharif
instead of rabi.
 It is always good to complete all community
organization and capacity building activity before
harvest of crop.
 Focusing on long term projects and fulfilling agriculture
targets.
 Interlinking projects with international seed banking
organizations.
 CONCLUSION
 GCS bank has a good system in place to ensure effective
seed supply system in the villages.
 This is the one best way to achieve income security vis-à-vis
livelihood.
 The total system approach of RRC is environmentally
sustainable.
 It’s a self propelled system and needs support cost.
 Easy to understand and encourage all farmers.
 Ensure production in any climatic situation.
 The SD paddy varieties increase productivity per unit area
without using additional external inputs.
 Environmentally sustainable – improves soil health.
 The entire approach advocated is based on minimizing risk.
THANK YOU