heirloom seeds

This World Photography Day, step inside India’s fields through portraits of farmers who are saving seeds, reviving traditions, and growing crops that change lives.

Alarmed by the effect of climate change on food security, Assam-based Neelam Dutta is on a mission to safeguard heirloom seeds. He has trained over 24,000 farmers in Northeast India.

Thanks to her passion to imbibe the best practices based on climate, resources, location, and topography, the land that once lay dry and sandy with no earthworms, bees, and butterflies is now rich and fertile.

From native varieties of brinjal that yield 24 kg on a single plant, to a rich diversity of tomatoes, chilli, black carrot, multi-coloured corn, sorghum, sunflower, pomegranate, wood apple, wheat and even millet, over 800 heirloom varieties are preserved in their unique Seed Bank since 18 years.