seed conservation

Meet five extraordinary changemakers transforming Indian agriculture with bold ideas, indigenous wisdom, and innovations that are quietly reshaping the way India farms, eats, and thrives. This September, Optum Presents The Better India Showcase, supported by the M3M Foundation, is honouring their impact.

Starting with a bicycle and a few rupees, Arun Salai has built one of India’s most important collections of traditional seeds — reviving native farming one variety at a time.

From army veteran to earth warrior, Ramesh Kharmale and his family are reviving barren hills — one trench at a time

Darlapudi Ravi realised how modern dietary practices lead to a variety of diseases. This realisation motivated him to build a seed bank.

Alarmed by the effect of climate change on food security, Assam-based Neelam Dutta is on a mission to safeguard heirloom seeds. Under his venture ‘Pabhoi Greens’, he has trained over 24,000 farmers in Northeast India in organic cultivation and seed preservation.