He Left a Corporate Job To Preserve India’s Indigenous Seeds & Trained 300 Farmers

Corporate professional turned farmer, Darlapudi Ravi (54) has been preserving indigenous seeds since 2015.

The germplasm bank he has nurtured is now home to over 3,600 varieties of these indigenous seeds.

That’s not all, he shares. “I have also followed intercropping on my land; I have horticulture crops, intercrops, green vegetables, and leafy vegetables.”

“I have also introduced micro irrigation and drip irrigation to create awareness about saving water.”

Acknowledging his expertise, 35 farmers from the neighbouring villages flock to the farmer’s home to get a glimpse and insights into the seed bank.

Not only does Darlapudi collect seeds but he also sells the value-added products that are made from them under the brand ‘Bhaskara’.

He sees seed banks are a potential antidote to the possible extinction of native seed varieties.

The first step of seed preservation is seed collection. He chooses tribal areas where he finds a lot of drought-resistant seeds.

The next step is preservation. Darlapudi uses a variety of methods. – Potting the seed in mud or a bamboo container. – Applying soil to the seed and keeping it in the shade. – Coating the seed with ash.

“If we follow natural farming techniques while preserving desi seeds, the plants from these seeds will sustain through natural calamities,” he shares.

To date, he has trained over 300 farmers in seed preservation techniques.