Location: Bankura Seed Festival 2025
The fresh aroma of cultivated crops, seeds, and raw straw filled the air at the seed festival in Bankura. Farmers from across India, including Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Assam, gathered to showcase their indigenous seed varieties. Alongside seeds, various communities presented their unique local food traditions. The festival also featured insightful sessions by the hosts, offering valuable knowledge on organic farming. This interview series will delve even deeper into organic farming, community-based agricultural practices, and the core principles of sustainable agriculture.
At the seed festival, seated at the far end of the table, was Sanjay Mandal, a 36-year-old farmer from Katihar district, Bihar. With an array of organically grown vegetables and indigenous seed varieties before him, he stood as a firm advocate of both organic and collective farming. A member of the Sahadeo community in Bihar, Sanjay owns a small piece of cultivable land but primarily practices collective farming on land owned by their organization. In this interview, he provides deep insights into their community farming practices and the philosophy behind them.
Interviewer: Where are you from?
Sanjay Mandal: I’m from Katihar district in Bihar. I belong to the Sahadeo community and am associated with an organization there.
Interviewer: What kind of work does your organization do?
Sanjay Mandal: We provide education to children from our community while also practicing organic farming. We noticed that many educated young people are moving away from farming, and at the same time, indigenous seed varieties are being lost, rapidly replaced by hybrid seeds. To address this, we are on a mission to preserve indigenous seed varieties, which is one of the main reasons we focus on organic farming.
Interviewer: Are your efforts having an impact on the people in your surroundings?
Sanjay Mandal: Yes, we distribute seeds to people in the surrounding areas to encourage them to participate in organic farming. Our goal is simple: we want more people to engage in organic farming and contribute to preserving indigenous seed varieties.
Interviewer: In West Bengal, many farmers are moving away from farming and migrating elsewhere. Is this happening in your village as well? What do you think is the reason behind this migration?
Sanjay Mandal: Yes, the same trend is happening in our village. However, it’s not just the people but also the government that is responsible. Both the state and central governments are encouraging the corporatization of farming rather than supporting organic farming. They are not prioritizing land conservation. The excessive use of plastic is another major issue harming our land, and without efforts to reduce plastic usage, we cannot save our environment or our farmlands.
Interviewer: Why are you focused on preserving indigenous seeds? What is their importance?
Sanjay Mandal: Indigenous seeds have high nutritional value. In contrast, hybrid seeds may yield a higher production rate, but they lack the same nutritional benefits. Hybrid farming also relies heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, increasing health risks. That’s why, along with providing education, we believe it’s important to teach children about farming. This is the core idea behind our initiative.
Interviewer: What is the name of your organization?
Sanjay Mandal: Our organization is called Sahadeo Trust. Our office is located in the middle of a forest, where we practice organic farming and provide education to children. We also organize seed festivals.
Interviewer: How many seeds have you collected and preserved so far?
Sanjay Mandal: We have preserved many seeds, though we haven’t officially documented them. Our primary focus is on preserving vegetable seeds from perennial plants, such as jackfruit. A jackfruit tree can provide food for several days and be used in a variety of recipes. We also cultivate bananas and papayas—crops that can provide food year-round instead of being limited to a particular season. We encourage people to adopt similar farming practices.
Interviewer: How much land do you have?
Sanjay Mandal: We collectively farm on approximately seven acres of land.
Interviewer: Do you personally own seven acres?
Sanjay Mandal: No, we practice collective farming within the Sahadeo community. Community members have provided us with land and asked us to educate their children. So, we teach the children and farm collectively on that land.
Interviewer: Do you have any inherited land from your family?
Sanjay Mandal: Yes, our family owns around 1.5 to 2 acres of land, where we cultivate wheat and paddy.
Interviewer: Do you practice organic farming on your family land, or do you use chemical farming methods?
Sanjay Mandal: We use chemical farming methods on our family land.
Interviewer: Why is that? What challenges prevent organic farming?
Sanjay Mandal: The main issue is that people are not interested in organic farming. They are trapped in a cycle—seeing others use chemical fertilizers, they continue doing the same. However, we are trying to intervene and introduce organic farming in those areas.
Interviewer: Many people are leaving farming. Can you explain why?
Sanjay Mandal: This is happening because people lack awareness. Even educated individuals fail to understand the importance of organic farming, so it’s even harder for the less educated population to grasp its significance. Since less-educated people tend to follow the decisions of the educated, breaking this cycle is challenging.
We are trying to raise awareness about organic farming, indigenous seeds, and their nutritional value. Unless we successfully educate people, it will be difficult to encourage a shift toward chemical-free farming.
Another issue is water management. Since we rely primarily on rainwater, we need to adopt sustainable cultivation methods, such as leaving plant residues on the fields to retain moisture. However, many farmers are unaware of such techniques and simply follow conventional chemical farming methods.
Additionally, due to poor nutrition from chemically-grown food, people are becoming physically weaker and less capable of enduring the hard labor required for farming. This is another reason many are leaving agriculture.
Interviewer: What do people do when they leave farming?
Sanjay Mandal: They seek jobs elsewhere, often aspiring to become doctors or engineers. But if everyone becomes a doctor, who will farm and produce food?
Interviewer: Where are these migrating farmers going?
Sanjay Mandal: They are moving to states like Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu—wherever they can find work in factories. Many now prefer direct cash income over the uncertainties of farming.
Government policies also play a role in this migration. For instance, the government has not implemented the recommendations of the Swaminathan Report, which was crucial for farmers during the Green Revolution. Those who want to farm often lack land, and if they lease land, they improve its fertility through hard work, only for the landowners to take it back and lease it to someone else at a higher rate.
Similarly, government schemes like the Kisan Samman Nidhi benefit only landowners, not the actual farmers working on the land. If a farmer plants potatoes and a natural disaster destroys the crop, the compensation goes to the landowner, not the farmer. Such unfair policies discourage people from continuing in agriculture.
Interviewer: Does everyone in your community own land?
Sanjay Mandal: No, some people have very small plots, ranging from just one katha to 1.5 katha (about 5–6 decimal). Some don’t even have enough land to live on, so they occupy government land to build shelter.
Interviewer: What do you think about the future of farming?
Sanjay Mandal: For farming to have a future, farmers must have adequate land to cultivate. We also need widespread awareness about organic farming practices and the importance of preserving indigenous seeds.
Interviewer: Are young people in your community showing interest in farming?
Sanjay Mandal: Those with land continue farming, but those without sufficient land are migrating to other states in search of better opportunities. Farming is not profitable for them, which forces them to leave.
Interviewer: Okay.. Thank you so much.
Dipali Sabar, a young woman from the ‘Pashchimbanga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samiti’ in Purulia, is actively involved in organic farming. Traditionally, the Sabar community has stayed away from agriculture, as they were primarily forest dwellers. However, through the efforts of the Pashchimbanga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samiti, they are gradually adopting farming. Reports indicate that the community owns very little land since agriculture was never their primary occupation. Nevertheless, the younger generation is striving to create a balance between farming and their traditional forest-based lifestyle. Dipali Sabar, one such young member, shared her experiences with us.
Interviewer: What is your name?
Interviewee: Dipali Sabar.
Interviewer: Are you associated with farming?
Dipali Sabar: Yes, I am, but not for a long time. We have only recently started farming and are still learning different agricultural practices.
Interviewer: How much land do you own?
Dipali Sabar: We have one bigha of land.
Interviewer: Is your entire family involved in farming?
Dipali Sabar: Yes, everyone in our family is involved in farming.
Interviewer: What crops are cultivated in your area?
Dipali Sabar: We grow potatoes, paddy, and onions.
Interviewer: Do you practice organic farming?
Dipali Sabar: Yes, we use organic methods for some crops, but for others, we rely on chemical farming.
Interviewer: How did you sustain yourself before you started farming?
Dipali Sabar: Before we took up farming, we used to go into the forest to collect fruits and vegetables. We consumed some of them and sold the rest in the market. We also collected and sold firewood.
Interviewer: Do you still do that now?
Dipali Sabar: Yes, we still do, but it is no longer our primary source of income.
Interviewer: What is your source of water for farming?
Dipali Sabar: We depend on nearby ponds, canals, and dams for water.
Interviewer: So, there is no water crisis?
Dipali Sabar: No, we do face a water crisis. That’s why we are unable to cultivate anything at this time.
Interviewer: Have you informed the local authorities about this issue?
Dipali Sabar: Yes, we have, but no proper action has been taken yet.
Interviewer: Do you also face issues with drinking water?
Dipali Sabar: Earlier, we had problems with drinking water, but after informing the local panchayat, they took some measures, and the situation has improved.
Interviewer: Do people in your community show interest in farming?
Dipali Sabar: In the past 2–3 years, people have started taking an interest in farming. The efforts of the Pashchimbanga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samity have encouraged our community members by providing seeds. This support has motivated people to take up farming.
Interviewer: Do all members of your community own land?
Dipali Sabar: No, not everyone owns land. Some have land for cultivation, while others only have a place to live.
Interviewer: What do those who don’t have land do for a living?
Dipali Sabar: They migrate to other states.
Interviewer: Where do they go?
Dipali Sabar: They travel to Barddhaman, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Interviewer: What kind of work do they do there?
Dipali Sabar: Most of them work in construction.
Interviewer: During this period, do you try to grow any other crops?
Dipali Sabar: No, due to the water crisis, we cannot cultivate anything at this time. During this season, many people migrate to other places for work.
Interviewer: When does cultivation start again?
Dipali Sabar: Cultivation resumes in May or June.
Interviewer: As a young member of your community, do you see other young people showing interest in farming?
Dipali Sabar: Yes, young people are gradually getting involved in farming. Since we are receiving seeds, they are showing more interest. We are also earning a little, which is helping us sustain ourselves.
Interviewer: Do you receive any government assistance for farming?
Dipali Sabar: No, we don’t receive any benefits like ‘Krishak Bondhu’ because there are no official land records for the Sabar community.
Interviewer: Do you plan to continue farming in the future?
Dipali Sabar: Yes, of course!
Jaladarsha 