Reviving Tradition: Mukti’s Indigenous Paddy Farming Initiative

On June 20, 2024, Mukti initiated a pilot project to promote indigenous paddy farming by distributing indigenous paddy seeds to organic farmers in Kankandighi Bio-village. Indigenous paddy varieties are becoming extinct due to the preference for high-yield hybrid varieties driven by market demand, government policies, and modern agricultural practices. This shift, along with the loss of traditional knowledge and climate change impacts, makes hybrid seeds more economically viable, leading to the decline of traditional paddy varieties.

Indigenous paddy offers numerous benefits, including greater resilience to local pests and diseases, adaptability to local environmental conditions, and preservation of biodiversity. They often require fewer chemical inputs, making them more sustainable and environmentally friendly, and help maintain traditional agricultural knowledge and practices.

Recognizing these benefits, Mukti decided to encourage farmers to cultivate indigenous varieties. Mukti procured 30 types of seeds, including Kalabhat, Nonabokhra, Motibhag, Kalojira, Narasingha, Mohonmala, Korpurkanti, Radhatilok, Kolabato, Bohurupi etc. Six farmers will cultivate these seeds, and the produced seeds will be distributed to other farmers. The farmers expressed their gratitude to Mukti for the initiative.

Gallery link: https://muktiweb.org/gallery/album/mukti-distributed-indigenous-paddy-seeds-to-farmers-to-promote-indigenous-paddy-cultivation