The heritage rice seed bank of Swami Dayananda Farms at Manjakkudi, has an invaluable collection of rice varieties. As of date 245 varieties of heritage rice seeds, endangered and endemic, are being conserved, researched and re-introduced to the market. The collection has been carefully studied and sourced from farmers and seed banks across India.
India was home to over 100,000 varieties of indigenous rice – a large majority has been lost; possibly only 2% of the varieties remain in small farms, but that too are becoming a rarity. We may not be able to recoup what has been lost, but with support we can save what we have for the future generations.