The Uttar Pradesh region, the major rice and wheat producing area of Northern India, stands as number two among the 10 highest rice and wheat producing Indian states. More than 70% of Uttar Pradesh’s 200 million population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. The region is facing the multiple challenge of growing sufficient food for its increasing population, while at the same time facing increasingly unreliable and unfavorable environmental conditions for food production. In such a situation, the introduction of new crops tolerant to new climatic conditions, coupled with broader climate change adaptation efforts, offers a viable option at the moment, and has thus become the focus of this project.

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Seeds for Life: Action with Farmers in Uttar Pradesh to Enhance Food Security in the
Context of Climate Change in India
Where are we working?
The Uttar Pradesh region, the major rice and wheat producing area of
Northern India, stands as number two among the 10 highest rice and
wheat producing Indian states. More than 70% of Uttar Pradesh’s 200
million population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
The region is facing the multiple challenge of growing sufficient food
for its increasing population, while at the same time facing increasingly
unreliable and unfavorable environmental conditions for food
production. In such a situation, the introduction of new crops tolerant
to new climatic conditions, coupled with broader climate change
adaptation efforts, offers a viable option at the moment, and has thus
become the focus of this project.
What are we doing?
This project is being executed by the non-governmental organization
Humana People to People India in collaboration with Bioversity
International. Its overall objective is to contribute to the development
of sustainable food security in 50 targeted villages covering more than
650 families (about 4000 people). Of these, around 450 female farmers
are organized into self-help groups, and about 150-200 farmers are
organized in farmers’ clubs.
How we are working?
Establishment of local gene banks
Ten local level gene banks with cool and dry chambers are being
established, where collected seeds can be stored, shared with national
gene bank and distributed to farmers in the next growing season. The
members of the farmers’ clubs and of the women’s self-help groups are being trained on how to operate and
maintain the gene bank facilities, so that they will be able to run these by themselves following the
completion of the project. This will help ensure that farmers have access to locally adapted planting material
in the long run, and give them control over their own planting material.
Farmer training
Training activities on seed selection, on-farm conservation techniques as well as sustainable agricultural
practices are being promoted among farmers. They are being involved in preparing demonstration plots,
where techniques for System of Rice Intensification are demonstrated. The project further entails farmer
training for the registration of local seed varieties and conservation techniques with the national Plant
Varieties Authority of India, which will enable farmers to benefit from their indigenous crop varieties.
IMPLEMENTING PARTNER
Humana People to People India
TARGETED COUNTRIES
India
PROJECT LOCATIONS
Uttar Pradesh state (Ujhani , Kashganj,
Bangarmau, Mallawan)
CROPS ADDRESSED
Rice, wheat, amaranth, moringa and
quinoa
SOURCES OF FUNDING
Benefit-sharing Fund, Bioversity
International, Governmental programs
PARTNERS
Bioversity International, ATMA -
Agricultural Technology Management
Agency, National Bureau of Plant
Genetic Resources
CONTACT
Anne Marie Moeller
Advisor, Partnership
a.moeller@humana-india.org
http://www.humana-india.org

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Introduction of new crops and income generation
In order to reduce farmers’ vulnerability to climate change by lessening their dependence on wheat and rice,
and to enhance their food security and generate additional income, three new crops are being introduced
under this project, namely Amaranth, Moringa and Quinoa. All three crops are high in protein content, and are
valuable as additional food in the traditional diets. Most importantly, these crops can be cultivated both
alongside the staple crops, as well as during the fallow season. Simultaneously, the project is training the
women’s self-help groups and farmers’ clubs in the preparation of the newly introduced crops for cooking and
packaging for household level consumption, direct sale in the market and establishing market linkages.
What has been done to date?
The activities carried out to date have been oriented towards the establishment of System of Rice
Intensification (SRI) techniques, in-situ seed conservation practices and diversification of farming systems. It is
expected that over 1,800-2,000 existing Self-Help Group members will join project activities.
The project had formed 23 Farmers Clubs, consisting of 276 farmers, and engaged 138 existing women Self-
Help Groups (SHG), consisting of 1,656 women. Working with Farmer’s Clubs and women’s SHGs makes up the
basic structure of the project activities and contributes directly to creating a sense of ownership and
involvement towards common objectives.
As the farmers at the selected project sites are very dependent on a few high yielding commercial rice
varieties and on the over-use of chemical fertilizers, 16 new varieties of rice and 301 rice germplasm have
been offered to 50 farmers who participated in varietal trials and are selecting the well-performing varieties
for seed multiplication. In addition, farmers have started up 38 nurseries and 68 women have been trained in
raising nurseries and in transplantation techniques. Direct interaction between farmers, field staff and
scientists has been established.
Twelve farmers have been involved in cultivating rice through SRI and improving wheat and rice cultivation
practices, and 276 farmers participated in the training on SRI through practical orientations and model fields.
All varietal trials, the germplasm trials and the SRI demonstrations were established in fields belonging to the
farmers in order to achieve the best possible engagement and the participation of the most vulnerable
communities.
Humana People to People India has succeeded in securing co-financing for sponsoring another project that
presents synergies with the Seeds for Life initiative, namely, the project Strengthening Rural Economy and
Empowering Women Farmers of Unnao District through Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities, which targets
10,000 poor women farmers in 200 villages of the Uttar Pradesh region. This initiative will provide ‘end-to-
end’ solutions for women’s empowerment through the introduction of better farming methods, diversification
of cropping systems, introduction of new crops and creation of links with financial institutions and
government programs related to health and insurance. The activities of this co-funded project will contribute
to building sustainability of results of the BSF project.