Preserving Agrobiodiversity in India

During a visit to Arunachal Pradesh, a diverse array of fresh greens was observed in the local diet, highlighting the rich agrobiodiversity across India's rural and tribal areas. This includes a variety of millets, beans, legumes, tubers, wild fruits, and green leafy vegetables that are largely unfamiliar to urban Indians.

Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity

• The Nyishi and Apatani tribal communities possess extensive knowledge about the nutritional and medicinal properties of local plants.
• A rapid decline in agrobiodiversity in northeast India parallels the global rise in species extinction, threatening traditional culinary practices and knowledge.

India's Rich Biodiversity

• India is ranked among the 17 megadiverse countries, covering 2% of the global land area but harboring nearly 8% of global biodiversity.
• It contains parts of four global biodiversity hotspots and is one of eight centers of global food-crop diversity.
• The natural services from India's forests are valued over ₹130 trillion annually, crucial for rural livelihoods.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Global food systems are dominated by three crops: rice, wheat, and maize, contributing to nutritional imbalances and climate vulnerability.
• Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS), like small millets and other local crops, offer nutritional density and climate resilience.
• There is a need to expand State missions to cover a variety of minor millets and include them in the Public Distribution System.

Conservation Efforts and Initiatives

• The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) works to prevent millet crop diversity erosion through research and empowering farmers.
• India's International Year of Millets and Shree Anna Yojana focuses on enhancing production, consumption, and awareness of millets.

Envisioning a Sustainable Future

• M.S. Swaminathan envisioned an Evergreen Revolution based on ecological balance and nutrition security.
• Emerging biodiversity science can help address challenges in biodiversity use for agriculture, nutrition, and climate change management.
• India has the potential to become a global leader in conservation and sustainable resource use, aiming for an era of "Biohappiness".

The article advocates for the preservation and utilization of India's agrobiodiversity, which is crucial for sustainable development and addressing global challenges in food security and ecological balance.