Karnataka woman's seed-saving spans 30 villages, wins Rs 10 lakh award
The Bibi Fatima Women's Self-Help Group, spearheaded by Bibijaan Maulasaab Halemani, has successfully revitalized millet agriculture in Karnataka. Spanning 30 villages, this collective empowers local farmers to preserve indigenous seeds through their community seed bank, which boasts over 250 varieties. Their significant contributions to sustainable farming earned them the Plant Genome Saviour…
In 2018, Bibijaan Maulasaab Halemani united 14 women in her Karnataka village with a shared mission: to safeguard disappearing traditional crop seeds. Now, the Bibi Fatima Women's Self-Help Group (SHG), led by Halemani, operates in 30 villages and has earned the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award from the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority.
The award, worth Rs 10 lakh, recognizes the group's efforts in preserving indigenous seed varieties and promoting sustainable farming practices. The group's journey began with Halemani's father's seed-saving practices and her concern for the declining millet cultivation in her region. They started by collecting indigenous seeds and established a community seed bank in 2018, expanding their collection to include millets, pulses, paddy, and vegetables.
Despite initial resistance from skeptical villagers, the group persevered, offering millet processing businesses and convincing farmers to return to millet cultivation. The award ceremony is set to take place in New Delhi on November 12, 2026.
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