{
  "id": 11220058,
  "title": "Odisha man left job to build seed bank saving India’s traditional rice varieties",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/odisha-man-left-job-to-build-seed-bank-saving-indias-traditional-rice",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-01T13:22:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/in-1997-this-odisha-man-left-his-job-and-built-a-seed-bank-that-hands-out-traditional-rice-varieties-to-farmers-years-later-debal-debs-effort-is-rescuing-indias-rice-diversity/articleshow/134620188.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Debal Deb established Vrihi in 1997 to conserve traditional rice varieties through seed exchange among farmers. The seed bank contains 1,480 rice landraces collected from various locations and contributed to national conservation efforts. By June 2026, over 8,000 farmers in 13 states received rice seeds through Vrihi's programs. The organization also assists in establishing community seed banks…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}