Karnataka women's group wins Rs 10 lakh national award for seed conservation
The Bibi Fatima Women's Self-Help Group has been selected for a national award for preserving hundreds of indigenous seed varieties.
The Bibi Fatima Women's Self-Help Group (SHG) has been selected for the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award, according to a report by the Times of India. The group, which began in 2018 with Bibijaan Maulasaab Halemani and 14 other women, has been recognised for protecting traditional seeds and promoting sustainable farming.
The award, instituted by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPVFRA) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, includes a certificate, a memento, and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. The ceremony is scheduled for November 12, 2026, in New Delhi.
Based in Teertha village in the Dharwad district of Karnataka, the collective has expanded its work across 30 villages. The group preserves more than 250 varieties of seeds, including 70 varieties of finger millet, 25 varieties of little millet, 25 varieties of paddy, and 25 varieties of horse gram.
The initiative started with a community seed bank next to Halemani's house to make quality traditional seeds available to farmers. The group also established a millet processing unit in Teertha in 2022 to help farmers process and market products, reducing dependence on middlemen.
The women's work has contributed to the revival of millet-based mixed cropping systems in rainfed farming areas. The group received support from Sahaja Samrudha, the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad, and the CROPS4HD project.