Source: The post India must revive forgotten crops for sustainable future has been created, based on the article “Aiming for an era of ‘biohappiness’ in India” published in “The Hindu” on 5 June 2025. India must revive forgotten crops for sustainable future.
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3-Agriculture and Environment
Context: India’s agrobiodiversity and traditional food knowledge are rapidly declining, especially in tribal and rural regions. This loss mirrors the global biodiversity crisis and threatens nutrition security, cultural identity, and ecological resilience.
India’s Rich Biodiversity and Its Decline
- Global Significance of India’s Biodiversity: India holds nearly 8% of the world’s biodiversity, despite covering only 2% of global land area. It is one of 17 megadiverse countries, contains parts of four global biodiversity hotspots, and is a centre of global food-crop diversity.
- Economic and Ecological Importance: India’s forests provide ecosystem services valued at over ₹130 trillion annually, sustaining most rural livelihoods. The ongoing depletion of biodiversity reduces GDP and blocks progress toward sustainable development.
- Homogenized Food Systems and Their Consequences: Global food systems rely heavily on just three crops—rice, wheat, and maize—which provide over 50% of plant-based calories. This concentration results in nutritional imbalances and greater vulnerability to climate shocks.
- Health Impacts of Crop Uniformity: Technological advances in agriculture have increased productivity, but benefits are unevenly distributed. The focus on few staples correlates with rising non-communicable diseases like obesity and diabetes, exposing the fragility of current food systems.
The Value of Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS)
- Nutritional and Climate Resilience: Crops such as small millets, amaranth, jackfruit, buckwheat, yams, and indigenous legumes are rich in nutrients, adapted to local climates, and resilient to stress. These “orphan crops” are now considered “opportunity crops.”
- Loss of Indigenous Knowledge: Traditional knowledge of the nutritional and medicinal value of local plants is fading. This includes practices preserved by communities like the Nyishi and Apatani in northeast India.
- Cultural and Culinary Importance: These crops are deeply tied to local traditions and ecological wisdom, essential for building sustainable and diverse food systems.
Revival through Community-Led Missions
- Restoring Agrobiodiversity in Kolli Hills: Farmers in Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, once grew millets but shifted to cash crops like cassava and pepper, reducing crop diversity. The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) helped restore millet cultivation through community empowerment, especially women, and promotion of local value chains.
- Millet Missions Across States: Initiatives like the Shree Anna Yojana and Odisha Millet Mission promote millet revival. In Koraput district, community efforts are reviving millet cultivation from seed to consumption.
- Expanding Public Food Programs: National efforts focus on ragi, jowar, and bajra. Future steps should expand to minor millets and include them in the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Future Directions and Biohappiness
- Towards an Evergreen Revolution: The Evergreen Revolution envisioned by M.S. Swaminathan emphasized ecological balance and nutrition security, not chemical intensification.
- New Scientific Opportunities: India can lead an interdisciplinary biodiversity science to address food, health, climate, disaster risk, and employment needs for 1.4 billion people.
- Path to Biohappiness: Using biodiversity for public well-being can lead to Biohappiness—a future grounded in health, sustainability, and cultural pride.
Question for practice:
Discuss how India can revive its agrobiodiversity to ensure nutrition security and ecological sustainability.
