Seed Fest-2017, the third edition of the Wayanad community seed festival organised by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) began at the community agro-biodiversity centre of the foundation at Puthurvayal here on Friday.
Addressing the inaugural session of the fest, C.K. Saseendran, MLA, said that the rich agricultural heritage of Wayanad needed to be revitalised, and the entire society must join hands together to conserve the fast-depleting biodiversity of the hill district, a major biodiversity hotspot on the Western Ghats.
“As the drought-like situation in the district is quite alarming, people should be judicious in the use of water,” Mr. Saseendran said, adding that conservation of agro-biodiversity and promotion of traditional farming practices were the panacea to saving the district from turning into a desert in near future.
Three-day event
The three-day programme is being organised in association with the Wayanad Adivasi Vikasana Samithi (WAVS), Seed Care, Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), NABARD, Kudumbasree Mission, and the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment.
Twenty-nine stalls at the venue to showcase a rare collection of gene bank of various crops.
The organisers have also arranged facilities for the farmers to exchange traditional seeds of various crops.
Awards presented
I.C. Balakrishnan, MLA, presented the Community Agro-biodiversity Awards instituted by WAVS to winners on that occasion.
Seventeen Genome Savior Awardees were honoured by the steering committee members of MSSRF. An open discussion followed.
Exhibition
District Collector B.S. Thirumeni opened a painting exhibition in connection with the programme.
