The regional mountain ecosystem has been faced under tremendous adversities in recent decades. Primarily, the frequenting climate crises and disaster, shifting practices from nature based inputs to the trending conventional agriculture system and unsustainable external dependence with causative repercussions on depleting soil biota and ecosystem services, diminishing vital seed diversity, shrinking food productivity, gender vulnerabilities, increased subsistence and misery among hill communities.

With the mission to resurrect the aggravating instability, UYRDC in collective pursuit with farming communities, is striving to succeed climate, food, nutrition, ecology, social, economic security and farm diversity, for a more resilient and holistic future.

The Agroecology and food sovereignty program is being led by Women farmers of Pindari and Alaknanda river basin, Uttarakhand state. The efforts are being pursued under

• 1. Collective empowerment on Agroecology and adopting Natural farming in farm landscapes
• 2. Knowledge sharing, conserving and promulgating native landraces (Millets, Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds, Tubers, Fruits and Vegetables).
• 3. Promoting convergence with line departments and organizing government engagement towards enterprise building.
• 4. Strengthening network with CSOs, agencies, markets and multi-stakeholders for collaboration and augmenting progressive change.

A new pilot is being implemented in Pinder Valley, Narayanbagar development block, District Chamoli with 300 women farmers, covering 100 hectares since 2020. The initiative promotes the principals of natural farming for enhanced productivity, resilience and farmer wellbeing. The farming principals incorporate nature based solutions for soil nurture (Jeevamrut/Ghanjeevamrut), Beejamrut (seed treatment), provision of Humus and mulching and plant protection. It promotes women leadership and network, reverence and divinity to Seed sovereignty, augmenting and nurture of farm biota and farmer livestock under the afore-mentioned objectives.

We here with present community progress, a visual document on agroecology pilot :

The pilot is promoting natural farming approaches, as presented in the NITI Ayog website :

Emerging outcomes :
Increasing soil and plant health, Improving farm productivity, Reducing women drudgery, Reviving and celebrating native-nutritive-resilient landraces, Promoting gender leadership and farming pride, Expanding crop diversity, Promoting climate resilience, Increasing family health and incomes, Establishing reverence to native livestock, the honey bees, the humble earth warms, friendly pest, soil life, traditional artisans and native delicacies.

Communities feel a pertinent need for agroecology programs, hence our endeavour to volunteer and also seek collaborations from the world community, in this holistic journey.