Deccan Development Society wrapped up the 25th edition of its iconic ‘Mobile Biodiversity Festival’ at 11th February 2025 at Pachasaale Campus in Machnoor Village, Jharasangam mandal with a grand concluding ceremony. Sri Ramulu Nayak, Former MLC and member of Telangana Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Commission; Dr. Sharat Babu, President of Plant Protection Association of India and Former head of N.B.P.G.R; Dr. Soma Marla, Retd Principal Scientist, NBPGR, Hyderabad, attended the ceremony as the Chief Guests. Ms N. Bhavani Reddy, member of Telangana Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Commission; Mr. G. Gangadhar,member of Telangana Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Commission; Mr Krishna Teja, DDM, NABARD Sangareddy; Mr Bikshapathi, ADA Zahirabad; Mr T Naresh, Circle Inspector of Hadnur; Mr D. Raju from DISHA Consumer collective, attended the ceremony as special guests.
Firstly, guests and visitors witnessed several exhibition stalls on seeds, soils, manures, food, medicinal herbs and agricultural festivals. The caravan finished its final tour around Machnoor village and was welcomed to the concluding ceremony at Pachasaale Campus grandly amidst folk dances and sangham women carrying seed pots and singing songs on old crops.
In welcome address, Dr Rukmini Rao, Vice-President of DDS Board said “When this Festival began 25 years ago, it started in a single place in Pastapur. Later it has started to move across villages. Now its impact has spread itself across the country and is even recognized internationally.”
Biodiversity Conserving farmers Ms Chouhan Dharmi Bai, Kindidodddi Yasodha, Chouhan Santhibai, Chouhan Seethabai, Baindla Sujatha and Moligeri Manjulamma were felicitated by the guests for their efforts in cultivation of traditional crops.
Winners of ‘Biodiversity Quiz’ organized in December 2024 with children from 13 schools were also honored with prizes and certificates from the guests. The first prize was awarded to students from Siddhartha High School, Zahirabad; second prize to students from Zilla Parishad High School, Mirzapur; and third prize to students from Telangana Government Model School, Jharasangham.
During this occasion, few exemplary village sangams were also honored for their organization of village jatharas. While Vaddi received honors for hosting a grand opening ceremony despite being a very new sangam, three other village sangams from Shamshallapur, Chilkapalle and Jamlai Thanda were also honored for being actively involved in mobilizing villagers for the agenda of biodiversity and preserving certain dying forms of folk arts in the jathara.
Ms Dandu Swaroopamma, senior Sangam karyakarta from Edakulapally village said “I am very happy to see such important guests visit us and witness how much old crops mean to us. I hope that this will inspire you to recognize millet farmers, who are mostly women and enable schemes to encourage millet cultivation. Currently, most government programs on agriculture care only about certain crops like rice, cotton and sugarcane. Only those farmers can avail most schemes. Instead, you should support those who are protecting our old crops with large level schemes.”
Mr D. Raju from DISHA Organics addressing sangam farmers said, “The only reason we are able to comfortably eat healthy food in cities is your hardwork and toil on the farms here. You are the reason we are able to keep ourselves healthy. I am fortunate to visit this festival and listen to your songs and words.”
Mr Krishna Teja, DDM, NABARD Sangareddy said “I have visited several meetings but none seem as colourful and joyous as this Biodiversity Festival. It is not a small event to celebrate these forgotten crops for one month across 25 villages. The festival is taking across a very beautiful message and important principles on local crops and culture in today’s villages where young people are only looking outside for solutions.”
Mr G. Gangadhar, member of Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission said “Listening to the songs here today reminded me of my childhoods. These songs carry so much important knowledge and give a lot of joy to farmers working on fields. By preserving this culture, you are also preserving the knowledge on traditional farming that you don’t find in any books or universities. I will definitely pass your request on incentives for millet farmers to our commission and also the chief minister of the state.”
Ms M. Bhavani Reddy, member of Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission said “It is very important that women farmers are getting together at a large scale like this and celebrating women’s crops like millets. The value of these crops is now realized in cities also. Many people are realizing that health is important than anything else. I convey my gratitude to sangam women for preserving these nutritious crops at a time everybody else has left them”
Dr. Soma Marla, Retd Principal Scientist, NBPGR, Hyderabad said “Today’s agriculture is going against the nature. It does not recognize biodiversity and the interconnected relationships in nature. It is refreshing to see a festival that celebrates this kind of agriculture that is very integrated with nature.”
Dr. Sharat Babu, President of Plant Protection Association of India and Former head of N.B.P.G.R, said “I have been associated with DDS for a long time. The community gene bank initiative that began here was one of the firsts in the country. Sangham women have done us great service by conserving these local landraces that have quickly vanished everywhere else. I extend my utmost support to get these varieties registered under PPVFRA so that the rights to these genetic varieties cannot be appropriated by bigger players who are entering into the millet business.”
Sri Ramulu Nayak, Former MLC and member of Telangana Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Commission said “Across our state, we hear about tragic suicides by farmers growing cotton or other commercial crops by getting into debt traps. However, I have never heard of a millet farmer committing suicide. They are cultivating their food crops every year with a lot of courage despite less external support. We will take forward the request put forward by Ms Swaroopamma and propose an incentive bonus for millets.”
After a vote of thanks, guests and sangam women gathered for a millet lunch. This year witnessed the 25th edition of the biodiversity festival. The 25th mobile biodiversity festival travelled for 24 days across 26 villages, covering a distance of nearly 400 kilometers. Thousands of village folk, from all ages and classes participated in the festival together to celebrate the traditional crops of the region and highlight the agenda of agro-biodiversity.