Apr. 27th – 28th, 2013: Seed Festival, Araku, Andhra Pradesh

SEED FESTIVAL – Panasavalasa 2013

Celebrating the richness of Tribal Biodiversity, Culture & Environment

27-28th April 2013, Araku, Andhra Pradesh

Seed is the symbol of life. It is the grassroots’ element of agricultural sustainability. In the perspective of diversity, tremendous richness of landraces has been supplanted by monocultures of hybrids and GM crops to increase the productivity and considering future food security issues in the mind. In order to articulate the core values of seed biodiversity, a deep rooted and constant approach-Seed Festival, has to be part of all the organizational agenda to navigate through the exponential growth with humility in the coming years. Seed festival is an event earmarked to raise public awareness of traditional crop landraces, forest resources and support the efforts pertaining to conserve, rediscover, regenerate and share this precious gift of biodiversity and cultural heritage of farming and tribal communities with the present and future generations.

FEATURES OF THE FEST

Rich display of more than 1000 varieties of traditional crops & seeds of tribals and farmers

One from the participating thirty villages will win a prize for exhibiting highest number of seeds

Festival will celebrate seed diversity the traditional way with tribal songs and dance.

‘Workshop on Formation of Organic food chain and marketing initiatives’ is also part of the Festival.

Traditional seeds, organic products, medicinal herbs, forest produces and craft items will be put for sale.

PROGRAMME

Day 1: 27 April 2013 Seed Festival

Venue: Panasavalasa, Sovva, Dumbriguda, Araku

Day 2: 28 April 2013 (10.30 am to 4.00 pm)

Workshop on ‘Linking Organic producers to the Markets’

Venue: Guest House, Araku

Venue Route Info: Visakhapatnam àAruku (115Kms) Aruku àKilloguda (6kms), Killoguda àSagara (3Kms), Sagara àTikkilibedda (5Km), Tikkilibedda àDevudu Valasa (8kms), Devudu Valasa àPanasavalasa via Odiya Valasa, Malevalasa (3kms)

About the Organizers

Sanjeevini – community-led organization focused on building an equitable society for under-privileged rural and tribal communities, and preservation of traditional seed varieties of tribal’s. It core objective is to achieve social justice for tribal communities and sustainable management of natural resources. Mr. Devullu is the founder and Chief Functionary of the organization. It is organizing the seed festival since 2005. This being the ninth festival organized at Panasavalasa in Sovva Panchayat, Dumbriguda mandal, Visakhapatnam.

ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture) is a large, nation-wide informal network of more than 400 organizations drawn from 20 states of India, that have come together in 2010 to organize a, Kisan Swaraj Yatra a nation-wide mobilization to draw attention to issues pertaining to our FOOD, FARMERS, FREEDOM. The four pillars of Kisan Swaraj are income security for farmers ecological sustainability of agriculture; people’s control over agricultural resources like land, water and seed; and access to safe, healthy, sufficient food for all.