Heeralal Sarote
Jhumki Bai is a woman farmer in the Baiga village of Domuhani, Karanjia Block, Dindori District, Madhya Pradesh. She received Madia (finger millet) and Salhar (a variety of Pearl millet) seeds from the Beej Yatra (Seed Distribution drive) that went through their village last year. The Beej Yatra was carried out by the Sawa Salhar Sanghati Beej Bhandar Samiti Silpidi (Community seed bank committee of Silpidi village) in June 2022 in order to promote the revival of traditional crops in the Baiga villages of Karanjia block where crop diversity had declined significantly with farmers only cultivating Kodo (Kodo millet) and Kutki (Little Millet).
Jhumki Bai cultivated a Madia and Salhar plot in her land and she was proud to share that thanks to good rainfall last year she had a very good harvest of both Madia and Salhar. These seeds had disappeared from her villages but now after a long time her family will get to eat Madia roti this year.
Encouraged by the message of seed conservation and revival of traditional seeds and agricultural practices Jhumki Bai also carried out Bewar (the traditional shifting cultivation practice of the Baiga people) this year where she sowed Dongar Kutki, Madia and Salhar. This ensured the availability of Sikiya (a crabgrass finger millet) grew alongside her other crops in her Bewar plot and now she is happy that she will no longer have to roam around in search for Sikiya in order to make an offering in her daughter’s upcoming wedding which is a traditional practice among the Baiga people. In the past if there was a wedding in their village the villagers had to get Sikiya from other villages. But she shares that from now on her fellow villagers will not have to roam from village to village in search of Sikiya but will get it from her.
