Seed savers and women farmers such as Rahibai Popere and Mamta Bhangare from Akole, Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, among others, have pioneered a movement to preserve traditional seeds while giving a boost to agriculture within the tribal community. These two enterprising women are active members of a community seed bank and seed saver group – ‘ Kalsubai Parisar Biyane Sanvardhan Samajik Sanstha’. This community seed bank was awarded the 2021 National Plant Genome Saviour Community Award by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Government of India on November 11, 2021 in New Delhi. Mamta Bhangare from Devgaon village won acclaim for her conservation and cultivation techniques of wild vegetables while relying on organic farming and innovative vermin briquettes. She received the National Genome Saviour Farmer Award from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Government of India on November 11, 2021 in New Delhi.
