Assessment of the effectiveness and efficacy of seed villages in India

With limited arable land and increasing
population, India faces a unique challenge in
ensuring food and nutrition security, especially
as climate change intensifies. Access to high
quality seeds of improved crop varieties is
critical for enhancing agricultural production
and productivity and ensuring food security.
But as access to such quality seeds from
the formal sector is limited, many of the
smallholder farmers are forced to rely on
farmer-saved seeds. The Government of India
introduced the Seed Village Programme (SVP)
during the early 1960s to enable replacement
of existing local varieties and farmer-saved
seeds with new high-yielding varieties by
empowering local communities to produce
and distribute quality seeds. Since then, several
other organisations have adopted the SVP and
promoted quality seed production.
During 2022-23, as a part of the CGIAR Seed
Equal Initiative, the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) and the Centre for Research
on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP)
conducted a study to analyse the effectiveness
and efficacy of SVPs. Based on a literature
review and fieldwork in Telangana, Tamil Nadu,
Odisha, and Karnataka, we identified three
distinct models of seed villages for detailed
analysis. These include: (1) the ongoing
Government of India SVP model implemented
through State Departments of Agriculture
(SDA) for several years; (2) the National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD) SVP model implemented in Odisha
(2008-09 to 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 to
2013-2014) that is known for its lasting positive
impact even a decade after programme
completion; and (3) the ongoing ICAR-Indian
Institute of Horticulture Research (ICAR-IIHR)
SVP model, which is notable for its ability to
sustain and replicate the model in other states
under the institute’s purview.