![Page 1: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture
SUMAN SAHAI
STEPS Centre Symposium 2009, “Innovation, Sustainability, Development – A New Manifesto”
University of Sussex, 24 September, 2009, London
![Page 2: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Genetic Diversity in field Gene-Seed Banks
• Located in the village, • Owned by the community• Administered by village youth committees supervised by village elders• Farmers take seed & return three times after harvest
![Page 3: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
• Seeds of traditional varieties of crops sp. rice, collected from farmer’s fields
• Farmer’s knowledge of properties documented -drought- flood tolerant - maturity period - resistance to pest& disease - scientists can use this to identify traits for breeding
![Page 4: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Zero Energy Gene-Seed Bank
- Ambient temp storage- No cooling- no energy cost- no carbon footprint- Replaces energy with labor - Seed viability maintained by growing out every season
![Page 5: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Zero Energy Gene-Seed Bank
![Page 6: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Zero Energy Gene -Seed Bank
![Page 7: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Seed processed to reduce moisture below 10 %
![Page 8: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Agrobiodiversity in the Gene Bank
![Page 9: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
…….. Gene Bank
![Page 10: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
……..Gene Bank
![Page 11: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
…….Gene Bank
![Page 12: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Seed Bank
![Page 13: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Seed Bank
![Page 14: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Evaluating Genetic Traits
• Collaboration with research institutes
• 5 drought tolerant rice varieties • 2 new genes conferring resistance to Bacterial Leaf Blight
![Page 15: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
- Plants that animals don’t eat
- Plants known in indigenous medicine
- Plants used in tribal rituals
Plant based pesticides
from -
![Page 16: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
![Page 17: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Preparing a ‘Pesticide’
• Making extracts of plant parts in cold water, hot water, diluted with alcohol
• Standardising dilutions & package of practices
• Testing pesticidal properties on crops
![Page 18: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Crop trials
Karanj extract on Cabbage
![Page 19: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Crop trials…
Karanj on Rice
![Page 20: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Traditional Panchgavya – 5 products of (native) cow: mixture of cow dung, cow urine,
milk, curd & ghee - known to have valuable properties - varied applications in crop %
livestock management
![Page 21: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Current Panchgavya shown to - Increase milk yield in cows
- Increase egg laying in chickens
- Improve health of farm animals & control disease
![Page 22: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
- Enhance soil fertility
- Promote plant growth ( growth hormone)
- Control fungal disease
Curent Panchgavya applications….
![Page 23: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
T-Cell blastogenesis in chicken administered cow urine
![Page 24: Manifesto: Suman Sahai - Grassroots Innovations in Agriculture](https://reader033.vdocuments.net/reader033/viewer/2022060200/559805231a28abcc298b45f6/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
B-Cell Blastogenesis in chicken administered cow urine