TEERTHA (DHARWAD) : Bibi Fatima Women’s Self-Help Group (SHG) from Teertha village in Kundgol taluk of Dharwad district, started by farmer woman Bibijaan Maulasaab Halemani, and responsible for conserving hundreds of desi seeds in the region has been selected for the prestigious Plant Genome Saviour Community Award.
With a little education and a lot of experience in agriculture since her childhood, Bibijaan worked hard with only one purpose – to do something unique in agriculture. She, along with 14 others, decided to save the indigenous seeds which they had collected from far and near. “My father used to conserve seeds and I too developed an interest and took to seed conservation. I set up the SHG and the bank in 2018,” Bibijaan told TNIE. “Our intention was to provide good, quality indigenous seeds to the people to ensure better public health and quality production by the farmers.”
With the guidance and support of Sahaja Samrudha – the organisation promoting organic farming – the group emerged as an example of women’s leadership in agricultural biodiversity conservation and rural entrepreneurship. The group played a significant role in reviving millet-based mixed cropping systems in 30 villages in rainfed farming areas.
Its key activities include promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices, livestock rearing, horticulture, women’s empowerment, and strengthening household food and nutritional security. “We wanted to showcase the rich agri biodiversity we have. We struggled to revive the seeds which went extinct and those that were on the verge of extinction. Today we have more than 250 varieties of seeds, pulses, millets, paddy and even vegetables,” she said.
One of the group’s major achievements is the conservation of indigenous millet varieties, adapted to local agro-climatic conditions with an ability to withstand climatic variations.
Their community seed bank is filled with jawari, 70 varieties of finger millets, 25 varieties of little millets, 2 varieties of browntop millets, 25 varieties of horse gram, 10 varieties of chickpea, 25 varieties of paddy, 3 varieties of green grams, about a dozen oil seeds, 10 varieties of foxtail millets and several varieties of vegetables. “We help people in the kitchen garden to cultivate good indigenous vegetables,” informed Bibijaan.
The award is instituted by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. It carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, a certificate and a memento.
The award recognises the significant contribution of the women’s collective efforts towards conserving indigenous crop varieties, protecting traditional seed wealth, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing farmers’ livelihoods. The award ceremony will be held in New Delhi on November 12, 2026.
Bibi Fatima Women’s SHG also recently received the prestigious UNDP Equator Initiative Award 2025, widely regarded as the Nobel Prize for biodiversity conservation, for its work in promoting climate-resilient agriculture, nature-based solutions and women’s leadership.