Seed Stories

(42 min; 2024; Odiya/Kui/English)

Directed by Chitrangada Choudhury who will introduce the film

Screening will be followed by a discussion with Suhas Borker, Editor, Citizens First TV (CFTV) and Trustee, IIC

In a village in the Niyamgiri mountains of the Eastern Ghats of Odisha, a heroic effort is underway: ecologist Dr. Debal Deb and his 3-member team are conserving over a thousand endangered ancient rice varieties. The Eastern Ghats region of Odisha is one of the surviving biodiversity hotspots in the world, where (indigenous) Adivasi communities, such as the Kondhs, possess knowledge that allows them to grow multiple crops with their seeds, which have evolved over the centuries.

Meanwhile, the village and the wider region are changing irreversibly due to the arrival of genetically modified cotton seeds and their associated agrochemicals. “Seed Stories” offers deep insight into how this is reshaping a geography and a people immersed in agroecological knowledge, and altering their attitudes towards agriculture, food and ecology.