Navdanya

Runs community seed banks and promotes organic farming to achieve sustainable livelihood development of farmers

  • FCRA
  • 80G
  • 12A
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About

  • Headquarters

    New Delhi, Delhi

  • Since

    1991

Navdanya works to support marginalised farmers to become self-reliant through sustainable use of natural resources. The organisation has set up commun Read moreity seed banks to help preserve seeds and provide them to farmers as a way to attain livelihood development. A community seed bank stores and manages seeds that aim to provide community members with seeds to use. The main objective of the organisation is to provide “good food for all” through the promotion of biodiverse organic farming, food literacy and fair trade. Navdanya focuses on improving the livelihood conditions of small and marginalised rural producers through biodiverse organic farming as it produces more nutritious food and brings in more income for the farmers while avoiding environmental harm. The organisation also resists patents on seeds and life forms which are promoted by The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement of World Trade Organisation leading to the privatisation of biodiversity and piracy of traditional knowledge (Bija Satyagraha). It has challenged biopiracy patents on Neem, Basmati and Wheat and is focused on building the living democracy movement “Jaiv Panchayat” to defend biodiversity for the common people. Further, it is committed to promoting alternatives to non-sustainable agricultural technologies based on toxic chemicals and genetic engineering. Additionally, Navdanya also conducts a 'Little Chef' programme to inculcate an understanding for health and nutrition among children. Also, it has organised a network of women’s producer groups (Mahila Anna Swaraj).

Impact

Navdanya has a primary membership of more than 6,50,000 farmer families in 22 states of India namely Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. It has also established 111 Community Seed Banks (CSBs) in 17 States across India. Till date Navdanya has formed more than 5000 Jaiv Panchayats in different parts of the country. 2,00,000 farmers have been converted to organic farming in different parts of the country. Navdanya has trained about 500,000 farmers, conserved 3,000 varieties of rice. Navdanya's seed bank in the farm at Dehradun preserves 740 land races of paddy, 215 land races of wheat, 27 land races of barley, 3 varieties of barnyard millet, 20 varieties of oats, 30 varieties of finger millet, 21 varieties of foxtail millet, 46 varieties of basmati, 21 varieties of maize, 97 varieties of pulses, 16 varieties of vegetables, 18 varieties of of rai, 130 varieties of rajma, 17 varieties of green manure, 58 varieties of spices, 15 varieties of pearl millet, 48 varieties of medicinal plants, 3 varieties of amaranth and 24 varieties of mustard.

Programs

  • Earth democracy

    Navdanya advocates for a new paradigm to address the fragmentation caused by fundamentalism and violence. The Earth democracy movement offers an alternative worldview based on non-violence, compassion, ecological responsibility, and economic justice. This movement seeks to replace the culture of destruction and greed with a culture of creative peace and life.
    Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's Salt Satyagraha, Navdanya launched the 'Bija Satyagraha' against Seed Laws and Patent Laws that attempt to criminalize the sharing and saving of seeds by making them the property of seed companies. The Bija Swaraj campaign aims to protect the sovereignty of seeds and food by opposing patents on these essential resources. It advocates for reviewing international agreements like TRIPs to exclude patents on seeds and food.
    Under the Bija Swaraj campaign, Navdanya pledges to safeguard the right to save and exchange seeds freely, without domination and control by multinational corporations.

  • Navdanya Seed banks

    Navdanya is actively working to conserve agro-biodiversity through the establishment of community seed banks and the identification of seed keepers in various agro-ecological zones of India. These seed banks play a crucial role in preserving traditional seed varieties and promoting the cultivation of nutritious crops.
    In recent times, the community seed banks in Navdanya's working areas have successfully contributed to the conservation of agro-biodiversity. They are managed by the local farming community itself, ensuring their sustainability.
    Over the past three decades, Navdanya has set up 150 community seed banks across 22 states in India. Many of these seed banks are now self-sustaining, operating independently of Navdanya's support. The organization has also provided training and awareness to approximately 750,000 farmers in areas such as seed sovereignty, food sovereignty, and sustainable agriculture.

  • Bija Vidyapeeth

    To meet the increasing demand for good organic seeds and farmer training and to disseminate knowledge on organic farming and indigenous open-pollinated organic seeds, Navdanya established a learning center known as Bija Vidyapeeth, or Seed University. This center aims to make farmers self-sufficient by utilizing locally available natural resources and traditional farming wisdom.
    As part of Navdanya's initiative of fair trade, the center also educates consumers about the benefits of organic foods, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing quality and health over industrial and fast-food choices.
    The idea of Bija Vidyapeeth was conceived by Dr. Vandana Shiva, the founder of Navdanya, and Satish Kumar, the founder Director of Schumacher College in the UK. It became a reality in the year 2000 and now serves as a center for participatory research and training in organic farming and biodiversity conservation.

Leadership Team

  • Vandana Shiva

    Founder

  • Dr. Mira Shiva

    Secretary

  • Meera Khanna

    Treasurer

  • Shreya Jani

    Member

  • Sarita Kumari

    Member

Demographics & Structure

  • No. of Employees

    6-20

M&E

  • Internal, External Assessors

    No

Policies

  • Ethics and Transparency Policies

    No

  • Formal CEO Oversight & Compensation Policy

    No

Political & Religious Declarations

  • On Affiliation if any

    No

  • On Deployment Bias if any

    No

Registration Details

  • PAN Card

    AAATN3808M

  • Registration ID

    184/90-91 BOOK NO IV,BANGALORE

  • VO ID / Darpan ID

    DL/2018/0190745

  • 12A

    AAATN3808ME20206

  • 80G

    AAATN3808MF20206

  • FCRA

    231650760

  • CSR Registration Number

    Not Available

Location

Other Details

  • Type & Sub Type

    Non-profit
    Trust