SDS actively promotes the revival and sustainable intensification of forgotten food and neglected crops, recognizing their critical role in ensuring nutritional security, climate resilience, and agricultural biodiversity.

Forgotten and underutilized crops such as millets, minor pulses, traditional vegetables, tubers, and indigenous oilseeds were once integral to local food systems but have gradually declined due to the dominance of a few major staple crops. These crops are highly adapted to local agro-climatic conditions, require fewer external inputs, and are naturally resilient to drought, pests, and climate variability.

The initiative focuses on reintroducing these crops into farming systems through sustainable intensification approaches, which aim to increase productivity without compromising ecological balance. This includes the use of improved traditional varieties, participatory seed systems, organic and low-input farming practices, and soil health restoration techniques.

A key component of this program is the promotion of climate-smart agriculture, where neglected crops are integrated into cropping systems through intercropping, mixed cropping, and crop diversification. These practices enhance soil fertility, reduce production risks, and improve farm income stability.

The program also emphasizes value chain development and market linkage support to increase the economic viability of these crops. Processing, branding, and local value addition are encouraged to create demand and improve farmer profitability.

Capacity building initiatives such as Farmer Field Schools (FFS), community seed banks, and awareness campaigns play a crucial role in reviving traditional knowledge and encouraging farmers to adopt these resilient crop systems.

Through these integrated efforts, SDS contributes to conserving agrobiodiversity, improving dietary diversity, and strengthening climate-resilient rural livelihoods while reducing dependency on a narrow range of commercial crops.

Program Interventions

• Identification and revival of neglected and traditional food crops
• Promotion of climate-resilient and low-input farming systems
• Establishment of community seed banks and seed exchange systems
• Training on sustainable cultivation practices
• Development of value chains and local market linkages
• Awareness programs on nutritional importance of traditional crops

Impact

• Enhanced agrobiodiversity and ecosystem resilience
• Improved nutritional security through diversified diets
• Increased farmer income from alternative crops
• Reduced dependency on chemical-intensive monocropping systems
• Strengthened resilience to climate change impacts

Overview

The revival of forgotten and neglected crops under SDS initiatives supports a shift towards sustainable, nutrition-sensitive, and climate-resilient agriculture. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern sustainable practices, the program strengthens food security, environmental conservation, and rural livelihood resilience.