•Dalit women from Zahirabad, Sangareddy district, Telangana, have created a network of community seed banks.
•Approximately 5,000 women associated with Deccan Development Society (DDS) are preserving 80-100 traditional seed varieties like Ragi, Jowar, Bajra, and pulses.
•Their farming is entirely rain-fed and organic, avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides, achieving better production at lower costs.
•Indigenous methods like earthen pots, neem leaves, dry ash, and mud plaster are used for seed storage, maintaining germination capacity for years.
•Honored as 'Seed Keepers' and 'Annapurna', these women received the UN Equator Prize in 2019 and the Plant Genome Savior Community Award from the Government of India.
