The centrality of any education system is knowledge. This article highlights how farmer’s traditional knowledge on millets was explored, revived and documented; how ‘farmer centric research process’ was carried out through participatory varietal trials; and, how the community based knowledge centre for testing, access and spread of knowledge was created.

Agro-ecology does not promote technical recipes but rather principles. It is not an agriculture of inputs but of processes. The technological generation process ideally must result from a participatory or farmer led research process in which farmers along with researchers provide input into the research questions and the design, running and evaluation of field experiment. Most traditional farmers have an intimate knowledge of their surroundings, especially within a local geographical and cultural radius.

Malkangiri is located in the southernmost district of Odisha. The major inhabitants of the district are Bondas, Koyas, Porajas and Didayis. Traditional millet varieties which were being grown traditionally by tribal communities in Malkangiri, gradually got replaced with High Yielding Varieties, promoted by the Government. There was little research and effort taken by Government department or any other agency to revive the valuable genetic resources of different crops. The change of climate drastically affected the survival of HYV which reduced yields and resulted in forced migration of the tribal communities.

This article explains the strategies adopted by Odisha Millet Mission to revive the traditional crops using agro-ecological approach and support their livelihood. Odisha Millets Mission is a flagship programme implemented by Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) with the support of Director Agriculture & Food Production (DAFP), Government of Odisha and Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies (NCDS), Bhubaneswar. WASSAN implemented the OMM activities through selected NGOs and Community Managed Organization (CBO) at CD block level. The mission’s overall effort was to raise state level productivity through implementation of various production methods (System of Millets Intensification- SMI, Line transplanting and Line sowing) in the operational villages of the mission.

The key processes adopted were

a) Exploration, documentation and in-situ conservation of traditional crops

b) Creating a vibrant community based Agro-ecological Centre at Chitrakonda, Malkangiri for wider exposure

c) Conducting participatory varietal trials with farmers enabling them to experiment and assess for themselves the merits of such varieties.

d) Establishing agro biodiversity registers