Every year, as the Brahmaputra and its tributaries overflow, farmers in Jhanjimukh, Jorhat district, brace for another season of uncertainty. Floodwaters inundate fields, erode agricultural land and damage crops, leaving farming families struggling to recover before the next planting season.
For the Indigenous Mising community and other marginalised farming households living along the Brahmaputra, Jhanji and Mori Jhanji rivers, fertile land has long been both a source of livelihood and a reminder of their vulnerability to recurring floods.
Erratic rainfall and changing weather patterns are adding to these challenges, while crop losses and increasing dependence on commercially purchased seeds threaten the traditional agricultural knowledge passed down through generations.
In Sumoni Chapori village, however, farmers are working to preserve this heritage and strengthen their ability to adapt.
Launched in 2023 by the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), with support from DKA Austria, the initiative, Promoting Agroecology and Climate Adaptation to Empower Communities, aims to strengthen local farming systems through two community-led interventions: a Farmers’ Field School and an Indigenous Seed Bank.
At the heart of the initiative is the community-managed Indigenous Seed Bank, where farmers collect, conserve and exchange traditional paddy, vegetable and pulse seeds adapted to local agro-climatic conditions.
The initiative currently conserves more than 100 indigenous paddy varieties, along with seasonal vegetable seeds.
The initiative aims to improve farmers’ access to locally adapted planting material, reduce dependence on external suppliers, and revive traditional knowledge of seed selection, cultivation, and conservation in the Brahmaputra River basin.
Alongside the seed bank, the Farmers’ Field School provides a practical learning space where farmers exchange experiences and learn through demonstrations and field-based training. Activities cover climate-resilient agriculture, natural farming, soil health, water management, flood-resilient cultivation, mixed cropping and biodiversity conservation.
Farmers leading the change
For Amio Doley, a farmer from Bormothauri village associated with the Farmers’ Field School, the initiative is helping farming families regain confidence in their own resources.
“Earlier, we were losing many traditional seeds and spending more money buying seeds from outside. Now, farmers are preserving and exchanging seeds among ourselves. We are becoming more self-reliant,” Doley said.
For women farmers, the initiative is also creating opportunities to share knowledge and take a more active role in agricultural decision-making.
Munmi Baruah, a woman farmer from Sumoni Chapori village, said the seed conservation activities and farmers’ meetings had helped women participate more confidently in discussions about farming practices and agricultural resources.
“Women have always contributed significantly to farming, but their knowledge and opinions have not always received the same recognition. Through seed conservation activities and farmers’ meetings, we are getting more opportunities to share our experiences and take leadership roles. This has also increased our confidence,” she said.
Baruah added that the training had encouraged her and her husband, Robin Baruah, to establish a vermicompost production unit. The couple now produces vermicompost for sale and earns up to Rs 10,000 from its sale, according to the project account.
Progressive farmer Dulal Kalita also highlighted the value of learning practical techniques for producing quality organic manure.
“Through this initiative, I have learned how to prepare good-quality manure, which is important for farming and beneficial for soil health,” Kalita said.
He added that all the products developed through his involvement in the initiative are completely organic, thus finding better demand in the market.
Bringing scientific knowledge and traditional practices together
Collaboration with agricultural institutions has been an important part of the initiative. According to Dr Sanjay Borthakur, Head of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Jorhat, the seed bank supports the conservation of indigenous varieties, while the Farmers’ Field School offers a platform for practical training and knowledge exchange.
“The seed bank has been an important step towards preserving indigenous seeds, while the Farmers’ Field School provides a platform for training farmers. We value this collaboration, which has enabled us to work together over the past four to five years,” he said.
The initiative has also encouraged engagement with Panchayati Raj Institutions, district agriculture departments and other local stakeholders, helping strengthen collaboration around agricultural development and climate adaptation.
Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of NEADS, said the initiative seeks to build on the knowledge and adaptive practices that farming communities have developed over generations.
“Communities in Assam’s flood-prone areas possess valuable traditional knowledge and farming practices. Through the Farmers’ Field School and Indigenous Seed Bank, we are creating opportunities to preserve that knowledge, strengthen self-reliance and help farmers respond to the growing challenges of climate change,” he said.
He emphasised that such initiatives cannot replace broader measures needed to address flooding, riverbank erosion and changing climatic conditions. Rather, they complement those efforts by helping farmers conserve indigenous seeds, adopt affordable farming practices and diversify their livelihoods.
The project is being implemented across 10 flood-prone villages under No. 8 Jhanjimukh Gaon Panchayat. According to project figures, it has directly benefited around 3,800 people, including smallholder farmers, women, young people and Indigenous communities. Another 1,500 people have been reached indirectly through awareness and training activities.
In a landscape where each flood season brings fresh uncertainty, the initiative demonstrates how community knowledge, practical agricultural training and local seed conservation can contribute to more resilient farming systems and sustainable rural livelihoods.
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