Gene Campaign Exhibition on Genetic Diversity of Rice

Gene Campaign held an exhibition on “Traditional Rice Varieties Grown by Tribal Communities in Jharkhand and Orissa- Eastern India” at the Festival of Diversity organized under the aegis of the Planet Diversity World Congress on May 12 at Bonn, Germany. The global festival and Congress were held parallel to the official negotiations at the Fourth Meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The exhibition showcased the tribal culture and the genetic diversity of rice grown by the tribal communities of Jharkhand and Orissa, with the help of posters, photographs and samples. Gene Campaign has for long being engaged in efforts to conserve agrobiodiversity in these regions by setting up community gene/ seed banks, which house over 700 traditional varieties of rice from the farmers’ fields.