Anjamma Nadimidoddi: Seeding Sovereignty and Prosperity
65 years old
Gangwar Village, Nyalkal Block, Medak District, Telangana
Far away from the deliberations of policy spaces and conclaves, in the Gangwar village in Telangana, Anjamma Nadimidoddi embodies the most sophisticated knowledge of concepts such as climate resilience and multi-cropping. Her seed collection of 80 millets,
pulses, and oil seeds has received recognition from the United Nations during the International Year of Millets (2023). Nadimidoddi’s extensive knowledge and experience have earned her a place on the expert panel on agro-biodiversity in Andhra Pradesh. Her farm has become a learning centre for government officers, scientists, civil society activists, and media personnel. They regularly visit to observe the innovative farming techniques and seed preservation methods.
Listening to her recollect her early years, one can see why her seed collection is a point of pride. Born into a family of landless labourers, Nadimidoddi was married at 10 and became a mother by her teens. “We did not have any land and my husband’s side has five brothers. We were always in search of work with different landowners.”
“ Right food can provide us nutrition and save us from diseases. We need not go to hospitals because good food itself is medicine. "
She would have to provide daily wage labour to big farmers in order to get seeds. “It was hard to get good quality seeds,” she says. “We used to get seeds from big farmers in exchange for daily labour. That is how we started farming millets.” Her family eventually acquired 10 acres thanks to her careful savings.
The collection of seeds was just one aspect of life that became easier once the farmers began to collectivise through the Sanghams facilitated by the Deccan Development Society. “Our lives became better after joining the association. Nobody can deny that.” Through the Sangham, small cultivators such as Nadimidoddi could exchange seeds and grow different types of crops on each acre for food and fodder. She explains, “The same crop was used as fodder for the cows, oxen, and buffaloes.”
Today, Nadimidoddi is a key figure in the region - managing a seed bank and advising on sustainable farming practices - the absence of formal education never being a barrier.
She details, “There should be different crops because each one has its significance. Some can withstand the heat, some, the rain, some have a better ability to deal with pests and various diseases.”
On her land, she expertly manages the timing and order of crop sowing, an impressive feat given the region’s arid conditions. Nadimidoddi also manages the village’s seed bank, which is a vital resource for maintaining agricultural diversity and resilience. Preserving indigenous crop varieties is much more than conservation: it is an act of commoning - building a common resource that enables farmers to continue being independent from multinational seed corporations.
Her commitment to diverse, natural farming methods provides a blueprint for sustainable agriculture that prioritises food security and social and environmental
health. As she aptly puts it, “We need all kinds of food to live well. Can you survive on one crop alone? Different crops are useful for different reasons for us and our animals. Each part of the crop is useful for some reason.” She compellingly helps us see how health is connected to the ecosystem: “We don’t need any medicine if we have the right food.
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