Seed Stories initiative aims to reclaim the diverse narrative of seeds, breaking through the patriarchal monocultures. By uniting experts, seed savers and artists this project seeks to reclaim the cultural and ecological significance of native seed diversity and envision a future where seeds are seen as repositories of resilience and hope.
Seeds have more than just nourished our bodies. They have been at the very core, the building blocks of our civilizations. At the dawn of agriculture, as humanity first realized the power to cultivate and preserve resources, seeds became the silent architects of all our cultures. These tiny little capsules of life empowered us to take the giant leap from nomadic hunter-gatherers into vast empires.
However, with great power comes an even greater struggle to gain control over that power. With endless greed simmering below its surface, the industrial age turned it into a grand power play by capitalizing on this natural resource. But just as the resilience of even a single seed holds the strength to break through concrete, we believe that Seed Stories has the potential to break through the patriarchal monoculture of our seeds in agriculture as well as wild, to reclaim their rich, diverse narrative.
To shine light upon the profound significance of seed diversity through the language of art, we invite Scholars, Seed Savers and Artists from across Maharashtra to join hands in this journey of rediscovery. To not just craft a story of the revival of our native seeds but also to sprout forth the evolutionary wisdom that lies within their hard protective shell. Together, let us envision a future where seeds are not mere commodities, but living repositories of culture, resilience, and most importantly, hope.
Abhijit Patil is a photographer, farmer who lives in Muradpur, Ratnagiri, India. His work revolves around food, labour, gender and their intersection with climate crisis. He is a practising permaculturist in the Western Ghats trying to learn, conserve and document resilient cultivation methods and wildlife from the context of seeds. As a photojournalist he has worked with the likes of India Today, Times of India Group, Sakal Group, AFP, AJ+. He is visiting faculty for photography at Savitribai Phule Pune University and Devrukh college of Art and Design.
