Rahibai Soma Popere

Rahibai Soma Popere (pronounced [raːhiːbaːiː somaː popɛrɛ]), born in 1964, is an Indian farmer and conservationist. She helps other farmers return to native varieties of crops, preparing hyacinth beans for self-help groups. She is among three Indians on the BBC list of "100 Women 2018". Scientist Raghunath Mashelkar gave her the epithet "Seed Mother".[1]

Rahibai Soma Popere
in 2019
Born1964 (age 56–57)
Ahmednagar district
NationalityIndian
Other namesSeed Mother
EducationNone
OccupationFarmer, agriculturist, conservationist
Known forConservation of indigenous plant varieties
Awards

Early life

Rahibai Soma Popere is from Kombhalne village located in Akole block of Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra.[1] She has no formal education.[2] She has worked on farms all her life and has an extraordinary understanding of crop diversity.[2]

Career

Rahibai Soma Popere farm land, where she grows 17 different crops.[3] She was visited by the BAIF Development Research Foundation in 2017, who found the gardens she supported had enough produce to meet the dietary requirements of a family for a whole year.[3]

She developed a series of hyacinth beans for self-help groups and families in nearby villages.[3] She was described by Raghunath Mashelkar, the erstwhile Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research as 'Seed Mother'. She is an active member of the self-help group Kalsubai Parisar Biyanee Savardhan Samiti[4] (translation: Committee for seed conservation in the Kalsubai region). She has created her own methods to harvest water on farms; turning wasteland into space she can use productively. She trains farmers and students on ways to select seeds, keep fertile soils and manage pests.[5] She is skilled in four-step paddy cultivation.[6] She has learned to rear poultry in her yard with the support of the Maharashtra Institute of Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (MITTRA).[7]

Awards
Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Nari Shakti Puraskar to her in 2018

Additionally, in January 2015, she received appreciation from Prem Mathur, Honorary Research Fellow at Bioversity International and from R. R. Hanchinal, Chairperson of a government body for the protection of plant varieties and farmers' rights in India.[2]

References
  1. Deo, Ashlesha (8 September 2017). "Maharashtra seed mother pioneers conservation of native varieties". Village Square. Akole, Maharashtra. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  2. "Srimati Rahibai Soma Popere". Pune International Centre. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  3. "Maharashtra's tribal farmers revive traditional crops". Village Square. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  4. "Maharashtra Gene Bank Programme for Conservation" (PDF). BAIF Maharashtra Gene Bank Newsletter. July 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  5. ScoopWhoop (20 November 2018). "Meet The 3 Indian Women Who've Made It To BBC's List of Most Influential & Inspiring Women of 2018". ScoopWhoop. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  6. "'Seed Mother' Rahibai's Story: How She Saved Over 80 Varieties of Native Seeds!". The Better India. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  7. Sharma, Khushboo (21 November 2018). "Rahibai Makes It To BBC's 100 Women 2018 List By Becoming The 'Seed Mother' Of India". Indian Women Blog – Stories of Indian Women. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  8. "BBC 100 Women 2018: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  9. "President confers Nari Shakti awards on 44 women". The Tribune. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  10. "Full list of 2020 Padma awardees". The Hindu. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
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