Empowering Agro-Biodiversity for Healthy Diets
Crops4HD (Consumption of Resilient Orphan Crops and Products for Healthier Diets) is an international, agroecology-focused initiative launched in 2021 and co-managed by SWISSAID, FiBL, and AFSA, with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Its goal: to enhance food security and nutrition among smallholder farmers, especially women, through the conservation, cultivation, and consumption of neglected, underutilized species (NUS) and farmers’ traditional varieties.
Why Devdanya Collaborates
As a community-centric agricultural enterprise with a mission to revive heritage grains and promote sustainable farming, Devdanya shares Crops4HD’s values
Agro-biodiversity & nutrition: You champion heritage seeds rich in vitamins, minerals, and protein—exactly the kind of orphan crops Crops4HD promotes.
Empowering smallholder women: Your women-led farming models mesh naturally with Crops4HD’s emphasis on women’s empowerment.
Eco-friendly practices: Devdanya’s regenerative, organic methods align with Crops4HD’s agroecological farming techniques.
What This Means for Devdanya
Access to Seeds & Technical Support
Through regional Crops4HD programs in India, Devdanya gains access to high-quality, locally adapted traditional seeds and learns optimized cultivation techniques for orphan crops from Crops4HD’s supply-focused activities.
Nutritional Education & Product Innovation
Crops4HD’s demand-side efforts help make nutrient-dense, underutilized grains more appealing to consumers. Devdanya can tap into this by creating new value-added products, such as millet flour blends, nutrient-rich snacks, or grain-based staples, backed by evidence-based nutritional storytelling.
Seed Sovereignty & Farmer Rights
Crops4HD strengthens informal seed systems, supporting farmers in preserving, exchanging, and selling traditional seed varieties. Devdanya contributes by establishing and managing community seed banks, catalyzing long-term seed sovereignty.
Impact So Far
Expanded crop portfolio
With CROPS4HD support, Devdanya has integrated resilient millets and legumes (like finger millet, bambara beans, amaranth) into its farm systems.
Empowered women farmers
Training and capacity-building workshops have enabled women to grow, process, package, and market NUS crops themselves.
Enhanced product range
Nutrition-forward innovations (e.g., millet porridge blend, heritage-grain cookies) are now part of your product lineup, driven by Crops4HD’s “Demand” guidance.