On a rented two acres of tribal land in the broad-leaved forests of southern Odisha in India, agro-ecologist Dr. Debal Deb has created a living mosaic of rice.
This living mosaic is a conservation field and a treasure trove of biodiversity that inspires more than one thousand traditional farmers to leave the daily work of their farmsteads every spring and to travel across the Indian subcontinent to Vrihi: South Asia's largest folk rice seed bank.
Photo by Zoe Savitz
When they arrive, they are ushered into a family home, made cool by mud walls. Here, Dr. Deb, alongside volunteers from the village and intrepid PhDs, ask these farmers: Who are you feeding?