2026
May 30-31: Food System Dialogue Workshop. Bhubaneswar. (Talk on Food Sovereignty)
Jan 27: BBC World interview of D. Deb on exposition of Basudha’s conservation work.
Jan 11-13: ASHA Kishan Swaraj Sammelan. Ahmedabad. (Talks on Seed Conservation and Farmers’ Rights; Genetic Purity of Crop Landraces)
2025
Oct 25-Nov 2 : Basudha conducted intensive residential Training in Agroecology: Principles and Practices.
Oct 16-18: Wild Food Festival held by Living Farms at Bhubaneswar. (Talk on Food and Nutrition Security from Forest)
Sept 20-22 : Yield performance experiments were conducted at Basudha Aranya.
Aug 20-22: Presentation of Indigenous Food Festival, held by 000 Farms in Mumbai. (Talk on Indigenous Farm Foods and Uncultivated foods)
July 29: Talk at Brabourne College, Kolkata. (Talk on Sustainability for the urban citizens)
July 25: Deb talked on Agroecology & Food Security in China and India at the Departments of Indology and Chinese Studies, University of Tübingen. Click here for detail
July 22: D. Deb gave a presentation on full security roadmaps for China and India for students and scholars of Tübingin University.
July 16-18: Farmers visit and training at Basudha farm, organised by ORRIISSA.
June 30: BBC Interview of D. Deb on the conservation works of Basudha.
June 5: D. Deb gave a keynote speech on Environment Day at ISI.
June 1: Basudha Study Circle: ‘Discovering Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment: post-restoration’ at IBRAD Seminar Hall, Kolkata. (speaker D. Deb)
May 6-16: Basudha’s Fundraising Lecture Tour in the UK: Deb presented at the Institute of Development Studies, Brighton; University of East Anglia, Norwich; Wakelyns organic farms; Gaia Foundation, Bristol; Hormingsham; Royal Agriculture University, Cirencester; Northumberland; Durham University; University College London; Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.
Mar 23: Public lecture at CR Park on Food security and the role of civil society.
Mar 19-22: Deb presented at Harvard Heat Conference, hosted by NFI at New Delhi. (Talks on heat and drought tolerance of indigenous crop landraces)
Mar 18 – 21: D. Deb spoke at Delhi Heat Conference on resilience of agroecosystems to rising air temperature
Mar 8: Women’s Day celebration at Basudha in Kolkata at Ekatre Auditorium, co-hosted by Rayland Foundation.
March 6: Basudha/CIS and Rayland Foundation jointly held a Discussion Seminar to celebrate Women’s Day at Ekatre Hall, Kolkata.
Feb 25-28: D. Deb gave a keynote on Biodiversity and Culture in Readers Jhapa, Nepal. (Talk on Indigenous Food Systems and Farmers’ Sovereignty) Listen to his talk here
Feb 16-18: Farmers’ Training in Chinampas method on Basudha Aranya campus. (Trainer: Benjamin DeVries)
Feb 15-16: Basudha held 1-Day Free Training in Chinampas Method of Cultivation on Bankura campus.
Feb 14: Deb gave a talk on Methods of Crop Diversity Conservation, organised by Prakritika at Patna.
Feb 4-6: Deb gave a talk on Biodiversity Conservation at Bharat Vikas Program in Kalaburgi, Karnataka.
2024
Dec 15: Basudha Study Circle talk by Benjamin DeVries & D. Deb on Systems Theory in Ekatre Auditorium.
Dec 10-11: D. Deb presented a keynote on “Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change“ organised by NFI at New Delhi.
Sep 24-29: Visit of 29 Tamil Nadu farmers to Basudha campus on a free training in methods of seed conservation and agroecology.
Sep 12: Benjamin Spock DeVries arrives at Basudha for his voluntary service as faculty for 6 months.
July 15-18: D. Deb gave orientation lectures in Ecological Economics at Bangalore.
Apr 20: Philippine Court of Appeals orders revoking of Golden Rice and Bt Eggplant from Commercialization. Click to read here
Mar 9-18: National Training in Agroecology on Basudha campus.
Feb 23-25: D. Deb gave plenary and keynote lectures on ‘Biodiversity and Indigenous Cultures’ at Bhugol Mancha of North Bengal University at Jalpaiguri.
Feb 5-6: D. Deb visits Mendalekha community initiatives in Goa.
Feb 3-4: Basudha participated in Regenerate 2024 at Coimbatore. D. Deb gave a keynote on two sessions on the Soil & Water Expo.
Jan 30-31: D. Bhattacharya participated and addressed adivasi farmers in Farmers’ fair at Nishaninunda district of Koraput.
2023
Dec 28: IFOAM-Organics Asia confers the 2023 Organic Medal of Honour on Dr D. Deb at IFOAM National Convention held at Aluva, Kerala.
Dec 20: D. Deb gave a lecture on ‘Anthropogenic Destruction and Creation of Ecosystems, Species and Landraces.’
Dec 9-15: Visit to The Philippines to present evidence as scientific witness at the Appellate Court of the Philippine Supreme Court in the Greenpeace lawsuit against the introduction of Golden Rice by IRRI and Bt Tagalog by Monsanto-Mahyco.
Nov 27-Dec 4: National Training in Methods of Rice Conservation Phase III on Basudha campus.
Nov 23: Exposure visit of 30 farmers from SEVA to Basudha campus.
Nov 22: D. Deb’s guest faculty lecture for post-graduate class of Centurion University on Perlakhamundi campus.
Nov 16-17: Basudha hosted a discussion session with Niyamgiri tribals on forest conservation and agroforestry methods.
Nov 4: A team of research students from KarmYog Foundation to Basudha Laboratory.
Oct 10-20: National Training in Methods of Rice Conservation Phase II on Basudha campus.
Sep 18-25: Visit of Dr. Anjana Ramkumar and Deepa More on a brief training in rice conservation methods.
Sep 12: D. Deb made a review of conservation works by farmers led by Sambhav, supported by Azim Premji Foundation, at Nayagarh.
Jul 15-17: Basudha held Phase II of National Residential Training in Rice Conservation Methods
July 12-18: National Training in Methods of Rice Conservation Phase I on Basudha campus.
Feb 15: Basudha hosted a team of 13 farmers from Jharkhand on their exposure visit.
2022
14 Dec: Yes! Mag article on Deb’s work
Click to read here
Oct 25: Opposing the FSSAI push for Mandatory Food Fortification: A group of civil society members, including D. Deb, rice scientist and Dr.Vandana, nutritionist, participated in the deliberations in the presence of several Union Government ministers and bureaucrats. [Watch Video]
July 1: Trial with 19 As-Resistant rice varieties begun in Bengal: D. Deb planted 19 As-resistant rice varieties, compared to 2 modern HYVs on an organic farm in Nadia district of West Bengal, to examine as uptake in rice grains. Also, 6 flood tolerant varieties were planted in a deepwater plot.
May 2022: Old Basudha Campus in Bengal REVIVED
2021
June 4: Deb’s new study on efficacy of mixed farming productivity.
doi:10.1017/exp.2021.7
2020
Dec 19: D. Deb gave 2 sessions on Bio Diversity Value to children from 5 villages in Rayagada district.
Dec 5: D. Deb and trustees of Basudha joined farmers’ march in Kolkata demanding justice and farmers’ rights consolidations.
Dec 4: A nation wide campaign to financially support Basudha was launched by Asha Kishan Swaraj, Uzhavan foundation, Thanal and many individuals.
Nov 20: Poly crop experiment at Basudha campus and 7 other farms was conducted.
Nov 12: D. Deb gave a course in Landscape Ecology for a group of post-grad students from 5 states.
Nov 4-11: National Agroecology crash course was conducted on Basudha campus for 21 farmers and students from 8 states.
Oct 22-25: The old Basudha campus at Bankura district West Bengal revived after 9 years, as agroforestry demonstration centre.
Sep 12: D. Dey spoke as a guest faculty at MACE Institute on Ecological Architecture.
Sep 2-15: Three student volunteers from Andhra Pradesh participated in rice phenological research and training.
Jan 8: D. Dey was awarded Basundhara Sanman from Kirloskar Foundation and government of Maharashtra.
2019
Oct: Deb’s new article in Scientific American
July 12: Talk on Domestic Water Conservation: Citizens’ Strategies
Dhaynbindu & Basudha organised a talk by D. Deb on “Domestic Water Conservation: Citizens’ Strategies” at Ekatre Hall, Kalikapur, Kolkata. [Video link]
May 26 – 27: Basudha gave Orientation training to Manipuri farmers on landrace purity maintenance.
Apr 25: D. Deb’s Interview on BBC World Service: Landraces are the Best Bet to Grow Food on Marginal Farms. [Click to read]
Aug 29-30: D. Deb and D. Bhattacharya train Koraput farmers. This year, more than 1100 farmers adopted 35 folk varieties to suit their land types.
Feb 24: Basudha Study Circle Talk on ‘Why You Should Be More Concerned about Glyphosate Herbicide than Farmers’, by Santanu Mitra, eminent expert on the environment and public health from Canada. 4:00-6:00 pm, 186A, Kalikapur Canal Road, Ekatre 2nd Floor, Kolkata 700099. [Watch video recording here]
2017
Dec: Deb’s new paper identifies an Endangered Tree in Bengal.
D. Deb has identified a hitherto unidentified rare tree, locally known as Sitapatra as Cordia macleodii, of which only 5 mature specimens are surviving in West Bengal.
2016
Nov 21-25: Hands-on Training in Molecular Biology methods and techniques was held at Basudha Biotechnology Laboratory for Conservation at Kalikapur, Kolkata.
April 10-12: Agroecology training in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Mar 27-29: Basudha will give a 3 day intensive hands-on training in Agroecology: Principles and Practices, on campus, at Rayagada district of Odisha.
2015
Nov: Under the auspices of Mr. Avik Saha, Basudha took over a new agroecological demonstration farm at Kashipur, West Bengal.
Feb 28-Mar 2: The 5th National Organic Farming Convention was held at Chandigarh.
Feb 15: Community Revival Foundation and Basudha organized an open Slow Food Festival from 10 am to 8:30 pm.
2014
Aug 12: Basudha’s Biotechnology Laboratory for Conservation opened in Kolkata entirely funded by Mr. Avik Saha, cultural activist and lawyer, and Basudha’s trustee.
Feb 6: Community Revival Foundation organized a festival of Jhumur songs, Baul songs and Chhou dance in the evening.
2013
June 14: National Training for Rice Conservators – Phase II on Basudha farm.
May 14: D. Deb gave a presentation on Indigenous Food and Farming Systems to 500 tribal farmers from Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Navrangpur and Kalahandi districts at a farmers’ program Koraput.
Apr 14: D. Deb gave field training to farmers in preserving genetic purity of folk rice varieties in two villages of Jeypore Block, Koraput district.
Mar 14: D. Deb participated and presented in Open Source Seed Systems workshop in Hyderabad, organized by the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.
Feb 26: National Training in rice characterization, on Basudha campus.
2011
June 30: The Vrihi rice gene bank shifted to a tribal village in Rayagada district of Odisha, for a wider distribution among indigenous farmers in need.