New Delhi, June 6 -- In Odisha's Nayagarh district, the Raisar Community Indigenous Seed Bank has been preserving old and valuable seeds. Among the paddy and millet varieties carefully stored in clay jars and ash-lined containers, is cowpea, a legume that scientists now believe could be vital in the global fight against climate change.

The seed bank, managed by local farmers with support from non-profit Nirman actively conserves indigenous cowpea varieties such as Ranga Baragadi, Batula Chana, Sarukhunda Biri, Mankada Danti, Laha Kankadadandi, Baragadi, and Tula Baragadi, each adapted to the region's erratic rainfall, poor soils, and pest pressures.

These traditional landraces are naturally climate-resilient, able to survive heat, drou...