Cultivators: Rahibai Soma Popere

Rahibai Soma Popere (1964 - present) is an Indian farmer known for her work preserving indigenous seed varieties and promoting sustainable agriculture. She is often referred to as the “Seed Mother” for her commitment to protecting biodiversity and traditional farming practices in India.

 
For Further Reading: 

• Rahibai Soma Popere
• ‘Seed Mother’ documentary makes it to Cannes
• Episode 4: Padmashri Rahibai Popere - Soulsome

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.

Original theme music composed by Brittany Martinez.

Follow Wonder Media Network:

• Website
• Instagram
• Twitter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hello. My name is Madeline Gore. I'm a marketing associate
at Wondermedia Network and I'm so excited to be guest
hosting this episode of Womanica. This month, we're talking about cultivators,
women who nurtured, cross pollinated, experimented, or went to great
lengths to better understand and protect the natural world. In Maharashtra, India,

(00:27):
there's a woman who protects, cultivates, and organizes over one
hundred different varieties of seeds within the walls of her
mud home. Beetlenut, papaya, guava, and millet are among the
many seeds that she looks after and distributes to her community.
But her story does not begin with seeds. Please meet
Raye by Soma paperde Raibi was born in the remote

(00:53):
tribal village of Comblani, surrounded by seven siblings and a
father whose love and devotion held their world to get other.
Growing up without a mother, Ryebi and her siblings relied
on their father. He worked tirelessly, first selling grapes, then cattle,
traveling from village to village to support his family. Though

(01:16):
uneducated himself, he was a well of wisdom when it
came to farming and He passed on everything he knew
to rye By. Every two months he would gather his
children to impart lessons not just about the land, but
about life itself. He taught rye by humility, with sayings
like if poverty comes, don't be ashamed. If wealth comes,

(01:37):
don't be proud. Her father's lessons left a long lasting
imprint on rye Bi. He taught her strength, which she
would continue to call upon during the more challenging moments
of her life. In her teen years, Raybi's life became
a blur of hardship and poverty. She was married off
at a very young age. She lived in a small

(01:59):
and uncomfortable raising four children in unsuitable conditions. Her life
was difficult. She recalled carrying her twelve day old baby
on her back while working tirelessly in the fields. But
through these challenges, Ryebei felt a divine presence in her life.
She sensed a calling to something greater. But the world

(02:19):
beyond her home was foreign to her. All she knew
was farming her children and the soil beneath her feet.
Raybi's life changed when she started to notice a troubling
shift in the crops around her the rise of hybrid varieties.
These new hybrid crops needed more fertilizer, more water, new pesticides.

(02:42):
Ryebei couldn't ignore the toll it was taking on her community,
the introduction of chemicals to the land, creeping into the crops,
and her family's health. Rybi says that it was under
the shade of a mango tree that the solution came
to her. With steadied determination, Ryebi began collecting and protecting

(03:03):
native seeds, seeds that had been passed down through her
family for generations. She was determined to start a movement
in her community of replacing hybrid seeds with native seeds.
Though the community resisted at first, skeptical of her old
fashioned ways, Rybi was resolute. She felt strongly that this
was the only way to save her family's health and

(03:24):
the future of farming. She received support from the bar
Tia Argo Industries Organization, which became the pillar of support.
Slowly her community began to catch on. Rybei turned her
modest home into a sanctuary for these seeds. When asked
how she remembered the name of each variety of seed,
Rybi answered, I remember because the mother knows everything. I

(03:47):
take care of them like children. Rybi's efforts grew beyond
her home. She became a beacon of knowledge, traveling from
village to village in Maharashtra, Guzrat and down to Bangalore,
teaching farmers, men and women alike how to cultivate and
preserve organic traditional seeds. Through creating the Kalsubai Women's Group,

(04:09):
she rallied other women to join her cause, creating a
collective of powerful, knowledgeable women dedicated to saving the land
and protecting the seeds. For Raibei, these seeds were more
than just food, they were medicine. These seeds could last
for decades, regenerating year after year, free from the chemicals
that had begun to poison the land. In twenty twenty one,

(04:33):
Raibi was honoured with the Padma Shri Award in recognition
of her remarkable work in agriculture. Her focus is always
on the land, on the health of the community, and
on the generations to come. While Raibi has never been
a student in a classroom, she is now considered a
living repository of knowledge. Scientists and researchers from around the

(04:54):
world have sought her expertise, recognizing her as one of
the most valuable voices in sustainable farming. Rye By is
known globally as seed Mother for her lifetime of work
preserving and saving seeds. Today, her mission remains unchanged to
ensure that every plate is filled with food that is
not only nourishing, but free from poisons. Rye By Soma

(05:18):
Poperide has shown that when it comes to preserving the earth,
the most profound wisdom is passed down through the soil,
the seeds, and the love of generations. All month, we're
talking about cultivators. For more information, find us on Facebook
and Instagram at Womanica Podcast. Thanks to co creators Jenny
and Liz Kaplan for letting me guest host. Talk to

(05:41):
you tomorrow