The three-day Kisan Swaraj Sammelan will begin on Friday at the Mukta Gangotri campus of the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) in Mysuru.
Organized jointly by the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) and Prasaranga, KSOU’s publication wing, the Sammelan will witness the participation of more than 1,000 delegates from various states across the country.
“Extensive preparations have been made for the Sammelan, which will bring together leading voices in agroecology,” the organizers said in a statement.
As part of this event, Sahaja Samrudha has organized a ‘Biodiversity Fair’ where more than 50 seed savers from Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are exhibiting a wide variety of indigenous seeds, fruits, vegetables and cereals. Various traditional seeds are also for sale.
National award-winning farmer Shaji from Wayanad in Kerala is exhibiting more than 200 varieties of tubers, including rare domestic and international varieties from his collection, a statement said.
Hulikadu Farmer Producer Company of Heggadadevanakote offers purple yam, vine potatoes and other tubers for sale. Members of Sanjeevini Adivasi Sangham from Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh also brought rare tuber varieties for the exhibition.
The Belavala Foundation of Belagola organized an urban gardening workshop with attractive home garden models. Their team is ready to guide city dwellers interested in starting their own gardens.
Thirty organic stands with natural farm products and products with added value were selected from 130 applicants.
“Only vendors who use eco-friendly plastic-free packaging and sourced from trusted eco-friendly manufacturers have been given space in the Sammelan,” the statement said.
Seven food stalls offer traditional cuisine from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Visitors can enjoy dishes like ragi semiya, jowar roti, mixed green curry and juices from forgotten fruits like bael, passion fruit and sesame.
Desi oils
Desiri Naturals has set up a traditional bullock (gana) oil extraction unit. There will be live demonstrations of oil roasting and extraction, and customers can purchase the freshly extracted oil of their choice, organizers said.
The event features weavers from Pondur, Andhra Pradesh, who are world-renowned for their hand-spun and hand-woven fabrics made from indigenous cotton. Artisans from Pondur will demonstrate traditional spinning techniques using a charkha. Chennai-based Tula India will showcase and sell garments made from desi cotton.
The Sammelan will be attended by several eminent personalities in the field of organic agriculture including Padma Shri awardee Subhash Sharma and Gopalbhai Sutaria from Gujarat who is known for his research on Gokrupamrut.
A statement from organizers said the conference will host discussions and dialogues on major challenges facing agriculture and rural livelihoods, including seed sovereignty, farmers’ rights laws, the impact of herbicide-tolerant crops, farm labor issues and human-animal conflict.
Educational exhibitions were organized for school students, urban consumers and farmers to offer an insight into an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Organizers have urged the people of Mysuru to participate in large numbers and take advantage of this unique opportunity to adopt an alternative lifestyle and become part of the natural farming movement. Interested can contact 8105579839 for more information.
Published – 26 Feb 2026 20:13 IST
