India, May 22 -- As the world celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity 2026 on May 22, concerns over disappearing species and collapsing ecosystems are growing globally. But in the tribal hills of Odisha, biodiversity survives quietly in fields and the memories of women farmers.

Across districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Gajapati, Sundargarh and Nabarangpur, tribal communities continue cultivating dozens of traditional millet landraces adapted to drought, erratic rainfall and poor soils.

Long before millets entered policy discussions and urban health markets, tribal farming communities cultivated a remarkable diversity of crops across Odisha's rainfed uplands. Finger millet v...