Navdanya brings you fibres of freedom, a celebration of biodiversity, as a celebration of the knowledge and skills of our farmers, weavers and artisans, as a celebration of the beauty of the earth provides and our hands creates. Out fabrics and garments support farmers to grow chemical free organic cotton and other natural fibres, and sustain india’s rich biodiversity and cultural diversity based on our rice artisanal tradition.
We bring you fibres woven with threads of justice and sustainability at every step of the chain - beginning with the seeds in our community seeds banks, to the caring and creative hands of our organic farmers, our artisans and young designers.
Fibres of freedom is distinctive because we begin with the seed. For over two decades we have worked on the grassroots level with divers communities throughout the country. We establish seed banks so that farmers have free access to traditional, native varieties of all crops including cotton that can grown without chemicals. we also provide outreach and education to restore traditional and ecological knowledge of farming and revive artisanal skills which as weaving, vegetable dyeing of fabric and more.
Cotton became the fibres of freedom in the Indian independence movement when gandhi pulled out the spinning wheel and started to spin cloth. The spinning wheel was a source and symbols of self reliance. However with the introduction of industrial machinery, millions of people were left without livelihood. Today, a s familiar transition is taking place in agriculture. Native seed are being replaced with industrial seeds that requires chemicals as fertilisers. the combination of spiralling costs of seeds and chemical along with increasing crops failures of the purchased seeds have related in famers debt, loss of land and loss of income. In India over 2.5 lakhs farmers have committed suicides in the last 15 years, mostly in the cotton belt where genetically modified BT cotton is being grown. Farmer suicides epitomise the ultimate tragedy of thus failed systems.
Navdanya recognises that the crisis cotton farmers are facing is a seed famine created by seed MNC. Navdanya is sowing the seeds of freedom from debt and poison in Vidarbha by saving and spreading native cotton varsities of seeds which cannot be cross pollinated, creating community seed banks and promoting mix organic farming. Indigenous seeds have been shared with more than 6000 farmers in Virdhaba and nation wide. By promoting tradition seed sand farming, fibres of freedom and products are reconnecting gandhi’s legacy of spinning and wearing prosperity for local communities by creating fibres of freedom.