The future of food security looks bright, thanks to 13-year-old Harsita Priyadarshini Mohanty, who won the 2025 International Young Eco-Hero Award for her efforts in establishing a seed bank to preserve indigenous rice and millet seeds.
As Mongabay reported, the teen is from Odisha, a state in southeast India, and because of rising global temperatures and increasingly extreme weather, native crops there are becoming harder to grow. But as more young people take it upon themselves to clean up the planet and preserve resources for the future, communities are becoming more resilient and better prepared to weather whatever nature throws at them.
Mohanty, along with eight other teens, earned awards from Action for Nature, an international nonprofit that honors young environmental activists and encourages them to protect the planet. Mohanty's project, called the Agro Biodiversity Conservation Of Indigenous Local Landrace Of Paddy & Millet Seeds, earned her second place in the competition, and she's now known as "seed girl" for her outstanding efforts to bolster India's food supplies, per a video posted to Action for Nature's YouTube account.
According to the video's description, Mohanty established the Harsita Priyadarshini Indigenous Seed and Grain Bank in 2023, distributing 2 kilograms (roughly 4.4 pounds) of millet and rice seeds among 20 farmers in the Koraput district. The next year, 60 farmers benefited from the seed distribution program, and in 2025, some 200 farmers received several varieties of paddy, millet, and other forgotten food seeds.
Through her "loan for exchange" program, farmers return 4 kilograms of seeds to the bank after harvest, allowing the seed bank to operate sustainably and keep supplies replenished.
Mohanty has set an impressive goal of distributing seeds to at least 1,000 farmers within the next couple of years. She is holding awareness camps for students to learn about the importance of preserving indigenous seeds and protecting the climate.
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What led Mohanty into sustainable agriculture was the work of Kamala Pujari, a tribal woman who also lives in Koraput. Inspired by her efforts to conserve seeds, the young environmental activist decided to set up her own seed bank to benefit the community. She plans to keep adding to the bank, develop a "knowledge library" on sustainable agriculture, and continue connecting with youth about the necessity of natural farming.
Her work has earned her the respect of the president of India, the Union Agriculture Minister, and Jagannath Mishra, chairperson of the Ekta Foundation, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to providing education to underprivileged children.
"Compared to other young people I have worked with, Harsita is exceptionally motivated, focused, and consistent in her environmental work. ... She is also a natural leader and inspires others to act," Mishra told Action for Nature.
"While leaders worldwide struggle to protect the environment, global youth activists constantly remind us that transformative change often starts small," Beryl Kay, president of Action for Nature, said in a statement, per Mongabay. "From Burundi to San Antonio, Texas, this year's Eco-Heroes are another powerful reminder that the future of our planet is in good hands."
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