Basiya (bus-ee-ya) ginger comes from the plains of Amarwara, in Madhya Pradesh. It is an heirloom variety of ginger, prized for its sweetness, warmth, and lingering fragrance.

It is grown in Vivavan farm (viva = long live! van = forest), a 200-acre food forest that works in collaboration with the surrounding habitat and communities. The farm is passionate about reviving open-pollinated heirloom varieties, native to the region, that promise greater resilience to the land and its food growers.

At Vivavan, the ginger grows in dappled sunlight, under the canopy of forest trees, such as sal and mahua, and food-producing trees like mango, moringa (drumstick), fig, and tuvar dal (pigeon pea).

Ginger thrives in the monsoon seasons, when the ground has plenty of water, and helps retain this moisture after the rains have gone. It is planted in the month of June, and harvested in February, before the heat of summer dries the ground and rhizomes.