A decade ago, Chandra Pradhani, a Paraja tribal of Nuaguda village in Kundra block of Odisha's Koraput district, would migrate to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to earn a living as a brick kiln worker. He no longer does this. Today, he is feted by the nation. He was one of the tribal farmers honoured by prime minister Manmohan Singh at the 99th Science Congress held in Bhubaneswar in January. It is the hard labour and traditional agricultural techniques of tribal families that have helped put Koraput on the map of world agriculture.