Thursday, February 28, 2013
Spinning hope! Navdanya's efforts to distribute seeds, information, and biodiversity
Navdanya means ‘nine seeds‘. Each one represents India's collective source of food security (http://www.navdanya.org/about-us/190-nine-seeds). In an attempt to achieve food security Navdanya has created a biodiversity conservation program. The program aims to support local farmers, rescue and conserve crops and plants that are being pushed to extinction, and make them available through direct marketing. Navdanya is actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture. It has created awareness on the hazards of genetic engineering, defended people's knowledge from biopiracy and food rights in the face of globalization.
Navdanya is an organization that Dr.Vandana Shiva established in the 1980’s. Navdanya was a research initiative of the Research Foundation for science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE). The aim of the organization spun from the issue of seed debt and farmer suicide in India. Local farmers had given over their heritage seeds in favour of new genetically modified seeds. After implementation farmers did not reap abundant yields on their crops, could not afford to buy new seeds every season, would fall into debt, and in turn would commit suicide.
One of the first and main initiatives by Navdanya is ‘seed banks’. The seed banks offer heritage seeds for farmers to grow in their fields as an alternative to the GMO seeds they would have to buy from multinationals like Monsanto. The idea for the seed banks came from Ghandi. “The British take our cotton, destroy our weavers” repeating Gandhi's words. Gandhi saw that the British were taking their cotton, sending it to England where it was made into cloth, then selling it back to Indians at an inflated price. Gandhi said “we don’t have to be slaves. We can make our own cloth.” From that Ghandi encouraged the people of India to spin their own cloth. All over India you will see images of the spinning wheel hanging proudly the same way a patriot hangs their national flag.
Skeptics questioned Gandhi asking ‘how can you think something as simple as a spinning wheel can change the fate of India?’ He responded saying that because it is so simple it has the power for anyone and everyone to access it. “Anyone can spin. Only a few people can take guns. Gutsy people can throw bombs.” Providing seeds mirrors the same idea. It is so small but is is accessible to everyone. And so it is with this same idea that Navdanya is making seeds available to all farmers in India. They are creating a resistance by simply telling Monsanto we don’t need or want you interfering with our industry, ecology, and health.
Now there are over 111 seed banks in India! Navdanya has not stopped there. Navdanya also has an organic farm called Bija Vidyapeeth. Located north of Delhi in Dehra Duhn. This organic farm spreads out over 45 acres. When the farm was opened there were two main initiatives: one, to prevent the disappearance of seed diversity in India. Two, to “demonstrate to Indian agriculturalists tangible proof of the superiority of organic and bio-diverse agriculture, compared to chemical farming.” Navdanya has conserved more than 5000 crop varieties; 3000 varieties of rice, 150 of wheat, 150 of kidney beans, 15 of millets and some varieties of pulses, vegetable, and medicinal plants.
In addition to all of this Navdanya releases numerous publications on GMO’s and seed saving. Two of the most recent are “The GMO Emperor Has No Clothes-A Global Citizens Report on the State of GMOs”, which is available on their website. As well as a new book called “Seed Freedom”. Navdanya also hosts volunteers at Bija Vidyapeeth as well as internships at the office of Navdanya. I must confess that after learning about Navdanya and the work that they do I have looked into volunteering at Bija Vidyapeeth to learn more about organic farming and the movement, as well as to be able to contribute my efforts and labour to the farm and the local farmers.
I am amazed at what Navdanya has, and is, offering the nation of India. Through the seed banks, publications, collaborations, and organic farm initiative Navdanya's efforts are crucial in teerms of changing the face of organic farming in India and changing the future of our food! Thank you Navdanya. You are an inspiration :)
Navdanya:
http://www.navdanya.org/
Seed debt; seed death
Navdanya (http://www.navdanya.org/home)
“Do things they cannot finance a response”. Poignant words from a poignant woman! December 16th, 2012 I went to see Dr.Vandana Shiva speak. Just a little background: “Vandana Shiva is an Indian environmental activist and anti-globalization author. Shiva has authored more than 20 books. She was trained as a physicist and received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 1978 with the doctoral dissertation "Hidden variables and locality in quantum theory." She is one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization, (along with Jerry Mander, Edward Goldsmith, Ralph Nader, Jeremy Rifkin, et al.), and a figure of the global solidarity movement known as the alter-globalization movement. She has argued for the wisdom of many traditional practices, as is evident from her interview in the book Vedic Ecology (by Ranchor Prime) that draws upon India's Vedic heritage. She is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS, Spain's Socialist Party's think tank. She is also a member of the International Organization for a Participatory Society. She was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandana_Shiva). I will spare you more of my Dr.Shiva gushing as you can easily read this in my other blog about meeting a modern day Martin Luther King. I went to see her speak about GMO’s, seed saving, biodiversity in India at an organic farming workshop in New Delhi, India.
Her talk began with a background on how GMOs(Genetically Modified Organisms) first came into India. Dr.Shiva started working on seed saving when small farmers began committing suicide in the late 1980‘s. There became a huge incidence of deaths directly related to seed loans and seed debt. Monsanto, a multinational biotechnology company, had come into India and offered farmers a fairly hefty sum of money if they gave up their heritage seeds for new hybrid seeds produced by Monsanto. This exchange meant that farmers would now have to buy their seeds every year/season as the Monsanto seed is considered ‘intellectual property’ because it was created by them. The sum of money given plus the promise that the farmers’ crops would always be successful and have greater yields were the main bargaining chip. The farmers started using the genetically modified Monsanto seeds annually but yields were not as great. Pesticides were needed for the new crop as the seed was not naturally resistant to pests and infections. Plus the fact that the seeds could not be planted in conjunction with other plants. For example a natural, organic farming system consists of a variety of different species in the same area which all offer different things to each other to create a balanced ecosystem. Some plants release nitrogen into the soil for other plants to absorb and use. While other plants offer other minerals and nutrients.
The Monsanto seeds were far more labour and monetarily intensive. Crops failed, drought happened as the soil was no longer as rich in nutrients and minerals. The pesticides and mono-cropping had sucked all nourishment from the earth. Farmers were not making money from their land, but rather losing money. Hence they started going into debt; taking out loans to buy seeds for the season and never making the return. Debts mounted and farmers began committing suicide. Dr.Shiva said that each and every suicide was traced back to when the farmer bought the GMO seeds. The farmers gave up their heritage seeds, got into debt, committed suicide. The pattern is the same with all of them.
95% of commercially grown cotton in India is now genetically modified. This happened within one decade. How did this happen so fast? At the time that Monsanto was entering into the Indian market there were no regulations or controls on disclosure. The World Bank gives you a loan but writes the policies. They are in control of what information can and is released. When the genetically modified cotton first came on to the scene the law stated that it didn’t have to be tested or regulated. It was called “truthful labelling”, which meant it was left up to the company to declare what is in the product. Ironic, I know! Dr.Shiva said “here you have, literally, the criminal writing the laws, being the judge, being the parliament, being the executive, all in one”.
A small farmer working in Rajasthan who makes a few thousand rupees a month, if that, cannot compete financially with a multinational. However they can reply in a way that multinationals cannot buy. “Do things they cannot finance a response” said Dr.Shiva. In essence you have to respond to people with money with creativity. For the multinationals money is their language and they will use it to buy whatever it is they want or need, which is evidenced by GMO’s in India. However these farmers can go to a seed bank, plant heritage seeds, which they can then use the following season, and the season after that, and for existence. That choice is a form of communication, a way to say “we don’t want genetically modified seeds, crops, or foods. No thank you“!
GMO seeds are being pushed, implemented, and grown for as many of our foods as possible. The most common or identifiable ones are corn, wheat, rice, soy, and canola. Food is our source of life, energy, nourishment, and nutrition. Is there a more important topic than the health of the world and its citizens? The topic at hand is of utmost importance not only because farmers are killing themselves in India, but because we have a right to control our own food production, to know what is going into it, what is being sprayed on it, what is growing or living next to it, and the right to say if that is, in fact, what we want to be putting in our bodies as a source of nourishment. Thank you Dr.Shiva for reminding me of this; the importance of healthy, nourishing food, that everyone is entitled to!
For more information on GMO”s in India Dr.Shiva recommended the publication
“The GMO Emperor Has No Clothes-A Global Citizens Report on the State of GMOs” available on the Navdanya (http://www.navdanya.org/home) website.
“Do things they cannot finance a response”. Poignant words from a poignant woman! December 16th, 2012 I went to see Dr.Vandana Shiva speak. Just a little background: “Vandana Shiva is an Indian environmental activist and anti-globalization author. Shiva has authored more than 20 books. She was trained as a physicist and received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 1978 with the doctoral dissertation "Hidden variables and locality in quantum theory." She is one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization, (along with Jerry Mander, Edward Goldsmith, Ralph Nader, Jeremy Rifkin, et al.), and a figure of the global solidarity movement known as the alter-globalization movement. She has argued for the wisdom of many traditional practices, as is evident from her interview in the book Vedic Ecology (by Ranchor Prime) that draws upon India's Vedic heritage. She is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS, Spain's Socialist Party's think tank. She is also a member of the International Organization for a Participatory Society. She was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandana_Shiva). I will spare you more of my Dr.Shiva gushing as you can easily read this in my other blog about meeting a modern day Martin Luther King. I went to see her speak about GMO’s, seed saving, biodiversity in India at an organic farming workshop in New Delhi, India.
Her talk began with a background on how GMOs(Genetically Modified Organisms) first came into India. Dr.Shiva started working on seed saving when small farmers began committing suicide in the late 1980‘s. There became a huge incidence of deaths directly related to seed loans and seed debt. Monsanto, a multinational biotechnology company, had come into India and offered farmers a fairly hefty sum of money if they gave up their heritage seeds for new hybrid seeds produced by Monsanto. This exchange meant that farmers would now have to buy their seeds every year/season as the Monsanto seed is considered ‘intellectual property’ because it was created by them. The sum of money given plus the promise that the farmers’ crops would always be successful and have greater yields were the main bargaining chip. The farmers started using the genetically modified Monsanto seeds annually but yields were not as great. Pesticides were needed for the new crop as the seed was not naturally resistant to pests and infections. Plus the fact that the seeds could not be planted in conjunction with other plants. For example a natural, organic farming system consists of a variety of different species in the same area which all offer different things to each other to create a balanced ecosystem. Some plants release nitrogen into the soil for other plants to absorb and use. While other plants offer other minerals and nutrients.
The Monsanto seeds were far more labour and monetarily intensive. Crops failed, drought happened as the soil was no longer as rich in nutrients and minerals. The pesticides and mono-cropping had sucked all nourishment from the earth. Farmers were not making money from their land, but rather losing money. Hence they started going into debt; taking out loans to buy seeds for the season and never making the return. Debts mounted and farmers began committing suicide. Dr.Shiva said that each and every suicide was traced back to when the farmer bought the GMO seeds. The farmers gave up their heritage seeds, got into debt, committed suicide. The pattern is the same with all of them.
95% of commercially grown cotton in India is now genetically modified. This happened within one decade. How did this happen so fast? At the time that Monsanto was entering into the Indian market there were no regulations or controls on disclosure. The World Bank gives you a loan but writes the policies. They are in control of what information can and is released. When the genetically modified cotton first came on to the scene the law stated that it didn’t have to be tested or regulated. It was called “truthful labelling”, which meant it was left up to the company to declare what is in the product. Ironic, I know! Dr.Shiva said “here you have, literally, the criminal writing the laws, being the judge, being the parliament, being the executive, all in one”.
A small farmer working in Rajasthan who makes a few thousand rupees a month, if that, cannot compete financially with a multinational. However they can reply in a way that multinationals cannot buy. “Do things they cannot finance a response” said Dr.Shiva. In essence you have to respond to people with money with creativity. For the multinationals money is their language and they will use it to buy whatever it is they want or need, which is evidenced by GMO’s in India. However these farmers can go to a seed bank, plant heritage seeds, which they can then use the following season, and the season after that, and for existence. That choice is a form of communication, a way to say “we don’t want genetically modified seeds, crops, or foods. No thank you“!
GMO seeds are being pushed, implemented, and grown for as many of our foods as possible. The most common or identifiable ones are corn, wheat, rice, soy, and canola. Food is our source of life, energy, nourishment, and nutrition. Is there a more important topic than the health of the world and its citizens? The topic at hand is of utmost importance not only because farmers are killing themselves in India, but because we have a right to control our own food production, to know what is going into it, what is being sprayed on it, what is growing or living next to it, and the right to say if that is, in fact, what we want to be putting in our bodies as a source of nourishment. Thank you Dr.Shiva for reminding me of this; the importance of healthy, nourishing food, that everyone is entitled to!
For more information on GMO”s in India Dr.Shiva recommended the publication
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Millets of Mewar
Millets of Mewar (http://milletsofmewar.com/)
I had walked by Millets of Mewar several times before I actually went in. They had a sign out front which listed ‘gluten free’ food as a menu options. A great thing for me. I arranged to meet up with my Australian friend at Millets of Mewar, which soon became to be known as MOM to me, for breakfast one morning. As I tried to select a breakfast option the server/ co-owner helped me make my decision suggesting millet pancakes with scrambled eggs on the side. As I came to know the owners of MOM I learned that they not only offered gluten free options out of demand but out of sustainability. The owners wanted to open a restaurant that focused on healthy, sustainable foods. As such they wanted to provide alternate grains such as millet and amaranth. In India the main cash crops are rice and wheat and the diet is inundated with it! I was beyond thrilled. Also included in their menu were vegan food options and some organic food options. Everything I tried from the menu, which was almost everything, was beyond scrumptious!
After breakfast my Australian friend and I took a look around the restaurant, which is spread out amongst several levels, with a rooftop patio on the top floor, of course. In the restaurant they offered a wide assortment of books on cooking, food, grains, politics, socio-economic causes/issues in India. Additionally they sold arts and crafts from local vendors and neighbourhoods, as well as different spices and herbs for health and healing. Fabulous! I was in heaven. Not only did I find a great place to eat, but a place which had similar interests to my own, mainly being living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle with an infusion of social justice.
MOM became a regular haunt for me as the food was delicious and well priced, there was lots to read, and much to discuss amongst the people I would meet there or introduce the restaurant to, which was many in number. I celebrated American Thanksgiving at MOM which a group of individuals from America, Europe, Canada, Japan, and India.
In keeping with the theme of sustainability MOM also offered ‘sustainable walks’ through Udaipur. These were guided neighbourhood walks showcasing artisans, local gardens, or business focused on reusing materials, or creating products with little to no waste. MOM also offered to refill your water bottle with purified, filtered water to decrease buying the filtered water in plastic bottles, which is incredibly common amongst tourists, I am no exception! Great initiatives all around.
After becoming somewhat of a regular at MOM I was approached by one of the owners one evening for my thoughts about the restaurant. Anoop, one of four part owners wanted to pick my brain about how to promote the restaurant to tourists. As we spoke I mentioned that when I travel I usually don’t look for places to eat online, but through word of mouth or in this case advertising ‘gluten free’ options. However I mentioned how much I appreciated their efforts towards offering different grains, like amaranth and millet, being able to refill your water bottles, the sustainable walks, etc. I emphasizes how impressed I was by all of this and so happy to see and learn that these initiatives existed in India. The more I blathered on I mentioned how food politics played into all of this and mentioned Dr.Vandana Shiva; an extraordinary Indian activist focused on keeping GMO’s out of India and encouraging seed saving for local farmers. When I mentioned Dr. Shiva’s name, Anoop said that he knew her and that she had been helping them with some of their social justice related initiatives!!! Fabulous. Through MOM and Anoop I was able to attend a workshop on organic gardening in India, learn more about food based political issues in India and meet the amazing Dr.Shiva! What a great place!
A very big thank you to MOM for providing my body with tasty, nutritious, and alternative foods while in Udaipur, as well as bringing me into the India world of food politics, and of course, allowing me the opportunity to meet, and see twice see speak, the incredulous Dr.Vandana Shiva!
I had walked by Millets of Mewar several times before I actually went in. They had a sign out front which listed ‘gluten free’ food as a menu options. A great thing for me. I arranged to meet up with my Australian friend at Millets of Mewar, which soon became to be known as MOM to me, for breakfast one morning. As I tried to select a breakfast option the server/ co-owner helped me make my decision suggesting millet pancakes with scrambled eggs on the side. As I came to know the owners of MOM I learned that they not only offered gluten free options out of demand but out of sustainability. The owners wanted to open a restaurant that focused on healthy, sustainable foods. As such they wanted to provide alternate grains such as millet and amaranth. In India the main cash crops are rice and wheat and the diet is inundated with it! I was beyond thrilled. Also included in their menu were vegan food options and some organic food options. Everything I tried from the menu, which was almost everything, was beyond scrumptious!
After breakfast my Australian friend and I took a look around the restaurant, which is spread out amongst several levels, with a rooftop patio on the top floor, of course. In the restaurant they offered a wide assortment of books on cooking, food, grains, politics, socio-economic causes/issues in India. Additionally they sold arts and crafts from local vendors and neighbourhoods, as well as different spices and herbs for health and healing. Fabulous! I was in heaven. Not only did I find a great place to eat, but a place which had similar interests to my own, mainly being living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle with an infusion of social justice.
MOM became a regular haunt for me as the food was delicious and well priced, there was lots to read, and much to discuss amongst the people I would meet there or introduce the restaurant to, which was many in number. I celebrated American Thanksgiving at MOM which a group of individuals from America, Europe, Canada, Japan, and India.
In keeping with the theme of sustainability MOM also offered ‘sustainable walks’ through Udaipur. These were guided neighbourhood walks showcasing artisans, local gardens, or business focused on reusing materials, or creating products with little to no waste. MOM also offered to refill your water bottle with purified, filtered water to decrease buying the filtered water in plastic bottles, which is incredibly common amongst tourists, I am no exception! Great initiatives all around.
After becoming somewhat of a regular at MOM I was approached by one of the owners one evening for my thoughts about the restaurant. Anoop, one of four part owners wanted to pick my brain about how to promote the restaurant to tourists. As we spoke I mentioned that when I travel I usually don’t look for places to eat online, but through word of mouth or in this case advertising ‘gluten free’ options. However I mentioned how much I appreciated their efforts towards offering different grains, like amaranth and millet, being able to refill your water bottles, the sustainable walks, etc. I emphasizes how impressed I was by all of this and so happy to see and learn that these initiatives existed in India. The more I blathered on I mentioned how food politics played into all of this and mentioned Dr.Vandana Shiva; an extraordinary Indian activist focused on keeping GMO’s out of India and encouraging seed saving for local farmers. When I mentioned Dr. Shiva’s name, Anoop said that he knew her and that she had been helping them with some of their social justice related initiatives!!! Fabulous. Through MOM and Anoop I was able to attend a workshop on organic gardening in India, learn more about food based political issues in India and meet the amazing Dr.Shiva! What a great place!
A very big thank you to MOM for providing my body with tasty, nutritious, and alternative foods while in Udaipur, as well as bringing me into the India world of food politics, and of course, allowing me the opportunity to meet, and see twice see speak, the incredulous Dr.Vandana Shiva!
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