Guest guest Posted August 28, 2004 Report Share Posted August 28, 2004 > GMW:_BETRAYAL_IN_INDIA > " GM_WATCH " <info > Wed, 25 Aug 2004 22:22:11 +0100 > > GM WATCH daily > http://www.gmwatch.org > --- > The following excerpt from the article 'Confronting > the giant - Global GM technology and the small > farmer', originally published in 2001, could not be > more pertinent to what is currently happening in > India. > > For more on the work of the Deccan Development > Society: http://www.ddsindia.com > --- > BETRAYAL IN INDIA > http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=2167 > > Nowhere is the future of agriculture more critical > than in India, where the very existence of millions > of small farmers depends directly on the crops they > grow and the land they manage. In the Indian > countryside, hungry people as well as the > environment have been the ones to pay the price of > the new, industrialised agriculture, with its > unsustainable demands on ecosystems and scarce > natural resources, such as water. > > NEW GENE REVOLUTION > > The voice of Indian farmers has a special poignancy, > because they represent a nation which was betrayed > by the so-called 'green revolution' of the 1960s and > '70s. This had the effect of concentrating wealth, > land and power in the hands of the few who could > afford the expensive new seeds and agrochemicals, > and contributed to the migration of millions of > disenfranchised farmers to the cities, where they > have become the new urban poor. It is a tragic > reflection on the state of Indian agriculture that > during the last three years over 10,000 farmers have > committed suicide. > > Millions of people in India are still starving > today, despite the fact that the granaries of the > nation are full to bursting. In 2001, it is > estimated that there will be some 50 million tonnes > of food surplus, although most of this will go into > animal feed. Access to food is being denied to the > people who need it the most because they cannot > afford it, and there are inadequate systems of > distribution. It is a sad reality that with fair > distribution, every single person in the country > could have access to food. > > Many of the so-called experts who pushed the 'green > revolution' are now pushing the 'gene revolution'. > The potential outcomes are equally devastating, and > the movement in India against GM crops is one of the > most active in the world. Entire fields of GM crops > have been ripped up and burned, and many small > farmers are making a proactive stand in different > ways against the multinationals. They believe that > the kind of technology being offered cannot possibly > make food cheaper, and will simply make things > worse. > > ONE WOMAN'S VISION > > Lakshmi Umnapur is one such farmer. According to > tradition and birth, she is a 'dalit' or > untouchable; one of the lowest castes in society. As > a single mother, who supports a young daughter and > both her mother and father from her work on the > land, she might be labelled by western society as > 'socially marginalised'. However, she is playing an > important role in the empowerment of India's small > farmers. > > Lakshmi is a seed keeper, and one of 5,000 women > farmers involved in a scheme co-ordinated by the > Deccan Development Society (DDS) in the Medak region > of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. As the owner of > just 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of land, she is the > guardian of 85 different crop species, including > sorghum, pigeon and chick pea, barley, lentils, mung > bean, oil seeds, and her own favourite, millet, of > which she has seven different varieties. She speaks > enthusiastically about the nutritional and > health-giving properties of the wild green leafy > vegetables which grow amongst her crops, and which > would have been destroyed by an agrochemical based > system years ago. Not surprisingly, she is entirely > self-sufficient. > > Soil fertility and stabilisation are important > concerns for farmers in the region, which receives > an average of just 800mm (31Hin) of rain a year. > Most of this falls in downpours during the monsoon > season and is wasted, since it cannot be absorbed by > the parched soil. Lakshmi lives in an area ravaged > by soil erosion, yet by using an elaborate system of > multi-cropping, nitrogen fixers, manure and living > green mulch plants, she has created soil with an > unrivalled richness and fertility. Her attunement to > the seasons and weather is natural and instinctive, > and plays an integral part in her understanding of > the earth and its processes. > > Outside help is only called in for a few days of the > year. For one day, she will draw on the support of > 30 people from the village to do the weeding. She > says that this only needs to be done once, since the > weeds all have their place within the system. The > only other time labour is called in is to help with > harvesting the pigeonpeas, which involves some 15 > people over several days. These helpers are all paid > in kind, not cash. > > SELLING OUT THE FUTURE > > Six to seven years ago, many small farmers in > Lakshmi's village were influenced by the marketing > ploys of government policy makers and multinational > companies, and started to use new, supposedly > 'improved' but sterile hybrid seed varieties. The > seed produced a good harvest, but villagers were > afflicted by previously unknown allergies when they > ate the produce grown from it. They were able to > sell their crops on and were left with a small > amount of cash - but more critically, they had no > seeds and nothing to eat. Now caught up within the > global marketing system, they were forced to buy > both food and next season's seed, instead of using > their own carefully saved varieties, developed over > generations in the tradition which had sustained > their families for centuries. > > This disaster could, as in so many other regions, > have driven the people from their land and villages > to become just another statistic in the often-quoted > millions of starving, disenfranchised urban poor. > Fortunately, two farmers in the village had refused > to plant hybrids, and still held the traditional > varieties of seed. Supported by the Deccan > Development Society, villagers have been encouraged > to take the responsibility for food production back > into their own hands and now use a combination of > permaculture and traditional methods of mixed > cropping, rotation, pest control and fertilisation. > > As a seed keeper, Lakshmi has taken six years to > gather her 85 varieties of food plants, and now > shares the seed with other farmers. The money she > makes from any sales of seed goes to develop further > conservation and distribution, and with > encouragement from the Deccan Development Society, > she is participating in a sangam', or community seed > bank programme. > > BUYING LIFE ITSELF > > But the multinational companies now have a new > wonder product to bestow upon the farmers of India. > Their representatives have been visiting rural areas > looking for interesting varieties and species of > plant life, and buying up 'Intellectual Property > Rights' - as if life itself was a commodity to be > bought and sold on the open market. They are now > returning to the farmers bearing free gifts of > genetically modified seeds, often developed by > changing a single gene in traditional varieties > developed by the farmers themselves. > > Lakshmi sees the shadow of control and > disenfranchisement looming yet again, as it did in > the disastrous days when her village was offered > hybrid seed. She says, 'First you take my seed. Then > you take my land', and is suspicious of anyone who > offers seed. But this time her village has the > support of people such as Salome Yesudas of the DDS, > who is working with women farmers like Lakshmi in > some 80 villages across the region. They are being > offered practical education and skills training > (Lakshmi is now also a film maker), and have set up > several alternative schools offering practical craft > and rural skills to young people. They are finding a > voice, and becoming equipped to stand up for what > they believe in. > > Farmers like Lakshmi and Percy [schmeisser - > featured in an earlier part of the article] are > facing the challenge of GM head on. They are > demonstrating that multinational companies and the > rulings of governments across the globe cannot be > allowed to force individuals into subservience, > poverty and disenfranchisement or to despoil their > heritage. Whilst they come from very different > cultures, their battle is the same. It is the > unifying struggle for human rights, quality of life, > and the ultimate future of our planet. > > Charlotte Philcox is a founder member of Aylsham > Permaculture Group. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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