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Conserving biodiversity and cul-tural diversity, and deepening

food and earth democracy are Nav-danya’s goals and ends. They are also the means through which we reach our goals.

When I started Navdanya in 1987, my big concern was saving seeds and biodiversity from the threat of patents and genetic engineering. That is why I started Navdanya by setting up community seed banks, to protect the diversity of our seeds as a commons and the freedom of the seed as well as farmers’ freedom to save and exchange seed.

ing 7.5 million homeless. Yet human settlements behind healthy mangrove forests suffered little. Thus “natural disasters” have a major component of “manmade disasters” - both by triggering disasters through climate change and by reducing resilience and increasing vulnerability to disasters by destruction of biodiversity.

The resilience and wide adaptabil-ity of farmers’ seed varieties is clear from the fact that while commercial and public sector varieties of salinity resistant rice failed to rehabilitate agriculture in Ersama, Orissa in the aftermath of the super cyclone and floods of 1999, a farmer’s variety from the Navdanya Project in West Bengal proved extremely successful.

Farmers have developed and have been using these varieties for over hundreds of years; genetic en-gineers in multinational companies like Monsanto are just waking up to their potential.

The salt tolerant rices that had been saved in Orissa were distributed by Kusum and Ashok to farmers whose land had become saline because of the cyclone. This is how we started our ‘Seeds of Hope’ campaign.

In 2004, when the tsunami devas-tated the coastal agriculture in Tamil Nadu, Navdanya was able to share the salt tolerant seeds of Orissa with the farmers of Tamil Nadu.

Salinisation of soils became a major problem in Orissa, as it did

DIvErSITY, DEMOCrACY AND WEAlTH PEr ACrE

Vandana ShiVa*

*Dr. vandana Shiva is the Founder and Managing Trustee of rFSTE/Navdanya

Navdanya stands up for Earth Democracy and Food Sovereignty and contributes to greater Wealth per Acre through seed saving and biodiverse organic farming.

Navdanya’s community seed banks are living, both in terms of living com-munities that participate and protect the seed, and in terms of the seeds growing, adapting and constantly evolving. living systems evolve and adapt. Genetically manipulated seed loses the resilience that adaptive ca-pacity brings. We protect the seeds of life and seeds of freedom.

Conserving biodiver-sity as well as

cultural diversity, and deepening food and

earth democracy are Navdanya‘sgoals and ends.

Setting up a seed bank involves collecting seeds, conserving seeds, multiplying seeds and distributing seeds. Each step needs care. Each step needs knowledge.

When we started the seed bank in Orissa under the leadership of Kusum Misra (see also p. 14) and Dr. Ashok Panigrahi, we did not anticipate how that effort would help in rejuvenating the agriculture of coastal Orissa after a terrible cyclone hit its coasts.

October 1999 saw the impact of a ‘super cyclone’ that struck Orissa, killing at least 10,000 people and mak-

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in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. More than 5203.73 ha of agricultural land in Nagapattinam were affected by the tsunami. The saline resistant rice varieties that have helped farmers of Ersama to recover their agriculture work were shared by the Navdanya farmers of Orissa with the tsunami affected farmers in Nagapattinam. The varieties included Kalam Bank, Kartich Patini, Chara Akhi, Dhala Patini, Dud-heswar, lilabati, luna and Sola.

On Christmas day, December 25, 2005, I visited the farmers who had received the Orissa rices. They were resilient both to salinisation caused by the tsunami and by floods. The seeds of hope had truly spread.

Navdanya worked with the Joint Directorate of Agriculture and the NGO network in Nagapattinam to distribute saline resistant rice varieties, to carry out surveys of damage, and to provide training for the recovery of agriculture through biodiverse organic farming. The results of soil testing in several villages of Nagapattinam showed that the sale level (EC) of the soils in the affected areas had risen

In 2004, after undertaking a yatra through the “suicide belt” of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, we realized that one of the reasons for farmers’ suicides was the creation of a Monsanto monopoly in seed through Bt. Cotton and the disappearance of an alternative seed supply

In 2006, when Monsanto / Mahyco started trials of Bt. Brinjal we started community seedbanks saving veg-etable seeds in Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. This has become the basis of Navdanya’s organic vegetable supply. The demand for organic vegetable is so high that we had to open an outlet dedicated to organic vegetables.

Every seed we save and every farmer who goes organic provides an alternative to the growing monopoly over seed.

Food Sovereignty

Navdanya builds food sovereignty on the foundation of seed sovereignty and biodiversity. Farmers come to

in Kasargod where Endosulfan was sprayed on cashew plantations for 20 years. More than 9000 people are crippled. The innocent victims did not cause the toxic pollution. It was caused by powerful corporations who influence decisions and have blocked a ban on Endosulfan - even as people die and children are born disabled.

On 7th July this year, we organised a conference on ‘Poison Free Food’ to highlight the ecological, economic and health costs of pesticides. On 13th July, Navdanya intervened with Dr. ravindranath Shanbhag in the Supreme Court case on En-dosulfan.

Organic farming provides an alter-native to chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers kill soil organisms, pollute water, create dead zones, and emit nitrogen oxides that destabilize the climate. Chemical fertilizers also use up scarce public resources. More money is spent on chemical fertilizers than on India’s defense. And as the bomb blasts in Mumbai on July 13th showed, chemical fertilizers can also be used to make bombs. Again if these risks and costs were internalized, chemical farming would be a luxury no one could afford.

Just as we need to move from ‘yield per acre’ to ‘health per acre’ to get the true nutritional calculus of food, we need to move from subsidies and false prices to mea-suring ‘wealth per acre’ to get the true economic calculus of food. The first shift this makes is assess-ing the returns the farmers get, not the profits agrichemical and seed corporations make.

The second shift would include internalizing all externalities – the ecological and health costs of toxics in our food and agriculture.

The final shift it would make is reclaiming the original meaning of wealth - which is wellbeing.

Committed to organic

As a result of over two decades of dedication, today we are called on to support larger efforts to promote organic farming.

Bija vidyapeeth at Navdanya’s Con-servation and Organic Farm near Dehradun, to learn the principles and practices of biodiverse organic farming. And the Navdanya team goes to different parts of the country, as well as to Bhutan to work with farmers to go organic. The farmers self-organise as producer groups to market their surplus. Our principle is: first food security for the family and community, then organic food for the market. This decentralized approach based on self-organisation protects biodiversity and deepens food democracy.

And since Navdanya members grow biodiversity, there is biodiversity on our tables and our plates, contribut-ing to nutrition, taste and quality.

Biodiverse and chemical-free

Biodiversity on our farms allows us to practice chemical free agriculture. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides damage the ecology and our health. If these costs were internalized, no one would be able to afford chemical agriculture. For example the number of honey bee colonies dropped from 4.4 million in 1985 to less than 1.9 million in 1997. Honeybees are involved in pollination providing farmers with an essential natural service.

A major issue related to toxics is the pesticide Endosulfan. The U.N has banned it. Most countries of the world have banned it. The Supreme Court has ordered an in-terim ban. 1000 people have died

Navdanya builds food sovereignty on the foundation of seed

sovereignty and biodiversity. Our

principle is: first food security for the family and community, then

organic food for the market.

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On 5th of May, I was invited to a major conference on the Future of Agriculture held in Washington D.C. The conference was opened by HrH Prince Charles.

Besides the Government of Bhutan, the Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar have made a commitment to go organic and are seeking Nav-danya’s support.

On 19th May, I was invited by the Government of Madhya Pradesh to the launch of their organic initia-tive, and on 22nd of June, the Bihar Government invited me to the launch of theirs.

There is a new awareness grow-ing in India and worldwide that business as usual is not an op-tion. Even while the biotechnology and pesticide industry pushes genetically modified crops and poisons through unethical and un-democratic means, our organic move-ment grows.

Addressing the crisis

Today we face a triple emergency: The emergency of the agrarian crisis and farmers’ suicides, the emergency of hunger and malnutrition, and the climate emergency

We need to measure ‘health per acre’ to get the true nutritional calculus of food, and ‘wealth per acre’ to get the true

economic one. We have to reclaim the original meaning of wealth – which is wellbeing.

Biodiversity based organic farming that we promote addresses all three crises simultaneously:

• It reduces costs of production thus increasing farmers’ income.

• It increases production of nutritious healthy food thus offering a solu-tion to hunger and malnutrition.

• And it is resilient to climate change thus lowering the risks of small and marginal farmers.

Contrary to the myth promoted by agribusiness, organic farming can feed the world while protecting the planet.

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Since time immemorial women have been the producers, pro-

cessors and providers of food - not just food but Good Food. It took a couple of centuries for the scenario to be completely reversed. Agri-culture shifted from farmers’ hands to scientists’ labs - scientists driven by the corporate interests of the

Food Industry giants. Processing too slipped away from women’s hands into the mega processing units of these giants. The disastrous results of this greed-led phenomenon upon health, ecology and livelihoods are well documented. In the face of this unviable situation, recogniz-ing women as “the traditional food

experts”, Navdanya launched its Mahila Anna Swaraj programme in 2003, to put back Food Security, Food Safety and Food Sovereignty into women’s hands.

The Mahila Anna Swaraj pro-gramme operates at several levels. On one hand, under this programme Navdanya sources

FrOM SEED TO FIElD TO PlATE – WOMEN, THE PrOvIDErS OF GOOD FOOD

The multiple faces of Navdanya’s Mahila Anna Swaraj Programme (Women’s Food Sovereignty Programme) and how it impacts women’s lives.

Maya Goburdhun, director naVdanya Vinod bhatt, deputy director

raGubir SinGh rawat, proGraMMe coordinator

Women from Rudraprayag present their products during a Mahila Anna Swaraj Meeting at the Navdanya Farm.

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5

artisanally processed products from already existing women’s groups such as the Mahila Charkha Samiti and Jiyo or informal women’s col-lectives as the ones in Mumbai and Balasore.

These products range from a diversity of pickles to a diversity of papadoms (ed. thin, crisp lentil flour bread with different flavours), and badis (ed. dried lentil dumplings). They are unique not only because of their gentle processing and light carbon footprints but also be-cause their taste is authentic, original and distinctive; they are as such a symbol of women’s age old food wisdom.

On the other hand, Navdanya encourages women of the villages where it works to organize themselves into a Mahila Anna Swaraj Samooh (Women’s Food Sovereignty Self-Help Group).

A women’s group in the Garhwal Himalayas processes fruits.

Handmade by women: Tasty papadoms (left) and badis.

In the following women from Garhwal tell about their groups and about how the ‘Samooh’ becomes a very empowering and liberating fun space, where women work, sing and dance, manage funds, in a spirit of solidarity and independence.

For the purpose of this article, the women have been chosen from samoohs which are engaged in

food processing, keeping alive for-gotten or heritage grains like millets, red rice or spices and running home stays to give the full Seed to Table experience to those who want to sample it.

As they share what it means to be part of a Mahila Anna Swaraj Samooh, we get a whiff of how the Seed to Table movement unfolds.

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Juna Devi (50) from village Saur in Uttarkashi is a member of the Kedar Katha Mahila Anna Swaraj Samooh since 2003.

Before joining the Navdanya move-ment she was a farmer, struggling to run her life - like most others in her region. Being a Samooh member has transformed her into an empowered, informed and outspoken woman. This is her story:

<< Navdanya encouraged us to start a group and some income generating activities. We formed a group with nine members. Now our group has a joint bank account at Uttarakhand Gramin Bank at Naitwar.

Navdanya trained the members in processing local fruits and flow-ers - both wild and cultivated - like apple, amil (seabuckthorn) and burans (rhododendron flower). Navdanya also gave us utensils and tools required for processing. Now, we are also collecting raw material and juice from other Mahila Anna Swaraj Groups of Fitari and Gangar and process them into squashes, jam and jelly,

which we sell to Navdanya. Navdanya also procures rajma, amaranth, buck-wheat, etc. from different Anna Swaraj groups in other villages. Besides Navdanya, we also sell our produce in local markets and through district and block level exhibitions. Now each woman of our group is earning enough money to fulfil her needs. We feel proud because now we do not have to request our family members for money.

There are about 120 families in our village and almost everybody is an organic farmer. Since we joined the Navdanya movement in 2003, we do not use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Now we all are self reliant: we have our own seeds, and we make our own compost and herbal pesticides. Navdanya trained us how to increase soil fertility and control pests and diseases by using available natural resources. Now our crop yields have stabilized and are increasing every year. In the past seven years yields have almost doubled. In village Jakhol where farmers are using a lot

Saur village, Uttarkashi: Members of the local Mahila Anna Swaraj group at the entrance to their seed bank.

of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, production of potato is merely 4 to 5 times of the seed rate, whereas in our village we are getting a potato production more than 7 times the seed rate. This is more or less the same for other crops.

I look after the community seed bank. We are saving 28 types of crop seeds. All these crops are being culti-vated every year and consumed by the villagers. We have three varieties of buckwheat- Fafra, Chawari and Ogal, two varieties of amaranth, two varieties of chenopodium and seven varieties of rajmas (kidney beans).

Navdanya also encouraged us to keep a room in our house to host visitors who come to our village to see Navdanya’s work in the region. Thus we also earn from hosting guests who pay for staying and for food. We are grateful to Navdanya for having made our life better within a few years time. We take pride in being a part of the Navdanya movement which is trying to make poor villagers happy and self reliant. >>

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Rameshwari Devi (47) is a seedkeeper who conserves millets in village Ramol-gaon of Pratapnagar, Tehri Garhwal:

<< I got married at the age of 18. I still remember my father’s words before marriage: “Do farming for food security and rear goats to earn money”. From my childhood, I had a great inter-est in and an affinity for farming.

We were using chemical fertilizers some years back. But from 2007 on-wards we have been doing organic farming. This is thanks to rukmani, Navdanya’s regional coordinator who worked hard to motivate the farmers to adopt sustainable organic farming practices.

I went to the Navdanya Biodiversity farm in Dehradun with other farmers for training; there we got recipes of various techniques of organic farming. I also brought earthworms from the Navdanya farm and multiplied them at my home. Now, many farmers in the village are making vermicompost. We also use Jeevamrit, Ghanamrit, and Mataka Khad on our farm. All these techniques helped a lot in enhancing our crop production. Now our produc-tion is almost double of what we were getting six years back when we were using chemical fertilizers. Now we are not just getting more yields but are also saving in input costs.

Finger Millet (Ragi / Mandua) is today again an appreciated food.

More than 80 percent of our farming depends on natural rain fall. So as a security against drought we cultivate Mota Anaj (millets) and Dal (pulses). There was no market for the millets like Mandua (finger millet) and Jhangora (Barnyard millet). They used to be treated as too inferior food for human consumption. But, Navdanya re-established the age old reputation of these crops through scientifically proven and convincing arguments. Now millets – which earlier people were feeding to cattle - have become

an important food for daily consump-tion in the villages. I have also seen many high profile people joyfully eating Jhangora and Mandua at the Navdanya farm in Dehradun. There we felt proud that the poor man’s food got such a high praise amongst the elite as well.

I am also a member of Khushhali Mahila Anna Swaraj Samooh initiated by Navdanya. I bear the responsibility of treasurer of the group. We have a joint bank account. There are eight more such types of groups working in other villages of the area and each group has 20 women members. Nav-danya procures Jhangora and White Bhat (traditional white soybean) from all these Anna Swaraj Groups. There is also a great demand for Awa Jao (‘naked’ barley) which is again a traditional crop grown in our region for generations.

The changing climate is leading to failure of many crops - either due to drought or heavy rainfall. These are very tough times to survive. Navdanya is helping us in this situation by pro-viding climate resilient seeds of those crops that have failed totally in the region. The most important is that Navdanya provides us moral support and alternatives to face the changing climate. >>

Sunita Devi (31) of village Chanika in Uttarkashi is a farmer and also the treasurer of Kutalti Mahila Anna Swaraj Samooh. She tells how pros-perity was brought back to her vil-lage through the conservation of red rice paddy:

<< Till 2004 we had a misconcep-tion in our mind that chemical fertil-izers like urea and DAP are essential for good yields. This was actually inculcated by the government agri-culture extension officials. But after some time we observed that our land got addicted to the chemical fertilizers because production reduced drasti-

cally when we didn’t use chemical fertilizers. Actually we were caught in a desperate situation. Our area is known for a unique variety of red rice - very tasty, highly nutritious and a coarse grain rice variety – which responded badly to chemical fertiliz-ers. The crop lodged when we used a lot of chemical fertilizers, especially urea, due to excessive growth of the stalk. Government extension officials introduced short straw varieties of rice to avoid lodging. Thus some farmers started growing new high yielding varieties. But farmers were also using chemical fertilizers in their

wheat crop. We lost our traditional long straw wheat variety, known as Misri wheat. I firmly believe that our Misri is one of the tastiest wheat in the world. luckily the situation has changed after the intervention of Navdanya. Now no farmer in our vil-lage uses chemical fertilizers.

We now use well decomposed compost, vermicompost, Jeevamrit and Ghanamrit instead of chemical fertilizers, and we get better returns than the chemical farmers. During the past six years, the production of red paddy has increased from 10 quintal to 14 quintal per acre.

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Harshi Devi (27) is an organic farmer and the president of Durga Mata Mahila Anna Swaraj Samooh from village Ginwala. She cultivates more than 15 crops in her 1.5 acre farm land: turmeric, garlic and white bhat (soya) as cash crop and wheat, paddy, jhangora, mandua, kulath, urad, tuar, rayans (ed. the latter four are differ-ent dals) and vegetables for home consumption:

<< All the farmers in our village are organic farmers since 1999 when we formed a Navdanya Jaiv Panchayat. Through the Jaiv Panchayat we were able to protect our village forest.

Our Durga Mata Anna Swaraj Samooh came in existence in January

An appetizing red rice dish

Garlic and turmeric are cash crops for the women farmers of Durga Mata Mahila Anna Swaraj group in village Ginwala.

Navdanya procures all excess red paddy from our group. All transactions are done through a bank account. In addition to the cost, an extra 2 percent of the total procurement price is also deposited for our group for collecting the paddy in the village from farmer members. The price of red paddy has increased from rs. 8/kg in 2006 to rs. 22/kg in 2011. Much of our red rice is also going to Himachal Pradesh. Our group bank account is growing very fast. Whenever guests or school kids visit our village, our group prepares a community lunch for them, and of course we get paid for our good services. All this money

2010. It consists of ten women mem-bers. We have a bank account at the State Bank of India at Agastyamuni, about 3 km from the village. We have regular monthly meetings on the 16th of every month. Each member of the group is saving rs. 50 per month. We provide loans to needy members. All the accounts are managed as per guidelines of Navdanya, and its field staff provides us with trainings from time to time. Our women’s group has earned rs. 1800 as commission by collection of turmeric and white bhat soya from other Navdanya farmer members. Navdanya is giving us 10 to 15 percent more than the local market for our organic produce, and

2-5 percent additional amount is given to our Samooh for collection and handling the produce.

Navdanya opened the way for marketing of organic Jhangora (Barn-yard millet) and Mandua (finger mil-let). Once sold for 2-3 rupees, now Mandua and Jhangora are fetching rs.14 to 20 per kilo, which is more than for wheat.

We won’t forget the contribution of Navdanya in making our life better. We are confident that we are capable of not only solving our problems but earning extra money through organizing ourselves. Navdanya has shown us light which we’ll never let go off. >>

is deposited in the joint account of the group.

During her recent visit Dr. Shiva agreed to support our group in es-tablishing a good quality rice mill.

This will solve our problem of milling rice in the village itself and will help us in selling red rice instead of the paddy, which will definitely increase our profit margin. >>

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help each other in the fields. The Samoune group has started a small business in vinowapuri collecting, buying, cleaning and packing crops from organic certified farmers in the area. The cleaning work takes place on Asha’s veranda, and once the crops are packed they are sent to Delhi to be sold. Each woman is paid an individual day rate for her work and then the group receives a small percentage of the overall buy-ing budget from Navdanya, which is then paid into the Samoune communal bank account.

small or to give the children pocket money.”

When asked how to make a good women’s group, she replies, “Work in unity. Anyone who is not doing agriculture should do agriculture and get grain. Money can be found anywhere, but the grain we can only find in the field, not in the bank.” Asha has also recently trained to be a weaver and works with a local NGO and six other women to make shawls, stoles and mufflers in Sauri vinowapuri. The NGO provides the wool and cotton, and also facilitates the sales of the products at stores and exhibitions in Agastyamuni, Dehradun and Delhi.

Asha balances her life between the roadside at Sauri vinowapuri and “the village” (Chond). She says; “Our children study here (near the road). The family will have problems if I stayed in the village. From here I can take care of everything.” It is impor-tant for Asha that her children get a good education: “If the children are studying in a good school and everything is ok, that is khushali (well being).” Her eldest daughter lavleen hopes to become a university professor.

In front of the house in Sauri vinowapuri, a new hydroelectric dam is being built. Tunnels are be-ing made through the mountainside using explosives day and night. When the tunnels and dam are completed, water from the river will be diverted through the centre of the mountain. Asha complains about the dust, which is everywhere. She also tells us how the villagers are concerned about the future effects the power plant will have on their lives. She says they worry about increased landslides in the area, the possibility of flooding if the dam breaks and that the water in the river below “will be lost”.

The following profiles of women from the Garhwal Himalayas are excerpted from ‘Twenty Women Farmers’, a compilation prepared by Navdanya interns

LakShMi eaSSey, eVa Munk-MadSen, hannah cLaxton

Asha Bhatt divides her life between the house she and her family rent by the main road in Sauri vinowapuri, and the farm belonging to her father-in-law in Chond, 12 km by road and 5 km by foot up the mountain.

When she was married, Asha moved with her husband, Grish Bhatt, to Delhi, where he worked in sales and she worked as an embroiderer. Four years ago, they decided they wanted to move back to the mountains to do farming, and for her husband to pursue ‘flori-culture’ - growing, culti-vating and selling flowers. Today the family is making hundreds of garlands for Diwali from 150 kg of marigolds that come from their farm and other farms in the area.

Being close to the road allows Asha’s two children to go to school and university in nearby Agastyamuni. Asha spends an average of two to three days each week at the farm in Chond, helping her 84-year-old father-in-law work 100 nali (ed. 1 nali = approx. 200 square metres) of land. The family refers to the old man as ‘superman’ because he is so hard working. Asha has no time for rest when she goes to the farm. She says that she does “everything” when she is there. The farm has two buffaloes, a cow, a dog, a cat, flower meadows, fields for fodder, vegetables, as well as crops such as rice, dals, wheat, millet and amaranth. They recently planted a guava orchard of 400 trees, of which 250 have survived. Asha brings food back from the farm for the family. Sometimes she exchanges a small amount of crops for salt, oil or pulses.

Asha is a member of the Samoune Mahila Anna Swaraj. Samoune means ‘a taste of home’ or a home-made gift. The group is based in vinowapuri but many of the women live in Chond. Those who live close are able to

Asha Bhatt, 38,Sauri Vinowapuri village and Chond village,

Mandakini valley, Rudraprayag district

At the monthly group meetings, each member of the group contributes an additional rs 20 a month to the communal bank account. The group then uses the money to make small community loans. Asha says the group is good because “we are doing work and we get a profit. If I have some money then I save it in my own bank account, or use it to buy something

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Sarojani Devi has four daughters between age 14 and 20. All of them are in school. Sarojani manages 40 nali of land all by herself. Her daughters are unable to assist her and her husband cannot plough because he is ill. Her husband says that no one will farm here in the future once the daughters have moved to the families of their hus-bands, but Sarojani says: “If we can, we will do it, if we cannot, then we don’t know.”

Sarojani came to Sauri when she was 18 years old. Before marrying, she only learned how to cook. She says that In Tonada village where she was born there was another type of farming that uses more water. “Here the work is different.”

After Sarojani was married, her mother-in-law taught her farming. “She taught me ‘little little’ until I knew everything; it takes three to five years to gain experience in farming.

Sarojani says that she grows "everything.” Generally, the family is able to support itself from the land, but “due to climate change we have to buy food sometimes.” And, “there

is a very big problem with monkeys”, she adds.

It is hard work to be a farmer, according to Sarojani. Since January, she has had support in the form of the local Mahila Anna Swaraj group. She collects all kinds of seeds and

Sarojani Devi, 38,Sauri village, Mandakini valley,

Rudraprayag district

exchanges them with others in the village. The women’s group started in January and has already collected rs. 5,000 to rs 6,000. “We discuss what work we have to do, about seeds, how to make compost” says Sarojani, and “we also sing songs together”.

Sarojani believes it is important for her daughters to be educated so that they can “do well with farming.” Already she is teaching her daughters to make roti, to weed, to make com-post, to clean.

Concerning her daughters’ future, she says: “That depends on luck. If they can do a job that will be good, if they do agriculture then too they will do well.” Sarojani thinks studies help to do farming. She herself gained a better understanding of how much to sow which helps not to waste seeds. Sarojani is able to tell if a seed is good or not by the yield.

Her husband believes it is im-portant to grow food, because then it will be “pure.” According to her husband, if the rain is good they exchange some crops for salt, and if the harvest is enough, they sell some of the crops.

Meeting of Mahila Anna Swaraj groups from different regions at Navdanya’s Biodiversity and Conservation Farm near Dehradun.

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Shivday Metha (35), Jassi Metha (34) and Anita Metha (23) are sisters-in-law and all live in the same household in Souri with their mother-in-law. Shivday’s and Anita’s husbands live and work in Bombay while Jassi’s husband has a shop by the road and lives at home. It is mainly Jassi Metha who speaks, but they all seem to be in agreement.

“We have little land – 15 nali, that is not enough to feed our families. We have to buy food.” Their moth-er-in-law adds, “We can get food from farming, but we have a problem with monkeys. They [her daughters-in-law] do hard work and then the monkeys destroy the crops.” Jassi Metha continues: “We can grow 2-3 months worth of food per year. The food we grow is better than the food we buy; it is fresh and better for health.” Each of the three women

Second from left: Shivday Metha, 35, with her daughterCentre: Anita Metha, 23, with her young daughter

Right: Jassi Metha, 34, Sauri village, Mandakini valley, Rudraprayag district

has a cow and a calf. The milk is used for chai; they don’t make but-ter or ghee.

They always work together and when asked, they agree that they like everything about farm work. No one is superior when they make deci-sions about farming, as they share the same knowledge. However, the two elder ones still teach the younger. They all grew up in farming families, but “in our parents’ village we were only students and did kitchen work. We learned farming here”. Their mother-in-law has taught them. Concerning seed-saving they discuss which seeds to collect; it is a sharing of experience.

As their husbands have jobs out-side the village they could buy all the food they need; however they believe it is important to continue farming the land. “Everyone should

do their work in the field. If we do no work, only grass will grow and that is no good.”

There are two problems in farming: the monkeys and the weather. Their mother-in-law explains: “Where the monkeys used to live they are now doing construction (hydro-power), so now the monkeys are coming here. The weather has also changed. Some-times it doesn’t rain and sometimes we get heavy rain.”

Other than farming they do a little sewing. All of them are part of a Mahila Anna Swaraj group. At their last meeting they had foreign visitors from Navdanya. Normally they collect money, discuss about seeds or com-post and exchange knowledge. They also have fun at meetings. “You don’t know our language. We also make fun of you, but you don’t know. This is also fun.”

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Once upon a time, I decided to leave the Bija vidyapeeth farm

for a week to figure out whether or not this ‘organic bubble’ was unique.

A simple enough task, for those who don't get carsick! I just needed to wake up early to catch the bus at 6.30am at Dehradun's railway station.

Once in Purola, 6 hours later, I took a jeep, directly to Sankri.

On the road, I slowly consumed the wonderful vistas of the Himalayas, terrace farming, traditional archi-tecture, and the warm welcome of Garhwali people. I excitedly awaited the moment we pulled into the village.

MY “SEED-TO-TABlE” WEEK AT SANKrItiphaine burban*

*Tiphaine Burban, 21, is a political science student from France. She was a Navdanya intern from January to June 2011. (See also Interns’ Days at the Farm, page 32)

Once I stepped out of the car, I took a moment to breathe in one huge gulp of air that condensed all of the beauty and peace into one moment. In this little village, 3 days trekking away from Harki-Dun, I was surrounded by snow peaks and gently sloping terraces as I settled into my new house.

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Balbeer, Navdanya’s coordinator for Sankri area, was the perfect host. In a wooden house in the village of Sour, a part of Sankri, I found a little piece of home. My room was an invit-ing cocoon but the smiles of Balbeer’s family prevented me from running under the warm blanket for a nap! In-troductions were made over steaming cups of tea, and I could already feel that this week promised me a great experience. And so it was...

let's start with the beginning, the food! Without food, there is no work, without food, there are less convivial moments of sharing, and without its amazing food, Sankri would lose some of its charm! In fact, every meal in this village is an experience of tasty diversity. During the week, almost every meal we enjoyed was different. I tried Seeda, two roti of rice flower stuffed with black wheat flower mixed with sugar and also, my new favourite, Aska, a steamed sweet roti of rice flower that you dip into ghee before savouring. They also mix rice with other grains - practicing biodiversity right on your plate. What I will miss most is the emphasis on dairy in the diet; we always enjoyed dahi, milk, and ghee at the meals. Thanks cows for keeping Sankri a calcium-rich place!

During all the meals, I was im-pressed by the quantity that the women, once they have fed all the fam-ily, could eat. After an amaranth cutlet, they sometimes enjoyed a Karku, pure ball of dough made of wheat flower and dipped in ghee, before eating a full plate of rice and dal. Amazing

and healthy. It requires an incredible energy to be a woman in Sankri.

This is what I may have liked the most about my time in Sankri: my participation with them in their daily work. Once again, it was an experience of biodiversity. I helped cutting grass for the cows and carrying it into the Kanda from the field on the hill to the house, weeding the rice field, plough-ing the field for the next rajma crop, drying the wheat and threshing it with the oxen, sowing pumpkin seeds and spreading compost, cooking for 200 persons, attending vandana Shiva's meeting and sharing their activism. All those activities were, for me, an intensive lesson in organic farming in the Himalaya in early June. Even though I tried my best to help Kamla, Balbeer's sister, and other women of the village in their work, I had to recognize that to be a woman in Sankri I would need the deep wisdom which is the result of a lifetime spent working at the heart of the harsh and beautiful mountains. The strength of those women to “produce life and provide sustenance” as vandana Shiva evocates in Staying Alive, is beautiful. They embody physically this strong beauty, challenging all models.

They promote another century’s fashion on their thin but strong bod-ies that they cover with pure woollen coats and vests they design them-

selves. When Balbeer's sister, Juna, dressed me in one of her white coats called Farji, I felt like a princess!

Finally, Sankri is situated in a mar-vellous valley. When I was not working in front of a mountain view, or when I wasn't staring at the clouds on the snow peaks drinking a chai and listen-ing to family stories, I had some time to explore Sankri's nature. On the way up to Juda's lake or down to the river, I was audience to an unimaginable biodiversity: from golden mushrooms to flowers with extra long tongues to bugs with extraordinary wings!

After one week, it was difficult to leave this place - its villagers, its food, and its landscape. However, it is now part of me. It was an intense life lesson that filled me with passion and energy to defend our nature, our cultures and the authenticity of such exchanges. Full of muscle aches but physically and mentally much stronger, I left that cool place in the early morning, remembering all the moments I spent with those “Pirates of the Himalayas”, as I love to call them.

My stay in Sankri, though ethereal and evocative of a fairy tale, is a real story. There are definitely other ‘or-ganic bubbles’, other heavens where convictions and passion challenge destructive modernism. It was worth seeing it to remain optimistic for our future!

In Sankri village: Tiphaine,

Navdanya Intern, enjoys preparing roti.

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rice is a cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the

diet of many people worldwide; it is a staple food for millions, especially in tropical latin America and most parts of Asia, making it the most consumed cereal grain.

rice provides more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans worldwide.

A traditional food plant in Asia, rice has the potential to sustain nutrition in the face of climate change and strengthen food security, foster rural development and support sustainable land care.

Rice Bowl Orissa

rice cultivation originated as early as 10 thousand B.C. in Asia. It is believed Orissa is the place of origin of the tall indica rice varieties. Cultivated under the protective care of the rice cultiva-tors, diversities in thousands appeared over centuries. At one point of time there were more than 15-25 thousand of these varieties widely cultivated in Orissa. As of now there are just about a thousand of them with the rest hav-ing vanished under the impact of the green revolution. Navdanya Orissa has, however, conserved about seven hundred of these varieties, and the number is increasing gradually every passing year with diversities appearing in the conservation field.

like the varied soil types, Orissa is also endowed with varied eco-climatic conditions. The West and North West are drought-prone, the East, is partly salt- and flood- and partly only flood-affected, and the South is flood-prone.

The average annual precipitation rate in Orissa is over 2,000 mms, sometimes reaching ± 3,000 mms and at other times, ± 1,100 mms as in 2009. Orissa has, however, abundant diversity of the three climate adapted rice varieties cultivated on thousands of hectares of moderate to extreme eco-climatic conditions; such as

• Salt tolerant varieties

• Flood tolerant varieties

• Drought tolerant varieties

The diversity also includes two other unique rice varieties, such as

• Aromatic varieties

• Therapeutic (medicinal) varieties.

Additionally, these rice variet-ies also sustain drought to some extent.

The indigenous rice varieties are a result of interactions of Darwinian factors as natural selection and artificial selection and mutation over centuries. Few Orissa farmers continue to pos-sess some of these rice diversities (if not all) till date in order to meet their diverse domestic consumption needs.

In view of the climate change, it is projected that an increase in the environmental temperature by 40C would reduce rice yield by 10%. But rice has been found to be quite cli-mate resilient. literature suggest that rice as a crop originally flourished in the dry climate of central Asia, and later spread to the flood plains of tropical Asia and thus evolved the low land rice varieties with better yield. The salt tolerant varieties also evolved the same way in the coastal flood plains.

rICE:STAPlE FOOD FOr MIllIONS AND

A ClIMATE rESIlIENT CrOP

kuSuM MiSra*

Orissa in Eastern India has a long and rich history of rice cultivation. Today, Navdanya puts much emphasis on Oriya’s Drought, Flood and Salt Tolerant Rice Varieties that ‘blossom’ also under difficult climatic conditions.

*Kusum Misra is Navdanya’s Seedkeeper in Orissa since fourteen years.

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Climate change is a happening. The seasons have become unpredictable; the quantum and frequency of rains, droughts and saline inundations have increased substantially. Consequently, paddy as a crop is getting affected, but it is more so with the hybrids and high yielding varieties. However, the climate adapted rice varieties that evolved naturally, sustain the impacts of climate change because of their inherent ability to adjust, adapt and sustain to provide yield.

Salt tolerant native rice

Under present estimate 10-35% of the world’s agricultural land is salt affected. The mechanism of salt toler-ance in nature has evolved slowly, over a long period of rice cultivation in the saline affected coastal belt of Orissa (and else where). There appears di-versity in salt tolerance as well; some extreme, others moderate. Seeds of Orissa’s salt tolerant land races such as lunabakada, Bhundi, Kalambank and Dhala sola were provided to farmers under Navdanya’s ‘Seeds of Hope’ programme in post-tsunami Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu) and in Indonesia. They caused miracles and produced, on an average, 35 and 54 tillers respectively with the SrI culti-vation method. (ed. System of rice Intensification is a method of paddy cultivation – started in Madagascar

in the 1980s – using less seed and water and no chemical fertilizers and pesticides.) The introduction of new seed varieties over a long distance may have been an additional factor of enhanced tillering – more the distance, greater the number!

In the entire plant kingdom, only a few varieties of plants have the ability to grow and sustain in salt stress environment. When it comes to the members of the family Poaceae (grasses), the number is limited to Porteresia coarctata and one or two varieties of Oryza sativa indica. It is because broadly plant growth is limited by salt stress. The plants that are adapted to sustain varied

degrees of salt stress have specific salt management strategies; that is, they are either excluders or excreters (secreters) or both.

These management mechanisms are found widely in the mangroves and a few allied species. In some excluders the roots are adapted to prevent entry of salt into the plant body. In others, the salt is packed into vacuoles in the cells and thus kept away. In yet others the salt is packed into old and dying leaves which soon fall off and thus excluded. In the excreters, however, there is a mechanism of regular salt elimination through salt glands and salt hairs located in the leaves.

Salt affected coastal rice land at Sartha Estuary, Balasore, Orissa: (left) High yielding variety, (right) Native variety.

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Porteresia coarctata is probably an excluder as neither any salt gland nor any salt hair is found in the leaves. The salt tolerant Oryza varieties are also salt excluders. Any salt that finds its way into the plant body may also be packed in to the old and dying leaves and thus suitably eliminated from the plant.

Salt exclusion in plants is basically governed by a gene– antioxidative enzyme system. The concerned enzymes are catalase (CAT) guiacol peroxidase (POX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) which are present in the root of the plant. The gene is a naturally developed one.

The salt tolerant rice varieties are like Porteresia, salt excluders although to a limited extend and have the ability to sustain limited salt stress. Hybrid and HYv rice varieties, so common these days, fail to sustain saline inundation and hence, cannot be cultivated in hundreds of thousand hectares of coastal saline inundated flood plains all over the world, espe-cially in tropical Asia.

researches currently being carried out in India and abroad to ‘develop’ climate tolerant rice varieties are un-necessary. Conservation and propaga-tion of the natural climate adapted varieties are necessary.

Natural diversity in rice is not lim-ited to the climate adapted varieties alone. There appears diversity within diversity. The salt tolerant rice land races are clubbed in to 2 categories; extremely salt tolerant (lunabakada) and moderately salt tolerant (Dhala sola). Grain size wise they are di-vided in to 3 categories: fine grain (Kalambank), medium grain (Medi)

and bold grain (Bhaliki). lemma colour wise they are of 3 categories: white (Dudheswar), red (Mayurkantha) and black (Bhundi). One among the salt tolerant rice land races such as Sankarchin is aromatic.

Farmers get back to land races

Ajamil Mandal from Sartha Estuaryin Balasore says:

<<My forefathers migrated from Kanthi ram Nagar area in Bengal and settled here. At that time this area close to the estuary was full of mangroves, Phoenix paludosa (hen-tala).Then the mangroves were cut to build houses and derive land for cultivation. Traditionally we used to cultivate salt tolerant rice land races like Bhundi, Bhaliki and Kalambank, etc. during kharif season only. In re-cent years we started cultivating HYv

rice varieties like Khandagiri mostly during rabi season. About 5/6 years ago we started to cultivate the HYv rice during kharif for better yield but the same was destroyed by saline inundations. Hence, we had to revert back to the salt tolerant land races. Before we never sought about seed exchange and never understood the importance.>>Gour Mohan Sahu from Sunhat in Balasore explains:<< I have 6 acres of salt affected rice land in Srikana pahi where I regularly cultivate moderately salt tolerant na-tive rice varieties like Patini, Sola and Askani. The land was earlier getting submerged by tidal water, but not now because of a check dam. I have never tried any HYv rice in my pahi land, maybe because it would not survive. >>

Oriya farmers - A grain of rice can tip the scale…

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Method:

Soak the rice for 15 minutes and strain. Heat ghee in a thick bottom vessel and fry cashew nuts in it till they turn golden brown. remove the nuts and keep them aside. Add raisin and toss them for a while, remove and keep aside. Add onions and garlic fry them until their colour changes, remove and keep aside. Add cardamom, cloves and bay leaves, toss them a little and add strained rice and fry for 10 minutes. Add double the quantity of boiling water and bring it to boil. Add sugar and salt to taste. reduce the flame and cover the vessel. Allow it to remain so till rice is cooked. Decorate the rice with cashew and raisin and serve hot.

Method:

Soak the rice in water for 4 to 5 hours, remove and strain. Grind it to fine powder and sieve it. Place a vessel with 1 litre of water on flame and allow it to boil. Add salt to taste. Pour the rice powder slowly in to the boiling water and continue to stir till the duff is formed without any lumps. remove the vessel and allow it to cool. Make medium size balls out of the duff and keep aside. Place a kadai on flame, dry-fry mung dal till its aroma is conspicuous. Pour boiled water in to it with little salt and allow it to boil till mung is made soft. Add jaggery and stir until all extra water is removed and the mung mass become sticky. Add cardamom powder and fennel and remove the kadai from flame. remove the stuff material and keep aside. Flatten the rice balls, put mung stuff on them and fold the edges to come in contact with each other and fuse them manually using water. Place the kadai on flame and pour cooking oil in to it, wait till the oil is hot. Place the stuffed balls in to the hot oil and fry till they turn gentle brown. remove them from oil and serve.

Ghee RiceIngredients:500 g Aromatic rice2 onions each cut into 8 pcs 5 cloves of garlic6 pcs. of clove5 pcs of cardamom5 bay leaves10 pcs of cashew nut10 pcs of raisin (soaked in water for 10 minutes) 1 tbs. of sugar1½cup of cow-gheesalt to taste.

A TASTE OF rICEAll the salt tolerant rice varieties are invariably good to taste and cook well. Flattened rice and parched rice made out of Askani, Bhundi, Kalambank, Sola and Patini etc are the most appreciated ones. Sankarchin is the preferred rice for kheer.

Kusum’s Rice Recipes

Mung Manda (Mung stuffed rice balls)

Ingredients:500 g non parboiled rice250 g Mung dal200 g Jaggery5-6 pcs of cardamom, powdered1 tsp fennel cooking oil to fry

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Devi Singh Barhat of village Udaipur Khurd in rajasthan is a

happy organic farmer. Udaipur Khurd is 10 km from Kishangarh, about 1 km off the Jaipur-Udaipur highway, and the Ajmer district headquarter is 30 km away.

70 years old Devi Singh is the father of a daughter and four sons. Shivraj Singh, his third son, is now looking after the family’s 60 bigha (12 acre) land. The other sons work outside the village, but they all religiously come together every year, at least twice or thrice, during the holidays of their children. The family has 16

members. Devi Singh’s daughter and a grand daughter (daughter of the eldest son) are married and have two children each.

The way to prosperity

According to Devi Singh, Navdanya and Shivraj Singh brought prosperity to his family. They came in contact with Navdanya through their young-est son, Sumer, who is associated with Navdanya since many years. Shivraj says that his younger brother told them all to join Navdanya a long time back, but finally they joined the movement in 2007.

“Before joining Navdanya we were not earning enough to cover the day-to-day needs for our family. I had also to work in other people’s fields as a labourer. Now I am earning enough for my family and have a good house, a motorbike and a bank account”, tells Shivraj. He, together with his father, works the fields. He also, together with another person, looks after the oil expeller which Navdanya had donated to the community.

Shivraj’s mother and his wife look after the home and the cattle. They have three buffalos and three calves, of which two will start giving milk by

OrGANIC FArMING CHANGED OUr lIvESVinod kuMar bhatt

An account of how switching to organic farming and becoming a part of the Navdanya movement has made lives better for Rajasthani farmers.

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the end of this year. They also had four cows of local breed, which they sold in the drought year of 2009.

On their 12 acres of land the family grows mung, lobia, moth, bajra, jowar and gwar in the monsoon season, and barley, chick pea and mustard in the winter season. After adopting organic techniques their production has gone up by 25-40 percent depending on the crop. 2009 was a year of drought, but even then they could get some crop in some of their fields, whereas, other farmers, who were doing chemical farming, could not even get the seed for the next crop.

“Now several farmers of our village and neighbouring villages started organic farming. There are 15 organic farmers in our village now”, says Shivraj with a bright light in his eyes. “Five farmers of Udaipur Kalan and four of village Godyana joined Navdanya in 2008. Now more and more are joining our fruitful associa-tion. I am asking other farmers to go organic too in order to survive in future. When people ask me about the reason for my success, I invite them to join Navdanya and start organic farming.

last year both - rabi and kharif - crops were very good. For the last two years we have been selling our crops to Navdanya, which is buying the produce from our home at a 10% premium price. Other than that we also save on transportation, pack-aging and time, time which earlier we had to spare for going to the market for selling our crop.

last year after keeping enough crops for our household and for our sister and brothers’ families, we sold crops for rs. 1,72,000, of which only about rs. 40,000 was total expenditure from sowing till harvesting. The rest was our earning which we used for house maintenance and other needs of the family.”

At the request of the community in 2010 Navdanya donated an oil expeller (Katchi Ghani) to the organic farmers group in Udaipur Kalan for oil pro-cessing. Devi Singh donated a piece of land for the ghani to be installed. Shivraj Singh took charge of looking

after the ghani. The farmers have employed a young man, an organic farmer from a neighbouring village, for running the ghani. The committee charges rs. 40 for processing 10 kg of oil seed. In 2010 the group earned rs. 8000 making oil. Earlier, farmers had to travel 15 km from their village for processing their oil seed. Some-times their whole day was wasted in waiting for their turn because of the long queue.

a village seed bank. It will be run by the group under the leadership of Mrs. Aas Kanwar, wife of Devi Singh, who also donated land for the bank. Aas Kanwar is very excited about the seed bank which was completed recently. They started the ‘seed bank’ in a corner of their home in 2009 dur-ing the drought to save the seeds of the region. “Now we have a special building for our seed bank, which we will use also for farmers meetings and training. Navdanya’s field staff along with Dr. Shiva visits us regularly to guide and help us to make our life better”, says Aas Kanwar.

No longer in the dark

Shivraj says he will not forget the contribution of Navdanya in making his life meaningful. “A few years back I was working in others’ fields to look after my family; now I am giving em-ployment to other people and guide them to make their life better. Now I am earning enough from my fields and people in and around the village know me and my family”.

His father adds: “We would have been in the dark if we would not have adopted organic farming. Shivraj went to Navdanya’s farm in Dehradun for training and started organic farming here which really changed the mean-ing of life for our family”.

Shivraj (right) with co-worker at the Oil Processing Unit in Chota Udaipur, Rajasthan

A proud Devi Singh mentions that his son Shivraj started vermi-composting in 2009, and that since then the District Magistrate of Ajmer visited their farm twice and appreci-ated Shivraj’s efforts of promoting organic.

In 2007 Shivraj’s mother and wife started a self help group called Karni Mahila Swayam Sahayata Samuha, which associated with Navdanya in 2010. recently Navdanya helped the group to construct a building for

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Friends… sugarcane is a crop of which every part is valuable. Each

part has qualities and uses of its own. The shoot of the plant is used as cattle feed. Its dry leaves are used as fuel to cook the sugarcane juice. The fibers left after the juice has been extracted, are used in making paper. The best way to enjoy sugarcane is to suck its juice from the stem itself. The juice also adds a unique flavor to the Indian rice pudding kheer. And, of course, it is used to make jaggery, natural sugars as well as industrial sugar.

Growing sugarcane

Sugarcane is produced all across the Indian subcontinent, mainly in Maharashtra, West Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, and

Punjab where it is sown thrice a year. The first round of sowing takes place in March. The second follows in April and goes up to 15th May, the third and last in the year takes place in October. Almost four to five quintal seeds are sown.

The fields are irrigated for the first time after 20 days of sowing. The sowing of seed requires a lot of care and attention. The seed selection is of vital importance. The seeds sown should be free of any kind of disease and should preferably come from the top most part of the bud of the crop. The soil should be nourished with good quality compost fertilizers. After the first round of irrigation the field is dug and upturned four to five times; after that the field is irrigated again.

After a gap of five days the soil is upturned once again. This pattern is repeated twice.

The sugarcane crop can be infected by many pests and diseases like root borer, top borer, gurdaspur borer and termites. The crop is irrigated 15-16 times on an average. The produce from the first sowing is the best. The crop is harvested once it reaches the height of five to six feet. Harvests can be reaped for at least two to three years from one round of sowing.

The yield when using organic methods in one bigha of land is ap-prox. 50 quintals in the first year, and rise to 60 quintal in the second year. The quantity of produce is, of course, also determined by environmental circumstances like the weather.

SWEET AS SUGArudai bir*

Translation from Hindi by Kritika Singh

Sugarcane is a plant of many uses, and organic sugarcane ‘sweetens’ people’s life - as described by the Navdanya field officer in Uttar Pradesh

*Udai Bir (front, left) is a longstanding Navdanya Field Staff member. He is not only a specialist in organic sugarcane and its products; he also collaborates in many of Navdanya’s trainings and seminars.

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Harvest begins in November and continues till April. The farmers use tractors, trolleys or buffalo carts to transport the sugarcane to the masher or mills, or to kohl’s, indigenous processing units, where jaggery (un-refined, non centrifugal sugar) and shakar are made.

Making jaggery

To begin with, sugarcane is pressed to extract the juice. The juice is then put to boil. A type of ladyfinger called suklai is added to the cooking pot which causes the impurities to rise and be separated easily. Juice turns into jaggery after being cooked enough. It is cooled after forming lumps and stored in clean pieces of cloth.

Jaggery helps in staying fit. Its regular intake is said to reduce stom-ach problems like constipation and acidity. It also reduces the chances of developing diabetes. It is a good source of energy for the body. Its natural goodness can be maintained if unadulterated by chemicals.

Making sugar

The juice from sugarcane after be-ing extracted in a presser is cooked. A kind of ladyfinger called suklai is added to the juice which helps re-move impurities through the froth. It is cleaned this way repeatedly till the froth stops forming. The juice thickens into raab (molasses) as it is cooked. As it thickens into raab either baking soda or suklai is added. When organically made, the main component added is suklai; otherwise chemicals are used to convert the raab into fine crystallized sugar.

Organic sugar is very beneficial to one’s health. When added to desi ghee (clarified butter) it helps improve eye-sight. When added to milk it helps keep stomach problems away. People suffering from constipation are recommended to have milk with organic sugar.

Making vinegar

The sugarcane is crushed to extract its juice. It is stored in a covered vessel and kept in sunlight for about four days. After that the contents

are transferred to an earthen pot. A piece of iron is added to the juice. Then a small amount of old vin-egar is added followed by two fresh pieces of sugarcane. After this the juice is covered and kept in a spe-cial earthen pot which has a narrow mouth. The mouth is sealed with clay so that the contents are not influenced by factors like rain of fungus. The contents are left to fer-ment for about five months. When the vinegar is ready one should be careful that the weather outside is dry otherwise the vinegar gets spoilt when taken out. The vinegar needs to be filtered through a clean pieceof

Organic sugarcane is the source of jaggery or vinegar which make for many healthy food preparations - adding a sweet or savory touch to people’s diet and well-being

cloth. After filtering, it is left to ferment again, this time dry, red chilies and a small amount of old vinegar are added to it. Again one must be cautious that no moisture is able to enter the vessel so it should be sealed well. After a gap of ten days it has to be filtered again and the red chilies are removed. The vinegar is now ready for use.

vinegar adds a unique and enjoy-able taste to green chilies, radishes, mangoes and many more salads, veg-etables and fruits. It is also beneficial for people suffering from acidity and constipation. And it helps patients suf-fering from jaundice, stomach aches, stones, etc.

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Fair Trade for Navdanya goes beyond being just a transaction

where the producer gets a premium for following a higher social and environmental standard. For Nav-danya, Fair Trade implies creating an alternative system which is more sustainable for farmers and consum-ers, for the communities involved and for the Earth.

To enable tangible change to-wards a more sustainable society, it is important to engage at each level - from the micro to the macro. It is also important to provide action-able alternatives to the conventional choices and techniques. Navdanya is deeply committed to creating these alternatives and is directly involved with the individuals and communities in the entire process and value chain - from the seed to the table.

Conserving Ecology

At the core of Navdanya’s Fair Trade programme is the belief that only when we respect and care for our Earth will we be able to create a fairer and a more sustainable society. Therefore our Fair Trade programme is based on promoting bio-diverse and sustainable agricultural practices.

We actively promote bio-diversity to create a richer and more resilient ecosystem. Navdanya has success-fully conserved and popularized what were once the forgotten foods. right from providing farmers with

seeds and cultivation techniques to creating awareness and a market for these bio-diverse produce, Navdanya has made a direct and active effort at promoting diversity at the farms and on the food tables.

stores shows that there is a delec-table choice of food items like rice (we have over ten varieties of rice), pulses like Naurangi dal, Chakrata and Chitkabra rajma, and an array of cold pressed oils.

One of the key components of Navdanya’s fair trade programme is the promotion of sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agricultural practices not only conserve our Earth but also promote a healthier food chain. Our farmer members are trained in the organic cultivation techniques which promote natural inputs instead of the chemical based conventional options. We conserve and spread the use of diverse local seed variet-ies; demonstrate and train farmers in the use of techniques for enhancing soil fertility using vermin-compost, manure and other bio fertilizers like Panchgavya. Instead of pumping the soil and our food chain with poison-ous pesticides like Endosulfan and Malathion farmers are also taught techniques of using bio-pest control such as the use of Neem oil and Panchamrit. Farmers are also trained in water conservation techniques and more efficient utilization of natural wa-ter sources. Compared with conven-tional agricultural techniques organic agriculture requires lower amounts of water and therefore directly helps in water conservation.

To connect the farmers with the market Navdanya also assists them by arranging Organic Certification or by providing Participatory Guarantee Certification. Thus, by growing food

OrGANIC FAIr FINE FOOD FAIr TrADE AT NAvDANYA

abhiShek Jani*

One of the most tangible manifestations of Navdanya’s work and values is its Fair Trade Programme with its holistic approach - from the Earth to Communities to the Individual.

*Abhishek Jani is Financial Consultant and Fair Trade Manager Navdanya.

We have encouraged farmers to grow millets such as ragi, Amaranth, Bajra, Jowar, Jhangora and Shorgum and helped create awareness and markets for these highly nutritious grains through our fair trade market-ing platform. Our café has created innovative menus such as Amaranth Cutlets, ragi Idlis, Jhangora Upma and Jhangora Salads which have dem-onstrated to our consumer members how tasty organic, nutritious food can be. We have successfully intro-duced a nine-grain atta (flour) which celebrates the richness and diversity of our grains. A visit to the Navdanya

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through organic techniques farmers are able to get an additional premium in the market for their produce.

Strengthening Communities

For Fair Trade practices to have an ongoing and more sustainable im-pact, community level engagement is critical. Apart from becoming a local support mechanism, commu-nity activities are also important to protect the commons and collective interests.

Navdanya from the start has engaged with and worked towards strengthening local communities. We have helped organize and promote farmer groups across India. Navdanya has worked with these farmer com-munities to set up over 60 community seed banks, thereby enabling farmers to get GMO free seeds locally. Farmer groups have also been trained by our experts on sustainable agricultural practices, thus creating local support and learning networks. Some farmer groups have gone further to organize as local producer groups for processed food products. Navdanya has been an active partner in encouraging these farmer enterprises by not only providing technical expertise and financial assistance in the form of advances and loans but also helping the farmers to find markets for their processed products.

At the other end of the food chain Navdanya has also been actively working with consumer members, institutions and organizations creating awareness about ecological impact of conventional versus organic farming; farmer’s rights and the impact on health and nutrition values of chemi-cally grown crops versus organically cultivated food.

Navdanya has been periodically taking consumer groups to farms to interact with our member farmers from whom we procure, thereby bridging the links and creating confidence across the two communities. We believe bringing communities together helps create a positive cycle of trust and understanding, thereby building a society with greater commitment to sustainability and equality.

Navdanya staff and coordinators impart a Seed Course for farming communities. Promoting organic GMO-free seeds, community seed banks, organic farming techniques, the building of local producer groups and Fair Trade principles are some of Navdanya’s core issues.

Fair Trade starts with diversity at the farms and brings fair fine food to the plate.

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Providing a choice to Individuals

One of the key purposes of Nav-danya’s Fair Trade programme is to provide individuals with a choice to produce and consume food which is more ecologically sustainable, which provides greater economic independence to the farmers and is more nutritious and healthy for all the consumers.

For the farmers our programmes not only provide an alternative means of production - which is less dependent on the market inputs and more sustainable; but our focus on biodiversity based production also ensures that the farmers practice multicropping and therefore are able to fulfil a larger part of their household food requirements. Unlike the mono-culture based ag-ricultural practices, our farmers are trained to plant the right combination of crops on the same fields so as to get a wider and a more nutritious basket of produce, and at the same time these multi-cropping techniques also replenish the soil nutrition. These production techniques help farmers gain greater food security and inde-pendence - and thereby approaching the market to generate additional income rather than being completely at the mercy and dependence of the market forces for even day to day sustenance.

For the consumers in the urban markets, Navdanya’s Fair Trade Organic outlets provide a choice of pure, natural and nutritious food. The outlets also provide a channel to directly connect with the farmer groups and to engage in research and fact based decisions about what they choose to consume and the pros and cons of their choice.

Bridging the urban-rural divide

The economic boom that India has been experiencing since the 1990s has numerous success stories of people being raised from below poverty levels, and of businesses prospering and competing at international levels.

Equally it is now an accepted fact that the economic boom has been somewhat partial to some. It has increased the divide been the rich and poor: the rich are getting richer, and contrary to the trickledown theory, the poor are getting poorer. This growing wealth divide is also being displayed across the urban- rural divide and the different sectors of economy as the value addition by the service and industrial sectors dictates the price and quantity of inputs generated by the agricultural sector.

It is in this context that Navdanya’s Fair Trade programme aims at re-establishing the rural economy and the farmer groups as key contributors in the value chain.

Be fair, buy fair: Urban Indians can buy organic good food – for everyday and special occasions - at the Navdana Shops in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon and Dehradun. (In the picture: At the Organic Shop at Hauz Khas Market and the Organic Food Stall Number 18 at Dilli Haat, both New Delhi).

Value addition at grass root level

The value of the agricultural produce is greatly enhanced with each stage of agri-processing. Navdanya is working with farmer producer groups across the country to enable them to get more value for their production through value addition activities.

Some of our farmer members in Ut-tar Pradesh have formed co-operatives and producer groups to set up a sweetener processing unit to convert their sugar cane into Gur, Boora and Shakkar. In this process Navdanya has encouraged them by providing technical expertise, financial loans and advances against their commitment

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to produce for Navdanya and then finally providing marketing support to introduce their products at our Fair Trade Organic Stores. Navdanya is also committed to procuring the products from our farmer groups at a premium above the market rates.

A similar endeavour by our farmer group in rajasthan to cold-press oil from mustard and flax oil seeds has also been supported by Navdanya. This initiative was greatly appreci-ated by the women of the area, as they were now able to process their oilseeds locally rather than transport them to a nearby town where the oil mills are located.

Empowering rural women

rural women are one of the hard-est working sections of our society. Yet their significant contribution to their family and local community economic units does not always translate into their own economic empowerment.

recognizing the need to eco-nomically empower these women, Navdanya has launched its Mahila Anna Swaraj programme (see also p. 4). Working with a wide spec-trum of women in villages - from the widows of suicide farmers,

to the young women looking for economic independence, Navdanya encourages them to produce the rich and diverse range of food that these women have an ocean of knowledge of and market it as our Mahila Anna Swaraj products. Weather it is pickles from rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Andhra or Maharashtra; Papad or Dal vadi from Bihar or Poha from Orissa, our Mahila Anna Swaraj products are greatly appreciated for bringing the

pure and authentic rural flavours to our consumer members.

Sustainable and Fair

Following the principles of fair trade has been Navdanya’s credo for over twenty years. All of us at Navdanya have been continuously striving to evolve our Fair Trade programme to adhere to the core principles of sustainability and equality at each level.

Value addition in the village: The Navdanya farmers in Baraut, Uttar Pradesh, process their own sugarcane and produce different natural sweeteners, which are bought at a premium price by Navdanya.

On their way: Navdanya supports rural women

to produce traditional and innovative food items

and to market themat fair prices in order

to get economically independent.

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It is said that green vegetables are very good for a balanced diet. But that doesn’t seem so if we look at the many

reports which show that conventionally grown vegetables and fruits on sale contain toxic chemicals.

The former Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi, informed consumers to take preventive measures since the toxicity could lead to breakdowns, sterility and neurotic complications.

Apart from chemical fertilizers and pesticides many farmers are using hormone shots to expedite the growth of their vegetables; such hormones can also cause dam-age to health.

Oxytocin is a hormone that is basically used clini-cally during delivery and to stimulate milk secretion. In India, the use of oxytocin on animals is banned. It is, however, injected into vegetables like cucumber, pump-kin, brinjal, gourd and fruits (such as watermelons) for quicker growth and better looks. In addition, some-times copper sulphate is being used for colouring fruits and vegetables.

Being faced with such multiple sources of toxicity in vegetables and fruits, it became imperative to grow them chemical- and poison-free. This is precisely what Navdanya decided to do.

Navdanya not only supports farmers in producing organically, but also makes fresh vegetables and fruits available for consumers. Navdanya’s purposes are to bring to people organic, nutritious and healthy food – free from chemical pesticides, fertilizers and any hormones, and to create a sustainable market for the vegetable and fruits growers.

Organic benefits farmers

Navdanya started working with vegetable farmers, such as Angora Devi, Bhojwati, Anju Devi, Brahmvati, Kusum Devi, Shamu Devi, Santari Devi, Bimla Devi and others some years ago.

After these farmers in village Mehpa, district Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, had heard Dr. Shiva talking about the

harm of chemical agriculture, they decided to go organic under the guidance of Navdanya. The farm-ers own small land holdings on which they now grow organic, seasonal vegetables and fruits using local seeds. Mehpa is approximately 100 kms away from Delhi, so Navdanya can easily get fresh vegetables and fruits according to the demands of its customers.

Navdanya pays 25% extra premium for organic vegetables and fruits on the price of conventional vegetables and fruits available in the mandis (local wholesale fruit and vegetable markets). Thus organic farmers get more money compared to conventional farmers, and this 25% higher income helps them a lot in their personal life.

Organic farmers also save the cost for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and they can maintain the health of their soil. They also do not need to bring their vegetables everyday to the mandi for selling; their produce is picked up from them by Navdanya - and at a fair price.

FrOM THE lAND TO THE CITY:NAvDANYA’S vEGETABlE AND FrUIT SCHEME

archit SinGLa*

*Archit Singla is Marketing Executive, Navdanya

These women in Uttar Pradesh grow healthy greens and vegetables of all shapes and colours which are marketed by Navdanya.

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Growing papayas and other luscious fruits for Navdanya members and city shoppers.

Vinod (left) and Girish bring just harvested vegetables and fruits from farmers’ orchards, fields and gardens to the Navdanya Outlet.

Kamal is in charge of Navdanya’s Organic Vegetable and Fruit Shop at Hauz Khas Market, New Delhi.

Sale and Delivery

Shops:Navdanya operates the Organic Vegetable and Fruit Shop at E-52 Hauz Khas Market, New Delhi (just next to Navdanya’s Grain Shop).

Navdanya also started a weekly supply - every Tuesday - of organic vegetables and fruits to its Organic Outlet, Gurgaon C-15, Arcadia Shopping Complex, first floor.

Home Delivery:Navdanya provides home delivery of vegetables and fruits to its members in Delhi twice a week (Tuesdays

and Fridays). Navdanya takes the order from the customer a day or two before the delivery. The farmers group is informed about the volume of the orders, and the farmers pluck the vegetables and fruits accordingly. At the time of plucking a Navdanya coordinator checks the organic integrity of the vegetables and fruits. Afterwards, under the strict observation of the coordinator, sorting - for which they are paid for - is done by the farmers.

(For further information/orders/prices regarding the Organic vegetable/Fruit scheme: Tel: 011-26854069 or navdanya@gmail.com)

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Navdanya, research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, Initiative for Health and Equity in Society and India International Centre (IIC) organized a Conference on “Poison Free Food: Organic Farming for Health and

Safety” on July 7, 2011 held at IIC, New Delhi. The conference was inaugurated by Prof M.G.K. Menon, Chair of India International Centre and Chair of the

Supreme Court Appointed Committee on Toxics.Food which should be the source of health is becoming a threat to our lives because poisons and toxic substances

are increasingly contaminating farm produce, reaching our table and spreading disease. Through the systematic omission of consumer caution about the hazards of chemical industrial farming and a biased misinformed propaganda against organic practices, industrial lobbies are trying to spread the myth that chemical farming is safe, and organic isn’t. This couldn’t be farther from truth.

Dr Vandana Shiva, Founder of Navdanya and Dr Vaibhav Singh, medical doctor, showed in their presentations how toxic food has become the single biggest cause for disease in India. Food needs to once again become a source of health and not of hazards.

The premiere screening of Marie Monique Robin’s award winning film Our Daily Poison well showed how we are drowning in poison and toxics. In 1984, the tragic Bhopal disaster caused by a leak from a pesticide plant exposed the deadly impact of pesticides. Twenty five years of aerial sprays of hazardous pesticides have resulted in severe health and ecological hazards. Pesticides like Endosulfan sprayed on food have killed more than 1000 people and more than 9000 victims of Endosulfan have been identified in Kasargod district of Kerala, with over 4800 patients bedridden. Similar reports have come from other parts of India.

Dr Shanbhag of the Human rights Protection Foundation, who was invited by the Government of Karnataka to do medical studies on the victims of Endosulfan described in detail the crippling neurological, physical, genetic, immu-nological hazards that victims suffer from. Mr Sudheer from the Endosulfan Campaign reported on the long and hard struggle of the victims to get justice. Pinky Anand, Senior Advocate to the Supreme Court, stressed that the right to health is a right to life and such killing and crippling of people is a violation of this fundamental right to life.

Man made chemicals, toxins & GMOs have saturated and contaminated our environment increasing the exposure to health hazards for every living creature, while also reducing our immune system’s capacity to fight disease. In geneti-cally modified Bt crops, such deadly pesticides are incorporated directly into the seed in the form of the toxic protein Cry1Ac. While naturally occurring Bt only becomes toxic when processed in the guts of insects, the Bt toxin produced by genetically engineered crops is active and released continuously by every cell of the plant. In 2006, at least 1800 sheep in Andhra Pradesh were reported dead from severe toxicity after grazing on Bt cotton fields. The health risks of GMOs were confirmed by a recent Canadian study in which scientists detected traces of the Bt toxin in human blood: the subjects had no direct exposure to pesticides, but all regularly consumed GM soybeans, corn, and potatoes.

Dr Mira Shiva, medical doctor and Coordinator of Initiative for Health and Equity in Society, who had been invited by the Environment Minister for a briefing on the health impact of Bt Brinjal said that there are adequate independent studies showing that Bt toxins are severely harmful to health. She also referred to the regulatory chaos with biosafety being kicked like a football from GEAC to the Food Safety and Standards Authority and now to the proposed BrAI (Biotechnology regulatory Authority).

Kapil Mishra of Greenpeace exposed how illegal trials of GM crops are rampant with the latest cases of GM corn in Karnataka. Addie, intern at Navdanya, synthesized the health and environmental risks of Bt crops.

We along with a large number of citizens are deeply concerned to find that the Agriculture Minister has totally de-nied the health hazards of pesticides, while also misleading the Parliament that the States want the use of Endosulfan to continue. In India, consistent movements have come together under the banner of 'Endosulfan Spray Protest Action Committee' forcing the Kerala and Karnataka Government to ban Endosulfan. The National Human rights Commis-sion has clearly recommended the ban of Endosulfan on health grounds. recognizing the magnitude of health and ecological hazards, over 74 countries have banned Endosulfan and over 100 countries had asked for a ban at the UN Stockholm Conference on Persistent Organic Pollution (POP) held in Geneva in April 2011. India too agreed to the ban with provision of few years to phase out.

Similarly ecological and public health concerns related to GMOs led to a ban in about 30 countries. The Bt Brinjal Moratorium followed widespread expression of ecological and health concerns in spite of tremendous

POISON FrEE FOOD:OrGANIC FArMING FOr HEAlTH AND SAFETY

PrESS rElEASE

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pressure from GM corporates. Corporate pressure for their GM crops to create and control the GM market continues unabated.

Food Safety and Bio-Safety cannot be disregarded since they are basically public health concerns. Proof of safety cannot be left in the hands of conflict of interest ridden bodies. Endosulfan is just one of the many

chemicals harmful to health, aggressively marketed and used frequently and repeatedly by the manufacturers, with agriculture authorities having supported their use in the name of ‘modern’ and ‘scientific’ agriculture. Denial of unbiased information about related health hazards from independent sources concerned about safety and public health, as well as information about known emergence of pesticide resistance requiring higher doses, repeated spraying has added to the pesticide related health hazards.

Similarly, authorities and lobbies try to aggressively sell the concept that chemical agriculture ensures greater food production. As the problems start unfolding the aggressive push that GMOs will provide food security is evident. The concerns of bio safety and public health implications have to be addressed.

On May 13, 2011, the Supreme Court of India ordered an interim ban on Endosulfan. We need to strengthen the ban and raise awareness about the real hazards in chemical industrial farming. Safe and poison free alternatives exist.

Dr Vijay Kumar from the rural Development Ministry who led the Andhra Pradesh initiative for Poison Free Agri-culture showed how farmers can increase production and incomes by shedding toxic pesticides.

Over the last 25 years our work in Navdanya and its partner organizations has established that chemical free ecological farming is the most sustainable method of pest control and the way forward for provision of unpolluted, uncontaminated safe food. Poison free food is a possibility, a necessity and our fundamental right: it is only by steadily halting reliance on chemicals in farming that we can ensure it.

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Navdanya International was launched in Florence, Tuscany,

on 21 May at ‘Terra Futura”, the three-day event held annually in the city on living sustainably for an eco-nomically, socially and environmentally just world.

The opening of Navdanya Inter-national office in Florence comes after ten-year collaboration between the regional government of Tuscany and the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, chaired by Dr. vandana Shiva. This

collaboration ended at the end of last year as a result of budget constraints and changes in the regional govern-ment. Navdanya International takes on the momentum and team spirit that evolved over the life of the Com-mission and provides a new platform

The launch at Terra FuturacaroLine Lockhart*

*Caroline lockhart (front row, first from right) at a conference for a GMO-free agriculture, organized by Navdanya in New Delhi.

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for pushing ahead with Navdanya’s long-standing mission of promoting biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, healthy food systems and food sov-ereignty and defending the rights of small farmers around the world.

The event took place in a packed hall amidst much anticipation. Join-ing vandana Shiva at the podium were Navdanya International’s two vice-presidents, both well known for their work in promoting and defend-ing biodiversity and local, sustainable agriculture: Maria Grazia Mammuccini who for many years led the work of ArSIA, the regional agency that pio-neered Tuscany’s innovative policies for the protection of biodiversity, and Giannozzo Pucci, editor and publisher of the Italian Ecologist, leader of the organic and local farming movement, and founder of the farmers’ market in Italy.

The event opened with an ex-cerpt from the film ‘Nine Seeds’, the documentary on Navdanya pro-duced by SICrEA, the Italian media and Pr company based in Florence. Its president Maurizio Izzo chaired the proceedings. Massimo Orlandi, noted journalist with the region of Tuscany, was master of ceremonies. A number of former colleagues who had collaborated closely during the life of the International Commission

on the Future of Food and Agriculture, including Claudio Martini, the former Governor of the region, and the Hon. Susanna Cenni, member of Parliament and Tuscany’s former Agricultural Minister, as well as friends and sup-porters of Dr. Shiva and her work, were asked to say a few words on the occasion. One testimony particularly brought out the spirit of friendship and community that underlined the whole proceedings. Author Angela Staude Terzani, widow of the distinguished journalist and fellow-author Tiziano Terzani, known for his eloquence in writing about the corruption of Asia by the materialistic west, gave a moving account of when her husband, from his hideout in the Himalaya at the end of his life, while racing against time to finish his last book, heard vandana speak on the BBC. He was so inspired to tell his wife that the only person he would like to meet before he died was vandana. This sadly could not happen but at the end of her account, Angela, on behalf of her husband, and vandana embraced in memory of a fellow warrior who lived his life for peace and justice.

Navdanya International’s mission is

• the reconciliation of ecology and economy, based on sustainable agriculture;

• the protection and promotion of biodiversity, local food production and traditional knowledge;

• the defence of the commons and of small farmers, and, at the same time,

• to support the work of Navdanya and of Dr. vandana Shiva who has made these principles her life’s purpose.

Navdanya International will work with, support and join up with net-works, associations and institutions working to ensure a future that puts nature and health at the centre of our economic and social well-being.

In keeping with this, Navdanya International’s first undertaking is to spearhead, together with the Centre for Food Safety, the publication of a Global Citizens Report on the failings and false promises of GMOs and Monsanto. The report will be a com-pilation of contributions by network representatives, including leading scientists around the world working for a GMO-free planet. Preparations are under way for its simultaneous release around the globe from the 6th to the 16th of October 2011, World Food Day, with a call for action in the movement’s collective battle to stop industry’s push to take over and control our food systems.

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I am a Political Science student in France... it means that I study big concepts to understand our world's rules and to preserve, change or improve them, sitting on a chair, far from reality. Interested in sustainable agriculture and its awareness, I decided to take advantage of my 6 months undergraduation internship at Navdanya’s Biodiversity Farm to discover what organic farming really represents in rural development.

When I arrived at the farm, I was impressed by the peace of the place. No big office, but fields, gardens, and rooms that directly connect to the outside. Even in January, a cold month, we were spending our days outdoor! Then, you feel good to be tired from the fresh air and you enjoy realising that working outside is much more inspiring. Eating in Navdanya is also essential in our understanding of sustainable food process. Navdanya's meals are shows of local and fresh biodiversity and always a tasty experience! I loved observing the diversity of grains and vegetables in the fields and to find it in my plate later. What amazed me most was the use of amaranth, a grain I discovered in Navdanya Farm. Especially for breakfast, amaranth cutlets and cereals of popped amaranth with milk were an everyday motivation to get up! But finally, I must admit that my favourite remains Halwa from rice and millet flour mixed together. Healthy diversity, here you are, and I know where you are from!

As far as my project was concerned, I got involved with the educational programme ‘Seeds of Freedom, Gardens of Hope’. I am interested in awareness to more sustainable ways of life and I love kids: it seemed to be a perfect project for me!! And it was! During six months, I enjoyed every activity included in the programme, from doing art and craft to writing reports and to contacting school principals.

I had to face many obstacles: the language - my Hindi was very poor, the schools' structure with which I wasn't familiar at all, my weak knowledge about agriculture and the risk to hurt families' values while talking about the damages of chemical farming's which very often my students' parents were practicing.

However, what convinced me to continue with more reflection and caution was my motivation and the one of the other volunteers involved in this programme. Isn't it already a great step to break the clichés that associates “English” with ”office job” and “Hindi” with “farmer”?! I am sure that to share positive energy around creative projects is the key to awareness. I wasn't there to indicate the good way to follow. I was there to testify what I felt as a young western girl witnessing the damages of the current model of development in my country. Students taught me as much or maybe more than I brought them. And this is what they and I had to learn from this experience too: they have an unbelievable knowledge about nature and farming, the keys of our life on the Earth - knowledge that must be revalorized.

With other interns, we organised a big march on the 8th of May to celebrate Mother Earth with the students. It was early in the morning, it was hot, it was on a Sunday... but they all came! They all brought their energy and child's optimism and they screamed their willingness to protect our planet. Our culture, our personalities, our age still makes our vision of development, of our future, different. But during all those months of partnership, and especially on that day, we all cared together for the Earth and its inhabitants!

Very often, while discovering the farm and its techniques, while interacting with Navdanya's staff and volunteers or while travelling, I was surprised by the numerous memories of my childhood coming back to my mind. Growing up, we tend to forget the connections that link us to nature and this may be why adults damage their environment so much. Being an intern in Navdanya, I matured a lot, I learnt to lead projects and face responsibilities that go along with it, I discovered about biodiversity and its preservation, about myself too; but meanwhile, I found again the essential relationship with nature we have when we are kids! Tiphaine

INTErNS’ DAYS AT THE FArMHow two young French women experienced their internship at the Navdanya Farm

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I came to Navdanya for 6 months of volunteering after my masters in Political Science. Studying international relations and environmental policies is fascinating but it might get quickly frustrating. Always ask, never do. This is why I decided to go where man is able to convince through what he grows and not only what he says. I felt the simple and basic desire to go back to the ground, put the hand in the soil and do something.

During long hours of weeding, selecting seeds, and harvesting, I got embedded within a team of friends. You share the same hard work, feel the same leg pains and learn the meaning of solidarity. I also remember sitting at the seed bank with Bija Didi and Sunil, the wise women of the farm with a younger farmer. I was lost in translation, but I knew that I was witnessing a very close and intimate relationship, where knowledge, experience and so many jokes are shared. These were fantastic moments.

For a city dweller like me, this experience was also the opportunity to feel for real nature. Have you ever noticed how loud and confusing the sound of insects can be when you are in the field? Have you ever noticed how they get crazy and reproduce themselves all day long, how everything accelerates just before a storm? I was stirred by all this beauty.

This picture could not be complete without talking about food. I had the pleasure and privilege to discover new spices and seeds kept unknown due to the implacable rules of markets. Those fantastic tastes in my plate are however part of something bigger. “Kabhi nahi bhulungi”, I will never forget the smile and boldness of Rukmini, coordinator of Navdanya in Tehri region, when she was preparing the meal for us with her organic beans. The kitchen was under smoke, the pot was on the wood fire and her food was her pride. What a powerful lesson of the real meaning of wealth.

I am surprised to see that when asked to talk about my experience at Navdanya, I am dwelling on those little sensations. Of course I learnt many other things, more academic or more technical, I went to beautiful remote villages, and I met incredible women. But I like to be grateful for the ‘heart’ of this experience, for all the small and beautiful things that show that you actually dive into it.

Charlotte

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NAvDANYA SHOPS FOr BIODIvErSE OrGANIC FOOD

New Delhi: Navdanya Shop, E-52, Hauz Khas, Main Market Organic groceries Tel: 011-40793565 • Vegetables/Fruits Tel: 011-26854069NN

Organic Cafe and Groceries Stall No. 18, Food Court Dilli Haat (opposite INA Market) • Tel: 011-24121548

Navdanya Gurgaon: C-105 1st Floor, Arcadia, opp. South City - 2 Patio Club Gurgaon, Haryana • Tel: 0124-3262011

Dehradun: Shop No. 8, Shiva Palace, 57 rajpur road, Dehradun Tel: 0135-2743175/2749931

Mumbai: Navdanya – The Organic ShopNo. 10 Mayfair Housing Society, Oberoi-raviraj Complex, off Andheri link road

Andheri (West), Mumbai 400 053 • Tel: 09920418027

PUBlICATIONS

Some suggestions for further reading:

Health per Acre-Organic Solutions to Hunger and MalnutritionDr. Vandana Shiva with Dr. Vaibhav SinghNavdanya/RFSTE, 2011

Health per Acre is based on agricultural field studies in rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and the Navdanya Farm. Comparisons between conventional and biodiverse, or-ganic farming and the resulting nutritional values show that a shift to biodiverse organic farming and ecological intensification increases output of nutrition while reduc-ing input costs. When agriculture output is measured in terms of Health per Acre and Nutrition per Acre instead of Yield per Acre, biodiverse ecological systems have a much higher output.

Biopiracy of Climate Resilient CropsGene giants steal farmers' innovation of drought resistant, flood resistant, and salt resistant rarities.Navdanya/RFSTE, 2009

No GM Crops and FoodWhy and how to fight genetically modified cropsHandbook for Activists/Navdanya, reprint 2009

Biodiversity based organic farming: A new paradigm for Food Security and Food SafetyNavdanya, 2006

The Biodiversity & Food Heritage of India 5 books with recipes: Akshat (rice), Kanak (Wheat), Tilhan (Oilseeds), Masale (Spices) Bhoole Bisre Anaj (Forgotten foods)Navdanya, 2006

Complete list of publications and prices see Publications at www.navdanya.org

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Navdanya started a retail shop in Mumbai in Dec 2006. In the past

four years we have grown from being completely unknown to having over 1500 customers. We have over 500 products ranging across categories such as Dry Fruits, Flour, Forgotten Foods, Grains, Herbs, Honey, Jams, lentils, Oil, Oilseeds, Papad, Pickles, rice, Spices, Squash, Sweeteners and Tea.

Our top selling items are Wheat Flour, Mung Dal, Pigeon Peas, Bas-mati rice from Dehradun, rice from the banks of the river Indrayani, and Boora which is a sweetener made from sugar cane.

Our customers normally visit the shop a few times and then place their orders over the phone so the items can be home delivered. Some of their com-ments are, “Fantastic”, “Wish there were more Navdanya Outlets in Mum-bai”, and, “What a superb Shop!”

When we opened the shop we took a conscious decision that we would not pay to advertise. It was tough going in the beginning but it has now paid off and just sheer word of mouth has proved to be very effective. What has really helped is the fact that we are in the shop throughout the day and

engage all our customers in a con-versation. Many young mothers now call for advice, other people call for recipes, and yet some other customers who have become friends just come in to spend time in “this little heaven on earth, breathing in the lovely aroma of spices” – actual words from someone who drops in to “detox”.

We started the shop with a lot of trepidation – not having any retail experience before. But the feedback from friends, customers and well wish-ers has been terrific. We now have many plans for the future but need to grow a step at a time as there are literally two people running the shop with a great deal of help from our three

helpers who not only sort, clean and pack but also do selling and home deliveries. They have also recently learnt how to keep track of the inven-tory and sales and purchases.

We are working with my Alma Mater Avabai Petit Girls High School, where we have started our “Gardens of Hope” program, and once the monsoon is over, hope to take this program to other schools. Other planned initiatives in Mumbai are to have events where we can celebrate Bhoomi, the Earth Festival.

In short, Navdanya Mumbai is at a very exciting point in its develop-ment. We have overcome some early obstacles, built a great customer base, and become more comfortable and resourceful as we grow. We continue to plan events to reach out to the organic community in Mumbai, and also hope to expand our product catalogue in a sustainable manner. It is clear from our relatively rapid success that there is an important role for an entity like Navdanya to play within the community – both as a retail outlet for our organic producers but also as a development hub for people interested in their food.

THE OrGANIC SHOP – MUMBAIreetha baLVaSar*

*Reetha Balvasar (left) and Lata Sharma (right) started and run Navdanya - The Organic Shop in Mumbai with great love - and very successfully.

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Upcoming CoursesOctober 3 – 5, 2011:Bhoomi and the Gift of Food – Building Earth Democracy and Food Justice

As the assault on the Earth increases and the threat to human survival intensifies, new paradigms and movements for Earth Democracy and defence of the rights of Mother Earth are emerging. Simultaneously the growing food crisis and hunger is demanding food justice so that the right to Food of all can be ensured.

The course will cover this emerging worldview and experiences and movement building for the defence of the earth and peoples right and explore how the rights of Mother Earth and the rights of people are intimately connected especially in the context of food. The food web is in fact the web of life. The ecological crisis and the food crisis are consequences of this web being de-stroyed and poisoned.

The course will also take advantage of Navdanya Seed Bank and Organic Farm to show how protecting the earth and producing more food go hand in hand. Participants have the option of attending the Bhoomi – The Earth Festival on 2nd October, 2011 in New Delhi.

October 22 - 23, 2011:Slow Weekend at Navdanya: Akshat (Rice and associated crops of the kharif season)

The Slow Weekend timed with the harvest of rice will give the participants an opportunity to unwind while they join in harvesting 600 varieties of rice, forgotten foods such as mandua (ragi) and jhangora, and other associated crops. They also learn about organic farming. In addition the participants will get an opportunity to learn organic recipes based on the kharif crops (autumn harvest) – rice, forgotten foods, dals and fresh seasonal vegetables.

November 7 – 12, 2011:The Ganga Yatra: A journey to witness India’s Lifeline under Threat

Invited resource Persons – Mr. Sunderlal Bahuguna, other members of Save the Ganga Movement, Navdanya team as well as local communities.

Ganga is India’s lifeline spiritually, culturally and materially. However, this lifeline is today under serious threat. The building of dams and hydro electric projects and increasing pollution is destroying the Ganga. Save the Ganga Movements are emerging to create aware-ness on the threats to the Ganga and to find ways to protect the Ganga - our living heritage and life support. The Ganga Yatra will begin from Dehradun, travel through Tehri and Uttarkashi and end at rishikesh with the Ganga Aarti.

November 24 – December 4, 2011:Gandhi and Globalisation

Invited resource Persons – Mr. Satish Kumar, Dr. vandana Shiva, Ms. Madhusuri Prakash, Aruna roy, venerable Samdhong rinpoche.

The course on Gandhi and Globalisation will address the multiple crisis that globalization has unleashed – the economic crisis, the ecological crisis and the political crisis. The economic crisis is now being felt worldwide including in prosperous Europe and USA. The high resource demand of globalization is creating resource wars across the planet – wars over land, wars over water, wars over seed and wars over food. This is increas-ing violence and militarization. Corporate globalization has also undermined representative democracy making States representative of corporate interest rather than public interest.

Gandhi’s philosophy and politics is more relevant than ever before in finding ways to live peacefully, equitably and sustainably on this fragile planet. The course will explore the contemporary relevance of Gandhi’s key concepts of Swaraj, Swadeshi and Satyagraha.

The course will show how Gandhi’s observation that the earth has enough for everyone’s needs and not for some peoples greed can be translated into emerging movements for the defence of the earth and people’s rights.

Bija Vidyapeeth – EDUCATION FOr EArTH CITIzENSHIPInternational College for Sustainable living, Navdanya Biodiversity and Conservation Farm, ramgarh, Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand

The future depends on what we do in the present.

Mahatma Gandhi