| Both sides previous revision Previous revision Next revision | Previous revision |
| site_visit_and_survey_notes [2008-05-18 18:56] – sanjeev | site_visit_and_survey_notes [2020-06-06 11:57] (current) – old revision restored (2008-05-21 06:51) nik |
|---|
| {{:perma111.jpg|}} | {{:perma111.jpg|}} |
| |
| Though India has been traditionally known for its strong traditional agricultural methods, it is facing one of the worst agrarian crisis since independence. More than **160,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1997**, with the cotton belt of Maharashtra the worst hit. Impossible debts, loss of ancestral land, expensive genetically modified seeds, large scale dependence on rain, reduction in farm subsidies, unfriendly banks, liberalised economies and moving away from traditional farming practices are some of the contributory factors. Today, the country faces a serious challenge in balancing its rush to embrace the global marketplace with preserving and nurturing a great asset: the 'farmer'. This should be a matter of serious concern for the global food market, with India being one of the largest exporter of food grain. Why has such a disaster not become a headline story in global media? Is it because of the nature of disaster and the fact that it has spiralled into a national issue over a decade? Would the impact and follow up action been far greater if this had happened over a shorter time period, say a week or a month? These are just some of the questions which the researcher is grappling with. Surely, reporting and news coverage needs to play a much more critical and decisive role in matters of farming and food production. Demographically, more than 66 percent of Indians still reside in rural areas. Not surprisingly, the emphasis has always been on rural agriculture. This dominant rural demographic, will continue till 2050 and is an important difference between India and Europe, which has a reverse population distribution in terms of percentage of people residing in cites. The positive contribution that production within the cities can make, has hardly been acknowledged in India and can thus be drafted into a national policy. For more details on this please see the [[analysis of peri-urban agriculture in India.]] | Though India has been known for its strong traditional agricultural methods, it is facing one of the worst agrarian crisis since independence. More than **160,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1997**, with the cotton belt of Maharashtra the worst hit. Impossible debts, loss of ancestral land, expensive genetically modified seeds, large scale dependence on rain, reduction in farm subsidies, unfriendly banks, liberalised economies and moving away from traditional farming practices are some of the contributory factors. Today, the country faces a serious challenge in balancing its rush to embrace the global marketplace with preserving and nurturing its farms. Agriculture, on which 70 percent of India's people still depend for survival, is growing at a dismal rate of 2.8 percent. According to a recent [[report]] released by the Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development(IAAKSTD), an inter-governmental entity initiated by the World Bank and the United Nations Food and Argicultural Organization(FAO), **industrial agriculture boosts yields in the short term but leads to the long-term destruction of land on which agriculture depends and of the social and environmental context with which it is intimately linked**. The north Indian state of Punjab, is testimony to this. Hailed as the poster child of green revolution, today it is on the verge of collapse with pesticide poisoning, soil salinity, fertiliser run off, drug addiction and high cancer rates. India is no longer able to keep pace with its growing population and the demands of the emerging middle class(18 million people added each year). Demographically, more than 66 percent of Indians still reside in rural areas. Not surprisingly, the emphasis has always been on rural agriculture. This dominant rural demographic, will continue till 2050 and is an important difference between India and Europe, which has a reverse population distribution in terms of percentage of people residing in cites. Despite growing pressure from transnational corporations like Cargill, Monsanto, Syngenta, Wal-Mart and Carrefour, as well as Indian giants such as Reliance, Bharti and Tata who want to encourage intensive industrial agriculture; India would do better to look toward successful ventures in community-based natural farming, such as those undertaken by the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.((http://www.csa-india.org/))Further, the positive contribution that production within the cities can make, has hardly been acknowledged in India and can thus be drafted into a national policy. For more details on this please see the [[analysis of peri-urban agriculture in India.]] |
| |
| New Delhi, which is the capital of India has a population of over 15 million. A couple of decades ago the area surrounding the city was mostly agricultural. Today, the city is increasingly in the midst of an urban sprawl. Delhi has over 40% of it citizens living in slum like conditions and over the past decade they are being systematically thrown out. The river banks too were till recently a site for the poor. As demand for scarce land rises, there is an ongoing change in the demographics of residential areas. After a concerted city action in early nineties over 7500 hectares of forest are now legally protected in the city, and through another law, tree cutting needs special permission. Similarly Non Governmental Organisations along with the courts have ensured the conversion of public transport from diesel to Compressed Natural Gas, a cleaner fuel. At the social and physical level, Delhi remains a historical, multi-layered fragmented city. Such multi layered city character is common in India and creates a complex urban dynamic. In Delhi, apart from the ridge forest which is the capital's green lung, substantial green stretches are seen in educational zones, military campuses and religious institutions. Home gardens are common with the role of the 'maali'(gardener) crucial in maintaining the gardens. Commonly grown plants include green chilis, tomatoes, beans, papaya, grapes, jamun(or jamblang), cucumber, bananas, guavas, money plants, marigold and mangoes. A lot of these edibles are consumed within the household or within the local community. There is hardly any attempt to process, package or value add the produce, which are often sold on the streets. It is not uncommon to see vendors selling seasonal produce from nearby villages too. Organic gardens are not common within the city realms. | New Delhi, which is the capital of India has a population of over 15 million. A couple of decades ago the area surrounding the city was mostly agricultural. Today, the city is increasingly in the midst of an urban sprawl. Delhi has over 40% of it citizens living in slum like conditions and over the past decade they are being systematically thrown out. The river banks too were till recently a site for the poor. As demand for scarce land rises, there is an ongoing change in the demographics of residential areas. After a concerted city action in early nineties over 7500 hectares of forest are now legally protected in the city, and through another law, tree cutting needs special permission. Similarly Non Governmental Organisations along with the courts have ensured the conversion of public transport from diesel to Compressed Natural Gas, a cleaner fuel. At the social and physical level, Delhi remains a historical, multi-layered fragmented city. Such multi layered city character is common in India and creates a complex urban dynamic. In Delhi, apart from the ridge forest which is the capital's green lung, substantial green stretches are seen in educational zones, military campuses and religious institutions. Home gardens are common with the role of the 'maali'(gardener) crucial in maintaining the gardens. Commonly grown plants include green chilis, tomatoes, beans, papaya, grapes, jamun(or jamblang), cucumber, bananas, guavas, money plants, marigold and mangoes. A lot of these edibles are consumed within the household or within the local community. There is hardly any attempt to process, package or value add the produce, which are often sold on the streets. It is not uncommon to see vendors selling seasonal produce from nearby villages too. Organic gardens are not common within the city realms. |
| |
| ===Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, Kerala=== | ===Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, Kerala=== |
| Spread over 55 acres, the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary is a garden of wild plant species grown at the edge of a large rainforest reserve in the Western Ghat Mountains of Kerala, India. Dedicated to conservation and education, the Sanctuary is run by a small group of resident gardeners, naturalists and educators, and supported by a wide circle of well-wishers. Founded in 1981, the Sanctuary restores endangered species and habitats in a highly fragmented landscape, where only a fraction of original forest remains and much of the native flora has been tragically and sometimes deliberately extracted or “cleaned up” for human use. Conservation in this district of Wayanad, where the original settlers were small migrant farmers with immediate survival needs, is an exceptionally challenging job. | Spread over 55 acres, the [[Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary]] is a garden of wild plant species grown at the edge of a large rainforest reserve in the Western Ghat Mountains of Kerala, India. Dedicated to conservation and education, the Sanctuary is run by a small group of resident gardeners, naturalists and educators, and supported by a wide circle of well-wishers. Founded in 1981, the Sanctuary restores endangered species and habitats in a highly fragmented landscape, where only a fraction of original forest remains and much of the native flora has been tragically and sometimes deliberately extracted or “cleaned up” for human use. Conservation in this district of Wayanad, where the original settlers were small migrant farmers with immediate survival needs, is an exceptionally challenging job. |
| |
| Director, Suprabha Seshan elaborates, “The focus here is to find creative, localized and effective ways to restore natural places. Termed as ecosystem gardening, this involves working closely with plants and their environments: tending, cultivating, growing, reseeding, intervening and leaving as much wild space alone. There is clear evidence that the forests will return if we give them a chance.” It’s heartening to know that, “over time, the distinction between healing areas and the natural forest has diminished. Both, species diversity and forest structure have made a comeback in areas that had been completely devastated.” Apart from conservation and education the work at the sanctuary includes: developing horticultural and conservation skills in local young women; habitat restoration and forest recovery; research in biodiversity, forest ecology, plant taxonomy; and sustainable agriculture and integrated land use to grow the forest farm. | Director, Suprabha Seshan elaborates, “The focus here is to find creative, localized and effective ways to restore natural places. Termed as ecosystem gardening, this involves working closely with plants and their environments: tending, cultivating, growing, reseeding, intervening and leaving as much wild space alone. There is clear evidence that the forests will return if we give them a chance.” It’s heartening to know that, “over time, the distinction between healing areas and the natural forest has diminished. Both, species diversity and forest structure have made a comeback in areas that had been completely devastated.” Apart from conservation and education the work at the sanctuary includes: developing horticultural and conservation skills in local young women; habitat restoration and forest recovery; research in biodiversity, forest ecology, plant taxonomy; and sustainable agriculture and integrated land use to grow the forest farm. |
| |
| Held from March 04-06, 2008 IPM DUBAI((http://www.ipm-dubai.net/)) was a focussed trade exhibition for the green industries in the middle east and the Indian Subcontinent. One of the products, //nature pot// by NAPAC, a Zurich based company specialising in the development and manufacturing of products made of raw materials from renewable resources: is suitable for outdoor and indoor plant cultivation. A smart kit which comes with seeds and organic fertiliser, it rates highly on bio-innovation.((http://www.napac.ch/napac.htm)) | Held from March 04-06, 2008 IPM DUBAI((http://www.ipm-dubai.net/)) was a focussed trade exhibition for the green industries in the middle east and the Indian Subcontinent. One of the products, //nature pot// by NAPAC, a Zurich based company specialising in the development and manufacturing of products made of raw materials from renewable resources: is suitable for outdoor and indoor plant cultivation. A smart kit which comes with seeds and organic fertiliser, it rates highly on bio-innovation.((http://www.napac.ch/napac.htm)) |
| |
| {{:perma82.jpg|}} | |
| |
| ====Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, Netherlands==== | ====Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, Netherlands==== |
sanjeev