Date/dates: 05/01/2016 - 06/01/2016
Time: All Day

Meeting with farmers in Arunachal Pradesh for Annaswaraj (Food Sovereignty)


Siang organic campaign intensified, ‘Food Smart Citizens for Food Smart Cities’ launched

By Prafulla Kaman – The Arunachal Times, 7 January 2016

Source: http://www.arunachaltimes.in/siang-organic-campaign-intensified-food-smart-citizens-for-food-smart-cities-launched/

PASIGHAT, Jan 06: Intensifying its ongoing ‘Siang Organic’ campaign, the Siang Peoples Forum (SPF) in collaboration of Siang Tea Industries Ltd, Future Generations Arunachal Pradesh (NGO), Adi Baane Kebang and woman SHGs launched ‘Food Smart Citizens for Food Smart Cities’ in a workshop held in Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Pasighat today.

The campaign aims at protection of biodiversity in Siang valley through organic farming and sustainable agriculture to ensure food and nutritional security.
Attending the workshop, founder of Navdanya (A network of seed keepers and organic producers), Dr Vandana Shiva said that her mission has taken initiative for rejuvenation of organic farming in the Northeaster hill states, which is to be gradually extended to other states. She lamented that food produced by using chemicals has seized the joy of farmers, who have lost their food and nutritional security.

Dr Vandana said that chemical fertilizers are playing major role in climate change. As such, oxides of Nitrogen are causing air pollution, while 70 percent garbage is produced from inorganic food items. She suggested tagging Swastya Bharat Abhiyan with the ongoing Swachch Bharat Abhiyan launched by the central government.
While suggesting protection of the natural resources including water bodies, hills and natural forests, Dr Vandana said that insect pollination in crops increase productivity and it can be expected in organic cultivation of natural vegetation. Stating on the Draft Arunachal Organic Policy, Dr Vandana has sought people’s feedback based on the scopes and potentiality available in the region. She laid stress on conservation of local verities of food crops besides documentation of indigenous knowledge on seed storage and cultivation practices. She urged the local people to have an united efforts to make the state organic.

Explaining the concept of organic farming, Dean of Pasighat College of Horticulture & Forestry, A K Pandey said that organic farming is not confined to agriculture, but it is related to biodiversity and sustainable development of resources. He lamented that population explosion and consequent rapid urbanization has an adverse effect on food production, which is posing threat to survival of the countrymen. He also briefed on the issues and strategies of organic vegetable production with power point presentation.

The participants in the workshop made focus on availability of resources with feasibility of organic farming in Siang valley. According to them, about seventy percent organic food produced in their locality is safe, but the vegetables and fruits imported from inorganic farms is posing serious health hazard to the community people.
East Siang District Agriculture officer, Y J Lego in her impressive speech held the farmers responsible for contaminating the mother earth. She discouraged application of chemical substances in crop field and put emphasize on the improved organic cultivation to boost production.
Among others, Bharatiya Kishan Sangha (Arunachal state) president Takali Tamuk, ABK (Women) activist Anyak Mize, Siang Peoples Forum General Secretary Oyar Gao led the group discussions in the occasion and spoke in favour of organic farming.

Related Campaigns

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Food Smart Citizens for Food Smart Cities

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More info: http://seedfreedom.info/partners/navdanya-india/

Organiser Name: Navdanya
Organiser email: http://www.navdanya.org/contact
Organiser Website: http://www.navdanya.org/
Organiser Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vandanashiva.navdanya
Organiser Twitter url: https://twitter.com/NavdanyaBija


Location:

Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh - Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh - India
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