In a bid to maintain agro-biodiversity, seed banks are an initiative where seeds of all kinds are preserved and distributed to farmers
A highly erudite person, scientist, philosopher, institution builder, eco-leader, and more, define Dr. Vandana Shiva. Her father, a forest conservator and mother a farmer, born in the bosom of the hills of Dehradun and was educated in the local Jesus and Mary school and St. Mary’s school in Nainital, further progressed to obtain a doctorate in science from Punjab University and a masters in philosophy from abroad. The real substance of her story commences only after a short stint at the Bhaba Atomic Institute. However, our main objective in this article is not about her achievements but the challenges she poses to the agro companies both in India and outside. Critic’s perspective is the best way to understand the challenges, as we shall see below.
An investigation was conducted by the Indian Intelligence Bureau of Investigation (IB) in 2014 against Navadanya, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) founded by Ms Shiva which operates from 22 centres across India. The charge was that the NGO is foreign-funded; its activities hamper India’s growth and development; they do not use the money for campaigning for human rights or women’s issues as claimed but use it for nefarious purposes; the foreign donors demand field reports which are then misused in implementing strategic policies by the foreign governments. The universally recognised fact which is borne by thousands of farmers is that this, the so-called treacherous NGO which is called Navdanya is engaged in these activities: ‘Seed Bank’, ‘Seed Freedom’, ‘Seed Manifesto’, ‘Seeds and ‘Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)’, ‘Seed Satyagraha’, and ‘Seed Bio-Piracy’. The centres have trained over half a million farmers in biodiversity and purity of seeds. It runs over 50 community-based seed banks where the farmers can acquire high quality and natural seeds. It also promotes direct marketing and fair trade organic network. Further, it supports its activities with a research and development institute called Bija Vidyapeeth which stands for ‘School of Seed’ in Doon Valley.
Seeds of Doubt, an article by Michael Specter appeared in the weekly, The New Yorker (25 August 2015) which tried to reveal that the NGO along with its founder Ms Shiva are campaigners against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) with unacceptable campaign methods. For instance, when the cyclone hit Odisha in 1999, the U.S. supplied food grains. She objected, saying that it is genetically modified and the suppliers are using the unfortunate people as guinea pigs. The journalist opined that it is the same stuff that is tested and eaten in his country. He said that she had also raised this apprehension with the U.K. based charity organisation Oxfam that was supplying food grains to the victims. There have been others, mainly foreign journalists, who have attacked her personal lifestyle and the high fees which she charges for her invited lectures.
Vandana Shiva answered the critics in her characteristic style, clarity of thought and purpose. In an article titled ‘Seeds of Truth’ she expressed herself against Monsanto, the agricultural multinational company which has the monopoly of GMO Bt Cotton seeds and other products. She demonstrated her argument through a real case of two farmers from Maharashtra, one using Monsanto’s GMO Bt cotton seeds and the other using the native seeds with traditional organic methods. The year of the crop was 2013-14. The farmer using Monsanto sourced seeds spent ₹1,860 on seeds, ₹1,000 on pesticides, ₹1,500 on pesticides and ₹500 on irrigation, thus spending ₹4,860 per acre, without adding up other additional costs of labour etc. His yield per acre was 1 quintal which was sold for ₹4,600, thereby incurring a loss of ₹200 per acre. Contrast it with the organic farmer who spent ₹400 on normal seeds, ₹750 on irrigation, add some more costs on organic fertiliser and pesticide, ₹3,500 totalling a cost of ₹4,150; but the yield per acre was a phenomenal 3 quintals, which being organic was sold for ₹15,000, thus giving him a net profit of ₹10,850 per acre!
Vandana Shiva’s NGO Navdanya, which literally implies ‘Nine Seeds’, the symbol of nature’s bounty, or also as, ‘New Seed’, whose singular objective is to preserve and promote biodiversity has won many battles to save the indigenous seeds from the GMO multinationals. Under her leadership, it went hammer and tongs against the Monsanto multinational and won the legal case where the court held that the foreign company cannot hold patent rights for indigenous seeds. Also, such indigenous brands as ‘haldi’, ‘basmati rice’ and ‘neem’ were saved under the India Patents Act, 1970.
Seeds of Suicide, Ms Shiva’s article demolished Monsanto’s standby proving how its GMO Bt cotton had ruined the farmers and led them to suicide; but the company made enormous money through its near-total monopoly and earnings through high profits and royalties. Seed Bank is such an institution where seeds of all kinds are preserved and distributed to farmers to maintain agrobiodiversity, promote food production from the land that is native to these seeds and vice versa, protect soil from pollution, conduct regenerative farming, and empower farmers, which is the ground for a new and prosperous economic turnaround. Seed is equal to food; food is equal to the living; living is equal to culture; culture is equal to human civilisation. GM foods have the vicious power to destroy the native seed. Seeds have the potential not only to serve the immediate needs of food production, but also these can be saved for posterity to overcome the problems of climate change, manmade and natural disasters. Svalbard in Norway is the largest repository for seeds which has over 3 million varieties from all the countries of the world. However, recently India too has started its own seed vault at Chang La in the Himalayas at a height of 17,300 feet, which at present stores over 5000 indigenous varieties.
Agro companies abound in India, serving farmers in various capacities, from farming equipment to fertilisers, from electronic marketing platforms to direct marketing, but none has followed in the footsteps of Navdanya, the seed protector of India. India is an agricultural country and a major part of its populace depends on it. Hence, great opportunities exist for agro companies to stay profitable as long as people live on this planet. Land is the first factor of production, but if that itself is polluted then the life ends there. Cultivating it will yield enduring outcomes to ensure the existence of mankind and its progress. The companies which are looking forward to a CSR avenue do not have to look far beyond their plate of food
