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June '02
Annadana: Food for Thought
- by Isha
A conference of the
South-Asia Network of Soil & Seed Savers took place in Auroville to
discuss strategies for saving the seeds
In the second week of March
the Visitors Centre field buzzed with the presence of a very mixed
crowd, invited to Auroville through a notice appearing online to 350
NGOs all over India and Southeast Asia. Seventy people arrived to
participate in the conference, under a colorful pandal tent pitched near
the cafeteria and amidst a wonderful atmosphere created by the Annadana
crew: seed sample displays, and exhibit tables brimming with the
season's harvest of shapely gourds, squashes and melons, tomatoes red,
yellow and purple, colorful ears of maize and Star of David lady
fingers, and bright posters showing vegetable and flower collections
from around the world. In the middle of this show of nature's abundance
chairs and blackboard took the focus, where presenters shared their
knowledge on gardening and genetic heritage. Kokopelli Association,
France, sponsored the whole conference, and visitors were treated to
stays in some of Auroville's finest guesthouses. Lovely meals and teas
were provided, which included samples of some of Auroville's own grains
and vegetables in the lunch menus.
The purpose of the gathering
was to discuss strategies for the saving of seeds, especially of
well-loved varieties of vegetables, and for promoting the growing of
these in kitchen and home gardens. Rather than commercial incentive,
this initiative is to reintegrate traditions of better health and
nutrition through interaction with one's immediate environment - the
garden. A way to do this is to grow vegetables and successfully save
their genetic heritage (seeds) from year to year, sharing these with
friends and neighbors, and create local seed networks. The
"farmers" who attended came from everywhere: agriculturalists,
home gardeners, Non-Governmental organisations and rural development
consultants, writers, and activists from places like Bangladesh,
Himachal Pradesh, New Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Chennai,
Chingleput, Trichy, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Hawaii. A large part of the
time was devoted to hearing each tell their experiences of promoting
biodiversity through their own work. Besides discussions under the tent,
there was a brilliant (literally!) guided tour by Stephane, to see
garden cultivation and seed multiplication work at the new Auroville
Botanical Gardens site, and then also two evening sessions in the SAWCHU
pavilion.
The organizers responsible
for topics and activities were Dominique Guillet and Bernard Declerq,
supported by Stephane, Isha and Mauricette (for Annadana network) and
help from many of the project's current volunteers. Dominique gave an
overall introduction to the work of Kokopelli Association, and on
maintaining purity of "open-pollinated" varieties and low-cost
techniques for the prevention of cross-pollination. This was supported
by the 60-page preparatory booklet provided for conference participants,
providing a detailed species lists of exotic and indigenous food plants,
and documenting a series of letters comprising the recent hot debate on
the pros and cons of introduced "exotics".
The concerns raised about
introduction of "alien species" were heard out during the
course of the weekend. The simplest research into a history of economic
botany clearly shows that (food) plants have been traveling around the
world, taking root in "traditional" diets as long as man has
practiced cultivation (approximately 10,000 years). Most
"Indian" vegetables (i.e. chillies, tomatoes), and some
staples (ie: millets, maize), are "imports" from other
countries! With organic agriculture there is no chemical intervention
when diseases and infestation arise in weak, unhealthy plants, so only
the healthy ones remain in the field for seed collection. And many newly
introduced varieties will not survive in new climatic conditions without
artificial technology, so there is a natural process of selection - only
the best suited survive to create the seeds of the future.
Why are seeds so hard to
find in India today, and mostly from big seed companies? Many varieties
of vegetables were in wide use here during the last 100 years, but these
have mostly vanished with the advent of hybrid seeds (not reproducing
"true to type") requiring more chemical inputs and watering,
and producing useless seeds. People have given over their self-reliance
to commercial and scientific organizations. Sunita Rao, respected
speaker and organizer of the environmental NGO Kalpavrish, points out
that there is a big demand for good quality, open-pollinated seeds by
women farmers for their home gardens. She called for a non-divisive
approach to achieving what is in everybody's best interests: assuring
access to genetic resources and biodiversity. There is the need to work
on the local level with a strong regional support, she explained.
What followed was formation
of a statement of purpose - a charter for the ongoing work of making
more and better seeds available to gardeners and small-scale farmers.
Existing organizations and development networks are already in the best
position to begin "seed wealth centers", to collect sample
seeds of local open-pollinated varieties, with special attention to
unique types, and preserve these vegetable seeds for gardeners who may
not do it on their own. The next step is to pass on seeds to other
farmers and gardeners sure to save seed of the next generation, who will
also return a certain amount to the main center.
There is a tremendous need for research and documentation, to collate
information about open- pollinated types still available in villages.
This data will include location, origin, physiological characteristics,
local name, qualities such as medicinal value, micronutrient content,
pest resistance, etc. Of special interest are local skills in
cultivation practices, planting times, seed selection and preservation,
and the screening for the adaptability of seeds imported from outside
the immediate region. Lastly, but very much in demand, is the need to
organize skill-sharing workshops with farmers and gardeners on all
technical aspects related to seeds and vegetable growing. Annadana is
ready to provide encouragement in the form of technical assistance for
those ready to begin.
This informative and
inspiring event closed with a dinner at Athiti Griha guesthouse on the
Sunday evening. The work has only just begun, but everyone expressed
profound appreciation for the chance to meet together in Auroville, and
for the added dimension of depth, reflection and beauty that Auroville
(and Aurovilians working together) impresses on those who come here to
share and learn!
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