Farmers as Activists: The South Asia / Canada Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture
Introduction
Lighting a candle at the seed altar
In February 2003, six Canadian organic farmers, one food systems consumer educator and Anna Paskal from Inter Pares traveled to India as part of a South Asia Network on Food, Ecology and Culture (SANFEC) initiative entitled the South Asia/Canada Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture. SANFEC is an international network of civil society organizations working on themes related to food security. Inter Pares works with SANFEC to bring South Asian ecological agricultural experiences to food security work in Canada, and to help build international bridges among interested individuals and organizations.
Canadians enjoying the welcome ceremony
The first phase of the Dialogue took place in August 2002 when a group of South Asian farmers and representatives of civil society organizations came to Canada to visit organic farms and participate in the 14th World Congress of International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadians and South Asians found that they had much in common. They shared experiences such as fighting corporate control over seeds, working to educate the public about the politics of food and promoting organics as a healthy option that supports local communities. At the IFOAM conference, the group issued an action statement entitled Common Ground, which has since been endorsed by hundreds of groups and individuals worldwide.
Abra Brynne (second from left) at the Mobile Biodiversity Festival
Upon his return to India, one of the participants, P.V. Satheesh, Executive Director of the Deccan Development Society (DDS), an NGO in southern India working with village women's groups, felt that there would be great potential in bringing Canadian organic farmers to India. Satheesh thought a discussion on the commonalities facing farmers in both countries would encourage a wider understanding among government, academic, and civil society actors in India of the potential of ecological agriculture as a viable rural development strategy. This photo essay is Anna Paskal's story of that trip.
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| Reviewed July 31, 2009 |  |
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