A Year In Search of Seeds

A Thomas J. Watson fellow, Adam Forbes takes us around the world as he studys seed saving and the loss of genetic diversity.  First stop was India, where he worked with several groups including Navdanya.  I have pulled a few excerpts out of his 3 page summary but more can be read here:  forbesfarmer

"While Navdanya has expanded their efforts into numerous other issues, seed saving still lies at the core of their work. Navdanya’s pioneering research on the hazards of chemical farming, the costs of industrial agriculture and the risks of genetic engineering have opened many peoples eyes to the current contradictions we face in agriculture. However, instead of simply working against something negative their NGO has worked to create a positive solution by opening seed banks, educating farmers and much more. At the core of Navdanya’s work is the idea that it is our inherent duty and responsibility to protect our seed diversity and pass them on to future generations. Vandana Shiva believes that the free exchange of seeds, based on cooperation and reciprocity, has been the basis to maintaining biodiversity as well as food security. Through extensive network of volunteer coordinators all over India Navdanya has helped connect the rural farms to urban areas with creative marketing schemes. Their work is helping thousands of farmers to rediscover traditional practices of seed saving and sharing. The issue of seed saving and loss of agricultural diversity has been directly linked to organic farming, which Navdanya firmly asserts, “is not just a source of safer, healthier, tastier food. It is an answer to rural poverty.”

"Numerous farmers stated that the health of their family went down while they grew hybrid crops through chemical farming. They complained of high blood pressure, stomach problems, pain in joints, and even cancer. They tied these ailments to the introduction of new seeds and pesticides through the Green Revolution in the late 1960’s. The farmers stated confidently that their health greatly improved when they switched back to growing organically. Additionally, many farmers spoke at length about how the yield of hybrid varieties of crops was good for the first few years and then steadily declined after that. They were forced into a trap of purchasing more fertilizers each year and buying seeds from the market, as they couldn’t save seeds from the hybrid crops. While it was extremely depressing to hear of all the negative effects of the Green Revolution in this area each farmer I spoke to who had switched back to growing organic with native varieties inspired me greatly."

"On top of the health and economic benefits, farmers also spoke passionately about the terrible taste of the new varieties, the
improvement of their soil through organic methods, and the environmental benefits of traditional agriculture. Many interviewees had gotten their seeds from Navdanya at first and now were saving them every year. The farmers shared their seeds with neighbors, began to trade unique varieties, and gave more seeds back to Navdanya that they discovered. Slowly, the culture of cooperation and sharing has begun to flourish again."

"Never before did I recognize the direct connection between traditional varieties and organic agriculture. Traditional varieties are not only a crucial part of local recipes, cultures, and ceremonies, but they are also adapted to local climate, conditions, and pests. New, hybrid varieties of crops that were introduced through the Green Revolution are developed to produce a large amount of grain on a short plant. While this may sound great it is based on a very simplistic view of agriculture. In reality, when farmers switched to these modern techniques they were not able to get enough straw from the plants because they were bred to be dwarf varieties. In turn, they weren’t able to feed their cows and many families lost their source of milk, fertilizer, and even plowing."

"The importance of seed saving is struck home for me by a story told by numerous farmers in this area. Many years ago there was a drought and famine in the Dehra Dun area. During this famine, farmers never touched their stocks of seeds that were saved in their house. These starving farmers could have eaten their seed stock and lived for a few more days. However, they recognized the necessity of saving the seeds for the future and as a result starved to death with bags of grain within their reach."

"Punjab was by far the most intense week of my life. This state in Northern India is a symbol of our current agriculture crisis and a shocking example of the various contradictions of modernization. Punjab is billed as the most developed, modern, and progressive state in India. In turn, it has a proportionally larger amount of tractors, pesticides, and fertilizers than any other region in India. Basically, Punjab is American agriculture in India. While it may sound great when you speak to representatives from chemical companies, the reality in Punjab is much more grim. In Punjab, there are “cancer villages” in which over 30% of the villagers have cancers. There is also a “cancer train” that takes hundreds of villagers from Bhatinda to local hospitals each day."

"The land of five rivers has now complete contamination of its waterways and groundwater. There are over 3,712 villages in Punjab that face serious problems with their drinking water. As a result, women’s breast milk has become toxic. In one village where we stayed a woman had three babies who died when she fed them her breast milk. Later, she had two more babies, fed them formula and they all survived. Women are advised not to use their breast milk and it has been deemed a toxic substance in this region. Infertility and breast cancer also strikes the women of Punjab disproportionately. Suicides have plagued debt-ridden farmers in this area, as in other “advanced” parts of India. In the past five years over 2,500 suicides in India have been linked to the introduction of new genetically engineered seeds."

"I would like to tell just one more experience in Punjab. For the rest of my life I will remember walking through the cotton fields as the sun set on the horizon. As far as the eye could see lay genetically engineered cotton. In Punjab this BT cotton has been linked to many allergies and large-scale sheep death. There has actually been an increase in chemicals since its introduction. As we walked through the fields dozens of laborers with crude backpacks sprayed pesticides all around us. The smell hung heavy in the air. It burned my nostrils and itched the inside of my throat. As the wind blew, it brought the pesticides onto us, coating our clothes and burning my eyes. For a few minutes I felt what it was like to be those poor laborers as they sprayed with no protection at all."