Bija Vidyapeeth: Centre for Learning

Nature As Teacher: Farming in Natures Ways

October 1 - 14, 2002

Farming in Nature's Ways Food systems are in crisis worldwide. The mad-cow and foot-in-mouth epidemics have led to the slaughter of millions of cattle in United Kingdom. Chemical pesticides and Genetically Modified Organisms are posing a threat to the very fabric of fragile ecological relationships that ensure food production. Water-wasteful methods of agriculture have created water logged and saline deserts and dried aquifers. The rich biodiversity of crops has been replaced by non-sustainable monocultures. While millions of tons of food grains rot in stores, millions of people are dying of hunger, 70% of the children of the third world are severely malnourished. Millions have been uprooted from the land and thousands have committed suicide.

The crisis in our food systems, at the levels of ecological security, food security, nutritional security and livelihood security arises from farming against Nature. Across Asia, Africa and Latin America, innovative systems, rooted in timeless principles of farming in Nature's Ways are spreading rapidly ensuring sustainability and the production of abundant safe and healthy food.

Faculty

Three leaders of the sustainable agriculture movement, namely Masanobu Fukuoka, Tewolde Berhan and Vandana Shiva, will be the faculty for the course on Sustainable Agriculture starting from October 1 to October 14, 2002.