Bija Vidyapeeth: Centre for Learning
Biodiversity, Biotechnology, Biopiracy
February 9 - 22, 2003
with Pat Mooney, Jacqueline McGlade, and Dr. Vandana Shiva
Biodiversity today is being threatened by attempts to pirate and control it through patenting and by the biotechnology of genetic manipulation. But biodiversity is also being conserved, and communities around the world are fighting to ensure that the natural heritage they have preserved for centuries is not stolen or destroyed.
Biotechnology and Biopiracy
Genetic Engineered (GE) seeds such as “BT Cotton” and “Round
Up Ready Soya” are replacing biodiverse agriculture around the world,
and spreading genetic pollution. Contrary to claims, Genetic Engineering
is not bringing new benefits to farmers or consumers, though it is creating
new risks.
New definitions of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRS) are creating an infrastructure for an epidemic of piracy, which has already started. A handful of multinational companies are claiming to have invented, and thereby patent, centuries-old staples such as Wheat Flour, and Rice, as well as traditional uses of everything from the Neem tree to Haldi (Tumeric).
Biodiversity Conservation
Since 1987, Navdanya (of which Bija Vidyapeeth is an educational programme)
has been working to preserve biodiversity through promoting sustainable
organic farming (from the field to the table), and by fighting the threats
of biotechnology and biopiracy. Navdanya has set up a network of community
seed banks across the country, helping preserve and promote the incredible
diversity of Indian agriculture. It successfully fought and won cases
to prevent foreign companies from patenting India’s indigenous Neem
tree and Basmati rice, by forming the largest conservation movement in
the area of agro- biodiversity and seed conservation. Navdanya is also
working on defending community rights, especially over traditional knowledge
and local resources, through its living Democracy movement.
The Course
The course will begin on the Bija Vidyapeeth campus, set on Navdanya’s
organic farm (a few kilometers outside of Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal, India).
Faculty will provide a framework for exploring the impact (ecological,
social, and environmental) of current trends in modern agriculture. We
will also look at the benefits of sustainable farming, which produces
more nutrition per acre without destroying the ecological base. The highlight
of the course will be a field trip in the Himalayas to visit communities
who have been practicing sustainable agriculture to conserve biodiversity.
The course will then proceed to Delhi for the final day of exploring how
we can integrate theory and practice.
Faculty
Registration
[ For students from India ] - [ For sudents from outside India ]
For more details
Coordinator, Bija Vidyapeeth
A-60, Hauz Khas,
New Delhi, India
Tel: 91 11 26561868, 26562093
Fax: 91 11 26562093
bijavidyapeeth@vsnl.net
www.bijavidyapeeth.org
