May 8, 2006

MOVEMENT TO STOP THE GENOCIDE OF FARMERS

Dr. Vandana Shiva, Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology has called the suicides of more than 40,000 farmers a genocide. This genocide is a result of deliberate policy imposed by the WTO and the World Bank, implemented by the Government, which is designed to destroy small farmers and transform Indian agriculture into large scale corporate industrial farming. The suicides are a result of debt and debt is a result of a rising cost of production and falling prices, both linked to free trade and trade liberalization policies in agriculture. Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President has cautioned the Prime Minister to not rush head long into Free Trade Agreements in the context of farmers suicides.

Dr. Shiva released the fourth edition of the Navdanya report on the farmers suicides and seed monopolies. The first edition was issued in 1998, when farmers suicides started in the cotton belt of Warrangal in Andhra Pradesh. The report shows the trends of growing dependence of farmers in the suicide belt on hybrid and GMO seeds which are costly and cannot be saved, the privatization of seed supply and emergence of seed monopolies with Monsanto as the largest player. Monsanto’s Bt. Cotton is intimately connected to rising cost of production, increased crop failure and increasing incidences of farmers’ suicides. Reports of health hazards from Bt. Cotton are also growing.

Navdanya demands that a moratorium be put on cotton planting and a full and independent study of the socio-economic impact and impact on health and environment of Bt. Cotton is undertaken with citizen participation. Navdanya also reiterates its call to not allow the passage of any law such as the proposed Seed Act which will destroy farmers varieties and farmers rights and make farmers totally dependent on unreliable GM seeds from corporations like Monsanto.

Dr. Vandana Shiva and Dr. Krishan Bir Chowdhary, Executive Director of Bharat Krishak Samaj also briefed the press on the Bija Yatra / Asha Yatra being undertaken through the suicide belts of Maharasthra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The Bija Yatra 2006-2007 is being launched on 10th of May to mark 150 years of our struggle for freedom by building a movement to stop the genocide of our farmers and reclaim our food sovereingy. The participating organizations are Vidharba Organic Farmers Association, Maharasthra Organic Farmers Association, Andhra Pradesh Rytu Sangham, Modern Architect for Rural India, Telengana Rayatanga Samiti, All India Kisan Sabha, Karnataka Rytu Rajya Sangh, Bharat Jan Andolan, Kisani Pratishta Manch, Bharat Krishak Samaj, Shetkari Sangatana (Vidharbha), Kisan Sabha and other activist organisations. The Yatra will create awareness among farmers on GMO’s, corporate farming and seed monopolies. Yatris will encourage farmers to boycott Bt. Cotton, give up seeds of suicides and seeds of slavery, and adopt seeds of life and seeds of freedom and hope. Farmers participating in the Yatra will also give training on low cost ecological organic farming and distribute seeds of life and seeds of hope, which can be saved and do not need to be bought at high cost each year from corporations along with costly chemicals. Seed saving and seed sharing among farmers, and the adoption of ecological, organic farming will stop the vicious cycle of debt and create the virtuous cycle of prosperity. The Yatra will also promote GMO Free, Patent Free, Debt Free, Suicide Free Zones.

We would like to invite media to join and cover the Yatra.

For Further Information Please Contact

Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology
A-60, Hauz Khas
New Delhi – 110 016.
Ph : 91-11-26968077 / 26561868 / 26535422
Fax : 91-11-26856795 / 26962589
e-mail : vshiva@vsnl.com ; rfste@vsnl.com
website : www.navdanya.org