Friday, February 27, 2015

Event: Farmer's Haat - 1st March 2015, 11AM to 6PM @ Pune

Dear Friends,
Please drop by between 11am and 6pm this Sunday 1st March, and buy your week's groceries directly from the people who grew them!
Poster:
Inline image 1
Wanted : Volunteers for playing ambient soft music during the day. If you can or know someone, please contact! Like Flute or Guitar. Non-electronic, no singing, only soft music to build a nice mood.
Yes! It's not just a regular buying activity.. there will be art installations, performances, music and celebration too. Bring the whole family!

Farmers near Pune connected with Sheela's and Apulkee's network are coming with their produce. There will be organic and low-to-zero-residue produce on sale. Please support this initiative by buying your week's groceries here! Please bring your own carry bags. The farmers will be getting the full sale price; nothing going to any middlemen. And equally important is the chance for the farmer and the consumer to meet and get to know each other, build relationships, plan a trip to their farm if possible. This pilot event (at a smaller scale than a full-fledged farmers market) will be very helpful in figuring out the transport logistics, on-the-spot needs, people's response etc and will contribute towards organizing full-fledged farmers markets in the near future in Pune. We want to invite anyone who is interested in taking this concept further to come and meet and discuss. Please reach back if you're one of them!
Related links:
http://epaper.sakaaltimes.com/c/4566704 - read more about the initiative here
https://www.facebook.com/events/336540976552900 - FB event page for the larger Refracting Rooms event that this is a part of.

http://www.apulkee.org
https://www.facebook.com/Apulaki
https://www.facebook.com/OrganicBazaarIndia

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Poster text:
We are a group of like-minded people who have similar questions and concerns about the role of farmers in our society and the present situation they are in. Once in a while we need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher but we need a farmer every day, three times a day. Through this Farmer’s Market we want to communicate that “IF YOU ATE A MEAL TODAY, THANK A FARMER”. We invite all the people with a similar interest in bringing about a change, to create a thriving and sustainable community for thoughts and ideas in taking this collaborative effort further.
Venue: TIFA Working Studios, Hotel Shalimar, near Pune Station, Sadhu Vaswani Road, Pune. Landmark: Vijay Sales / Pune station bus depot
--
Cheers,
Nikhil
+91-966-583-1250
Pune, India
Self-designed learner at Swaraj University <http://www.swarajuniversity.org>
http://www.nikhilsheth.tk

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

LIVING WITH GMOs - A Letter from America

An open letter to the citizens, politicians, and regulators of the UK and the rest of the EU about the hazards of genetically modified crops

We are writing as concerned American citizens to share with you our experience of genetically modified (GM) crops and the resulting damage to our agricultural system and adulteration of our food supply.
In our country, GM crops account for about half of harvested cropland. Around 94% of the soy, 93% of corn (maize) and 96% of cotton grown is GM.1
The UK and the rest of the EU have yet to adopt GM crops in the way that we have, but you are currently under tremendous pressure from governments, biotech lobbyists, and large corporations to adopt what we now regard as a failing agricultural technology.
Polls consistently show that 72% of Americans do not want to eat GM foods and over 90% of Americans believe GM foods should be labeled.2 In spite of this massive public mandate, efforts to get our federal3 and state4  governments to better regulate, or simply label, GMOs are being undermined by large biotech and food corporations with unlimited budgets5 and undue influence.
As you consider your options, we’d like to share with you what nearly two decades of GM crops in the United States has brought us. We believe our experience serves as a warning for what will happen in your countries should you follow us down this road.

Broken promises

GM crops were released onto the market with a promise that they would consistently increase yields and decrease pesticide use. They have done neither.6 In fact, according to a recent US government report yields from GM crops can be lower than their non-GM equivalents.7
Farmers were told that GM crops would yield bigger profits too. The reality, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, is different.8 Profitability is highly variable, while the cost of growing these crops has spiraled.9 GM seeds cannot legally be saved for replanting, which means farmers must buy new seeds each year.  Biotech companies control the price of seeds, which cost farmers 3-6 times more than conventional seeds.10 This, combined with the huge chemical inputs they require, means GM crops have proved more costly to grow than conventional crops.  Because of the disproportionate emphasis on GM crops, conventional seed varieties are no longer widely available leaving farmers with less choice and control over what they plant.11
Farmers who have chosen not to grow GM crops can find their fields contaminated with GM crops as a result of cross pollination between related species of plants12 and GM and non-GM seeds being mixed together during storage.
Because of this our farmers are losing export markets.  Many countries have restrictions or outright bans on growing or importing GM crops13 and as a result, these crops have become responsible for a rise in trade disputes when shipments of grain are found to be contaminated with GM organisms (GMOs). 14
The burgeoning organic market here in the US is also being affected. Many organic farmers have lost contracts for organic seed due to high levels of contamination. This problem is increasing and is expected to get much bigger in the coming years.

Pesticides and superweeds

The most widely grown types of GM crops are known as “Roundup Ready” crops. These crops, mostly corn and soy, have been genetically engineered so that when they are sprayed with the herbicide Roundup® – the active ingredient of which is glyphosate – the weeds die but the crop continues to grow.
This has created a vicious circle. Weeds have become resistant to the herbicide, causing farmers to spray even more. Heavier use of herbicides creates ever more “superweeds” and even higher herbicide use.   A recent review found that between 1996 and 2011, farmers who planted Roundup Ready crops used 24% more herbicide than non-GMO farmers planting the same crops.15
If we remain on this trajectory with Roundup Ready crops we can expect to see herbicide rates increase by 25% each year for the foreseeable future.
This pesticide treadmill means that in the last decade in the US at least 14 new glyphosate-resistant weed species have emerged,16and over half of US farms are plagued with herbicide-resistant weeds.17
Biotech companies, which sell both the GM seeds and the herbicides,18 have proposed to address this problem with the creation of new crop varieties that will be able to withstand even stronger and more toxic herbicides such as 2,4-D and dicamba. However it is estimated that if these new varieties are approved, this could drive herbicide use up by as much as 50%.19

Environmental harm

Studies have shown that the increased herbicide use on Roundup Ready crops is highly destructive to the natural environment.  For example, Roundup kills milkweeds, which are the key food source for the iconic Monarch butterfly20 and poses a threat to other important insects such as bees.21  It is also damaging to soil, killing beneficial organisms that keep it healthy and productive22 and making essential micronutrients unavailable to the plant.23
Without healthy soil, we cannot grow healthy plants.
Other types of GM plants, which have been engineered to produce their own insecticide (e.g. “Bt” cotton plants), have also been shown to harm beneficial insects including green lacewings24, the Daphnia magna waterflea25 and other aquatic insects,26 and ladybugs (ladybirds).27
Resistance to the insecticides in these plants is also growing,28creating new varieties of resistant “superbugs” and requiring more applications of insecticides at different points in the growth cycle, for instance on the seed before it is planted.29 In spite of this, new Bt varieties of corn and soy have been approved here and will soon be planted.

A threat to human health

GM ingredients are everywhere in our food chain. It is estimated that 70% of processed foods consumed in the US have been produced using GM ingredients. If products from animals fed GM feed are included, the percentage is significantly higher.
Research shows that Roundup Ready crops contain many times more glyphosate, and its toxic breakdown product AMPA, than normal crops.30
Traces of glyphosate have been found in the breastmilk and urine of American mothers, as well as in their drinking water.31 The levels in breastmilk were worryingly high – around 1,600 times higher than what is allowable in European drinking water. Passed on to babies through breastmilk, or the water used to make formula, this could represent an unacceptable risk to infant health since glyphosate is a suspected hormone disrupter.32 Recent studies suggest that this herbicide is also toxic to sperm.33
Likewise, traces of the Bt toxin have been found in the blood of mothers and their babies.34
GM foods were not subjected to human trials before being released into the food chain and the health impacts of having these substances circulating and accumulating in our bodies are not being studied by any government agency, nor by the companies that produce them.
Studies of animals fed GM foods and/or glyphosate, however, show worrying trends including damage to vital organs like the liver and kidneys, damage to gut tissues and gut flora, immune system disruption, reproductive abnormalities, and even tumors.35
These scientific studies point to potentially serious human health problems that could not have been anticipated when our country first embraced GMOs, and yet they continue to be ignored by those who should be protecting us. Instead our regulators rely on outdated studies and other information funded and supplied by biotech companies that, not surprisingly, dismiss all health concerns.

A denial of science

This spin of corporate science stands in stark contrast to the findings of independent scientists. In fact, in 2013, nearly 300 independent scientists from around the world issued a public warning that there was no scientific consensus about the safety of eating genetically modified food, and that the risks, as demonstrated in independent research, gave “serious cause for concern.”36
It’s not easy for independent scientists like these to speak out. Those who do have faced obstacles in publishing their results, been systematically vilified by pro-GMO scientists, been denied research funding, and in some cases have had their jobs and careers threatened.37

Control of the food supply

Through our experience we have come to understand that the genetic engineering of food has never really been about public good, or feeding the hungry, or supporting our farmers. Nor is it about consumer choice. Instead it is about private, corporate control of the food system.
This control extends into areas of life that deeply affect our day-to-day well-being, including food security, science, and democracy. It undermines the development of genuinely sustainable, environmentally friendly agriculture and prevents the creation of a transparent, healthy food supply for all.
Today in the US, from seed to plate, the production, distribution, marketing, safety testing, and consumption of food is controlled by a handful of companies, many of which have commercial interests in genetic engineering technology. They create the problems, and then sell us the so-called solutions. This is a closed cycle of profit generation that is unequalled in any other type of commerce.
We all need to eat, which is why every citizen should strive to understand these issues.

Time to speak out

Americans are reaping the detrimental impacts of this risky and unproven agricultural technology.  EU countries should take note: there are no benefits from GM crops great enough to offset these impacts. Officials who continue to ignore this fact are guilty of a gross dereliction of duty.
We, the undersigned, are sharing our experience and what we have learned with you so that you don’t make our mistakes.
We strongly urge you to resist the approval of genetically modified crops, to refuse to plant those crops that have been approved, to reject the import and/or sale of GM-containing animal feeds and foods intended for human consumption, and to speak out against the corporate influence over politics, regulation and science.
If the UK and the rest of Europe becomes the new market for genetically modified crops and food our own efforts to label and regulate GMOs will be all the more difficult, if not impossible. If our efforts fail, your attempts to keep GMOs out of Europe will also fail.
If we work together, however, we can revitalize our global food system, ensuring healthy soil, healthy fields, healthy food and healthy people.

References


1 Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the US 1996-2014 – Recent Trends in GE Adoption, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), July 2014, http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption.aspx#.U9aA4fldUz0
2Consumer Support for Standardization and Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food 2014 Nationally‐Representative Phone Survey,  Consumer Reports® National Research Center Survey Research Report,https://consumersunion.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014_GMO_survey_report.pdf ; see also Brinkerhoff N, Americans overwhelmingly want GMO labelling...until big companies pour money into election campaigns, AllGov News, January 7, 2014 http://www.allgov.com/news/where-is-the-money-going/americans-overwhelmingly-want-gmo-labelinguntil-big-companies-pour-money-in-election-campaigns-140107?news=852102
3 GE Food Labelling: States Take Action, Fact Sheet, Center for Food Safety, June 2014, http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/ge-state-labeling-fact-sheet-620141_28179.pdf
4 ibid
5 Jargon J and Berry I, Dough Rolls Out to Fight 'Engineered' Label on Food, Wall Street journal, October 25, 2012,http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203400604578073182907123760
6 Benbrook C, Evidence of the magnitude and consequences of the Roundup Ready soybean yield drag from university-based varietal trials in 1998: Ag BioTech InfoNet Technical Paper Number 1, Sandpoint, Idaho, 1999,http://www.mindfully.org/GE/RRS-Yield-Drag.htm; see also Elmore RW,  et al. Glyphosate-resistant soyabean cultivar yields compared with sister lines, Agron J, 2001;93:408-12; see also Ma BL and Subedi KD, Development, yield, grain moisture and nitrogen uptake of Bt corn hybrids and their conventional near-isolines. Field Crops Res. 2005; 93: 199-211; see also Bennett H. GM canola trials come a cropper, WA Business News.http://www.wabusinessnews.com.au/en-story/1/69680/GM-canola-trials-come-a-cropper January 16, 2009; see also Gurian-Sherman D, Failure to yield: Evaluating the performance of genetically engineered crops. Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists; 2009. Available at:http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/failure-to-yield.pdf
7 Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States, USDA, Economic Research Services, February 2014 http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err162.aspx#.U7vzi7Hrzbx
8 Fernandez-Cornejo J, Wechsler S, Livingston M, Mitchell L. Genetically engineered crops in the United States. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2014. Available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err162.aspx#.U0P_qMfc26x
9 Fernandez-Cornejo J, McBride WD. The adoption of bioengineered crops. Agricultural Economic Report No. 810. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2002, http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer810/aer810.pdf; see also Gómez-Barbero M and Rodríguez-Cerezo E. Economic impact of dominant GM crops worldwide: A review. European Commission Joint Research Centre: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies; 2006,  http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/eur22547en.pdf; see also Benbrook CM. Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the United States: The first thirteen years. Washington, DC: The Organic Center; 2009. Available at:http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/13Years20091126_FullReport.pdf; see also Howard P, Visualizing consolidation in the global seed industry: 1996–2008. Sustainability. 2009; 1: 1266-87; see also Neuman W. Rapid rise in seed prices draws US scrutiny, New York Times, March 11, 2010,http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/12seed.html?_r=1.
10 Benbrook CM. The magnitude and impacts of the biotech and organic seed price premium. Washington, DC: The Organic Center; 2009. Available at: http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/Seeds_Final_11-30-09.pdf.
11 Roseboro K, The GMO Seed Monopoly: Reducing Farmer's Seed Options, Organic Connections, 16 April 2013 http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/the-gmo-seed-monopoly-reducing-farmers-seed-options/#.UW6i4LVllfY
12 D’Hertefeldt T, et al. Long-term persistence of GM oilseed rape in the seedbank. Biol Lett. 2008;4:314–17; see also Gilbert N. GM crop escapes into the American wild. Nature. 2010. Available at: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100806/full/news.2010.393.html; see also Black R. GM plants “established in the wild”, BBC News, August 6, 2010, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10859264.
13 The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/default.shtml; see also GMO-Free Europe, http://www.gmo-free-regions.org.
14 Technical consultation on low levels of genetically modified (GM) crops in international food and feed trade, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy March 21-22, 2014,http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/agns/topics/LLP/AGD803_4_Final_En.pdf.
15 Benbrook CM, Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the US - the first sixteen years, Environmental Sciences Europe,  2012; 24: 24  doi:10.1186/2190-4715-24-24.
16 USDA 2014, op cit.
17 The Rise of Superweeds – and What to Do About It, Union of Concerned Scientists, Policy Brief, December 2013, http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/rise-of-superweeds.pdf.
18 Superweeds – How biotech crops bolster the pesticide industry, Food & Water Watch, July 2013http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/Superweeds.pdf#_ga=1.262673807.2090293938.1404747885.
19 Benbrook CM, 2012, ibid.
20 Brower LP, Decline of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico: is the migratory phenomenon at risk?, Insect Conservation and Diversity, Volume 5, Issue 2, pages 95–100, March 2012,http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2011.00142.x/full.
21 Garcia, MA and Altieri M, Transgenic Crops: Implications for Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 2005; 25(4) 335-53, DOI: 10.1177/0270467605277293; see also Haughton, A J et al Invertebrate responses to the management of genetically modified herbicidetolerant and conventional spring crops. II.Within-field epigeal and aerial arthropods. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 2003; 358: 1863-77; see also Roy, DB et al Invertebrates and vegetation of field margins adjacent to crops subject to contrasting herbicide regimes in the Farm Scale Evaluations of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 2003; 358: 1879-98.
22 Glyphosate herbicide affects belowground interactions between earthworms and symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi in a model ecosystem. Nature Scientific Reports, July 9, 2014,  4: 5634, DOI: doi:10.1038/srep05634; Citizens Concerned About GM, Suffocating the soil: An “unanticipated effect” of GM crops, 15 March 2013,http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p207351-suffocating-the-soil:-anunanticipated-effectof-gm-crops.html.
23 Tapesser B et al, Agronomic and environmental aspects of the cultivation of genetically modified herbicide-resistant plants A joint paper of BfN (Germany), FOEN (Switzerland) and EAA (Austria), Bonn, Germany 2014,http://www.bfn.de/fileadmin/MDB/documents/service/skript362.pdf.
24 Tapesser B et al, 2014, op cit.
25 Tapesser B et al, 2014, op cit.
26 Rossi-Marshall EJ et al, Toxins in transgenic crop byproducts may affect headwater stream ecosystems, PNAS, 2007, 104(41): 16204–08,http://www.pnas.org/content/104/41/16204.abstract.
27 Tapesser B et al, 2014 op cit; see also Schmidt JEU, Braun CU, Whitehouse LP, Hilbeck A: Effects of activated Bt transgene products (Cry1Ab, Cry3Bb) on immature stages of the ladybird Adalia bipunctata in laboratory ecotoxicity testing, Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2009, 56: 221-28, http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00244-008-9191-9.
28 Gassmann AJ et al, Field-evolved resistance by western corn rootworm to multiple Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in transgenic maize, Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2014 ; 111(14): 5141-46, http://www.pnas.org/content/111/14/5141; see also Letter from 22 Members  and  Participants  of  North  Central  Coordinating  Committee NCCC46  and  Other  Corn Entomologists  to US EPA, March 5, 2012, http://www.biosicherheit.de/pdf/aktuell/12-03_comment_porter_epa.pdf ; see also  Huang F et al, Resistance of sugarcane borer to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin, Entomol Exp Appl, 2007; 124: 117-23, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1570-7458.2007.00560.x/abstract;jsessionid=77E6295826AFA053813D7CFD5A1C15DB.f01t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false ; see also Tabashnik BE, et al, Insect resistance to Bt crops: Evidence versus theory, Nat Biotechnol, 2008; 26: 199–202,http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/teach/agbiotox/Readings%202008/TabashnikBtResistInsects-NatBiotech-2008.pdf.
29 Leslie TW, Biddinger DJ, Mullin CA, Fleischer SJ. Carabidae population dynamics and temporal partitioning: Response to coupled neonicotinoid-transgenic technologies in maize, Env Entomol, 2009; 38: 935-43; see also Gurian-Sherman D. Genetically engineered crops in the real world – Bt corn, insecticide use, and honey bees. The Cornucopia Institute, January 13, 2012.http://www.cornucopia.org/2012/01/genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-real-world-bt-corn-insecticide-use-and-honey-bees.
30 Bohn T et al, Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans, Food Chemistry, 2014 ; 153: 207-15.
31 Glyphosate testing report: Findings in American mothers’ breast milk, urine and water. Mom’s Across America, April 7, 2014, http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/yesmaam/pages/774/attachments/original/1396803706/Glyphosate__Final__in_the_breast_milk_of_American_women_Draft6_.pdf?1396803706.
32 Gasnier C, et al, Glyphosate-based herbicides are toxic and endocrine disruptors in human cell lines, Toxicology, 2009; 262: 184-91. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2009.06.006; see also Hokanson R, et al, Alteration of estrogen-regulated gene expression in human cells induced by the agricultural and horticultural herbicide glyphosate, Hum Exp Toxicol, 2007; 26: 747-52. doi:10.1177/0960327107083453; see also Thongprakaisang S, et al, Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors, Food Chem Toxicol, 2013; 59: 129–36.  doi:10.1016/j.fct.2013.05.057.
33 Cassault-Meyer E et al, An acute exposure to glyphosate-based herbicide alters aromatase levels in testis and sperm nuclear quality, Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2014; 38(1):  131-40.
34 Aris A and Leblanc S, Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, Reproductive Toxicology, 2011; 31(4): 528–33.
35 Fagan F et al, Chapter 3 - Health Hazards of GM Foods  and Chapter 4 - Health Hazards of Roundup and glyphosate, in GMO Myths & Truths: An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops and foods, Earth Open Source, 2nd Ed, 2014.
36 Statement: No scientific consensus on GMO safety,  European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility, October 21, 2013,http://www.ensser.org/increasing-public-information/no-scientific-consensus-on-gmo-safety.

37 Smith, J, GMO Researchers Attacked, Evidence Denied, and a Population at Risk, Global Research, September 19, 2012http://www.globalresearch.ca/gmo-researchers-attacked-evidence-denied-and-a-population-at-risk/5305324; see also Waltz E, GM crops: Battlefield, Nature, 2009; 461, 27-32  doi:10.1038/461027a; see also Woodward L, Muzzled by Monsanto, Citizens Concerned About GM, May 4, 2014, http://www.gmeducation.org/blog/p217611-muzzled-by-monsanto.html.

SOURCE: http://www.theletterfromamerica.org/

‘IFOAM - Organics International’ Supports ‘The Letter from America’

‘IFOAM – Organics International’ is supporting ‘The Letter from America’, an open letter from 57 million Americans to the citizens, politicians, and regulators of the UK and the rest of the European Union, highlighting the hazards of genetically modified crops and calling on them not to follow the US example when it comes to GMOs. 

We are proud that the North American Office of ‘IFOAM – Organics International’ has become a signatory of ‘The Letter from America’, a fully referenced letter detailing the problems and challenges that American farmers, consumers and others have faced since the first commercialized genetically engineered crops were planted almost two decades ago.

Signed by groups and individuals representing 57 million members and supporters at its launch, the Letter continues to gather momentum; its current representative signature count is more than 60 million.

The Letter argues, amongst other things, that GM crops have never delivered on their promises to increase yields and profits or to decrease pesticide use. In fact, they have done the opposite with the cost of growing GM crops now greater than conventional crops in the US and pesticide use 24% higher amongst GM farmers than non-GM farmers planting the same crops.

Commenting on the decision to sign, David Gould, our North America representative and Value Chain Facilitator said ‘the irresponsible environmental release of GMOs continues to cause significant ecosystem damage. ‘IFOAM - Organics International’ therefore calls for policy reform to ensure the common good, and encourages consumers to demand and proactively support non-GMO supply chains. We must stand together to bring society on a path toward truly sustainable agriculture - one based on organic practices supported by state-of-the art technical innovations that respect the ‘Principles of Organic Agriculture.’

Pat Thomas, Director of the campaigning group Beyond GM, which initiated the Letter, said ‘we are so pleased to welcome IFOAM – Organics International to the list of influential signatories to the Letter from America. As an organization with organic principles at its very heart, IFOAM and its members in the US and Canada – as well as worldwide – exemplify how sustainable agricultural practices are working right now to help farmers, to support ethical business models and to put food on people’s tables.’


You can read the full letter here.
Contacts & Links

‘IFOAM - Organics International’ is the international umbrella organization of the organic world. For more information contact: David Gould, North America Representative & Value Chain Facilitator, d.g...@ifoam.bio, or visit www.ifoam.bio.

The Letter from America: http://www.theletterfromamerica.org is a project of the campaigning group Beyond GM (www.beyond-gm.org). For more information contact: Pat Thomas, Director, p...@beyond-gm.org

Forgotten Cereals are Back

Published: 24th February 2015 06:04 AM
Last Updated: 24th February 2015 06:04 AM








JP NAGAR:An NGO is striving to bring millets, once a staple in these parts, back into our daily diet.
 Sahaja Organics, run by Sahaja Samrudha Organic Producer, an NGO based in VV Puram, has been organising millet melas across Karnataka.
 “If we just tell people about the importance of the cereal, nobody is going to eat it. So, we had a competition where 25 women participated and made 70 to 80 dishes of millets,” Anita Reddy, trustee of Sahaja Samrudha, told City Express.

One of the highlights was bajra roti with navane (fox tail millet) chutney powder. “It has an exquisite taste,” she said.
 Millets can be consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and are one of the oldest foods known to humans, she explained.
 “Vedic scriptures like Sathapatha Brahmana have ample references to millets.” she said. “And several varieties are found on Harappan and Mohenjodaro archeological sites.”
 The Millet Mela that concluded in JP Nagar on Sunday introduced brown top millet, which Anita explained can be grown anywhere with little care.
“Brown top millet has 17.5 per cent fibre, whereas oats has just 11 per cent. We promote oats so much, but never promote millets. Melas are thus helping us to create awareness,” she explained.
 Sahaja Samrudha was founded in 2010 with the objective of improving the livelihood of farmers through the marketing of organic produce to urban consumers.
 “Our NGO works towards conservation of traditional pulses, millets and cereals. We are working with some groups in southern India,” she said.
 The NGO hopes the cereals will become a part of everyday meals. “Unless it is viable, farmers will not cultivate the cereals. Marketing is one aspect of our conservation work,” she said.
 She said the promotion of oats, which is not produced in our country, was common. “Why should we eat a foreign product, when we have our traditional millets in our own backyard?” she said.
 The price of millet ranges from Rs 70 to Rs 80 a kilo. “The processing is expensive, and that explains the price. The farmers of north Karnataka and Tumakuru produce these millets. We get our produce processed in Tamil Nadu. The logistics is working out expensive,” Anita said.
 Karnataka doesn’t have a good processing unit to clean and remove the husk. Millets sold by Sahaja Samrudha are not polished.
 Apart from millets, Sahaja Samrudha is the only company that sells red rice wholesale in Karnataka.
 “We have dark, red rice, which is not available in the normal market. Our other exclusive product is corn, which comes in varieties of black and red,” she said.
Sahaja Samrudha, #19, Sajjan Rao Road, VV Puram. For details, call 2661 2315, email sahajaindia@gmail.com or
log on to sahajasamrudha.org

SOURCE: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/Forgotten-Cereals-are-Back/2015/02/24/article2683686.ece