PRAJATEERPU

 

June 26 and July 1, 2001

 

We, having heard evidence and deliberated between June 26 and July 1, 2001, present the following verdict.

 

 

OUR VISION

 

 

 

We desire:

 

·         Food and farming for self reliance and community control over resources.

·         To maintain healthy soils, diverse crops, trees and livestock, and to build on our indigenous knowledge, practical skills and local institutions.

 

 

We Oppose

 

·         The proposed reduction of those making their livelihood from the land from 70%-40% in Andhra Pradesh

·         Land consolidation and displacement of rural people

·         Contract farming

·         Labour-displacing mechanisation

·         GM Crops - including Vitamin A rice & Bt cotton

·         Loss of control over medicinal plants including their export

 

 

 

DETAILED SCENARIO

 

 

Access & control over resources

 

 

1. Land

 

We desire:

·         To own the land we work ourselves.

·         The restoration of our title to land and rights over forests.

·         Schemes for land re-distribution and reclamation.

 

 

We oppose:     

·         Land consolidation and displacement of rural people

·         Contract farming

                       

 

 

2. Water

 

We desire:

·         Restoration of our irrigation tanks

·         Irrigation water during drought years

·         Borewells as a collectively managed resource for small farmers.

 

 

3. Seeds

 

We desire:

·         Self-reliance

·         Right to re-use on-farm saved seeds.

 

 

4. Medicinal plants

 

We oppose:

·         Loss of control including export of medicinal plants

 

 

 

Agriculture & Food Systems

 

We desire:

·         The maintenance of the variety and diversity of our crops & animals

·         The continued  integration of livestock in our agriculture (including goats)

·         Practices that maintain soil strength – (inc. livestock/FYM/mixed cropping, cover crops neem cake, groundnut husk)

·         Agricultural systems that require low investments

·         Indigenous agriculture – including an appropriate combination of silt, FYM, traditional seeds, improved seeds, mixed/rotated cropping,  farm-saved seed, control over seed selection.

·         Agricultural systems that generate secure livelihoods

 

We oppose:

·         The proposed reduction of those making their livelihood from the land from 70%-40% in Andhra Pradesh.

 

 

Science/Technologies

 

We desire:

·         Recognition & respect for indigenous knowledge & innovations

·         Restoration of water tanks and indigenous water management practices

·         Appropriate irrigation

 

We oppose:

·         GM crops – including Vitamin A rice & Bt cotton

·         Waste of money on research & development into inappropriate technologies that could instead be diverted to help us achieve our vision.

·         Labour-displacing mechanisation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Support & protective mechanisms

 

We desire:

·         Agriculture that does not require loans, so long as we have been ensured access to sufficient livestock & water sources

·         Subsidies for inputs for organic agriculture – inc. FYM/natural pesticides/traditional varieties

·         Local outlets for produce , and local sources of inputs

·         The PDS – don’t take away our ration cards

·         That the Antyodaya (PDS for poorest) should reach us.

·         Fair returns for our work & produce

 

 

Own institutions for self-reliance and local decision-making

 

We desire:

·         That the formation of representative organisations of farmers should be facilitated

·         Community crop planning

·         Local management, access & control over prices, markets & marketing

·         Re-training in indigenous resources management

·         That we can be linked up to farmers in different regions

 

 

We oppose:

·         Contract farming

 

 

Culture

 

We desire:

·         Agricultural systems compatible with own culture, (including trees/crops/livestock linked to festivals)

 

We object to:

·         The loss of opportunity for hospitality due to our lack of self-reliance in food and high cost of its purchase

 

 

 

Environmental/Human Health

 

We desire:

·         High quality safe food (free of toxic residues)

·         Nutritious diverse food

·         A switch to a system of farming that does not need toxic chemical pesticides

·         Diverse native forests instead of monoculture plantations (e.g. eucalyptus)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Role of Governments

 

We desire:

·         That all employees of the state should be accountable to us – (including) including forest officials)

·         That the government should be responsible for

                                    provision of basic services such as drinking water.

                                    monitoring prices.

                                    compensation in case of loss of life in agriculture

                                    giving loans to small, marginal and landless farmers.

                                    banning spurious pesticides

 

·         That foreign aid (from white people) should follow this vision and benefit the poorest.

 

 

 

The Members of the Citizens' Jury:

 

Facilitators:

 

Suda Goparaju,  Programme Support Team, Rural Livelihoods Programme, Government of Andhra Pradesh

 

Kavitha Kuruganti, Programmes Division, ActionAid India

 

Vinod Pavarala, Communication Programme, University of Hyderabad

 

 

 

Collaborators:

 

Dr Michel Pimbert

The International Institute for Environment and Development is an independent policy research organisation based in London, specialising on environmentally sound and sustainable development.

 

Dr Vinod Pavarala, UoH

The University of Hyderabad’s Communication Programme is part of the renowned Sarojini Naidu School for Performing Arts, Fine Arts & Communication, and is an international centre of excellence for development communication.

 

Sri P V Satheesh

The Andhra Pradesh Coalition in Defence of Diversity, is A.P.’s leading forum for the discussion of different agricultural options for the State’s future, emphasising options that ensure sustainable and socially just futures.

 

Dr Tom Wakeford, IDS

The Institute of Development Studies is the leading centre for participatory research in development, based at the University of Sussex, U.K.

 

 

Host:

 

DDS Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Medak District, Andhra Pradesh.