Organic Assam- Time to re-organize !
May 1, 2013
There are three ways to highlight the importance of an object or objective.
One is by action- Don’t they say action speak louder than words?
But if for some reason, the existent action is not as visible as is necessary to create an impact, then?
Then we go to plan B…
Plan B of ‘how to highlight the importance’ is simply by highlighting the importance. Yes, simple isn’t it?
But if for some reason, even Plan B is not being heard, understood and acknowledged, then?
Then we go finally for Plan C, where instead of highlighting the importance of the highlighted objective, we highlight the un-importance, harmfulness or the uselessness of the available and prevalent alternative.
You must be wondering what this is about. Well this is all about an initiative called Organic Assam in conjunction with Navdanya. Recently we had a mail from Organic Assam if we were interested in offering our solidarity with the movement that was started in Oct 2012 and though in neonate stages, it has been able to create quite a buzz at the right quarters. The move has been well received. People are curious to know more. But the objective is huger than creating just a buzz. It is to create an impact in the agricultural sector, lifestyle of the people, environmental awareness all for the singular aim of conserving the planet and its entire inhabitants from an untimely annihilation.
If the objective sounded huge, then the required tasks leading to the objective is mammoth; starting with the first road block, knowledge and awareness.
So what is Navdanya and Organic Assam all about?
Defining Navdanya in few sentences will not only be inadequate but also inaccurate. But of course you would need a key word or key words to associate it with, right? Well, how about ‘environmental activism, organic movement, biodiversity conservation, seed conservation, organic farming’ and so on. Some, you grasped, most you couldn’t I am sure.
Don’t worry. It was the same at my end too. I had little, in fact very little idea about organic farming and organic products which could be summed up in just one word- ‘good’. Ask me how or why, and you would get a vague answer.
But we in Fried Eye believe that anything noteworthy to be spoken about will be spoken about. Praised, recommended and lobbied. For that of course we needed to read and research. And the research brought out some surprising facts, which cannot be put forth in just one article, but will need more than that.
Hence my opening gambit of Plan A, Plan B and Plan C…
Organic movement is very much active and also has shown good results, but it’s actions are still not much visible and talked about among India’s teeming mall crawling population (well, of course, I too am a part of it)- the population that makes up for the voice of the Nation.
Its importance has been highlighted and has been heard, but again, its importance hasn’t been able to make a huge impact yet.
Impact –yes; But huge impact- no!
People still flock to the markets for the cheap inorganic products and it will take more than a buzz and hearsay to pull them away from their conventional modus operandi for a mass exodus towards organic products.
As for Plan C, or the harmful effects of industrial agricultural practices, surprisingly, whatever has been written about against it has been totally technical and hence absolutely vague for the laymen.
How did agricultural practices or the Green Revolution, which was a life savior back in the 1960’s, and that which had been one of the reason for economic boom, now all of a sudden become the life snatcher?
We need to precisely address this issue first, in order to convince the importance of organic farming and seed conservation. Hence, Plan C…
In fact in this case we have to take the recourse of reverse progression in order to achieve the objective.
So we will first address –why industrial agriculture is no longer desired?
Following that, we explain why organic farming is a desired alternative? Explain about it as what it is- nothing more, nothing less. So that no one accuses of misconceptions and misinformation
When we hear about organic products, the first word that comes to our mind is –health. The second- maybe, taste.
When I prepared the organic Dal the first time, the taste felt almost same as the inorganic ones. Nor did I suddenly change into a superwoman suddenly much to our disappointment. So there will be and there are misconceptions still out there.
When one says health, what does it actually mean! When it is said to be beneficial, exactly how is it beneficial. What is our role when it is said that each of us has a role to play; when one says –farmers- how and why are they in the equation. Every bit of information needs to be elaborated, only can then we hope for a mass participation. Only then can one hope for leaders and lawmakers to participate
And finally we will bring before you Navdanya and Organic Assam, their actions, their achievements.
Yes, this initiative needs to be spoken about. Lauded, recommended and lobbied.
In our next issue we will bring before you about Industrial agriculture, the one that is prevalent at present, and its impact, in a simple and lucid way.
While, till then you can check out www.navdanya.org and the Organic Assam campaign at facebook in the link http://www.facebook.com/organicassamcampaign?fref=ts
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