INDIA The seeds of hope (2011-2015)
Ensure food sovereignty in marginalized communities by taking back their right to use agricultural techniques that respect the local biodiversity.
Project region: Uttarakhand (North-east) Dehra Dun District, Sahaspur and Vikasnagar Blocks
Date: 2011-2015
Aim: Insure and improve the subsistence and sustainable agricultural practices of the small, marginalized, farming communities while conserving the biodiversity and preserving traditional seeds.
Beneficiaries: 13 villages with a total of 300 farmers and their families
Course of action:
• Professional training courses to support 300 farms in their transition to organic and sustainable agricultural practices and training to 50 trainers from 6 new districts (project extension)
• Professional training in agro-ecology for the women’s network for the conservation of traditional seeds
• Elaboration of 13 community gardens and 12 demonstration gardens for 12 schools
• Creation of 13 village seed banks for the storage and distribution of seeds, under the control of women trained to run it as “seedkeepers”.
• Elaboration of 13 village’s biodiversity registers
• Support infrastructure created for the preservation of biodiversity and to promote the rational use of natural resources (one packaging facility, one seed bank, one tree nursery, 100 units of organic fertilizers, 50 irrigation systems)
• Creation of transformation infrastructure, promotion support of local and biological production (1 transformation unit with machinery, 1 packaging center, 1 comunnity store, 1 solar dryer, libelizing and product license, acces to local and national fair trade network)
• Organization of festivals, rallyes and marches from local to national level.
NAVDANYA is an Indian NGO created in 1984 by the physicist, Nobel Prize winner and activist for women’s rights Vandana Shiva, motivated by the will to promote agricultural practices that are respective of human and environmental rights, based on the independence of small farmers and a guarantee of food security for the rural population.
For more information : Vandana Shiva, a call to "think globally and act locally".
Expected results :
The beneficiaries are trained in organic farming and the community gardens are financially independent
– 60 practical training courses have been organized and 10 farmers have become instructors
– All of the food produced that isn’t consumed by the producers themselves is sold within the local fair trade network
– 50 women have been trained, have become independent and have their own initiatives
The network of keepers of the traditional seeds is independent and growing
– 100 farmers have become traditional seed keepers, managed by 5 women
– 7 additional farmers get their seeds from the seed bank annually
The demonstration gardens at the schools produce enough vegetables and cereals to be self-sufficient and feed the school children: 3,000 children are better fed.
The beneficiaries have improved their income with organic farming and faire trade and have access to a more diversified diet
– The harvest and the revenues of the farmers have gone up 25%
– The availability of varied plants has gone up 50%
– The nutritional value of the beneficiaries’ diets has gone up 10%
There is more biodiversity
– The ecosystems biodiversity has gone up 25%
– The quality of the beneficiaries’ farm land has gone up 10%
The population is more aware of the importance of biodiversity and organic agriculture and the communities know their rights
– 15,000 people have a stronger capability after the training courses
– 50 farms have become model farms
– 40,000 people areaware of the importance of food security as a way to fight poverty
Local partner: Navdanya
Our local partner Navdanya is supporting the campaign "Seed sovereignty", presented below by Vandana Shiva, who created the NGO :
To support the campaign, you can also upload and sign "The Declaration on Seed Freedom".
For further information on this matter, please watch the documentary "The seeds of Freedom".
