PHOTO: Dr. Vandana Shiva
Article featured in Creative Sacred Living Magazine August 2014 (p. 54-57)
– Have you ever thought what seeds would say in 2014 if they could talk to human beings?
“You did everything possible to bury me but you forgot that I am a seed”, said the greek poet Dinos Christianopoulos.
When we were children teachers taught us at school that to make a table we need wood, to make wood we need trees, to make trees we need seeds but nobody explained to us how to protect seeds from extinction. In the last one hundred years 94% of seeds varieties have been lost. Shamans, known as the Earthkeepers, say that we are dreaming the world into being through the act of witnessing it. Nowadays, there are debates about the ownership of the resources of the planet, such as water and seeds.
Dr. Vandana Shiva (Physicist/Environmental activist – Right Livelihood Award) since she has started her campaign for “Seed Freedom” has been a constant, dedicated, inspired and strong voice about food rights and the impact of globalisation.
She is raising environmental awareness around the world and empowering women through the movement “Diverse women for diversity” focused on biodiversity, food and water. Her call is a sensible response to Punjab Violence and the Bhopal tragedy occurred in 1984. Dr. Vandana has founded in New Delhi the organization Navdanya which means “nine seeds” and aims to the preservation of the variety of seeds in Agriculture in order to protect biodiversity, organic resources and small farmers.
“There is no Democracy without Food Democracy.”
“Control over seed means control of our lives, our food and our freedom.”
“Seeds controlled by Monsanto, agribusiness trade controlled by Cargill, processing controlled by Pepsi and Philip Morris, retail controlled by Walmart is a recipe for food dictatorship.”
These are some of the meaningful and wise statements by Dr. Vandana Shiva who denounces the current situation on the market of seeds. Navdanya has built a community seed bank which has so far successfully conserved more than 5000 crop varieties and has also set up Bija Vidyapeeth (School of the Seed / Earth UniversityNavdanya).
PHOTO: navdanya.org
On the 7th of November, 2013 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Visited Navdanya’s Biodiversity Conservation Farm & Earth University. We hope that other Political Leaders will follow his example to build a future of peace based on Food sovereignty, Sustainable agriculture and Seeds Freedom.
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
(Robert Louis Stevenson)
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