{"id":123021,"date":"2018-12-03T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=123021"},"modified":"2018-12-10T10:51:46","modified_gmt":"2018-12-10T10:51:46","slug":"a-100-organic-model-is-possible-the-indian-state-of-sikkim-shows-us-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2018\/12\/a-100-organic-model-is-possible-the-indian-state-of-sikkim-shows-us-how\/","title":{"rendered":"A 100% Organic Model Is Possible: The Indian State of Sikkim Shows Us How"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Indian state of Sikkim is the first to be certified as fully organic, and is now ready to export its model to the rest of the world. Its delegation told us how all this has been possible. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

14 Nov 2018 – <\/em>This journey starts in Sikkim<\/a><\/strong>, a small Indian state in the Himalayas, and ends at the FAO<\/a> in Rome, with an intermediate stop at the Italian Parliament. A journey that promises to go far and last a long time because of the strength of its message and ability to contradict the mantras of the agro-food industry, which has enriched itself by exploiting the environment as well as small and medium-sized local production and citizens\u2019 health: a conversion from traditional to organic<\/a> <\/strong>agriculture isn\u2019t only possible, but a necessary and more profitable solution for local economies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A view of the Kangchenjunga peak in the Himalayas from Sikkim state, in India. \u00a9 Ingimage<\/p><\/div>\n

The delegation from Sikkim, led by Chief minister\u00a0Pawan Kumar Chamling<\/strong>, aims to move beyond\u00a0theory and speculation by exporting a model that has been certified and proven first-hand. As the members of the delegation explain, what is at stake aren\u2019t simply the fortunes of an Indian state but those of the entire planet. The message is loud and clear: an alternative is possible<\/a>, but what we need now is the political will to leave large interests behind for a renewed focus on the needs of people, farmers and our common home.<\/p>\n

Sikkim\u2019s organic model, from the Himalayas to Europe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Sikkim delegation\u2019s journey to Europe began in Dehadrun, in the Himalayan state of\u00a0Uttarakhand, known across the world as the home of\u00a0the organic farm and Earth University<\/a> of\u00a0Navdanya<\/a><\/strong>, the organisation founded by Vandana Shiva<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that has actively contributed to Sikkim\u2019s organic transition.<\/p>\n

httpv:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wuo5tBveUqk<\/p>\n

The International Biodiversity Congress<\/a>\u00a0was an important milestone in which the Chief minister, alongside Shiva herself, announced the project of converting the Himalayas completely to organic<\/strong>\u00a0agriculture<\/strong> and safeguarding biodiversity<\/a>, adding that the aim was to export the \u201cSikkim model\u201d to the rest of the world<\/strong>. \u201cThere\u2019s no time to lose\u00a0\u2013 explains the Chief minister \u2013\u00a0every government must take responsibility and set out the objective of achieving a fully organic world by 2050\u201d. An ambitious yet realistic target, as is demonstrated by the progress made in the Indian state over the past 25 years, during which it has undertaken the path towards a poison-free model, respectful of biodiversity.<\/p>\n

From #Sikkim<\/a> 100% organic state to #OrganicHimalaya<\/a> & 2050 Global #FoodSystem<\/a> Transformation \u2013 #PoisonFree<\/a> #organic<\/a> #biodiverse<\/a> Food & Agriculture https:\/\/t.co\/q28YB92nNt<\/a> @drvandanashiva<\/a> @pawanchamling5<\/a> @NavdanyaBija<\/a> @SwarajAnna<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/s45IeEwTr5<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) 4 ottobre 2018<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A journey that has lasted 25 years<\/strong><\/h2>\n

But who are the architects of the Sikkim model and what path was followed to achieve a fully organic production? We asked\u00a0Prem Das Rai<\/strong>, Indian scientist and member of the Sikkim Parliament: \u201cTo understand the success of the Sikkim model we must begin by stating that our party, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), has been in government for 25 years. This fact is important because the transition to organic production isn\u2019t the kind of policy that can be implemented in the short-term, but requires many years. Our political project began in 1994 and we began seeing tangible results in 2003, when the Chief minister approved a resolution that contained a commitment to make Sikkim a 100% organic state. At this point we moved to the next stage, that of certification, a process which took another ten years. Today Sikkim can boast the highest\u00a0human development index<\/a><\/strong> levels in\u00a0India, and this fact in particular demonstrates the success of our journey\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tea plantations in the Indian state of Sikkim, the first region to achieve 100 per cent organic production<\/p><\/div>\n

The secret of success:\u00a0organic\u00a0conversion begins in schools<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This path has shown positive results in all respects. Even in economic terms, farms that practice organic and biodiverse agriculture are\u00a020 per cent more productive compared to monocultures that use chemical products.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s no longer a secret that chemical products in our food<\/a> are damaging our health \u2013\u00a0Khorlo Buthia<\/strong>, secretary of Sikkim\u2019s department of agriculture, explains the formula for this success \u2013, so it\u2019s normal that consumers\u2019 desires shift increasingly toward organic produce, allowing citizens to benefit from the conversion\u201d. However, people need to be informed so that they make the right decisions. This information, in the state of Sikkim, is integrated in the educational process, which is free at all levels, from kindergarten to university. \u201cAlready at primary school, in fourth and fifth grade, we\u2019ve introduced modules on organic agriculture, to explain its function, the process of certification in the larger context of human development,\u201d Buthia continues.<\/p>\n

The Sikkim model at the FAO and Italian Parliament<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Research, theory, planning, results. Supported and sustained by a strong political will. A simple recipe that has brought Sikkim to win the Future Policy Award<\/a>, a prize given to the best global policies in the field of agroecology<\/a>, organised by the FAO together with the World Future Council and IFOAM Organics International<\/a>. An experience that has become a model for others to follow, attracting interest from all over the world, including Italy, where the Sikkim delegation met with the press and members of Parliament<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Read more: Industrial agriculture isn\u2019t feeding the world, only agroecology can<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The world looks to Sikkim with interest, but can its model be exported effectively? \u201cSikkim\u00a0demonstrates that it\u2019s possible to improve the health of the soil and people, to make agriculture a source of sustenance for farmers, and that chemical pesticides and fertilisers aren\u2019t necessary,\u201d Poudyal Somnath<\/strong>, Minister for\u00a0Agriculture, replies. \u201cOur model is absolutely replicable, and therefore I\u2019m launching an appeal to the international community to commit to the transition to organic farming\u201d.<\/p>\n

________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Manlio Masucci, <\/em>Navdanya International – I\u2019m a journalist who focuses on environmental, commercial and labour market issues, exploring the connections between the economic interests of multinational corporations, commercial politics that are influenced by lobbyists and the damaging effects that systems of industrial production and distribution have on the environment as well as the health of workers and consumers. In the past few years I\u2019ve devoted my attention to new generation free-trade treaties and to the quality of nutrition, with a particular focus on the behaviour of corporations regarding questions of intellectual property and biodiversity conservation. I\u2019ve worked for the principal Italian media outlets, such as<\/em> Ansa, Il Messaggero and<\/em> Il Manifesto, and as a correspondent from New York, Buenos Aires and New Delhi. Additionally, I recently worked for the press office of the Monsanto Tribunal in The Hague, and in the communication departments of several Italian NGOs, as well as for the ILO (International Labour Organisation). I currently work for <\/em>Navdanya International.<\/p>\n

Navdanya<\/a><\/strong> and the Navdanya movement were created by Dr. Vandana Shiva 30 years ago in India to defend Seed and Food sovereignty<\/strong> and small farmers around the world. Navdanya pioneered the\u00a0movement of seed saving and seed freedom<\/strong>, which began in response to\u00a0the crisis of erosion of agricultural\u00a0biodiversity and introduction of GMOs and patents on seeds through intellectual property rights (IPRs) and so-called \u2018free trade\u2019 agreements. It has long fought against biopiracy, the patenting of indigenous knowledge by self-interested multinational corporations and won cases related to Neem, basmati rice and wheat in India. Navdanya promotes a new agricultural and economic paradigm, a culture of food for health, where ecological responsibility and economic justice replace the present greed, consumerism and competition which have become dominant in society. It aims at regaining the common good as a foundation for a renewed sense of community, solidarity and culture of peace. We strive to achieve these goals through the conservation, renewal and rejuvenation<\/strong> of the gifts of biodiversity we have received from nature and our ancestors, and to defend these gifts as commons. More\u2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Leggi l’articolo in italiano <\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Translated by <\/em>Patrick Bracelli<\/strong> <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 lifegate.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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