Posts tagged plants

The importance of the preservation of traditional indigenous plants and plant diversity in context, during the second green revolution
By Dr. Ashok Panigrahi, former Principal Investigator, UGC Maj. Res Proj Org Farming Project Director, Project Navdanya Sustainable development of ecosystems in Orissa, BLS.
Any discussion on agriculture in India must start with a story from the practices followed here (own) and borrowed from the west (thrust from the outside) from the pre green revolution period.
State of agriculture before the Second World War:
In the U.S. – driven machine or mechanized
In Europe including the UK – powered by chemical fertilizers
In Japan – most importantly the irrigation
In India and elsewhere in Asia – rainfed cultivation with compost
During the colonial era was Sir Albert Howard, MA, CIE to India by the British brought the Indian farmers train of the art and science of chemical agriculture. He landed the learning of organic farming from the Indian peasants, and went on to develop and publish, the famous “Indore Process,” which was widely used in agriculture around the world followed in the 1930s.
During the same time the development of hybrid corn pioneer a new era in agriculture, which combined to make the use of genetics, machinery, chemical fertilizers and irrigation to an enormous increase in corn yields. Later devoured other varieties such as rice.
Incorporated in the 1940s on synthetic chemical pesticides, the so-called technological package in the world of agriculture were.
In the 1990s, the “seed” the central point of contact for all the driving forces that created the agricultural revolution with the entry of multinational industrial houses in the seed sector.
Leading Agro Biotech Company and its Agribusiness, ’99.
Total Corporations
Agribusiness Sales Seed Sales
Production Ranking (global) Agro-
Chemical sales ranking (global) Pharmaceutical
Sales (their
Original Busi. ) Research &
Development Investments
“Life science involved” group (especially in genetic modification of various crops)
Aventis $ 20. 5 $ 4 billion 6 billion n / a 1 $ 13 9 billion, $ 3,000,000,000
Novartis *
(Syngenta) for $ 20. 3 billion $ 4 4 3 2 billion to $ 9. 8 $ 2 billion 2 billion
Monsanto (98) $ 8 6000000000 4000000000 $ 2 3 $ 2. 8 $ 1 billion 3 billion
Astra Zeneca *
(Syngenta) for $ 18. 4 $ 2 billion 7000000000 6 5 $ 14. 8 $ 2 billion 9000000000
“Industrial Science ‘Group (mainly involved in the production of various agrochemicals)
Bayer 27000000000 $ 3 $. 1 billion N / A 6 $ 5,000,000,000 $ 2 1 billion
DuPont ** $ 26. $ 3,000,000,000 9 billion, a $ 1 4. $ 1 6 billion 6 billion
Dow $ 18. 9 $ 2 billion 3 billion —— —— 8 0 $. 85 billion
BASF’s $ 29. 5 billion $ 1 7000000000 —— $ 9 2nd 5 billion $ 1 3 billion
The beginning of the first Green revolution – the introduction of hybrids and HYVs agrochemicals, ACFs and SCP, in agro-ecosystems -
The second World War ended earlier than expected. After the war in the U.S., there were huge stockpiles of surplus war made chemicals to produce the explosive. These were mainly nitrogen and phosphorus in the composition. Scientists were working to find out new uses for this war surplus chemicals and it is located in the rural areas all over the world as an artificial chemical fertilizers. Other scientists were also engaged to design and produce varieties that could consume the jumbo cans of ACFs and Nobel laureate Norman Borloug, was one of them, produced the “miracle wheat” in Mexico in 1966. He visited India in 1967, and declared that if he was a member of the Indian Parliament, he jumped from his seat every 15 minutes would be at the top of his voice, “fertilizer” cry was “give the farmers more manure.”
In the early 1950s, U.S. foreign policy establishment reeling from the loss of China to communism and the U.S. military was operating in Korea. U.S. interests in Asia and the Pacific were also with the rise of revolutions demanding equitable distribution of resources and land reforms, etc. The U.S. is determined to contain the spread of communism threatened decided to achieve the same, not by direct military engagement, but by palliative the reform measures aimed not at feeding Asia’s growing population, but interested in the U.S. business. The GATT was signed during this period is an example. This went on to establish the new GATT, WTO, TRIPS, IPR, modifications of our own Patents Act and formulation of the PVP Act, National Agriculture Policy etc. our farmers, agriculture and biodiversity throw their excrement.
Two large U.S. institutions, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation were in the process involved from the beginning. Between them set up IRRI in Manila in the Philippines in the early 1960s to cultivate HYV rice varieties to increase rice production in Asia. They also helped build the agricultural universities in India and CRRI prevail in the late 1950s, U.S. long-term business on the agenda.
The IRRI is generating the “miracle rice ‘IR-8 and published the same applies to the Asian farmers in 1966 and thus launched the” Green Revolution “(I). This and his descendants early IR-20 (1969) and IR -24 (1971), amended in 1000 by several local fast traditional rice varieties, as farmers and large, these new varieties has spread as’seeds of hope “in Asia far. Unfortunately, their hopes were soon as the miracle rice brown plant hoppers succumbed to the crushed. It was pointed out that this single susceptible varieties (IR – 8, 20 and IR-IR-24) is grown widely in Asia, the brown hopper was found an unprecedented breeding ground. Brown plant hoppers also the grassy stunt virus, the rice crop in 1,20,000 hectares in Indonesia alone in 1977, destroyed in food loss in the amount of two million tons, enough to feed 6 million people.
Under the 1000 rice accessions at IRRI’s gene bank to maintain only one could be against the grassy stunt virus, and it was called a wild rice Oryza nivara, collected from Orissa in 1963. O. nivara otherwise economically useless variety, but it had the character, had no rice. Only three plants in individual membership of the IRRI’s contain a gene that was resistant to grassy stunt virus. This gene was immediately passed on the IRRI’s new rice varieties, including the Super Star, IR-36, by crossbreeding. By 1982, IR-36 alone to 11 million hectares of rice cultivated lands in Asia, thereby acquiring the dubious honor of being the world’s single most widely planted rice variety in the story.
But by the mid-1980s, the resistance to O. nivara stunt virus, provided that broke after farmers fields and valuable IRRI rice varieties was as vulnerable as ever to leave their breeder helpless. O. nivara was found that a metaphor for facing the problems of rice farmers in Asia. Since IR-8 IRRI has, in fact, that transforms the lives, cultures and ways of countless local communities who depend on rice for their livelihood. To a good performance and results, to explain their potential, IRRI’s rice HYV too much chemical inputs, access to credit and thus the irrigation birth to new forms of social order required. While some of the new rice varieties, a vast majority of the rice-growing communities in Asia has benefited
in debt, lost control of their food production systems, and was caught in a spiral of dependency. If the urban consumers get cheaper but tasteless rice, rural producerslost the valuable ecological balance in their agricultural ecosystems.
In the Indian context, we find today that most of the country are in Punjab
affected and the dead. The minimum requirements for the fertility of the soil lost. Most of Punjab soil are sick and dying, and this fact is openly admitted. The consumption of agrochemicals in Punjab has thirty fold since the establishment of the Green Revolution increased in this state and in India. The total amount of subsidy for ACFs forty-four thousand crores of rupees has increased and the cost of this subsidy is distributed over all Indians and for us. Punjab to benefit farmers, and we bear the costs. Between 1971 – 1981 95% of the small farmers of Punjab were lost or disappeared. The rate of profit from agriculture, which once stood between 25% – 80%, has now Comedown by 6% and the things still further in the same way. This is one of the most important factors in suicides among farmers in Punjab, AP and elsewhere in India and it is one of the gifts of the first Green Revolution in India.
The other gifts are ground – to have poisoned food and groundwater, to the excessive use of agrochemicals – pesticides and ACFs. These agricultural chemicals have not only caused the death and elimination of natural enemies of pests, but also the pollinating bees in addition to domesticated animals and humans. Nitrate poisoning caused mad cow disease in Nagpur in 1976, and it causes blue baby syndrome in humans.
Pearson (1985) summarizes that about 10,000 people die each year because of the pesticides in developing countries. In addition to these agricultural chemicals between them help to grow the pest population directly or indirectly. If ACFs make the crops soft and tender, build up resistance to pesticides in pests.
The dawn of the second Green revolution – the introduction of genetic changes in crops -
With the growth of a new branch of biological science called biotechnology, scientists postulated that the same could be exploited for agricultural benefits. Sun genetically modified (GM) crops such as BT. Cotton has been developed in the early 1990s. To date, more than 100 of them under cultivation around the world. It was said that transgenic crops would reduce dependence on pesticides, would be the ability to affect to repel or kill the pests and tolerate herbicides, weedicide, fungicides;
will produce a different category of agrochemicals developed and used to combat the weed, (all other plants, fungi as the crop) and.
It thus opened doors for other sectors to agriculture. In other words, the agriculture industry depends too much made, fertilizer, pesticides weedicide, herbicides, fungicides, nematicides, and so on. With the creation of transgenic crops such as BT. Cotton and GM maize, such as GE crops, a new industry in the area of agriculture, came over the world. Thus the origin of the seeds were taken away from the plants to the laboratory scientists to nullify the laws of Darwin’s natural selection and artificial selection. So too, the peasants were reduced consumer – manufacturer of manufacturers only.
Transgenic plants have been adopted by many countries (if not all), including India under the impressions that they had to ensure that food production and to prevent crop failure would be at risk as far as seed quality, pests involved. The same is clearly in our own national agricultural policy, 2000 against. But what happened after that concerns us all in knowledge. Let us examine the case of BT. Cotton harvest in the U.S.. After chemical data by the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided a total of 1946-2000 million pounds were applied, as under -
1946 = 78 in 1966 = 64 9, 1971 = 73rd 4, 1976 = 64 2, 1982 = 19 4, 1992 = 19 8, 1998 = 14 8 *, 2000 = 40 5 *.
It should be noted that Bt cotton was grown in the USA in the year 1996. It is, however, failed to reduce the crop in the dependence on pesticides, but within 4 years. In India, the cultivation of Bt Cotton is the single largest shareholder factor for the hundreds of farmers in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra andhrapradesh and death.
With the advent of GM / GE / transgenic plants used large multinational industrial houses in the seed sector. They wanted to sell their seeds protected by patent law, to farmers every year as their own inventions. This theme is in two related technologies that they reflected in the integrated process of such seed generations.
* Terminator technology (also TPS Technologies Protection System-or-GURTs or Use Restriction Technologies called Generic) – It is the technique by which the sperm from the male are sterile. The technology used is to prevent the farmers from planting the seeds from their crops for the next harvest should thus forcing the seeds for every crop they will grow to buy.
* Traitor technology – it refers to a technology that plants “turned on genetic characteristics” are on or off “if a particular chemical, the plant or seed can be applied. In other words, it is the technology which sterility is controlled chemically. The industry therefore recommends that the farmers to enable to be able or disable, genetic features, such as disease resistance required in plants by applying a specific proprietary chemical by the seed company for the plant or seed that they have to buy.
The new threat – which is from the new Terminator technology is a global and it is against the small and marginal farmers, national food security and biodiversity. About 1st 5 billion in our small and marginal farmers (farmers, are in the proper sense), the traditionally save their seeds, including the HYVs, lose their seed source.
Communities that lose control of their seeds, the risk control over their farming systems and the dependence on outside seed sources, together with the required proprietary inputs that come along with the seeds. In the modified system, where a large majority of rural communities lack access to seed security and food security are the same as disturbed would be impracticable. Therefore, our food security is a myth in the coming days will be when we restructure our own system. Fortunately, the Indian farmers are encouraged to “rescue, conservation, exchange and sale of own saved traditional indigenous seeds (with the exception of the brand seed of protected varieties)” under the Input Management chapter of our National Agriculture Policy, 2000.
In the words of: -
1st Ishopanishad – The universe is the creation of supreme power meant for the benefit of all his creations. Individual species must therefore learn to enjoy their performance through the formation of a part of the system in close relationship to each other. Do not cross only one species on the rights of others.
2nd Anon – Native biodiversities, a source of pride for each country, compose, how it works, a shining part of the national heritage.
3rd M. S Swaminathan – Our national food security depends on our ability, our biological wealth (= conservation of biodiversity).
The biological diversity is the degree of biological species in nature and not in the nature. Diversity of species in natural habitats is high in warm, moist areas and grow in width and height. This is precisely the reason why tropical moist forests contain half of the worlds ‘biodiversity, although they occupy only 7% of the worlds’ land area.
Transgenic plants with terminator technology are a direct threat to biodiversity, there is a natural phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer between closely-grown plants on species, genera and even kingdom barriers. If this happens, losing rich countries like ours, as of biodiversity biodiversity soon.
Genetically modified plants are in the same week immune system and that they are strongly developed by the application of a chemical to their natural resistance to pests and diseases boost. If the fate of GE crops are like this, how can the small and marginal farmers, those plants that make cultivating excessively high costs of external inputs for their existence demand?
In materiality, lead to GM plants “bioserfdom ‘- that is, they threaten the farmers hold hostage by multinationals sterile seeds and plants chemically dependent.
Additional facts: -
Transgenic plants produce toxins and allergens through genetic modification. GM soya in the U.S. and widely grown in Brazil has such proteins is allergic to many people. Fibers from BT. Cotton is determined that an allergy to many even in India. Such is the case of BT. Potato, now widely used as a potato chip.
Transgenic plants with Bt gene cause death of the monarch butterfly larvae. Even pollen from Bt plants are enough to cause her death.
Crops with Bt gene consumed by cows and visited by honey bees make their honey and milk contaminated with Bt. Protein, now known to be allergic to many people.
Terpenoid gossypol is a feature used to cotton resistant to pests caterpillar. The cotton seed meal from this harvest was found to be toxic to pigs and turn the egg yolks in eggs darker.
Transgenic corn is not approved for human consumption, it is meant for the cows. is contaminated aborted a few years ago pollen from genetically modified maize, the fields were adjacent to corn fields, leading to digestion problems in the consumer of such corn. It was forced, that such incidents scientists Terminator technology is not to bill of lading is not the solution of the problem and adopt the same composition.
Independent scientists like Robert Hartley, Jeremy Rifkin, etc. must level at least 50 harmful effects of genetically modified foods, the soy sauce, popcorn, chocolate bars, chips, and have preferred Terminator technology as are collected Thano (= death) technology. They also have applications such as the biotechnology leveled a devastating impact on the biosphere of our planet.
are cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) is now commonly used as promoter in transgenic plants is potentially dangerous because it is a retro-para-virus and is very similar to hepatitis B virus and HIV. In the system of the target species (such as vertebrates and humans), it may have (laboratory tests produce so) showed highly virulent recombinant virus that activate oncogenes and cause cancer. This is the opinion of scientists such as Professor Joseph Cummins of the University of Western Ontario and a variety of other independent scientists. Viral affects our coconut harvest and death of plants in the wild west can to CaMV infection.
What should we do now?
We Save our Seeds. Under the provisions of Chapter inputs management (protection of plant varieties) of the National Agricultural Policy 2000, the farmers are not allowed “their traditional rights to save, use, exchange, share and sell saved their farm seeds.” Under the provisions of Chapter Sustainable Agriculture (Agro biodiversity) farmers have been authorized – “Conservation of bio-resources through ex situ conservation in gene banks, and in situ conservation in their natural habitats through biodiversity park.” These activities have been assured, “a high priority for the biological diversity of extinction with a focus on the importance of conservation of local breeds in danger of extinction “to prevent. It was promised that “the land of the big agro biodiversity in a time bound program to win.”
Biodiversity is the totality of plant and animal resources of the planet, and if all the agricultural biodiversity of plants and animals of agricultural importance. It includes animals as earthworms, bees, predatory organisms and plants as green manure, intercropping, trap crops and agro-forestry. These were more or less well known, the Indian farmers before 1960. The green manuring plants dhaincha (Sesbania), sun hemp (Crotolaria) and Gliricidia are good in Kharif and Azolla, Senji (Melilorus) and gour (Cyamposis) are in good rabi. Between them in the decomposition, soil enriched with 60 to 200 kg nitrogen per hectare in 45-60 days. Trap crops protect the most important crops such as cabbage, mustard, corn, cotton, maize sorghum, peanuts, peas, corn and tomatoes from marigolds. In the words of Masanobu Fukuoka, “the salvation of man lies in a return to nature, the environmental destruction must be reversed before it is too late.”
As far as rice is concerned, all native species are not poor yielder made a mistake by the proponents of Green Revolution in this country. They failed due to the fact that some of the natives were better high yielding dairy cow even treasure it. Dr. RH Richaria, an internationally renowned Indian rice scientists were aware of such documents some HY – natives, selected and improved by farmers and indigenous peoples of India, the Outmatch and could outweigh the best yielding rice HYVs. This was done by Dr. Richaria at least 15 years before the start of the “Green Revolution. Richaria highest yield was 54 quintals per hectare, or 13 6 tons per hectare achieved in Salem and the lowest yield was 24 quintals per hectare, or 6 tons per hectare in West Bengal from its improved indigenous varieties of rice (the foundation of cultivation does not reach the called). The presenter even reached 28 quintals per hectare in the fields of organic farmers on a Mayurbhanj in Kharif of 2004-05, with internal inputs.
Many of the Indian rice varieties have medicinal properties that traditionally used in Ayurveda known Unani systems of medicine and since traditional healers for generations. As per Ayurveda some native Chhattisgarh rice varieties such as medical values as a tonic, aphrodisiac, cure of dysentery, in curative skin infections, useful in the treatment of rheumatism, early removal of the placenta after birth in cow and rice-water, a great healer of inflammatory diseases . These rice varieties are locally known as – Laicha, Bhejari and Dhanwar. Meharaji, other native rice was used as a tonic for women after the birth of a child. Saraiphool force is known, which provide physically weak persons, Karhani aids are in paralysis. Inhalation of vapors of rice bran Baisur Rasari cure headaches and is used in the treatment of chronic cough. This is very common among the village elders in Chhattisgarh known.
Apart from rice soils of rice-growing areas are also known to be of medicinal use in Chhattisgarh. The rice soil of Chhattisgarh are three main types – Kanhar (Vertisols), Dorsa (Alfisols) and Matasi (Inceptisols). Such soils are also in the treatment of 30 acute and 10 chronic diseases.
Literature is available to show that other countries in Southeast Asia and the medical values of their native rice varieties used. Rice bran is known to contain vitamin – B, the cures beriberi. In Malayasia aqueous extracts of cooked rice is used in green eye and a lotion in the treatment of infections of the inner body tissues. In China, rice grains are sprouted as a digestive stimulant type of clay used as a muscle and antiflatulant. The Chinese believe rice as a healer of the spleen infection.
Njavara, the unique short duration (60-70 days) of Kerala is rice country very much appreciated for its medicinal properties. This rice variety is aromatic, sweet taste, easily digestible and has anti-microbial properties and therefore it is mostly used in the treatment only, and hardly eaten except in distress. Njavara rice is used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, neurological disorders and as a muscle relaxant by the Ayurvedic physicians.
The presenter was also invited to a certain amount of a 60-day Paddy (Sathia send) to a person in Mumbai for the treatment of a person aged 2004 and later learned that the patient had relief.
Some local varieties of rice in India and abroad are known to substantial amounts of allolochemicals which, when released through their leaves, roots and pollen restrict the growth and development of other plants (weeds) included. Indian rice varieties such as Bala, modular, India, and AC has been documented -1423 IET – 1444th Japan has called such a variety Novin -29, and the U.S. has two such varieties, Cuba – 6558A and Cuba – 65V58.
In view of the above, it is important to save the different characteristics of the developed rice varieties so by the combined process of natural selection and artificial selection in different ecoclimatic conditions over the centuries with their smell, taste, medicinal and profitable real estate. It is essentially the same for other cultures. In addition, the all important seed has entered into a regime of firm monopoly. Farmers have ensured their own seeds for the sake of harvesting and storing food security. Seed security is more important than food security. If farmers do not save their own seeds urgently they are safe, fall into a trap of the big multinational companies and seeds, from which it can not move out. If this happens, all Indians will be reduced to laboratory guinea pigs in the hands of the multinational seed company very soon.
The need for the conservation of the different rice varieties as diverse eco-climatic conditions adapted and important now with the peasants have no doubt she touched the most. They have already started the process has. Sri RK Behera of Bhandeswar in Balasore and Sri B. Dwivedy the Tentala in Mayurbhanj, 18 & 17 & nativised native rice varieties will receive. Navdanya-Balasore PPBSA has over 550 varieties of rice, natives and nativised, preserved to this day. Seeds of these varieties are specifically affected farmers in disaster areas such as in Erasama donated Nandigram (WB) and Nagapattinam (TN) as “seeds of hope,” Navdanya disaster management program.
Another need of the time is the sustainability of agriculture, which achieved only if the farmer is strictly avoids all purchased external inputs and is based largely on a farm can generate internal inputs, either by reducing the dependence on market for growing the plants or plants. The change in the system have to ensure the proper maintenance of ecological balance and the basic biological functions of ground water – humus – Continuum nutrients. For the farmer, that the current practice to waive the monoculture of crops and switching has to polyculture, agro forestry, green manure and integrated pest-live system inventory.
The dependence on biological diversity, the acceptance of vermin technology to improve soil fertility and biodiversity – botanical control of pests and diseases are of paramount importance in such a system. It is thus to nurture and revive the dying or dead soil, improve the environment, the contamination of food and water and create tasty, healthy and abundant food.