Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - [Livingontheland] organic courses in India

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Ken Hargesheimer <minifarms2@yahoo.com>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] organic courses in India
  • Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:10:34 -0800 (PST)

navdanya.jpgThe following are courses taking place at the Bija Vidyapeeth Center, founded by Dr. Vandana Shiva.  Described by author Barbara Kingsolver as "a small, green Eden framed against the startling blue backdrop of the Himalyas," the courses at this organic farm include topics such as sustainable farming, herbal medicines, seed saving, and more.

March 15 - 19, 2011
Grandmothers University: Traditional Knowledge, Biodiversity and Sustainable Living
Invited Resource Persons – Dr. Mohini Giri, Ms. Vidya Rao, Ms. S. Jalaja, Dr. Mira Shiva, Ms. Jayashree Saha, Ms. Vimla Bahuguna, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Ms. Maya Goburdhun
This year the Grandmothers’ University celebrates Bhoomi through a Trangenerational dialogue between grandmothers, mothers and daughters, which centers around the Rights of Mother Earth, the gifts of Mother-Earth and the Earth and her elements in our Body. These three themes will be explored across three days through the art of storytelling, music, pottery and transgenerational sharing of knowledge.

Food is one of the most precious gifts Mother Earth unfailingly offers to us.   As she feeds us we too must remember to give back to her and help her renew her fertility in various ways including composting.  Down the generations women have evolved a food wisdom which enables them to prepare nutritious food that not only enhances health but also promotes well-being.  This wisdom is based on an intimate knowledge of seasonality and locality.

Across cultures the Earth has been a metaphor of the Body, more   specifically the feminine body. In indigenous systems of health care such as Ayurveda, the earth elements are also the body elements; ecological balance and health are thus intimately interconnected.

March 26-27, 2011
Slow Weekend at Navdanya : Kanak (Wheat and associated crops of the “rabi” season)
The Slow Weekend timed with the harvest of wheat will give the participants an opportunity to unwind while they join in harvesting 150 varieties of wheat, 15 varieties of barley and other associated crops. They also learn about organic farming. In addition the participants will get an opportunity to learn organic recipes based on the “rabi” crops – wheat, oat, barley, mustard, chickpea and freshly harvested vegetables.

April 7 – 9, 2011
Cultivating the Future: Organic Farming as a solution to farmers’ suicide, hunger and climate change
Resource Persons – Navdanya 
India is facing a triple crisis related to food. 200,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last decade. India is now the capital of hunger and every 4th Indian is hungry. Chemical industrial monocultures are failing with climate instability. Because of repeated drought the chemical rice farming in Eastern India in 2009-2010 has become vulnerable, threatening the food security of some of the poorest regions.

The course will address organic solutions to the triple crisis both at the scientific and at the practical level.

July 2-3, 2011
Slow Weekend at Navdanya :  Aamrapalli (Mango Festival)

The Slow Weekend timed with the ripening of mangoes will provide an opportunity to participants to spend time in the peace of the mango orchard at Navdanya’s organic farm and relishing and tasting different varieties of Mangoes. They will taste the difference between the langda, dusheri, chausa, kalmi, hazari, safeda, ram kela, tota puri and fagli. In addition to the tasting, participants will have an opportunity to learn recipes of mango dishes.

October 3 – 5, 2011
Bhoomi and the Gift of Food - Building Earth Democracy and Food Justice
As the assault on the Earth increases and the threat to human survival intensifies, new paradigms and movements for Earth Democracy and defense of the rights of Mother Earth are emerging. Simultaneously the growing food crisis and hunger is demanding food justice so that the Right to Food of all can be ensured.

The course will cover this emerging worldview and experiences and movement building for the defense of the earth and peoples right and explore how the Rights of Mother Earth and the rights of people are intimately connected especially in the context of food. The food web is infact the web of life. The ecological crisis and the food crisis are consequences of this web being destroyed and poisoned.

The course will also take advantage of Navdanya Seed Bank and Organic Farm to show how protecting the earth and producing more food go hand in hand.

Participants have the option of attending the Bhoomi – The Earth Festival on 2nd October, 2011 in New Delhi.

October 22 - 23, 2011
Slow Weekend at Navdanya:  Akshat (Rice and associated crops of the “kharif” season)
The Slow Weekend timed with the harvest of rice will give the participants an opportunity to unwind while they join in harvesting 600 varieties of rice, forgotten foods such as mandua (ragi) and jhangora, and other associated crops. They also learn about organic farming. In addition the participants will get an opportunity to learn organic recipes based on the “kharif” crops – rice, forgotten foods, dals and fresh seasonal vegetables.

November 7 – 12, 2011
The Ganga Yatra  : A journey to witness India’s Lifeline under Threat
Invited Resource Persons – Mr. Sunderlal Bahuguna*, other members of Save the Ganga Movement, Navdanya team as well as local communities 
Ganga is India’s lifeline spiritually, culturally and materially. However, this lifeline is today under serious threat. The building of dams and hydro electric projects and increasing pollution is destroying the Ganga. Save the Ganga Movements are emerging to create awareness on the threats to the Ganga and to find ways to protect the Ganga - our living heritage and life support.

The Ganga Yatra will begin from Dehradun, travel through Tehri and Uttarkashi and end at Rishikesh with the Ganga Aarti. 

November 24 – December 4
Gandhi and Globalisation
Invited Resource Persons  – Mr. Satish Kumar, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Ms. Madhusuri Prakash, Aruna Roy, Venerable Samdhong Rinpoche*   
The course on Gandhi and Globalization will address the multiple crisis that globalization has unleashed – the economic crisis, the ecological crisis and the political crisis. The economic crisis is now being felt worldwide including in prosperous Europe and USA. The high resource demand of globalization is creating resource wars across the planet – wars over land, wars over water, wars over seed and wars over food. This is increasing violence and militarization.

Corporate globalization has also undermined representative democracy making States representative of corporate interest rather than public interest.

Gandhi’s philosophy and politics is more relevant than ever before in finding ways to live peacefully, equitably and sustainably on this fragile planet. The course will explore the contemporary relevance of Gandhi’s key concepts of Swaraj, Swadeshi and Satyagraha.

The course will show how Gandhi’s observation that the earth has enough for everyone’s needs and not for some peoples greed can be translated into emerging movements for the defense of the earth and people’s rights.

For more information, or to register for classes, visit Navdanya's website





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page