Vital to shun pesticides for organic farming, says Vandana Shiva

Agricultural pests cannot be destroyed completely no matter how much pesticide is used. While pesticide and fertilisers along with genetically modified crops have ended up adding poison to food, farmers who pursue organic agriculture earn up to 10 times more than other farmers while producing food that is high in nutrition. Noted activist Vandana Shiva said this while speaking at the launch of the book ‘Poisons in Our Food: Links between Pesticides and Disease’ authored by her along with Dr Mira Shiva and Dr Vaibhav Singh. She launched the book at Natraj- The Green Bookstore along with cardiologist Dr Kuldeep Datta.

"The book shows the direct link between the food we eat that is full of pesticides and the high incidence of cancer in our country. Take Bhopal for instance where children even today are being born with disabilities which is the after effect of the Bhopal gas tragedy. Look at Punjab, from where the famous cancer train leaves for the hospital full of farmers who have cancer because they use pesticides, " Vandana Shiva pointed out. 

Regarding organic farming and its benefits she said that in places like Uttarakhand where the sizes of individual farms is small, the nutritional content in the yield is considerably higher. “Farmers in Chakrata region who organically cultivate Rajma (kidney beans) earn 100 times more than farmers in Madhya Pradesh who cultivate soya bean. Sikkim has become the first pesticide-free state and the farmers are healthier and happier. The people also are healthier and happier. Uttarakhand has the potential to tap this resource and produce organic food enough to supply the entire North India,” she said. She also spoke about corporate giants like Monsanto and Bayer that invest heavily to ensure that people use pesticides.

She also mentioned the now well known case in California where 3000 cancer patients have sued Monsanto. She also stressed on the need to protect Uttarakhand from toxic-riddled agriculture, adding that farmers who cultivate organically earn 10 times more than those who don’t.

Earlier, cardiologist Dr Kuldeep Datta said that the world over, lifestyle diseases which pose a major health challenge are generated by the type of food people eat. He said, “What our grandparents ate was suitable for us. However, we adopted the American diet followed in the USA where people eat meat throughout the day. We need to avoid such food and go back to eating what our ancestors ate in order to stay healthy," he added. Upendra Arora of Natraj Publishers were also present on the occasion.