namaste

I managed to ‘sleep’ from 10pm – 7:30am, a major accomplishment for the state of my body and mind. I woke up feeling like my tonsils were swollen, and sinuses fighting something, but feel peachy compared to my neighbour, who is suffering from a fever and the infamous Delhi Belly. Breakfast at 8 was a millet curry with a mint chutney and roti, though many volunteers/interns brought along some honey or nutella as a treat for their morning roti. Over breakfast, I had a great conversation with another Canadian who has been in India for many months about the food distribution systems both here and at home. He was telling me that the public distribution system in India has about 700,000 centres, and basic provisions are provided to all people, though they are not necessarily of the highest quality. There is of course a separate private system, which provides most of the packaged and processed goods that people access.

After breakfast, I was taken on a tour of the farm (two people took me on a forest walk last night to spot peacocks) and wandered into the library, the classrooms, the seed bank, and the lab. Navdanya is conducting a farmers training over this weekend, and many of their community organizers are staying on the farm and attending the workshops offered. The mango festival that was scheduled for this weekend has been postponed until perhaps July 10/11. I’m beginning to sift through some ideas of projects to undertake while here, but at this moment feel a bit awash with all of the newness, and somewhat nervous that I will feel cagey here at the farm. The language barrier will prevent me from undertaking research independently; however, there are Hindi speakers I can ask for help while I’m here, and if I travel to other sites Navdanya works with, I may be able to accompany a staffperson. One thing I am seeking to understand is the purpose of the volunteer/intern for the organization, which sustains itself independently of the wanderers-through. It seems as though most volunteers stay for short periods of time, ranging from a week to a month, while the odd one stays longer. The schedule is very relaxed, there are no specific projects or tasks aside from assisting in the daily chores. Yet, interestingly, most of the volunteers are well-educated – either having completed bachelor’s degrees, or working on master’s theses. I understand that there is not the strongest of communication mechanisms between the Dehradun office, Bija Vidyapeeth (the farm), and the Delhi office. How does an organization of this magnitude – a network of 5 million farmers – keep itself organized?

The seed bank was an interesting stop on our farm tour this morning for me, as it is a simple room filled with hundreds upon hundreds of glass jars. There is an impressive 450 varieties of rice, and a dazzling array of pulses, millet, barley, oats, vegetables, spices, herbs, and other plants. The policy is that seeds are given away freely to farmers who want them, with the provision that they must plant and return the quantity of seeds in the amount of 125% of what they took. The idea behind this is for farms to become self-sustaining and biodiverse, planting and saving their own varieties of seed; however, it was noted that sometimes the same farmers will return year after year. For Navdanya, having farmers become dependent on them for seed is just as dangerous or harmful as having farmers rely on companies like Monsanto (though in my opinion, probably much healthier). For sustainable community driven change and development and the promotion of biodiversity, some degree of independence is required.

I find myself looking ahead to an afternoon in the Navdanya library, which is small, but filled with rich resources I will use to gain a stronger footing in several of the issues I am interested in researching. One of my fellow interns is organizing an arts/earth festival, which I have come to understand is more directed toward photography and visual art, but I will start to practise some of the west african rhythms I’ve carried with me anyway, just in case. As much as I support and enjoy farmwork, I have a feeling my energies might be best put to use in some other manner for this organization. Hence, the reading, the sifting, and when the intern coordinator lands back in India at the end of July, hopefully I’ll be able to make a proposal of value.