February 2001
By Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP)

Traditional farming songs, and historical movement songs—reviving the resistance songs of colonial times—were the highlight of the culturally vibrant opening of the People’s Caravan 2000 in Dhaka, Bangladesh from November 18-24, at the Narigrantha Prabartana (Feminist Book Store).

Traditional farming songs included those of farmers’ experiences with the Nayakrishi Andolon or the New Agriculture Movement, which has spread throughout Bangladesh—presently involving over 50 000 farming families.

For Nayakrishi Andolon farmers and communities, agriculture is not merely a sector of food production, it is a way of life. A cultural practice that works in harmony with nature creating a balance between life and the environment providing an alternative, happy way of sustainable farming and self-sufficiency.

The widespread inception throughout Bangladesh of Nayakrishi Andolon potentially reflects the growing disappointment of Bangladeshi farmers with modern agricultural technologies and the profiteering motives of agrochemical transnational corporations (TNCs).

In Chakaria, over 500 farmers, fisherfolk, students, teachers and government officials were at a public meeting in front of the Purba Boro Behula school ground in a rice field on November 20 to here the message of the caravan.

Local farmer Jahanara Begum summed up the event by rousing the crowd, "We should stop using pesticides. We don’t want these company’s seeds and their poisons. We can use our own traditional seed. These transnational companies, we have to pack them up and kick them out! Tell your friends, your neighbours, tell everybody!" (See also Box: Jahanara Begum has her say).

Local farmer Jahanara Begum, speaking at a public meeting in a rice field in Chakaria, Bangladesh, said, "We have so many varieties of rice seeds, but instead we are going for the varieties from IRRI [International Rice Research Institute], and the seed companies. These seeds need a chemical package. So we are doing deals with scientists and transnational companies. When we use local varieties we get a yield of 40 kg of rice. When we use pesticides and the companie’s seeds, we get 20 kg more but we also destroy our soil, water and biodiversity.

How many poisons are you using? We have lost our birds, our fish, the wildlife. We have lost all this for 20 kg more and we spend more money on our family’s health. Bangladesh has such fertile land. We can grow so much. Still we have so much biodiversity.

For the last eight years I have used no pesticides. My costs have gone down and my yields have gone up. In nature there is a balance between predators and prey. Pesticides destroy this natural balance.

Transnational companies, they come, they go. They don’t care about our health or our environment. For Bangladeshi people the credit systems [pushed by some ‘NGOs’ such as BRAC] are not for our development. They are pushing hybrids. They say we need more food, but this food system is scientifically unsound and environmentally unfriendly.

No more, we’ve had enough! We don’t want your technology and what it will do to our way of life. So stop using pesticides and gradually reduce the use of fertilisers. For our survival we have to commit ourselves to land and food without poisons!"

Local Chakaria farmer Jahanara Begum says, "We should stop using pesticides. We don’t want these company’s seeds and their poisons. We can use our own traditional seed. These transnational companies, we have to pack them up and kick them out! Photo by: S. Hindmarsh, PAN AP.

In Chakaria local Nayakrishi Andolon farmer Abdul Jalil, growing paddy and vegetables, said he was "very happy" when he heard the caravan was coming to his village, carrying the message ’land and food without poisons!’

Another Nayakrishi Andolon farmer, Anjuman Ara, who cultivates vegetables and rears cows and ducks, told us she has never used pesticides. Instead, she uses the juice from the neem tree for pest control. Having seen people using pesticides and disabled babies in her community she believes, "Pesticides are a health hazard-especially for women and children! We have to stop all kinds of pesticides!" And, "Seeds have to stay in women’s hands," she stressed, "I don’t want the company’s seeds!" she concluded.

Morshed said the event was held here to show farmers that "communities can resist globalisation by harnessing their own resources. The strategy also keeps the people out of the 'TNC dependent mentality' and keeps them out of debt. The project has resulted in reduced pesticide use, and a reduction in fertilser use that has resulted in an increase in the natural fertility of the land. This farming system can help implement integrated pest management (IPM)."

In Chakaria, Tamil Nadu Women’s Forum (TNWF) and Society for Rural Education (SRED), pesticide activist Santi Gangadharan said, "As we travel this country we are very happy to find the fields so full of paddy. In our country most of the farmers have been forced to grow cash crops instead of food crops due to the process of globalisation and liberalisation and because the government wants more export earnings. Now there is no paddy. The fields have been converted into flower gardens for export. Due to globalisation many people in the villages have been forced to leave. They have left their traditional homes, entered urban areas and many of them are even without food."

According to Monsanto, Schmeiser was supposedly growing RR canola without signing a contract with the corporation. The company then hired private investigators to take samples from Schmeiser’s property without his consent.

Local Bruno newspapers reported that upon the discovery of RR canola on Schmeiser’s property, the corporation sued him for using its seed, demanded all profits from the crop and unspecified punitive damages.

Schmeiser shared his views with farmers on how his field had been contaminated with RR canola against his knowledge and wishes. "This has destroyed my seed which I have been developing for over fifty years."

Since the early 1970s the pesticides industry has gone through a period of consolidation. Today, after a flurry of mergers and acquisitions, corporate domination of the pesticide market and the food system in general has reached a peak.

According to GE expert Dr. Hansen—with the Consumer’s Union, USA, on tour with the caravan in Bangladesh—the top five agrochemical companies, Syngenta (a merger of Novartis and AstraZeneca), Aventis (Rhone-Poulanc and AgrEvo), Monsanto, BASF and Dupont hold dominant positions in the seed, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and related markets. Presently, these companies account for nearly two-thirds of the commercial seed market and virtually 100 per cent of the market for GE seeds.

Dr. Michael Hansen informs farmers of the latest threats posed by genetic engineering at the Pankowri fishing village, Elliotganj, Comilla. Photo by: S. Hindmarsh, PAN AP.

Sterile seeds are unable to germinate thereby denying farmers the right to save seeds for replanting—crucial for the food security of communities. According to Rengam, approximately 1.4 billion farmers, producing almost 20 per cent of the world’s food, rely on saved seeds. Furthermore, sterile, chemically dependent crops trap farmers into an expensive seed and pesticide package.

Reflecting on this, Schmeiser’s message to farmers all over Asia, is that they should never, ever give up their right to use their own seeds. "If you give up this right you are basically losing your freedom. Anyone who controls the seed supply will also control the food supply. This amounts to controlling a nation. This is why it is so important that farmers always maintain their right to use their own seeds."

Evidently moved by the days proceedings a women farmer named Rekha stood up from among the hundreds of farmers gathered that day to strongly voice her support for the caravan and its message of sustainability, and of resisting dependency on TNC proprietary chemicals and seeds.

Shamim said the lessons to be learnt from Schmeiser’s case are invaluable. "The people here are being led to believe that transnational corporations are protecting the interests of the farmers. They are not. The message of solidarity from Schmeiser, and his experience with Monsanto, shows how farmers not just in Bangladesh, not just in Asia, but all over the world are suffering at the mercy of transnational corporations."

In Bangladesh, one of the main objectives of the People’s Caravan was the launch a farmer’s campaign against GE rice (See Box: Bangladeshi farmers resist GE rice).

UBINIG Executive Director Farida Akhter said many Asian countries like Bangladesh are rice producing countries with many rice varieties produced by the farmers themselves. "They do not need any company to intervene into their thousand year old production practice."

She said, "UBINIG urges all farmers in the rice producing and rice consuming countries of Asia to resist planting genetically engineered rice as it will mean an aggression on their sovereign rights to produce their own staple food. Genetically engineered rice is harmful socially, economically, environmentally and also an attack on farmers sovereignty."

"Bangladeshi farmers will resist it by any means, we want the farmers of Asia to take a united position against genetically engineered rice," she said.

Such was the interest in Bangladesh with the People’s Caravan the press conference ending events on November 24 due a large crowd of journalists keen to convey the message of the caravan in the print media. Hansen expanded on the threats posed from GE to farmers shared by Schmeiser.

Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser tells local farmers they should never, ever give up their right to use their own seeds. Photo by: S. Hindmarsh, PAN AP.

Hansen said agrochemical companies like Monsanto "tell you that GE will feed more people by producing higher yields, that crops will be more nutritious and environmentally friendly." But in reality GE seeds take away farmers rights and they intensify the treadmill of higher agricultural inputs and lower outputs. "Genetically engineered seeds cost more and they produce less."

Mango and rice farmer from the Nawabganj district, north-west Bangladesh, Teenkori Lal Das summed up the message of the caravan saying, "The farmers of Bangladesh should reject the seeds and pesticides pushed by these giant companies. We have our own local varieties of crops that we need to protect. The seeds should be in the hands of the farmers. Doing it our own way is the way to resist these companies!"