CHANDIGARH: The 'greying' Green Revolution, and fresh challenges coming with implementation of World Trade Organisation agreements, has prompted voluntary agencies to go in a big way to promote organic farming and other alternative technologies for sustainable agricultural development.

The technologies behind the greying Green Revolution were not going to work now, Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) regional committee convenor Arun sud told UNI here yesterday.

Despite the Green Revolution, production cost had been spiralling whereas rate of increase in production had not shown a similar trend. On the contrary, cultivators were being advised to apply more chemical inputs per unit of land, after every harvest, he said, adding that this resulted in ever increasing impoverishment of families, especially small and marginal farmers.

Ecological and social costs of intensive agriculture practises were totally disregarded. The present generation of farmers, who have learnt 'modern scientific agricultural practises', were unsure where to look for viable alternatives.

Even the voluntary agencies had not developed the requisite knowledge base and skills to serve the demands of sustainable agriculture practices. The influence of those agencies, who have done some research on organic farming, was largely confined to a small area.

Dr Sud said some pioneering research and extension programmes have been undertaken by voluntary agencies in the southern states, as well as in Gujarat and Maharashtra. In order to bring the NGO sector of the northern region up-to-date with the latest advancements in organic farming, techniques and practices, CAPART, in association with the Environment Society of India, will be holding a three-day national training workshop here from January 28.

The council is one of the institutions under the union ministry for rural development, that promotes and gives funds for development projects through voluntary action. UNI.
---

"...farmers are likely to be weaned from pesticides to be force fed biotech seeds, in other words, taken off one treadmill and set on a new one!"

"The trend towards a quasi-monopolization of funding in agricultural development into a narrow set of technologies is dangerous and irresponsible. Also, too many hopes and expectations are being entrusted in these technologies, to the detriment of more conventional  and proven technologies and approaches that have been very successful and which potential lies mostly unused in the developing countries."

-  Hans R.Herren, Director General, The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi, Kenya, and winner of the 1995 World Food Prize