One third of the world's hungry are in India. As you'll see below, the 2020 Vision Collective has worked to bring to a European audience the voices of some of those in India who, in a context of poverty, hunger and environmental degradation, are grappling with the future of agriculture.

Any organisations, of whatever size, wishing to support the work of the 2020 Vision Collective in its upcoming week of action on this issue, please send your donations to the '2020 Vision Collective' (cheques made out to that name) c/o Nicole Cook, Amandines, Norfolk House Yard, St Nicholas Street, Diss IP22 4LB.

Donations (of whatever size!) will be very welcome and will be acknowledged (unless donors specify otherwise) in the 2020 Vision Collective's literature which will be distributed throughout the week.
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Feeding or Fooling the World?

The 2020 Vision Collective invites you to a free evening of debate and discussion on the future of agriculture at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk at 7.15pm on Wednesday 18 April, in Lecture Theatre 1.

Speakers:

*Devinder Sharma
Chair of the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security, New Delhi.

*Michelle Chawla
Leading environmental Campaigner, Greenpeace India.

*Umnapur Lakshmi & Salome Yesudas
Farmers from the Andhra Pradesh region of India, working with the Deccan Development Society to advance sustainable agriculture.

*Patrick Mulvany
Intermediate Technology Group

GM crops are a hot topic, and help for the hungry has been an increasingly big issue in the GM debate ever since Monsanto's PR campaign claiming GMOs were vital to feed the world.

Many, including the leading aid agencies, condemn this as an attempt to hard-sell an experimental technology heavy with corporate interest on the backs of those suffering from poverty and hunger. However, the strong approval of certain members of the political, business or scientific elite in developing countries is often quoted in support of GMOs as the necessary panacea.

But are there sustainable, inexpensive alternatives to GM crops that do not come with unknown risks, or generate dependency on foreign companies? And, just as importantly, are there other voices from the South that we should be listening to?

The 'Feeding or Fooling the World?' debate hopes to bring together voices rarely heard in this country - like those of the small farmers involved in a recent ActionAid project in India, involving a 'jury' of farmers whose very livelihoods depend on what they grown - like ordinary people around the world. They say they face a future that seems more about imposition than consultation. What kind of informed future do they really want?

Two of these farmers will be speaking about that experience in Norwich, together with, amongst others, one of India's most highly regarded food and policy analysts, and a leading Indian environmentalist.

Please come and hear these little-heard voices from the South and add your voice in discussion and debate.

What kind of informed future do you really want?

Nicole Cook for the 2020 Vision Collective

Contact: 2020 VC c/o Nicole Cook. Amandines, Norfolk House Yard, St Nicholas Street, Diss IP22 4LB Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 01379 651902 or 07769 838769

PLEASE pass on this information freely.Thankyou