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Ram's Horn - No. 256, June 2008
Ram's Horn - No. 256, June 2008
Resurgent Neocolonialism
It seems that the world – globalization – is pressing in hungry is an obscene attack on the very existence of
on us as never before. Or maybe this is what the native African societies and cultures. The advance forces of
peoples of the Americas have felt like for the past five this assault are seeds and fertilizer, and these two
centuries.All of a sudden, it seems, energy supply and words can be found over and over again in every self-
prices (Peak Oil), food supply and prices, speculative serving statement about what will save Africa from
profit taking and both short and long term climate starvation, from Monsanto to the FAO.
change have all converged.
The rhetoric is that of the old Green Revolution,
Just as suddenly there appears to be a very wide- with one word missing: pesticides, or as we would prefer
spread public awakening to the precariousness of the to identify them, agrotoxins; but of course their use is
global industrial food system with its alarming depend- implied – indeed, structured into – genetically engi-
ency on familiar and predictable weather conditions neered seeds.
and fossil fuels. There is also a rising awareness of the
destructive ecological impacts of every aspect of this Thus when we encounter
corporate-industrial food system. the word ‘seeds’ in this context,
we can be assured that it
means G.E. seeds, not the
More than 3 million acres of farmland are seeds produced through
believed to be under water [in the midwest farmer-led plant breeding
US and] another 2 million did not even get based on the immense bio-
planted. About 57% of the corn crop is logical diversity still to be
considered to be in good condition. Some found outside the corporate
of the fields in Iowa have received 36 precincts. We must remem-
centimetres (14") of rain in the past two ber, as well, that G.E. is an
weeks alone. – G&M, 17,18/6/08 unproven experiment in terms
of biological consequences (for
plants, animals, including the two-
The logical sequel to this awakening has very
legged ones, and fish), though it has
naturally led to a global interest in local food and food
proven its merit in terms of corporate
sovereignty – bringing food, and the control of food,
control and domination. We also know
down to earth, or back home, so to speak.
that the technological hubris associ-
ated with genetic engineering has
There are few signs of hope, however, at the
the unfortunate consequences of
meetings of convergent forces such as the Conference of
inducing blindness, deafness and
the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
loss of feeling among its
(Bonn, Germany) where Canada played a sinister role
proponents, inuring them
of sabotaging any meaningful limitation on research
to the consequences of
and trials of genetically engineered trees, or at the
their investments.
High Level Conference on World Food Security,
Climate Change and Bio-Energy (the FAO Sum-
mit, June 2008) which did little more than call for
more ‘improved’ seeds and fertilizer for Africa.
8
200
The neo-colonial assault on Africa currently being
une 56
carried out in the name of philanthropy and feeding the J #2
THE RAM’S HORN PAGE 2
Fertilizer Prices
While philanthro-capitalism is pushing fertilizer usage
to save African agriculture, we must wonder who is
going to be able to pay for the stuff. Certainly not your
small-scale subsistence farmers anywhere!
Enough is enough! It is irresponsible that you together In contrast to the highly mechanistic, linear food
with multilateral institutions continue to destroy our food production, distribution, and consumption model ap-
production and hand us over to the mercy of a handful of TNCs plied in the industrialized food system, Indigenous food
and the international markets, which are incapable of and not systems are best described in ecological rather than
interested in feeding the world! neoclassical economic terms. In this context, an Indig-
enous food is one that has been primarily harvested,
We have to stop the corporate takeover of the agricul- cultivated, taken care of, prepared, preserved, shared,
tural and fisheries sector. The answer to the climate crisis and or traded within the boundaries of their respective
the food price crisis is peasant, small-producer-based food territories based on values of interdependency, respect,
production based on local resources and for domestic con- reciprocity, and ecological sustainability. As the most
intimate way in which Indigenous peoples interact with
sumption.
their environment, Indigenous food systems are in turn
maintained through the active participation in tradi-
The time for food sovereignty has come!
tional land and food systems.
– 13/6/08
THE RAM’S HORN PAGE 5
What is Indigenous Food Sovereignty? traditional food harvesting strategies and practices for
the benefit of present and future generations. A cultural
Food sovereignty is the newest and most innovative
strategy that must be practiced at all of the individual,
approach to addressing the complex issues impacting
family and community levels.
the ability of individuals, families and communities to
respond to their own needs for healthy culturally adapted
• Policy – A strategy for influencing provincial,
Indigenous foods. It has grown out of a social network
national and international policies that are negatively
of Non Government Organizations (NGOs), Civil Soci-
impacting traditional land and food systems. – 3/08
ety Organizations (CSOs), social movements and many
conferences, meetings and discussions that have taken
place both within our region and around the world. The
concept was developed by the global farmers’ movement
Via Campesina and was launched to the general public
at the World Food Summit in 1996.
The Maldharis and their cattle thrived on the Low literacy level among the Maldharis is the
grasslands. They sold milk and milk products such as main reason why very few members from the pastoral
butter, ghee and condensed milk (mava) to the nearby communities are found in any significant positions in
towns and villages. The shepherds, among the the government, political parties, industry, educational
Maldharis, also sold wool and woolens that their women institutions, or for that matter in any of the organized
folk made with their deft hands, carrying out fine sector. It is a travesty of fate that the Maldharis, whose
embellishment through intricate embroidery work. traditional occupation has been animal husbandry,
However the main source of income was through bul- have virtually no representation in the cooperative
lock trading and Maldharis are known to have produced dairy sector.
some of the best breeds of cattle.
In fact, the pastoral communities have been pushed
Their life came in for a rude shock when, begin- to the brink of destitution as a result of the privatization
ning with the last decade of the 19th century, the plough of common property such as grassland, forest, water
of the ‘civilized’ world started encroaching on the resources in the wake of the much-publicized ‘green
grasslands to produce grain and cash crops like cotton revolution’ and ‘white revolution’.
and groundnut. Agriculture for subsistence was re- http://maragindia.org/maldhari.htm
placed by commercial farming. The rich eco-system of
the region, which sustained them for centuries, was
ravaged. Farming and Climate Change
A letter from a friend in Wisconsin explaining the
Since the pastoral communities and their cattle
cancellation of their annual BBQ:
depended on common property resources such as
grasslands, forest, ponds and rivers and did not own
All the heavy rain we received on June 7 and 8 had some
land, they were neither counted nor consulted by the
policy makers enacting laws aimed at regulating the
rather severe effects on our farm. The worst damage resulted
use and ownership of land. Like the tribals, who lived in from heavy the rains that saturated the ground and collapsed
and survived on the forest, and were deprived of owner- our concrete manure storage pit. It is sort of overwhelming
ship rights over the forest land, the pastoral communi- thinking about the large and very expensive construction
ties too were deprived of their right over grasslands, project we have facing us in addition to the usual summer work
ponds and rivers. Natural resources that fell into the schedule. ...
category of common property steadily became private
property, the farmers, builders, contractors and indus- Yes it is somewhat of a blow, financially and emotionally.
trial houses having grabbed these resources through When I look at the hole, the upended 10 foot slabs of concrete
legal or illegal means. I get this feeing that it is terribly out of place, sort of like walking
into the living room and finding a dead cat lying on the couch.
The Maldharis became the victims of the ‘develop-
ment’ process unleashed by market-driven economy. We are pretty well set as to the reconstruction process, the
With the market pressure increasing on local resources, county conservation folks have decided we can build a new
the Maldharis and their cattle were forced into seasonal pit on top of the old floor and within the old walls (which will
distressed migration in search of fodder. The partition still act as retaining walls for the dirt and barnyard) and
of India in 1947 further added to the problem, as it comply with the regulations if we can pour the entire pit
placed the lush green pasturelands of the Sindh prov-
seamlessly in one day. Close to 300 yards of concrete will be
ince out of bounds for the Maldharis in the newly
a big project, but we have a contractor that can do it. Now I
created Pakistan.
just need to find some money, emergency grants would be
Uprooted from their homeland, the Maldharis
great, but even a low interest loan would be OK. As long as
today lead a nomadic life, wandering hither and thither we can get going on it, there is some need for moving on as
along with their herds of cattle through the length and dry summer weather is much better for projects like this than
breadth of India. Though constituting more waiting on into fall.
than one-fifth of the population of Gujarat,
these pastoral communities do not
figure either in the electoral rolls
or in the development plans of
the government. They have be-
come non-entities, left to fend
for themselves.
THE RAM’S HORN PAGE 7
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