There and Back Again: the World Travels of a Watson Fellow

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Photos: March Against Monsanto & Qutub Minar

October 13, 2013 - March Against Monsanto in Delhi

Here are some more photos of my time in Delhi, during which I attended the March Against Monsanto Rally

I gave a brief speech at the rally, basically explaining that as an America, I don't necessarily agree with Monsanto (an American company) and instead believe that we all need to work together if we are going to overcome corporate agribusiness in regaining control of the food system; that the world has a lot to learn from India in terms of sovereignty and agriculture, which is why I am in India doing research.

More information can be found here: http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/

A theatrical rendition of a farmer committing suicide

Qutub Minar

Qutub Minar, which according to the Delhi Tourism website, "is a soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom."

India Gate

Friday, October 11, 2013

Post-Navdanya Reflections from Dehradun

October 11, 2013 - Navdanya Reflections

I am currently sitting in an AC Chair Car on a rickety train running from Dehradun to Delhi. I’ve just spent the last nine days and eight nights at Vandana Shiva’s biodiversity conservation farm and learning centre, Navdanya (Bija Vidyapeeth – “Earth University”). Initially, I had intended to spend five weeks at Navdanya, which would have cut the cost in half from $20 per night to about $11. However, after re-thinking my limited time in India and hearing from a number of sources who’ve spent time at Navdanya (including a former Watson Fellow), I decided that I could maximize my time and make the most of my research by only making a brief stop. That being said, I have mixed feelings about it. I can see how being at Navdanya for a while (one, three, or six months) would allow a volunteer or intern to really dig deeply into their work (no pun intended ;)). He/she could either work on an independent research project or join a current project (such as the Seeds of Hope initiative to work with local farmers on organic farming education, seed saving, and follow up evaluation; or the program of visiting local schools to facilitate garden education and environmental awareness). I can imagine that being there for a long time would have its pros and cons. For instance, each day might not feel as precious (in contrast, being there for only about a week made me feel pressured to maximize each day, always be socializing etc., which was exhausting). On the other hand, each day might start to feel monotonous and restrictive with the “loose” schedule of morning circle at 9 AM, farm labor in the morning, shram dan (“gift to the community” or essentially group cleaning) at 12, lunch at 1, “free time” in the afternoon, followed by dinner at 7 PM. Someone described it as summer camp, which at times, it did sort of feel like camp. Consequently, spending the majority of one’s time with fellow foreigners (students, researchers, travelers etc.) made it feel like it wasn’t the “real” India (whatever that means). It was more like a bubble that felt like college; a distorted reality that has the potential to make one feel suffocated or trapped. In terms of isolation and cultural insulation, of course there were Indian members of the staff in the office, seed bank, kitchen, fields, etc., but with significant language and cultural barriers, it was tempting to pass time with like-minded, English speaking, close in age westerners. I feel somewhat guilty for relishing this aspect, but I figure that I am most likely not going to encounter this situation again for a while, so I might as well make the most of it. Normal activities, which were not carried out this week because of the absence of the volunteer coordinator include: screening documentaries, skill share, learning about medicinal plants, lectures from the staff, cooking as a group etc. And unsurprisingly, almost every book and piece of literature was written, edited, or co-authored by Vandana Shiva. It would have been nice to hear the other side a bit. Unfortunately, the language barrier prevented me from talking to any of the farmers or seed keepers; the traditional herbalist went home to his village for a week; and most of the senior staff seemed to be absent from the farm. Despite some of these downbeat aspects, I should also focus on all the good things I got out of my brief stay at Navdanya:

I met a ton of cool people. I can see myself wanting to stay in touch with some of them for a long time into the future. Everyone was pretty like minded but not clones of each other, which was refreshing. There were less hard-core hippies than I expected and instead, people came from a wide variety of backgrounds and held different interests.
I got to get my hands dirty and work in the field (we weeded the garden, cleaned the rice field by learning how to differentiate varieties and pulling out anything that wasn’t Basmati, transplanted lemongrass cuttings, and harvested peanuts). I still find weeding very cathartic and therapeutic, as well as harvesting (getting to see the product), and planting (knowing that you are giving life). The one activity I really didn’t like was the rice field cleaning. It was difficult to differentiate between the varieties, so many times I was unsure of what to pull. It required attention to detail in an annoying way.
I learned how to clean/sort seeds, which required extreme attention to detail, good eyesight, dexterous fingers, and patience. I enjoyed it because it was somewhat mindless but also found it a bit too chaotic and disorganized, since I felt like I kept sorting the same seeds over and over again.
I exchanged resources and brainstormed research topics with many people, which helped me critically analyze my own research and modify my research questions. This also gave me several new contacts in places I am traveling to in the coming weeks.
I taught yoga for the first time, which not only made me feel physically good but the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the class has inspired me to want to become yoga teacher trained when I return home. Before this, I had never considered teaching (I remember when Ally suggested it once and I laughed) and am actually really self-conscious about instructing others, especially for something in which I don’t feel like an expert. However, people’s feedback and support have encouraged me to reconsider.
I read materials and books that I otherwise would not have had access to, including one book about organic farmers speaking on economics (which doesn’t seem to happen too often!)
We watched Bitter Seeds, which was beneficial since I am traveling to Maharashtra at the beginning of next month. It contextualized and further elucidated the farmer suicide and Bt-cotton situation.
Several of us started doing daily Hindi classes on the computer (Pimsleur audio program), which provided the needed incentive for me to get going on language study. Although I can hardly say anything, I still feel better than before and motivate to continue to learn.
I realized again how I should be conducting research for the Watson: independently. After a really brief visit with Kartik today to the NGO/research institution, People’s Science Institute, I realized how annoying it is to be with other people. I suddenly felt self-conscious of my questions, incompetent, and ill-prepared for the interview (in the same way I felt when I was traveling with Eren). I was tempted to defer to Kartik and let him dominate the conversation, which he was either polite enough to refrain from or was simply disinterested in being there. Lesson learned – do independent interviews! At least I received some literature on the System of Rice Intensification, which is a very modern and innovative method but simple in that it requires few inputs (and can double yield).
*****I’ve realized that my own mindset and attitudes have changed since I left for my trip. I think that before the Watson, in the comfort of Hamilton and my extracurricular involvement in Slow Food etc., I was easily swayed and convinced that local, organic, small-scale, traditional, simple living etc. is the most desirable. However, at Navdanya, I found myself annoyed with people who “just want to live simply” and believe that everything should be local, small-scale, traditional, and spiritual. They seem opposed to anything remotely modern, globalized, and change-oriented. Deep down, I want those same things: I want to live simply and in touch with the Earth, but I also don’t think we can ignore the other side, which I often found myself defending. I don’t think I would have found myself in this position last Spring. I hadn’t realized it until I was surrounded by people who seem brainwashed – it’s a huge step for me. I want to continue to ask tough questions in the future and not complacently accept the “easy” answer, whichever side it may fall on.
In contrast, I also felt the wonderful benefits of living communally, which helped me envision my future. It was somewhat reminiscent of my study abroad experience in Australia in that I enjoyed sharing meals with people, doing collective labor, watching movies, playing games, studying, and just conversing with other people. I realized that in the future, I would really like to have my own place (e.g. not have a roommate), but that having communal spaces such as a kitchen and garden and sharing responsibilities with like-minded people would be wonderful and nourishing. This reminds me of my desire to try out cooperative housing or maybe even an eco-village/intentional community.

Plowing on the farm

Cleaning and sorting seeds, a truly monotonous job (photo credit: Sara)

Courtesy of Sara

Navdanya campus - living quarters and permaculture garden (Sara's photo)

Seed bank

Spices at the market (courtesy of Sara)

(Sara's)

Photo credit goes to my lovely friend Sara

Harvesting peanuts (aka groundnuts here) on the farm

Navdanya has more than 600+ varieties of indigenous rice (Sara's photo)

On my way back to Delhi from Navdanya, I stopped at a research NGO called the People’s Science Institute to meet with a scientist named Ravi Chopra. PSI does work on water management methods in the Himalayas (e.g. traditional water harvesting structures), as well as the development and diffusion of appropriate technologies, including Village Information System (VIS) GIS-based applications software and development of intermediate-sized hydrams. They do consultancy, training, and development support, especially in the areas of environmental quality monitoring, natural resources mitigation, and disaster mitigation and response (which is especially relevant after the disastrous floods that devastated parts of Uttarkhand in June). During my visit with Dr. Ravi Chopra, I learned more about rainwater harvesting and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to double paddy production.

SRI alters transplanting, weeding, water and nutrient management to yield an impressive harvest; uses traditional organic techniques and requires less external inputs (less seed and water and manure is cheaper than urea), so decreased input costs. The most important technique is the preparation of a nursery where paddy saplings are grown, which are then transplanted to a field free of any weeds. SRI focuses on root rather than plant, since ensuring healthy roots ensures healthier and more productive plants. Another crucial factor is seed sowing time, transplanting age of paddy seedlings (e.g. can’t be too old), and fewer seedlings are planting per unit area, reducing competition for nutrients and instead of keeping the fields flooded, SRI drains water out after 3-4 days. This increases the supply of air (e.g. nitrogen) to the roots. SRI recommends use of organic fertilizers (also applicable to wheat, maize, finger millet (mandwa) and kidney bean (rajma)) and the systematic sowing of seeds at fixed planting (compared to conventional broadcasting method) saved 60-70% of seeds and reduced plant competition. Because digging and sowing is reduced, this saves time. And in terms of yield increases: “In SRI, paddy plant is six feet long and has around 600 grains. Conventional paddy is 3.5 feet long and has about 350 grains.” One challenge is the labor intensity and expenses involved in weeding during the first month, however, after this period, weeds subside significantly. To help address this, PSI has developed prototype single and double row seed drills and an SWI (System of Wheat Intensification) weeder, which have a mixed response among farmers. In terms of farmer feedback according to PSI literature, in spite of higher labor inputs in sowing and weeding, farmers have expressed immense satisfaction with higher SCI (System of Crop Intensification) grain and straw yields. In fact, the much higher SRI/SWI/SCI crop stalk volume provides more fodder for cattle, leading to increased milk production and increased FYM for fertilizing fields. “SRI/SWI increased crop production while enhancing intrinsic productivity of land with minimum use of external inputs. Healthy roots and more productive plants were ensured.”
So in short, benefits of SCI include:

Less seed requirement
Saving in water
Early maturity
Decreased chemical application
Improved soil quality and health
Higher grain and straw yield
Reduced women’s workload

Concerns and challenges:

SRI technique needs to be extended to other crops
Thorough cleaning of weeds from the field is an arduous but necessary process
Farmers find operating the weeder very cumbersome and would like it to be made mechanical. This would increase the cost of the machine but would ease the work of the farmer; Design modification of the seed drill to ensure fixed spacing of seeds while sowing
Farmers accessibility to quality weeders
Capacity building of farmers in the adoption of SCI
Availability of water under rain fed conditions, especially during weeding operations, transplanting, and after milking stage

While at Navdanya, a few other volunteers/interns and myself took an afternoon and visited Clement Town, where there is a Buddhist community and an enormous stupa. According to Wikipedia, Clement Town houses "A large Tibetan settlement and the World's Largest Stupa, of the re-established Mindroling Monastery fromTibet, is situated in Clement Town, which was inaugurated on 28 October 2002 and is surrounded by a 2-acre (8,100 m2) garden. There is also a 103 feet (31 m) high statue of Buddha is dedicated to the Dalai Lama."

Taking a vikram taxi to Clement Town

More Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags :)

Visiting a Buddhist community in Clement Town nearby Dehradun

Made me feel like I was back in Ladakh

A few other volunteers and interns from Navdanya

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Bhoomi Festival and Taj Mahal

October 3, 2013 - Bhoomi Festival

I originally planned to take a bus from Leh to Dehradun, my next stop on this Indian adventure. It’s probably close to a 30 hour bus ride, up and over the Himalayas and totally dependent on the roads being snow-free and passable. Some people develop Acute Mountain Sickness (acclimatization problems) from the ride and it is precarious and dangerous, though I have been told that it is “an experience” (one that I was quite close to having). At the last minute, however, airfare prices went down, so I decided to fly to Delhi and I am now taking a train to Dehradun where I will spend about a week at Navdanya, Dr. Vandana Shiva’s Biodiversity Conservation Farm and Learning Centre. Vandana is normally not in Dehradun but rather in her office in Delhi or traveling on business. When I heard that she was going to be in Delhi on October 1st for a festival/conference, I knew I had to go! So I found myself registering for Bhoomi 2013 “Sacred Himalaya, Abundant Himalaya.” It was a one day event that included three panel sessions on environmental awareness, Himalayan culture/biodiversity, and the sacred feminine. Bhoomi included the presence of “His Holiness” (no, not the Dalai Lama, but close!) and the Director of the Gross National Happiness Center in Bhutan (fortunately, I was able to get his contact information in preparation for my tentative travels there), as well as a short documentary film on the recent devastating floods in Uttarakhand, a cultural programme with Kashmiri musicians, dancers from Arunachal Pradesh, and a fantastic singing Tibetan Buddhist Nun from Nepal named Annie (literally, the voice of an angel). I was unsurprised to see ama-les from the Women’s Alliance of Ladakh, as I had been told they were attending, but I was shocked to see Dr. Deen from LEHO at the event. It may sound silly, but going to Bhoomi to celebrate the culture, biodiversity, and sacredness of the Himalayas and seeing familiar faces from Leh made for a smoother transition to the rest of India.

Some facts I learned from the panel sessions include:

· We should recognize and value the Himalayas because they are the youngest and most sensitive mountain range in the world, in addition to yielding an abundance of natural wealth: water, biodiversity, culture, and spiritual sustenance (many gurus and religious leaders have meditated here for thousands of years)

· Gross National Happiness can be referred to as the “Development of Values” (in contrast to Gross Domestic Product and western-style development and growth) and is a clause in Bhutan’s Constitution. Moreover, in the next five years, Bhutan will be 100% organic (right now, it’s mainly the southern states that are in transition) – the first country in the world to do so.

· There was a lot of discussion of separation and how this mentality is at the root of current environmental disasters and degradation. One person referred to the situation as “ecological apartheid” and how Bhoomi is significant for bringing in a spiritual component, which showcases diversity and interconnectedness of all things (namely humans and nature).

· Someone else referred to global climate change as “climate chaos,” which I found fitting since the element of unpredictability is tremendous.

· There was a lot of emphasis on the negativities of hydropower projects since the dynamite and pressure from the dams often crack mountains and have caused earthquakes and landslides from floods, wiping out villages. One panelist described the big dam projects as a “scramble for power” as people race to control water. Moreover, there is great need for environmental impact assessments. For example, the June 2013 Uttarakhand floods were referred to as “man made” because global warming is likely the root cause (flash floods, cloud bursts, landslides are all linked) and there was no disaster management plan. Similarly, the hydropower industry requires a more credible regulatory body to review, assess, and sanction projects (right now, it is a 10 member committee solely made up of government officials, completely lacking women, and the chairperson is a former coal minister). This raises the importance of environmental governance and asking the questions: who is making the decisions and who is benefitting from the power? There is a need for democracy and sovereignty (e.g. political representation).

· In the first panel, a man named Claude Arpi raised the question of regulating tourism to be more sustainable in the Himalayas. One example is Bhutan’s $200 USD a day tourist tariff, but that may not be successful in most places.

· Another presenter, a University Professor in New Delhi who specializes in tropical biology and conservation, discussed the notion of “hybrid technology” in land-use and agriculture, which resonated strongly with me. He talked about how it is easy to integrate formal and traditional knowledge systems to “sustain nature-culture integrity.” In this way, he is connecting biophysical and socioeconomic-cultural knowledge. To achieve this, however, there is a need for community participation and linking sustainable livelihoods and development with biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. In this way, his work and research focuses on integrating traditional knowledge with formal science-based knowledge for shifting agriculture (on one extreme) to restoring land degraded by the Green Revolution on the other extreme. I was able to get his contact information and hopefully we can connect over our common research interests.

· The last panel talked about the sacred feminine, which was a little too spiritual and crunchy for me. Although I strongly believe that one can derive spiritual sustenance from nature, I found the panel to be a bit too abstract and faith-based. It talked about sacred species and landscapes, which are not only socially valued but can yield economic benefits as well. I also learned of “sustainability science to dynamically conserve natural cultural landscapes.”

· One of the final speakers was from Navdanya himself and he talked about how the organization was founded in 1987 by Vandana Shiva. They focus on promoting organic farming, preserving traditional knowledge, and mitigating climate change, as well as a strong emphasis on food sovereignty and seed freedom (from GMOs through community seed banks and activism). Naturally, I am so excited to be going! (P.S. life is officially complete – listening to MIA Paper Planes while on my first train ride in India)

Vandana Shiva, the Goddess herself, speaking at Bhoomi

Trying on saris in Delhi :)

Taj Mahal

In addition to attending Bhoomi, I was able to take a day trip to Agra. So now I can at least say I saw Vandana Shiva and the Taj Mahal before leaving India J The express train from Delhi to Agra takes only about two hours, but unfortunately, we missed the train by 8 minutes. I went with the neighbor of my host in Delhi, a 19-year-old boy who wants to study medicine in either the U.S. or Canada. He was wonderful company as his bilingual skills in English and Hindi were indispensible. He also takes amazing photos, which was great for both of us because it was his first time to the Taj as well. After missing the train, we ended up taking a tourist bus, which was a packaged deal including a visit to the Agra Fort and a few nearby holy Hindu sites (e.g. the birthplace of Krishna). The bus, however, took a whopping seven hours each way and although it was AC, the ride was slightly unbearable. I’m going to take two seconds to complain: after leaving at 5:30 AM, we didn’t end up returning to the flat until 4 AM the next morning, with less than two hours allotted to the Taj. Irrespective of the limited time and arduous journey, it was so worth it! I don’t care what people say about it being over priced, overrated, etc., it was incredible. And in order to help preserve the integrity of the structure and the quality of the marble, emissions emitting vehicles are prohibited from coming within a certain distance, so you have to take either an auto rickshaw, horse-drawn carriage, or camel-drawn wagon to the entrance gates. On the way back, we chose the camel and the driver even let me ride it! (for an extra fee of course). I can’t remember if I’ve ridden a camel in the past (perhaps at a local fair at home when I was a kid), but if I did, I certainly don’t remember it being so bumpy! I couldn’t stop laughing as I bounced up and down with each step and the passing Indians thought it equally ridiculous. We also decided to hire a tour guide to explain the history, though he acted more as a personal photographer than anything, which was great for us. And even with his mediocre commentary, there was something so amazing and inexplicable about coming around the corner and seeing it through the archway for the first time. The Taj Mahal is one of those things that you see on post cards, in films and photos, on TV and in National Geographic; something that I never dreamed I would get to see so soon. And let me tell you – it is so much better in real life! Despite the massive throngs of tourists and the fact that it is difficult to walk anywhere without potentially stepping into someone’s photo frame, the ambiance is rather magical. I don’t know if it’s the context of it being the ultimate “labor of love” (as it is a massive mausoleum constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal when she died giving birth to their 14^th child), the glorious marble and intricate mosaic work of precious stones, the shimmering reflective pool, or the fact that it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it’s pretty darn cool.