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Our Bureau

Hyderabad, Sept. 17 Hyderabad-based Deccan Development Society has launched a new initiative called ‘Adarsa’ (Alliance for Democratising Agricultural Research in South Asia).

Addressing a press conference here, Mr P.V. Satheesh, Director, Deccan Development Society, said, “Adarsa will focus on critical evaluation of the agricultural research done in South Asia, a region known for its rich agricultural tradition.”

According to him, 28 groups have become members of the initiative, including networks of farmers, scientists and ecological groups from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Adarsa, which aims to create a farmer-led agricultural research system, has brought out a fact sheet called Farmer-Proofing Agricultural Research – Current Trends in India.

“The study has analytically looked at the agenda set by several major Indian agricultural universities – Punjab Agricultural University and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University – and the collaborations they are entering into reveals a dangerous aspect of agricultural research trend in country,” he said.

The fact sheet says the focus of agricultural research is decisively shifting on to biotechnology (genetically engineered seeds or livestock), biofuels and is changing farming into ‘Pharming’.

“For example, take the Indo-US Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture. On the governing body of the Indo-US KIA are not farmers but the CII and FICCI. Also it has Monsanto, AMD – the biggest agro-chemical and biotech US multinational corporations and Wal Mart,” he said.

Mr Satheesh said the initiative will challenge this entrapment of farmers by agricultural research through critical studies of trends in agricultural research in South Asia and through farmer scientist dialogues in the region.

“We will also look at facilitation of dozens of farmer juries in the region culminating in a South Asia Farmers Jury and by putting farmers first in the research agenda of agricultural research,” he added.

More Stories on : Research & Development | Andhra Pradesh

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