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Week Of Rice Action (WORA) |
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The Week of Rice Action (WORA) 2007 brings together farmers, rural communities, and other sectors of society to celebrate and protect rice culture. To be officially launched on March 13 in Bangladesh, the main WORA events will take place in 13 countries across Asia from March 29 to April 4. Culminating in India and the Philippines, WORA will be an unprecedented mobilization of Asians “Celebrating and Protecting Rice Culture”! A key feature of WORA will be its one-million signature campaign calling on policy-makers to take immediate steps to save the rice of Asia. YOU CAN JOIN THIS ACTION TOO! WORA is organised by Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) and its partner organisations in thirteen countries in the region. Anyone interested in being a part of WORA 2007 can log on to the WORA page at www.panap.net. “UNITE FOR RICE, UNITE FOR ASIA” – WEEK OF RICE ACTION 2007 4 April 2007 – Bhubaneswar, India: The Week of Rice Action 2007 culminated over a three-day stretch from 2 to 4 April 2007 in two states in India. Delegates from PAN AP and WORA anchor organizations in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka joined Indian delegates to culminate WORA in West Bengal and Orissa. The West Bengal event was a seminar entitled “Protecting Rice as Our Identity”, held in the village of Atghara with almost 400 farmers, villagers and several prominent speakers including Dr Ricarda Steinbrecher from the UK and two ministers from the state – Mr. Naren Dey, Minister for Agriculture and Dr. Murtaja Hussain, Minister for Agriculture Marketing and Relief. Organic rice farmers were recognized in a formal ceremony at the same event. The highlight was the people’s pledge at the end: “We will not grow GE rice in our villages! We will grow traditional rice varieties only! We will not give up our rice lands for commercial development!” The event was jointly organized by Thanal, SEVA (Society for Equitable Voluntary Action) and PAN AP. On the 4th of April, 65 people’s organizations culminated WORA in Bhubaneswar, capital of Orissa at the National Workshop on Rice organized by Living Farms, Thanal and PAN AP. “There couldn’t be a more appropriate location to culminate WORA as Orissa is recognized as the place of the origin of rice in India. Also 1,727 villages have been declared GM free here,” said Devinder Sharma, activist stalwart in the lead session. “Rather than China, it is most likely to be India where GE rice will be approved for commercialization. Therefore, India should be the focus of regional concern in the fight against GE.” Other notable speakers such as Dr Ricarda Steinbrecher (Econexus, UK), Farhad Mazhar (UBINIG, Bangladesh), and Ardhendu S. Chatterjee (DRSC, West Bengal) spoke on the threats of GE rice and threats to biodiversity-based ecological agriculture and rice ecosystems. Leading activists from various states such as Andhra Pradesh, TamilNadu, Chhatisgarh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Kerala and Orissa also presented on the status of rice cultivation in their states. “West Bengal is relevant because of the recent Singur and Nandigram issues where thousands of rice farming communities have been abused and displaced because their lands have been grabbed for industrialisation,” explained Usha S. of Thanal, “Orissa is also facing the loss of fertile rice lands to mining, rapid industrialization and special economic zones.” Devinder Sharma adds, “The focus of India today is the takeover of village rice lands and moving people out of agriculture. By the year 2015, it is estimated that 400 million rural people (worldwide) will quit agriculture. We are going to witness a massive displacement of people.” The participants of the workshop collectively dialogued on the issues of rice land takeover and GE rice in the country and in the region, and came up with concrete strategies to save rice and small rice farmers starting with Orissa. For example, there were immediate commitments by 13 organizations to create GE-free villages within the next three months. “This workshop is very important in bringing together so many NGOs working with the grassroots. The participants are already raving about the seminar which gave them a good understanding of not just the political situation, but also the scientific aspect of genetic engineering. This information, sharing and strategizing is invaluable to our struggle. Everyone is simply motivated!” says Debjeet Sarangi of Living Farms, a farmers’ network in Orissa who also laments the loss of 30,000 traditional rice varieties from the state. “Unite for Rice, Unite for Asia!” called Clare Westwood of PAN AP, the lead organizer of WORA 2007 to all the NGOs present. “WORA is not an end unto itself; it is a Beginning – Asia must band together to win this war. We must persevere; we must never give up.” She also announced that to date, about 650,000 signatures had been collected for the People’s Statement on Saving the Rice of Asia by all the 13 WORA countries. Delegates from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India proudly presented their signature banners at the close of the workshop to the delight of all present. For more material related to GM Rice, please follow the links below: |