*Go online to www.indiaforsafefood.in and sign a petition addressed to the
Minister for Agriculture, asking for support to organic farming and banning
of dangerous pesticides amongst other things.

kavitha

What is India for safe food ?*

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*'India For Safe Food' (IFSF)* is a movement for change amongst Indian
farmers, consumers and the government to ensure that all Indians have
access to safe food, devoid of toxic substances. It is being spearheaded by
ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture), an informal network
of hundreds of organizations and individuals across twenty states of India.
Nationwide petition drive begins with events in mid June by various
individuals / organisations & some continuing till July 2012.

 Download posters  <http://www.indiaforsafefood.in/downloadposters>

  The mobilisation and demand is directed to the Indian Agriculture
Minister, *emphasizing that "I as a citizen have a right to safe food and
the government has to:*

 *a) Promote and encourage organic/ecologically sustainable/natural
farming, without Pesticides and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). *
 *b) Ensure access to affordable organic food (also specifically for
pregnant/lactating mothers & children) *
 *c) Ban Pesticides that have been banned in other countries.*

 *Why the campaign? What is the problem? What is the solution? *
 Today the food we consume and give to our loved ones is contaminated by
toxins, genetically modified organisms, dangerous additives, preservatives
and illegal adulterants.  Indian agriculture uses enormous quantities of
toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers for growing food and these are
used indiscriminately by desperate farmers threatening their own health and
that of the consumers. Our farmers, the annadatas, are themselves victims
of pesticide poisoning.

 We have a lax attitude towards pesticide use and exposure to chemical
toxins and its consequent casualties, as is evident by the way the cancer
epidemic  among farming families in Punjab is treated and the struggles of
the endusulphan victims of Kerala and Karnataka and the 25+ years old
battle of the Bhopal gas victims.
 Many or almost all pesticides in use in agriculture are either endocrine
disrupters (that interfere with the hormone system) or carcinogens (cancer
causing) or reproductive toxins or mutagens (causes change in genetic
material), teratogens (capable of causing birth defects) or embryo toxins.
Many of them qualify under more than one category.

 Globally concerted efforts are on to reduce, ban and restrict the use of
many agro-chemicals. Yet, we are cavalier about these toxins, for example
67 pesticides that are banned in one or more countries are approved for use
in Indian agriculture and are being regularly and routinely deployed.

 Therefore, it is time we worked towards reclaiming our right to eat safe
food through safe farming which is sustainable, healthy and provides a
livelihood for the farmer and healthy, nutritious food for the consumer.
 The consumer endeavour to reclaim safe food can be many pronged:

   - Eat organic
   - Grow one’s own toxin-free food
   - Join hands with farmers who grow non-toxic food in community supported
   agriculture groups

The good news is that there are numerous farmers, outlets, groups providing
organic and safe food in almost every city in India. However we all need to
work to increase their numbers and enable them to grow by choosing organic!
Another piece of good news is that studies reveal that when exposure to
toxins is stopped many of the negative effects reduce significantly and in
some cases even disappear.

 However all these personal actions have to be combined with a social
action which each one of us has to participate in, that is *banning the use
of these toxins* in our agriculture, *removing them from our food, water
and the very air* that we and our children breathe! Sadly, the birth
defects and the cancers which have already happened are not going away
anywhere and it is for each one of us to ensure that more people do not
join these unfortunate ranks! This is a compelling reason to stop pouring
these harmful chemicals into our bodies and the ecosystems we live in.

 These toxins do not stay limited to our food, they are everywhere, and the
way to stop them is to ban them completely from agriculture. As Sandra
Steingraber says in her incisive and lyrically written book on raising her
children in a world full of toxins (titled: Raising Elijah), the cocoon we
create for our children can’t protect them completely in this world where
the air, water and food are toxic. We need to reduce, remove and eliminate
these toxins, to achieve that, in addition to concerted individual efforts,
we need committed policy changes.

 Again from the book an anecdote(178): during the cold war period a teacher
in the US asked her third grade students how many of them thought that
nuclear war would happen. Except one girl, all others raised their hands,
when asked why she thought otherwise she answered, “*because my parents are
working to stop it*”.

 Let your child be the one who says that I eat nutritious, toxin-free
natural food because my parents are working to provide safe food! This
campaign for safe food is the time for each one of us to stand up and be
counted. We need to act now. In the interest of our own health and that of
the future generations and for the health of the environment -eat organic,
ask for a ban on pesticides, grow your own toxin-free food, compost your
waste and use the compost to grow food to complete the cycle and spread the
word…. Join hands with *India for Safe Food*!

  India For Safe Food! Just give a missed call at 022* 3301 0031*

 Find out more about IFSF & contact in your city/state at:

 http://www.indiaforsafefood.in/home
 http://www.facebook.com/IndiaForSafeFood
*Download Posters <http://www.indiaforsafefood.in/downloadposters>*