Offtopic: People's Biodiversity Festival, Hyderabad, October 13-16
Frederick FN Noronha फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या *فريدريك نورونيا
From: shivani <shiv...@gmail.com>
Date: 14 October 2012 18:59
Subject: (india-ej) People's Biodiversity Festival, Hyderabad, October 13-16
To: indi...@googlegroups.com
PEOPLE’S BIODIVERSITY FESTIVAL
Press Release 14-10-2012
Biodiversity Festival rejects Intellectual Property Rights regime over people’s natural resources; Speakers including highlight that the IPR regime and Nagoya protocol of access and benefit-sharing will lead to destruction of biodiversity; Thousands visit and appreciate the Festival
About 3000 people visited the People’s Biodiversity Festival today, making it the favorite Sunday destination for Hyderabadis. People from all walks of life experienced the real biodiversity of the nation, and the Festival saw a number of new stalls springing up enthused by the public response. School students toured the festival with their teachers and joined the celebrations of the rich cultural heritage of Mother Earth. Gond adivasis from Utnoor area of Adilabad, with their unique attire and headgear, thrilled the festival participants with their traditional Gussadi dance performance.
Eminent environmentalist Dr.Vandana Shiva was the main speaker of the discussion session on Intellectual Property Rights, and she explained the deceptive underpinnings of the patents regime, which goes against how natural resources and diversity were protected for thousands of years. Several participants shared their experiences and views, including Dr. Sagari Ramdas of Anthra, Vaikunta, a savara adivasi from Srikakulam district, Dadaji Kobragade, a seed breeder from Maharashtra who developed the famous HMT wheat variety, Jaiprakash, seed breeder from Chhattisgarh, Dr. Umashankari, organic farmer from Chittoor district, etc. The session was anchored by Jacob Nellithanam of Riccharia campaign, Chhattisgarh. All the experts, farmers and adivasis unanimously rejected the Intellectual Property Rights regime in seeds, forest resources and other natural resources.
The session strongly opposed the Nagoya protocol of access and benefit-sharing which is being pushed in the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) discussions. Vaikunta, savara adivasi from Srikakulam district said, “Our concept of profit and benefit are very different – if everything is converted into money, we lose the real benefit of diversity. In our view, the real benefit means that we should be able to hand over the wealth of our diversity to our future generations.”
In total there were 75 stalls by almost 65 organisations and networks, who are working on different natural products, from more than 15 States in India. It was a colourful festival with lot of hangings, posters, articrafts, designer hand-woven clothes, and rich nutritious food including organic millets, varieties of red rice and cuisine made from organically grown vegetables and grains. Many participants felt they had rich food and knowledge.
In the evening, a colorful cultural programme was organized by students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, followed by adivasi cultural performance.
Tomorrow’s Program - October 15, 2012:
Main Venue:
10am – 1pm: Energy, Climate Change and Biodiversity
2pm - 4pm: Rights of Mother Earth
4pm - 6pm: Biodiversity and Trade
6pm – 7pm: Cultural Program
Seminar Room (hosted by Centre for Sustainable Agriculture):
10am to 1pm – GMOs and Biosafety
2pm to 5pm – Open Source Seed Network
Participants of daylong program include: Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, Kodand Reddy, Sarampalli Malla Reddy, Dr. G.V. Ramanjaneyulu, Prof. Aldaz Janaiah, D. Narasimha Reddy, Vissa Kirankumar
Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy 9010205742 nreddy...@gmail.com
Kiran Kumar Vissa 9701705743 kiran...@gmail.com
Shashank Rajwade 7842439062 sraj...@gmail.com
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