Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)

Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture or ASHA-Kisan Swaraj network is a volunteer-driven large informal network of organisations and individuals that initially came together in 2010 to organise a Kisan Swaraj Yatra, a nation-wide mobilisation to draw attention to issues pertaining to our FOOD, FARMERS, FREEDOM. The network’s associates consist of farmers’ organisations, consumer groups, women’s organisations, environmental organisations, individual citizens and experts who are committed to the cause of sustainable and viable farm livelihoods in rural India including by ensuring that productive resources are in the control of farming communities and thereby, safe, nutritious, diverse and adequate food is available for all Indians.

ASHA works with a mission to strengthen sustainable agricultural livelihoods and food diversity/safety/nutrition by re-orienting policies, practices and public consciousness, towards a holistic vision of social, environmental and economic justice as described in the Kisan Swaraj Neeti. It is a network that enables, and draws upon synergies of collective wisdom and action, based on mutual trust and respect.

From the dialogues that emerged during the Kisan Swaraj Yatra and subsequent work, ASHA articulates a 4-pillared Kisan Swaraj Neeti and calls on governments to adopt the same. The four pillars of Kisan Swaraj Neeti are (1) income security for farm households; (2) ecological sustainability of agriculture; (3) people’s control over agricultural resources like land, water and seed; and (4) access to safe, healthy, nutritious and sufficient food for all. The Kisan Swaraj Neeti is conscious of, and sensitive to structural issues of discrimination and marginalisation, and seeks to address those within this policy framework.


Recent posts

15
Oct

October 14th 2010: Kisan Swaraj Yatra goes through the region that exemplifies rural distress in India

We interacted with farmers, media and agriculture scientists in Vidarbha today. After attending a 4.45 am prayer at Bapu Kuti in Sevagram, we set off for Akola town. After reaching Akola, we headed straight for Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth. Here, we met with the Dean Dr E.R. Patil, who listened to our brief presentation in the Kisan Swaraj Yatra and also to the delegation’s request to the Agriculture University to work on straight line varieties only and to not take up any GM research. More...
13
Oct

“Kisan Swaraj Yatra reaches Nagpur – Presents data to show that public sector Bt Cotton has been a failure”

October 13, 2010: After traveling through Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the Kisan Swaraj Yatra which started at Sabarmati Ashram on Gandhi Jayanti reached Nagpur today where it begins its 6-day tour through Maharashtra. Addressing media persons here today, the Kisan Swaraj Yatra presented data from fact-finding visits to show that public sector Bt Cotton has been a failure and that seed supply has been stopped already this season. Activists posed a question to the government on its high investment on public sector biotech and wanted to know if even the feasibility of such options has been worked out. “The experience of CICR Bt Cotton is illustrative enough to let us know that this is an unacceptable wastage of taxpayer’s funds”, said the press release. Further, the reason for stopping the supply of seed this year needs to be put out publicly, especially since it appears to involve IPR complications, said members of ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture) which is undertaking the Kisan Swaraj Yatra. More...
13
Oct

October 12th: a hectic day, meetings with hundreds of farmers in Bargi, Dhuma & Seoni

We had more farmers coming forward with a resolution to move towards ecological farming in our meetings today. Before the meetings began, we went to the site of the Tripuri National Congress during the Independence struggle in India, to pay homage to Subhash Chandra Bose as well as others who fought for India’s freedom from foreign rule, for sovereignty and liberation. More...

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