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About Raita Teerpu |
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Raita Teerpu (‘the Farmer's verdict’) is the latest application of citizens’ jury / scenario workshop methods that have been used widely in the USA, UK, Germany . Now the methodology is being used in a Third World location like Karnataka in South India to bring farmers, especially women, Dalit and tribals from different parts of Karnataka on a single platform to assess the benefits of ongoing Agricultural Research in India. |
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| India’s agricultural crisis is staring us really hard in our face. The increase in farmer suicides, agri-sector debts, massive acquisition of farming land for industrial purposes, and threats related to new technologies have been central to the shape and dimension of the problem. What is equally true is the change in the way the sector as a whole is being viewed. Policy makers of the country are trying to evolve solutions in the form of consolidation of small and marginal farms, introduction of contract farming, and intensified role of the market. |
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“If you control the oil you control the country; if you control food, you control the population.”
Henry Kissinger, USA Secretary of State in 1970s prior to the |
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These solutions are worse than the crisis itself and clearly reflect the policy-farming disconnect. This is evidenced by the failure of "packages" to stem farmer suicides. Much of it has led to the shifting of control over farming decisions from the farmers to the governments and increasingly to the seed and agri-business corporations. |
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A major contributor to the crisis is the focus of agricultural research which is gradually moving away from farmer’s concerns and is embracing agribusiness as the solution. |
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Discussions with farmers associations and a large number of NGOs in the state have revealed considerable concerns over the recent trends in Agricultural Research which is moving away from farmers to meet the needs of corporate institutions. |
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As a sequel to these trends, the Raita Teerpu was held from 30th Nov to 3rd Dec 2009 at Fire Flies, a green Ashram near Bengalooru. This exercise includes the use of participatory methodologies to broaden democratic deliberation and decision making on the future of Agricultural Research in India. |
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