By
Vandana Shiva
/ commondreams.org
Women and Biodiversity Feed the World, Not Corporations and GMOs
Biodiverse ecological agriculture in women's hands is a solution not
just to the malnutrition crisis, but also the climate crisis.
The
two great ecological challenges of our times are biodiversity erosion
and climate change. And both are interconnected, in their causes and
their solutions.
Industrial
agiculture is the biggest contributor to biodiversity erosion as well as
to climate change. According to the United Nations, 93% of all plant
variety has disappeared over the last 80 years.
Monocultures
based on chemical inputs do not merely destroy plant biodiversity, they
have destroyed soil biodiversity, which leads to the emergence of
pathogens, new diseases, and more chemical use.
Our study of
soils in the Bt cotton regions of Vidharba showed a dramatic decline in
beneficial soil organisms. In many regions with intensive use of
pesticides and GMOs, bees and butterflies are disappearing. There are no
pollinators on Bt cotton plants, whereas the population of pollinators
in Navdanya’s biodiversity conservation farm in Doon Valley is six times
more than in the neighbouring forest. The UNEP has calculated the
contribution of pollinators to be $200 billion annually. Industrial
agriculture also kills aquatic and marine life by creating dead zones
due to fertilizer run off. Pesticides are also killing or damaging
aquatic life .
agiculture is the biggest contributor to biodiversity erosion as well as
to climate change. According to the United Nations, 93% of all plant
variety has disappeared over the last 80 years.
Monocultures
based on chemical inputs do not merely destroy plant biodiversity, they
have destroyed soil biodiversity, which leads to the emergence of
pathogens, new diseases, and more chemical use.
Our study of
soils in the Bt cotton regions of Vidharba showed a dramatic decline in
beneficial soil organisms. In many regions with intensive use of
pesticides and GMOs, bees and butterflies are disappearing. There are no
pollinators on Bt cotton plants, whereas the population of pollinators
in Navdanya’s biodiversity conservation farm in Doon Valley is six times
more than in the neighbouring forest. The UNEP has calculated the
contribution of pollinators to be $200 billion annually. Industrial
agriculture also kills aquatic and marine life by creating dead zones
due to fertilizer run off. Pesticides are also killing or damaging
aquatic life .
