You Reap What You Sow

There have been a lot of outcry from Nepal and around the world against Monsanto in Nepal. Here are a few articles and videos from various sources to make you better aware...

• Slok Gyawali, et.al. write about the lack of tranceparency in the Monsanto deal between USAID and GoN. They start with the protest that they observe outside the U.S. embassy:  

A three-layer queue of people with banners above their heads and red and black tapes covering their mouths are marching. Across the road a few meters away, the square brown facades of the American embassy can be seen as well as a line of two dozen or so policemen clutching onto their batons, halting the protestors from going any further. Disgruntled protesters complain against impediments to their right to protest. “Aafnai desh ma aafai hidna napaune? (Why can’t we walk in our own country?)” one of the protestors yells, amid the crowds."  

• USAID Nepal's website has put out an update on "Hybrid Maize Project, " where they mention the need to increase food production and a little scary phrase of "food-security" but conviniently leave out the word Monsanto from the update. 

We believe such discussion is healthy but wish to clarify that no new programs have been entered into by the US Government with the Government of Nepal to introduce hybrid maize seed as some articles suggest. We have discussed options with the government, but no decisions have been made yet. We continue to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and hope, through President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative, to be able to support a wide range of activities intended to foster greater agricultural production and food self-sufficiency in Nepal.

• On Mero Report, MadhuSudhan Guragain writes that Monsanto seeds have been allowed to come to Nepal since last year.

अमेरिकी बहुराष्ट्रिय कम्पनी मन्सान्टोले विकसित गरेको मकैको बीउलाई नेपाल भित्र्याउन हुन्न भनेर विरोध चलिरहँदा सरकारले गत वर्षबाटै सो कम्पनीको बीउलाई दर्ता गरेर ल्याउन दिइरहेको खुलासा भएको छ ।

•  Anil Bhattarai writes about the complexity of soil ecology and sustainable farm practices.

Protesting a bad company or a bad project, although very important, is limited when it comes to actually promoting ecologically sensible and productive farming practices. Just because we know a company such as Monsanto is in the business of bad business, or some specific development projects are promoting bad agriculture, this does not mean we have an adequate grasp of what constitutes good farming practices.

And finally here is a video discussing the issues related to Monsanto with Dr. Vandana Shiva