What we do
Kheti Virasat Mission is committed to protecting farmers’ right to land, income security, good livelihood & agriculture sovereignty as well as protecting consumers’ right to safe and healthy food. KVM recognizes that in order to achieve these goals, we must put the health of the ecosystem .
Work at Grass root level
KVM is working at the grassroots with decentralized participatory methods covering the vast arenas of sustainable agriculture, conservation of ecology and natural resources, environmental health, cultural aspect of ecology and other issues related to globalization, livelihood, environmental and social justice. By involving the very first stakeholders-- the farmers, especially the most marginalized-- KVM had undertaken various activities to enhance their capacities, enabling them to undertake the endeavor of sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources. KVM has a dream to make farmers, especially the small and marginal farmers, debt-free and living within a non-exploitative system; self-reliant while nurturing their genetic resources and conserving their knowledge system.
Natural Farming:
To detoxify the ecology of Punjab and to make the state a pesticide-free region, KVM has propagated organic farming across Punjab since its inception. In the last few years, hundreds of farmers have adopted natural farming. KVM undertakes a variety of activities to educate, sensitize, & train farmers for organic farming through Workshops, Seminars, Farmer Field Schools and Participatory Resource Appraisals.
Seeds Conservation :
KVM seeks to revive our local traditional seed varieties and actively promotes their production. Two seed banks have already been established in two villages. KVM motivates farmers to save their own seeds and then use those seeds in farming practices. As a result, many farmers are now saving their own seeds. For this, KVM has provided them a great deal of indigenous seeds from different states of the country like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh etc., and this holy work is ongoing.
WAE encourages chemical free Kitchen gardening:
Women Action for Ecology, (WAE) a branch of KVM, encourages women to start growing vegetables in their kitchen gardens. "Feed your children with poison free safe food" is the slogan of this campaign. It begins with making kitchens poison-free: free from food which is grown with pesticides and other agro-chemicals. Through this campaign, women are motivated to start small kitchen gardens to grow seasonal vegetables organically.This initiative is also ensuring more diverse and safe food for the new generation of Punjab. From its beginnings in two villages, Chaina and Bhotna, this campaign is now slowly picking-up across the state. A key dimension of this campaign is the conservation of native diversity of vegetable seeds. In the era of IPRs (private patents on seeds) it is important to have our own seeds in our own hands.
Intercropping System:
KVM works to enhance the biodiversity in the fields. For this it encourages the farmers to adopt an intercropping crop system. This increases the soil fertility and diversity of food. Intercropping offers farmers the opportunity to engage nature's principle of diversity on their farms.
Training workshops for farmers:
KVM organizes regular workshops and trainings on natural farming practices. KVM provides trainings on the following topics:
Establishing a pool of local resource persons all around the state: This is another big achievement of KVM-- that we have successfuly established so many of common people/farmers as local resource persons on different environmental, agricultural and health issues.
Revival of Food heritage:
KVM also works to revive food heritage in the Malwa region of Punjab. For this, it is working to promote the use of millets like Bajra, Jowar, Makki, as they are very nutritious and part of our traditional food habits. KVM organizes “Bebe Di Rasoi”, a traditional food based festival to promote millet based food habits every year.
Publications:
Bi-monthly magazine in Punjabi – To impart knowledge about agricultural practices, current issues about environment, agriculture and health, KVM has started its bi-monthly magazine named ‘Balihari Kudrat’ in Punjabi.
Research and documentation work:
Surveys and field Studies undertaken:
KVM has undertaken several surveys in Punjab that generated debate on environment and health in Punjab.
i) Field study on Ecology, Health and Economic status of farmers
ii) Survey on farmers’ suicides
iii) Survey on Cancer in Jajjal
iv) Field study on Reproductive Health in Jajjal, Chaina, Dabrikhana, Jida and Bhotna
v) Field study on impact of Bt Cotton on soil health
vi) Field study on impact of pesticide spray on school
vii) Field study on water crisis in Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda and Mansa district.
viii) Field investigation on impact of mealy bug infestation on Bt cotton.
ix) Epidemiological study on reproductive health in Malerkotla.
x) Field investigation on impact of Bt cotton on animal health in Muktsar and Faridkot districts.
xi) Field investigation of RR Bt Cotton by MNCs in Bathinda
xii) Field investigation on Health and Water Crisis in Teja Roleha , Dona Nanka villages of Fazilka
xiii) Field study of Water Crisis and Water Contamination alongwith Ghahhar river in Patiala and Sangrur districts
xiv) Collaborative study with Greenpeace India on impact of Chemical fertilizers in contamination of drinking water
xv) Collaborative study with Greenpeace on Chemical fertilizers and destruction of Soil, Ecology and Health and its economic implicationsResearch and documentation work
In the future KVM wants to do research on issues related to natural farming and environmental issues.
Advocacy and campaigns
Campaigns against GM food:
KVM has successfully led Anti GM campaign popularly known as “ I am no Lab Rat” in Punjab and Chandigarh strictly criticizing the Monsanto’s possession on our food chain and also its efforts to use us as guinea pigs with his plan to introduce Bt. Brinjal in India. The success of the campaign in Punjab and across the Nation can be seen from the fact that Jairam Ramesh, the then Environment and Forests Minister had declared moratorium on the introduction of bt.brinjal.
Campaign against straw burning
Campaign against pesticides
Campaigns undertaken:
i) Campaign against Globalization 2005
ii) Campaign for elimination of pesticides and environmental health – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
iii) Jal Yatra and Water literacy campaign on issue of water in Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda, Mansa and Sangrur districts. Eminent water warrior Rajinder Singh led this Yatra.
iv) Campaign for GM Free India 2005 , 2006 , 2007, 2008, 2009
v) Campaign for Pesticide-Free Kitchen and Kitchen Gardens among women 2009, 2010
vi) Campaign against Bt Brinjal 2008, 2009 , 2010
vii) Campaign against Crop Residue Burning 2008, 2009-10 onwards.viii) Living Soil Campaign : A campaign for subsidizing ecological fertilizers in collaboration with Greenpeace 2010
Initiating debate on ‘Green Agenda for Sustainable Punjab’:
KVM has prepared a Green Agenda to bring the issue of environmental crisis and sustainable agriculture and development in public domain. This agenda is document or a suggestive out-line for building a partnership between government and people for crisis mitigation.
Networking
KVM is working together with Farmer organisations, Academics, Media, Medical Professionals, and Environmentalists.
Work at Grass root level
KVM is working at the grassroots with decentralized participatory methods covering the vast arenas of sustainable agriculture, conservation of ecology and natural resources, environmental health, cultural aspect of ecology and other issues related to globalization, livelihood, environmental and social justice. By involving the very first stakeholders-- the farmers, especially the most marginalized-- KVM had undertaken various activities to enhance their capacities, enabling them to undertake the endeavor of sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources. KVM has a dream to make farmers, especially the small and marginal farmers, debt-free and living within a non-exploitative system; self-reliant while nurturing their genetic resources and conserving their knowledge system.
Natural Farming:
To detoxify the ecology of Punjab and to make the state a pesticide-free region, KVM has propagated organic farming across Punjab since its inception. In the last few years, hundreds of farmers have adopted natural farming. KVM undertakes a variety of activities to educate, sensitize, & train farmers for organic farming through Workshops, Seminars, Farmer Field Schools and Participatory Resource Appraisals.
Seeds Conservation :
KVM seeks to revive our local traditional seed varieties and actively promotes their production. Two seed banks have already been established in two villages. KVM motivates farmers to save their own seeds and then use those seeds in farming practices. As a result, many farmers are now saving their own seeds. For this, KVM has provided them a great deal of indigenous seeds from different states of the country like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh etc., and this holy work is ongoing.
WAE encourages chemical free Kitchen gardening:
Women Action for Ecology, (WAE) a branch of KVM, encourages women to start growing vegetables in their kitchen gardens. "Feed your children with poison free safe food" is the slogan of this campaign. It begins with making kitchens poison-free: free from food which is grown with pesticides and other agro-chemicals. Through this campaign, women are motivated to start small kitchen gardens to grow seasonal vegetables organically.This initiative is also ensuring more diverse and safe food for the new generation of Punjab. From its beginnings in two villages, Chaina and Bhotna, this campaign is now slowly picking-up across the state. A key dimension of this campaign is the conservation of native diversity of vegetable seeds. In the era of IPRs (private patents on seeds) it is important to have our own seeds in our own hands.
Intercropping System:
KVM works to enhance the biodiversity in the fields. For this it encourages the farmers to adopt an intercropping crop system. This increases the soil fertility and diversity of food. Intercropping offers farmers the opportunity to engage nature's principle of diversity on their farms.
Training workshops for farmers:
KVM organizes regular workshops and trainings on natural farming practices. KVM provides trainings on the following topics:
- Natural farming
- Conservation of seeds
- Inter cropping farming system
- Millets based farming system
- Non-pesticide management
- Chemical-free kitchen gardening
Establishing a pool of local resource persons all around the state: This is another big achievement of KVM-- that we have successfuly established so many of common people/farmers as local resource persons on different environmental, agricultural and health issues.
Revival of Food heritage:
KVM also works to revive food heritage in the Malwa region of Punjab. For this, it is working to promote the use of millets like Bajra, Jowar, Makki, as they are very nutritious and part of our traditional food habits. KVM organizes “Bebe Di Rasoi”, a traditional food based festival to promote millet based food habits every year.
Publications:
Bi-monthly magazine in Punjabi – To impart knowledge about agricultural practices, current issues about environment, agriculture and health, KVM has started its bi-monthly magazine named ‘Balihari Kudrat’ in Punjabi.
Research and documentation work:
Surveys and field Studies undertaken:
KVM has undertaken several surveys in Punjab that generated debate on environment and health in Punjab.
i) Field study on Ecology, Health and Economic status of farmers
ii) Survey on farmers’ suicides
iii) Survey on Cancer in Jajjal
iv) Field study on Reproductive Health in Jajjal, Chaina, Dabrikhana, Jida and Bhotna
v) Field study on impact of Bt Cotton on soil health
vi) Field study on impact of pesticide spray on school
vii) Field study on water crisis in Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda and Mansa district.
viii) Field investigation on impact of mealy bug infestation on Bt cotton.
ix) Epidemiological study on reproductive health in Malerkotla.
x) Field investigation on impact of Bt cotton on animal health in Muktsar and Faridkot districts.
xi) Field investigation of RR Bt Cotton by MNCs in Bathinda
xii) Field investigation on Health and Water Crisis in Teja Roleha , Dona Nanka villages of Fazilka
xiii) Field study of Water Crisis and Water Contamination alongwith Ghahhar river in Patiala and Sangrur districts
xiv) Collaborative study with Greenpeace India on impact of Chemical fertilizers in contamination of drinking water
xv) Collaborative study with Greenpeace on Chemical fertilizers and destruction of Soil, Ecology and Health and its economic implicationsResearch and documentation work
In the future KVM wants to do research on issues related to natural farming and environmental issues.
Advocacy and campaigns
Campaigns against GM food:
KVM has successfully led Anti GM campaign popularly known as “ I am no Lab Rat” in Punjab and Chandigarh strictly criticizing the Monsanto’s possession on our food chain and also its efforts to use us as guinea pigs with his plan to introduce Bt. Brinjal in India. The success of the campaign in Punjab and across the Nation can be seen from the fact that Jairam Ramesh, the then Environment and Forests Minister had declared moratorium on the introduction of bt.brinjal.
Campaign against straw burning
Campaign against pesticides
Campaigns undertaken:
i) Campaign against Globalization 2005
ii) Campaign for elimination of pesticides and environmental health – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
iii) Jal Yatra and Water literacy campaign on issue of water in Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda, Mansa and Sangrur districts. Eminent water warrior Rajinder Singh led this Yatra.
iv) Campaign for GM Free India 2005 , 2006 , 2007, 2008, 2009
v) Campaign for Pesticide-Free Kitchen and Kitchen Gardens among women 2009, 2010
vi) Campaign against Bt Brinjal 2008, 2009 , 2010
vii) Campaign against Crop Residue Burning 2008, 2009-10 onwards.viii) Living Soil Campaign : A campaign for subsidizing ecological fertilizers in collaboration with Greenpeace 2010
Initiating debate on ‘Green Agenda for Sustainable Punjab’:
KVM has prepared a Green Agenda to bring the issue of environmental crisis and sustainable agriculture and development in public domain. This agenda is document or a suggestive out-line for building a partnership between government and people for crisis mitigation.
Networking
KVM is working together with Farmer organisations, Academics, Media, Medical Professionals, and Environmentalists.
