59

  

, N

avdanya,

led by the fiery environmental activist and

scientist Dr Vandana Shiva, has worked to

preserve biological and cultural biodiversity.

Women centric and farmer-led, focussed

on agroecological farming practices, food

sovereignty and seed saving, this NGO, whose

name means ‘nine seeds’ seeks to rejuvenate

biodiversity-based rural livelihoods and

achieve sustainable rural development through

awareness and participatory programmes.

Dr Shiva, who is one of the pioneers of

biodiversity conservation globally with her

roots in the Chipko movement, created the

first Community Biodiversity Register to

document our rich indigenous knowledge.

She has contributed to formulating national

and international laws on biodiversity, which

have fed into the Biological Diversity Act,

2002, through which local communities

can now share the benefits of biological

resources, leading to self-reliant, poverty-free

communities.

e idea of community participation and

people-led change is taken very seriously in

all of Navdanya’s programmes. Local people

are empowered to be the agents of change for

environmental protection and the sustainable

B

iodiversity conservation in the hands of women from

tribal communities

ollowing pages (60–61):

Mahuwa, the pantry and

pharmacy of tribal communities in the forest

Na

vdanya

Trust

•

•

•• •

F

ounded by Dr Vandana Shiva in 1991

Navdanya is the oldest biodiversity

conservation organization in India.

It views conservation of biodiversity

and protection of all life forms as a

fundamental human duty, and that

all humans have a fundamental

right to knowledge, biodiversity,

water and food. Navdanya’s

programmes for sustainable rural

development have reached more

than a million community members,

including women, children and

youth, across more than 20 states

in India. Navdanya has set up

150 community seed banks across

the country, trained over 5,00,000

farmers in food sovereignty and

biodiversity-based sustainable

agriculture, and helped set up the

largest direct marketing, fair trade

organic network in the country to

support biodiversity conservation.