“Seeds are the Very Source of Life and Women are the Ones who Manage that Source”
“Seeds are the Very Source of Life and Women are the Ones who Manage that Source”
When Farida Akhter was gathering material for the book she had long been thinking to write - about the special bond between women and nature - she interviewed an old woman in rural Bangladesh. When asked whether she was going to be able to count on her son when she was no longer be able to work, the answer was "No." "It is the trees, which are more reliable than the sons. If you have a tree you can be sure that at the time of nidan kal (the time of death), the funeral cost will be met by the tree."
Women and Trees, the book Akhter wrote about her findings, seeks to dispel a popular myth, namely that women are the plunderers of the forest, which is based on the mainstream image of women in poor areas gathering stacks of firewood. Nothing is less true, argues Akhter in her book. Women often have a much more intimate relationship with their surroundings than men. They tend to treat nature carefully and with thriftiness. In rural Asia, men mostly hold the deeds to the land, though it is the women who - besides household work - care for the vegetable garden and the smaller livestock. They also collect the seeds, which they nurture until they become (fruit) trees, and care for their entire lives. Trees provide fuel in the form of leaves and broken branches. And since a felled tree is worth money, trees are also regarded as a form of life insurance.
Besides tree seeds, women in Bangladesh also traditionally collect the seeds of vegetables, grains and rice. As Akhter notes, they thus manage "the very source of life," an essential and valued role in traditional agrarian culture. But this role has come under great pressure. The biggest culprit: the large-scale, often foreign-owned, agri-businesses that force their (genetically modified) seeds upon the farmers. When the farmers switch to the high-tech seeds, the women no longer have the task of collecting and managing seeds and, as a result, rapidly lose their economic power. Their roles are marginalised; and they are left with only housework and child care.
Akhter fights against this evolution through her peasant movement and via international networks. "The Monsantos of this world want to convince us that we need their seeds for increasing production and they take out patents on those seeds. As if you could possibly take out a patent on the source of life!" Monsanto is, after all, the world's number one GM-seed producer.
The people of Bangladesh (and elsewhere in Asia) have offered considerable resistance to large-scale agricultural pressures. "By growing monocrops, our soils lose their fertility," points out Akhter. "We have a bee crisis, a climate crisis, and a water crisis. Moreover, in the last 25 years, two-thirds of our crop species diversity has been lost. Sprayed to destruction with pesticides, driven out of the market by the large companies' seeds. Companies like Monsanto sell both the genetically modified seeds and the pesticides, so they make money twice. Meanwhile, our farmers become increasingly dependent."
The Counter-Attack
Resistance to this development is growing. In more and more places in Asia, peasant activists are setting up seed banks where the seeds of traditional crops are stored for future generations. Akhter was one of the pioneers of a peasant movement in Bangladesh that encourages recovering the use of forgotten vegetable and grain species. This is combined with organic agricultural practices and renouncing the use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers. "In the end, the peasants have to decide to stop. We offer the alternatives. And we show that you protect other plants by not spraying. What we call weeds are in fact non-cultivated species, which are traditionally used for a variety of purposes: as fodder, for medicinal use, and many other such things. They are part of our biodiversity. And this should not be lost."
The network of Women and Biodiversity is part of the New Agriculture Movement, which is active in two-thirds of the country's districts. In meetings with the population, discussions are held about the role people actually play. Akhter: "People tend to blame problems on things they cannot grasp, such as climate change. But you should realise that you yourself contribute to poisoning the earth when you spray or scatter chemicals. That is our message."
The farmers' organisation has its own centres in rural areas, where interested villagers can follow courses that last several days, and which allow one to address many more topics than merely organic farming. Akhter: "A lot of young people attend. Men and women sit together, they do everything together. The men do the dishes, the women work on the land. Thus, we break through prejudice. We respect social laws and religion, but, at the same time, we fight against traditional concepts of what men can do and what women can do."
Akhter's remarkable conclusion is that it's easier to break through social patterns in the countryside than in the city. She believes that this is because in rural areas, the productive roles of women are clearer. "Everyone knows their significance: in agriculture, within the families, and in the community. Their knowledge and skills are recognised. While in the cities women spend a lot of time in shopping malls, or at home in front of the television set. Unproductive occupations. Therefore, society sees them rather as a burden than as an added value."
Akhter says that rural women are open to new ideas. "As long as this is done in a respectful manner. Taking into account everyone's feelings, while still managing to change the system. In our centres, young female farmers hop on stage to perform. They dress up in men's clothing. They criticise the system. Things they have never done before, yet people accept this."
Whenever possible, Akhter also joins them. "I do not love the city, even though I must regularly spend time there. But I always feel tired in the city. And never when I am in the countryside, where we get up when the sun rises, where we work with the peasants, where they learn from us and we learn from them. We discuss crops and the harvest; we distinguish the types that are most suitable for the different seasons. And, over lunch in the field, we try to distinguish the sounds of the birds. I always enjoy this immensely."
An Arcadian Ideal?
Farida Akhter is convinced that the future belongs to small-scale organic agriculture. The unlimited confidence in the Green Revolution, the intensified and large-scale operations that are so bad for people and the environment, will come to an end. Even international institutions like the World Bank are starting to recognise the essential role that small-scale farmers play. "In my country, 70 percent of the farmers work on a small scale. If they get organised and receive good agricultural extension services, eventually we will no longer need this extremely large-scale sector."
To sceptical Westerners, this may all sound slightly too-Arcadian or excessively romantic. As if all old things have always been better. Besides, is Akhter's small-scale farmer actually able to feed the rapidly growing population in a country like Bangladesh? "But of course," she reacts. "Agriculture with a focus on nature, which follows the seasons and mainly produces local crops, indeed produces more compared to large-scale agriculture. The few high-yield crops, which the latter produces are extremely sensitive to diseases and pests, and are therefore full of chemical junk. In contrast, our agriculture is based on ancient knowledge. Our seeds do not need chemicals because they are adapted to local circumstances."
What is needed is a good government, which stands firmly behind its own farmers, instead of dancing to the tune of the large international companies. They need a government, Akhter adds, that no longer permits the importation of GM-seeds and doesn't sell off valuable arable land for monocropping. This government also needs to make much better plans for the provision of food for the population. It must be able to calculate where and when possible shortages may occur, and respond accordingly. Agrarian research should no longer focus on intensive agriculture but rather on the full range of indigenous species and varieties. "This calls for a different way of thinking, which the large companies want to hinder."
If it chooses to follow this path, Bangladesh will become an agricultural export country, Akhter believes. "Don't forget that at one point in history we had 15,000 rice varieties here. Each region had its own varieties: aromatic, highly productive, with an intense flavour, suitable for certain dishes, and so on. With our peasant movement, we have now been able to recover and collect some 3,000 types. In the Netherlands, you also eat basmati rice, I hear. If I told you there are many more varieties, each of them with its own taste and aroma, then people would surely be interested, right? And what goes for rice also goes for our lentils."
Women are the ones who have the most to gain from a revaluation of small-scale agriculture. Corporate farming, Akhter emphasises, is a male thing. "Men dominate the markets and capital, decide on the development of seeds, and conduct the research. Women no longer count. This has to stop. Policymakers should listen to the women, and recognise and support their essential role in agriculture. This will also signify a major improvement in yields."
Happiness is Everyone's Dream
In the ideal future, says Akhter, our daily plate of food will contain many different types of vegetables. Not only cauliflower or eggplant, for example. Besides, every vegetable has many varieties. They all have their own unique taste. Besides the greater diversity offered, the food looks colourful and tastes better than what most people eat today. It is free of chemicals and is grown from locally collected seeds. Moreover, the people only eat seasonal vegetables. The seasons are there for a reason, Akhter observes, you have to adapt to them. "That is what your body wants, products of the season. So, avoid eating winter products in spring."
Indeed, Akhter admits that this is traditional knowledge based on what our grandmothers already knew: the types of vegetables and fruits you should eat during certain times of year. For example, because they help people increase their immunity to certain diseases. This type of valuable knowledge is at risk of being lost. She also believes that scientists increasingly recognise that this is a negative development.
The ultimate goal of her efforts is simple, she says: "For people to have a good life. Like our farmers say: to be happy, that is what we want. They do not need a big car or a lot of money in the bank. Safe and good food, health for themselves and their children, nature in balance. That is what ordinary people want."
A women's rights activist The acknowledgment of women's rights and the preservation of biodiversity are the topics that Farida Akhter (1953) has been involved in for decades, both in Bangladesh and in the international sphere. She is the director of UBINIG, an activist research institute in Bangladesh, which combines studies on the position of the rural population with political advocacy. Akhter also leads the only feminist publishing house in Bangladesh. And she is one of the founders of Nayakrishi Andolon (New Agriculture Movement), a farmers' organisation that encourages organic agriculture. It does this by distributing educational materials and organising trainings for the inhabitants of rural and urban areas. Farida Akhter is an active member in numerous regional networks that organise the opposition to genetic modification, domestic violence against women, and coercion in family planning. She has written several books, including Women and Trees and Seeds of Movement: On Women's Issues in Bangladesh. |
Read more about this subject
-
News / 6 February 2023
Op-ed: Dutch construction project in the Philippines shows that voluntary corporate social responsibility doesn’t work
This op-ed was published in Dutch newspaper Trouw on the 3rd of February this year
Abuses committed during the construction of an airport in the Philippines show the urgent need for legislation on corporate social responsibility here in the Netherlands, say Murtah Shannon of Both ENDS and Maartje Hilterman of IUCN NL on behalf of a coalition of Dutch and Philippine organisations.
-
News / 5 February 2023
Using Philanthropy, Advocacy and More to Shift Power
(This interview was published on January 18th in Inside Philantrophy)
Most people in philanthropy don't enter the sector because they have dreams of working in a financial institution. But that's exactly what they're doing. The philanthropic sector as we know it today was deliberately designed by the robber barons of the early 19th century as a response to extreme wealth inequality they created through exploitative labor practices in the oil, steel and shipping industries. Whether to genuinely make amends for the harms they created or to engage in reputation washing, the industrialists cornered the market on philanthropy, guarding against legal challenges to its tax shelter functionality and curtailing regulatory legislation that could induce democratic decision-making. Today, the value of philanthropy stands at about $2.3 trillion, which is 3% of the global economy.
-
News / 10 January 2023
In Memoriam: Irene Dankelman
With pain in our hearts we say farewell to Irene Dankelman. She was pioneer in the field of gender and environment and one of the founders of Both ENDS.
-
Video / 31 December 2022
Let's work together towards a green, just and healthy 2023!
At Both ENDS, we were happy to finally be able to meet many of our partners again in 2022. Although digital meetings are here to stay, they will never beat a live encounter every once in a while where we get to know each other's contexts, learn from each other and motivate and inspire one another.
But be it live or online, together we will work towards a green, just and healthy 2023!
-
Letter / 15 December 2022
No export credit support for Santos FPSO
In October this year, the Dutch government published a policy to implement the COP26 statement in which it promised to stop public finance for fossil fuel projects abroad by the end of 2022 . In spite of this pledge, the Netherlands is considering granting an export credit insurance to a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel that will be used to produce oil and fossil gas in Brazil for a period of 30 years.
-
Transformative Practice
Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)
About one in every six people, particularly women, directly rely on forests for their lives and livelihoods, especially for food. This shows how important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and forests are to ensure community resilience. Not only as a source of food, water and income, but also because of their cultural and spiritual meaning.
-
Publication / 14 December 2022
-
News / 14 December 2022
Irene Dankelman, founder of Both ENDS becomes Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau
Last Saturday, 10 December, Both ENDS' founder, board member and advisor Irene Dankelman was awarded the title of Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau for her work supporting marginalised groups around the world. Both ENDS is delighted that that Irene has been honoured for the work she has done to achieve a fair and sustainable world.
-
Press release / 5 December 2022
Groups react with dismay to FMO’s position statement on Financial Intermediaries, pointing to outstanding human rights and climate concerns
On October 13th 2022, FMO published the final version of its Position Statement on Impact and ESG for Financial Intermediaries (FI statement). As civil society groups which have engaged with FMO on this topic for more than four years, we are extremely disappointed with the result. In the statement, FMO does not show sufficient commitment to ensuring its investments into financial intermediaries – which represent the bank's largest investment sector* – do not violate human rights or contribute to environmental harms.
-
News / 1 December 2022
“Connecting people for change”: that is what Both ENDS did at the COP
After a busy week filled with side-events, meetings, negotiations and covid, our colleagues Daan and Niels are back in the office in Utrecht. Together, they look back to their expereiences and results during the climate conference COP27 in Egypt.
-
News / 24 November 2022
Women Barefoot Ecologists won a Gender Just Climate Solutions award at COP27
At this year's UN Climate Conference COP27, Bhavya George, Climate Change coordinator of our partner organisation Keystone Foundation won one of the Gender Just Climate Solutions awards. Her project "Women Barefoot Ecologists", which also is supported by the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), won in the category "Transformational Solutions".
-
Event / 14 November 2022, 18:30 - 20:00
Climate finance towards resilient and agroecological food systems
UNFCCC COP side event
Food systems account for 33% of GHG emissions, but receive only 3% of climate finance. Climate finance is urgently needed to fund the food systems solutions that can have real impacts and wide-ranging benefits in a diversity of contexts. How do we improve on current funding pathways?
Join this UNFCCC side event to find out more!
-
Event / 12 November 2022, 15:00 - 16:30
Local perspectives to make gender-just climate finance a reality
UNFCCC-COP side event
In this session hosted by NTFP-EP and the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), we will discuss the crucial steps to be taken to make gender-just climate finance a reality.
-
News / 10 November 2022
African women raise their voice ahead of COP27 and call for climate justice
In October 2022, 150 women from 14 African Countries gathered in Port Harcourt, Nigeria for the first African Women's Climate Assembly. The aim of this Assembly was to strengthen and unify women-led struggles against dirty extractives and false solutions to the climate crisis in West and Central Africa, and propose the real development solutions that support women's interests in a good and decent life and livelihoods in a time of climate crisis.
-
Publication / 7 November 2022
-
Publication / 4 November 2022
-
Publication / 4 November 2022
-
Publication / 4 November 2022
-
News / 4 November 2022
Both ENDS to attend climate conference in Egypt
Climate action is urgently needed to slow down global warming. The effects of climate change are already showing themselves. Floods in Pakistan and closer to us, in the Netherlands, are causing loss of life and much emotional and economic damage, while local climate solutions are still largely being ignored. That's why Both ENDS is going to participate in COP27, the climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
-
Press release / 3 November 2022
The Netherlands breaks major climate promise to end public financing for international fossil fuel projects
Today, a week before the international climate summit in Egypt, the Dutch Government has broken a major climate promise it made last year to end public financing for international fossil fuel projects. International and Dutch NGOs argue that the new policy published by the Dutch Government on restricting finance for fossil fuels has such significant loopholes, that it essentially means The Netherlands has reneged on its promise.