ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture) is a large, nation-wide informal network of more than 400 organisations drawn from 20 states of India, that have come together in 2010 to organise a Kisan Swaraj Yatra, a nation-wide mobilisation to draw attention to issues pertaining to our FOOD, FARMERS, FREEDOM. The network consists of farmers’ organisations, consumer groups, women’s organisations, environmental organisations, individual citizens and experts who are committed to the cause of sustainable and viable farm livelihoods in rural India including by ensuring that productive resources are in the control of farming communities and thereby, safe, nutritious, diverse and adequate food for all Indians. From the dialogues that emerged during the Kisan Swaraj Yatra and subsequent work, ASHA articulates a 4-pillared Kisan Swaraj Neeti and calls on governments to adopt the same. This policy articulation provides a framework for a forward-looking agricultural policy approach for India. The four pillars of Kisan Swaraj are (1) income security for farm households; (2) ecological sustainability of agriculture; (3) people’s control over agricultural resources like land, water and seed; and (4) access to safe, healthy, nutritious and sufficient food for all. The work of ASHA is centred around (1) setting up ecological farming alternatives, building related capacities, working on marketing avenues for organic produce and campaigning for replicating support to ecological farming on a large scale, (2) to ensure seed diversity revival and secure seed self reliance and campaign for large scale scaling up of the efforts including through consumer awareness and empowerment, (3) watching out for any negative unsustainable approaches in Government of India’s BGREI programme (Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India) related to corporatisation of seed resources, chemicalisation of eastern Indian agriculture, water use intensification etc., (4) making a clear case for ensuring minimum living incomes for farm households and campaigning to achieve the same, (5) understanding and advocating a different dispensation to adivasi agriculture and food security, and (6) campaigning against hazardous agri-chemicals including pesticides and fertilisers through the India For Safe Food platform. A recent initiative has been to join hands with other like-minded groups to ensure women’s rights and visibility as farmers.  

लोक सभा चुनाव से पहले सभी राजनीतिक दलों को सौंपी मांगों की सूची कहा, “जल, जंगल, बीज और जमीन से छीने जा रहे किसानों के हक को तुरंत रोका जाए” पार्टियों को चेतावनी दी गई कि खेती और किसानों की नीतियों के आधार पर ही मिलेंगे वोट नई दिल्ली, 6 मार्च 2014: लोक सभा चुनाव [...]

RELEASE CHARTER OF DEMANDS TO ALL POLITICAL PARTIES ON POLL EVE “Alienation of Land, Seed, Water and Forests be stopped immediately” Warn Parties that Voting Will Be Based on Vision Stated for Farming New Delhi, March 6th 2014: More than 100 farmer organizations of the country representing lakhs of farmers, including some of the larger [...]

CHARTER OF DEMANDS ON AGRICULTURE/FARM LIVELIHOODS FOR POLITICAL PARTY MANIFESTO S THE CONTEXT The present paradigm of high-external-input-based, intensive agriculture which is premised on “produce more and prosper”, has clearly failed India and has shown itself to be a “produce more and perish” model where rural India and its livelihoods are concerned. This model, which [...]

A Bill by the name of Pesticides Management Bill 2008 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in October 2008. The same was then referred to the Department-related Standing Committee on Agriculture on 30th October 2008 for examination and recommendations. The Standing Committee gave its report (46th report) in February 2009. This Bill is now to [...]

“Agreements at Bali jeopardize Food and Livelihood Security of millions in the name of international trade and this is unacceptable” New Delhi, December 7th, 2013: Expressing deep disappointment with the official and media hype around India’s ‘win’ in the WTO Bali Ministerial Conference, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) said that India lost a [...]

A number of RTI applications have been filed with different NARS (National Agricultural Research System) institutes and departments of agriculture to understand the state of affairs with regard to Organic Farming. ASHA would like to put the replies in the public domain for readers to judge for themselves what is the progress or lack of [...]

Demands allocations of Rs.13,500 crores for agriculture and allied sectors (not including irrigation); Submits detailed proposals published in a Model Agriculture Budget book on behalf of all farmer unions At the meeting called by the A.P. State Agriculture Minister this morning to seek farmer organizations’ inputs on Special Agriculture Budget, Rythu Swarajya Vedika submitted detailed [...]

On the eve of All-party Meet on Land Acquisition Bill, ASHA writes to all party leaders demanding key changes in the Bill to protect farmers’ rights On the eve of All-Party Meet on Land Acquisition Bill called by the government on March 7th 2013, Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) demanded key changes in [...]

A study taken up by the University of Agricultural Sciences-Dharwad shows that productivity of organic farming is higher, especially in rainfed areas, compared to ‘conventional’ chemical agriculture. ASHA has been stressing that governments should intensify organic farming in rainfed areas as a priority, even as they phase out of chemical agriculture in other parts of [...]

“The Indian Budget 2013-14 ignores the core problems being faced by the nation’s cultivators and doesn’t even acknowledge the deep agrarian crisis, let alone address its causes. While farmer suicides across the country continue unabated (16,000 to 17,000 every year), the Budget continues the same policies instead of a major course correction which assures sustainable [...]