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.  

खाद्य संप्रभुता और किसान सशक्तिकरण किसान स्वराज सम्मेलन 2018 किसानों और कृषक समुदाय के शुभचिंतकों का संगम 2 से 4 नवंबर 2018 :: अहमदाबाद आयोजक:- ‘आशा’- किसान स्वराज गठबंधन एवं गुजरात विद्यापीठ मेज़बान: जतन गांधी के 150 वर्ष और गुजरात विद्यापीठ के 100 साल के अवसर पर पंजीकरण के लिए आमंत्रण! सतत और समग्र कृषि [...]

Food Sovereignty & Farmer Empowerment KISAN SWARAJ SAMMELAN 2018 A Confluence of Farmers & Well-wishers of the Farming Community November 2- 3 – 4, 2018 :: AHMEDABAD   Organized by: Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) & Gujarat Vidyapith Hosted by: JATAN celebrating 150 Years of Gandhi & 100 Years of Gujarat Vidyapith INVITATION [...]

MSPs better than last 4 years – but far from the historic increase demanded by Farmers Less than 20% margin over Comprehensive Production Cost Government should ensure MSPs actually reach farmers by enacting MSP Guarantee Act As the much-delayed announcement of Minimum Support Prices has come from the government, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture [...]

AMENDMENTS THAT ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE & HOLISTIC AGRICULTURE (ASHA) SEEKS ON NITI AYOG’S MODEL AGRICULTURAL LAND LEASING ACT 2016   This note has been prepared based on ASHA’s affiliate Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV)’s work on the rights of tenant farmers in the states of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana. Together with other farmers’ organizations, RSV has [...]

—– Forwarded message —– From: Kavitha Kuruganti <kavitha_kuruganti@yahoo.com> To: digfpolicy-mef@nic.in <digfpolicy-mef@nic.in>; jitesh.kumar@nic.in <jitesh.kumar@nic.in>; toforestpolicy@gmail.com <toforestpolicy@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, 14 April 2018, 14:06:39 GMT+5:30 Subject: “Draft National Forest Policy 2018″ To:                                                                                        Shri Noyal Thomas, DIGF, Forest Policy, Shri Jitesh Kumar, Technical Officer, Forest Policy, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, 6th Floor, Vayu Wing, Indira Paryavaran [...]

The following is the text of the letter sent on March 19th 2018 to the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), with copies to the Union Health and Agriculture Ministers by ASHA, on the recently notified standards with regard to organic foods. ======================================================== ———- Forwarded message ———- [...]

March 5, 2018 To: The Joint Secretary (Plant Protection), (Room # 238), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi 110 001. Email: jspp-dac@gov.in Phone: 011-23382937 Ext. 4965 Dear Sir, Sub: Comments/Suggestions on the Pesticides Management Bill 2017, as per F.No.13028/01/2017/PP-I, dated 19/02/2018 on Ministry of [...]

On MSP, the government shifts goalposts – farmer organizations firm on C2+at least50% Agri Budget a meagre 2.3% of total Budget, allocations don’t match announcements No to Debt Relief for farmers, but Yes to NPA write-off to industry   New Delhi, February 1st 2018: Despite the opening section of this year’s Budget speech devoted to [...]

4 YEARS, 4 BUDGETS: WHAT HAS THIS CENTRAL GOVERNMENT ACHIEVED? (The Green Paper, downloadable here, has been put out by ASHA – Kisan Swaraj Alliance; Jai Kisan Andolan; NREGA Sangharsh Morcha; People’s Action on Employment Guarantee; Rythu Swarajya Vedika and Swaraj India) Introduction: An Anti-Farmer Government The present Central government, led by Mr. Narendra Modi, [...]

To:                                                                                           January 17th, 2018 The Secretary, Competition Commission of India, 18-20, 7th Floor, Hindustan Times House, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001 Email: secy@cci.gov.in   Dear Madam/Sir, Sub: Our objection to the proposed combination between Bayer AG and Monsanto Company – please disallow it – reg. Greetings! We introduce ourselves as representatives of various organisations [...]