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.  

Green Manifesto for Punjab Agenda for Punjab’s  Prosperity, Food Safety, Health, Happiness and Sustainability   The main outcomes that are sought through this Green Manifesto are: Ensuring environmental sustainability and profitability in Punjab’s farming Revival, restoration and conservation of environmental resources including (ground) water and tree cover, and addressing the environmental crisis of the state [...]

DECLARATION OF 3RD KISAN SWARAJ SAMMELAN Hyderabad, April 3rd 2016   INCOME GUARANTEE, RIGHTS OVER RESOURCES & SUSTAINABILITY IN AGRICULTURE   We, the delegates of the 3rd Kisan Swaraj Sammelan in Hyderabad during April 1st to 3rd 2016, belonging to numerous people’s movements, farmers’ unions, farmers’ cooperatives, non-governmental organisations and national/regional/state level alliances working on [...]

PROGRAMME SCHEDULE Day 1: April 1st 2016 9 am onwards: Registration 10.30 am to 12.30 pm * Welcome by Rythu Swarajya Vedika: Dr Rukmini Rao   * Welcome on behalf of Reception Committee: Shri Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao & Prof. Kodandaram   * Sharing about the ASHA journey so far: Representatives from each State   * [...]

FARM MOVEMENTS CALL THE GOVERNMENT’S BLUFF: POINT OUT THAT SO-CALLED PRIORITY ACCORDED TO FARM SECTOR IS HYPED AND UNIMPRESSIVE New Delhi, March 1, 2016: NDA government is trying to pull off a PR stunt and befool the nation by claiming an increased priority lent to the farm sector in this year’s Budget, alleged farm activists. [...]

To:                                                                                                             [...]

KISAN SWARAJ SAMMELAN A Confluence of Farmer organizations and Well-wishers of the Farming Community   Organized by: Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)   April 1-3, 2016: HYDERABAD   The 3rd Kisan Swaraj Sammelan comes at a time when the agrarian distress in India is continuing unabated, worsened by two consecutive years of drought [...]

To:                                                                                   January 29th, 2016 Shri Radhamohan Singh, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India. Dear Sir,   Sub: Review of pesticide usage in India, including of chemicals which have been banned elsewhere in the world – complete overhaul of regulation required – reg. Namaste! We congratulate the government for setting up the Anupam [...]

THE GOVERNMENT MISSES A MAJOR OPPORTUNITY: PMFBY IS A DRESSED UP VERSION OF EXISTING CROP INSURANCE SCHEMES WITHOUT ADDRESSING MANY BASIC ISSUES   New Delhi, January 15th 2016:     The new Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna [PMFBY], announced with much fanfare by the NDA government, is hardly the historic and path-breaking scheme that the government [...]

India caves in all red lines in draft ministerial declaration: WTO 10th Ministerial in Nairobi, December 19th 2015  (PDF OF THE DRAFT DECLARATION IS ACCESSIBLE HERE): 1. No permanent solution on public stockholding issue 2. No disciplines on Special Safeguard Mechanism – just a work program Most damagingly in the final draft declaration that is [...]

December 4th 2015 To:   Dr T Haque, Chairperson, Expert Group in Niti Ayog looking at Land Leasing in India.     Dear Dr Haque,   Sub: ASHA’s submission to your Expert Group’s discussions on the issue of Land Leasing in India   Namaste! Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), as you are kindly [...]