Subject: 5th Signs of Hope Please see below an invitation to the 5th Signs of Hope talk being organised by Kalpavriksh as part of its 20th anniversary year. You are cordially invited. Apologies for cross-posting, and to those to whom this may not be relevant. Ashish Kothari Kalpavriksh Apartment 5, Shree Dutta Krupa 908 Deccan Gymkhana Pune 411 004, India Ph. and fax: ++91-20-565 4239 Email: ashish@nda.vsnl.net.in ---------------------------------------- INVITATION 3 March, 2000 SIGNS OF HOPE 5 Presentations on environment and development Dear friends, On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Kalpavriksh's formation, we invite you to the fifth of a series of presentations on environment and development, with the common theme: SIGNS OF HOPE. As will be apparent from the series title, these presentations will focus on the widespread, but under-reported work that communities, organisations, and individuals are doing to protect nature and natural resources, regenerate land and water, control pollution and ensure recycling, and establish responsible governance structures. In particular, this series will involve presentations by grassroots groups, with whom Kalpavriksh has been involved in various capacities: in researching and documenting their work, in providing needed inputs of information and networking, in supporting through lobbying with various authorities, and in enabling greater exposure to their work through the media and other means. We are happy to announce the fifth presentation in this series: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, DALIT WOMEN, AND STORYTELLING IN ANDHRA PRADESH By P.V. Satheesh and four farmers of Deccan Development Society, Andhra Pradesh Slide Show by P.V. Satheesh Date and time: 27 March, 2000, Monday, 6.30 to 8.30 pm Venue: Vidyarthi Sahayak Samiti, 1182/1/4, Ferguson College Road, Shivaji Nagar, Pune 5 (lane between HDFC and B.U. Bhandari showroom) (The presentation will be in English; the farmers accompanying Satheesh may speak in Telegu, for which translation will be arranged) A brief description of the work being done by the Deccan Development Society is given over-leaf. We would be very grateful if you could come for this presentation. The speaker will take about an hour in total, and will be then available for an extended open discussion. The Andhra farmers will exhibit and sell their organic food produce, supplemented by an exhition and sale of similar produce from around Pune and of Kalpavriksh publications. (Ashish Kothari / Anuprita Patel) ABOUT THE TALK AND THE SPEAKERS For the last decade or half, development activists have been engaged in a discourse focussing on Participation. Over the last five years, since globalisation became a concrete reality, the question of 'control' has become important. The world is turning itself into a big market place and this puts national sovereignty itself under a cloud. 'Who is controlling what is a refrain', especially in the areas of agriculture, genetic wealth and natural wealth, which were the domains once controlled by local people. The Deccan Development Society (DDS) started as a commitment of a group of professionals to the people in the Zaheerabad region of Andhra Pradesh to continue a rural development project which was abandoned by an industrial house due to its own politico-economic compulsions. DDS started with the objective to combine ecological and employment parameters to regenerate the livelihoods of the people in the area through a string of activities done in full consultation with and participation by the communities, especially the women. An associated objective was to transfer people-oriented technology to these communities. This included housing technologies, permaculture way of organic farming etc. DDS works with Sanghams (village level groups) of poor women most of whom are dalits. DDS has a vision of consolidating these village groups into vibrant organs of primary local governance and federate them into a strong pressure lobby for women, poor and dalits. The Society facilitates a host of continuing dialogues and debates with the people, conducts educational and training programmes to try and translate this vision into a reality. A unique feature of the work is a film-making unit comprised of women from the villages, who make films on local issues from their own perspectives. Over the past few years, farmers in this region with the help of DDS have catalysed a widespread revival of sustainable farming, seed diversity, and regeneration of forests. Of the four farmers accompanying Satheesh, who is Director of DDS, the single male, Jayappa, started off as a bonded labourer and is now deputy chief of the DDS project in Zaheerabad. The other three are dalit women: Algole Ratnamma is a winner of the Vrukshamitra Award for catalysing the regeneration of 300 ha. of forest in her village, while Humanpur Laxmamma and Chinna Narsamma are part of the DDS video team. Laxmamma is also the seed keeper for the community.