It has been almost 10 years since I became interested in agriculture and the situation of farmers in India and all over the world. It has been a wonderful journey so far exploring and learning alternatives to industrial agriculture such as organic farming, permaculture, agroecology, regenerative and natural farming. Alongside these experiences I have nurtured a growing passion for wildlife within me. And I have realized that farmers and wild animals are very deeply connected and are often in conflict with each other at the edges of where farmland and wildlife meet. Both are struggling for survival and land. Most non-domesticated animals, birds, and insects have already lost approximately 80% of their habitats especially larger animals and predators. Meanwhile farmers are facing an ever-increasing demand for higher food production on rapidly degrading land. While animals are looking for food, farmers are looking for fertile land. Farmers living at the edges of wild ecosystems most often have small-scale farms that they either used to farm for subsistence or didn't farm at all and lived off the forests or wild habitats around them. Now they are trying to make a livelihood off of these farms which they must protect from wild animals because any destruction is unbearable to farmers barely making a living. Even just thinking about it for a few minutes makes you realize how very complex this "human-animal conflict" is. Often phrased as a war between farmers and animals in the media by farmer organizations or conservation non-profits, it fail to bring out the profound complexity of the situation. Ultimately the most oppressed in these situations are the poor farmers (who are often also indigenous peoples) and the local animals who suffer tremendously. To support either farmers or animals both need to be seen as being on the same side and the same team. Seeing animals as neighbors and relatives deserving respect and rights to their lands was a common sentiment even just a couple of decades ago in many parts of the world. But as environmental and agricultural crises intensify the polarity and animosity between the different sides keeps expanding. My vision for my future work is shaped by this escalating situation and by my passion for both marginalized farmers and wild animals. My Vision - To be involved in promoting/supporting/creating co-existence (rather than deterrence) based relationships between farmers and wildlife (especially larger animals and predators) and their ecologies at the edges of where existing wildlife habitats and farmlands meet. Coexistence between farmers and wildlife to me is a situation where farmers actively enhance or create habitat for animals/birds/insects while simultaneously obtaining high yields to meet their economic needs. Coexistence based interactions are creative solutions that promote the well-being (emotional, physical, cultural, and habitat) of farmers and wild beings. The goal is to ease the pressure off of both struggling farmers and endangered animals through sustainable agricultural practices that are grounded in a worldview (integral to several indigenous tribes throughout the world) that situates all life as equal and the more-than human world as family. - Specifically I am interested in understanding already existing best-practices around co-existence and farming, learning them, documenting them, and making the information available for other farmers. I would like to compare different co-existence methods practiced by farmers in different locations with the same species of animals (e.g. Asian elephants in Thailand, India, Srilanka and Nepal). I would also like to compare best-practices across multiple species (e.g. lions, orangutans, bears, gorillas etc.) to understand the common agricultural and cultural practices that these people and places might share as well as the differences between each situation. Learning Goals
Based on this vision, I have 5 learning goals to guide my knowledge and skill gathering. 1. Understanding local farmers and farming needs, issues, and culture. 2. Understanding local animals and animal habitat needs, issues, and culture. 3. Understanding different ancient and existing indigenous worldviews on the relationship between humans and nature (especially endangered wild animals). 4. Understanding ancient and existing best-practices around farmers co-existing with wildlife. 5. Understanding regenerative, multi-layered, perennial and tree-based high production agriculture. Over the next several years I will be focusing on achieving these learning goals through work and study. If you have any suggestions for people, places, animals, and organizations that you feel are aligned to my vision and goals please send them my way.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2021
Categories |