Everything I Need To know I Learned in the Forest - Vandana Shiva

 Introduction

The lesson, ' Everything I Need to know I Learned in the forest ' by Vandana Shiva, is about how Vandana Shiva learnt about environmentalism from the uneducated women of Garhwal, Himalaya and about the forest that taught her values of diversity, freedom and co- existence.

Navadanya Farm/Movement 

Vandana Shiva learnt about diversity inthe Himalayan forests , which she transferred to the protection of biodiversity on their farm. She started saving seeds from farmers' fields and realised that they need a farm for demonstration and training. This Navadanya Farm was started in 1994 in the Doon Valley, , located in the lower elevation Himalayan region of Uttarakhand Province. They conserve and grow 630 varieties of rice, 150 varities of wheat and hundreds of other species. They practice and promote a biodiversity- intensive form of farming that produces more food and nutrition per acre. They worked with the farmers to setup more than more than 100 community seed banks and saved more than 3000 varieties of rice. They help the farmers to make transition from chemical based monoculture to bio-diverse ecological systems nourished by the sun and soil. This biodiversity has been the teacher of abundance and freedom, of co-operation and mutual giving

Earth University

Earth University teaches Earth Democracy, which is the freedom for all species to evolve within the web of life, and the freedom and responsibility of humans, as members of the Earth family, to recognise, protect and respect the rights of other species. Earth Democracy is a shift from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism. As we all depend on the Earth, Earth Democracy translates into human rights to food and water,.to freedom from hunger and thirst. Earth University is located at Navadanya,a biodiversity farm, participants learn to work with living seeds, living soil and the web of life. Participants includes farmers, school children and people from across the world. Most popular courses of the University are "The A-Z of Organic Farming and Agro- ecology" and " Gandhi and Globalisation."

Dramatic Chipko Movement

Chipko is the non-violent response to a large scale deforestation, that was taking place in the Himalayan region. One of the dramatic Chipko Movement took place in the Himalayan village of Adwani in 1977, when a village woman named Bachani Devi led resistance against her own husband, who had obtained a contract of cutting trees. When official arrived at the forest, the women held up the lighted lanterns although it was broad daylight. The foresters asked them to explain and the women replied that they had come to teach them forestry. Foresters retorted as forest to them is all about profit ,resin and timber. But the women sang a song about the importance of forest as they believed it bore pure soil , water and air.