From the time I stepped into the room of my high school years, I started to dream big just like any other students who have full of promises to themselves and their family. But for me then, life was just too hard to grasp and that every time school vacation approaches, I immediately look for summer jobs. Most of the time, I ended up as a laborer in construction company. My young body developed into a hardened and stout physique because of hard labor that I was in. I have no regrets working as a construction worker because I know I am a big help to my poor family. My being a son of a poor family helped me understand the true meaning of life.

Right after I finished my education, I never stop working until such time that I am already threading all kinds of jobs available. But it seems that all the hard work that I have is not enough to ease my family’s predicament. Subsequently, I found myself applying for abroad. First, I passed all the tests required for my application but not without paying a huge sum of money borrowed from a neighbor with a 10% interest. There was full of excitement when I set foot in Chiang Kai Sheik International Airport. “At last I am now in Taiwan” thus I uttered with glee.

My job wasn’t easy but it’s worth of a task because I am earning more than what I used to get in my country. And after two years of hard work in Taiwan, I am finally backed home with a few dollars neatly stuffed in my pocket. In all of the salary I earned in Taiwan was remitted to my family in a regular basis. Fate was really not on my side because having worked abroad did not helped turn my family’s fortune. Knowing that I have siblings to support, I tried for another chance to go abroad and what I got was the worst experience ever happened to my life. And the next thing I know was that, I was already preparing to board a vessel somewhere in the central part of the Philippines.

It was 1st of April 2001 in late Sunday afternoon when we left Manila for Subic the former US Military Base and now a Freeport bustling with businesses and other activities that makes the place livelier during the night. And after a few hours of travel, the car came to a halt in front of a cozy restaurant where a group of men are waiting in one of the table. We were told by a man (business agent) who accompanied us from Manila to go inside the restaurant because a short briefing will be conducted by the men who are expecting our presence. One of

Every seasoned extreme traveler has a hallucination story. It’s all about sacrifice but heaven is when you conquer any adventurous journey that you are aiming. The adventure started when nine different individuals meet in a bus station in Manila for the start of their Babuyan Island Quest. It was like the “Survivor Series”, the team was composed of nine adventure seekers with various professional backgrounds, all in one goal. Upon reaching the port of Camiguin in Brgy. Balatubat, Jun – the team leader immediately went to the Barangay Office to ask for possible assistance, luckily in a short while the local officials offered us the beachfront “casitas” for our accommodation.

On our second day, we left Camiguin Island to do some island hopping and whale watching before heading to Babuyan Claro. Watching a whale dive is simply awesome. They simply grab your attention, and then the silent way its slides down into the water. There was a genuine sense of loss when the whales disappear. Babuyan’s biggest and most beloved visitor – the Humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) are arriving during summer for their annual winter holiday, marking the start of whale watching season in the islands. Humpback whales are migrating from Alaska each year to breed and calve in Babuyan’s warm coastal waters, one of the Philippines marine sanctuary dedicated to whales and their habitat. Surveys by the WWF-Philippine’s Humpback Whale Research and Conservation Project over the last four years counted more than 36 individual Humpback whales in the waters of Fuga, Calayan and Batanes. The project group has been working in the area since 2000 when the local WWF confirmed the presence of the whales.

The humpback whale is one of the more energetic species of its kind, known in particular for its fantastic displays of jumping out of the water (breaching), flipper slapping, and lob tailing (arching just beneath the surface so the fluke, or tail, rises out of the water as the body descends). During mating season, they are also known for the complex and haunting “songs” that the males use to attract females. These songs can last for hours, and research has shown that although there are certain patterns that repeat in many of them, the males often improvise variations that make each song unique. Humpback feed on small crustaceans called krill, which they strain out of the water by forcing large amounts of seawater through their baleen, a series of fringed overlapping plates located in the jaw in the place where teeth would normally be found.

Its almost four hours in the sea before we finally reached the Fuga Island, a long island with never ending stretch of white sand and coral beaches. It was already 2pm so we decided to have a stopover to have our lunch. The head boatmen told us that its impossible for us to head to Babuyan Claro by that time so we just stayed in the island. The night was totally dark and cold so we roam around to find driftwoods for our campfire. It’s an exciting race; laughter’s and fun echo everywhere, from naughty to creepy stories, everybody is listening until wee hours of the morning.

Eyes were bit sored, temper where short, and fatigue was etched on everyone’s face – and I’m just talking about the journalists. Almost 4am when we left the island, still aiming to reach the Babuyan Claro. The breeze was exceptionally cold as we sail to the northern part of the islands. The waves are getting bigger as we reach the open sea, nobody knows that there was a cold front because of the islands lack of communication facilities. Some of us still managed to laugh, purposely to ease the stress and fear of the gigantic waves. It was like having the whitewater rafting in Kalinga and surfing in Siargao all at the same time. But who’s to blame? Its part of the adventure, even the strong fishermen’s are not sailing every Good Friday to follow the old beliefs that traveling is not safe during this special Lenten day. The adrenalin pumping waves was gone when we reached the Camiguin cove, we thought that it’s the end of our adventure, but the truth is it was just the beginning.

The third day was our turn to smile, we may have failed to conquer the three remaining islands but we still always have the “next time”. We may say that we are the real “survivors” because this time we are not guided by a script nor a series of reality-based obstacles but instead a true to life exhilarating adventure. It was a sunny morning; everybody was prepared for the beach hopping and dolphin watching. Halfway to the fronting Pamuktan Island, we already saw a couple of jolly dolphins, performing handful of show offs. As we sail around the island, dolphins are just coming out from the waters. The playful dolphins delighted everybody. We had some snorkeling right in the beach shore and then we head back to Camiguin for some bird watching and nature tripping. Ah! This is life.

The Babuyan group of islands is composed of five islands north of Aparri. All of the islands have small Ilokano communities. Phone lines and mobile phones are unheard and only few settlers have electricity powered by gasoline-supplied generators.

The province of Cagayan is bounded by the mountain ranges of Sierra Madre on the east extending up to the beaches of the coastal towns, on the south is Isabela province, on the west is the Cordillera Mountain and on the north by the Balintang, Babuyanes and the China Sea. The Babuyan group of islands which include Calayan, Dalupiri, Fuga, Camiguin and Babuyan Claro is about fifty nautical miles north of Aparri. There are no luxury resorts in these islands and no regular ferries but the trip here with all its inconvenience is well worth the effort.

Whether whale watching or discovering a great beach destination is your goal, Babuyan Group of Island offers a lot for the active traveler.

Babuyan Island adventure is all about dreaming a vacation after it was over. It gives you a never-ending discovery, almost impossible to forget.

The experience maybe unforgiving but truly it was a walk to remember.

The tiny city Dumaguete has always been on the Philippine map; it is a coastal city situated in Negros Oriental. Contrast to the size of Dumaguete City, it offers greatly awesome things for you to discover. The beauty in the panoramic view of Dumaguete City will inspire the old traditional wonder of the place with the reconciliation of the modern amenities it can provide its guests. Being a peaceful bay area, people are warm which earned Dumaguete City the title, City of Gentle People.

The city of Dumaguete has finally ended its silence. The beauty of Dumaguete City has caused the influx of tourists. Many people heard of the city’s name for the reknown beautiful outdoor adventure experience it has offered its visitors.

Presently, industrial technology is continuously developing in Dumaguete City since it is also known as the “Center of Learning in the South” or as the “University Town”.

Dumaguete City’s most tempting quality is the adventure outdoor that can lasts your whole life. Paradise in its own simple luxuries are offered in Dumaguete City through the shiny crystals of white sands surrounding the beaches.

Finding the place called Dumaguete is synonymous to finding a place of haven. Imagine the modern amenities within the city with historical beauty and wonders all rolled into a little corner in the Philippine Islands. You can always find a diving site, a vacation home that can assure to make you feel at home. Getting from other famous places from Dumaguete to other neighboring areas famous for tourism in the Philippines is another convenience of the city’s location as well.

Visit the city named Dumaguete in the Philippines and plunge into the lure of different gifts of nature in the small coastal city. Experience the breath-taking relaxation of the soul, mind and body. Find the perfect nature’s beauty in Dumaguete City; beauty at its purest form. Discover the relaxation and splurge into the magic of the place.

Endless journeys in search for the perfect paradise with the sun, sand, and water can be finally brought to an end in Dumaguete City!

With hundreds of destinations in the country, the top 3 on my list are the following:

1. Boracay

Boracay is located in the northwest corner of Panay Island that belongs to the Visayas island group of central Philippines in the Pacific. It is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, and now, became an international destination too. The White Beach and Bulabog Beach are just the two primary tourism beaches, which are located on opposite sides of the island.

Aside from taking dip of the crystal blue water, you can also take a boat around the island, hire a motorbike or scooter to explore the place, or go horse back riding, and experience the native villages and sceneries that usual visitors don’t do.

And, did I tell you that Boracay has one of the most beautiful sunsets? Well, you don’t surely want to miss it. And, the fun doesn’t end there yet, since Boracay nightlife is pulsating with so many bars and restaurants around that will give you fun until dawn.

2. Bohol

Located in the Central Visayas region, Bohol is the home of hospitable and warm people. Boholanos, as what the natives are called, are very proud of the natural wonders that are bestowed in the island. To name a few, it is the home of the famous Chocolate Hills! Imagine seeing no less than 1268 hills, that are uniform in shape and will turn chocolate brown during summer, and from which the name was derived. You can also see the Tarsiers, one of the smallest known primates and be amazed when they turned their heads by 180 degrees.

Bohol is also blessed with a numerous white sand beaches, and Panglao Island is one of the famous destinations, having powdery sand. It has a large number of top class diving sites, which both foreign and local divers would consider it as diver’s haven.

3. Palawan

Palawan is located in the Western Visayas Region and the islands stretches from Mindoro to Borneo in the southwest. The place is for adventure seekers and nature lovers and its famous for its marine sanctuaries, white sand beaches, and exotic wildlife.

One of the “a-must-see” in Palawan is the Tabon Cave. It is a 138-hectares, of rugged cliffs and deep slopes. Because of its importance to Philippine History and heritage, the site was declared a Museum Reservation Site by virtue by the Philippine Government.

Another is the El Nido marine reserve. The scenic landscapes, crystal clear waters and the isolation from the big crowd of the city usually attracts and fascinates the travelers of the place. Kayaking, snorkeling, diving, hiking to the peak of the island, bird watching, sunbathing in a white beach are just some of the activities you can enjoy.

There are still a lot of things that Philippines offers, and it’s just there, waiting to be discovered. So, travel in the Philippines now!

This year, become a student of the matron of innovation, Mother Nature, and make your creative scrapbooking sing with originality.

The Hues to Choose

Glimpse out your window and what do you see?

If you’re in the part of the world that experiences seasonal changes, you no doubt spot falling leaves, barren trees and crisp, gray-blue skies. Allow those colors to inspire you as you begin to develop themes for your Thanksgiving scrapbook page ideas.

For instance, when purchasing your paper and cardstock, look for shades reminiscent of autumn. Gold. Rust. Brown. Stay away from bright yellow and spanking-new green for now – you’ll have plenty of opportunities to use those tints in the springtime.

Even your scrapbooking supplies can and should coordinate with the hues you choose. Markers of orange and deep red add an almost imperceptible autumnal cast upon the pages of your scrapbook albums. So do ribbons, stickers, and stamps of similar earthy tones.

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Creative scrapbooking is often considered a sedentary activity, but not when you’re exploring interesting Thanksgiving scrapbook page ideas!

Don your favorite parka or sweatshirt and head out into the cool breeze of mid-afternoon for some pre-winter scavenging. Keep your eyes on the ground and in the trees for treasures to add to your November album.

Pretty leaves, delicate flowers, vibrant feathers, and even very small seeds and pebbles can add flavor and texture to the Thanksgiving pages in your scrapbook. Of course, don’t forget that anything alive may need to be specially preserved before inclusion in your book; otherwise, some plants tend to fall apart over time.

As you’re enjoying your nature walk, pay special attention to the scenes playing around you.

Fluffy squirrels scurrying about, people of all ages rushing to and fro while desperately holding onto their hats in the swirling wind, migrating birds flying in disciplined, “V” formations. When you get home, write down your observations; they’ll help you in the next steps of putting together your Thanksgiving scrapbook page ideas.

Raid the Photo Box

Admit it. You have dozens (if not hundreds) of photos that are scattered around the house. Maybe they’re in a few boxes. Perhaps they’re cataloged in manila envelopes. Or it could be that they’re housed in a million different places and you’d be hard-pressed to find them all.

Regardless, it’s time to seek as many of them out as possible. After all, chances are very strong that several of them can be worked into your Thanksgiving scrapbook page ideas.

Do you have a shot of Aunt Erma cycling against a November backdrop? How about three-and-a-half year old Billy playing in a huge stack of crunchy leaves? Those photos deserve a home… so why not incorporate them into your creative scrapbooking?

And if you aren’t certain you want them to be tucked away in your scrapbook albums forever, you can always make inexpensive copies of them on your home printer or at your local office supply store. Any way you choose to use them, they’ll be ideal additions to your scrapbook.

Make a Toast to Thanksgiving… And Get Started!

At this point, you have a host of Mother Nature-inspired objects, themes, notes, and remembrances to fuel your Thanksgiving scrapbook page ideas. So get a glass of your favorite fall beverage (hot apple cider is always a delicious motivator) and make a toast to the season.

Then get working on your creative scrapbooking. Thanksgiving will be here before you know it and just like the guest bedroom on your second floor, your album needs to be ready for visitors!

By Dr. Ashok Panigrahi, formerly Principal Investigator, UGC Maj. Res. Proj. Org. Farming Project Director, Navdanya Project- Sustainable Development of Ecosystems in Orissa, Bls.

Any discussion on agriculture in India must begin with a history of the practices followed here (our own) and borrowed from the west (thrust from outside) starting from the pre green revolution time.

State of agriculture before the second world war:

In the US – Machine driven or Mechanized

In Europe including UK – driven by chemical fertilisers

In Japan – mainly involved irrigation

In India and else where in Asia – Rainfed cultivation using compost

During the colonial days, Sir Albert Howard, M.A.,CIE was brought to India by the British to train Indian peasants the art and science of chemical agriculture. He ended up learning organic farming from the Indian peasants and went on to develop and publish the famous ‘Indore Process’ which was followed widely in the Agriculture world in the 1930s .

During the same time the development of hybrid corn pioneered a new era in agriculture which combined the use of genetics, machines, artificial chemical fertilisers and irrigation to achieve enormous increases in corn yields. It subsequently engulfed other crop varieties including rice.

In the 1940s synthetic chemical pesticides were added to make up the so called technological package in world agriculture.

In the 1990s, the ‘seed’ became the central focal point for all the driving forces that created the agricultural revolutions with the entry of multinational industrial houses into the seed sector.

Leading Agro Biotech Corporations & their Agribusiness,’99.

Corporations Total

Sales Agribusiness Sales Seed

Production Ranking (global) Agro-

Chemical Sales Ranking (global) Pharmaceutical

Sales (their

Original busi.) Research &

DevelopmentInvestments

‘Life Science’ Group ( involved mainly in genetic modification of various crop plants )

Aventis $20.5 billion $4.6 billion n/a 1 $13.9 billion $3 billion

Novartis*

(Syngenta) $20.3 billion $4.4 billion 3 2 $9.8 billion $2.2 billion

Monsanto(98) $ 8.6 billion $4 billion 2 3 $2.8 billion $1.3 billion

AstraZeneca*

(Syngenta) $18.4 billion $2.7 billion 6 5 $14.8 billion $2.9 billion

‘Industrial Science’ Group ( involved mainly in production of various agrochemicals )

Bayer $27 billion $3.1 billion n/a 6 $5 billion $2.1 billion

DuPont** $26.9 billion $3 billion 1 4 $1.6 billion $1.6 billion

Dow $18.9 billion $2.3 billion —— 8 —— $0.85 billion

BASF $29.5 billion $1.7 billion —— 9 $2.5 billion $1.3 billion

The dawn of 1st Green Revolution – introduction of the hybrids, HYVs and Agrochemicals, ACFs & SCPs, in agroecosystems –

The 2nd world war ended sooner than expected. Following the war in the US, there were huge stock piles of war surplus chemicals manufactured to produce the explosives. These were mainly nitrogenous and phosphatic in composition. Scientists were engaged to find out new use for these war surplus chemicals and they located it in the agricultural fields the world over as artificial chemical fertilizers. Other scientists were also engaged to design and generate crop varieties which could consume jumbo doses of these ACFs and nobel laureate Norman Borloug was one of them who produced the “miracle wheat” in Mexico in 1966. He visited India in 1967 and declared, if he was a member of Indian Parliament he would have leapt up from his seat every 15 minutes to yell at the top of his voice ‘ fertilizer’, ‘give the farmers more fertilizer.’

At the beginning of the 1950s, the US foreign policy establishment was reeling from the loss of China to communism and the US was engaged militarily in Korea. The US interests in Asia and the Pacific were also threatened with the rise of revolutions demanding equitable distribution of resources and land reforms etc. The US determined to contain the spread of communism decided to achieve the same not through direct military involvements but through palliative reform measures not directed at feeding Asia’s growing population but for the US business interests. The GATT signed during that period is an example. This went on to give rise the new GATT, WTO, TRIPs, IPR, modification of our own Patents Act and formulation of the PVP Act, National Agriculture Policy etc. throwing our peasantry, agriculture and biodiversity to their eliminations.

Two huge US establishments, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation were involved in the process from the very beginning. Between them they set up IRRI at Manila in the Philippines in the early 1960s to breed HYV rice varieties in order to increase rice production in Asia. They also helped in the establishment of the CRRI and Agriculture Universities in India in the late 1950s to push through long term US business agenda.

The IRRI generated the ‘miracle rice’ IR-8 and released the same to the Asian farmers in 1966 and thus launched the Green Revolution ( I ) . This, and its early progeny IR- 20 (1969) and IR -24 (1971), rapidly replaced 1000s of diverse native traditional rice varieties as farmers by and large adopted these new varieties as‘seeds of hope’ widely in Asia. Unfortunately their hopes were soon crushed as the miracle rice succumbed to the brown plant hoppers. It was found out that the these uniform susceptible varieties ( IR – 8, IR- 20 and IR- 24) cultivated widely in Asia, gave the brown hoppers an unprecedented feeding ground. Brown plant hoppers also transmitted the grassy stunt virus that destroyed rice crop in 1,20,000 hectare in Indonesia alone in 1977 resulting in food loss to the tune of 2 million tons, that is enough to feed 6 million people.

Among the 1000s of rice accessions maintained at the IRRI’s gene bank only one could stand up to the grassy stunt virus and it was a wild rice called Oryza nivara, collected from Orissa in 1963. O. nivara is otherwise an economically useless variety but it had the character which no other rice variety had. Only 3 plants in the IRRI’s single accession contained a gene that was resistant to grassy stunt virus. This gene was immediately passed over to the IRRI’s new rice varieties including its super star,IR-36, through cross breeding . By 1982, IR-36 alone was cultivated on 11 million hectares of Asia’s rice lands thus acquiring the dubious honour of being the world’s single most widely planted rice variety in history.

However, by the mid 1980s , the resistance provided by O. nivara against stunt virus was breaking down in farmers fields and IRRI’s valuable rice varieties stood as vulnerable as ever leaving its breeders helpless. O. nivara was found to be a metaphor for the problems faced by the rice farmers of Asia. Since IR-8, IRRI has , in fact, transformed the lives, cultures and opportunities of countless local communities who depended on rice for their livelihood. To perform well and yield to their declared potentials, IRRI’s HYV rices required too much chemical inputs, access to credit and irrigation thus giving birth to new forms of social orders. While some benefited from the new rice varieties, a huge majority of the rice farming communities of Asia became

indebted, lost control over their food production systems and became caught in a spire of dependency. When the urban consumers got cheaper though tasteless rice, the rural producerslost the valuable ecological balance in their agroecosystems.

In the Indian context, we find today most of the land in Punjab are

impaired and dead. The minimum level of soil fertility is lost. Most of Punjab’s soil are diseased and dying and this is an openly admitted fact. The consumption of agrochemicals in Punjab has increased thirty folds since the inception of Green Revolution in that state and in India. The total amount of subsidy on ACFs has increased to rupees forty four thousand crores and this subsidy cost in distributed over all Indians including us. Punjab farmers get the benefit and we bear the cost. Between 1971 – 1981, 95% of small farmers of Punjab were lost or disappeared. The rate of profit from agriculture which once stood between 25% – 80%, has now comedown to 6% and yet things continue in the same way. This is one of the major factors for the farmers’ suicides in Punjab, AP and elsewhere in India and it is one of the gifts of the 1st Green Revolution to India.

The other gifts are soil – food and ground water poisoning owning to excessive use of agrochemicals – ACFs and Pesticides. These agrochemicals not only have caused the death and elimination of the natural predators of the agricultural pests but also of the pollinating bees besides the domesticated animals and human beings. Nitrate poisoning caused cattle epidemic in Nagpur in 1976, and it causes blue baby syndrome in human beings.

Pearson(1985) sums up that about 10,000 human beings die every year owing to pesticides in developing countries. Besides these agrochemicals between them help grow the pest population either directly or indirectly. When ACFs make the crop plants soft and tender, the pesticides build up resistances in pests.

The Dawn of the 2nd Green Revolution – the introduction of Genetic Modifications in Crops –

With the growth of a new branch of biological science called Biotechnology, scientists postulated that the same could be exploited for agricultural advantages. Thus, genetically modified (GM) crops such as Bt.Cotton were developed in the early 1990s.Till date over a 100 of them are under cultivation round the earth. It was said that these transgenic crop plants would reduce pesticide dependence, would have the ability to detract, repel or kill the pests and tolerate herbicides, weedicides, fungicides;

another category of agrochemicals developed to be produced and used to combat the weed plants,( all plants other than the crop plants ) and harmful fungi.

It thereby opened doors for additional industries for agriculture. In other words, agriculture was made too much industry dependent; fertilizer, pesticide, weedicide, herbicide, fungicide, nematocides and so on. With the creation of transgenic crops like Bt. Cotton and GM maize like GE crops a new industry entered into the field of agriculture the world over. Thus the place of origin of seeds was taken away from the plants to the scientists laboratories, nullifying Darwin’s laws of natural selection and artificial selection. Thus also, the farmers were reduced to consumer – producers from producers only.

Transgenic crops were accepted by many countries ( if not all ) including India under the impressions that they would ensure food production and prevent crop failure as far as seed quality and pest menaces were concerned. The same is clearly reflected in our own National Agriculture Policy, 2000. But what happened subsequent to that is everybody’s knowledge. Let us examine the case of Bt. Cotton crop in US. According to the chemical used data provided by the US Department of Agriculture, the total million pounds applied between 1946 and 2000 were as under –

1946 = 78 ; 1966 = 64.9 ; 1971 = 73.4 ; 1976 = 64.2 ; 1982 = 19.4 ; 1992 = 19.8 ; 1998 = 14.8*; 2000 = 40.5*.

It is to note that Bt. Cotton was widely cultivated in the US from the year 1996. It, however, failed to reduce crop’s pesticide- dependence in just within 4 years. In India, the cultivation of Bt. Cotton is the single largest factor for the hundreds of farmers’ death in Andhrapradesh and Vidarbha region of Maharastra.

With the origin of GM/GE/Transgenic crops, big multinational industrial houses entered into the seed sector. They wanted to sale their seeds protected by Patent Laws, to farmers every year as their own inventions. This motive is reflected in 2 associated technologies they integrated into the process of such seed generations.

* Terminator Technology (also called TPS or Technologies Protection System –or- GURTs or Generic Use Restriction Technologies) – It is the technique by which the seeds are made male sterile. The technology employed is aimed at preventing the farmers from sowing the seeds from their harvests for the next crops, thus compelling them to buy the seeds for every crop they wish to grow.

* Traitor Technology – It refers to a technology that allows a plants’ genetic traits to be turned ‘ on or off ’ when a certain chemical is applied to the plant or seed. In other words, it is the technology by which sterility is chemically controlled. The industry thus suggests that farmers would be able to activate or deactivate genetic traits such as disease resistance in crop by applying a certain proprietory chemical prescribed by the seed company for the plant or seed that they would have to buy.

The New Threat – arising out of the new terminator technology is a global one and it is against small and marginal farmers, national food security and biodiversity. Over 1.5 billion of our small and marginal farmers ( peasants, in the proper sense) who save their seeds including the HYVs traditionally stand to lose their seed source.

Communities that lose control over their seeds risk losing control over their farming systems and becoming dependent on outside seed sources together with the prescribed proprietory inputs that come along with the seeds. In the changed system where a great majority of the farming communities don’t have access to seed security, food security stand to be disrupted as the same would be impracticable. Hence, our food security will be a myth in the coming days unless we restructure our own system. Fortunately, Indian farmers are encouraged “to save, conserve, exchange and sell their own saved traditional native seeds ( except the branded seeds of protected varieties)” under the Input Management chapter of our National Agriculture Policy, 2000.

In the words of:-

1. Ishopanishad – The universe is the creation of the supreme power meant for the benefit of all his creations. Individual species must, therefore, learn to enjoy its benefits by forming a part of the system in close relationship with one another. Let not only one species encroach upon the others’ rights.

2. Anon – Native biodiversities, a source of pride for each country, composing as it does, a shining part of the national heritage.

3. M.S Swaminathan – Our national food security depends on our ability to conserve all our biological wealth (= biodiversity).

Biodiversity is the degree of biological varieties in nature and not in nature itself. Diversity of species in natural habitats is high in warm moist areas and decrease with increasing latitude and altitude. That is precisely the reason why, tropical moist forests contain half of the worlds’ biological diversity although they occupy only 7% of the worlds’ land area.

Transgenic plants with terminator technology are a direct threat to the biodiversity because there exists a natural phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer between closely grown plants beyond the species, genera and even kingdom barriers. If this happens, countries like ours, rich in biodiversity stand to lose biodiversity soon.

Genetically modified plants have very week immune systems and for that they depend heavily on the application of a chemical designed to uplift their natural defenses against pests and disease. If the fate of the GE crop plants are like this, how can the small and marginal farmers afford to cultivate such plants which demand excessively high cost external inputs for their existence?

In essentiality, GM crops lead to ‘ bioserfdom’ – that is they threaten to hold farmers hostage to multinationals through sterile seeds and chemically dependent plants.

Other facts:-

Transgenic plants produce toxins and allergens owing to genetic modifications. GM Soya cultivated widely in the US and Brazil has such protein in it which is allergic to many human beings. Fibers of Bt. Cotton is found to be allergic to many even in India. So is the case of Bt. Potato, now widely used as potato chips.

Transgenic plants with Bt. gene cause death of monarch butterfly larvae. Even pollen grains from Bt. plants are enough to cause their death.

Transgenic crops with Bt. gene consumed by cows and visited by honey bees render their milk and honey contaminated with Bt. protein, now known to be allergic to many human beings.

Terpenoid gossypol is a trait used to make cotton resistant to caterpillar pests. The cotton seed meal from this crop has been found to be poisonous to swine and turn the yolk in chicken eggs darker.

Transgenic corn is not approved for human consumption; it is meant for the cows. A few years ago pollen from the GM corn fields were drifted away to pollute adjacent corn fields leading to digestive problems in the consumers of such corn. It was such incidents that compelled scientists to adopt terminator technology lading to- not solving the problem rather compounding the same.

Independent scientists like Robert Hartley, Jeremy Rifkin etc. have compiled at least 50 harmful effects of GM foods which include soya sauce, pop corn, candy bar, potato chips and have preferred to level terminator technology as thano (=death) technology. They have also leveled such applications of biotechnology as- wreaking havoc with the planet’s biospheres.

Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) now widely used as a promoter in transgenic crops, is potentially too dangerous because it is a para retro virus and is very similar to Hepatitis B virus and HIV. In the system of non targeted species (like the vertebrates and human beings), it may (lab. tests have shown so) produce recombinant highly virulent virus that may activate oncogenes and cause cancer. This is the opinion of scientists like Professor Joseph Cummins of the University of West Ontario and a host of other independent scientists. Viral affects of our coconut crop and death of plants in the wild west may be due to CaMV infections.

What should we do now ?

We save our seeds.Under the provisions of the Inputs Management chapter (protection of plant varieties) of the National Agriculture Policy 2000, farmers are “allowed their traditional rights to save, use, exchange, share and sell their farm saved seeds.” Under the provisions of the Sustainable Agriculture chapter (agro biodiversity) farmers have been empowered –”conservation of bio-resources through ex-situ preservation in gene banks, as also in–situ conservation in their natural habitats through biodiversity parks.” These activities have been assured “high priority to prevent biodiversity extinction with emphasis on the importance of conservation of the indigenous breeds facing extinction”. It has been promised “to enlist the country’s vast agro biodiversity in a time bound programme.”

Biodiversity means all the plant and animal resources of the planet; when agro-biodiversity includes all those plants and animals of agricultural importance. It includes animals as earthworms, bees, predatory organisms and plants as green manuring, mixed cropping, trap crop and agro-forestry. These were more or less known well to the Indian farmers before 1960s. The green manuring plants, dhaincha (Sesbania), sun hemp (Crotolaria) and Gliricidia are good in kharif and Azolla, senji (Melilorus) and gour (Cyamposis) are good in rabi. Between them they on decomposition, enrich the soil with 60 – 200 kg Nitrogen per hectare in 45 – 60 days. Trap crops protect the main crops like cabbage by mustard, corn by sorghum cotton by corn, groundnut by corn pea and tomato by marigold. In the words of Masanobu Fukuoka, ‘ human salvation lies in returning to nature; the ecological devastation must be reversed before it is too late’.

As far as rice is concerned, all indigenous varieties are not poor yielder, a mistake made by the proponents of the Green Revolutions in this country. They failed to appreciate the fact that some of the natives were better high yielding themselves. Dr.R.H. Richaria, an Internationally renowned Indian rice scientist was known to have documented some such HY – natives, selected and improved through peasants and indigenous people of India which could outmatch and outweigh the best yielding rice HYVs. This was done by Dr. Richaria at least 15 years before the launch of the Green Revolution. Richaria’s highest yield was 54 quintals per acre or 13.6 tons per hectare achieved in Salem and the lowest yield was 24 quintals per acre or 6 tons per hectare achieved in West Bengal from his indigenous improved rice varieties (the basis of cultivation not being known). The presenter himself achieved 28 quintals per acre organically in the fields of a peasant at Mayurbhanj in kharif of 2004-05, using internal inputs only.

Many of the Indian rice varieties have known medicinal properties which have been traditionally used in Ayurveda, Unani systems of medicine and by traditional healers for generations. As per Ayurveda some native Chhattisgarh rice varieties have such medicinal values as tonic aphrodisiac, curative of dysentery, curative in skin infections, useful in the treatment of rheumatism, early removal of placenta in cow after delivery and rice water, an excellent healer of inflammatory disorders. These rice varieties are known locally as – Laicha, Bhejari and Dhanwar. Meharaji, another native rice, has been used as tonic for women after child birth. Saraiphool is known to provide strength to the physically weak persons, Karhani gives relief in case of paralysis. Inhalation of fumes of rice bran of Baisur cure headache and Rasari is used in the treatment of chronic cough. This is widely known among the village elders in Chhattisgarh.

Besides rice grains, soil of rice growing fields are also known to be of medicinal use in Chhattisgarh. The rice soil of Chhattisgarh are of 3 major types – Kanhar (Vertisols); Dorsa (Alfisols) and Matasi (Inceptisols). Such soils are also used in the treatment of over 30 acute and 10 chronic ailments.

Literature is available to show that other countries in south east Asia also exploited the medicinal values of their native rice varieties. Rice bran is known to contain Vitamin – B which cures beriberi. In Malayasia aqueous extracts of boiled green rice is used in eye as a lotion and in the treatment of inflammations of inner body tissues. In China sprouted rice grains are used as digestive stimulant, give tone to muscles and as antiflatulant. The Chinese also believe rice as healer of spleen infections.

Njavara, the unique short duration (60 – 70 days) land rice of Kerala is valued highly for its medicinal properties. This rice strain is aromatic, sweet to taste, easily digestible and has germicidal properties and this is why it is mostly used in treatment only and hardly eaten except in exigency. Njavara rice is used in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, neurological disorders and as muscle relaxant by the Ayurvedic physicians.

The presenter was also requested to send some amount of a 60 day paddy (Sathia) to a person in Mumbai for the treatment of an old age person in 2004 and later learnt that the patient got relief.

Some native rice varieties of India and abroad are known to contain substantial amounts of allolochemicals which when released through their leaf, root and pollen restrict the growth and development of other plants (weeds). Such native Indian rice varieties have been documented as Bala, Dular, India AC –1423 and IET – 1444. Japan has one such variety called Novin -29 , and the US has 2 such varieties, Cuba – 6558A and Cuba – 65V58.

In view of the above, it is essential to conserve the different traits of rice varieties so evolved through the combined process of natural selections and artificial selections in different ecoclimatic conditions over the centuries with their fragrance, taste, medicinal and high yielding properties. It is essentially the same for other crops also. Besides, the all important seed has entered into a regime of company monopoly. Farmers have to save their own seeds for the sake of ensured crop and food security. Seed security is more important than food security. If farmers do not save their own seeds urgently they are sure to fall in to trap of the big multinational seed companies and from which they cannot move out. If this happens, all Indians will be reduced to laboratory guinea pigs in the hands of the multinational seed companies very soon.

The necessity to conserve the different rice varieties so adapted to different eco-climatic conditions, important to and now available with the farmers has no doubt stirred them most. They have already started the process. Sri R.K.Behera of Bhandeswar in Balasore and Sri B.Dwivedy of Tentala in Mayurbhanj have conserved 18 & 17 native & nativised rice varieties respectively. Navdanya-PPBSA, Balasore has conserved over 550 rice strains, natives and nativised, till date. Seeds of these varieties are selectively donated to affected farmers in disaster areas like in Erasama, Nandigram (WB) and Nagapattinam(TN) as “seeds of hope,” Navdanya’s disaster management programme.

Another need of the time is sustainability in agriculture which can be achieved only when the farmer strictly avoids all purchased external inputs and relies extensively on farm generated internal inputs, there by reducing the market dependence for growing the crop or crops. The change in system will have to ensure proper maintenance of ecological balance and basic biological functions of soil- water – humus – nutrients continuum. For that the farmer has to abandon the current practice of monoculture of crops and switch over to polyculture, agro forestry, green manuring and integrated crop-live stock system.

Dependence on biodiversity, adoption of vermin technology for enhancing soil fertility and biological – botanical control of pests and diseases are of paramount importance in such a system. It will thus nourish and resuscitate the dying or dead soil, improve the environment, reduce pollution of food and water and generate tasty, healthy and abundant food.

The town of Puerto Galera can be reached in about 3 hours from Manila via road. You can drive till Batangas Pier and from there ride a ferry to the town. You can even take your car along in a RORO ship. There are also bus services called ‘Sikat Tourist Service’ that leaves daily from the city state tower hotel on Mabini Street, Manila. Tourists can also reach this destination via ferry services that arrive at this town from Batangas and many other islands.

There are many good places to see in and around the town. Besides White and Sabang beaches, other attractions that charm guests here include lush nearby forests, waterfalls, coral reefs and so on. For the adventure lovers, scuba diving at the protected marine sanctuary is an exciting adventure sports to enjoy here.

Pondarosa Golf Trekk is another interesting activity. The road to this golf trekk from White Beach offers fantastic views. Tamaraw Fall is again a picturesque beauty located at a distance of about 14 km. One can walk or take a bike to reach this falls. This site again presents some awesome views. On the way you can see some beautiful beaches, mostly empty.

Other activities that are available in the area include Banana Boat ride, Jetski, Vinta (Local Sailboat) ride, Island Hopping, Mountain Biking, and snorkeling. For shopping, there are many good shops where you can buy souvenir items.

Puerto Galera offers some best possible accommodation options for the guests suiting every pocket and keeping in view the comfort of tourists. Furthermore, online hotel reservation service can also be used to instantly book a hotel. This process is safe and secure and will help you to reserve hotels in Puerto Galera without any hassle. Bayview Palm is a comfortable hotel here for the guests to stay.

I have taken all forms of transportation in my travels since then, but travel for me is not about being somewhere but about going. When I am down or deeply depressed, I recall my previous travels or fantasize about new ones. I would reminisce the city, the food, the people, the culture of the place I had just been and it’s guaranteed to lift me up better than an anti-depressant.

Travel gives me self confidence, like for example, I was in Singapore and although their train system is very easy to learn, it was my first time to go around by train. After I navigated the whole city by train, alone, I felt that I could tackle anything after that. And I did. When I went to Costa Rica, my hotel reservation was messed up, I ended staying in another hotel which was really a run-down hostel. Then I got lost in the city with only 1 Spanish word under my tongue. I started to panick but then I stopped to remind myself of the previous travel mishaps I had and how I had handled them successfully.

My travel experiences helps me deal with different kinds of people in my work as a customer service rep, using it a base for subject of conversation. Travel preparations may get me anxious, but the overall benefits more than compensates for it. Travel is not always good for the pocket but it is always good for the soul.