India is in election mode. Code is a week away. Parties are finalizing final candidates for the contest. Alliances – strategic, holy, convenient, opportunistic, logistic, revenge, unholy – are evolving. Arrangements, and adjustments go on till the ‘withdrawal’. Slogans, campaigns – saying nothing, or everything – are being unveiled. Voters are mulling over, preparing to vote, not-to-vote, whom-to-vote. Modi is in, in 2024. Nationally. The fight is for the regions-states now. The fight is for seeding 2029. Seeding multiple streams to bring Amrt Ganga down. Ganga of local, and federal ethos. Of decentralized economies, governance systems, and collectives. Of coexistence – inclusion, plurality, and diversity. Of shared well-being, prosperity. Of space and agency for realizing innate potential within us. Of shared trusteeship for the NextGen, to handover a better tomorrow to them.
Are NGOs still relevant? Do they have the agency – ability, willingness/intent and space? Community Organizations are expanding in the community-end and business spaces. Governments are taking more of the public services’ space. FCRA agencies and amounts are dwindling. CSR is taken over by the companies themselves, their foundations, community entities and government units. In essence, civil society organizations are moving west, one-by-one, and day-by-day. Notwithstanding all this, some NGOs are standing taller, larger in the horizon. To mobilize, advocate, track, trigger, pilot, et al. To serve the unserved.
Do we still have doubts on living in harmony with nature? Why do we question moving towards natural farming? Directional. Moving in the context, local, and customized. Gradual. Iterative. Why don’t we question continuing with conventional, non-natural farming? Once this is foregone, the question is how do we move on? How do we bring the primacy of farmer-led research on top, in the driver’s seat? Can we let farmers decide using or not using local, traditional, resistant, high yielding, and hybrid varieties? Aren’t we concerned with plot productivity and returns, rather than crop productivity? Crop intensity, land equivalent ratios, and water savings? Can’t we increase the options and choices before the farmers? More data, data analysis, and commentaries may finetune these options as we get going. Let the fertilizers go the free market way and the crop neutral incentive per hectare may be given to farmers directly. Farmers can decide what they want based on the options and choices available. State may work to increase these options. There are many studies, and more may be in the pipeline. There are many farmers practising some of these options. Do these exact numbers matter to provide options before the farmers? Isn’t it OK to produce for ourselves first? Surpluses can go to neighbours. More surpluses, if available, can go to distant buyers. Isn’t it important that the food miles come down? Don’t we deserve a fair share in the consumer rupee? Shouldn’t we be getting paid for the services we offer to ecosystems?
To begin with, natural farming works better with marginal and small farmers. It is their experiments and struggles that are propelling the NF movement. Their agency on the families, diets, farms, groups, villages, markets and governance is the driver. Where is the capital driving? Where are the linkages to distant markets? Isn’t the agency of women going up? Aren’t the women majority here?
Can we communicate clearly? Purpose, Vision, Values, and Vehicle. And track? How often do we revisit these? Can we prevent ‘deform’ after ‘perform’? Not burnt out, not tired-frustrated, and not looking out. Reform, restructure, re-vision, and rebirth. Even if it is a bit traumatic. With hope, faith, promise, love, and coexistence in tact. We need to converse. On site. As individuals, teams, and meta-teams. Connected, inspired, included, and engaged. In smaller teams. Dynamic circles. Task Forces. Can we?
Can we reflect, and reorganize ourselves? Purging the unaligned? Can we make ourselves re-energized, and charged?
Yes, we can. With means, within, without. Scaled self-rule systems. In the flow of N. For 7L.
Join us in the yoga of means as end, coexistence in nature – antahgamanayoga for 7L.
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