India's Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food

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Surging production costs, rising debts, increasing poverty. S landlessness, growing corporate control, strong pressures to introduce genetically modified crops, land degradation, corruption in nutrition programmes... the issues are many. It is important to understand the wide-ranging adverse implications of this growing phenomenon for the sustainability of farming systems, welfare of ordinary farmers, and food security. There is an urgent need to have more protective policies in place for resolving the food, farming, and environmental crisis. This book which combines considerations of ecological protection, nutrition, and justice is appearing at just the right time to contribute to the important debates.

Bharat Dogra has written extensively on this subject. He has thrice received the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting, the FAO-IAAS Award for writing on food, the Sarojini Naidu Award for writing on rural women leaders, as well as prestigious government awards.

Kumar Gautam is a teacher of Economics at The Lawrence School Sanawar in Shimla hills. He has written and campaigned for justice- related aspects of farm trade and issues relating to small farmers and farm workers.

In recent times, there has been an intense debate on agriculture and food policy in India and several other countries. This is not surprising as there are increasing concerns about the widespread distress faced by a large number of small and medium farmers as well as landless farm workers. The pressing need is for policy intervention to protect sustainable livelihoods.

In addition, in these times of climate change, there is growing concern to embrace the path of ecologically protective farming, thereby ensuring the availability of safe and healthy food.

It is very important to look at issues of farming and food from this perspective. I am very happy that at the right time Bharat Dogra and Kumar Gautam have come up with this book which looks at a wide range of issues. While there are so many books on farm and food policy, this one is written from the perspective of promoting sustainable livelihoods, protecting environment and ensuring the availability of safe and healthy food.

This book could not have come at a more appropriate time. The need for such a comprehensive work has been increasingly felt. As we search for policy options for promoting sustainable objectives, the ideas and the vision obtained here can be very useful.