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| Elephant eating banana plants on a West Tamil Nadu farm |
Focus on “BANANA & BAMBOO”
The Challenges of Agriculture in a Crowded World: Balancing Stakeholder Interests Through Integrated Networks and Processes
-Peerless Green Initiatives
Initiative Eco Logical Fox
Food. Every living creature on Earth's most basic need. If one were to judge the most critical issue creating risk to humanity and nature, this would be undoubtedly at the top of the list. With a human population burgeoning and wildlife conservation holds ever shrinking, we are in store for a critical collision that ignores political borders, economic growth and commercial ambition. More than consumption of resources for energy, the relationship between commercial farming and preservation of biodiversity has reached tipping point, requiring integrated efforts toward scaled sustainable stakeholder processes.
The world's population, today numbering some 5.5 billion people, will likely have increased by about 2.5 billion to a total of 8 billion people by 2020. This is an increase of nearly 100 million a year. Over 93 percent of this growth will take place in the developing countries As such, the November 29-30, International Year of Biodiversity Conference at Lady Brabourne College in Kolkata, India could be considered the most important and ambitious gathering to protect and preserve the world's biodiversity and establish agricultural security to realize the goal of the elimination of poverty, malnourishment and inequality.
It is the opinion of PGI, and scores of others in the industry, that only though the integrated sustainable management of commercial agriculture, through the free transfer of technology and comprehensive stakeholder processes can humankind establish a coexistent balance with environmental services it relies on for survival and needed to preserve biodiversity.
The humble rural farmer and family is perhaps the most vulnerable to the myriad of new challenges that face the world current. Their issues are myriad: social and gender inequality, climate change, rising cost of farming, rampant migrations of alien plant and insect, unmitigated commercial development of farm land, decrepit farming infrastructure, lack of access to technology and increasing wildlife confrontation due to shrinking ecology reserves and gerrymandered native corridors. This list is not exhaustive but illustrates the tremendous challenge ahead for those stakeholders and accordingly policymakers and ultimately the consumer.
It has been the opinion of PGI, due to its deep experience in creating sustainable businesses for private clients, that the solution will not be found in government initiatives (albeit helpful) but in the able hands of those professionals who deeply understand their specialty vertical. Together these specializations can be stacked to form comprehensive integrated sustainable systems.
The term 'professional' here is used in its broadest definition- an individual who holds personal knowledge based on their endeavors and experience. Application of this definition happens to also promote equality. The farmer is a professional. The farmer's spouse is a professional. The biologist who develops the seed that lightens the farmer's burden is a professional. The marketer who takes the elite seed to the industry is a professional. Conservationists who understand the native ecology and society from village to village, city to city and region, all professionals. Each of these professionals must act in a coordinated manner, all mindful and respectful of the individual contribution of others, uncorrupted by greed or favoritism, and willing to communicate with other professionals who can suggest and implement meaningful processes of integration and coordinate risk-management efforts and transfer of information and technology.
It is with sincere hope that you will join us and bring your particular professional skill and experience to make the LBC-PGI International Year of Biodiversity gathering in Kolkata a meaningful and productive event. The subject matter is vast and accordingly the focus has been placed on two representative critical crops, bamboo and banana. Both key to agricultural viability and in need of sustainable processes to promote biodiversity. It will be a unique event in that invitees include those from the business, science, policy, education, youth and conservation sectors...all with the singular goal of discussing solutions, not just rehashing challenges. The time is now and the need for real change is critical.
If you cannot attend your generous direct or in-kind contribution toward the Conference costs can be coordinated by contacting the organizing committee joint treasurers Madhulika Gupta Chaudhuri or Sudipta Paul Bhattacharya, Asst. Professors , Dept of Microbiology , Lady Brabourne College: odditybiom@yahoo.com, 091 9830905534. Registration: http://www.ladybrabourne.com/notice.html
Sincerely,
Frank Costanzo
Managing Director
Peerless Green Initiatives
Joint Convenor , IYBD Kolkata
91 812 419 5292
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| Logo designed by students of LBC, Kolkata |
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