Underskog

Abstract:

India faces a dual crisis related to food and agriculture. First is the malnutrition and hunger crisis. Every 4th Indian is hungry. Every second child is severely malnourished. 45% of the children are “wasted”. Without agriculture and nutrition, there can be no food security. Malnutrition is leading to a public health crisis. This includes the dual malnutrition crisis – of hunger on the one hand, and obesity, diabetes etc. on the other.

The second aspect of the crisis is the agrarian crisis, tragically highlighted by 250,000 farmers suicides in the last one and a half decades driven by debt which is largely caused by high cost chemical inputs. Environment and development, earth rights and human rights meet in biodiversity based organic farming.

When agriculture output is measured in terms of “Health per Acre” and “Nutrition per Acre” instead of “Yield per Acre”, biodiverse ecological systems have a much higher output. This should be the strategy for protecting our farmers as well the right to food and right to health of our people." – Dr. Vandana Shiva

Pro-Rector of the University of Oslo, Inga Bostad, will introduce Vandana Shiva

Honorary Doctor appointed by Rector, UiO:

Professor Vandana Shiva (born 1952) has made a significant contribution to what can be called “ecofeminism”, where focus is placed on the connection between feminism and ecology. She has contributed to raising awareness about living and other conditions for women in developing countries and has shown that the issues of sustainable development and social justice are interdependent. Professor Shiva’s contribution to the debate on biodiversity is also significant, not least in relation to women’s understanding of renewable food production and presentation of the global shift in food production In 1982 Professor Shiva founded the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, where the scientific focus is on biodiversity. Professor Shiva is currently associated with the Institute of Science and the Institute of Management in Bangalore, India. Professor Shiva has written books such as Staying Alive (new edition 2010) and Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (2005), the latter of which in particular captures the broad scope of the topics she has researched.