Geraubte Ernte (Stolen Harvest) - Vandana Shiva

For a long time now, we are able to buy nearly all sorts of fruit, fish, meat in our supermarkets, imported from other countries. Good for us, but really bad for the native farmers. They are the ones, who have to exist against low-cost groups of companies.

The author Vandana Shiva followed up with an indepentant food policy in the South.

As India had to take out a loan from the International Monetary Fund in 1991, the indian economy had to produce more. Indias farming didn´t have enough rice for their people, because they needed to concentrate on earning money.It wasn´t enough to produce enough rice for the population, but to earn enough money to buy food products worldwide. But the money went to the major enterprises, not to the indian small holders.

Vandana Shiva also mentiones the problems with the industriaization with ecological and social consequences, such as loss of work through mechanization of farming. For the country with 75 per cent living from agriculture that is a big problem.

Furthermore, indian farmers have to buy „improved“ genmanipulated seeds from agricultural enterprises ever year and are not allowed to use a part of the harvest as new seeds. Thus, the farmers are dependent.

The term of growth in industrial economy is in truth „robbery“ of the nature or robbery at people.

Therefore the bio diversity, fundamental for every forward looking and lasting food policy, is also in danger.

In various fishing villages of India, there are children with red hair, which is a sign of protein deficiency. But protein deficiency in fishing villages?

With this book, Vandana Shiva warns of the effects from globalization.

Shiva, V. (2004): Geraubte Ernte. Biodiversität und Ernährungspolitik. 1. Auflage. Zürich: Rotpunktverlag.