| Farmers' protest marked launch of IRRI's 50th anniversary |
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| Written by GRAIN | |
| Friday, 20 November 2009 | |
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IRRI was hailed for sparking the Green Revolution in 1966 with the invention of IR8. It claims that this agricultural breakthrough rescued millions of Asians from famine and poverty, but only a few decades into the Green Revolution, poverty in rural Asia had in fact worsened. Over one bilion people are hungry these days. The Green Revolution robbed Asias rice producers and brought on even greater burdens such as debts, declining yields, health problems, a ruined ecosystem, and loss of biodiversity. GRAIN went there in solidarity with the protesting farmers. View the photo essay of the event. On 17 November 2009, members of the Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP), Kalipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), Farmer-Scientist Partnership for Development (MASIPAG), Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes (PNFSP), Resistance and Solidarity against Agrochemical TNCs (RESIST Network) and Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) led a protest action in front of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines. About 200 protesters, mostly farmers from different parts of the country, gathered in front of the Institute's main gate to call for its abolition. Their message was simple: IRRI was hailed for sparking the Green Revolution in 1966 with the invention of IR8. It claims that this agricultural breakthrough rescued millions of Asians from famine and poverty, but only a few decades into the Green Revolution, poverty in rural Asia had in fact worsened. Over one bilion people are hungry these days. The Green Revolution robbed Asias rice producers and brought on even greater burdens such as debts, declining yields, health problems, a ruined ecosystem, and loss of biodiversity. The IRRI management obviously was not interested to hear what the protesters had to say. In the old days, former Director General Klaus Lampe, at least would gamely invite the protesters inside the IRRI compound and even offer refreshments. Though he never followed the farmers' wishes, he seemed to like the idea of a dialogue, albeit superficially. These days, IRRI's snobbery seems more like paranoia. About the same number of local police force were mobilised to keep the protesters at bay, ridiculously about 20 meters away from IRRI's shut gate. Asked what they were doing, cordoning off the protests, the police chief said: We're just here to protect you. Protect from what? asked the farmers. Parked inside the IRRI's premises were the police cars obviously they were there to protect IRRI, not the protesters. Not contented, IRRI parked its shuttle bus parallel to its gate, creating a second layer of protection. What is IRRI so afraid of? And why? On the same day, IRRI issued a press release with its Director General, Robert Zeigler saying The plight of over 1 billion people stricken with poverty, 70% of whom live in Asia and depend on rice as their staple food, is our driving force for our research. In fifty years, IRRIs high-yielding rice varieties and other technologies, plus extensive training, have contributed to the doubling of average world rice yields. This has averted famine and prevented millions of hectares of natural ecosystems being converted to farmland. Thus Zeigler sees that a New Green Revolution is needed as a response to the food crisis. The protesting groups don't buy it. IRRIs so-called solution to the crisis does not differ much from its earlier approach. It is obvious that IRRI has refused to recognize the failure of the first Green Revolution to lift rice farmers from poverty. In reality, uses the current food crisis, as an opportunity to push for the promotion of hybrid and GE rice,they say. Ironically, 200 of those poverty-stricken people that IRRI considers its driving force were at its very gate debunking IRRI's achievements and calling for its closure. If only IRRI could listen, it wouldn't have to write those glossy press releases at all. Instead it had to get the local police to drive those poor farmers away. Such shameless display of arrogance. |
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