Professor MS Swaminathan, MP, Ms Mabel Rebello,MP and Dr Suman Sahai, President Gene Campaign, visited Jharkhand at the invitation of the state government, from Dec 19-22,2007, to study the agricultural situation and make suggestions for using accelerated agricultural development for poverty alleviation. Districts of Gumla and Simdega were chosen for intensive study since more than 85% of the total workforce there is engaged in agriculture and over 76% of the population is below the poverty line. After extensive consultations with officials, scientists, farm workers and civil society organizations the experts put forward their suggestions in a report on  'Accelerated Agricultural Progress and Poverty Elimination in Jharkhand, 2008'. The report was presented to the Govt of Jharkhand, which has responded very positively to it. Read More…..

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Exchange visit for Jharkhand farmers organized by Gene Campaign

The intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides over the past fifty years have degraded the ground water soil and environment in many states of India.  Gene Campaign has been trying to reverse the trend by encouraging farmers to adopt organic farming and has been imparting training in organic farming best practices, to farmers in Jharkhand, Bihar, UP and Uttaranchal.   Recently Gene Campaign organized a visit for ten Jharkhand farmers  to the Janhit Foundation in Meerut  as part of an exchange program to share knowledge and experiences about organic farming and its components.   Farmers shared their experiences about bioorganic nutrients, biopesticides, as well as producing organic seed and organic cultivation practices.

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Street Plays , Song and Dance Programs on Farmers Rights and GE Crops

Gene Campaign presents street plays, song and dance programs at Dilli Haat

Gene Campaign has been spearheading a campaign to inform and educate people regarding biodiversity, Farmers Rights, GE foods and crops and the dangers posed by them to our health and environment by using a variety of communication tools.  As part of this on going exercise Gene Campaign organized a program of Songs and Dance and a Nukkad Natak to reach out to people at the Dastkari Craft Bazaar held at Dilli Haat from November 21 to December 3.  The subject of the songs and the Nukkad Natak was biodiversity, Farmer’s Rights and the dangers posed by GE foods and crops.  The play also stressed the importance of preserving indigenous varieties of seeds along with indigenous knowledge which is in danger of being lost to the world.  The programme proved to be very popular for the two weeks that it was performed and received a very enthusiastic response from the audience.  People flocked around the actors after each performance and were full of questions. Gene Campaign also distributed free pamphlets and info booklets to all those who were interested in knowing more about Farmers Rights, GE foods and Biodiversity.      

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The Biotech Lobby Strikes!

Three senior scientists working on agriculture biotechnology in Delhi have responded to the urging of a biotech lobbyist to protest against the recommendations of the Planning Commission Task Force on Biodiversity and GMOs, by writing to dissociate themselves from the report. Read more...      

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Jharkhand Field Study on Food and Livelihood Security

Gene Campaign's Jharkhand project on food and livelihood security is making good progress. The GC team attempts to work in an inclusive way, its staff is diverse, incorporating ethnic and religious minorities, backward communities and is gender sensitive. Our literature is prepared in the local regional languages and tribal dialects, enabling us to reach a range of people. Collaborations with research institutions are established and field research is often being conducted jointly. Read more...

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'Importing Agricultural Produce is like Importing a Loss'

Chairperson of the Planning Commission's Task Force on Agro-biodiversity and Genetically Engineered Organisms and founder of Gene Campaign, Suman Sahai has been advocating for farmers' rights and against the dangers of genetically-modified (GM) crops for more than a decade. One of India’s foremost agro-economists, Sahai feels the country should avoid buying expensive GM seeds from global monopolistic corporations when it has the resources to develop indigenous technology. What is required, she told Harsha Baruah and Swati Mongia, is to develop a methodology to solve problems at an affordable cost and increased agricultural research. more....        

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Workshop on Trade in GMOs:

The Implications of Labelling, Traceability and the WTO Dispute on Developing Countries GeneWatch UK and Gene Campaign had organized a two day workshop on the Implications of Labelling, Traceability and the WTO Dispute on Developing Countries at the NCVO Conference Suite, London on 28th-29th June, 2007. The aim of the workshop was to build capacity on the WTO and international agreements / organizations affecting bio- technology, reflect on the ruling of the WTO on the GM crops trade dispute between the EU and the USA, and to understand its implications for developing countries. The workshop was attended by campaigners, WTO/ legal experts and members of leading CSOs from Europe and the United States(Gene Campaign being the sole representative from India), who have tried to influence the EC- Biotech WTO dispute and highlight its importance to global debates on biotechnology and trade. Click here for preliminary report of the workshop.

A second workshop on the same theme, but primarily from an Indian perspective, was held by Gene Campaign at  the India International Centre, New Delhi on 17-18 July, 2007.

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Protecting Indigenous Knowledge of Biodiversity in India: Research Outcomes

Gene Campaign has concluded a research project on the Protection of Indigenous Knowledge of Biodiversity. The research was supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. The aim of the research study was to develop an effective protection regime for the Indigenous Knowledge of Biodiversity in India. Two years of meticulous research has led to a number of findings and recommendations, which have been presented in a technical report. 

Reports and documents can be found at     

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Jan Sunwai on the Agrarian Crisis

A Jansunwai was organized on 30th March, 2007 in New Delhi at Jantar Mantar to address the issues of the Agrarian Crisis in India and to frame a set of recommendations to resolve them. Gene Campaign, Madhya Pradesh Kisan Sangharsh Samiti and INSAF organized the Jan Sunwai. Farmers, consumers, experts and citizens attended it from various parts of the country. Views and evidence were presented to a Commission consisting of Justice Rajendra Sachar, Sri Prabhash Joshi (Sr Editor Jan Satta), Mr Sanjay Parikh (Advocate Supreme Court) and Swami Agnivesh (President, World Council of Arya Samaj). more...

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Gene Campaign organizes a public discussion on a research project to assess ‘Stakeholder Perceptions of Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods in India’

The discussion organized on 7 February, 2007, at the India International Center, New Delhi was attended by a large number of research scholars, students, academics, members of civil society organizations, representatives of government departments and international organizations, who commented on the study and made suggestions to improve its design. The two and a half year research project will cover five states, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Punjab and Delhi.

Gene Campaign ( Dr Suman Sahai) will conduct this study in partnership with the Central University , Hyderabad (Prof Haribabu, Dean and Head of Social Sciences) and PAEDIA, , a research and networking initiative based in Delhi, examining technology innovation and policy (Prof Amrit Srinivasan ). Other members of the research team will be Dr Shambu Prasad , specializing in Innovation Systems at the Xaviers Management Institute, Bhubhaneshwar, and Indira Ananth from the Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, who has studied the processes of adoption of Agbiotechnology in India.

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An Introduction to Genetically Engineered Crops & Foods

Dr Suman Sahai was invited by the Rotary Club of Mumbai to deliver a talk on An Introduction to Genetically Engineered Crops & Foods. Click here to read

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The Hazards of Cross-breeding Pigs with Rice

Last Tuesday, Dr Suman Sahai spoke on ‘Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods’ at our Club. Introducing her, PP Kalpana Munshi pointed out that Dr Sahai had a PhD in genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and was honoured with the 2004 Borlaug Award for her outstanding contribution to agriculture and the environment.  more...

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Public Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions towards Genetically Engineered Organisms in India - Power Point Presentation by Suman Sahai  Click here to read      

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Gene Campaign and Gene Watch, UK  will undertake a joint project on  “Trade in GMOs: the implications of labelling, traceability and the WTO dispute for developing countries”. The study is supported by the European Commission.  more...