4th December 2007

STATEMENT: FUELLING CONCERNS

We, farmers, people's movements, NGOs and concerned individuals came
together from different parts of India – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan, to share concerns and
experiences on "bio"fuels at an all-India event in village Didgi of
Medak District in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh to truly
debate the question whether this so called energy-cropping will
deliver or destroy.

Indigenous peoples, pastoralists, small farmers and tribal
communities all across India have a holistic view of life that
reflects in their interaction with the living world. This living
world provides for all their needs of food, cure, fuel, fodder,
energy, etc. A diversity-based existence intrinsic to their cultures
taps bio-mass energy in truly ecological ways. It has no space for
either monocultures or monopolies. We believe that the promotion
of large-scale corporate-sponsored "bio"fuels (agrofuels) in the garb
of improving energy security is yet another form of not only
physically destroying the above, but also a psychological assault
perpetrating the idea that farming as our peoples have done it is no
longer good or tenable.

The widespread propagation of plants like Jatropha to be grown
for "oil for fuel" is more destruction than deliverance. It takes
over lands which are core to the food sovereignty of several
families, falsely considering them "waste", and converts them to
monoculture plantations which are susceptible to all the problems of
industrial agriculture. Rural and forest communities with whom most
of us are working, say that there is no such thing as wastelands.
Most of these lands are grazing lands, common pastures, degraded
forests and also lands of small and marginal farmers. They not only
support a multitude of livelihoods but also have a critical
ecological role. This is where the government and corporates are
pushing for "their" fuels displacing thousands of peoples. In
places such as in Orissa, this conspiracy to alienate people from
their lands takes the shape of contract & "compact" farming. In
places like Chhattisgarh the plantation cultivation of Jatropha
in the already fragile ecosystems of protected areas makes matters
worse.

Experiences from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh vividly
brought to us the fact of how *Jatropha curcas* – known as the 'hell
oil plant', can be a curse to both flora and fauna and people. The
plant itself can be a pest bank, spurring the use of pesticides. In
spite of this knowledge, under the intense pressure of the corporate
lobby the neo liberal planners of the country are surging ahead with
massive jatropha plantations in several parts of the country, paving
the path of permanent destruction of India's environment and
communities.

While such destruction of people's fields, forests and commons goes
on the one hand on the other hand some realities about the "bio"fuels
are hidden from the world.

1. The processing for such extraction of oil or gas is not energy
efficient and therefore not any more climate-friendly. It cannot be
considered as either a mitigation or adaptation solution to climate
change crises without addressing the real reasons why such change is
actually taking place.

2. Jatropha, sugarcane & other plantations are highly water-demanding
and in places such as Rajasthan, which are already water stressed,
jatropha can only remain a "hell crop".

3. "Bio"/agrofuels are also a way of bringing genetically engineered
crops from the back door. Therefore the GM lobby is a natural ally of
these fuel crops

4. Agrofuels & their second generation will also bring with them the
spectre of oppressive patents and IPR regime which will be an insult
and assault on the knowledge traditions of local communities

5. It is clear that the paradigm of bio fuels is not people-friendly.
Is it eco-justice that some countries and the elite groups within our
own country refuse to give up their consumptive lifestyles and
instead create demands for fuels which then is thrust on people's in
countries like ours in the shape of "bio"fuels?

By listening to all these evidences we are convinced that agrofuels
are no way of tackling climate change but a way of further supporting
the current consumptive paradigm that is the source of climate change
crisis. What also needs to be reversed is the advertising and
propaganda that encourages peoples to consume more and more! Also the
large farm-to-food model that promotes chemical agriculture,
mechanised operations adding unnecessary "food miles" and wasteful
packaging, not only adds to the problem of climate change but erodes
our biodiverse traditions. The food retail revolution that we are
poised on would only aggravate the situation. Without changing all
this, any one renewable energy law or policy will not address the
concerns.

What needs to be genuinely reversed is the mindless "development"
that is being hankered after.

We reject any pseudo -"solutions" that our thrown upon us from
outside that too touted as clean and green, which they are not. We
neither asked for "agro"fuels as they are being propagated with such
speed and at such scale, nor do we believe that they offer solutions
for our real problems.

For that reason some of us even feel that the term agrofuels might
even corrupt the sanctity of the word agriculture and so some
suggested that it alternatively be called *corp. -fuels*, which both
indicate that they are corporate-run and are death-giving turning our
agriculture into a 'corp'se!

The agriculture as our small farmers know and live by is life-giving.
Agrofuels only add another layer of problems on to our peoples already
facing be it large developmental projects, resource privatisation,
mining MNCs, SEZs (special economic zones). Agro fuels only fuel more
national crises and serves no national purpose as is said for energy
security.

In solidarity with other people's movements and concerned voices
across other parts of Asia & the world against "bio"fuels, our
demands include:

- stop misuse of all government funds, schemes, programmes,
etc. like NREGA for promoting "bio"fuels; the targeting of
*Panchayats* at the local level and pressurising of village level
institutions must stop

- halt targets for conversion to fuel blending schemes until
steps are taken to reduce demand, increase fuel efficiency & genuine
research on other viable options for transportation is done

- no conversion of land use causing the displacement of our
peoples, nor the displacement of food and fibre crops for fuel
purposes

- call to all governments to show will and commitment to
towards taking definitive actions to halt the root causes of climate
change

- support and recognise real people's efforts at energy
conservation on the ground that truly keep "bio" something of life
and living

signed by participants of…

1. Mr Ravi Rebbapragada, SAMATA, Andhra Pradesh
2. Mr Devludu, SANJEEVINI, Andhra Pradesh
3. Dr Sagari R Ramdas,ANTHRA, Andhra Pradesh
4. Dr Mohammed Osman, Principal Scientist (Agronomy),Central Research
Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Andhra Pradesh
5. Mr P V Satheesh, Deccan Development Society, Andhra Pradesh
6. Women Farmers of Deccan Development Society, Andhra Pradesh
7. Mr Pankaj Oudhia, Agricutlure Scientist, Chattisgarh
8. Mr Birsing Sinku, Jharkhandi Organisation Against Radiation
(JOAR), Jharkhand
9. Mr Simon Hansdak, Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee
(JMACC), Jharkhand
10.Mr Pandurang Hegde, APPIKO / PRAKRUTI, Karnataka
11. Mr Mastan Biradar, Right to Food Campaign,Karnataka
12. Mr Krishna Srinivasan, ECONET, Maharashtra
13. Mr Vijay Jawandhia, Shetkari Sangathana, Maharashtra
14. Dr Utkarsh Ghate, Gangotri TrustGangotree Ecotechnology PVt
Ltd, Maharashtra
15. Mr. Rahul Yadav, Shoshit Sewa Sansthan,Madhya Pradesh
16. Ms. Imrongkumla, Nagaland Emplowerment of People through
Economic Development(NEPED),Nagaland
17. Mr Ashok B Sharma, Concerned citizen and correspondent , New
Delhi
18. Mr Anil Chaudhary, INSAF, New Delhi
19. Ms Kanchi Kohli, Kalpavriksh, New Delhi
20. Ms Shalini Bhutani, GRAIN, New Delhi
21. Dr Krishan Bir Chaudhary , *Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, *New Delhi
22. Mr Prafulla Samantara, *Lokshakti Abhiyan, *Orissa
23. Mr. Tushar Dash, Vasundhara, Orissa
24. Mr Aman Singh, Krishi Avam Paristhitiki, Vikas Sansthan
(KRAPAVIS), Rajasthan
25. Mr Aditya Pandey, Centre for Community Economics and Development
Consultants Society (CECOEDECON), Rajasthan
26. Viren Lobo, Programme Director, SPWD, Rajasthan
27. Ms Kumari Ghimire, Namsaling Community Development Centre
(NCDC),Nepal
28. Mr Sujan Parajuli, Nepal Institute for Development Studies
(NIDS), Nepal
29. Mr Daniel Buckles,IDRC,Canada