The city will host the 5th Kisan Swaraj Sammelan of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) from November 11 to 13 in collaboration with the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU).
Krishna Prasad of Sahaja Samruddha said in a release that the Kisan Swaraj Sammelans are celebratory in nature and will showcase farmer-empowering equitable, sustainable and viable alternatives in agriculture.
It is also an effort to reach out to the local citizens and involve them in the discussions and debates related to food and farming systems in the country, he added.
Mr. Krishna Prasad said Sahaja Samrudha, Janapada Seva Trust, ICAR-JSS KVK (Suttur), SOIL, Allama Research and Cultural Foundation, Desi Seed Producer Company Ltd and Belavala Foundation are part of the convention whose focus is ecological agriculture. Pioneers of ecological farming movement in India including Bharat Bhushan Tyagi and Sabarmatee and renowned agricultural scientists will also participate, he added.
The Sammelan will have a public lecture by agro-policy analyst Devinder Sharma on November 12 besides other plenaries with leading luminaries in the field of ecological farming and agricultural policies.
Santosh Koulagi of Janapada Seva Trust said the event is a citizens’ effort supportive of farmers, shift to sustainable agriculture, and hence it seeks the support of consumers in this transition of farmers to ecological agriculture.
The organisers said the earlier editions of the Kisan Swaraj Sammelans took place in Bhopal, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad and the Mysuru conference is expected to draw about 1,000 participants from nearly 20 States across the country.
The Seed Diversity Festival will also be organised as part of the Sammelan and is expected to have around 100 seed savers from 15 States, making it one of the biggest exhibitions of agro-diversity in India.
Similarly, the Roots & Tubers Festival will also display the rich wealth of India in terms of nutritious uncultivated foods and the exhibition will have stalls set up by farmers and non-profit organisations as well as government agencies.
As an added attraction, cuisine of several States will be part of the organic food festival on all three days of the Sammelan. An exhibition-cum-workshop on urban gardening will also be held.
The last date for registration to take part in the conference is October 15 and the organisers have appealed to educational institutions, farmers’ unions and civil society organisations to take part in it.
For detail contact: Krishna Prasad on 98808 62058.
