>You may look at the following link for an overview of growth and
>sustainability in Indian agriculture, 1947-1997. Swaminathan, a
>leading Indian geneticist is secular and leftwing.
>
>Ulhas
>
>Frontline
>August 9-22, 1997
>Growth and Sustainability
>by M.S. Swaminathan
>http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1416/14160460.htm
In which this graf appears:
>It is equally clear that we would not have been in a position to
>take an independent stand on important foreign policy issues, such
>as the decision not to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
>(CTBT), if we had to depend on industrialised countries for our food
>needs. I am mentioning this because there are environmental and
>social scientists who criticise India's recent progress in achieving
>food self-sufficiency based on yield-enhancing techniques on grounds
>of ecology and equity. Ecological problems must be addressed through
>education, through technologies, such as integrated nutrient supply
>and integrated pest management, and through regulations relating to
>land and water use. Equity issues will have to be addressed through
>appropriate public policy measures. However, it will be suicidal
>just to recommend going back to old methods of cultivation, ignoring
>the fact that recurrent famine was the dominant feature of the farm
>scenario in the past. Our environmental movement should not only
>oppose unsustainable development but should propose sustainable
>options.
The unnamed critics of "yield-enhancing techniques" would seem to include Cockburn's guide and the likes of Vandana Shiva. But is there any popular support for that reactionary kind of approach?
Doug