Cotton For My Shroud: The documentary reveals the effect of Genetical Modified (GM) crops in India and how it has changed the landscape of Agriculture in India. The documentary highlights 5 years of footage in crisis hit Vidarbha region of India. User discretion is advised because of graphic contents.
Cotton For My Shroud received 2012 National Film Awards of India for best documentary script. National Film Awards honors exceptional movies and documentaries in India, most of them not affiliated with Bollywood film industry.The 2011 census of India confirmed the figure of more than 200,000 farmer suicides in India related to faulty policies of the administration and other social issues.
Association for India’s Development (AID) along with it’s partner have been working over a decade on sustainable agriculture. AID is also part of the alliance ASHA, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture. AID participated in anti Bt Brinjal campaign, a move by GM companies to push GM Brinjal into India.
Since 70% of India’s population is directly related to agriculture, distress in this area has given rise to many other problems across India including slums, poverty, sex trafficking, etc.
This documentary is presented by Association for India’s Development and Real Food Hopkins.
There would be a discussion session followed by the screening.
The documentary is 75 minutes long.
Reference : https://www.facebook.com/nishikant
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The terrible story of farmer suicide in the Bt Cotton belt in Maharashtra.
“I Want My Father Back” – examines the crisis small farmers in India face as a result of globalization and government apathy. For the past ten years farmers have been committing suicide in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, as in many other parts of India. The main act of this tragedy started in mid 60’s with the introduction of the Green Revolution. Earlier, farmers saved their own seeds and practiced organic farming. The money they invested on their farms was very little. But with Green Revolution farmers were asked to buy seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, forcing them to borrow, mostly from private money lenders at exorbitant interest rates. With every farming season their debt increased and over the course of years it led to a loan trap. The second phase of this tragic situation can be directly attributed to ‘globalization’. Under the WTO (World Trade Organization) regime, which favors wealthy industrialized countries, the Indian government has eliminated or reduced its support to farmers, while Indian agriculture is invaded by multinationals. The introduction of BT cotton has created havoc in Vidarbha. The cost of these seeds is exorbitant and, contrary to the claims of the seller (Monsanto), the yields have fallen and the level of pesticide use has not dropped. The film raises these issues through interviews with ordinary farmers and activists and traces the lives of some of the farm families affected by suicides within the family.
I WANT MY FATHER BACK PART 1
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I WANT MY FATHER BACK PART 2
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BT Cotton is killing sheep in north India
Uploaded on 25 Feb 2011
This shepherd lost his sheep due to grazing in BT Cotton farms last year.
This shepherd was interviewed in Village Balak, District Hisar, Haryana State, India. He tells about increased rates premature delivery in animals and deaths of offspring since BT cotton came in his area.
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