Radical Ecological Democracy - Solidarity...
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Radical Ecological Democracy Towards a Solidarity Society Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh
Transcript of Radical Ecological Democracy - Solidarity...
Radical Ecological DemocracyTowards a Solidarity Society
Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh
India’s Impressive Growth• One of world’s biggest economies, high growth
rates, amongst world’s richest persons, 800 million mobile phones, 150 million middle class …
… violence against nature, cultures, communities, and individuals!
‘Development’ = economic growth at all costs
Impacts: growing inequities, deprivation 1% richest own 50% wealth!!!!50-70% people still poor (600-800 million)
Structural roots of unsustainability & inequity
Centralisation / concentration of powerCapitalism State-dominated regimes Patriarchy Caste
Towards transformational alternatives
Resistance …
… is part of the alternative
India: alternative initiatives for well-being
Water
CraftsShelter
Food
Energy
Governance
LivelihoodsConservation
Village revitalisation
Urban sustainability
Learning
Health
Producer companies
Recipe for transformational alternatives: Key ingredientsEcologyPoliticsEconomicsSocial justiceCulture
Towards tribal self-rule: Mendha-Lekha (Maharashtra)
Informed decisions through monitoring, and regular study circles (abhyas gat)
All decisions in gram sabha (village assembly); no activity even by government officials without sabha consent
Conservation of 1800 ha forests, now with full rights under Forest Rights Act
Vivek Gour-Broome
Earnings from sustainable NTPF use (over Rs. 1 crore in 2011-12), and use of govt schemes towards:
• Full employment
• Biogas for 80% households
• Computer training centre
• Training as barefoot engineers
2013: all agricultural land donated to village, collective ownership
Towards participatory cities
Bhuj (Kachchh, west India):
decentralised control by the poor: water, housing, sanitation information-based empowerment for participation in city planning
(Hunnarshala, Sahjeevan, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, ACT, Setu)
: Secure livelihoods through
producer companies / cooperatives (Khamir/Kasab textile coop, Kachchh; Dharani
farmers’ coop, Andhra Pradesh)
Maati Collective, UttarakhandWomen’s empowerment through ecosensitive livelihoods
(crafts, agr. products, ecotourism)
Village reconstruction: outmigration is not inevitable
Ralegan Siddhi and Hivare Bazaar (Maharashtra), Kuthambakkam (TN),
Kudumbashree (Kerala), Jharcraft (Jharkhand)
Changing urban mindsets on consumptionRooftop / backyard farming (>10,000
families in Bengaluru)
Organic, traditional food markets /fairs
Producer-consumer cooperatives
Not-for-profit shops (e.g. reStore, Chennai)
● Reviving traditional seed diversity● Creating community grain banks ● Empowering women/dalit farmers, securing land rights● Creating consumer-producer links (Zaheerabad org. food restaurant) ● Linking to Public Distribution System
Deccan Development Society conservation, equity, & livelihoods through sustainable agriculture
Dignified livelihoods for urban poor
Kagaj Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat
&
Swach
(Pune)
Alternative education: learning for life!(Gandhi’s formula: heads, hands, heart … & soul/spirit) Adharshila, MP Jeevanshala, NarmadaSECMOL, Ladakh Imli-Mahua, ChhattisgarhMarudam, Tamil Nadu Adivasi Academy, GujSwaraj University, Rajasthan Beeja Vidyapeeth, UttarakhandBhoomi College, Karnataka
Knowledge commons & democracy Technological innovations: pro-poor, pro-environmentmalkha cotton weaving, Andhra Pradesh Hunnarshala housing, Kachchh
Energy: decentralised, renewable, efficient (Ladakh solar; Bihar solar/husk; SELCO Karnataka)
Eco-swaraj: Radical ecological democracy (RED)
(Radical = going to the roots, challenging the conventional)
• achieving human well-being, through: ● empowering all citizens & communities to participate in
decision-making● ensuring socio-economic equity & justice ● respecting the limits of the earth
Community (at various levels) as basic unit of organisation, not state or private corporation
The dish that’s brewing…
• Diversity and pluralism (of ideas, knowledge, ecologies, economies, polities, cultures…)
• Self-reliance for basics (swavalamban)• Self-governance (swashasan)• Cooperation, collectivity, and ‘commons’ • Rights with responsibilities/duties• Dignity of labour (shram)• Respect for subsistence • Qualitative pursuit of happiness• Equity / equality (gender, caste, class, ethnic … sarvodaya)• Simplicity, enoughness (aparigraha)• Respect for all life forms • Creativity, innovation
Hey, don’t forget the spices!
Values & principles….
Alternatives from elsewhere in the world…
• Indigenous peoples’ territorial struggles and notions of well-being
– buen vivir: sumak kawsay (Andes), suma qamana (Bolivia), kume mongen (Chile)– ubuntu (S. Africa), umuntu (Uganda), ukama (Zimbabwe), eti uwem (W. Africa)
• Direct democracy/political autonomy: Zapatista self-governed region, Kurdish Rojava autonomous region, Venezuela’s consejos comunales
• Economic democracy: Factory take-over and democratic running by workers, Argentina, Greece, Turkey
• Europe’s degrowth & solidarity movements
Towards a sustainable and equitable society … 5 pillars
Ecological resilience and wisdom Conservation of nature, sustainable use of resources
Social well-being & justiceEquality between men/women, classes, castes, etc
Direct & delegated democracyDecision-making by citizens, accountable representative institutions
Economic democracyMeans of production in hands of producers, localised self-sufficiency, economy of caring/sharing
Cultural and knowledge diversityKnowledge as public resource, respecting cultural/ethnic diversity
Vikalp Sangams (Alternatives Confluences): practical collaborations, bottom-up visioning
Vikalp Sangams (regional / thematic)Timbaktu, Andhra Pradesh, Oct 2014Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Feb 2015Ladakh, J&K, July 2015Wardha, Maharashtra, October 2015
Energy, Bodh Gaya, March 2016
Upcoming: HP, Kachchh, Kerala; Food, Youth, Learning/education
www.alternativesindia.orgwww.vikalpsangam.org
