World Bank Whistleblower Karen Hudes Reveals How The Global Elite Rule The World

World Bank Whistleblower Karen Hudes Reveals How The Global Elite Rule The World
The Mind Unleashed on 21 March, 2014 at 06:25


(Michael Snyder) Karen Hudes is a graduate of Yale Law School and she worked in the legal department of the World Bank for more than 20 years. In fact, when she was fired for blowing the whistle on corruption inside the World Bank, she held the position of Senior Counsel. She was in a unique position to see exactly how the global elite rule the world, and the information that she is now revealing to the public is absolutely stunning. According to Hudes, the elite use a very tight core of financial institutions and mega-corporations to dominate the planet. The goal is control. They want all of us enslaved to debt, they want all of our governments enslaved to debt, and they want all of our politicians addicted to the huge financial contributions that they funnel into their campaigns. Since the elite also own all of the big media companies, the mainstream media never lets us in on the secret that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way that our system works.

Remember, this is not some “conspiracy theorist” that is saying these things. This is a Yale-educated attorney that worked inside the World Bank for more than two decades. The following summary of her credentials comes directly from her website…

Karen Hudes studied law at Yale Law School and economics at the University of Amsterdam. She worked in the US Export Import Bank of the US from 1980-1985 and in the Legal Department of the World Bank from 1986-2007. She established the Non Governmental Organization Committee of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association and the Committee on Multilateralism and the Accountability of International Organizations of the American Branch of the International Law Association.

Today, Hudes is trying very hard to expose the corrupt financial system that the global elite are using to control the wealth of the world. During an interview with the New American, she discussed how we are willingly allowing this group of elitists to totally dominate the resources of the planet…

A former insider at the World Bank, ex-Senior Counsel Karen Hudes, says the global financial system is dominated by a small group of corrupt, power-hungry figures centered around the privately owned U.S. Federal Reserve. The network has seized control of the media to cover up its crimes, too, she explained. In an interview with The New American, Hudes said that when she tried to blow the whistle on multiple problems at the World Bank, she was fired for her efforts. Now, along with a network of fellow whistleblowers, Hudes is determined to expose and end the corruption. And she is confident of success.

Citing an explosive 2011 Swiss study published in the PLOS ONE journal on the “network of global corporate control,” Hudes pointed out that a small group of entities — mostly financial institutions and especially central banks — exert a massive amount of influence over the international economy from behind the scenes. “What is really going on is that the world’s resources are being dominated by this group,” she explained, adding that the “corrupt power grabbers” have managed to dominate the media as well. “They’re being allowed to do it.”



Previously, I have written about the Swiss study that Hudes mentioned. It was conducted by a team of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. They studied the relationships between 37 million companies and investors worldwide, and what they discovered is that there is a “super-entity” of just 147 very tightly knit mega-corporations that controls 40 percent of the entire global economy…

When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a “super-entity” of 147 even more tightly knit companies – all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity – that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. “In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,” says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group.

But the global elite don’t just control these mega-corporations. According to Hudes, they also dominate the unelected, unaccountable organizations that control the finances of virtually every nation on the face of the planet. The World Bank, the IMF and central banks such as the Federal Reserve literally control the creation and the flow of money worldwide.

At the apex of this system is the Bank for International Settlements. It is the central bank of central banks, and posted below is a video where you can watch Hudes tell Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com the following…

“We don’t have to wait for anybody to fire the Fed or Bank for International Settlements . . . some states have already started to recognize silver and gold, the precious metals, as currency”


Most people have never even heard of the Bank for International Settlements, but it is an extremely important organization. In a previous article, I described how this “central bank of the world” is literally immune to the laws of all national governments…

An immensely powerful international organization that most people have never even heard of secretly controls the money supply of the entire globe. It is called the Bank for International Settlements, and it is the central bank of central banks. It is located in Basel, Switzerland, but it also has branches in Hong Kong and Mexico City. It is essentially an unelected, unaccountable central bank of the world that has complete immunity from taxation and from national laws. Even Wikipedia admits that “ it is not accountable to any single national government.“ The Bank for International Settlements was used to launder money for the Nazis during World War II, but these days the main purpose of the BIS is to guide and direct the centrally-planned global financial system. Today, 58 global central banks belong to the BIS, and it has far more power over how the U.S. economy (or any other economy for that matter) will perform over the course of the next year than any politician does. Every two months, the central bankers of the world gather in Basel for another “Global Economy Meeting”. During those meetings, decisions are made which affect every man, woman and child on the planet, and yet none of us have any say in what goes on. The Bank for International Settlements is an organization that was founded by the global elite and it operates for the benefit of the global elite, and it is intended to be one of the key cornerstones of the emerging one world economic system.

This system did not come into being by accident. In fact, the global elite have been developing this system for a very long time. In a previous article entitled “Who Runs The World? Solid Proof That A Core Group Of Wealthy Elitists Is Pulling The Strings“, I included a quote from Georgetown University history professor Carroll Quigley from a book that he authored all the way back in 1966 in which he discussed the big plans that the elite had for the Bank for International Settlements…


[T]he powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basle, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world’s central banks which were themselves private corporations.

And that is exactly what we have today.

We have a system of “neo-feudalism” in which all of us and our national governments are enslaved to debt. This system is governed by the central banks and by the Bank for International Settlements, and it systematically transfers the wealth of the world out of our hands and into the hands of the global elite.

But most people have no idea that any of this is happening because the global elite also control what we see, hear and think about. Today, there are just six giant media corporations that control more than 90 percent of the news and entertainment that you watch on your television in the United States.

This is the insidious system that Karen Hudes is seeking to expose. For much more, you can listen to Joyce Riley of the Power Hour interview her for an entire hour right here.

So what do you think about what Hudes is saying? Please feel free to share your thoughts by posting a comment below…

Credits: Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse, where this article was originally featured.

TRAJECTORY CORRECTION OF INDIAN GOVERNMENT ROCKET.

Let us wait some more time but when SUSHMA fell in the arms of MADAM from Bangladesh , I am a bit worried; ALL RIGHT , the  LINE OF CREDIT to Bangladesh is a way to get government contracts to Indian companies, but the essential thing is to negotiate and demand that on the Bangladesh side that they should engage themselves to stop all infiltration alleviating the work of Indian Army and other Indian Police departments that can not alone handle the 4000 kilometres of border. Let them work our as the FRENCH PRESIDENT did with his Algerian counterpart to establish a common strategy to stop immigrant flow from ALGERIA , The French PRESIDENT did not hesitate to be very direct what their objective was all about. Modi should not fall back on his laurels and let things go. We expect that MODI should deliver more and act on "priority subjects" with more vigour. We know he will do. But, it is also our duty to make him conscious of the more imminent dangers so that no stone remains unturned. People should also raise their  voice when dangers are imminent so that message to the PRIME MINISTER helps in manoeuvring the trajectory form deviating . That is what  makes our Democracy alive, participative and interactive.

India’s many languages are an advantage, not a roadblock

India’s many languages are an advantage, not a roadblock
Virat Divyakirti29 Jun 2014




Chronic under-investment in linguistic infrastructure, linguistic infighting, and sheer myopia have given us the result that we have: English educated elite with infrastructure (5 per cent), Indian language educated masses without infrastructure (70 per cent), and illiterates (25 per cent).

Recent talk of promoting the use of Hindi has stirred up much debate.

The question of language has come up several times in the history of modern India. The Hindi majority carries a sense of entitlement that Hindi should be made the national language of the country. However India is a linguistically rich country and non-Hindi speakers resist such moves to the extent of threatening to divide the country. English – the common outsider – finds acceptance. There are global, economic and historical factors that facilitate that acceptance.

It is surprising that the debate on such a multifaceted issue polarises into a Hindi versus English contest. Arguments in support of Hindi have primarily been rooted in nationalistic and cultural thought. Yet the accepted solution — English — does nothing to address the prime driver of opposition – regional identity. There are more tangible reasons which entail that neither English nor Hindi and nor even both together should be imposed upon India.

Lying with statistics

There is no dispute that India’s priority is economic growth. Therefore first and foremost the language question must be addressed within that criterion.

Manish Sabharwal, founder Team Lease, in an NDTV debate, represented the school of thought that believes that the idea of replacing English with Indian languages is ludicrous. He conveyed that English would be critical towards realising India’s demographic dividend.

There was some truth in his statement when he said that English opens a window to the world. However it is also true that the non-English world is far bigger. Sankrant Sanu (2007) in his seminal work, The English Class System, explodes the myth that English alone can open a window. English and Hindi (in Hindustani form) are spoken by half-a-billion people each. Half-a-billion people is a world unto itself.

His other argument was that English increases employability by 300 per cent. As per public sources Team Lease’s selection ratio is 3 per cent. When we look at the two numbers together, the insight we draw is that out of every 1000 applicants, they are only able to place a meagre 30, and of these 30, eight are placed even without English competence. By throwing up irrelevant statistics, the focus is taken away from the fundamental problem of low job generation. Is the answer then increasing English competence? Further proliferation of English competence would only mean that we will have English educated unemployed.

Infrastructural deficit

The relevant question is – why don’t we have enough jobs that could leverage the demographic dividend and pull India out of poverty trap? The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) developed at University of Oxford captures the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. Education has been allotted 33 per cent weight in the MPI. However the subcomponents of Education — ‘years of schooling’ and ‘school attendance’ fail to account for a person’s ability to apply the education towards economic activities.

In contemporary development economics, deficit of hard (such as water, transportation etc.) and soft (policy environment) infrastructure is recognised as a barrier to poverty eradication. When infrastructure is available, people are self-driven in their economic initiatives.

Whereas MPI acknowledges that education is a cause of people’s economic actions, it fails to take cognisance that actions such as obtaining knowledge, information processing, communication and transactions take place within a linguistic context. We posit that the options open to an educated person are limited by the linguistic infrastructure available in the language of the person’s education. The linguistic infrastructure comprises of factors such as access to latest knowledge, products, services and domain specific language community.

Talking about the digital divide is fashionable in development community but little attention is paid to the linguistic infrastructure that supports digital connectivity. However from the corporate world Google India’s Rajan Anandan does recognise that content availability in Indian languages would be the key driver of internet usage growth.

Chronic under-investment in linguistic infrastructure, linguistic infighting, and sheer myopia have given us the result that we have: English educated elite with infrastructure (5 per cent), Indian language educated masses without infrastructure (70 per cent), and illiterates (25 per cent). Given that the Governments did not have a major role in creating English infrastructure, the king actually walks naked after 65 years of weaving.

Before we decide to go down a road we must evaluate the cost and time needed for accomplishing the goal of English for everyone vis-à-vis building our own linguistic infrastructure. For the sake of analysis if we simplify and formulate the problem as: How will we disseminate one page of knowledge in English to a country of 1 billion that speaks 22 languages? Between teaching everyone English and translating the page into people’s languages, which option will be cost efficient? If the page of knowledge was actually a call for action, which option will get faster response? Answers to economic questions are not as complex as some economists would want us to believe and ICT is making multilingualism easier than ever before.

The quest continues

We have to create our jobs ourselves and we have to find the answers to issues we face ourselves. Appreciation of how others manage similar issues could help. Whereas we pride ourselves on our promise of linguistic diversity, the European Union with 24 official working languages is a live celebration of linguistic diversity. Even very small countries like Norway, Denmark, Slovakia, Hungary and many others with populations smaller than some of our cities have thriving linguistic infrastructure. We must ask why they continue to nurture these little known languages. If we are convinced then we must learn how.

Laissez-faireism does not work for public goods such as linguistic infrastructure. India’s answer to the linguistic issue would have a determining role in whether she rises to be a super power or remains a super promise that couldn’t be redeemed.


Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are the author's personal opinions. Information, facts or opinions shared by the Author do not reflect the views of Niti Central and Niti Central is not responsible or liable for the same. The Author is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.

organic farms around auroville ; living in harmony with nature is the aim of Annapurna

http://www.auroville.org/environment/agri_farms.htm

During the 70's the farm failed to break even and the land was largely abandoned for some years. It was used for experimental tree planting until the mid-eighties. Thomas (present steward) joined Annapurna in 1986, beginning with a small plot of land. Till 1994 he had the help of tree planter Bernard; Andre joined the farm in 1989 and Brooks in 1995. As of now they employ seventeen farm workers and about 25 casual labourers.

Annapurna is the largest Auroville farm, totalling 135 acres. The farm grows mostly dry land crops, such as rice, varagu, rosella, and barnyard millet (on approximately 35 - 40 acres). A total of 20-25 acres is under firewood crops and regeneration fodder. The soil type is mainly a heavy black cotton soil.

The farm has a combination of solar and diesel-powered pumps, for current and water. The stewards have created a series of water catchment ponds, from which they can irrigate more land without tapping into groundwater reserves. Annapurna is the only Auroville farm where field crops can be grown on a large scale. Besides growing food for Auroville, Annapurna is an active research centre for ecological farming, and maintains a collection of non-hybridized local seed stock. They keep eight cows, and a small poultry. At present, they can provide basic accommodation for three voluntary farm workers
See also:
Annapurna Times and
Farm accommodations


AuroAnnam

Since 1997, Lucas had been searching for a plot of land, in order to develop it into a demonstration site for growing organic cashew nuts. In October 1998, the Auroville Farm Group offered him the northern corner of Auro Orchard. The total area is fourteen acres, of which 4.5 were already under cashew. There are also about seventy coconut palms and some land that Auro Orchard had been using, but had become economically unsustainable.

Lucas and his team put an additional four acres under cashew, with the intention of growing peanuts and gram in between. There is a bore well with an electrical pump and booster pump. The flood irrigation for the coconuts (to be changed for micro-sprinklers) is supplemented by mulching and ground cover crops, to prevent evaporation of water. The area that is already under irrigation will be more intensively cultivated with various fruits and vegetables. In the open fields, fodder and field crops will be grown. There are a one bull, for cart and plough work, and three cows to decrease the outside purchase of organic manure.

The aim of Auro Annam is good health of the Auroville community, and their immediate neighbours, by providing a natural and profitable alternative to pesticide grown cashews in the bioregion, through research and experimentation.

Auroannam is quite unique among AVFG farms, in that its main income is a cash crop from monoculture. The longer-term, and much broader, aim of the farm is that Auroville becomes a viable eco-town that does not financially compromise on health. The eventual focus is therefore more on the broader AV community, and the immediate neighbourhood, although at this early stage in the farm's development, activities remain mostly at the farm level. So far, the farm has received financial support from two German NGOs. Lucas is also in contact with Indian NGOs that work in the field of sustainable agriculture, and maintains links between AV farmers practicing biodynamic farming. Auro Annam welcomes serious students, for whom guest accommodation can be arranged



See also:
Farm accommodations


Aurogreen

Aurogreen is one of the oldest Auroville farms. It lies in the Green Belt, on the northeast side of the city. Having started it in 1975, Charlie still manages the farm. It covers about 35 acres of which 13 acres are set up for irrigation. The irrigation capacity is currently limited due to the cost of Tamil Nadu State supplied electricity, for pumping, and the great depth of the water table.

Six and a half acres of mango and cashew orchard are grown under dry land conditions, although this orchard is currently in a sad condition, due to the lack of irrigation. Aurogreen has a dairy with seven cows and keeps 300 chickens, to provide Auroville with milk, cheese and eggs. The farm supplies mostly to Green Belt residents, in its immediate surrounding, and to Pour Tous (AV shop) and the Solar Kitchen.

Since the water table has gone down drastically over the years, so as to replace traditional flood irrigation, three solar panel pump sets have been installed, combined with drip and sprinkler systems. This has resulted in reducing the overall dependency on electricity and the all over water consumption on the farm. As a community, Aurogreen uses biogas for cooking. Charlies' current emphasis is on reducing costs and stabilising income. The farm is open to guests.


See also: Farm accommodations


Auro-Orchard



Auro Orchard consists of 45 acres of land, extending over the neighbouring community of Hope. One corner of its land has on it a small shrine to the god Ganesh. Gerard has run the farm from the beginning. It is on one of the first land plots, purchased for Auroville by Mother at around 1965. Larger development started in 1969 by bringing in electricity, which enables two extra bore-wells with submersible pumps.

The Auroville administration paid for the initial investment, but from the middle of 1969 onwards Auro-Orchard became a self-supporting unit. This experiment of self-sufficiency had the full support from the Mother, who gave guidance and instructions directly to Gerard. The farm was developed acre by acre, by reinvesting all farm profits over the next twelve years.

At present, about 25 acres are cultivated. Of these, about eight acres are under irrigation for growing coconuts, fruits, vegetables, fodder and peanuts. On the remaining 17 acres are grown cashew and mango. There is also a very small plot of regenerative forest.

The farm has a dairy of fifteen cows, heifers and calves, and keeps about 250 chickens. Recently three solar powered pumps have been installed, along with micro sprinklers, to reduce the cost of Tamil Nadu State electricity and cut down on overall irrigation costs.

Gerard sees farming at Auro Orchard as a way of manifesting oneself through the work. His overall aim for Auro Orchard is a balanced ecological farm, able to provide a good and reliable supply of food, while sustaining itself.

See also:
AvToday article, January '02


Ayarpadi Farm

After farming for three years in the community of Horizon, Murthy set up Ayarpadi Farm in January 2002. It is on four acres of land located along the road to Kottakarai, behind Bharat Nivas. He grows seasonal crops on another eight acres, which the International Zone will eventually take over again for its expansion.

The farm, with a house for Murthy & family, has a solar system with submergible pump, an irrigation system and a cowshed. The soil is a mixture of clay and sand, of medium quality. Murthy irrigates a total of three acres with drip irrigation, for growing cow-grass, vegetables and fruits. On the remaining acres he grows rice, peanuts and kumbu. Murthy uses organic pesticides (neem). The permanent staff is currently three men plus one amma.

The dairy has 30 cows, yielding a total of 85 litres of milk daily. The dairy is supplemented with thirty chickens. So far no bio-gas has been installed.
There will be the possibility of expanding the farm, along the road to Kottakarai. At this stage in its development, Murthy's objective of Ayarpadi Farm is as follows: “To ensure basic income and profit, through a substantial and consistent food supply to Auroville”. He is one of the busiest AVFG farmers and is extremely focussed on his work. On the whole he is happy with the progress on his farm, though he could use investment money to do more than he does now. Helping guests are welcome on the farm.



See also: Farm accommodations
Brihaspati

Brihaspati farm lies beyond the village of Edianchiavadi , to the west of Auroville on the edge of the Green Belt. The area occupied by the farm is a former cashew tope. Iyanar, the current steward, moved to Brihaspati in 2002, immediately after the departure of former residents who lacked farming experience. In the same year Auroville purchased land for a neighbouring horse farm called Red Earth Riding School .

The farm totals nineteen acres of which twelve are planted with cashew. The soil varies a great deal, from relatively fertile loams around a nearby lake, to gravel in gullies. It currently employs seven labourers, one of whom is Iyanar's assistant.

The farm recently got an electrical (backup) connection for a 5 HP submersible pump. The main crops currently grown on the farm are bananas, papaya, cucumber, vegetables, spinach, lady's fingers, gourds, lemon, and cashew. These are supplied to two AV shops and a restaurant. The farm has seven milking cows yielding around 30 litres a day. The milk is distributed to Aspiration community, New Creation Corner and the Visitors Centre. Iyanar admits that it is hard work and that it is financially not easy to start a farm. However, he feels that this is to be expected. He is confident that things will improve. Like Murthy, he wants to insure a substantial food supply to Auroville, maintaining a stable income and profit. Considering that the farm is a very new one, Iyanar has done quite well in his first year as an AVFG member. The acreage for vegetables has been increased, new crops are tried and the all over food production has increased considerably, leading to a relatively healthy economic status of the farm.


Budda garden



Buddha Garden was established in 2000 on a small plot of land that was then part of Siddhartha Farm. A vegetable garden was established with irrigated raised beds and dwelling places for Priya and her daughters were built. The main challenges in the beginning were to deal with the considerable number of pests that were there because the soil was very poor and the plants not therefore very strong. In the second year Auroville acquired land around the vegetable garden and Priya decided to expand into this with a number of integrated farm activities that supported each other. This led to the establishment of Buddha Garden as an independent farm separate from Siddhartha Farm.

Buddha Garden covers approximately twelve acres. Vegetables are grown on three different plots, two of which consist of brick raised beds and drip irrigation and two yards where sprinkler irrigation is used which is particularly good for leafy vegetables. There are three irrigated yards where bananas are grown and one yard of papaya trees. There are also a number of cashew trees as well as a wood lot and about 1.5 acres of forest on land too poor to grow anything else. There are 30 local chickens which are fed almost entirely from what is grown on the farm and which are used mainly for making compost. As a bonus they lay small numbers of organic eggs.

From the very beginning the work in Buddha Garden has been carried out by those living on the farm with the help of volunteers who come to experience the work of organic farming and what it means to live lightly on the land. At present there are four people living there permanently which include Priya, Vivek who is a newcomer and in the process of writing up his PhD thesis on how to maximise production using organic farming methods, Pierre, a newcomer who does Reiki as well as farming and Selvam who is an Aurovilian and organic farming student. We have five capsules and a dormitory as accommodation for the volunteers who come to help us for a minimum of two weeks and sometimes for several months at a time.

Education has always been an important part of our work in Buddha Garden and in the past we had a number of local young men who came for two years on an apprenticeship program. This year we have set up the Centre for Sustainable Farming which will be a centre for the increasing numbers of students that we have coming either to do an internship or to carry out research. It is also where the Lucksted Data Base of the Farm Group will eventually be housed. Every Monday we have an Introductory Course where people can come and learn about our methods of organic farming and look around the farm. We also have courses which we run both for the general public and for organisations. Vivek is also available for consultancy work.

Our vision for the future is that we continue to produce healthy food for the community of Auroville in a way that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. At the same time we would like Buddha Garden to be a place where people come to share knowledge and experience and to be a source of inspiration both practically and spiritually.



Contact :

www.buddhagarden.org

priya@auroville.org.in

mob. 9443222653 (mornings only)




Discipline Farm

Since the beginning of 1994, Jeff ( Australia ) has been running Discipline Farm, on a plot whose soil had been improved since 1986. Discipline Farm is located near the village of Alankuppam , on the northern edge of the Greenbelt .

Of the sixteen acres of land, close to two acres are drip-irrigated and grown with fruits (coconut, banana, guava, papaya, passion fruit, chikoos and citrus). Five and a half acres are used for dry land crops, mainly mangos. There are further extensive vegetable gardens, watered by micro-sprinklers, and cow fodder that is watered by large sprinklers. The remainder of the land is forested.

A dairy with four milking cows supplies manure used for the composting.

The farm annually grows red rice as a monsoon crop, sesame or black gram. The number of fruit varieties is gradually being increased. With what funds available, the infrastructure of water tanks and pumping systems is bit by bit being improved. The community uses a biogas converter for cooking.

The objective of Discipline, as determined by Jeff, is as follows: “For Discipline, the primary objectives are a consistent food supply, generating a basic income”.

See also: Farm accommodations


Djaima farm

Djaima Farm is a part of the Djaima community, along the road between Kuilapalayam and Bommaipalayam villages. Kumar is in charge of the ten acre farm, which has good topsoil and produces fruits and seasonal vegetables. They have a solar powered pump set on their bore well, with an electric generator as a backup. There is a small dairy and a poultry of 200 birds. The project is not self-supporting at this time and Kumar would like to extend the operation by incorporating more of the currently unused land.

Kumar proposes for Djaima farm: “Food processing and improving the collective food supply. My secondary objectives, closely related to this, include basic income and profit as well as research and experimentation at the collective level”. The research and experimentation would be done on improving the coordination between the farmers and the processors




Kottakarai farm

Amudha and Sundaram manage a long-time agricultural area of Auroville, Kottakarai Farm. The soil is very good, with two acres of irrigated land, two acres suitable for dry land farming, three acres of orchard and some forest. They grow vegetables and rice, traditional millets, pulses and some oilseeds. The farm produce go to a lunch scheme at Isaiambalam School . The setup is supplemented with a bakery and provisions shop, and a food processing and research centre. With so many related outlets and processors in the immediate area, the farm is very much appreciated.

Amudha describes her aims as follows: “Ensuring a basic income through a reliable supply of food, while seeking ways of reducing the risk of crop failure. Through these means, production may be modestly expanded without compromising the farmer's health and well-being”.

See also: Farm accommodations
Service Farm

Service Farm, one of Mother's original land acquisitions, is located behind Morratandi village, on twelve acres of sandy red soil. In 1990, Mechtild took over the management of Service Farm. Since then she has been investing in the farm from private funds and with the help of AVI Germany.

Mechtild manages the farm with an all-women team of village workers. A wide selection of fruit trees are grown, though parts of the orchards were planted only in recent years and are not yet bearing fruit.

The farm has a bore-well with one conventional electric and one solar submersible pump. These pumps supply water into three tanks. From there a solar booster pump system irrigates six acres of trees by drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers. The farm supplies its fruits mostly to Pour Tous (AV shop), the Solar Kitchen and to the AV food processing units.

Mechtild: "I want to grow consciously, as far as possible in harmony with nature and the environment, to produce organic food for Auroville. Priority is the aspect of growing in consciousness. Consequently the quality and quantity will improve for the benefit of the farm, the farmer and the consumer."



See also: Farm accommodations
Siddhartha farm



Siddhartha Farm is located in the traditional rice-growing region surrounding the Irumbai water tank. It started in the mid 90s and is located roughly 1,5 km from Matrimandir. Herbert, one of the founders, is the steward and his aim is to convert the open fields into an integrated farm project, connected to bio dynamic farming. He envisions the farm to become a large-scale community supported project, growing a maximum of rice and grains for Auroville. There is still an option for growth of the farm. Land in the surrounding is available.
At present, the farm mainly produces rice, sugar cane and black gram, crops which are rotated with green gram, peanut, sesame, millet, dhal and cashew. There are cows (milk, Yoghurt) as well as geese, chicken, dogs and cats living on the farm.



Solar panels and drip irrigation are used on some of the crops and on some fields we use flood irrigation from the nearby lake as well as sprinkler irrigation.
Flood irrigation is extremely helpful specially for rice production where about 90% of the water is coming directly from the lake. Because of this, the farm can even have 2 rice harvests a year. The farm uses biogas for domestic cooking. A large proportion of the farm income comes from processing food, for sale in Auroville. Herbert wants: “To ensure a good, stable food supply to Auroville.
This will be achieved by managing the physical environment effectively and ensuring financial sustainability.
In the wider context, it is also necessary to put in place better systems for collective food supply and distribution”.



See also: Farm accommodations (.pdf)
Solitude farm

Located near the Visitor Center , behind the Tibetan pavilion, Solitude was started in January 1996 by a group of young Aurovillians with the vision of creating a self-sustainable farming-community. Krishna, one of the pioneers, has developed the farm with the ideas of Masanobu Fukuoka (one straw revolution) and permaculture techniques.



The farm is a 6 acres plot and grows indigenous millets and rice, oil seeds, grams and pulses, a wide diversity of vegetables and 16 varieties of fruit trees. They aim of creating a dynamic integrated lifestyle, leaving space for music and arts with farming as the foundation of the community.





The farm also runs an organic restaurant, called CHANDNI' S and serves lunches and dinners with food grown on the farm and from other Auroville farms. The produce from the farm also goes to Auroville shops and the solar kitchen.

There are 6 people living at Solitude with a healthy floating population of volunteers who are welcome to dive into the life on the community.



The farm is self sustainable financially due to the restaurant and contributions from volunteers, but they seek donations for infrastructure development.

The farm has just submitted a project to get funds for the construction of an educational centre, to develop courses on experiential sustainability, a new dormitory and a food processing unit/kitchen/restaurant.



Contact :

Email Krishnamckenzie@auroville.org.in

Landline: 04132622268

Mobile : 9843319260

Facebook: solitude farm auroville


LIVELY UP YOUR EARTH !! Eco-Music FESTIVAL 2014

A society that does not know where it's food comes from is a society without culture and Humanity without culture will perish. The activities of Solitude Farm all aim at bringing people closer to the food they eat and thus rediscovering their relationship with nature. With our world so disconnected from Mother Earth this festival brings people together over a celebration of community, art, music, ecology, all foundation stones of a healthy society


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Emergence is an Indian rock band well established on the Indian music scene. Alongside the music, they promote sustainable lifestyle and permaculture. The band was born out of Solitude farm and has performed internationally in various festivals.
For free downloads and videos:

http://www.emergencetheband.com






See also: Farm accommodations
Windarra Farm







Windarra started as a farm community 1998 on 22 acres land between the villages Kottakarai and Allankuppam with 2 Australians, Friederike, a German, with her children and an Indian woman.
The vision was to establish a mixed farm with cows chicken, fruit orchards, rain fed field crop, vegetable and forest and share the work.
Soon after, 3 members left Auroville and Friederike was in charge of the farm for 12 years.


In January 2011, Joan, Sandyra and Jorge came to Windarra and started a holistic farm project.



TerraSoul community was born.
The community carries the aspiration and realization of the whole project.


We are a learning community, our holistic approach embraces farming, arts, education and healing.
Everybody is involved in farm related work, and at the same time all have the chance to develop individual talents through workshops and projects.
We enjoy common living, common working, common facilities and common activities.

Our vision is to live a holistic natural life, to respect and enjoy mother earth and all living beings, to celebrate human unity and to express ourselves in fullness.






Organic farming is our foundation with the goal to provide food for Auroville.
Our approach is to combine traditional farming in its most natural form with permaculture and biodynamics.

We cultivate a variety of vegetables originated in the region, grains like red rice and varagu as well as peanuts, tennai and sesame.
In our organic orchard grow among others: guava, mango, banana, papaya, coconut, rosella, citrus, chiku.
Papaya and salad are our bestsellers, followed by rucola, spring onions, rosella, bananas, cherry tomatoes, bottle gourds, long beans, basil, cucumber, ladies fingers, eggplants and eggs, chemical-free from our free-range chickens.
The water is pumped by a windmill, a solar pump as well as an electrical pump.

One of our aims is to be independent from outside labor and manage our daily work together with the volunteers.
As essential part of TerraSoul community, volunteers provide help in the farm, fresh ideas and a cultural exchange. The sharing of knowledge and mutual inspiration enrich our life.
Hence our volunteers are fully integrated in all aspects of community life and activities.



Please visit our website www.terrasoul.org

Vishalakshi Padmanabhan on respecting food and the farmer

People Like Us: Vishalakshi Padmanabhan on respecting food and the farmer

The only thing we need to do is talk to kids and get them to think sustainable, says Vishalakshi Padmanabhan, sustainable urban farmer.


Clad in a simple cotton outfit I see Vishala aka Vishalakshi Padmanabhan carrying farm fresh produce to and fro into her little organic store in Malleswaram, Buffalo Back. She is all eager to talk at length about her passion in life: conscious living and celebrating everything that is fresh, clean and wholesome.

Leaving the corporate world behind, Vishala took to sustainable farming practises 10 years ago, an effort that has blossomed into a full-fledged organic store and more. So what made this third generation Bangalorean choose the path of sustainability? And what is inspiring her to continue on this journey undaunted? Here is her take on sustainable living, a matter that is close to her heart.


Sustainability to me: “A respect for farming and food”

“I was not aware of taking up the cause of sustainability. I just started looking for answers with respect to farming and food, and sustainability just happened.”

A once lush green productive land turning dry and unable to sustain itself made Vishala and her husband Kishore pause and search for answers. Vishala says, “when I started farming on my aunt’s land I realized that there was something wrong in the farming practises that depleted the water resources and made the land barren. That’s when I started researching more; I met farmers, read books on organic farming, researched online and tried to understand sustainable farming techniques. Books by Subhash Palekar and his movement related to natural farming also inspired me.”
Connecting to a better and healthier lifestyle

Another thing that caught her attention was the rise of health issues among co-workers and friends in the corporate world. Even with basic fitness and dietician recommended nutrition programs in place, women at the workplace faced a lot of problems. “Following the diet charts, going to health gyms was not the answer then; I needed to look at the core of food production practices at its grass root levels and understand the agricultural supply chain process right from growing, processing, transporting and marketing of produce,” she explains.


Making the switch

Sustainable living is a consciously adopted lifestyle, says Padmanabhan, and not just for the sake of livelihood or marketing her agricultural collective. The process has been a radical change yet a gradual one with her and her family slowly bringing in the changes.

Her house in Jayanagar that took nearly three years to complete is a recycled, energy efficient sustainable home. She and her husband has given a lot of thought and have used very less cement and water in the construction of their home, retaining and reusing materials from their old house. “I have used old demolished stuff from flea markets and junk shops, opted to go without paint and have used clay bricks for my home and and tried to leave less of a carbon print,” she says.

Water is completely recycled; rain water harvesting system is in place, the grey water from washing utensils and clothes is filtered and stored for reuse of toilets and gardens. “With plenty of skylight in my home, I don’t need any artificial light in the morning and at night our lighting is solar,” says this green champion. She has a kitchen and a terrace garden and composts her waste bringing down her contributions towards landfills and garbage dumps.
And sticking to it!

“I use earthen ware for cooking and try to lead a chemical-free lifestyle by opting to use natural and safer alternatives for cooking and cleaning. Lemon rind, pulp of tamarind, filtered coffee and tea powder, soap nut; these have become my cleaning agents at my home.”

“I plan each day meticulously. I try to use the public transport whenever I can, use the bike when I need to carry minimum 5-30 kg weight supplies and the car only when it crosses over 30 kgs,” she adds further.

Apart from creating sustainable solutions for the farming community who are involved in Vishala and Kishore’s organization , Vishala has also been engaged in workshops, health meets, awareness training programs in schools, colleges and other gatherings, on organic foods, sustainable farming techniques etc. for the locality.


Talk to kids!

“Making kids adopt healthier eating practices is a bit of a challenge,” says Padmanabhan and adds, “Kids get influenced by peers and this affects their buying choices.” Rather than being didactic, she tries to make them see the outcomes by posing questions to them like, “what will happen to it when you don’t want it any more? Or where is it going to go next?”

Another myth attached with organic is that it is a fad, pursued only by the elite and it is quite expensive. Here Vishala says that it is a challenge to convince people to consider the whole picture and to look at the finer aspects of food. “When you eat wholesome, chemical free, nutrient dense food you feel full. A bowl of fibre rich millet will make you feel content and will stop you from feeling hungry for at least 4-5 hours. So your consumption goes down and so does your spending spree on consumables,” she explains.

One obstacle that she is yet to surmount is the packaging of organic food supplies at her shop. She still uses plastic crates for transporting supplies and uses plastic for food packaging as well. She is looking in to more feasible alternatives here.


Staying motivated: “The idea that I am investing in the next generation keeps me going”

When she sees kids suffering from problems like lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity, etc. she feels that we have brought kids in to a toxic world of our own making. “Luckily many of these food sensitivities, allergies, etc. can be avoided by adhering to a lifestyle that encourages real nourished foods,” adds the ever optimistic Vishala.
Vishala Padmanabhan’s easy peasy guide to earth-friendly living

“Grow your own vegetables. This is a small yet significant step in to sustaining your personal well-being,” says the realistic Vishala. “Look at going organic seriously. Think of your kids and lay the grounds of a promising future for them by investing in their health and adopting sustainable practises,” adds Vishala.

Water conservation is an issue that is close to her heart as she has faced the crisis of ground water shortage at her farm and seen its effects. So she entreats people to consider water recycling at their home.

“Look at organic alternatives in clothes too,” says Vishala. You can support organic farmers directly this way without paying for costs such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers or the waste dispose incurred that happens when you choose hybridized varieties.



On a final note she adds, “our culture predominantly used the least processed food. But globalization and the availability of processed food that looks and tastes good has replaced our healthy food behaviours of the past.” She urges people to look at things in broader context, question things and avoid short term trade-offs that are unwise.

Pictures courtesy – Buffalo Back on Facebook

This June, The Alternative brings to you sprigs of hope - People Like Us - a series on everyday folks who do a darned awesome job of living sustainably in their everyday lives and inspire us to take practical steps towards a better future, one day at a time.

Usha Hariprasad is an Editorial Intern with The Alternative. The Alternative editorial internship is a chance for students and working professionals across the globe to work with the magazine’s editors in creating real-time content, photo and video stories and more while exploring the fascinating world of sustainability and social impact as it unfurls around us. Write to editor@thealternative.in if you are interested in exploring an internship.

The unfortunate fact is that labelling creates as much confusion as it seeks to distinguish products. CAN GOVERNMENT CAN REDUCE THE NUMBER OF LABELS. BY CREATING A SPECIAL SERVICE TO SORT OUT DUBIOUS LABEL COMPANIES.

Do you recognize these eco-labels?

Here are the various eco-label certifications that exist today for the different products that we own. How many do you recognize?

Usha Hariprasad Jun 28, 2014


Well informed consumers make better choices. And this is what eco-labelling promotes. Well, at least that is what it is supposed to do. But can you guess how many labels we have to certify products in this country? In excess of 100! Here are the various certifications that exist today for the different products that we own. How many do you recognize?

Energy Efficiency label:

This label issued by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is a means of identifying energy efficient products in India. The label indicates the energy consumption of the appliance with a star rating from one to five. More number of stars indicates the product as energy efficient. Equipments and appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners, television, geysers etc carry this seal.
GoodWeave:

This eco label is meant to discourage the use of child labour in the carpet industry. The GoodWeave International, a non profit organization issues the label if the rug manufacturers adhere to the GoodWeave standards, do not use child labour and voluntarily join as licensees. Currently based in New Delhi and Varanasi, it also works towards creating education and other opportunities to children of workers.
India Organic – National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP):

Issued by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in India, India Organic logo certifies organic agriculture and products that are as per the National Standards for Organic Products. The APEDA implements these standards through a national accreditation policy and program called NPOP. The NPOP along with certification of organic products also encourages the development of organic farming and organic processing in India.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS):

This eco label is given for textiles meeting the organic status. All the stages in textile processing like processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution is considered by GOTS and certification is given if the textile is made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibres. The aim is to combine the existing and draft standards in eco textiles and provide a single certification accepted in all major markets. The GOTS International group comprises of four reputed organizations from USA,Germany,UK and Japan.
Ecocert:

It is a certification for organic agricultural products. Managed by Ecocert group, an inspection and certification group in France, it is an initiative by agronomists to promote and recognize eco friendly agricultural practises. Food and food products, natural detergents, perfumes, textiles etc are certified by this group. The group is one of the largest organic certifications in the world conducting inspections in around 80 countries. Ecocert India has promoted the India Organic logo in the international markets and given recognition to organic produce from India.

Better Cotton Initiative (BCI):

This label indicates that the cotton is cultivated through better management practises with less environmental impact. The BCI a voluntary organization founded by Adidas, Gap Inc., H&M, ICCO, IFAP, IFC, IKEA, Organic Exchange, Oxfam, PAN UK, and WWF, issues the ecolabel. The organization also addresses the issue of making cotton sustainable by trying to improve production methods, working conditions and the use of fewer pesticides in cultivation of cotton.
Ecotel:

This environmental certification is given to eco sensitive hotels that are committed to environment, water and energy resources, and work towards community involvement. Green and sustainable hotels are given this rating by HVS and these are valid for a period of two years. Five areas are targeted for the certification- environmental commitment, waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation and environmental awareness of employee and community involvement.
FairTrade:

The Fairtrade mark is given to organizations that indulge in fair trade principles. It tells the consumers whether the product is fairly traded or not. Fairtrade standards address the imbalance of power in trading relationships, market failures and try to secure a better deal for small producers and agricultural workers. The Fairtrade Indian office is based in Delhi.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification:

Promoting responsible forest management is the idea behind this certification. The voluntary certification informs the end user that the product that he is buying has come from well managed forests that protects biodiversity, workers rights and follows the best social and environmental products; In India FSC is based in New Delhi.
Ecomark:

Bureau of Indian standards gives this seal to all consumer products that are eco friendly. The audit takes in to account the complete life cycle of the product right from procuring of raw materials to manufacturing, usage and disposal. The scheme was introduced in India in 1991 but has not been very effective in India considering that not many companies have obtained this label.
Green Globe Certification:

Travel and Tourism industries that indulge in responsible and sustainable tourism are given this certificate. Certified auditors audit these businesses for operational costs, water and energy usages, contribution to local communities and environment, guest experiences etc. Tourist places like Club Mahindra, Munnar, Hotel United 21 etc have the Green Globe label.
UPS Carbon Neutral:

This label is applicable for shipments. It indicates that the green house gas emissions produced during transportation of the shipment has been offset and the package has been made carbon neutral. India is a part of the carbon neutral shipping programme and UPS customers’ part of this programme pay a fee to UPS to calculate their carbon impact and offset it too on their behalf.

Here are some other Eco labels used in India for various products.
BAP

Are the fried fish or the tuna streaks that you consume sustainably sourced and safe? Best Aqua cultural Practises (BAP) checks this out for you by addressing the animal welfare, food safety, traceability and environmental practises involved in the aquaculture facilities.
Better Environmental Sustainability Targets (BEST) Standard:

Occupational Knowledge International (OK International), a non profit organization works towards reducing Lead emissions and eco friendly recycling of used batteries. It manages the Better Environmental Sustainability Targets (BEST) certification that recognizes the lead battery manufacturers that meet minimum emission standards and also recycle the used lead batteries.
Bio Suisse

This label guarantees that the product is fully organic and is produced in Switzerland. Bio Suisse, a private body is the federation of Swiss organic farmers and has more than 30 organic farms and about 6300 farms involved in organic production.
Bonsucro:

Bonsucro certification is a measure of sustainable sugar cane production and its derivatives. The certification is the first global metric standard for sugarcane relying on specific indicators to measure the environmental and social impact of the sugarcane production, it’s processing and milling.
Carbon Neutral Certification:

Versus Carbon Neutral is the organization responsible for this certification. The organization certifies business operations as Carbon Neutral by auditing their annual carbon foot print, suggest ways to offset their footprint and certify the business as Carbon Neutral if they are able to offset their entire carbon footprint.
NATRUE Label:

The International Natural and Organic Association issue this label for cosmetic products which use natural organic ingredients and indulge in environmental friendly practises.
EarthCheck:

Sustainable and tourism operators who minimize their social and environmental foot print and promote sustainable initiatives are given the EarthCheck environmental certification.
EPEAT:

EPEAT which stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool is a rating system for greener electronics. Products like Computers, TV, printers, scanners, fax machines etc are rated under this. Things like recycle, disposal, product design, energy efficiency, packaging etc are assessed and given a rating of gold, silver or bronze depending upon the number of environmental criteria they have met.
GEO Certified:

It is an eco label for golf development and clubs that are sustainable and are continuously involved in environmental quality, people and communities. GEO Certification is managed by the Golf Environment Organization, a non profit organization working towards sustainability in the sport of golf.
WQA Gold Seal:

How will you know if your filter is a quality water treatment product? The Water Quality Association Gold Seal program offers this certification on all products and chemicals that use drinking water like plumbing components, filters, water softeners, reverse osmosis system etc.

Apart from these, there are also ISO 14000 certifications awarded to organizations that follow environmental laws and regulations, and control their environmental impact.

The unfortunate fact is that labelling creates as much confusion as it seeks to distinguish products. Given the vast array of labels that are prevalent, it is all too easy for dubious brands to proliferate greenwashing practices creating distrust in the mind of customers and reducing the credibility of the industry itself. Triple Pundit, a sustainability online magazine, says that fewer eco-labels is what will help the sustainable product industry flourish:


With any industry, in the early days there tends to be a proliferation of companies vying for dominance, while over time, competition and merger activity narrows the field to just a few that become household name brands. Perhaps with eco-labeling, this is what is happening now. If consumers can reliably begin to attach credible association with fewer well known and well understood labels, greenwashing companies will cease to have a place to hide out – and industries in the business of sustainable products and services will be the better off for it.

Do you look for an eco-label while buying a product? Tell us by leaving a comment here.