Why is the South in such bad shape? If this questlon could be answered, we could open the door to peace and prosperity for all. One man who believes he has the answer is Darshan Shankar, a Board member of the Academy of Development Science in India. He believes that the world's problems are rooted in the nature of Western science.

'It looks at everythlng in a fragmentary way. Things are studied in isolation, there is no holistic connecting link,' he says. This fragmented approach to nature results in problems such as global warming and pollution because we are unable to see the consequences of our actions in an interlinked world. Similarly, their economic viewpoint is circumscribed by the limits of group interests.

The solution, then, is to switch to a development path based on a philiosophy that looks at creation as one organic whole in which the health of every component is important to the rest. To this end, the Academy of Development Science (ADS) and some other Indian NGOs are working on scientific projects rooted in ancient Indian wisdom. Based on a 30-acre campus about 120 km from Bombay, the ADS has a permanent staff of 30 people. It trains an average of 300 people annually.

It is involved in various projects to do with the application of science and technology to rural development. One of the most important ones is ricebreeding using indigenous seeds to produce high-yielding varieties suitable for various ecological zones. The new varieties are different from those produced at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Phlilpplnes. The IRRI strains combine seeds from zones that are too far apart, and as a result the plants grown from them are vulnerable and need high doses of, fertiliser and pesticides. In contrast, the Indian varieties are cross-bred taking into account the conditions in specific localities.

The ADS uses a cloning technique which speeds up the multiplication of rice seeds and ensures that the genetic strength of all of the seeds is uniform. The technique was developed by Dr R. H. Richharia, a former government employee whose views brought him into conflict with the powers-that-be. Dr Richharia was asked to evaluate a high-yield rice strain developed abroad and rejected it on three grounds: that the straln could introduce a new virus into India, that it produced dwarf plants which were suitable for only some parts of India, and that the Indian Central Rice Research Institute had already developed high-yielding varieties more suitable to the country. (See Resurgence No. 2).

Dr Richharia was dismissed from his job, becoming an instant folk hero for his courageous stand. He now works regularly wlth the ADS. Using his technique, the ADS can in the space of six months multiply one seed into a number suitable for planting 4,000 acres.

Rice-breedlng has been a traditional practice among Indian farmers, and it still exists in the tribal areas which have not been inundated with external varieties. Villagers use dlfferent strains for different types of soil conditions. In some parts of Madhya Pradesh State, the farmers meet wlth the village elder after each harvest. Each brings a handful of rice from his land for the elder's inspectlon who then decides which strain is the strongest and should be mlxed with the others for the next season's crop.

Key to the future

The ADS is also involved in attempts within lndia to revitalise the ancient Indian healing system of Ayurveda. Shankar quotes a Sanskrit couplet which summarises the basis of the system:

Yasmin desho he yo gaat

Tajas aushadham hitam

Roughly paraphrased, it means, "Nature has so organlsed itself that each area has the resources necessary for the protectlon of its health". As an iilustration of this, Shankar cites the fact that the best (from the point of view of medicinal potency) bitter plants are found in desert areas such as Rajasthan, and that bitter plants like Neem contain substances which are necessary for countering medical problems caused by a hot envlronment. Among the Academy's activities in this area is a medicinal plant gene park being developed with a grant from NORAD.

Watershed development is another area of ADS activities. It tralns 'bare foot teams' of civil engineers to advise tribal people (among whom it does most of its work) on small dams and water catchment protection. Other areas of work include forest conservatlon uslng indigenous trees instead of exotic ones such as eucalyptus and various specles of acacia which are meant for different ecological conditions; training in handicrafts and village technologies; and teacher training.

As part of this last item, a school has been built with aid from the German NGO, MISEREOR. Students are taught all the normal subjects but wlth a holistic orientation. With funds from the Ministry of Educatlon, ADS is also developing simple books on plant science and nutrition for use in schools.

In addition to belng funded by the Indian government, NORAD and MISEREOR the ADS also recelves help from NOVIB for Its environmental work. In general, Shankar feels that foreign NGOs could do a lot more to help the South renew itself. We find that they prefer to view the situation in the South as one of poverty and deprivation, which is not the case,' he says. He distinguishes between impoverishment. which is economic and poverty of resources which is more general. The South has traditional resources which, if developed, could be the key to a better future. An important part of these resources is the wisdom of the past.

Shankar has nothing against Western science in itself. 'It is okay to study the deeper levels of our envlronment, but the problems starts when the fruits of that study are commercialised on a mass scale.' He uses plastics as an example. 'There was nothing wrong wlth using chemical knowledge to find out that processing oil in certain ways could produce a substance that did not decompose easliy. But it was when they started using plastics on a large scale, making plastic bags and various other plastic products that we began to have problems. How can you avoid pollution when you flood the environment wlth plastic garbage which does not break up easily and which you cannot burn because it will have harmful environmental effects?' he asks.

It is in this context that the holistic view towards life of earlier civilisations comes in. However, he says. foreign NGOs are too paternalistic on the whole . It is only in isolated cases that their activities mesh with the real interests of the people of the South. He doesn't blame the NCOs for this state of affairs. 'They have no choice. They raise money for specific purposes which constitute their mandate. They have no mandate to do anything else.' Noting that most foreign NCOs get money from their governments, he views aid as 'a PR exerclse on the part of governments that are on the other hand harming the South through their trade and other practices.'

As the beginning of a change for the better, he would like to see more honesty concerning the true relationship between North and South. Only this can form the basis or any education programme for NGOs. There needs to be a commitment to changing lifestyles that are obviously unsustainable. Traditional ways need to be examined to see how viable they are to modern society. 'Our present must emerge from our past, he emphasises. 'not from someone else's past.'

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