VRD

[Guest guest]

I really liked Mark's most recent entry and just had to spply it to the outline

I had submitted. The wording is not final and needs work but I think it

expresses the points. Notice that most all commnets asre in the How to get to B

stage

 

VAISNAVA RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

 

WHY

To reinvigorate ISKCON farm communities in accordance with the wishes of

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the ISKCON Ministry

of

Cow Protection and Agriculture presents a Rural Development Plan to

establish sustainable principles and practices of land use that encourage

participation in lifetime-protected cow-based agriculture and provides

tenure security for the participants.

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VISION

The Vision is to establish ISKCON farms that manage according to

sustainable principles and practices of land use that encourage

participation in lifetime-protected cow-based agriculture and provide

tenure

security for the farmers.

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MISSION

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To present this plan to the Governing Body Commission of ISKCON (GBC) by

Dec 1st 2002 for their approval, so that ISKCON Farms can become sustainable,

viable, safe havens for the devotees as well as attract non devotees

during the future unknown and threatening world events.

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VAISNAVA RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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SECTION I ENVIRONMENTAL

A. Audited Present State

 

B. Ideal according to Scriptures

1) Land use principles and practices of lifetime-protected cow-based

agriculture as outlined in the Minimum Cow Protection Standards (ISKCON

Law 507).

 

C. How to get to B

1) Land use must be at least to the standards of Low External Input

Sustainable Agriculture. LEISA - Low External Input Sustainable

Agriculture. Please refer to http://www.ileia.org/

2) to use land in a sustainable form that will in the long term increase

fertility and bio-diversity, whilst at the same time producing for the

short and long-term needs of the participants.

3) This landscape should be able, with proper management, to provide our

needs without recourse to outside resources to maintain it.

If we are unable to produce sufficiently from the land to meet the quality

of life we wish to live, then it is understood.

a. Our quality of life goals are too extravagant.

b. Or/and our land is too marginal. Please refer to Holistic Resource

Management (book title)

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SECTION II SOCIAL

A Audited Present State

B Ideal according to Scriptures

C) How to get to B

1) Tenants of ISKCON land in good standing actively engaged in

horticulture, agriculture etc.. cannot be removed from their household

security without due process and Ministry of Agriculture permission. With

allowances for illness and injury.

2) ISKCON land users cannot lose their land tenancy on the basis of sadhana

or breach of three regulative principles (not including meat eating).

3) Back off zones are established to cushion the participants from

intolerant management groups.

4) Secure the cows on the land and the farmer would have to surrender to

having this encumbrance on his/her land in order to qualify as a protected

cow farmer. For the farmers who are engaged on ISKCON land, there would be

sufficient support of these farmers to gradually provide them title to

some additional land acquired for their homestead and added production.

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SECTION III ECONOMIC

A Audit of Present Stage

B Ideal According to Scriptures

C How to get to B

1) Temples are encouraged to buy produce from ISKCON land users depending

on availability and need, and obligated to accept payment in kind for

monies

due and payable.

2) Demand-side consumption

a) CSA Community Supported Agriculture

b) Temple and Restaurant Supported Agriculture `

> The temple should encourage its congregation to purchase from devotee

> agriculturalists. Likewise the restaurants should purchase as much as they

> are able to from devotee farmers.

c). COOPS Devotee farmers need to form coops to handle

> their merchandise, so that they do not become entangled in the selling,

> wasting much of their time in an activity that another could better

manage.These coops then could hire some one (preferably a devotee) to market

their produce.The coop needs to set some standards so that they develop a

good

reputation with the consumer market.

3) working as self sufficient, CSA or in a stand-alone enterprise. Key

> issues - productivity per worker, skills, knowledge, ability, training,

> workers rights, remuneration, land security, health insurance, pensions,

> etc. Partnerships between CSAs, charities, public or enterprises - linking

> with existing organic farmers to form joint ventures.

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