Excess land - can it be true

[Guest guest]

Dear Balabhadra Prabhu

It is remarkeable reading to see that a number of devotees have expressed

frustratioon at not being able to farm land, and on the other side we hear

there is excess land.

 

Firstly is it true that there are tracts of spare land within our ISKCON

communities and if so where exactly are they.

 

Could there not be a proposal by this conference in a similar way as the

minimum standards were set up, to make policies, to make this land (if inded

there is such land) available to agriculturists.

 

Such land would have to be farmed according to strict ISKCON standards. Some

of those standards could be (acknowleding the minimum cow satndards):

-All farm land worked by oxen

-No machinery used that can be reasonably done by oxen

-All land farmed organicaly

-No herbicides nor pesticedes

-10%(perhaps) of products/profits given to temple as land rent

 

A family could go onto the land relatively easily with a policy like this.

No need to buy the land. Housing or caravaning of course would be the

responsibility of the farmer. Perhaps even the communities could give a home

for ox farmers as an incentive to get them onto the land and work the oxen.

 

A good policy for the use of farmland with easy access would be a great step

forward for oxpower.

 

Would it be possible to have another proposal ready for the GBC by Gaura

Purnima 2000?

 

ys

Syamasundara dasa

Bhaktivedanta Manor