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ANNAM - NATIONAL FOOD
& AGRO-BIODIVERSITY FESTIVAL
27-31 December 2008
BACKGROUND
All over the world, communities are awakening
to the devastating effects of corporate driven foods and farming
systems which have turned agriculture into an extractive
industry, and food into a major health hazard. Compared to the
food that fueled human evolution, the so-called elite food today
has twice the amount of saturated fats, a third of the former
daily fibre intake, much more sugar and salt and reduced intake
of nutrients.
We have to recognize that biodiversity is the real capital of
food and farming and linked to it is cultural diversity, the
rich and diversified food cultures in the world. We are poorer
as the biodiversity of our farms disappears and as the cultural
diversity of our food system disappears. What is at stake
presently is not only the quality of life, but also the food
security and food sovereignty.
It is high time that a proactive role is taken to move towards a
new food culture that ensure not only supply of healthy and
ethically produced food but also facilitates conservation of
rich biodiversity at grass roots. The National Food and
Agro-biodiversity Festival, a first of its kind, was an effort
in this direction. This festival is a platform to showcase the
rich diversity of food, agricultural biodiversity and cultural
diversity in terms of food.
CISSA, joined hands with several like minded government and
non-governmental organizations in organizing a ‘National Food
and Agro-biodiversity Festival’ at Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 27th to 31st December 2008.
OBJECTIVES OF THE FESTIVAL
- To popularize the concept of good food and importance of
traditional food
- To create awareness against 'fast food' and local
agro-biodiversity
- To showcase the rich agro-biodiversity
- To promote organic farming and popularize organically
farmed products
- To document and preserve recipes of traditional food
(grandma's recipes)
- To showcase the agricultural heritage and agro folk
culture of India
- To organize seminars and workshops related to food,
nutrition and agro-biodiversity
- To create networks to promote linkages between producers
and consumers of good food
- To establish linkages and transfer the know-how of R & D
centres to common man
- To publish information materials on good food and
agro-biodiversity
HIGHLIGHTS
- Five days national exhibition on food
diversity and agro-biodiversity
- 200 exhibition stalls with participation
of State and Central government agencies,
NGO's, farmer groups, academic institutions, health and
tourism sectors
- Exhibition visited by more than 2,00,000
people
- Three national seminars
- Three national workshops
- Host of curtain raiser events, road shows
and cultural events
- Competitions for students, artists and
house wives
- Ethnic food carnivals
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