Climate change experts in India have set the tone for the ten day UN framework convention on climate change starting on November 29 in Durban.

The Durban conference will analyse the implementation of three international climate agreements- the Kyoto Protocol, Bali Action Plan and the Cancun agreement.

Beyond Copenhagen Collective, a collective of NGOs working on environment issues has critisised the international climate change policies for their stand on developing countries.

Ajay K Jha of Pairvi, a Delhi based NGO said, “International policies are stand alone. The need is to take a holistic approach to issues. Environmental factors, economy and infrastructure vary from one country to another. You cannot put all developing countries in one category and impose one set of guidelines on them. In some Western country, agriculture can be an economic activity, but in India it is a lifestyle.”  He said while speaking at “The National Roundtable: Climate Change and State Responses; review of key policies and action” conducted by Beyond Copenhagen Collective in Delhi on Wednesday.

Dr Suman Sahai, founder, Gene Campaign, came down heavily on the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) announced by the prime minister in June 2008. Dr Sahai said that the

Plan drew inspiration from international agreements. She said since it was inspired by global agreements on climate issues, the Plan was heavily focused on energy issues and paid no attention to the contemporary challenges faced by the farmers in developing countries. “The document has very technical approach. It favours using the Genetically Modified (GM) crops. We need to take a rational approach to GM crop and other technologies. I believe that this technology is immature and should be in the lab rather than in the farmlands,” she said, “The NAPCC talks about conservation agriculture. This practice involves heavy use of chemicals. The document has been made without consulting the farmers and without understanding their basic issues,” added she.

Dr A Arivudai Nambi, project director (climate change), M S Swaminathan Research Foundation said that India had all the required elements for good agriculture environment. This, according to him, includes flow of information, input management and capacity building. “But there is no synergy between the elements. We must fine tune them. We require a multi faceted approach,” said he.

Farmers from various states also participated in the roundtable.

Shree Padre, farmer from Karnataka said, “Small farmers in Southern states are under threat. Lot of them have sold their farmlands or have put them for sale. The government has failed to formulate policies for sustainable agriculture. Take MNREGA, for example. It talks about employment guarantee but not production guarantee.

Talking about paucity of farm labour, Padre said, “It is hard to find farm labor in Karnataka. They have changed profession because there is no money in farming now.”

Mohan Joshi, a Madhya Pradesh based farmer said, “There were days when Malwa region in the state had no dearth of water. Now it is turning into a desert. Ground water level is depleting at an enormous speed. Forest cover is reducing. We need to tackle this it is too late,” said he.