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Growing stories from India
Reviewed by Sudhirendar Sharma
30 Apr 2012Myths and narratives
Predicament of the present is all about failure of the dominant narratives of
our times. Haven't inflated rhetoric of industrial agriculture, depicted as
scientific and cutting-edge, been one such 'dominant narrative' that has been
hard to criticize? Though the 'narrative' has been positioned around 'feed the
world' logic, hunger and malnutrition has only continued to grow as a global
problem. Without doubt, it may have served some purpose in feeding the teeming
millions but not without destroying the 'alternative narratives' of organic or
natural agriculture.
Narratives of industrial agriculture presume human control over and
entitlements to the earth’s resources which must change if human societies have
to survive and sustain future generations. A Whitney Sanford, a professor of
religion at the University of Florida, presents the alternative narrative
through the story of Balaram and the Yamuna river. Balaram has an interesting,
if not paradoxical, relationship with the Yamuna river. While his forcible
diversion of the river demonstrates his power over her, his moral duty to
worship the river goddess reflects other aspect of their relationship. Balaram’s
multiple obligations to the earth, his family and his subjects has been
positioned as a ‘alternate narrative’ through which Sanford asks one of the
central questions of this book: how can we balance the human need for
agricultural production with the needs of the broader biotic community?
Using the moral tenants of the tale as commentary on contemporary society,
Stanford emphasises the need for ‘alternate narrative’ that will help infuse
responsible stewardship in agriculture. The trouble with ‘dominant narratives’
is that these are not only hegemonic but also, by virtue of being entrenched in
dominant institutional spaces, do not allow alternative narratives to flourish.
Myths and stories can dispel such narratives by providing the space through
which ecological imagination in search of viable solutions can be expanded.
Insightful and scholarly at the same time, Sanford not only bridges cultural
differences in agriculture but also shows how those differences hold the key to
future sustainability. It is an important book that calls for paradigm shift in
our current understanding on agriculture.
Growing Stories from India
by A Whitney Sanford
The University Press of Kentucky, USA
269 pages, US$ 40
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