UN official lauds Vizag NGO for natural farming

Visakhapatnam: Representatives from one of the world's first regenerative organic system brands from Visakhapatnam received a word of praise from Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary, United Nations at the COP 15 Biodiversity Summit now being conducted in Montreal (Canada).

She appreciated the work of Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development in conserving biodiversity and implementing innovative models in parts of Visakhapatnam region of Andhra Pradesh through indigenous women farmers in mitigating biodiversity and climate loss.

Between December 3 and 19, several stakeholders of environmental sustainability from around the world are meeting in Montreal by participating in the Secretariat on the Convention of Biodiversity and the 15th Conference of Parties (COP 15) jointly organised by the Canadian and Chinese governments. Although this much-awaited event was supposed to happen in Kunming, China, in 2020, it was delayed due to Covid-19, when Canada offered to host the event.

"We feel privileged to meet top officials of the UN and other stakeholders from several parts of the globe. With the experience gained we will redouble our efforts to popularise 'Zero-Based' Natural Farming," co-founder and director of Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development, Sarat Gidda told Bizz Buzz.

The event saw governments, private businesses, NGOs, academia, faith-based organisations, indigenous people and local communities and intergovernmental organisations. The focus of COP 15 is to focus on protecting nature and halting biodiversity loss around the world. Biodiversity and its benefits are fundamental to human wellbeing and a healthy planet. Coveted as the Paris Agreement for biodiversity, at COP 15, global governments are about to commit to take urgent action needed to tackle the nature crisis several parts of the world is facing. The activists of Visakhapatnam's Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development participated through its programme Raddis (Radically Disruptive). Grameena Vikas Kendram is a new generation impact organisation that blends entrepreneurship with social responsibility. Through its innovative programmes like Raddis Cotton, one of the world's first regenerative organic system brands, GVK Society specialises in rural innovations with a focus on women empowerment, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and elimination of toxic chemicals, Sarat said.

Over 20 per cent of water pollution on planet earth directly results from the textile industry. As the world discusses ways to reduce biodiversity loss in 2022, Sarat is currently at COP 15 presenting Raddis Food and Fibre System as the solution to not only textile and food businesses but a way to relook every raw material sourced from agriculture and horticulture as the producing medium. The much-lauded Raddis Cotton programme works with more than 2000 indigenous women farmers in the eastern ghats of AP around Visakhapatnam with an aim to double their income.