Vandana Shiva
Nominated by: Guy Fisher
Shiva is perhaps best known for her efforts to promote organic, community-based farming, particularly in the Indian countryside, where corporate-driven farming methods have caused such severe declines in income for so many family farmers that more than 150,000 have committed suicide in recent years. In 2007, Shiva's Navdayana group continued its efforts to provide indigenous seeds to tens of thousands of farmers and widows of suicide victims to help them revive their agriculture. The farmers took a pledge to conserve, rejuvenate, and protect the diversity of their foods and farming. In 2007, Shiva also was a leader in the movement to oppose corporate-driven ways of life that are fueling climate change.
Shiva also used her global notoriety to emphasize the dangers of a headlong rush to replace oil with biofuels, or fuels derived from corn, soya, and other common food crops. This "false solution" to climate change, she charged, is being promoted by world leaders "at the expense of the satisfaction of human needs, with poor people priced out of the food market." "There are few people who are doing more to practically demonstrate the value of traditional organic and biodiverse farming methods as a solution to global climate change and the corporate takeover of our food systems, whilst vigorously lobbying for change at all levels," said Guy Fisher in his nomination letter for Shiva. Says Shiva: "The defence of nature's rights and people's rights have come together for me in Earth Democracy -- the democracy of all life on Earth, a living democracy which supports and is supported by living culture and living economies. "Let us together build an Earth family. Let us in our diversity create an Earth democracy." Click here for OneWorld's guide to food security issues worldwide, where you can also see the latest articles on global food issues or subscribe to OneWorld's RSS feed on the issue. Or check out OneWorld's latest articles and RSS feed on agriculture worldwide.  VOTE NOW!
THE OTHER FINALISTS... Vicky Tauli-Corpuz & the world's indigenous rights campaigners
Betty Makoni
Rajendra Pachauri & the scientific community and governments contributing to the IPCC
Justine Masika Bihamba & Eve Ensler
Burma's Monks
Molly Melching & the women of Senegal and West Africa
Vandana Shiva
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