Food is obviously the most important necessity for staying alive. People need food to survive and to maintain sound health. Hence, since the dawn of the world humankind has been struggling for food; a struggle for life itself. The ancient humans used to fight violent animals to get their regular supply of nutrient. The agriculture system was stuck out of the necessity of food. Flowers, fruits, cereals, fish and animals have all been included in the regular diet of people all over the globe. But we ourselves are killing these sources with our own hands. Now, instead of adoring the nature, we are torturing it continuously. We always discover a vast diversity in foods and our food habits. However, we do not take note of the interdependence between humans and nature as much as our habits. We need for fruits from trees, that too must be clean and pure, but can we ensure the supply of food for the tree itself? We get fish from the river, but can we guarantee a dependable environment and nutrient for the fish? In this case we cannot.

The diverse relationship between the world’s living  creatures and nature is indefinitely sustainable and mutually beneficial. Humans are the only part of nature that is completely dependent on other plants or animals. Hence, to ensure human food supply, we have to make sure that all other organisms have enough food to get by. Food is not only for people. The life of the tree, which supplies us with oxygen is equally valuable. So ‘Food Security For All Life Forms’ is proven as one of our most significant duties.

Dijen Sharma, deceased, the well known professor said last 11 Jun 2016, at the ‘Poribesh Bachao’  campaign, inaugurating the long-lasting campaign for ensuring food security for all life forms. He said in his discussion, ‘We are at a dangerous crossroad now. It’s mentioned in every religion that all animals should be cared for and loved. But, as humans, we are not caring for other life forms. Here at this point, we all have to express our gratitude to the animals and plants of the nature.’ He said, ‘For the benefit of our kind and civilization, we have to raise our voices to ensure food security for all life forms.  We have to create such a system that everyone can survive along with everyone else.

On this topic, specialized doctor and pro-environment campaigning leader Dr. Lelin Chowdhury said ‘We have thought about our food, human food since the ancient times. When we talk about food, we only talk about human foods. Fowl, fish, trees, worms, along with other big parts of nature are allowed out. Even when talking about food security, we forget about the importance of the soil, our rivers, mountains, hills.’ In the 60’s, deposited fertilizers, pesticides, toxic insect killers, and high-crop-yielding seeds were all popular steps taken to initiate the ‘Green Revolution’, an idea completely devoted to supplying food for people. In doing that, the soil, rivers, and trees all had to be bathed in dangerous, poisonous, pesticides. From food production to storage, the use of hazardous chemicals such as carbides, formalin has now become trite. By ousting snails, frogs, spiders, bees, birds, worms, we have created a ‘mega food industry’, currently a booming but inconsiderate business. Just to make food for our population, the food security of the remaining species has been jeopardized by poison and various toxins.

Specialist Professor Devi Sharma said,’ We are on the verge of death from consuming so much of our natural resources. But this is nothing compared to what the next generation is going to face. The main reason behind this is that in nature’s food wave, we have induced  disorderliness and chaos, with food shortage. If the soil and  water is not in a good state, if their quality/usefulness cannot be taken account for, how can we ensure the food security of the human species and its equally hungry peers?  So, today, everywhere in nature, every member of our nature’s ecosystem is bound to be subjected to food insecurity.’

Aside from natural and other man-induced incidents, the recent various climate changes have sped up this process of the making the inhabitants of this Earth deprived of food much, much faster, and more intense and perilous. It has now become clear, that food cannot be safe and pure for humans alone, and in no way can we leave out the other members of our ecosystem of food. So today we all need to raise questions and demands to make food available for people and other animals, too. Also, only everyone’s contribution and demand of clean and safe food will create a situation suitable for food security.

Food security is not yet a topic that everyone can understand and support wholeheartedly. A country’s food production does not inform us about its food security. World food production, trade policies, trade-related treaties, agricultural laws and policies, and social security all affect food security significantly. In this country, the land, streams, and various other resources are being rapidly claimed. To fulfill demands, many treaty/contract-based farms and various food markets are being set up. By farming in ‘The Modern Way’, to increase yields, the nutrients in the soil are being depleted rapidly. For this reason, the soil’s demand for nutrients  are increasing at a  steady rate. Many problems are being caused to people’s health and the environment. Even so, the only line of action taken by the government is to produce more food for the population, not food security for other valuable life forms.

Be it food security or safe and secure food, today’s biggest lesson is that nature has to be kept natural and we have to stop this torture of nature. So come and join us in appreciating and protecting nature’s diversity and preserve it to make our Earth a worthy place to live for all of us.

(This article was made with the help of the presentation read out by Pavel Partha at the meeting between ‘Poribesh Bachao’ and BARCIK on June 11 2016, and edited by Silvanus Lamin)

Translated by Nribar Tagore Nanto