Colibri Connects with Food

Journal of a researcher and activist-interpreter in food governance, food security and food sovereignty 

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I spent an interesting afternoon interviewing Sunil Pariyar, Chairperson, and Anita Pariyar, media officer, of the Dalit Alliance for Natural Resources in Nepal (DANAR). Sunil shared some stories about the exclusion of Dalits from accessing forests, on which they are dependent for their livelihoods. He explained how he decided to set up DANAR to advocate for the rights of Dalits to access natural resources, following his own experience as a Dalit working for a UK DFID project in the western region of Nepal, where discrimination is deeply entrenched. Anita explained that she learned a lot about land rights for women at an FAO training she attended, but wondered how to transmit that knowledge to Dalit women who still have to learn about basic hygiene standards in villages (such as washing hands). She runs a radio programme where she answers to listeners’ questions over the phone.  Dalits (or the so-called occupational castes in the Hindu system of beliefs) are some of the most discriminated against people in Nepal and India, and suffer from social, political and economic exclusion. For more information, please see: danarnepal.org.np/

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Why the International Day of Peasants' Struggles is important | Henry Saragih

Henry Saragih: We should celebrate one of the largest but least recognised groups in the world, who grow most of the food we eat

On the International Day of #Peasants' struggles, let's reflect on why the word #peasant evokes such negative reactions.  Even as an #interpreter at international spaces where #peasantmovements are participants, I observe how some listeners object to me using the term in English... This may explain why: " "peasants", in most places, are looked down on and often considered "ignorant", "backward" or "underdeveloped". ... More in this article published by the guardian...

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Commemorating the International Day of Peasant Struggle

Sadly, yet not unlike the inception of many commemorative days, the events that inspired the first International Day of Peasant Struggle were soaked with...

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How academia uses poverty, oppression, and pain for intellectual masturbation

Today, anything and everything is allowed if a postcolonial/decolonizing seal of approval accompanies it, even if it is devoid of any political urgency.

“ #Academic spaces are not precisely adorned by safety, nor are they where freedom of #speech is truly welcome. Not all of us have the luxury to speak freely without getting penalized by being called radicals, too emotional, angry or even not scholarly enough. In true #decolonization work, one burns down bridges at the risk of not getting hired. Stating that we are in the field of #decolonizing #studies is not enough. It is no surprise that even those engaged in decolonizing #methods replicate and polish the master’s tools, because we are implicated in #colonialism in this corporatized environment."  

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As my national park guides pointed out: look at the difference between the flimsy wire protecting the #village and #livestock from wild animals entering and trampling villagers’ crops, and the mighty #electrified fence (#solar powered) protecting the space for a newly acquired male wild #buffalo, which will soon attract more #tourists to the animal’s adopted (or rather enforced) #habitat

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The wonderful land of fences: wire and electric fences at Chitwan National Park where women cutting grass for fodder may be attacked by wild elephants, rhinos, and more rarely in Nepal (but more common in India), by tigers. A 35-year old mother of two was recently rammed and killed by a rhino. Local communities living in buffer zones of protect areas have demanded that the government amend the National Conservation Act (1973) to allow them more access into the park for gathering wild fruits and vegetables, but also for cutting grass as fodder for their livestock. They also request more participatory management of the park's resources, so that they too can build better infrastructure to protect them from wild animals. The decades-old park-people conflict is slowly being addressed through dialogue between the local inhabitants, and the central government.

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The cows must have known it was my birthday as I was walking to the NGO, and they came out to say hello: a rare sight these days in car-packed Kathmandu. Seems like they are making a point by grazing at the car sales garage. They never seem phased by traffic that swerves around them. They rule the roads, despite losing their terrain to dusty buses, speedy bikes and derelict taxis. Even in rural dwellings there are fewer cows than before, especially in buffer zones and forest-fringe villages. As grazing areas decrease, and wild animals increase, communities invest less in cows. If there is one thing I miss about India it’s the cows everywhere! #lifeofaphdstudent #cows #urban #grazing #patan #naturalresources #traffic #citylife #nepal (at Kupondole, Lalitpur)

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Thank you dear friends at NIWF (Nepal Indigenous Women Federation) for such an insightful discussion! Danyebad, Sabitra, for sharing your experiences and Chhing for being my interpreter for the morning! I spent two hours interviewing indigenous women about their difficulties in accessing land and forests for food, grazing land and cultural practices. We also discussed the challenges they face in trying to influence the policy-making level, as they feel that women’s organisations do not always acknowledge the plight of indigenous people. I learnt about the double social discrimination that these women from different ethnic groups suffer from. We shared insights about the worldvision that is common to different indigenous peoples from around the world. Their ancestral relationship to land and nature (especially trees, which are also deities) is threatened by the social exclusion of indigenous women from the management of natural resources. For more information, please visit their webpage: www.niwf.org.np/

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Both in villages and cities, rows of corncobs beautifully hang from the ceilings and window panes of Nepali homes, ready to be eaten! Corn on the cob is also roasted on roadsides. #foodblogger #foodsecurity #corn #nepal #decoration (at Bhattedanda)

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Sun-drying turmeric on the street in Newari villages... Used for flavour, colouring and for its medicinal properties: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti carcinogenic. Also found in Ayurvedic face creams! . #ayurveda #spices #nepal #tasty #newari #foodsecurity #foodie #foodblogger #nepal (at Dhulikhel)

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Veggies galore. What's in season? Watching the world go by from the top of a pagoda. #foodblogger #nepal #veggies #market #foodsecurity #foodsovereingty (at Bhaktapur)

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Me love buffalos! Spicy dried buff meat is a favourite dish for many in Nepal (I won't try it though...) #nepal #trekking #rural #meat #dairy #localcuisine #buffalo (at Dhulikhel)

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Street art in Kathmandu: worshipping cows, on my way to the office, along the zoo wall ❤️ #nepal #cows #hinduism #art #streetart #dairy

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Spring is here! 🌸🌼🌞Enjoying the fragrance of coriander during an escapade from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. A nice respite from proofreading and interviews (although I do love my work and my research!)... #spring #nepal #foodsovereingty #research #rural #flowers #fields #coriander #pink #lifeofaphdstudent (at Bungmati, Nepal)

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Guess what this is? #seeds #foodsecurity #nutrition #lifeofaphdstudent #nepal

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Mustard oil in the making. 80% is still hand-pressed, 20% gets shoveled into the machine. #nepal #traditional #mustard #foodsecurity #nutrition #seeds a#lifeofaphdstudent

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Guess what this is? #seeds #foodsecurity #nutrition #lifeofaphdstudent #nepal