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Jurors
In preparation for the Prajateerpu hearings, a team
of participatory development and communication researchers
from the Department of Communication at the University
of Hyderabad, India, were chosen to conduct the recruitment
of the jurors. The team interviewed a range of rural
people who they contacted using a snowballing technique,
beginning with names of people that were suggested by
workers in a wide range of community groups across the
state, based on these selection criteria:
- small or marginal farmers living near or below the
poverty line;
- open-minded, with no close connection to non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) or political parties;
- likely to be articulate in discussions.
Researchers were careful not to pick community workers
themselves, but rather use the workers as informants
in the snowballing process. Working through these groups
gave the researchers a means of accurately identifying
small and marginal farmers, which would not have been
possible using available official information sources,
such as electoral rolls.
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Having collected a list of names and addresses, the
team then travelled to the villages where these farmers
lived and conducted detailed interviews. In selecting
the jurors, the researchers laid particular emphasis
on recruiting dalit, adivasi and women farmers. In addition,
one urban juror was recruited to give the perspective
of someone who was a consumer of farm produce but not
earning a living from the land. While they could obviously
not be expected to represent the full range of views
of citizens with non-agriculturally related livelihoods,
it was clear that the deliberations would be enriched
by participants being able to take on board her concerns
and knowledge.
Unlike processes in which organizers can undertake
extended interactions with participants that often lead
to longer-term mobilizations, Prajateerpu only asked
for a relatively short-term commitment from jurors.
We therefore wished to respect the privacy of the jurors
and the confidentiality of the information we made public,
and identified them only by their first name and Andhra
Pradesh District.
Photo Gallery of Jurors >>
Family & Farming Backgrounds of Jurors >>
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Oversight
Panel
The jury / scenario workshop process was overseen by
a group of external observers
or stakeholders, who formed the oversight panel. The
role of the panel, which had been approached by different
co-inquirers over the preceding months, was to monitor
and evaluate the fairness and credibility of the entire
process. The inclusion of observers with a diverse range
of interests was an important way of ensuring that the
methodology was trustworthy and not captured by a group
with a particular perspective or vested interest. In
this context, the concept of stakeholder was widened
to include those who are 'stake-less', having been marginalized
by prevailing socio-economic forces. This was based
on the co-ordinating team's belief that only if there
was a balance on the panel between those whose human
rights were at risk and those with power, would the
process be both fair and seen to be fair.
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Two members of the oversight panel critically reviewed
the scripts of the videos to ensure that each food and
farming future was presented in a fair and unprejudiced
way. All panel members were involved in the critical
evaluation of the jury process and its deliberations.
As a stakeholder / observer panel the composition was
carefully balanced using guidelines from previous exercises
to include a broad range of interests and perspectives
without anyone of them dominating. The panel was not
pushed artificially into being so broad-based as to
include, and potentially be disrupted by, individuals
opposed to democratic accountability of governments
and corporations.
The oversight panel assessed
the degree of fairness, competence & credibility
of the citizens jury process. The panel members
were:
Justice P.B. Sawant
Chairman Press Council of India
(former chief justice at the Supreme Court of
India)
Faridkot House
New Delhi
India
Paul ter Weel
First SecretaryAdvisor Development & Environment
DGIS
The Netherlands Embassy
New Delhi
India
Savitri Girijan Deepika (NGO)
East Godavari District
Andhra Pradesh
India
Y. Divanjulu Naidu
Coordinator of AME (Agriculture Man and Ecology)
Andhra Pradesh
India
Sandeep Chachra
Regional DirectorActionAid India
Hyderabad
India
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Witnesses
& Scenarios
The jurors were presented with three different scenarios
or visions of the future. Each was presented using a
30-minute video and by a number of witnesses - key opinion-formers
who explained the logic behind the scenario.
Vision 1: Vision 2020. This scenario
has been put forward by Andhra Pradesh’s Chief
Minister and backed by a loan from the World Bank. It
proposes to consolidate small farms and rapidly increase
mechanisation and modernisation. Production-enhancing
technologies such as genetic engineering and information
technology will be introduced in farming and food processing.
A significant reduction in the number of people on the
land is anticipated by 2020, from 70 to 40 per cent
(a potential displacement of 25 to 30 million people).
The UK’s Department for International Development
provides direct budgetary support to the GoAP for reforms
needed to implement Vision 2020.
Vision 2: An export-based cash crop model of
organic production. This vision of the future
is based on proposals from IFOAM and the International
Trade Centre (UNCTAD / WTO) for environmentally friendly
farming linked to national and international markets.
This vision is also increasingly driven by the demand
of supermarkets in the North who want a cheap supply
of organic produce and to comply with new eco-labelling
standards.
Vision 3: Localised food systems.
A future scenario based on increased self-reliance for
rural communities, low external input agriculture, the
re-localisation of food production, markets and local
economies, and with long-distance trade only in goods
that are surplus to production or not produced locally.
A crucial part of the scenario workshop / citizens
jury depended on identifying individuals willing and
able to defend a particular vision of food and farming
futures in Andhra Pradesh. The invited specialist witnesses
all had a proven track record of engagement with the
issues to be discussed and were broadly representative
of government, industry and civil society. Each specialist
witness agreed to address the jurors directly and also
be open to cross examination. This element of the process
has been compared to the widespread Indian process of
Jan Sunwai (“people’s hearings”) or
the indigenous community forums known as “goti”
that are practised in the Eastern Ghats region of Andhra
Pradesh.
The names and affiliations of
individuals who gave specialist evidence at the
citizen jury on food and farming futures for Andhra Pradesh
are:
Mr. K. Akbal Rao
Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Director of Agriculture,
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Professor M.V. Rao
Former Vice Chancellor of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural
University, Hyderabad, India. Senior Advisor to
the Government of Andhra Pradesh on biotechnology and agricultural
policy.
P. Chengal Reddy
President Andhra Pradesh Federation of Farmers Associations,
Andhra Pradesh, India
Dr. K.P.C. Rao
Principal Scientist, Economic Planning, National
Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad,
India
Dr. Alexander Daniels
General Secretary IFOAM-Asia
Dr. Shivram Krishna
Cultural Anthropologist working with Tribal Peoples
in Andhra Pradesh, India
Dr. Sagari Ramdas
Specialist in livestock issues, Director, Anthra,
Hyderabad, India
Dr. Partha Dasgupta
SYNGENTA Seeds Asia-Pacific
Dr. Debashis Banerji
Former Head and Professor Botany and Molecular
Biology, CCS University, Meerut, India.
Michael Hart
President of the Small and Family Farm Alliance,
UK
Colin Hines
Associate, International Forum on Globalisation,
UK
Dr. T.N. Prakash
Professor of Agriculture and Coordinator, Agro
Biodiversity Group of National Biodiversity Strategy
and Action Plan (NBSAP), India.
K. Srinivas
Political Economist and Journalist, Andhra Pradesh,
India
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Facilitators
The selection criteria for the facilitators particularly
stressed good local language and communication skills.
Participants came from all over the state, but they
all had the Telegu language in common. Other important
criteria included a working knowledge of rural conditions
and livelihoods throughout Andhra Pradesh, an ability
to help people with contrasting backgrounds and life
experiences to work together, experience in village-level
facilitation and conflict resolution, and representation
of key sectors (government, academia and civil society).
One male and two female facilitators were sought in
order to reflect the gender composition of the citizens'
jury, which was biased in favour of women. The facilitators
were:
- Sudha Goparaju, Programme Support Team, Rural Livelihoods
Programme, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India
- Kavitha Kuruganti, Programmes Division, ActionAid
India
- Dr Vinod Pavarala, Communication Programme, University
of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
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