SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Report of SASNET meeting with the Sustainable Kerala Network group, Centre for Bioinformatics, Kerala University, February 21, 2009

Web page Sustainable Kerala Network: http://www.sustainable-kerala.net

Participants
Dr. Achutsankar S. Nair, Centre for Bioinformatics, Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram
Dr. K. Rajmohan, Dept. of Plant Biotechnology, Kerala Agricultural University, Thiruvananthapuram
Dr. J. Devika, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram
Dr. Anna Lindberg, SASNET, Lund University, Sweden

Anna Lindberg briefly introduced SASNET and the Sustainable Kerala Network.

The participants discussed the need to plan a programme for the Sustainable Kerala Network for next year. Dr. Achutsankar Nair said that he could host meetings at the Department of Bioinformation. SASNET’s role would mainly be to facilitate communication. Our primary goal should be to implement social changes leading to a sustainable environment, and, of course, to support research on environmental issues. We agreed that information on a webpage is not enough. We need to produce a brochure of some kind, as many people cannot easily access the Internet. It is important that we reach practitioners (bureaucrats, policy-makers, activists, NGOs, etc.). Anna will ask Prof. Baboo Nair at the Dept. of Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Lund University if he can assist with the first draft.

A discussion followed on whether politicians should be members of the advisory board. Prof. Baboo Nair had suggested that Kerala’s finance minister Thomas Isaac be invited to join the advisory board. We all agreed on the necessity of exercising care not to politicise the network, so we decided to refrain from contacting Thomas Isaac at present.

It was determined to organise workshops on environmental issues for school children and university students. We also agreed to aim for a research workshop next year. The need to communicate between disciplines was stressed by all present.

The importance of reaching girls and initiating awareness programmes that would include both environmental and gender issues, information on bioresources, local production, waste management, and general environmental issues was acknowledged. Collaboration between researchers, school children, university students, and practitioners was deemed vital. Participants agreed on the necessity of reaching those in the target group (for example, adolescents in 7th or 8th standard).

Dr. J. Devika agreed to take the lead in contacting key persons and organisations in Kerala. The following were mentioned:

• Kudumbi Shree
• Kabani (more information)
• Mahila Samakhya
• Others?

The aim is to make the Sustainable Kerala Network an effective organisation, both with regard to research and activism. Some realistic, short-term activities should be planned for the immediate future. It was decided that Anna (with the assistance of Devika) would prepare a brief summary of the meeting, discuss it with Prof. Nair, and then contact the participants again at the beginning of March.