V. Ravichandran, a member of the Global Farmer Network from India, a GFN Board member, and recipient of the 2013 GFN Kleckner Award exemplifies what it means to amplify our farmer voices. He takes every opportunity to speak up, to inform, to weigh in, and to give examples of why farmers need access to tools, technology, and trade – why innovation is important to sustainability, why we need to push against the status quo.
Recently he started counting this up. “…in the last few months, I have attended about 60 such virtual meetings while enjoying the comforts of my village and attending to my routine farm activities. Learning, knowledge sharing and sharing our experience haven’t been deterred by our geographical separation.”
On September 23rd, for example, Ravi was an invited speaker in The African Biennial Bio-Sciences Communication Symposium which included regulators, scientists, policymakers, farmers, and other stakeholders – about 1,500 people in all, from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and more.