CoP21: Odisha Drought-hit Farmers demand definitive Climate Deal

Sambalpur, Nov 30: As the global leaders prepare to strike a new deal to fight climate change during the Conference of Parties 21 (CoP21) meeting at Paris that starts today, villagers from drought affected districts of Nuapada and Bargarh organized a “March to the Crop Field” on Sunday asking the world leaders to make a definitive climate deal that reduces global warming and greenhouse gases and support small and marginal farmers in adapting to negative impacts of climate change.

This March was organised at two places – Kharamal village in Bargarh district and Kushmal in Nuappada district – where about three hundred villagers – including women and children participated to send out their message to the world governments to save small farmers from vagaries of climate change by signing a strong climate deal in Paris.

The governments at CoP21 to finalize a deal that arrests global warming and help small farmers to fight the impacts through schemes and programmes suitable for the small farmers. Their demands are –   support local agro-ecology based farming projects and programmes, decentralized water harvesting and management systems, end corporate control of the farm sector, promote organic farming, irrigation, cold storage facilities, marketing of farm products,  help farmers during droughts, floods and cyclones and to strengthen climate change adaptation programme like the MGNREGA.

Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) and Mahanadi River Water keeper facilitated this action along with Vikash, Khariar; CANSA and Action 2015 India as part of a global mobilization day being organized throughout the world by thousands of common people including small farmers, landless labourers, fisher folks, forest dwellers, concerned citizens, social activists, civil society organisations and others who want the global leaders to take a strong decision to deal with climate change.