Gala Organic Lunch Delights Gangkyi Staff
[18 October 2005, 9:31 AM]
Dharamshala: The Health Department of the Central Tibetan Administration presented a gala organic lunch to about 500 staff here at the Gangkyi staff mess yesterday, following various talks on “Organic Food for Public Health”.
“Despite the difficulties faced in the initial two years during my administration”, Kalon Tripa said, “as of now, we have been able to make a heady start.”
As a pilot project, a select 10 students each of the (upper) Tibetan Children’s Village School here and the Mussoorie-based Tibetan Homes Foundation, will be fed only organic food for six months beginning this November, declared Health Secretary Tenpa Samkhar. Apart from training on organic food, the project, which will cost the Health Department US$ 117,000/-, also includes six months of organic food supplies to Sherab Gatsel Lobling School here (with over 750 students) and Central School for Tibetans at Chauntra (with about 400 students). However, is it safe to eat organic food? Is organic food more nutritious? Can we feed growing population with organic food? Yes, yes and yes, says Dr. Bhat, deputy director of the Nandanya, a movement for biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture, which will supply organic food. Although organic products are good business today, it is fast becoming a fashion, Dr. Bhat said. “Organic food should rather be a part of life. And that’s the only way to save the world.” (www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration.)
All Tibetan civil servants must have a comprehensive understanding of Kashag’s policies”, said Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, adding that the introduction of organic and natural farming in all the Tibetan agro-settlements is among the pivots.
The head of agriculture section of the Home Department, Ngodup Dorjee, said that organic farming is already a reality in our settlements, though it may take years to reach full implementation.