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The Slow Poisoning of India |
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26 mins - Documentary directed by Ramesh Menon and produced by the New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (2004)
"The Slow Poisoning of India" is a 26-minute
documentary film depicting the effects of modern pesticide use on local
farmers. India is one of the largest users of pesticide in Asia and
also one of the largest manufactures. Farmers often use the wrong
chemicals, while others overuse.
The film presents startling case studies from Kerala, India where
villagers are paying a heavy price as a result of the exposure to
pesticide spraying for many years. The film discusses the health
impacts in other parts of India and also on how the enchantment of the
green revolution in Punjab is fading as land and water bodies have been
poisoned. The main beneficiary of this process is the multinational
chemical companies which bind farmers into a vicious cycle.
The end of the short film provides encouragement to organic
farming practices by showing several farmers who for the sake of the
land, health reasons and their bank accounts have decided to switch to
organic farming.
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