ESG awakening is not enough: Adopt TCA to measure impacts

ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance – reporting by corporates has become widespread to demonstrate their social and responsible agenda. However, to manage any change in social, natural and economic environment due to business activities, there is need to measure their impacts. ESG rankings and scores fall short on measuring impacts and outcomes and are ineffective in catalyzing a strategic response to reduce these impacts. TCA – True Cost Accounting – tool can measure these impacts across four capitals (human, social, natural, and produced) in monetary terms. These impacts can then be included in balance sheets of corporates to improve decisions to effectively manage those changes and gain sustained competitive advantage. Read my article at London School of Economics Business Review

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Campaign for the Support of Farmers in India

INDIAN GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO LISTEN TO FARMERS IN REFORMING AGRICULTURE IN INDIA 1. Three new farm acts in India are proving to be the last straw for about 90 million small-holders and their families. This has grave implications for about 800 million rural dwellers who are directly or indirectly dependent on farming for their livelihood. In addition, food security of the entire nation with 1.35 billion population is at risk. 2. Indian government maintains that these farm laws will usher a new economic revolution in the ailing farm sector. 3. Whereas farmers are opposing as they fear losing their land – only source of their livelihood – to corporate backed agri-enterprises. 4. The protest and persistence by farmers have opened up an opportunity for a dialogue between farmers and the government and for a new beginning. This has potential to reform small-holder agriculture but in close consultation with the farmers. 5. However, the rights of these farmers and many associat...

Local Food Systems for Sustainability

Local, traditional, and indigenous food systems were successful in supplying year-round requirements for food and within the environmental constraints. How were they able to do it? What were the practices and principles of local food systems that helped them thrive and maintain growing population in many parts of the world? These food systems have been embedded in the society. Many traditional societies evolved around such unique food systems. Such food systems have been maintaining agricultural biodiversity and are important source of knowledge and culture as documented by the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. For example, rice-fish-duck system in China, traditional agriculture of Koraput, India , Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi in Japan , Andean agriculture, Peru , Maasai Pastoralist Heritage Area in Tanzania , etc. These have been well doc...

All Good Earth and No Seed: Dilemma of an Organic Cotton Farmer

Sitaram, an organic cotton farmer struggles to develop non-GM cotton seed for his future generations. (Photo H. Sandhu) On my recent visits to rural parts of India, I came across a group of organic farmers in Kasrawad town, Khargone District, Madhya Pradesh. These farmers switched from high input cotton growing to organic cotton about 15 years ago. I talked to some farmers and they claimed that the smiles on their faces are all due to organic way of producing cotton. They are free from debts owing to input costs of pesticides, GM (genetically modified) seed and fertilisers. Instead they are boasting of fixed deposits in their banks as compared to fellow conventional farmers who are still sticking to GM cotton and hoping for some relief and expecting end to the vicious cycle of debt and crop failure due to periodic droughts in the area. Having said that these organic farmers are not rich or living a luxurious life however, they are living a decent life, largely free fro...

Ecosystems and Well-being

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