Column by Tate White

The second lecture of the Sustainability Lecture Series took place March 4, when Vandana Shiva graced UK with her genteel and sophisticated presence. Although receiving her Ph.D. in physics, Shiva embraces environmental activism in her career as a scholar. Her name brandishes a multitude of articles for scientific and technical journals in addition to books, the subject matters of which range from ecofeminism and sustainable agriculture to biodiversity and bioethics. Personally, I was enthused for this lecture. After having spent a long weekend in Washington, D.C., at a youth summit focused on combating climate change, I was ready to explore alternative environmental issues, especially ones dealing with sustainability and areas I felt less informed about, like agriculture.

The entire campus body should thank and commend the work of Ann DeSanctis and Taylor Shelton for bringing her to UK to lecture for the many who were eager to attend. Among these were graduate and undergraduate students alike and environmentalists from the campus and wider community, resulting in a packed Memorial Hall. Despite the onset of midterms and the number of assignments looming in the immediate landscape, I made the evening trek back onto campus in order to attend. How could I miss such a prestigious figure at the forefront of issues I care so passionately about? I shuddered to think that I might miss the opportunity to learn something new in regards to international sustainable development or environmental justice issues. Alas, I was in attendance myself.

My last intention is to insult the accomplished Shiva or fault the individuals who made the lecture possible, but I must admit to experiencing a degree of disappointment and frustration. Similar to how I felt following last semester’s Blazer Lecture with Dr. Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, I left this semester’s Sustainable Lecture Series lecture mourning for what seemed to me like a missed opportunity. Now, I must underline here that I am speaking in terms that are completely selfish and realize that both these lectures were intended for a general, non-specialized audience. Shiva’s lecture was overwhelmingly appropriate for the forum it was presented to.

Had I observed it earlier in my undergraduate career or perhaps without such high expectations, I would probably have been invigorated with Shiva’s emphasis on the logic of sustainable agriculture and the downfalls of the provocative Green Revolution of the mid-twentieth century, but, by the last semester of my senior year, I have modestly studied these issues, making me, therefore, knowledgeable of their basic tenets. Having an elementary understanding of the function of sustainable agriculture reveals its underlying logic and awareness of critiques regarding the Green Revolution, whether one agrees with them or not, is not difficult to achieve. Monocultures are bad, ecologically and culturally. This I know. That they have come to dominate around the world in the form of large-scale, monopolistic agriculture,­­ I am sadly aware of. I want to know more.

I would like to know more about the current discourse on these issues and the difficulties Shiva has encountered implementing agricultural projects in India to encourage diversity and support the small farmer; what have been the drawbacks to this work and how did she go about addressing these issues? I appreciate Shiva’s optimism, because it is certainly needed when one is trying to keep the many mouths of India fed. I just regret its idealistic tone simply because this is an adjective often used to critique environmental activists for not being realistic. I am fully confident Shiva is aware of her challenges and capable of delivering the lecture I desired. Perhaps UK’s sustainable agricultural major will continue to grow in size and prestige to the point that they will be able to ask her back for a more specific lecture. However for now, if you missed Shiva’s talk, it is definitely worth tuning in to 88.1 WRFL Wednesday at 4 p.m. to listen to a recording.