Vandana Shiva: “Fake food is based on the illusion that we can cheat nature. But every time we try, things go wrong”

You’ve dedicated over fifty years to working for the Earth. Can you share the first moment you felt connected to the natural world?

“I cannot think of a moment that I did not. I was born in the forest of the Indian Himalaya, where my mother practised regenerative farming and my father worked as a conservationist for the forest service. As young children, me and my siblings would accompany him on his walks through the forest. So from the moment I opened my eyes, the trees, the forest and the other beings we shared our home with were all I ever knew. 

As I grew older, I decided to study physics, because physics is nature. It’s the most fundamental way to understand the natural world, and I wanted to go back to the essence, which is why I completed a PhD in the foundations of quantum theory. But even whilst I was looking at the natural world through this highly scientific lens, I never lost my innate sense of interconnectedness with the Earth.”

Yet, many people today feel disconnected from the natural world. How does this impact the way we live our lives?

“It’s crucial to understand that our separation from the natural world is a form of dehumanisation. Because we are nature – we are the soil, we are the water. Every breath I take is a gift from the green leaves. Every time I drink, I drink the gifts from a river or stream. Maybe it’s separated from me by disguises, like plastic bottles. But that doesn’t mean that in the end, it’s nature that’s keeping me alive.

Instead of appreciating these gifts, we just take, and become increasingly distant. This separation drives the ecological crises we face today. Because when you’re disconnected from the natural world, you lose sight of how your actions impact the living whole, leading us further down the destructive path.

Take the electric car, for example. We are mining lithium, and somehow, we’re calling it green. It’s theatre! And it’s a denial of our role as equal participants on this planet. Because we are just one species amongst millions and that realisation should inspire humility. But our anthropocentric arrogance has made us believe that everything exists for our use. Whether it’s mining, genetic engineering or industrial farming, the thing that connects it all is the denial of the ecological truth and our false sense of perception that when we take from every other being, as humans, we somehow end up with more. In reality, it’s less for fewer beings, not more.”

Is regenerative agriculture the antidote to all of this?

“Regenerative agriculture offers a way to move beyond what I call the ‘dead Earth assumption’ – this mechanistic belief that the Earth is made up of lifeless raw materials meant for extraction. Because that’s the foundation of industrial agriculture: all it cares about is how many tons of food it produces, with no regard for soil health, biodiversity or the wellbeing of farmers.  

Regenerative agriculture, on the other hand, shows us the opposite. It means collaborating with nature and recognizing that we are all living organisms on a living Earth. That is what farming should be about: regenerating the potential of the living soil, the living seeds, the living water, the living insects, and the entire web of life.

By embracing this potential, we can also transform the way we relate to nature. Because regeneration writes its own poetry – it brings the Earth back to life again in our minds and, in doing so, our relationship with the Earth is being regenerated as well.”

Yet regenerative agriculture is under attack by large agricultural corporations, who claim to be regenerative. Should we stop talking about regenerative agriculture, to prevent confusion?  

“I believe freedom is allowing ourselves to continue naming the right thing and the right action in the right way. It would be stupidity to give up our words because the poison cartel wants to hijack them. Besides, this is what they always do. They either attack you when they feel threatened or they try to hijack you. It’s our role to not allow them to hijack this way of farming and to show them that there is no place for poisons like pesticides and genetically modified seeds in the regenerative world.”

But who do you think is more powerful: companies or people? 

“In the end, the Earth is more powerful. And the people as part of the Earth. That is a basic belief of mine. Some people say: ‘You’re naive, because companies will always win.’ But I don’t think that companies will win, and I will give you a reason why. The first corporation ever created was the East India Company in 1600, but after the revolt of the peasants in 1857, they shut down in 1858. So the first corporation that was created to rule the world, was shut down by peasants.

In today’s world, meaningful change can happen too, when we unite. This is why, in 2015, we brought together farmers, scientists, policymakers, and NGO’s from 21 countries in Costa Rica to launch Regeneration International – a non-profit organisation that now collaborates with over 500 partners globally. Our strength lies in solidarity. Whether it’s organic, biodynamic, agro-ecological, or regenerative practices, it all comes down to nurturing the living soil and the living seed. Take care of them, and they will take care of you. Destroy them, and you risk your own destruction.”

Talking about seeds: what is the connection between seeds and freedom?

“All food begins with seeds, so seed freedom is the foundation of food freedom. It’s the foundation of farmer’s freedom. And it’s the foundation of societal freedom as a whole. Because when you control seeds, you control life on Earth.

This is why, through our organisation Navdanya, we stand up to corporations like Monsanto, which try to make farmers dependent on genetically modified seeds and we teach farmers how to produce and save organic seeds themselves. So far, we’ve trained over 900,000 farmers in India and beyond these ancient seed-saving practices, enabling them to save money and free themselves from corporate greed. Because nature never runs out of seeds. By working together with the soil, water and sun, one seed can multiply into hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of seeds. As human beings, we should strive to be more like seeds – reducing our dependencies on destructive corporates and engaging in mutually beneficial relationships with the natural world to multiply life.”

How do we do this?

“Life should be about pursuing what makes you happy and living in accordance with the higher ecological laws. Living simply, within your means, gives you the freedom to do this. Striving for ‘enoughness’, gives you the freedom to regenerate. Because part of the reason why our limitless consumption system thrives, is because we trap ourselves in it. Everyone is wearing Nike shoes and Adidas pants – how rapidly we went into a monoculture of the mind and became slaves to consumption.

Once you break free from this, you can focus on what you’re supposed to do in this lifetime. When you do, ignore the aggressive messaging from outside. Instead, turn inward and towards your most intimate relationships. Ask yourself: What truly makes me happy? And never compare. Don’t ever compare, because the world has become so unequal. If you compare yourself to someone earning 8 million a year, you’ll focus on the 8 million you’re not making, even though you might only need 800 euros a month to live comfortably in ‘enoughness’. So don’t negate your life, don’t compare and don’t compete. Cooperate. And stay conscious of what you truly need and love.”

When we zoom out to the wider economic system, you advocate for living economies. What are these?

“Living economies are modelled after the laws of nature. They are called living economies because they are economies that create, multiply and regenerate life, unlike economies that kill and destroy. This requires shedding the idea of linear extraction. Because in nature, everything cycles and recycles: one-way extraction doesn’t exist. It also means moving away from the notion that humans are the only participants in the economy, as all living beings are part of a living economic system. The mycorrhizae in the soil that exchange nutrients for glucose with plants are practising economy. The trees who share information to protect the health of the forest are practising economy. And the birds who pollinate the trees are practising economy. So, in a living economy, ecology and economy become one. 

Lastly, a living economy is local. Because the mycorrhizae in the soil spread wide and far, but they don’t extend to the other end of the Earth. The sphere is local and all living economies have always been local. It’s only the predatory, fictitious economy that has become global, ruling over other creatures as if they are lesser beings, when in fact, they are our relatives.”

Seeing other beings as our equals, requires letting go of our ego. How does this work?

“It’s simple: you need to shed the idea that everything revolves around you and truly understand that the trees are the ones giving you your breath. So, I have to be grateful to the trees and recognise that I’m not running the world. The ego always wants to run the world, it wants to be in control and be the master of it all. But in a living economy, we participate in the natural world as equals, with humility and gratitude. In other words, we need to move from ‘ego’, the selfish self, to ‘eco’, the self that is interconnected with others.

And the beautiful thing is that the more you give to the soil, the more the soil gives back to you. The more water you give to the Earth, the more water you will have. This principle applies to every aspect of life. But to reach this state, we need to undo all the laws that were born from colonialism and that have privatised the lands and the water, and have turned the natural world into property.”

Are you talking about giving rights to ecosystems?

“The new fashionable thing is declaring that a river has rights, but in my opinion, this is another example of our anthropocentric arrogance: as if you’re bringing these rights to the river and the river didn’t already have rights simply by being a river. So, again, we need to shift our thinking and recognize that everything is alive, and therefore you don’t give rights to an ecosystem, you respect its rights. You recognize its rights. And you relate to all life forms in a way that causes no harm.”

So, actions become key.

“Exactly, and we need to start with agriculture, because there is only one place we can give back to the Earth, and that is whilst farming. When we breathe, we release carbon dioxide, rather than giving oxygen back to the Earth. But when I make an effort with my body to tend to the soil, I can offer something back to the Earth with gratitude. This is crucial because living on this Earth means we need to eat: there’s no escaping it. Fake food is based on the illusion that we can cheat nature, but every time we try, things go wrong. So being part of the Earth’s nutrient cycle, with humility and not arrogance, using the least and giving back as much as possible, is the best thing we can do.

And through good farming, through regenerative farming, we can heal the wounds that have been inflicted upon the land. Agriculture is a means of saying: thank you, Mother Earth, you give abundantly. Here’s a little bit of gratitude.”

What makes you hopeful?

“Life makes me hopeful. Working in accordance with the laws of life makes me hopeful. You can’t buy hope in a supermarket, it’s not for sale. But every time I save seeds or plant a garden and I become one with the Earth, I’m cultivating hope.”

Lastly, what is the most important lesson you’ve learned from the Earth?

“That the Earth is alive and regenerates on her own. Regeneration is not something that begins with humans, it begins with the Earth, with the tiniest microbes in the soil. And when we become part of that flow, we become regenerators too. So how to regenerate is something the Earth has taught me. And abundance, limitless giving. There is no scarcity in nature. Neither should there be in our minds or hearts.”

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