SEED SOVEREIGNTY TRAINING.

Transcription

1 SEED SOVEREIGNTY TRAINING. Seed Rights, Alternatives & Advcacy. BY JUSTUS LAVI. Kenya Small Scale Farmers Frum (KESSFF) member f Eastern & Suthern Africa Small Scale farmers Frum (ESAFF). 14 th August, 2013.

2 Abbreviatins. KESSFF: Kenya Small Scale Farmers Frum. ESAFF: Eastern & Suthern Africa Farmers Frum. CSBs: Cmmunity Seed Bank(s). GMOs: Genetically Mdified Organism(s). UPOV: Internatinal Unin fr the Prtectin f New Varieties f Plants. NGOs: Nn-Gvernmental Organizatin(s). ARIPO: African Reginal Intellectual Prperty Organizatin. SSF: Small Scale Farmers. MNC: Multi-Natinal Cmpanies.

3 SEEDS. Give a man a fish and yu feed him fr the day. Teach a man hw t fish, and yu feed him fr life time. Seeds give mre seeds, that prduce mre fd frm seasn t seasn hence seeds are cultural and a way f living. Gen. 1:29, I give yu every seed-bearing plant n the face f the whle earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They (seeds) will be yurs fr fd (NIV Bible). Here Gd strngly teaches man that; Seed is fd, is Life i.e. Seed=Fd =Life!! But because they multiply easily and are f small size, we frget hw critical they are t ur livelihds and existence. Seed selectin and cmmunity plant breeding are fundatins t lcal fd security with enugh eat and with a surplus fr sale.

4 What are seeds? Seed cnjures images f beginning, a start r a surce especially in life s prcesses that has an expected end fruit, yield and reward and ensuring next generatin. Seeds include bulbs, tuber, rhizmes, stems and spre. Why are seeds imprtant in Kenya/Africa?.

5 Seeds Viability. The ability f a seed r cutting t germinate r grw and develp nrmally. Seeds may have pr germinatin:- Farmers buying fake seeds frm the market. Leads t fd insecurity due t a planting seasn lst. Slutin t pr seeds, Cmmunity Seed Bank (CSB).

6 Factrs that affect seed viability. The way f Harvesting and Preservatin. The Length and Cnditins f strage. DISCUSSION. Hw and when did ur farmers harvest and preserve seeds? Hw did they keep them frm pests and diseases?

7 Cmmunity Seed Banks Are cllective spaces where small hlder farmers preserve and manage their wn planting seeds. Allws farmers t prduce their wn quality seeds thrugh cllective management.

8 Rle f KESFF/ESAFF in CSBs. KESSFF/ESAFF shuld be in the fre frnt f this:- Legislating farmers seeds, Labeling the seeds as quality assured in place f the cmmercial certified seed.

9 Seed Diversity. Withut strng seed diversity, fd prductin is threatened by disease and climate change. Assures farmers a particular harvest every seasn. Prevents seed degeneratin caused by cmmercial seeds. Seed svereignty enhances bth seed and fd security.

10 Mnculture. Is pleasing and enticing t plicy makers thrugh a prfit making mindset. It threatens:- ur natinal research agencies due t lss f breeding lines. ur lcal farmers and breeders due t inability t select better lines fr cnsequent seasns.

11 Tissue Culture/Micr-prpagatin. is prductin f plants under sterile labratry cnditins. supprted by gvernment and NETWORKS like KESSFF/ESAFF. enables farmers refresh their favrite seeds and desired varieties in the CSBs. maize, wheat, bananas, cassava, sweet ptat.

12 Intellectual Prperty Rights n Seeds. Recent number f seed varieties have been develped and patented thrugh bitechnlgy e.g. GMOs. Prmises increased prductin yield. BUT!!!! Technlgy use agreements and restrictins results t privatizatin f genetic resurces and mnply f seeds and fd market. Cntrlling seed supply, fd prductin and the market fd chain. BE WARNED!!! Whever cntrls seeds, cntrls the fd supply.

13 Negative Effects f Seed Mnply. Disturbance n existing exchange systems Create new pressures int agricultural markets Increases prfits nly t wealthiest MNCs Diminishing f smaller independent seed cmpanies Cstly purchase f hybrid seeds every seasn. Lss f farmers rights t chse preferred seeds. New crp pests and diseases. Lss f guarantee t seed purity and viability. Abuse f the right t fd.

14 Irny f Internatinal Seed Laws Internatinal seed laws d nt prtect the farmers but the industry; the farmers right is nnexistent. Privatizatin f genetic infrmatin in seeds cntradicts the cre farmer right and svereignty principles and disrespects the integrity f living systems. Internatinal laws must be dmesticated. Permitting legal wnership f life frms is mrally wrng!

15 Actin n IPRs. Intellectual Prperty Rights (IPRs) in ur agriculture shuld be prhibited. Legislatin f intellectual prtectin f seeds thrugh UPOV & ARIPO shuld be ppsed. Prmte seed supply by CSBs because they are lcally built, lcally available & lcally adapted.

16 Rle f Small-Scale Farmers (SSFs). Infrmatin sharing. Abut Advcacy & Campaign:- activities, effrts, events, success stries. Demand t be Respected:- Lcal farmers are labeled:- Uneducated. Unprgressive. Pr and dependent n internatinal charity fundatins. Demand t be heard:- UPOV caters fr the ecnmic interests f industrialized cuntries and DISREGARDS small-scale farmers in the develping cuntries that feed 80% f the wrld ppulatin. Reject legal extrtin. Harmnizatin f legal instruments is led by the same MNCs yet they will demand recgnitin amng the small scale African farmers.

17 KESSFF/ESAFF & ADVOCACY. Advcacy:- the deliberate strategy t influence plicy makers. KESSFF/ESAFF s advcacy targets:- legislatrs/ plicy makers. fellw farmers. the media. Ultimate success f advcacy:- farmers individual & cmmunal ability:- t make chices. influence knwledge. change attitudes and behavir. KESSFF/ESAFF s ability t ppse the MNCs frm destrying seed rights is depended n the farmers willingness t strngly defend their seeds. KESSFF/ESAFF t expse Seed Traders Assciatin (STA) a netwrk f private lbbyists are funded by UPOV and ARIPO

18 Mass Media & Advcacy. Mass media:- Televisin. Radi. Newspapers:- T prmte public debate and change cmmunity plicies & nrms. T put pressure n plicy makers by mbilizing cmmunity grups and imprving cverage f seeds issues.

19 END. ASANTE SANA. Thank yu!!!