Webinar by GOSSI and MASIPAG (6th of May 2021) – Watch the full recording here (Code: FutureOfSeeds2021! )

Presentations (PDF)

"Brief introduction to and summary of the UN World Food Systems Summit, issues and challenges"
Sylvia Mallari, People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS)

"4th Industrial Revolution and Corporate capture on Food System: Impact on farmers’ rights and livelihood"
Kartini Samon, Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN)

"Open Source Seeds as a tool to strengthen Farmers’ Rights"
Jack Kloppenburg (GOSSI, Open Source Seeds Initiative)

"Farmers’ Rights and Agroecology in practice, and ways forward"
Chito Medina (MASIPAG)

Background

The current food system, characterized by being unjust, inequitable and unsustainable has wreaked havoc among rural communities and the poor sectors of the society leaving them hungry and resource-poor. In the advent of the Covid19 pandemic, these flaws were further exposed, and has gravely affected food insecure families and the lives and livelihood of farmers and food producers across the globe.
The call for a World Food Systems Summit by the United Nations has never been more timely, given the circumstances. The summit aims to launch “bold actions” to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. However, information about the direction of the summit is said to displace farmers rights to resources such as land, seed and technologies and the initiatives of the people for a food system that reflects their needs and aspirations.
At present, the issue on seeds as common property of farmers is being entangled into a maze of policies basically preventing them from saving, sharing and improvement. As seed is integral in the food system, farmers, consumers and the rural people have much at stake in the future of seeds and the UN World Food System.
The Global Coalition of Open Source Seeds Initiatives (GOSSI) and farmer-scientist network MASIPAG will be working together to discuss and unpack the UN World Food Systems Summit, the current realities of food and agriculture and the special role of seeds and farmers in achieving a just, equitable and sustainable food systems.