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Special Event: FORTNIGHT OF ACTIONS FOR SEED FREEDOM

Seed Freedom Now!October is a very important month for Seed Freedom worldwide.

Join in! Occupy Seed! Seed Freedom now!

FORTNIGHT OF ACTIONS FOR SEED FREEDOM

Oct 2nd – Oct 16th 2012 

From 2nd October (Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary), to 16th October (World Food Day) the Global Alliance for Seed Freedom is planning intensive actions to create a global citizens’ response on the issue of Seed Freedom that we hope will act as a wake up call for citizens and the government. Gandhi had said, “as long as the superstition that unjust laws must be obeyed exist, so will slavery exist”. Humanity and diverse species on the Earth are being pushed into a new form of seed slavery. In the spirit of Gandhi, we therefore call for a civil disobedience against unjust laws.

Below, we outline a number of ideas for actions that we emphasize are only a starting point. We look forward to planning common strategies and actions together as the campaign for Seed Freedom becomes stronger and louder. Send us your calendar of events and actions to include in the global calendar so that together, we can mobilize the Seed Freedom campaign. 

OCTOBER 2nd, 2012 (GANDHI’S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY) 

Launch of the Fortnight for Seed Freedom.

(Actions continue throughout the fortnight upto 16th October) 

v  Worldwide Launch of the Global Citizen’s report on Seed Freedom.

The report has been jointly prepared by over a 100 groups, networks and organizations. In India, the report will be released by Navdanya at Bhoomi, The Earth Festival on 1st Oct, 2012

  • October 8th – Launch of Global Seed Report and Campaign in Mallorca, Spain
  • October 9th Launch of Global Seed Report and Campaign in Rome, Italy.
  • October 12th – Launch of Global Seed Report and Campaign in Stuttgart, Germany 

v  World Wide Civil Disobedience (Seed Satyagraha actions) for non co-operation with patents and IPRs on Seeds and Seed Laws that criminalize farmer’s varieties and farmer seed saving.

Examples of Actions can be:

  • Organize Seed Swaps and Seed Saving of patented seed or “deregistered” farmer’s varieties.
  • Organize protests, marches and gatherings at offices of seed multinationals, patent offices and local government bodies.
  • Declare a Seed Freedom Zone within your house, institution, village, municipality or country, which does not recognize patent on seed.
  • Send a petition to your regional and national parliament to undo laws that violate seed freedom.
  • Invite others to join the Alliance for Seed Freedom by signing the seed freedom declaration. (Attached)
  • Oct 2nd – Protest Demonstration for Seed Freedom in Delhi.
  • Oct 2nd – Young farmer’s rally in Bangalore.
  • Oct 3rd – Seed Freedom march by women farmers and workshop with global women leaders with defense of the seed including Francis Moore Lappe, Winona Laduke in Dehradun, India.
  • Oct 9th – Public Meeting and Campaign for Seed Freedom in Rome, Italy.
  • Oct 11th – Screening of film on Seeds and Seed Multinationals by Colabora with a talk by Vandana Shiva in Stuttgart, Germany.
  • Oct 12th – Food Security Conference organized by Bread for the World in Stuttgart, Germany.

OCTOBER 16TH, 2012 (WORLD FOOD DAY)

Actions for Seed Freedom and Food Freedom

Examples of Actions will be

  • Organize a workshop/conference, rallies, marches, gatherings to create awareness about the links between Seed Freedom and food freedom and seed sovereignty and food sovereignty.
  • Organize dinners, lunches and picnics within your family, community or institution sourcing ingredients from farmers who are saving and using open source organic seeds creating awareness and an understanding on the links between seed, food and health.
  • Oct 16th – Vasundhara – A national gathering of seed keepers and organic farmer to celebrate 25 years of seed freedom and food freedom and plan actions for the next 25 years in Dehradun, India
  • October 16th – Freedom Meal organized by Navdanya at the Organic Café in Delhi.

 

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