The Global Coalition of Open Source Seed Initiatives (GOSSI) is an international network that envisions a world in which agricultural seeds are free to be used, saved, shared and bred by anyone. Members are developing or promoting open-source strategies to protect seeds as commons in a global context characterised by increasing intellectual property rights (such as patents and plant breeder rights) and other legal restrictions on seeds (such as certification, registration, etc.). The presenters are members of the GOSSI network and represent a variety of international open source seed and participatory breeding initiatives that share the objective of increasing the diversity of both cultivated seed and breeders.
“The Future of Seeds in the UN World Food Systems Summit” a Masipag Webinar
GOSSI – Global Coalition of Open Source Seed Initiatives – and the Philippine farmer-scientist network MASIPAG are jointly organizing a webinar to explore critical issues in the forthcoming UN World Food Systems Summit.
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 farmerscientist 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.
Objectives:
a. To inform the participants about the current food system, the key issue on seeds and its central importance to the future of food / agricultural systems;
b. The topic (on UN Food Systems Summit) is broader than seeds / open source, as such the participants will gain perspective on the larger issues in which seeds / open source are embedded;
c. To make this webinar part of the build up activities of civil society organizations (CSOs) to the parallel activity initiated by MASIPAG together with its other partners in the Philippines on National People’s Food Systems
Summit and international efforts as well under the Global People’s Summit on Food Systems.
Once you have submitted your registration, a confirmation message will be sent to you and a zoom link to the webinar will be provided.
Please forward this message to anyone or any listserve you think may be interested in learning more about seed policy in the UN Food Systems Summit.
A poster and an agenda are attached. Please join us on May 6 at 12:00 GMT! You can register for our webinar at bit.ly/FutureOfSeeds.
