Via Campesina on Farmers’ Rights at the IT PGRFA negotiations in Bali
Date:March 17, 2011
The Treaty has already fulfilled the core of its first mission, which consists of making farmers’ seeds, available to industrial firms in the North. Over 90% of its seeds originate in countries of the South. In exchange the Treaty has given itself a second mission : the sharing of economic benefits generated by industry derived from these seeds and the recognition of farmers’ rights to re-sow, exchange and sell their seeds and to protect their knowledge. (read more)
La Via Campesina’s Message to the Seed Treaty: Farmers in Resistance to Defend their Right to Peasant Seeds
Date:March 15, 2011
Press release – Via Campesina
From 14-18 March 2011, La Via Campesina delegates from Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, France, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Madagascar, and South Korea are participating in the Fourth Regular Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, also known as the Seed Treaty. We are here to present the voice of peasant seed producers around the world.
The Treaty has accomplished most of its mission to facilitate the industry’s access to seeds. But to date it has not implemented Farmers’ Rights and only proposes an illusory financing through ‘benefit sharing’, a fund made up from the proceeds of patents issuing from genetic resources facilitated by the Treaty. However we refuse this ‘benefit sharing’, as we do not recognize the industry’s continued theft and privatization of our seeds. (read press release)
