As members of GOSSI (the Global Coalition of Open Source Seed Initiatives), from Bioleft we invite you to participate in “The future of seeds at the United Nations Food Systems Summit”, the open webinar that will be launched on June 6 May at 9:00 a.m. (GMT-3) GOSSI and the network of farmers-scientists MASIPAG, where the United Nations World Summit on Food Systems, the current realities of food and agriculture and the special role of seeds and farmers in achieving fair, equitable and sustainable food systems.
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 have 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 timelier, 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 people’s initiatives for a food system that reflects their needs and aspirations.
At present, the issue of seeds as a common property of farmers is being entangled into a maze of policies, preventing them from saving, sharing, and improving. As seeds are 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.
Zoom credentials:
The Future of Seeds in the UN World Food Systems Summit
May 6, 2021, 9:00 AM (GMT-3)
http://bit.ly/zoomFutureOfSeeds
Meeting ID: 889 9292 6585
Passcode: Seeds2021
Only those who registered in the following registration link will be accepted in the session: bit.ly/FutureOfSeeds.
There will also be a live stream on the MASIPAG Facebook page (fb.com/MASIPAGFarmers)