Let’s Liberate Diversity! Annual Forum 8th edition – Basel, Switzerland «From planting to plate»
20th to 22nd September 2013
The Let’s Liberate Diversity! Forum is an annual gathering of farmers, seed-savers and groups from all across Europe who are working on bringing agricultural biodiversity to life on farms and in gardens. The eighth edition of this event is organised by the European Coordination: Let’s Liberate Diversity (EC-LLD) with ProSpecieRara in cooperation with partner organizations in Switzerland, including Bern Declaration, Vogelwarte Sempach, Kleinbauern-Vereinigung Schweiz, Sativa Rhienau AG, IP-Suisse, SAG, etc.
This year the forum will devote special attention to practices – ‘from planting to plate’ – which contribute to the sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity as outlined in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). Issues addressed in the workshops include: participatory breeding in support of food sovereignty; internal rules of functioning for community-based seed systems; and tools for the on-farm management of agricultural biodiversity. The long neglected issue of livestock diversity will be addressed as well.
Also «on the menu» at this year’s LLD are discussions on alternative labels highlighting the added value of foods produced by methods that support agricultural biodiversity, and also on forms of direct marketing, with examples from Switzerland and other parts of Europe.
The forum’s other main focus is on how European and international law affects farmers’ efforts to renew the diversity of local and locally adapted crops, varieties and underutilized species on farms and in gardens.
Sessions will be devoted to briefings on the latest developments with the ITPGRFA, as well as on industrial property rights managed by the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the European Patent Office (EPO), and the current review of the European legislation on the marketing of seeds, plant health and controls. In addition, details will be provided of progressive initiatives, such as attempts to register «seed exchanges» on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage – an area where Switzerland has shown particular commitment.
As a national case study from the conference hosts, the Swiss laws on farmers’ rights or on the marketing of seeds of special varieties – including local, old and niche varieties – will be assessed.
The program also includes a tour of the ProSpecieRara demonstration garden, field trips, a fair of farmers’ products and much more ….
More information: http://www.lldforumch2013.liberatediversity.org/index.html