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Seed Sovereignty | Svalbard, Navdanya, and Vavilov Centers

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Navdanya logo represents unity of seed saving and plant breeding Sustaining agrobiodiversity CONSERVATION WORKS BEST AS LIVED EXPERIENCE Devon G. Peña | Seattle, WA |March 31, 2014 The struggle over the control of seed stocks did not start with the advent of modern agriculture at mid-20 th C. The Romans built granaries from rough-hewn granite and guarded their wheat, rye, barley, and seed stores for a reason ( Rickman 1971 ). The Colhua Mexica raided the seed dispensaries of Azcapotzalco after burning the codices in the libraries of the tyrant Maxtla when they first achieved independence from their Tecpanec oppressors in a revolt led by Tlacaélel ( León-Portillo 1963 [1990] ). Today, a handful of global biotechnology corporations and their philantrocapitalist allies are seeking an oligopolistic level of global control over seed stocks. This is once again pushing the frontiers of the struggle over seed into an extraordinary period of conflict that will redefine the nature of our collec...
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GEO Watch | Vandana Shiva responds to The New Yorker

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Vandana Shiva Photo by Sander de Kraker Moderator’s Note: The August 25 issue of The New Yorker magazine included an article by Michael Specter attacking Vandana Shiva and her “fiery opposition to globalizatioand…genetically modified crops”(GMOs). Specter’s pro-GMO piece is a colonialist hack job that reminds me of Rudyard Kipling, writ: when he describes Indians as having “skin the color of burnt molasses and the texture of a well-worn saddle”, as if such a statement reflected anything other than an underlying sense of superiority and distant ‘exoticizing’ observation.   At best, Specter’s New Yorker report is what one colleague described as “meretricious” i.e., apparently attractive but having in reality no value or int egrity. I eagerly post Vandana Shiva’s own detailed response to Specter, which was posted earlier today to Seed Freedom and other websites. Seeds of Truth – A response to The New Yorker Dr. Vandana Shiva (A response to the article ‘Seeds of Doubt’ by Michael S...
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Maize Culture | Costa Rican Government Decrees Corn as Cultural Heritage

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Leyenda de origen.  Source: Radio Luzmar Declaration includes traditions, agriculture, customs, ideas, flavors and colors TRANSGENIC PLANTINGS ARE UNRESOLVED THREAT Devon G. Peña | Seattle, WA | July 28, 2014 We are all familiar with the idea that many ethnic and indigenous communities self-identify as “corn cultures” in the Americas. The most familiar case is that of Mexico since ancient civilizations proclaimed themselves to have arisen from maize. Indeed, the Mayan creation stories include the poetic account of how first woman and man are molded from white and yellow corn plants. One eloquent proponent of the concept of Mexico as a corn culture is Roberto Rodriguez whose doctoral studies focused on Centeotzintli, the traditional environmental knowledge and ritual practices associated with maize as a sacred plant. Lauren Baker – in a fabulous new book, Corn Meets Maize – is another scholar who observes that in indigenous communities, the cultivated fields of maize constitute a ...
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