Respected environmental activist and philosopher Dr Vandana Shiva has authored a report calling for more freely available seeds to improve food sovereignty and security and democratise food production; the new report, Seed Freedom follows on from last year’s paper The GMO Emperor has No Clothes. The report was written in conjunction with over a hundred other sustainable farming and food democracy organisations.

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Delhi-based Shiva, lead author of Seed Freedom: A Global Citizen's Report, said her work was conducted in response to the "serious risk to the future of the world's seed and food security," caused by patenting laws which limit growers’ access to seeds, either by copyrighting genetically modified seeds as new organisms or protecting a certain breeding method, which prevents the saving and exchange of seeds. Dr Shiva claims that, in addition to the food security implications of this trend, locally adapted and culturally important crop varieties are suffering as a result of the laws’ application and trends within global agriculture.

Shiva maintains that native varieties of seeds represent a key means of addressing biodiversity loss and withstanding the effects of climate change. The paper, released at the beginning of the month attempts to inspire individuals to put pressure on governments to end patents on seeds and seed laws which are seen as barriers to attaining global food security.

Seed Freedom provides examples of movements fighting for seed freedom around the world as well as information on local varieties of crops.  

Around the world, policy organisations are increasingly seeing the benefits of a more democratic approach to food production. Last year UN food and farming organisations produced reports on Agroecology and the Right to Food and In Brazil the country’s Court of Justice ruled that farmers did not have to pay royalties payments on GM seeds. In June, following a ruling by a regional court, the Brazilian Court of Justice declared that Monsanto’s business practices violated the country’s Cultivars Act and that an estimated five million farmers are now eligible for restitution of royalties payments made since 2003.   

On unveiling the report, the release of which was timed to coincide with India’s Bhoomi sustainable farming festival, Dr Shiva said "It is time that the regimes world over understand that intellectual property rights and patents on seeds are damaging the farmers and the farming sector. Government must not restrict the use of native seeds." The festival’s theme this year is ‘Women in Defence of Earth.’

The active agriculturalist plans to take her message on the road with her; she will argue against copyrights on seeds in Spain, Rome, Paris, Stuttgart, Turkey and go before the United Nations over the coming months. Dr Shvia has provided staunch criticism of the current forces behind food production, which have shaped agricultural thought and practice; she said in 2010, "Leaving the control over seeds to multinational corporations means leaving decisions on choice in the food market and the way food is produced to those whose first aim is to make a profit, not provide food security."

From the beginning of the month up until World Food Day on 16th October, Shiva’s organisation Navdanya will be embarking on a drive to raise awareness of seed freedom.

In Europe, seed freedom organisation No Patents on Seeds handed a petition of 70,000 signatures against patenting living organisms to the president of the European Parliament last month. Speaking in September, organisation spokesperson Ruth Tippe, demanded effective action be taken against the monopolisation of resources which are needed for food production. She said, “European patent law is at a crossroads. The European Parliament has to take the initiative to safeguard free access to seeds and breeding materials. Large corporations have to be prevented from taking control over our natural resources, required for our daily lives.”

Over the next few months, the European Parliament will make a decision on the so-called European Unitary Patent. The Commission is also expected to publish a report on the issue of patenting seeds and animals, which should see further discussions taking place within the European Parliament.

No Patents on Seeds, claims the new law should uphold the interests of small and medium sized breeders, farmers and consumers, rather than favouring major transnational players as is currently the case. Earlier this year, the German Bundestag and the European Parliament both adopted positions against further patenting of conventionally bred plants and animals.

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