Each year, 16 October is world food day. This year the food sovereignty movement in the UK will be holding a national day of action on 16 October. The idea is to celebrate the growing number of groups and community projects around the UK that are involved in food sovereignty. It is also aimed at bringing in people who are involved in the local food movement but do not necessarily realise that they are articulating food sovereignty. As WDM groups, we can use this as an opportunity to bring an international solidarity perspective to UK actions and help link up the struggle for food sovereignty in the UK to the global movement.
Food network
Seed swapping
Every town and region in the UK now has local food initiatives to link up with. From community gardens and community orchards to local food cooperatives, transition groups or anti-supermarket campaigns. This growing local food movement provides the perfect network to connect with and take action. WDM groups are vital for these movements because they provide the international context that brings the ‘think global’ to the ‘act local’.
In light of this threat, WDM groups could organise a seed swap in their local communities. This will allow people to celebrate the diversity of local seed varieties in the UK whilst acting in solidarity with those who want the right to save and swap in Africa. It will also be an action which we will add to the national food sovereignty movement’s actions across the UK.
This guide provides you with ideas on how to reach out to local food initiatives as well as ideas on actions that you could organise.
Seed sovereignty Under the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (New Alliance), big seed companies such as Monsanto and Syngenta are demanding new laws to prevent small-scale farmers from saving and swapping seeds, forcing small farmers to start paying for seeds that have traditionally been free and diverse.
Here are some options for WDM group activities:
A feast of solidarity Work with local food initiatives to hold a community meal and seed swap to celebrate the abundance of local food at harvest. Ask everyone to bring a dish of local food as well as some seeds that they have saved from this year’s plants. At the end of the meal everyone swaps their seeds. This could be in combination with a speaker event, a film night, or you could even come up with a small performance or mystica (see explanation below) to
Activism briefing | Events and outreach
Food sovereignty action pack
KEY MESSAGES •• Already, just three companies (Monsanto, Syngenta and Dupont) control 53% of the global commercial seed market. •• The UK government is colluding with multinational companies such as Monsanto and Syngenta to take control of Africa’s seeds. •• African countries are being encouraged to enact laws which stop farmers from swapping and saving seeds as part of initiatives like the New Alliance. •• This is bad news. Corporate takeover of seeds decreases the diversity of seeds available to farmers stopping them from adapt their crops according to their changing needs and increases their dependence of commercial hybrid and GM seeds (which can’t be replanted next year).
demonstrate the battle between corporate interests and small scale farmers.
Seed sovereignty lobbying Hold a seed swap outside your local MP’s surgery/ offices. This could be as practical or theatrical as you like. If you have enough people who are keen on swapping their seeds then you could hold the event with a stall for information and invite your MP to come along. You could highlight how swapping seeds could become illegal in countries in Africa through initiatives like the New Alliance. Alternatively you could stage a stunt where you dress up as small scale farmers vs corporate seed companies and have a football match. Buying or sourcing some basic seeds (like sunflower seeds) as props.
How to connect to local food initiatives/groups Depending on where you live, groups that practice seed swaps might already exist. This gives your group the perfect opportunity to get in touch and see if they want to get involved (bringing the global context to their local seed swap). There are also projects like allotments that may do more informal seed swapping but might be enthusiastic about helping out for this broader cause. It would certainly be worth asking these groups to get involved and at the very least publicising it with their networks.
•• We’re calling for a new approach to agriculture that prioritises the needs and interests of small scale farmers that feed the continent. Seed sovereignty, the right of farmers to control their own seeds is a big part of this.
Have a look around for the following groups in your area and get in touch to see if they are interested: 1. Seed swaps are often called ‘Seedy Sundays’. So look for both. 2. Local allotments 3. Community food growing projects 4. Independent wholefood shops or food cooperatives 5. Community Supported Agriculture projects 6. Community Farms 7. Food waste charities (food cycle, fair share, gleaning network) 8. Anti-supermarket groups 9. Veg box schemes 10. Community meals 11. Community orchards 12. Foraging and glut saving projects 13. Permaculture groups 14. Vegetarian society 15. Local organic farms
How to harvest and swap seeds from your garden •• First; check the plants aren’t from hybrid seeds as their seeds cannot be replanted •• For fleshy vegetables such as tomatoes, squash and melons, pick them when they are fully ripe. Scoop out their seeds and spread them to dry in a well-ventilated place. •• Beans and peas need to be left on the vine until the pods are dry and crackly. Corn should also be left to dry on the stalk until the kernels dent. •• Other types of seed may be gathered when the fruit or vegetables are fully formed, hard and “meaty.” •• Remember to collect seeds only from the most vigorous plants in your garden, and not just from the first few ripe specimens you happen to encounter. By selecting seeds from just the healthiest plants, you will – over time – select for and create a special sub-variety of these crops that are especially adapted to your backyard’s climate and soil. •• Label and store your seeds: Envelopes make good containers for storing small quantities of most kinds of seed since they can be sealed and labelled conveniently. For larger quantities, use glass jars (they take up more space than envelopes and are breakable, but you can see inside them). •• Include the following info on the seed label: Each kind of vegetable, variety of vegetable, where and when you originally bought the seed, and the month and year of the harvest. •• When swapping make sure to give tips and stories about the seeds to your fellow swapper.
Add your event to the national actions There will be a list of available actions on the UK food sovereignty website: www. foodsovereigntynow.org.uk To add your event to this list please contact ralph.allen@wdm.org.uk We will publicise this list of actions nearer the time on social media so make sure you add your event so that we can create a greater buzz around the day.
Mysticas A mystica is a form of symbolic performance or creative act of expression that is practiced by social
movements such as La Via Campesina as a way of celebrating different cultures. At large gatherings groups are encouraged to organise a performance to re-enact past events or struggles. This can be done through singing, dance, drama, symbolic act or even a football game. Organising a form of mystica might bring a flavour of the international peasant movement to your town centre.
Timing Ideally this action will be held on Thursday 16th October. However, holding your event/stunt in the week before or after will also be fine. These seed swaps will be joining other actions for food sovereignty in the UK across the country. This will include a large seed festival in London and an action by the Land Workers Alliance.
Write a blog post Don’t forget to write about your campaigning on your groups’ website after the event. Blogging on your group’s website is a great way of getting site visitors.
Some tips on blogging: •• Blog posts about stunts, protests and events tend to work best when they are written as a story in the first person perspective. •• A blog post doesn’t have to be long – a few hundred words is enough. •• Remember to upload photos to illustrate your blog post. •• If you send your blog post to WDM’s web assistant, Morten Thaysen, he will post it on the main WDM site too. His email address is morten.thaysen@wdm.org.uk
Food sovereignty resources available
Questions or ideas
Food sovereignty
If you have any questions or want to discuss or share your ideas, please contact ralph.allen@wdm.org.uk
•• Seeds of change - food sovereignty a5 booklet •• Food sovereignty introductory briefing a4 •• Food sovereignty tricky questions a4
Agribusiness •• ‘A new wave of colonialism’ a4 briefing •• ‘Stop the corporate takeover of African food’ a5 booklet •• ‘Stop big corporations slicing up Africa’ action card
The World Development Movement campaigns against the root causes of poverty. Our network of local groups and activists keeps global justice on the agenda in towns and cities around the UK. WDM’s activism team supports local campaigning. Contact us: World Development Movement, 66 Offley Road, London SW9 0LS 020 7820 4900 • activism@wdm.org.uk • www.wdm.org.uk/activism