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MESSAGE FROM THE Farmers’ seeds NETWORKS TO MEMBER GOVERNMENTS OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE INTERNATIONAL TREATY ON PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES (ITPGRFA) meeting in Rome 5-9 October 2015

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September 30, 2015

We want to tell you that you are in the process of destroying the Treaty (planttreaty.org). It is organising the theft of our seeds and our knowledge. We can no longer continue to give them to researchers and other prospectors that come and collect them in our fields, to then put them in the gene banks under the auspices of the Treaty. As long as you do not ban all bio-pirated patents, as long as farmers do not have a right to keep, use, exchange and sell seeds from their own harvests, then we will not collaborate with research and gene banks that serve the multinational seed companies. The grains kept in [genetic resource] gene banks run under the auspices of the multilateral system of the International Seed Treaty (ITPGRFA) are our seeds: they are our inheritance from many centuries of farmers selection, and they have been collected in our fields. However we are often refused access to seeds of peasant varieties because we are not researchers. Sometimes we obtain some seeds on the condition that we do not use them for agricultural production: they can only be used for research purposes. We have stated that their conservation in cold stores is not appropriate and that they need several years of new selection before being able to give  acceptable harvests  in the   current growing conditions. However those of us who undertake the collection and safeguarding of genetic resources are forbidden to exchange or sell them to other farmers, it is usually restrained by seed laws and regulations in the majority of the countries which have signed up to the Treaty. The treaty promised equitable sharing of the profit created by the industry using our seeds for their own breeding processes . After 10 years we have not seen this, rather a shift in the opposite direction. Farmers have effectively given seeds to industry; industry never paid for them, and the little money that governments donated has not been given to peasant organisations, but has consolidated the programmes of international  research centres that are useful to industry. We gave our seeds free of charge to the seed banks, and we accept that industry uses the useful varieties. But when we use these varieties, laws in the majority of signatory countries require us to pay royalties, or forbid us to use the seeds that have come from our own harvests, asserting that they are now property of the industry. We inherited our seeds from our parents, we have looked after them carefully, selected and conserved them for future generations. We have given them in trust to protection of the Treaty along with our knowledge, as we have always been proud to share the results of our work. We thought that would protect them against their being appropriated by industrial property laws, such as plant breeders’ rights and patents. But now you say that you are going to launch the Divseek programme, to scan the genetic sequences of the resources in the gene banks so as to publish them in electronic databases. This programme was not created for us, we do not grow genetic sequences, or megabytes, and we do not need this information. But industry has already programmed the search engines and software to process all of the ‘genetic information’ and  to identify in these databases all the “genetic information” that may subsequently be patented by associating them with any characteristics that might be useful for agriculture or the industrial processing of crops.. These patents on the ‘functional units of heredity’ are already legal in many countries and they will prevent us from keeping the opportunity to grow our seeds, the very seeds that we gave free of charge to the gene banks run under the auspices of the Treaty. We had a period of dialogue with the Treaty. But despite the Governing Body’s decisions in Bali in 2011 and in Oman in 2013, spaces for dialogue closed up, preventing us from participating in working groups or expert consultations in an efficient and formalized manner that respects our organisational autonomy. Peasants organisations that are working in their fields to implement articles 5 and 6 of the Treaty, on in situ conservation and the sustainable use of seeds, and those that fight for the implementation of article 9 on Farmers’ Rights are always considered as ‘observers’, with the same status as academics or journalists, while they are the main actors and on the front line of managing the very plant genetic resources that the Treaty defends! Yet Industry is courted and imposes its own solutions. As long as the Treaty is not reformed to fully apply articles 5, 6 and 9, we will continue to create our own multilateral exchange system between peasants.  We are calling on governments to support our movement which  is at the basis of Food Sovereignty.   governments to support our movement,  based on the principles of Food Sovereignty.   Farmers Organizations (and gardeners) / Organisations paysannes (ou jardinières)/ Organizaciones Campesinas (y jardinieras)  

  1. La Via Campesina
  2. MAELA, Movimiento Agroecologico de LatinoAmerica y Caribe
  3. COASP, Comité ouest africain des Semences Paysannes
  4. International Indian Treaty Council (adding Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Seeds)
  5. FIMARC Fédération Internationale des Mouvements Adultes Ruraux Catholiques
  6. World Forum of Fisher Peoples
  7. Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance
  8. Urgenci International Community Supported Agriculture network
  9. US Food Sovereignty Alliance
  10. European Coordination Via Campesina
  11. African Centre for Biodiversity, South Africa and Tanzania
  12. AJAC LUKAAL, l’Association des Jeunes Agriculteurs de Casamance “Plantons”, Sénegal
  13. All Nepal Peasants’ Federation
  14. All Nepal Youth Peasants’ Federation
  15. ANAFAE, Asociación Nacional de Fomento a la Agricultura Ecológica, Honduras
  16. ANAMURI, Asociación Nacional de Mujeres Rurales e Indígenas, Chile
  17. ANMI, Asamblea Nacional de Mapuches de Izquierda, Chile
  18. Arche Noa, Austria
  19. Articulação de Povos Indígenas do Brasil-APIB/Brasil
  20. Articulação Pacari de Plantas Medicinais do Cerrado/Brasil
  21. Articulação Rosalino de Povos e Comunidades Tradicionais do Norte de Minas, Brasil
  22. Asamblea Nacional Mapuche de IzquierdaANMI/Chile
  23. Asociación Nacional de Fomento a la Agricultura Ecológica-ANAFAE/ Honduras
  24. Asociación Nacional de Mujeres Rurales e IndígenasANAMURI/Chile
  25. ASPSP Association de Producteurs de Semences Paysannes, Senegal
  26. Associação Estadual dos Pequenos Agricultores Catarinenses-AEPAC/Brasil
  27. Associação Estadual dos Pequenos Agricultores de Rondonia//Brasil
  28. Associação Estadual dos Pequenos Agricultores do Espírito Santo/Brasil
  29. Associação Estadual dos Pequenos Agricultores do Piauí/Brasil
  30. Associação Estadual dos Pequenos Agricultores Familiares de Minas Gerais//Brasil
  31. Associação Estadual dos Pequenos Agricultores  da Bahia/Brasil
  32. Associação Nacional da Agricultura Camponesa-ANA/Brasil
  33. Associação para o Desenvolvimento da AgroecologiaAOPA/Brasil
  34. Associación de Trabajadores del Campo – ATC/Nicarágua
  35. Associazione Rurale Italiana
  36. Bangladesh Adivasi Samity, Bangladesh
  37. Bangladesh Kishani Sabha, Bangladesh
  38. Bangladesh Krishok Federation, Bangladesh
  39. BEDE
  40. Bhartiya Kisan Union, India
  41. Bio Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso
  42. Campaña Semillas de Identidad, Colombia.
  43. CCPA, Cadre de Concertation des Producteurs d’Arachides du Sénégal
  44. CENESTA Centre for Sustainable Development and Environment, Iran
  45. Centro Internazionale Crocevia, Italia
  46. Çiftçi Sendikaları Konfederasyonu (Çiftçi-SEN) Turkey
  47. Coalición nacional de Redes y organizaciones Ambientales (CONROA) Honduras
  48. Comissão em Defesa dos Direitos das Comunidades Extrativistas (CODECEX). Brasil
  49. CONAMURI Organización de Mujeres Campesinas e IndígenasParaguay
  50. CONAPROCH, Confederación Nacional  de Pequeños Productores, Chile
  51. Confederación Nacional de Asociaciones Gremiales CampesinasCONAPROCH/Chile
  52. Confederación Nacional Sindical Ranquil/Chile
  53. Confederation Paysanne, France
  54. Conselho Nacional de Extrativistas-CNS/Brasil
  55. Cooperativa de Agricultura Orgânica e Produção Agroecológica-COAOPA/Brasil
  56. Cooperativa de Produção Camponesa-CPC/Brasil
  57. Cooperativa Oestebio/Brasil
  58. Coordenação Nacional Quilombola-CONAQ/Brasil
  59. COPACO-PRP, Confédération Paysanne du Congo, République Démocratique du Congo
  60. Copagen, Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage
  61. ESAFF SWAZILAND-CIEAS
  62. Fahamu Africa et le mouvement des femmes “ Nous sommes la solution”,  Afrique de l’Ouest
  63. Farmworker Association of Florida USA
  64. Ferme école Agroécologique Benkadibugu, Mali
  65. FITA Gambia
  66. FOOL AVOINE, pour une biodiversité sans OGM ni brevet, France
  67. GIPA (Groupement Inter villageois des Producteurs d’Arachides des Communes de Thiomby/Gandiaye), membre CCPA, Sénégal
  68. Gupo Semillas, Colombia
  69. Jardín Botánico de Medellín, Colombia
  70. Karnakata Rajya Raitha Sangha, India
  71. Landworkers’ Alliance , Royaume-Uni
  72. MAB Movimiento de Afectados por Reprezas Brasil
  73. MABD, Mouvement de l’Agriculture Biodynamique, France
  74. Millet Network of India, India
  75. MMC -MOvimiento de Mujeres Camponesas de Brasil
  76. Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR), Sri Lanka
  77. Movimento de Mulheres Camponesas-MMC/Brasil
  78. Movimento de Pescadores e Pescadoras Artesanais-MPP
  79. Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens-MAB/Brasil
  80. Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra-MST/Brasil
  81. Movimento Geraizeiro/Brasil
  82. MPA, Movimento dos pequenos agricultores, Brasil
  83. MST Movimiento Sim Tierra Brasil
  84. National Movement for Protection of Seed Rights, Sri Lanka
  85. Organización Boricuá – La Via Campesina Caribe/CLOC/Puerto Rico
  86. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
  87. Ranquil, Confederación Nacional Campesina  y de Pueblos originarios, Chili
  88. RECAB ANTIOQUIA, Red Colombiana Agricultura Biologica, Colombia
  89. Red de Semillas “Resembrando e Intercambiando”, España
  90. Red de Semillas Campesinas, Argentina
  91. Red de Semillas Libres de Colombia
  92. Red Nacional de Semillas Nativas y Criollas de Uruguay
  93. Rede de Agrobiodiversidade do Semiárido Mineiro Brasil
  94. Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia/Brasil
  95. Redes de semillas campesinas (RSC), Colombia
  96. RESACIFROAT, Réseau d’Appui à la Citoyenneté des Femmes Rurales d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Tchad
  97. Réseau Maghrébin d’Association de Développement Local en milieu Rural “REMADEL
  98. Réseau Semences Paysannes (RSP), France
  99. Rete Semi Rurali, Italia
  100. SEED, Luxembourg
  101. SPI Indonesian Peasant Union, Indonesia
  102. Stop OGM Pacifique, New Caledonia
  103. Torba, Association d’Agroecologie, Algerie
  104. Unión Nacional Agropecuaria de Productores Asociados-UNAPA/Nicarágua
  105. Union Paysanne, Canada.
  106. Vazanteiros em Movimento/Brasil
  107. Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum

    Support/Soutien/Apoyo

  1. Alianza Hondureña de Cambio Climático (AHCC)/ Honduras
  2. Alkhalachofa, grupo de consumo responsable, Alcala de Henares, Espagne
  3. Amigos de la Tierra América Latina y el Caribe (ATALC)
  4. APEDEMA/Brasil
  5. Articulação Nacional de Agroecologia – ANA/Brasil
  6. Assembleia Permanente de Entidades em Defesa do Meio Ambiente do Rio Grande do Sul-APEDEMA/Brasil
  7. Associação Brasileira de Agroecologia-ABA/Brasil
  8. Associação Brasileira de Estudantes de Engenharia Florestal-ABEEF/Brasil
  9. Associação Gaúcha de proteção ao Ambiente Natural-AGAPAN/Brasil
  10. Association for Farmers Rights Defense, AFRD EUFRAS Georgia
  11. Association pour le Développement Durable “ADDMedenine”, Tunisie
  12. Biowatch, South Africa
  13. Burkinature, Burkina Faso
  14. Campanha Permanente Contra os Agrotóxicos e Pela Vida/Brasil
  15. Central Única dos Trabalhadores-CUT/Brasil
  16. Centro de Apoio a Projetos de Ação Comunitária – CEAPAC/Brasil
  17. Centro de Apoio ao Pequeno Agricultor – CAPA – Núcleo Mal. Cândido Rondon/Brasil
  18. Centro de Apoio e Promoção da Agroecologia – CAPA Núcleo Verê/Brasil
  19. Centro Ecológico/Brasil
  20. Centro Hondureño de Promoción al Desarrollo Comunitario (CEHPRODEC)/ Honduras
  21. Chile Sustentable, Chili
  22. Coalición Nacional de Redes y Organizaciones Ambientales (CONROA)/ Honduras
  23. CODECEX, Comissao em Defesa dos Direitos das Comunidades Extractivistas, Brasil
  24. Comissão em Defesa dos Direitos das Comunidades Extrativistas-(CODECEX/Brasil
  25. Comissão Pastoral da Terra-CPT/Brasil
  26. Commons for Ecojustice, Malawi
  27. Community Alliance for Global Justice, Seattle WA USA
  28. Conselho Missionário Indigenista-CIMI/Brasil
  29. Convergence Malienne contre le Accaparements de Terre (CMAT)
  30. Deccan Development Society, India
  31. Diverse Voices and Action for Equality, Fiji
  32. Doman chalosse vivante, France.
  33. Enda Pronat, Sénégal
  34. Esvit-ONG, Espoir et vie pour Tous. En RDCONGO /Kinshasa
  35. Family Farm Defenders, USA
  36. Federação de Órgãos para Assistência Social e Educacional- FASE/Brasil
  37. Federação dos Estudantes de Agronomia do Brasil-FEAB/Brasil
  38. FIAN International
  39. FIAN,  Colombie
  40. Food First
  41. Foro Agrícola/Honduras
  42. Foro Ambiental Santiagueño,
  43. Friends of the Earth International
  44. Fundação Luterana de Diaconia – FLD/Brasil
  45. Instituto Cultural Padre Josimo/Brasil
  46. Instituto Gaúcho de Estudos Ambientais – Ingá/Brasil
  47. IRPAD/Afrique, Institut de Recherche et de Promotion des Alternatives en Développement,  siège Mali.
  48. JINUKUN : Réseau national pour une gestion durable des ressources génétiques , Point focal de la COPAGEN, Bénin
  49. Núcleo de Cultura e Extensão PTECA da ESALQ/Universidade de São Paulo/Brasil
  50. Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Agroecologia em Rede/Agrorede-UFBA/Brasil
  51. OTROS MUNDOS-Chiapas/Amigos de la Tierra Mexico
  52. Pacific Partnerships on Gender, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Pacific/regional coalition
  53. Sociedade Brasileira de Etnobiologia e Etnoecologia – SBEE/Brasil
  54. Terra de Direitos/Brasil
  55. Terra Nuova ONLUS, Italia
  56. Vía Orgánica, Mexico
  57. Watershed Systems Foundation

                                   Updated 3 October/ Actualización 3 de Octubre / Mise à jour 3 Octobre

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