Photos by Camilla Becket, Becket Films – The Seeds of Vandana Shiva
Navdanya India
Dear Defenders of Seed Freedom,
I so wish I could have been with you for this important gathering for the rights of the seed and all species, for freedom of seed which embraces freedom of farmers to breed, save, exchange sell their open source varieties, for freedom of all citizens to get food from tasty, safe, nutritious, resilient GMO free, chemical seeds.
I join you in spirit to defend Seed Freedom which is threatened by the California Seed Law. At a time when scientists recognize that we must breed and grow seeds which are diverse, have nutritious quality, and are Climate Resilient, the California law is promoting the opposite –uniformity, more toxics and GMOs, more corporate control, and more climate vulnerability.
The food related disease epidemic, climate catastrophes, the economic crises faced by small farmers are all rooted in industrial agriculture and seeds bred for industrial farming. 75% chronic diseases are food related, 50% Green House Gases come from an industrial, globalized system of food and agriculture, and unfair and unjust industrial agriculture is driving out small farmers and family farmers worldwide. In India alone, more than 300,000 farmers have been driven to suicide because of high costs of seeds and chemicals, and seed monopolies linked to GMO Bt cotton.
Seed Saving is our birthright. Saving Seeds and Biodiversity is our highest ecological duty to the Earth and Present and Future Generations.
The California law interferes in our duty to breed, save, exchange good open source seeds for the health of the planet, health of our societies, health of our children.
Gandhi had said “As long as the superstition exists that unjust laws must be obeyed, so long will seed slavery exist”.
And Martin Luther King had said “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”
We have a moral imperative to follow in the footsteps of Gandhi and King.
I greet you for 2016, wish you all strength, and send you much love from a remote corner of North East India where Navdanya is starting a new community seed bank and helping farmers go Organic.
Together as Earth Citizens, aligned with the Earth and her bountiful diversity, we will stop the expansion of toxic monocultures and monopolies.
Article
California amendment strikes nerve with Nevada County seed freedom movement
By Laura Petersen – The Union, 12 January 2016
Related Campaigns
Declaration of
Civil Disobedience against AB2470, The California Seed Law
September/October 2015
SEED SATYAGRAHA (Civil Disobedience to end Seed Slavery)
Related Events and Actions
Seed Freedom Rally
Sacramento, California – 4 January 2016
The 2015 National Heirloom Exposition – The World’s Pure Food Fair
Santa Rosa, California, USA – 8 – 10 September 2015
SOS Save Our Seeds March & Rally
San Francisco, California, USA – 6 September 2015
Seed Freedom Day against California AB2470
Finley, California, USA – 1st July 2015
SOCIAL MEDIA STREAM (NEWEST – OLDEST)
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@RachelsNews Thanks to all for a Great Day #SEEDFREEDOMRALLY #SEEDFREEDOM @occupytheseed CA State Capitol Jan 4 https://t.co/Ht911LOGgr
— K Furey (@cleanfoodearth) January 5, 2016
@BecketFilms on hand for #SeedFreedomRally in California where people are saying NO to #AB2470 and #corporatecontrol https://t.co/4e3PXaMXhE
— Jodi Koberinski (@JodiKoberinski) January 5, 2016
Why is #AB2470 bad for CA? #DavidKing #AzitaJoliea @MaherLaura #JohnPomeroy w/ Martha Guzman-Aceves, @JerryBrownGov pic.twitter.com/X7y1k9hcxL
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
'We plant #seeds to #GrowFood We plant seeds to #GrowConsciousness' #ChanowkYisrael @YisraelFarm @ #SeedFreedomRally pic.twitter.com/5ic1rOX3Mx
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
#KatFurey @cleanfoodearth warms up the crowd at #SeedFreedomRally in Sacramento CA https://t.co/efHdD89zR1 pic.twitter.com/PBjRZK1aOa
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
#MomsAcrossAmerica want Californians to know #AB2470 only delivers more & more #CorporateControl of #FoodSupply pic.twitter.com/rBEq43k9CI
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
President of #CSG reads @DrVandanaShiva's message about implications of #AB2470 CA #SeedLaw https://t.co/efHdD89zR1 pic.twitter.com/acsuqXpXNq
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
#JohnPomeroy holds message sent by @DrVandanaShiva to activists at #SeedFreedomRally https://t.co/efHdD89zR1 pic.twitter.com/ln5nAKDRDH
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
Jean from @CNPS & Karen from #SaveTheBees drove 75 miles today to attend #SeedFreedomRally in Sacramento CA pic.twitter.com/3hqmCBjpof
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
#SeedFreedomRally today in Sacramento | NO to #CorporateControl of our #Seed No to #AB2470 https://t.co/efHdD89zR1 pic.twitter.com/ulsDm4mFcB
— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) January 4, 2016
Protesting "seed slavery," group of nearly 30 speak of freedom to eat and plant what they want. #seedfreedomrally pic.twitter.com/LPFDKY7j5U
— Kaitlin Lewis KFBK (@KaitlinLewis15) January 4, 2016
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