Africa's Wealth of Seed Diversity and Farmer Knowledge--Under threat from the Gates/ Rockefeller 'Green Revolution' initiative by | 13 Mar 2007
Peasant seeds are the way forward for Africa's food sovereignty [EN|FR] by GRAIN | 23 Feb 2007 BIO-IPR (1997-2009)
The end of farm-saved seed? Industry's wish list for the next revision of UPOV by GRAIN | 16 Feb 2007 Seeds The big players in the world seed industry are grumbling about loopholes in the plant variety protection system, which was the alternative to patenting that they set up in the 1960s. The Europeans want to get rid of farmers’ limited entitlement to save seed. The Americans want to restrict the exemption by which breeders have the free use of each other’s commercial varieties for research purposes. In both cases, the point is to reduce competition and boost profits. In the short term, the victims will be farmers, who will probably end up paying the seed giants an additional US$7 billion each year. But in the long run, we will all lose from the growing corporate stranglehold over our food systems. This briefing traces the recent discussions within the seed industry and explores what will happen if a plant variety right becomes virtually indistinguishable from a patent. The big players in the world seed industry are grumbling about loopholes in the plant variety protection system, which was the alternative to patenting that they set up in the 1960s. The Europeans want to get rid of farmers’ limited entitlement to save seed. The Americans want to restrict the exemption by which breeders have the free use of each other’s commercial varieties for research purposes. In both cases, the point is to reduce competition and boost profits. In the short term, the victims will be farmers, who will probably end up paying the seed giants an additional US$7 billion each year. But in the long run, we will all lose from the growing corporate stranglehold over our food systems. This briefing traces the recent discussions within the seed industry and explores what will happen if a plant variety right becomes virtually indistinguishable from a patent.
Impact of Bt cotton adoption on pesticide use by smallholders: A 2-year by Jean-Luc Hofs, Michel Fok, and Maurice Vaissayre: Crop Protection 25:9, September 2006, pp. 984-988) | 30 Jan 2007
January 2007 by GRAIN | 29 Jan 2007 Seedling - January 2007 "In this issue..." and introducing our two new editors, plus download the entire January 2007 Seedling here in PDF format "In this issue..." and introducing our two new editors, plus download the entire January 2007 Seedling here in PDF format
Hybrid rice in China - A great yield forward? by GRAIN | 22 Jan 2007 Seedling - January 2007 Well over half of China’s total rice-growing area of some 15 million hectares is planted with rice hybrids, making the country by far the world’s largest producer of the crop. But little is known about the impact of the switch to hybrids. Are yields higher? Are farmers better off? Is the country losing its traditional rice varieties? Are farmers becoming dependent on the seed companies? GRAIN talked to rice farmers in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan to find out. Well over half of China’s total rice-growing area of some 15 million hectares is planted with rice hybrids, making the country by far the world’s largest producer of the crop. But little is known about the impact of the switch to hybrids. Are yields higher? Are farmers better off? Is the country losing its traditional rice varieties? Are farmers becoming dependent on the seed companies? GRAIN talked to rice farmers in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan to find out.
The Great Yield Forward? A photo essay on China's hybrid rice by GRAIN | 20 Jan 2007 In September 2006 GRAIN went to rural Yunnan and Sichuan, two of China's major rice farming areas, to interview farmers about their experience growing hybrid rice. A full report from this trip is available in the January 2007 issue of Seedling: (http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=455) Photos in this photo essay are taken by GRAIN staff, with consent of the subject in most cases, and are free of copyright. You can download the PDF version of the essay In September 2006 GRAIN went to rural Yunnan and Sichuan, two of China's major rice farming areas, to interview farmers about their experience growing hybrid rice. A full report from this trip is available in the January 2007 issue of Seedling: (http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=455) Photos in this photo essay are taken by GRAIN staff, with consent of the subject in most cases, and are free of copyright. You can download the PDF version of the essay