The latest from GRAIN

Sprouting Up: European farmers plan new campaign for farmers' seeds

A new, exciting and long-overdue initiative to help farmers save, use and share their seeds is taking off in Europe. In Paris, France, on 13 November, the Réseau Semences Paysannes of France and Red de Semillas of Spain organised a workshop entitled Farmer Seeds: rebuilding autonomy in Europe. The workshop was part of the seminar GMOs, patents and seed monopolies: resistance and proposed alternatives in Europe which was part of the European Social Forum.

A new, exciting and long-overdue initiative to help farmers save, use and share their seeds is taking off in Europe. In Paris, France, on 13 November, the Réseau Semences Paysannes of France and Red de Semillas of Spain organised a workshop entitled Farmer Seeds: rebuilding autonomy in Europe. The workshop was part of the seminar GMOs, patents and seed monopolies: resistance and proposed alternatives in Europe which was part of the European Social Forum.

Information Feudalism: Who Owns the Knowledge Economy?

We need more books like Information Feudalism. This important review of the history of intellectual property rights (IPRs) puts into perspective the pressure that we are all being subjected to by the push for stronger and stronger property rights over intangible assets. By “information feudalism” the authors refer to a project of visionaries that is currently being contested.

We need more books like Information Feudalism. This important review of the history of intellectual property rights (IPRs) puts into perspective the pressure that we are all being subjected to by the push for stronger and stronger property rights over intangible assets. By “information feudalism” the authors refer to a project of visionaries that is currently being contested.

When elephants fight over GMOs

As the world's attention was focusing firmly on the Cancun World Trade Organisation summit in September, an important international agreement quietly made its entry on the world stage, one which holds immense implications for developing countries. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety1, which aims to regulate trade in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), came into force on 11 September. The Protocol arrived after five long years of negotiations over intractable North-South issues that are set to continue to bedevil implementation. The tension around trade issues is highlighted most forcefully by the US move to take the European Union to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism over the EUs insistence that US exporters clearly label all GM food sold to Europe. One of the US main complaints is that Europes stance forces Africa to reject GM foods and crops.

As the world's attention was focusing firmly on the Cancun World Trade Organisation summit in September, an important international agreement quietly made its entry on the world stage, one which holds immense implications for developing countries. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety1, which aims to regulate trade in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), came into force on 11 September. The Protocol arrived after five long years of negotiations over intractable North-South issues that are set to continue to bedevil implementation. The tension around trade issues is highlighted most forcefully by the US move to take the European Union to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism over the EUs insistence that US exporters clearly label all GM food sold to Europe. One of the US main complaints is that Europes stance forces Africa to reject GM foods and crops.