Top 10 agribusiness giants: corporate concentration in food & farming in 2025
Gulf investors in, locals out: Pakistan’s corporate farming agenda
Solidarity, not exploitation: we stand with food workers from farm to table
Izwi neTarisiro  Zimbabwe's Citizens Jury-image
Izwi neTarisiro  Zimbabwe's Citizens Jury-image

Izwi neTarisiro  Zimbabwe's Citizens Jury

by Elijah Rusike | 1 Oct 2003 Seedling - October 2003

As Zimbabwe struggles with economic hard times and land reform problems, its farming sector is in disarray. A citizen's jury was held in a bid to improve the quality and relevance of policies that affect smallholder farmers. At a time when GM crops are being billed as the road to food security for Africa, Zimbabwes citizens jury showed that for many farmers, seed of any kind is only one of a large number of factors that affect their ability to feed their families.

As Zimbabwe struggles with economic hard times and land reform problems, its farming sector is in disarray. A citizen's jury was held in a bid to improve the quality and relevance of policies that affect smallholder farmers. At a time when GM crops are being billed as the road to food security for Africa, Zimbabwes citizens jury showed that for many farmers, seed of any kind is only one of a large number of factors that affect their ability to feed their families.

Interview with Francisca Rodriguez - Via Campesina's seed campaign-image
Interview with Francisca Rodriguez - Via Campesina's seed campaign-image

Interview with Francisca Rodriguez - Via Campesina's seed campaign

by | 1 Oct 2003 Seedling - October 2003

Francisca Rodriguez is part of the international coordination commission of Via Campesina, an international movement which coordinates peasant organisations of small and middle-scale producers, agricultural workers, rural women, and indigenous communities from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

Francisca Rodriguez is part of the international coordination commission of Via Campesina, an international movement which coordinates peasant organisations of small and middle-scale producers, agricultural workers, rural women, and indigenous communities from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

Seed security for Africa's farmers-image
Seed security for Africa's farmers-image

Seed security for Africa's farmers

by Fulvio Grandin | 1 Oct 2003 Seedling - October 2003

The World Food Summit of June 2002 was a catalytic event the Africa Biodiversity Network (ABN). Our frustrations with government and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's support for the genetic manipulation of agriculture inspired the ABN to get organised to represent and support sustainable practices for food security. ABNs position was clear: seed and food security are inseparable for small-scale farmers throughout Africa, as the informal agricultural sector is largely dependant on an informal seed sector for its genetic resources.

The World Food Summit of June 2002 was a catalytic event the Africa Biodiversity Network (ABN). Our frustrations with government and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's support for the genetic manipulation of agriculture inspired the ABN to get organised to represent and support sustainable practices for food security. ABNs position was clear: seed and food security are inseparable for small-scale farmers throughout Africa, as the informal agricultural sector is largely dependant on an informal seed sector for its genetic resources.

Seeds of a new misery-image
Seeds of a new misery-image

Seeds of a new misery

by Roger Gbegnonvi | 1 Oct 2003 Seedling - October 2003

As soon as he was out of prison for his crimes' of uprooting GM crops, the Frenchman José Bové went to Larzac. There he advocated civil disobedience to French farmers, in the face of continuing imposition of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the fields of agricultural globalisation. For José Bové and friends to sound the alarm in this way throughout the world, it means that the situation is serious. Do Africans who have been promised happiness at last through the use of GMOs know their fate?

As soon as he was out of prison for his crimes' of uprooting GM crops, the Frenchman José Bové went to Larzac. There he advocated civil disobedience to French farmers, in the face of continuing imposition of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the fields of agricultural globalisation. For José Bové and friends to sound the alarm in this way throughout the world, it means that the situation is serious. Do Africans who have been promised happiness at last through the use of GMOs know their fate?