On September 9, 2023, we had the honor of participating in the Seventh Provincial Fair of Native and Creole Seeds held at “Casona Santa Rosa” in Parque Pereyra Iraola, Berazategui, Buenos Aires. During the event we shared out experience in the panel “Production, conservation and breeding of native and creole seeds”, alongside our partner organization, Minka, and UTT seeds [Land Workers Union], and the Agrarian Development Ministry of the Buenos Aires Province.
In the workshop, we discussed the actions we are undertaking from our place of belonging regarding the production, conservation, and breeding of seeds, as well as our perspectives on the current situation of seed production, conservation, and improvement. Within this context, we talked about strategies for exchange, conservation and participatory plant breeding based on local seeds, the need to highligh creole seeds as a tool for food sovereignty and sustainable development, and the challenges posed by the advancement of an increasingly concentrated seed system.
Furthermore, we discussed the role of the resolution for creole seeds and family farmers (See here: https://www.bioleft.org/en/2022/08/08/reconocimiento-a-las-semillas-criollas-y-a-la-agricultura-familiar-resolucion-31722-del-inase/) in raising awareness about creole seeds. In this sense, Bioleft emphasized the importance of extending this resolution to other actors, such as universities and organizations of smallholder farmers, to facilitate the trading of heterogeneous seeds.
We found many synergies in the experiencies shared during the workshop. We exchanged views and strategies, and highlighted the need to move towards an organized network of initiatives that allows each to enhance its efforts towards a diverse, inclusive, and open system.
