Skip to: GB10 debrief – a week at the 10th meeting of the FAO Plant Treaty’s Governing Body

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  • By Nout van der Vaart and Bram de Jonge, Oxfam Novib Summary of GB10 plenary session and main discussions held From November 18-25, a team of SD=HS representatives participated in the 10th session of the Governing Body (GB10) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). The session, held at […]

  • New Book One hundred local food plants for improving nutrition is the title of the new book published by Oxfam, written by Gisella Cruz-Garcia, Konstantina Maria Togka, Hilton Mbozi and Bert Visser. This book will become the best friend for those who are keen to improve their nutrition, and help others to do that, with […]

  • By Nout van der Vaart, Oxfam Novib The International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV) has failed to take significant steps to expand the exception for small-scale farmers regarding the use of protected seeds for private and non-commercial use purposes. During its annual meeting in Geneva, the contracting parties did not reach […]

  • “It is one of the most interesting courses I ever took because it brought scholars and practitioners together and allowed them to interact with grassroots cases.” –Yiching Song, Farmer Seed Network in China This blog looks at the experience seven SD=HS colleagues who presented some of the case studied as ground for group work, to […]

  • “I get motivated when the farmers themselves show interest to share the knowledge they have, and when they are willing to integrate their knowledge with the knowledge we have.” Anna Sofia Asingo is a passionate advocate for farmers and their rights. With 11 years of experience working with Community Integrated Development Initiatives (CIDI), a member […]

  • “It is on the field that I realize how much of a difference there is between theory and practice.” Sahadev KC has been working in Nepal with farmers and their seeds for the past three years. He works with LI-BIRD, in the far west part of Nepal. In this region, he works in two districts […]

  • “The interest in farming and working with farmers has always been part of me, I understand it very well because I grew up as a farmer and now, I am a farmer. It’s calling for me to work with farmers.” Jeko Manata grew up in southern Zimbabwe, surrounded by agriculture and with a family background […]

  • Joseph Mwitumwa is a Seed Production and Marketing Officer with Community Technology Development Trust (CTDT) Zambia. Together with six colleagues from different countries, he participated in the Smallholder Engagement in Seed Systems course held at Wageningen University and developed in partnership with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, the Production Ecology & Resource Conservation and Oxfam Novib through […]

  • “Nearly everyone in Zimbabwe is a farmer and even those in towns still have one or two beds of vegetables on their backyards.” John Tigere works with Community Technology Development Trust in Zimbabwe (CTDT). His focus is on farming as a family business and as such he works with Farmer Seeds Enterprises to facilitate the commercialization of […]

  • “I am crazy about seeds, and I consider supporting farmers and farmers seed systems my life mission.” Since 2000, Yiching Song has been aiming to link farmer seed systems and the formal system. In 2013, she established the Farmers’ Seed Network in China (FSN) to work through Farmer Field Schools and engaged farmers through Community […]

  • “It is fascinating to make the connections between climate change, seeds systems, food systems, livelihoods, women, land, and indigenous knowledge surrounding seeds, and how they impact aspects of culture, traditions and life.” Juliet Nangamba works as a programmes manager with Community Technology Development Trust (CTDT) Zambia. She focuses on seed and food systems projects and […]

  • SD=HS work in China is lead by Farmers’ Seed Network, the team attended both COP15 and COP27 last months. They share their reflections on both events. By Xin Song, Yiching Song, Yufen Chuang COP 15 – Montreal, Canada, 7-19 December The COP15 had diverse issues, including more attention to agrobiodiversity and the first full-day “Food […]

  • By Angel Villavicencio, Saúl Povez (Fovida) and Ana Lucía Núñez (Oxfam in Peru) Evidence from around the world shows that, in countries with significant gender gaps, women are the most affected during and after disasters. Despite the magnitude of the impacts of the climate crisis, women have developed adaptation and resilience strategies that should be […]

  • Por Angel Villavicencio, Saúl Povez (Fovida) and Ana Lucía Núñez (Oxfam in Peru) Evidencias alrededor de mundo demuestran que, en países donde las brechas de género son mayores, las más afectadas durante y después de los desastres son las mujeres. A pesar de la magnitud de los impactosde la crisis climática, las mujeres han desarrollado […]

  • By Nout van der Vaart and Bram de Jonge In the week of September 19-24, an SD=HS delegation participated in the 9th meeting of the Governing Body (GB9) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA – ‘the Treaty’), in New Delhi, India. Delegates and other conference participants, meeting in […]

  • By Connie Formson, SD=HS Lead, Farmer Seed Enterprises “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead Perhaps one of the most profound experiences is the sharing of knowledge, ideas, and information among peers. During the week of 12-16 September 2022, […]

  • By Dzikamai Zingwe, Field Officer at Champion Seeds A team of Seed Production and Marketing Farmer Field School facilitators visited various potential seed buyers as part of market research survey. This took place in the frame of the Training of Trainers for Seed Production and Marketing (SPM), as it helps participants plan for a SPM […]

  • By Bernard Muradya Oxfam Southern Africa MEAL Officer Yield improvement The Seed Production and Marketing component of the SD=HS project in Zimbabwe employed the Farmer Field School model in proving technical capacity to seed growers in the four targeted districts. During the 2021-2022 farming season, a total of 15 Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) adopted seed […]

  • By Patrick Kasasa, SD=HS program manager CTDT Zimbabwe The SDHS project in Zimbabwe has made great strides in improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers through strengthening the role of smallholder farmer in the utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. This was achieved against the backdrop of political and economic turmoil that the […]

  • Participatory variety selection of cleome: integrating nutrition, local food plants and participatory plant breeding in farmer field schools Pardon Sithole, Pillar 3 lead and Manata Jeko, Pillar 1 lead at CTDT Zimbabwe People in Zimbabwe, like in any other country in Africa, are affected by malnutrition. Poor diets, socio-economic conditions and disease are to blame. […]

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