Oxfam Novib and South Centre organized an event on patents and Digital Sequence Information on the side of the Eighth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (FAO Treaty) that took place in Rome from November 9 to 16. With three presentations, bringing in a […]

From 11-16 November 2019, the Eighth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (a UN-FAO Treaty) took place in Rome. One of the positive outcomes is that the process of collecting experiences and options for the implementation of Farmers’ Rights will be continued with stronger […]

During the 8th session of the Governing Body on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Oxfam hosted a virtual reality (VR) experience in the FAO atrium. From 11-16 November 2019, all participants of the GB meeting and all visitors of the UN FAO building were invited to join the Community […]

‘Patents on plants: Is the sellout of genes a threat to farmers and global food security?’ wonders Die Welle’s Tim Schauenberg in this article. Among others, Schauenberg quotes SD=HS’ policy advisor Bram de Jonge, also co-author of the research report on the ‘Status of patenting plants in the Global South‘: Bram de Jonge from Oxfam […]

Read the full account on the lessons learned while establishing a Farmer Seed Enterprise: Champion Farmer Seeds Cooperative in Zimbabwe. The involved practitioners reflect on the assumptions made at the start of the program, and how the experience can guide further development of different models of Farmer Seed Enterprises. Go to publication

The Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security program works to increase access to and sustainable use of plant genetic resources as a key condition for food and nutrition security under conditions of climate change. Food and nutrition security are impeded and increased by several interrelated factors. That is why the SD=HS program works through an integrated approach. This […]

In the last week of May, all colleagues from Oxfam and partner organizations involved in the SD=HS program 2019-2022, met in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Inception and Global Methodological workshops were opened by Oxfam Novib director Michiel Servaes and by a panel discussion with participants from the secretariat of the Treaty on Plant Genetic […]

The registration of farmers’ varieties in national and regional seed catalogues – as objects of seed regulation – has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years, at local, national and international levels. Farmers have contributed immensely to the development, management and conservation of a wide range of crop varieties, but national seed regulations […]

Gigi Manicad (SD=HS) reflects on the crucial yet neglected position of women smallholder farmers in this interview, with the German Die Welle. The article refers to a case study from the SD=HS programme, that is featured in the “The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture” UN-report.   [I]f declining biodiversity for food […]

It’s a great honor and recognition that the work of the Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security programme is featured in “The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture” that was launched on Friday February 22. From the SD=HS work, the topic of women’s traditional knowledge for improved food and seed security under climate change is […]

Watch this video (© FAO) to learn about the main mechanisms and impact of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). SD=HS supports the Treaty and its Benefit Sharing Fund that aims to return a fair share of the profits made over plant genetic resources, back to the developing countries […]

Oxfam presents a new research paper that provides an overview of the current status of the patenting of plants in developing countries and emerging economies. To feed a growing world population and optimally adapt to the challenges of climate change, all farmers and breeders need unrestricted access to the building blocks of life. Oxfam is […]

In the Valley of Lares, located in the Peruvian Andes, peasant women and men live together with a diversity of cultivated, semi-cultivated and wild foods present in the different altitudes of the territory. This agrobiodiversity is closely linked with knowledge and the traditional practices of its inhabitants, allowing them to contribute to the conservation of […]

The SD=HS program aims for widespread impact in such a way that social, environmental and economic conditions can be enhanced beyond the context of the program. In this video, we explain the six integrated pathways that are crucial to the SD=HS methodology. The pathways mentioned are: Participatory toolkit for plant genetic resources for food and […]

This Oxfam Novib Annual Report describes the organization’s achievements and lessons learned in 2018 and 2019. It includes an overview of the Oxfam Novib Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security-program, that former Oxfam Novib director Farah Karimi describes as: ‘The program demonstrates Oxfam Novib at its best: we stand with people during difficult times in their history, believing […]

On October 13, on the Dutch festival for World Food Day, SD=HS opens a photo exhibition called ‘Guardians of Seeds’. It will be a public event and you can order free tickets here.  Photographers Sacha de Boer and Ilvy Njiokiktjien travelled to Zimbabwe, Laos and Peru, to meet women farmers and participants of the SD=HS program. […]

Based on several years of Farmer Field School seasons in Zimbabwe, Peru, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Myanmar, the SD=HS program developed an improved manual to guide the Training of Trainer courses. These courses prepare trainers to facilitate a season of Farmer Field School activities on Participatory Plant Breeding. Topics include the organisation of a Farmer […]

Dutch photographer and former news anchor Sacha de Boer visited the SD=HS program in Lao P.D.R. She portraited farmers and her series will be exhibited in the Netherlands and at international and global conferences. During her visit to Lao P.D.R., SD=HS Program Leader Gigi Manicad was interviewed. In this video, she explains the principles of […]