"From planting to plate"

Let's Liberate Diversity! - "From planting to plate"
20-22 September 2013
Basel, Switzerland

The Let's Liberate Diversity! Forum is an annual gathering of farmers, seed-savers and groups from all across Europe who are working on bringing agricultural biodiversity to life on farms and in gardens.

This year the forum will devote special attention to practices - 'from planting to plate' - which contribute to the sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity as outlined in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).  Issues addressed in the workshops include: participatory breeding in support of food sovereignty; internal rules of functioning for community-based seed systems; and tools for the on-farm management of agricultural biodiversity.  The long neglected issue of livestock diversity will be addressed as well.

Also "on the menu" at this year's LLD are discussions on alternative labels highlighting the added value of foods produced by methods that support agricultural biodiversity, and also on forms of direct marketing, with examples from Switzerland and other parts of Europe.

The forum's other main focus is on how European and international law affects farmers' efforts to renew the diversity of local and locally adapted crops, varieties and underutilized species on farms and in gardens.

Please register for the forum online before August 1, 2013, by clicking here.

The eighth edition of this event is organised by the European Coordination: Let's Liberate Diversity (EC-LLD) with ProSpecieRara in cooperation with partner organizations in Switzerland, including Bern Declaration, Vogelwarte Sempach, Kleinbauern-Vereinigung Schweiz, Sativa Rhienau AG, IP-Suisse, SAG, and others.