International Seed Carnival

Invitation: A people to people initiative 

• International Seed Carnival and the inauguration of the Farmers’ Seed Bank  

17th April 2006- Amrita Bhoomi, International Center for Sustainable Development – Karnataka

• International Symposium on Seeds and Bio-technolgy in Agriculture:“Self-Reliance in Seeds is the Goal”

18th and 19th April 2006 – Mysore, India
Dear friends,
 
We are pleased to extend an invitation to participate in the International Seed Carnival through which the farmers Seed Bank of Amrita Bhoomi will be inaugurated on the 17th of April 2006.
17th of April is a very significant day for all those who are struggling for their dignity all over the planet. The Farmers Seed Bank will begin to function on the land of Amrita Bhoomi(Eternal Planet) on the 17th of April remembering all the peasants of the world who have given their lives in the fight, to continue the struggle for dignity. This Seed Bank is especially dedicated to Prof.Nanjundaswamy – Father of Amrita Bhoomi.
In 1993, Indian farmers started the "Seeds Satyagraha".- a non-violent fight against “Intellectual Property Rights” in agriculture asserted by transnational corporations by means of patents on living organisms- with a meeting attended by 500,000 farmers in Bangalore, India.
At the meeting Indian farmers announced their resolve to initiate an International Center for Sustainable Development as an alternative to industrial agriculture, leading to export, imposed by multinational corporations who are trying to monopolize the seed market in order to control agriculture, particularly food crops at a worldwide level.
Including India, many developing countries are being pushed towards implementing the seed laws drafted by Multinational Seed Companies, particularly by the Bio-tech companies which recognizes the right to patent genetic resources and spreading red carpet for Genetically Modified Seeds which in turn will contribute to the exclusion of small farmers from their ancestral right to re-sow, select, sort and exchange their seeds.
Hence, it is sure that the struggle to conserve and multiply our own seeds and to find a concrete solution against GMOs in Agriculture and the MNCs driven bad laws is the need of time in order to protect our Right to safe and sustainable life.
On the 18th and 19th of April 2006, ‘Amrita Bhoomi’ is also organizing an International Symposium on Seeds and Transgenics in Agriculture in Mysore – India.
The symposium is open to all the farmers, peasant women who are the traditional stewards of seeds, Scientists, Analysts and all those who are working to defend the diversity of this planet.
This Conference will bring together people (mainly from India with a significant representation from farmers organization, University Professors, Students, Journalists, Scientists, Activists, etc) from all over the world.
Considering the aims and objectives of your organization, we invite you to return to us before the 1st March, 2006 with the completed form indicating the people that will be mandated to represent your organization during the Conference and the Seed Carnival.
We request you to bring an exhibition of your seeds for displaying on the day of the Seed Carnival and donate some of your seeds to the Amrita Bhoomi Seed Bank for conservation and multiplication in the larger interest of the Karnataka farmers. We also request you to bring any traditional agricultural equipments of your region for the Farmers Agricultural Museum at Amrita Bhoomi.
We will not be able to pay the travel costs as Amrita Bhoomi is an organization which is run by people’s contribution and not funding agencies or NGOs. But, we will be taking care of logistics during the Seed Carnival and the Symposium.
We will send you more practical information once we hear from you.
For further information please contact Chukki Nanjundaswamy at amritabhoomi@yahoo.co.in. Ph:0091-80-28604737 and Fax:0091-80-28604640.Visit us also at www.amritabhoomi.org
Looking forward to hearing from you all,
 
 
Chukki Nanjundaswamy
President-Amrita Bhoomi(Eternal Planet)
International Centre for Sustainable Development
 
     
 
Daniela Comendulli
President-Stati Unity del Mondo
Italy