b'THE INTRODUCTION OF AN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS REGIME ON SEEDS AND PLANTS HAS LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A t the heart of an ongoingLEGAL FRAMEWORKS IN THE INTERESTS OF CORPORATE SEED COMPANIES.and deep battle between corporations on one side and small-scale food producers on the other is the notion that whoever controls seeds controls the food system.Green Revolution technologies that includethat it is time for governments in Africa The encroachment of corporate giantcommercial seeds and the use of chemicaland elsewhere to recognise farmer-led seed seed companies in African agriculture hasfertilisers and pesticides. Alongside privatesystems and start promoting them politically. resulted in the promotion of corporate seedsector actors, governments in the GlobalNational governments need to rethink among both large-scale commercial farmersNorth and South have played a significanttheir policies and support farmer-led seed and small-scale food producers across therole in rolling out programmes that promotesystems instead of aligning with the Green continent. Corporate seed is bred for profitintensive agricultural models based onRevolution paradigm.and seed varieties are bred primarily withthese technologies without due regard forBy actively shaping the transition large-scale monocultures in mind. Africanthe social and ecological spillovers of thesefrom industrial agriculture to agroecology, seed laws and policies are being reformedcorporate-driven approaches. governments can play a central role in to benefit corporate seed companies. TheLinked to this, the introduction of anrestructuring how our food systems function. African continent is one of the last frontiersintellectual property rights regime on seedsSmall-scale food producers are the backbone ripe for exploitation by multinational seedand plants has led to the establishmentof food systems in many African countries, companies.of legal frameworks in the interests ofand any transformation should take their The development of capitalist agriculturecorporate seed companies. This shiftneeds into account. At the same time, after World War II was characterised by thetowards the centralisation of the laws andlarge-scale commercial farms also need to continuous advancement and applicationpolicies that govern seeds marginalisesconvert to agroecology in a socially just and of new technologies for seed breeding. Thethe interests and rights of small-scale foodenvironmentally sustainable way.sole purpose of the introduction of hybridproducers. Yet, despite the growth of theThe Last Seed outlines some of these seed, excessive use of artificial fertilisers,regulated breeding and marketing seedpoints in simple and accessible terms, pesticides, and other measures was tosystem, farmer-led seed systems remain theexploring the narratives of small-scale increase agricultural productivity. Thesedominant model of selecting, preserving,food producers alongside the industrial developments were institutionally reinforcedand exchanging seeds for African farmers.agricultural model that attempts to overrun by the Green Revolution strategies andFarmer-led seed systems recognise andthem. The documentary is dedicated to all international treaties regulating intellectualacknowledge farmers as primary agents inthose who protect our farmers seedsoften property rights and trade in agriculturalthe agricultural sector. They include diverseunder harsh circumstances as they face products. Among these Green Revolutiontraditional seed practices that encompassthreats and the risk of being criminalised. interventions was the establishment of thein-depth knowledge of soil, weather, andIt is dedicated to the activists, civil society Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africaecological change, and deserve to beorganisations, seed savers and farmers (AGRA) in 2006, by the Bill & Melindaconserved, continued, and appreciated forthemselves and their many and diverse allies Gates Foundation and others. AGRAtheir contribution to livelihoods. Manyglobally. This film is a tribute to all these promotes agricultural development usingcivil society organisations in Africa arguepeople and their struggles.SQUAREJAN URHAHN (He/Him) coordinates the Food Sovereignty Programme of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung in Johannesburg. He mainly works on topics such as farm workers rights, the impacts of hazardous pesticides, seed ownership,and Green Revolution approaches versus viable alternatives such as agroecology.To give life Image: Vince Veras13'