Seed belongs in the hands of the people, not the patent holder
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Policy work is essential to advancing organic seed as the foundation of a healthy food system, and to ensuring seed remains an open, public resource. Sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter, to learn of opportunities to make your voice heard.
Seed is food. Seed is hope.
Seed is the critical first link in the food production chain, a fundamental input – and living, natural resource – that demands careful management and improvement. We believe that expanding organic seed as a community practice and commercial trade is one of the most impactful solutions to daunting problems in agriculture: changing climate, market consolidation, and pesticides in our environment. In other words, supporting organic seed can mean supporting agricultural resiliency, a healthier planet, and more choice for farmers.
State of Organic Seed
We believe healthy seed is ethical seed. Through the State of Organic Seed project, OSA is establishing a shared vision and roadmap for organic seed that avoids the negative trends of seed consolidation and privatization.
OSA engages in policy actions, discussion, and research at the national level. This includes bringing together diverse members of the organic community to identify and address barriers to breeding and growing more organic seed. We are members of the National Organic Coalition, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and Seeds & Breeds for 21st Century Agriculture Coalition.
Seed Patent Watch
Restricting people from continuing our co-evolution with plants for food security is an attack on humanity today and on future generations. We have seen, in the last 100 years, a complete shift in the management of seed as a public resource to one that is largely privatized. Organic Seed Alliance and others continue to raise the alarm about the consequences of utility patents on seed.
It’s imperative that we – the human collective – put an end to the hostile takeover of our seed.
OSA has launched the Seed Patent Watch project. Join us in advocating for policies that protect seed stewards, and in taking actions against utility patents and other restrictive forms of intellectual property rights that privatize the living, natural resource of seed.
We must take action today. For our sake, the sake of the seed, and the sake of generations to come.
