NAFSO actively took part the seed caravan which was organized the Food Week of action from 11-16 October. From Murugandi and at Vavunia, Medawachchiya at North at the first day, Palwehera and Dambulla at Second day, at Hambantota, Tangalle, Dondra and Matara on 4th day, Galle, Ambalangoda, Balapitiya on 5th day and the final day at Fort. We were able to conduct 4 seminars in Hambantota, and Dondra as well as Pitiwella and Balapitiya among fisheries communities.

We post this message here to keep record of our engagement and solidarity on Seed and Food Sovereignty Caravan for future references.

Success of Scholarship Examination!

Punsara Kavinda,  my cousin son has passed the 2014 Scholarship examination with 183 marks and district rank of 23rd. This is a big achievement as a primary school there are another 2 children have also exceeded 150 margin at the exam. This is important achievement as village school children perform well with protecting the danger of closing down with many reasons as officials claim.
There may be hundreds of such clever students drop out from schools due to lack of opportunity to enrole even for primary education.
Punsara, we wish you all the best.
Congratulations!

People agitate In the streets: Women are in the forefront

NAFSO joined with the farmers and other groups agitated against  the seed act today. Sri Vimukthi Women were the group represented mainly and joined the struggle in Colombo with the concerned agitators.
The agitators say this is a killing to farmers and food systems in the country. The agitators expected to hand over a petition to the minister of agriculture though minister did not come to receive the petition.
Then 5 leaders went in side the agriculture ministry and handed over the petition with alternative proposals to the propoaed seed act.
We all are in the struggle and continue till the end and change the seed act.

People agitate against proposed seed act

The Movement for Protection of Right to Seed will launch a massive campaign at Pelawattha Junction Colombo protesting against the nelwy proposed Seed act of 2013.

While vehemently opposing to the proposed act, the movement has come up with an alternative Seed act as a replacement. The world is moving towards agro- ecological approach for farming. IN this context, as the use of chemicals goes down and the chemical producing companies are attempting to retain their profits with pushing the national states to introducing new policies on agriculture which help to use chemicals in the agriculture in the countries. The newly introduced seed act is one of an example of such attempts as we analyze the situation.
The right to produce traditional seeds no more after introduction of the new seed act.
Women, who happened to be the practitioners of sees producers generation to generation will not be allowed any more. This will further marginalize women and deprive their rights.
We, as NAFSO will join the campaign as this is also part of our process to build up change, Change with Reforms in fact.

Following is the poster prepared by the Movement to invite all those concern for the campaign.

Seed Act for Whom?

"Seed Bill will destroy our future"  says Rev. Mahamankadawala Piyarathana thero, convener,  Movement for protect seed rights at the press briefing held at National Library today.
"Why we need another act while there is an act in 2003" Piyarathana thero further added.
The minisyry of agriculture has enacted  the Seed Act No 22 of 2003 which is being enforced at the moment.  However, government is in a  hurry to introduce new seed act which is totally up side down the 2003 act.

Chinthaka Rajapkse, coordinator of MONLAR revealed that they totally reject the proposed seed act unconditionally and proposed an alternative seed act instead.
The Movement to protect seed right revealed that they will organize a protest  against the proposed seed act on 24th infront of Agriculture ministry at 10.00 am.

We need water: Mahaweli B zone farmers Clear and Loud their demand

The meeting held at Sevanapitiya, at Polonnaruwa on 8th was heated up when the participants, mainly farmers began to shout the discriminnation they faced due to cut off water for their paddy cultivation. 
"There is enough water to provide all the farmers. But it is only 50/ we get. This is violation of our right. Right to livelihood." Gunasekara known as petition Gunasekara shared his frustration.

"Cut off water from 40,000 farmers  is a crime and also human rights violation."
Ran Banda, farmer leader narrated. Officials can provide water for all. But they block it and we think government want to reduce fertiliser use of farmers. Ran Banda added.

"We expect speedy solution for the water issue. But when we attend legal or human rights procedures we will lose our paddy season." 
Gaminie who was the most articulated at the meeting narrated.

Rev. Bandiwewe Diyasena thero posed the question that who has the coourage to work in the oppressive environment which Brito Fernando explained.
Brito disvussed the issue of how the parliament as the legislative body, executive presidency and  non independent judiciary system oppress the people while violating the rights of people. However, there is no other way we need to take legal action and mobilze people.
Herman Kumara mediated to find possiblr actions for farmers issues for immediate actions as well as long term actions.
As immediate action people will take legal measures with the support of legal institutions.
Second the formed 5 members of action committee will attend to get signatures from the farmers to send relevant authorities and to mobilize farmers for the water and other issues face by them.

Europe-wide resistance against Syngenta’s patent on pepper

This is an interesting though disturbing message I received through my contacts and would like to share with my friends. This shows how thee MNCs affect our food our lives through patents and the ultimate motives of profit. The MNCs are ready to control trees, seeds, fruits, animals and every thing, ultimately they control the food systems, through patent rights. This is serious threat to small food producers as they may need to pay patent rights to companies, if we produce the seeds, foods for people in the future. The press release could be seen below. Herman Media release – Berne Declaration, Swissaid, Bionext and No-patents-on-seeds: Munich, February 3, 2014 Today a broad coalition consisting of 34 NGO’s, farmers’ and breeders’ organisations from 27 European countries filed an opposition to a pepper-patent from Syngenta. The company patented an insect resistance, which they copied from a wild pepper. Such patents are ethically questionable, increase the seed market concentration, hinder innovation, and consequently pose a threat to global food security. While filing the opposition in Munich, a hot pepper soup was served to the employees of the European patent office On May 8, 2013, the European Patent Organisation (EPO) granted a patent (EP 2140023 B1) to Syngenta for insect resistant pepper plants. A wild pepper plant from Jamaica was crossed with commercial pepper plants. Since the wild plant is resistant to various pests, the patented resistance already existed in nature. However, Syngenta claims the ownership to insect-resistant pepper plants, their seeds, and their fruits, although the patented plants are products of conventional breeding. Such plants should definitely not be patentable under European patent law. The opposition to the patent demands that it should be revoked. It is the first time in EPO’s history that such a widely supported opposition, featuring co-opponents from 27 member countries of the European Patent Convention, has been filed, echoing the broad disagreement with the current EPO practice. In May 2012 a resolution has been adopted by the European Parliament which “calls on the EPO to exclude from patenting products derived from conventional breeding and all conventional breeding methods.” An upcoming decision by the enlarged board of the EPO may lead to a change of the practice to grant patents on conventional plants. The revocation of the pepper-patent would be an important first step. But to bring about a much-needed and lasting change, a political decision by the administrative council of the EPO is needed. If plants can be patented, this aggravates the already existing concentration process of the global seed market with a few multinational corporations controlling the future of our food. Supposedly, patents on seeds should create an incentive for breeding new plant varieties, but they cause the opposite: Breeders can not access freely the very base material of plant breeding, such as plant varieties and wild plants. This leads to a decreasing agro-biodiversity and food sovereignty and thus to a smaller choice for consumers. For more information: Read our report Private Claims on Nature – Syngenta’s Patent on Pepper on http://www.evb.ch/en/freepepper Person to contact: François Meienberg, Berne Declaration, food@evb.ch, +41 44 277 70 04 Maaike Raaijmakers, Bionext, raaijmakers@bionext.nl, +31 30 2339 985

International Year of Family Farming-2014

There are many events taking place in the International Year of Family Farming-2014. The small scale food producers will be in the main agenda this year as IYFF as well as the Small Scale Fisheries Guidelines which will be adopted in July 2014 at COFI at FAO, Rome. These are important as the small scale food producer organizations take these up as important mobilizations of their members. I would like to quote from the IYFF web site to give precise information to you. Please see them as below; Family Farming According to the FAO, is a "way of organising forestry and agricultural production, as well as fishing, grazing and aquaculture, which is managed and conducted by a family and which largely depends on the family labour force, both men and women. The family and exploitation are linked, they co-evolve and combine economic, environmental, reproductive, social and cultural functions". When speaking of Family Farming we also refer to artisanal fishing people, shepherds, harvesters, landless day-labourers and indigenous communities. The IYFF-2014 is the first International Year preceded by a Civil Society campaign, promoted by the WRF and backed by more than 360 civil and farmers’ organisation in five continents. After its declaration by the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Civil Society promoted its celebration as a tool to obtain public policies in favour of the sustainable development of agricultural systems based on the family unit: all of this with a commitment and spirit of cooperation with the official programme of the United Nations, organised by the FAO.

Cooling the planet and Healing the mother earth in International Year of Family Farming!

In the early stages of present government, they fulfilled their one of a promises with providing Chemical Fertilizer, 50 Kg by 350 LKR which is subsidized more than 500%. Last week, I had to spend several hours and several Kms to travel to find 150 Kgs of Urea for my brother in law who is a farmer in Kalpitiya area. Unfortunately, I was not able to find it. The subsidized Urea was given 350 LKR per 50 Kg at the beginning and now, there is no Urea fertilizer to buy even with the price of 1200 per 50 Kgs. So, the paddy farmers are the biggest victims of this process. NAFSO is promoting organic fertilizer through it's sustainable agriculture program. This was a successful even the GOSL is promoting the Chemical fertilizers all around the country. But, now GOSL can not afford the subsidized chemical fertilizer any more due to financial crisis it face and not promote organic fertilizer saying those chemicals are hazardous and harmful to the health of people. Once environmental organizations and farmer organizations claimed that the kidney diseases are borne by the chemical fertilizers in Rajarata area, the experts in the authorities rejected those reports. But, now some of the health experts come to media and propagate to use organic fertilizers claiming kidney diseases. So, it is media and authorities decide how to manipulate people's mind set in a long run. However, it is our role to propagate the ideology of cooling the planet and healing the mother earth through sustainable agriculture practices in the International Year of Family Farming. Herman