Sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity

20 - 22 September 2013. Basel, Switzerland. This forum was organized by the European Coordination: Let's Liberate Diversity (EC-LLD) with ProSpecieRara in cooperation with partner organizations in Switzerland, including SwissAid, Bern Declaration, Vogelwarte Sempach, Kleinbauern-Vereinigung Schweiz, Sativa Rhienau AG, IP-Suisse and SAG.

This year the forum devoted special attention to practices - 'from planting to plate' -which contribute to the sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity as outlined in the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

Issues addressed in the workshops included:

• 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 was addressed as well.

European seed legislation

• "Main demands of the Réseau Semences Paysannes concerning the proposal of the European Commission on the new regulation on the marketing of seeds, plant health and controls"
• Also the document on European seed varities by Gebhard Rossmanith
• "Demands of an alliance of German organisations in the fields of agricultural diversity, nature conservation, consumers, organic agriculture and organic seed supply."
• Contribution of the European Coordination Via Campesina to the 2013 Let's Liberate Diversity Forum on the "smarter rules for safer food" package 
• The Rete Semi Rurali's (Rural Seed Network) stance on the new regulations proposed by the European Commission on the marketing of plant propagation material, plant health standards and control management
• The European legislation on the marketing of seeds: a reform drafted by and for the seed industry by Kokopelli