FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND RIGHTS TO SEED

Climate changes and ecological sustainability in agriculture and food production in Serbia, the region and Southeastern Europe : proceedings, (pp. 201-212)

AUTHOR(S) / АУТОР(И): Gordana Đurić1,2, Gvozden Mićić2, Danijela Kondić1,2, Ivana Radović3, Nikola Mićić2,4

1 Faculty of Agriculture, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2 Foundation Alica, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, 4 Scientific Fruit Growing Society of Republika Srpska, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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DOI: 10.46793/MAK2025.201DJ

ABSTRACT / САЖЕТАК:

Food sovereignty is the human right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and the right of people to define their own food and agriculture systems. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. In contrast to food security, which focuses on ensuring that enough food is available, food sovereignty emphasizes control over food production and distribution by local communities. Shifting the focus from food security to food sovereignty essentially represents a reconnection between nature, food, and people. The right to seeds is at the basis of each community’s food sovereignty, what is possible to achieve only in the system of farmers’ seeds. Farmer seed systems are a critical contribution to food sovereignty and farmers’ rights. For over 10.000 years, people have freely saved, selected, exchanged, and sold seeds, using and reusing them for sowing and food production. The farmers’ seed system is defined by the long-standing continuous renewal and free distribution of seeds and knowledge among people. Seeds are gifted, shared, or traded in informal and formal markets. These seeds are more resilient to climate change, pests, and pathogens, and they also ensure a more diverse food system and a dynamic global ecosystem. Today, farmers’ rights to seeds, crucial for their survival, are seriously threatened and are in decline worldwide. These seed systems are undermined by inadequate legislation and insufficient support from governments and public research, primarily as the result of a protected seed market based fundamentally on intellectual property rights and trade agreements. Farmers’ seed systems are vital for preservation of plant genetic diversity of all agricultural crops. It is increasingly expected that global climate change, combined with other factors, will significantly alter this agricultural biodiversity. Broad efforts will be needed to help reduce the climate vulnerability of current agricultural production systems and building more resilient and adaptive agroecosystems. The farmers’ seed system and the associated traditional agricultural practices are key factors for adaptation.

KEYWORDS / КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ:

Plant genetic resources, Adaptation, Resilience, Farmers’ rights, UNDROP

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

The research is a part of the project „Strengthening the capacities of CSOs and other local stakeholders for better conservation and use of plant genetic resources in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ which is financially supported by FAOREU (2024-2025) and the project „School of Agroecology – a new approach in agriculture and food system“ financially supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Srpska (2023-2024), both implemented by Foundation Alica, Banja Luka (BIH).

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