Sow your resistance

planting change, harvesting freedom

Credit: Coline Ciais-Soulhat (@l.eau.a.la.bouche.photo)

From 3 to 5 October 2024, Seeds4aAl took part in the International Farmers' Seeds Meeting (Rencontres Internationales des Semences Paysannes), held in the small town of Antibes, on the French Mediterranean coast.

Bringing together more than 500 participants, this event was skillfully organised by the French NGOs Réseau Semences Paysannes, Maison des Semences Paysannes Maralpines, Alternatives Agroécologiques et Solidaires SOL association and the European coordination Let's Liberate Diversity! (EC-LLD).

With the support of CCFD - Terres Solidaire, Antibes hosted delegations from Europe and around the world – such as Senegal, China, Palestine, Mali, Peru, Burkina Faso, Chile, Fiji, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Lebanon, and more.

The theme "Sow your resistance!" (Sème ta Résistance !") carried three days of international exchange and mobilisation, emphasising the link between human rights and the right to seeds, in line with the DIVERSEEDPATHS project of theEC-LLD.

In this article, Seeds4All reflects on the event's highlights and shares updates and insights from our partners. To find out more, don't hesitate to check the full programme of the event, the replay of all the workshops, as well as a beautiful video looking back at the talks, stands, dances ans songs.

How to Produce High-Quality Seeds in Times of Climate Change?

The first workshop we attended brought together a panel of 4 speakers from France and Senegal.

After presenting their respective projects and problems in relation to climate change, with regard to water management and shift in sowing and harvesting periods, they involved the audience in an exchange about good practices. Here is what was gathered and recommended:

practice diversification of crops, species and varieties;
chose plant varieties grown in regions with climatic conditions close to those expected in the next 20 to 50 years in the region in which you live;
use farmers' seeds, which are highly adaptable due to the age of its genetic heritage;
select and save your own seeds from one season to the next, to adapt them more closely to the specific growing conditions on your own land;
favour mid-altitude areas for seed production in regions affected by high heat, as alternating hot and cold temperatures are essential for plants to go to seed;
do not select on the basis of a single criterion – drought resistance, for example – in order to remain flexible in the face of the unstable effects of global warming;
select on the basis of a system of plots spread over a variety of soils, to encourage seed mixes to adapt to different conditions;
be extremely vigilant about seed storage conditions. On this subject, see the Technical Manuals on Community Seed Banks produced by EC-LLD as part of the DYNAVERSITY project;
take good care of the soil;
innovate irrigation – saving and storing water and taking inspiration from the many systems developed in agro-ecology;
focus on increasing the plant's resilience, by developing its water retention capacity or by boosting its root system – the spraying of a milk kefir-based product was mentioned as a very effective way of doing that by one person in the audience.

“Strengthening and Exchanging Practices of European and International Networks on Farmers' Seeds” - the second workshop attended gathered farmers' seed networks from different continents to get to know each other, exchange knowledge and discuss ways of working together. The perfect opportunity for us to forge new links for future collaboration!

Credit left and right image: Coline Ciais-Soulhat (@l.eau.a.la.bouche.photo); Centre image: @ EC-LLD

Farmers’ Seeds and Microbial Life

The 6 speakers on this panel represented a remarkable blend of scientific and practical considerations on the benefits and risks associated with micro-organisms, and in particular seed microbiota.

Research into micro-organisms remains limited, largely due to minimal industrial interest—hybrids designed for single-use don’t require understanding microbiotic transmission from seed to seed. However, in organic, agroecological, and peasant farming, growing awareness of their vital role has driven significant progress through practical experience and in-situ observation.

One speaker shared a compelling example of a bacterium passed down through generations of a rice variety, enabling the plants to resist a specific disease. Similarly, a microbe inherited in tomatoes seems to boost their growth.

Seed microbiota can also be pathogenic, underscoring the need for vigilance during seed selection, harvesting, cleaning, and storage. A seed’s health depends on its entire development cycle, from sowing to packaging and back again.

Treating seeds for conservation and protection against losses is an option, but in doing so, you’d run the risk of eliminating beneficial microbes, potentially creating space for harmful ones. An intriguing distinction then comes into play: treating by emptying (removing harmful agents) versus treating by filling (introducing beneficial microbes). Two strategies suited to different situations, emphasizing the need to deepen both scientific and practical understanding of soil, plant, and micro-organism interactions.

As Marie Giraud, one of the panellist, aptly noted, life hinges on symbiosis—including the collaboration between scientific research and peasant farming practices.

Associative Forum and International Seed Exchange

On Saturday 5 October, we gathered on the campus of the Lycée Public Agricole Vert d'Azur for an associative forum open to the public. To truly appreciate the vibrant beauty of this day, brimming with colors, aromas, flavors, and joyful smiles, pictures speak louder than words. Below is a selection of Coline Ciais-Soulhat (@l.eau.a.la.bouche.photo)'s stunning images.

The colorful stands showcased seeds from all over the world, including regions currently facing severe political tensions that threaten the preservation of their agricultural and seed heritage.

The Palestinian delegation from the West Bank was composed of several organisations, including family farms, which have become key players in the grassroots resistance to protect farmers' access to traditional seeds, knowledge, and land. In the image below, we see a stunning variety of beans collected and reproduced by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UOAWC).

Credit @ Adèle Violette

The forum highlighted other initiatives dedicated to preserving seeds amidst conflict and ensuring they remain in the hands of the people:

Credit: Coline Ciais-Soulhat (@l.eau.a.la.bouche.photo)

At the associative forum, Seeds4All presented a photo exhibition featuring the stories and testimonies of people we meet across Europe. We also brought seeds for distribution from the Hanim family farm in Turkey and the Zabirya farm in Ukraine.

We had the pleasure of sharing a stand with Tristan, co-founder of Apple Oak Fibre Works, Natural Dyeing Company located in Co. Clare, Ireland. Last year, we told you about Tristan and his partner Jennifer’s commitment to helping reintroduce dye plants that would meet their needs and could be produced locally.

Since March 2024, Apple Oak has also been a peasant seed house and is developing its own research and varietal selection programs. Thanks to obtaining a grant, they were recently able to start tests with forty varieties from four main species, linked to the four primary colours they need as dyers.

Tristan explained the research methodology used to select an indigo which would produce a beautiful, brilliant blue. He and Jennifer began by obtaining a dozen varieties from gene banks and, last spring, proceeded to sow, grow, harvest and process the plants according to an extremely rigorous method necessary to ensure the traceability of each of the varieties tested.

The result – exhibited in Antibes in the form of a sample of silk fabrics of varying degrees of turquoise – demonstrated the diversity of colours obtained with each variety. The anecdote that Tristan liked to tell visitors was that the variety that gave the best result was gleaned from a roadside in Ireland during a collection mission coordinated by a gene bank.

Seeds of Indigo and woad, displayed at the forum by Apple Oak @ Adèle Violette

How to Use Art to Raise Public Awareness on Seeds?

Seeds4All was invited to contribute to a live programme broadcast by Radio Tout Terrain and led by Alexandra Baumgartner, looking at the artistic tools that can be used to make the complexities of seeds more accessible to the general public.

Alexandra co-created the Seed Carriers podcast with Institut Plapamco and the Let’s Liberate Diversity! network. While the project offers a rigorous documentary approach on seeds, it also incorporates sound and narrative effects, adding a poetic dimension that effectively takes listeners on a seed odyssey through time and space.

Emma Flipon, co-creator of the French podcast Cultivez la Biodiversité!, further stressed the need to find a complex balance between technicality and sensitivity when popularising the scientific issues hidden behind the erosion of cultivated biodiversity.

Seeing this balancing challenge as a way to inspire new ways of thinking, Dominique Desclaux of INRAE Montpellier initiated an artist-led residency, inviting scientists to step out of their comfort zone to approach the issues of agrobiodiversity differently.

French sociologist Zoé Beau, co-founder of Buzuruna Juzuruna, a Lebanese farm-school and heirloom seed library, spoke about Graines et cinémas. This summer tour in France combined film screenings and community gatherings around seed themes, emphasising the power of convivial exchanges—sharing seeds, meals, drinks, and ideas.

The program Sème ta résistance: A Discussion on Peasant Seeds from Radio Tout Terrain is available for listening here!

Next Let's Liberate Diversity Forum

Next year, the forum of the European Coordination Let’s Liberate Diversity will happen in Luxemburg and be hosted by the local association SEED.

SEED has been co-founded by Frank Adams, whose work and commitment we introduced to you in one of our last articles – which we invite you to read if you haven't already!

We are already looking forward to this gathering of active players in a country bordering Belgium where we have our teams. Given the political context, with trilogue negotiations between the Parliament, Council, and Commission on seed legislation reform and new GMO laws set for 2025, the Luxembourg forum will be a crucial opportunity to showcase and promote models where landraces thrive, and agrobiodiversity is both valued and shared. Will you join the movement?

Credit: Coline Ciais-Soulhat (@l.eau.a.la.bouche.photo)