Written by Lucy Ridge
La Via Campesina’s Asia Women’s Seed Gathering was my first experience of AFSA’s international work and I was immediately struck by the strong sense of community and allyship. Despite AFSA being a relative newcomer to this space (and I, of course, was a TOTAL newcomer) I was immediately made to feel welcomed and valued.
On the first two days each delegate from 11 countries each shared their experiences with food sovereignty and specifically seed sovereignty. We heard about the devastating legacy of GMO in India, the disparity between ‘on paper’ and ‘actual’ recognition of women’s rights in Nepal, and saw wonderful examples of agroecology schools, co-operatives and community groups coming together to save, grow, and share their cultural and native seeds.
We also went in-depth on the deeply problematic International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) which is often forced upon countries as a condition of free trade agreements and erodes the rights of peasants. Fighting the influence of UPOV and other international plant treaties is a priority to retain plant biodiversity and seed sovereignty!
The Korean Woman Peasant’s Association – our hosts – showed us how the fight for food sovereignty is inherently political. During the recent political chaos in Korea, KWPA has been on the streets even spending all night in the snow to protest the president! During these protests they were joined by people from across different civil society groups and citizens to form a diverse but united group.
A few delegates spoke at the Korean National Assembly: putting peasant’s rights and seed sovereignty front and centre. We also had the opportunity to visit the village of Sangju, where the Sister’s Garden collective grow vegetables, distribute produce boxes, supply local stores, and make delicious kimchi and tofu.
Overall the experience was joyful and inspiring. The women I met are kick arse, awesome peasants who are proud of what they grow, proud of their communities and deeply engaged in learning and working to make the world better for us all.
And, of course, we ate a lot of kimchi!
