Defend Seed Sovereignty with Megan Westgate of Non-GMO Project and Loren Cardeli of A Growing Culture

This conversation explores the critical issues surrounding seed sovereignty, the threats posed by UPOV, and the collaborative efforts to promote food integrity and indigenous seed saving through the 'Free the Seed' campaign. Megan Westgate of Non-GMO Project and Lauren Cardeli of A Growing Culture talk about how they came to work together on this issue and share insights on the importance of biodiversity, community-led seed libraries, and the power of storytelling in transforming the food system. They then share how you can get involved in the campaign and join their learning journey. Key Topics:UPOV treaty and its impact on indigenous seed savingFarmers being put in jail for saving their own seedsThe importance of biodiversity and seed diversityHow Non GMO Project and A Growing Culture came together to build this campaignThe difference between seed vaults/morgues and community-led living seed libraries4 sessions of the Free The Seed learning journeyThe role of storytelling and narrative in food activismStrategies for engaging brands and communities in seed sovereigntySound Bites:“Humans have the ability to imagine the end of the world easier than the end of capitalism.”“[Those kinds of seed libraries are] what I call a seed morgue, because that's where seed goes to die.”“Living seed libraries exist through community mechanisms and community ownership where those seeds are being saved and adapting and growing and living throughout.”"It's illegal to save seed in many countries.""Seed saving is essential for human survival.”“Life is regenerative inherently.”“Think about what does ‘right relationship’ look like for me and for my business.”“Food should nourish life.”“Our national identities are stories, our faiths are stories, our belief systems are stories. That is the power of narrative.”"We shouldn't be scared of them, they should be scared of us. Because the reality is that every dam will be broken by a heavy rain."Chapters:03:00 Introduction to Food Integrity and Sovereignty04:02 Understanding UPOV and Its Impact12:53 The Importance of Seed Diversity22:53 The Role of Seed Libraries33:03 Building Relationships in the Food System42:57 The Free the Seed Initiative43:25 Exploring Seed Power and Policy47:39 Engaging Brands in the Learning Journey49:08 Challenges and Opportunities in Food Sovereignty58:05 The Role of Storytelling in Food Integrity01:04:20 Building Community and ResilienceLinks:Megan Westgate on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganethompson/Lauren Cardeli on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-cardeli-5754b828/…Free The Seed - https://freetheseed.org/UPOV Convention - https://www.upov.org/Food Sovereignty Movements - https://foodsovereigntymovement.org/Seed Libraries and Community Seed Banks - https://seedfreedom.info/seed-libraries/…Non-GMO Project - https://www.nongmoproject.org/Non-GMO Project on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/nongmoproject/Non-GMO Project on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nongmoprojectNon-GMO Project on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nongmoproject/A Growing Culture - https://growingculture.org/A Growing Culture on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-growing-culture/A Growing Culture on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AGrowingCulture/A Growing Culture on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agrowingculture/A Growing Culture on X - https://x.com/agcconnect…Brands for a Better World Episode Archive - http://brandsforabetterworld.com/Brands for a Better World on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-for-a-better-world/Modern Species - https://modernspecies.com/Modern Species on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-species/Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagemitchell/…Print Magazine Design Podcasts - https://www.printmag.com/categories/printcast/…Heritage Radio Network - https://heritageradionetwork.org/Heritage Radio Network on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-radio-network/posts/Heritage Radio Network on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeritageRadioNetworkHeritage Radio Network on X - https://x.com/Heritage_RadioHeritage Radio Network on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heritage_radio/Heritage Radio Network on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@heritage_radio…The Food Institute - https://foodinstitute.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.