The Seeds of Freedom trilogy
The Seeds of Freedom Trilogy tells the story of seed from its roots at the heart of traditional, diversity-rich farming systems across the world, to being transformed into a powerful commodity, used to monopolise the global food system. The films are created by Gaia foundation in partnership with the African Biodiversity Network, MELCA Ethiopia, Navdanya International and Grain. The films highlight the extent to which the industrial agricultural system, and genetically modified (GM) seeds in particular, has impacted on the enormous agro-biodiversity evolved by farmers and communities around the world, since the beginning of agriculture. Seeds of Freedom seeks to challenge the mantra, promoted by the pro-GM lobby, that large-scale, industrial agriculture is the only means by which we can feed the world. In tracking the story of seed it becomes clear how the corporate agenda has driven the take over of seed in order to make vast profit and control of the global food system. Seeds of Freedom is the first film in the trilogy and provides an overview of the history of agriculture, charting the transition of the farm into a factory, and highlighting the impact of the agrochemical and GM industries. Seeds of Sovereignty, the second film, shares the stories of African communities embarking on a journey to revive their traditional seed diversity, and take back control over their food systems. The final film in the trilogy, Seeds of Justice explores the life of Dr Melaku Worede and his work to embrace participatory plant breeding, redignify farmer’s expert ecological knowledge and conserve Ethiopia’s precious seed diversity.