In May,
Holly, our Future Resilience Seed Coordinator, attended the
Lets Liberate Diversity conference in Scandicci, Florence. This annual conference held in Europe facilitates the exchange of practices and information among farmers, seed savers, NGO members, and emerging small enterprises, fostering local actions on agrobiodiversity and promoting participatory dialogues. The Gaia Foundation has been participating in this gathering for many years, and it is always an incredibly inspirational event, providing opportunity to connect with seed allies across Europe and also get updates on the ever-changing legislative landscape – and new and old challenges being faced.
Building on some of the ongoing Programme work between seed organisations in the global North, this year Holly co-presented on a panel with Cat McCluskey (Organic Seed Alliance) Edwin Nuijten (ECO PB) and Frederik Van Oudenhoven (Netherlands Seed Network). The session focused on Affectionate Alliances and Exploratory Mindsets: Building a Global Coalition of Agroecological Seed Networks for Evolutionary Radical Futures – seeking ways to inspire more open dialogue between folks working in the seed world, and build meaningful relationships to further strengthen this movement. We hope to continue this important collaborative work at future events, including the upcoming Organic Seed Growers conference in early 2027.
