From October 10-13, 2019, the Mexican Network for Our Seeds will host its second encuentro--”Building Bridges Between the Country and the City: In Defense of our Food and Biocultural Diversity.” The encuentro will take place in Mexico City in the chinampas of Xochimilco and in the Huerto Roma Verde, in the Colonia Roma Sur.
Raising awareness among citizens and consumers regarding the enormous importance of our seeds and the richness in biocultural diversity that they hold within them is a fundamental step in the defense of our country and its diversity. The encuentro seeks to advance the movement for the defense of seeds which calls for the conscious and active participation of the whole society and needs to be reflected in consumption habits that support the producers who cultivate with sustainable practices and who have incorporated biodiversity and the use and reproduction of criollo seeds as a common practice.
The encuentro also seeks to highlight the value of the enormous agricultural legacy inherited from indigenous communities and peasants. For this reason, first part of the meeting will take place in the chinampas of Xochimilco, a living example of that heritage that still resists in the middle of the big city.
The meeting will include talks, thematic tables, practical workshops, a tianguis of agricultural diversity (experiences and sales), gastronomy with typical dishes, a gallery and mapping of experiences, exhibition of posters of experiences and an exchange of seeds, among other cultural and educational activities. Key themes include:
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Agroecological knowledge and practices and associated with the production and conservation of seeds.
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Laws and public policies on Seeds, nationally and internationally.
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Climate Change and agrobiodiversity.
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The seed as a source of biocultural diversity.
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Models and associative strategies for the production, certification, circulation, exchange and commercialization of seeds.
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Initiatives and strategies for education and awareness about the importance of agrodiversity, seeds and their care.
For more information and to pre-register, visit the Mexican Seeds Network website at https://www.redmexicanadesemillas.org/. Program proposals can be submitted from April 1 until August 15. The final program will be announced at the beginning of September.