|
Women are central to the issues of food,
ecology and culture. Seed preservations and seed exchanges among the
women farmers have been common practices SANFEC farmer women. During
the discussions of the Agreements on Agriculture of the WTO, farmers
in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan have been actively
protesting against the agreements. Trade liberalisation and consequent
destruction of local food production has direct implication for the
livelihood of farmer women and their households. It is often
devastating for the women since they, in the context of
biodiversity-based production systems, retain the command and
knowledge of food provision for the family. Women farmers were
particularly concerned about the issues of Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) particularly TRIPS. They experienced the piracy of their
germplasm and narrowing of the genetic base of the agriculture, since
60s due to 'Green Revolution", an issue that has serious implication
for the feminine invention, innovation and knowledge production. The
TRIPs is viewed in this context as the continuation of piracy in a
'legalised' mode over which women has no say or control. The
agreements in TRIPs are the supreme expressions of patriarchal power
asserting legal appropriation of the biological resources and
associated knowledge systems.
The strong attachment, emotion, cultural
and ethical values related to seed have induced the participation of
women in the rallies in large numbers against TRIPs and WTO in South
Asia and same is true in many other regions. However, the issue of
seed and genetic resources and the feminine nature of the knowledge
associated with them have not been adequately recognised in women's
movements. It is the most critical and important feminist issue of our
time. Therefore, SANFEC organised the first South Asian Women Farmers
Exchange and festival on the occasion of International Women’s Day (8th
March), participated by all member organisations.
|
