Karine Peschard from Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights will trace the development of seed activism from the early advocates who first introduced the concept of farmers’ rights in the 1980s, through the GMO controversies of the 1990s, to the emergence of the seed sovereignty movement in the mid-2000s. To illustrate the remarkable diversity and creativity of this global movement, Peschard draws on examples ranging from the militant protests of the voluntary reapers and the global Ban Terminator campaign to the quiet resistance of seed fairs and seed-saving networks. The lecture explores how seed activists have reshaped our relationship to seeds through open-source models, human rights frameworks, and the rights of nature. It concludes by addressing emerging challenges posed by digital sequencing technologies and the use of artificial intelligence in plant genetic engineering.

SEED Activism: Insights from the Seed Wars is a Public Lecture by Dr Karine Peschard hosted by CLIMAVORE x Jameel at RCA. During this gathering, the recipients of the 2025 Food Action Awards will also be announced and celebrated.

Tuesday 13 May 2025, 6pm
Gorvy Lecture Theatre, RCA Battersea, London

Free booking here.