‘Freedom’ has become such a contested term. We use freedom, corporations use freedom. We refer to people’s freedom to live and have livelihoods, to have access to vital resources—seed, food, water, land. ‘Free trade’ rules are written by corporations for their freedom to destroy people’s freedom to their lives and livelihoods, their cultures and democracies, by enclosing the commons, and commodifying and privatising every aspect of life. For example, the WTO-administered Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), imposes patents on seeds, allowing corporations like Monsanto to prevent farmers from saving seeds. Similarly, the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture was written by Cargill, the world’s largest grain trading corporation. This lecture will focus on the impact of these free trade agreements, and people’s movement to defend Seed and Food Freedom in times of Globalisation and Corporate Rule.
