The New Colonisers

Not too long ago, most farmers were themselves breeders , experimenting, crossing, selecting and saving the seeds for next growing season. With the industrialisation of agriculture, farmers are losing these fundamental skills that control the basis of food production. Agriculture has been debased to agribusiness, and farmers into assembly line workers. Under the Green Revolution, a handful of genetically similar, "super seeds" has replaced the broad diversity of locally adapted, farmer-saved seeds.

Recent actions of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have threatened to further accentuate this trend, with the extension of patents on life forms, including seeds, to the developing world as mentioned above. The TRIPs agreement of GATT/WTO has become the global instrument for the biotechnology and seed industry to gain monopoly control over seed in the industrialised world, and now in India. TRIPs is promoting the UPOV model, which is strongly supported by the international seed industry for adoption in countries like India. However, India has the option if it so chooses, to implement an "effective sui-generis" system under TRIPs which recognises farmers' rights as breeders, conservors and users of seed.

The Bija Yatra campaign aims to stop this shift, and protect farmer's rights to use and conserve their own seeds. This aim will be accomplished through an increase in public awareness and a mobilisation of public opinion against these international accords.