Thank you to all who came to the Islington Ecology Centre on Sunday 13th to share the conversation with Vandana Shiva. Despite the squally rain outside, inside was warm, alive and humming with ideas and connections being made.
Against the context of agressive agrichemical company activities and proposed EU legislation that will further restrict and reduce agricultural biodiversity and the free access to seeds for farmers and citizens, those in the room spoke of actions that communities are taking across London and around the world to exercise their freedom to say no to unjust laws and grow what they want.
A wealth of concerns, ideas and issues were raised, including how to discuss and promote conversation about this in the face of massive misinformation; how to sustain and develop knowledge and capacity in community growing projects; how to create more learning and networking opportunities. Many commitments and actions were put forward by people wanting to learn more, create action from intention in their lives and businesses, help children become more aware and engaged, and become more active themselves in dispersing the messages about seed freedom.
One of these commitments was to aim higher, deeper and wider with next year’s Freedom Seed Bank Festival, October 2014, to reach more people, including the very young. We’re aiming for the South Bank! If you would like to be involved in this and/or the development of the London Freedom Seed Bank in anyway we’ll be getting together to plan next steps on Saturday 30th November 2013 from 1-4pm at Regent’s Park Allotments. Do join us with your ideas and anything you may like to contribute – artistic, musical, media, organisational, technical – and contact us at freedomseedbank@gmail.com if you’d like to come.
We will be holding a re-skilling workshop on 1 March 2014, venue to be confirmed. We will also be distributing seed from the London Freedom Seed Bank at that event. We are also planning three other workshops for next year and would like to make them available to as many London growers as possible. If you would like to host or run one please get in touch so we can see how we can support you.
In solidarity, the Freedom Seed pod – Azul, Jack, Jo, Natalie, and Sarah Williams of Capital Growth.
