International Week of Action 1-7 April 2000, entitled "Resistance is Fertile"
This note, from Etienne Vernet ("Vernet" [ecoropa@magic.fr]) in France, explains:
The idea for this week of action germinated at the Bryansk meeting in November 1999, and is being started off by various people from the Bryansk Group, ASEED Europe and the Genetic Engineering Network. We are counting on people around the world to help transform this idea into a reality and we hope that you will join us!
We hope to combine translations of the text below with graphics to create a flyer that people can download and print in the language of their choice. Over the next two weeks, we will start extending the site, so you can get a better idea of how things are evolving. Please send your contributions to seeds@gn.apc.org, so that we can launch a public service website.
Resistance is Fertile
Global Week of Action 1st-7th April 2000Across the world people are waking up to the implications of GE technology. We are realising that beyond the health and environmental risks posed, there is a global system of food production that is forcing this unwanted, unsafe and unnecessary technology upon us.
These concerns have highlighted the choices that we can make about the food we grow and eat. Should we accept a regime of food production controlled by a few profit-driven multinationals, who enforce a monoculture of food and mind? Or can we find ways to support and nurture local food systems that are not only environmentally sustainable, but also strengthen and empower local communities?
Resistance is Fertile! - Global Week of Action 1st-7th April 2000
This global week of activities is not just against genetic engineering but to celebrate the diversity of our local agricultural systems. It is also to celebrate our diversity as activists from our different cultural and social backgrounds. It will be an opportunity to strengthen the international network of anti-GE activists and show the solidarity among groups that have diverse political and social backdrops to their campaigning. Together, during this week we can challenge the corporate monoculture. Viva Varieties!
Each day will be themed to highlight aspects of industrial agriculture, GE, world trade systems and the positive alternatives to this institutionalised madness. There will also be some global actions to participate in. It is up to all of us to make this happen - to start getting organised and creating inspiration.
We hope you will contribute your ideas and proposals to both the website and the week of activity. We need links to news, briefings, papers and articles in as many languages as possible, as well as help with translation. You can send your contributions to seeds@gn.apc.org.
Like a seedling, our movement will grow as people around the world get involved.
Resistance is fertile!
There are already some preliminary ideas at http://www.resistanceisfertile.com/