Hi folks,
I´ve just received the following email from the team that organizes Planet Diversity World Congress on the Future of Food and Agriculture.

I thought the event might be of interest to all of us. Spanish info is also available: http://www.planet-diversity.org/es.html



We are pleased to announce that registration is now officially open for
Planet Diversity
World Congress on the Future of Food and Agriculture

May 12 – May 16 2008 in Bonn, Germany

At http://www.planet-diversity.org/registration.html


Deadline to register: March 31st 2008

In May, the world of diversity is meeting in Bonn, Germany, during the official negotiations of the United Nations Rio-Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

At the same time and same place Planet Diversity will celebrate the biodiversity and cultural diversity of farming, gardening and food cultures with the women and men who preserve, and develop diversity as part of their everyday lives and defend it for their communities and future generations.

We want to discuss how different movements of farmers and peasants, consumers, food producers, women, environmentalists, gardeners, indigenous people, cooperatives and their communities can cooperate to enrich, share and defend this diversity.

Food and agriculture lie at the very heart of the unprecedented challenges of global hunger and injustice, of climate change and loss of biodiversity caused by man. Corporate concepts to convert agriculture into environmentally and socially destructive monocultures of biomass production for the global food, feed, fuel and fibre industries are major drivers of these problems.

Hope, however, comes from below: communities, local and regional governments, social movements, NGOs, and thousands of grassroots initiatives all over this planet have begun to make a real difference in thousands of places in a variety of ways. The diversity of real and ingenious solutions, innovations and collaborative use of proven technologies, of invaluable traditions and of shared knowledge, benefits and progress is overwhelming and encouraging.

Here are some of the key issues we want to discuss: food sovereignty – people’s access to healthy food, water and land – consumer rights and fair relations with producers – food and agricultural tradition and quality – GMO-free food production and regions – women and agriculture – free exchange of seeds and participatory breeding – no patents on life – free sharing of knowledge and diversity – agro-fuels versus food security – agro-ecological and organic innovation – gardens of hope – indigenous rights and knowledge – cultural and spiritual diversity – terminator seeds, GM trees, synthetic biology and other new technological threats to diversity.

"Planet Diversity" will bring together representatives from local and regional grassroots movements and institutions working on food and agricultural innovation and reconciliation based upon cultural and biological diversity. We believe that diversity in its full sense is the common denominator of a world wide movement in the making.

If you feel that you are part of this movement, please register now and join us in Bonn, Germany, to celebrate Planet Diversity. Please link to our website. You can also download a web button at:

www.planet-diversity.org/spread-the-word.html

Join the web of life: www.planet-diversity.org

12. May:
(Pentecost) International demonstration and public Festival of Diversity

13.-15. May:
International Planet Diversity Conference (English, French, Spanish, German) plenary sessions, workshops and presentations of grassroots-initiatives and projects

16. May:
Final day of Biosafety Protocol negotiations (international liability regime for GM crops), press conference, excursions, follow-up meetings

IMPORTANT

1. If you require a VISA to enter Germany, please register by January 31st. General registration closes on March 31st.

2. To save time, it is important to read the instruction sheet very carefully and gather all necessary information BEFORE beginning the registration process. You can also save the pdf form on your computer to be completed and emailed at a later time.


FESTIVAL

If you will ONLY participate in the Festival of Diversity on May 12th but not the rest of the conference, do not use the registration form. If you would like to perform, speak or sell/show something at the festival and have not yet contacted us, please email or call the Bonn office, which will now coordinate the festival: bonn@planet-diversity.org +49 (0)228-92-650-22. If you have already expressed your interest to contribute, we have forwarded your information to the Bonn team, and someone will contact you in February.

THINGS TO WATCH FOR

Draft Programme. Online soon!
Diversity Stories. Submit your own to Marcus Nürnberger at stories@planet-diversity.org .
Workshop Forum (March) where you can already begin talking to the leaders of workshops and contributing to their development. Or start your own! We can comfortably accommodate up to 30 different workshops over three days. If you would like to hold a workshop and have NOT contacted us already, please email the Secretariat for more information info@planet-diversity.org.
Manifesto Forum where the Planet Diversity community can shape its manifesto together. (March)

We look forward to seeing you in Bonn in May!

Contact:

Save Our Seeds, Marienstr.19-20, 10117 Berlin, Germany
tel +49 30 27590309, fax +49 30 27590312
info@planet-diversity.org
Bonn office (preparation of demonstration and festival)
bonn@planet-diversity.org
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