Harvesting Wisdom
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The SoS Gathering in Ethiopia
January 2007
To explore sustainable agriculture and food justice challenges, this November, USC organized a gathering in Ethiopia – a hands-on workshop and an opportunity to reflect on 18 years of the Seeds of Survival (SoS) program in the country where it began.
This was the first gathering in several years of our SoS partners and colleagues from related networks. Fifty seed savers from 16 countries – farmers, community workers, scientists, NGO folk, government officials – met to take stock of achievements, lessons learned, and next steps.
Although SoS partners are from diverse backgrounds, they are all united on one thing: that conservation of plant genetic resources on the farm is a critical strategy in the battle against genetic erosion, food insecurity, and environmental degradation.
Farmer Participation
Since we recognize that millions of small-scale farmers are at the forefront of this battle to preserve the planet’s genetic wealth, it was clear that farmer participation would be key to a successful workshop – farmers like Ali Ongoiba, who joined us from Mali.
“My head is so full of information and ideas,” said Ongoiba. “I can’t wait to share them with my community.”
Ongoiba lives in Petaka, in the Douentza region of eastern Mali. Douentza is on the edge of the
Sahara – an ecosystem threatened by desertification, drought, and poor soil conditions.
Government and industry practices, like the propagation of hybrid and genetically modified seed varieties unsuited to local conditions, have further marginalized Petaka’s farmers. Nevertheless, the community-run market gardens of Petaka are a resounding success, inspired by work begun through SoS in Ethiopia so many years ago.
Success in Petaka
With USC’s support, the people of Petaka are not only growing vegetables for the local market, but are also preserving endangered crop varieties. In addition, they run seed and gene banks to ensure a stable and diverse seed supply.
Never having left Mali, Ali and his colleague Haoua (also from Douentza) were proud to share their achievements with workshop participants and Ethiopian farmers – and to learn how much they had in common with farmers elsewhere.
On a field trip to Debre Zeit in central Ethiopia, workshop participants saw how small-scale farmers are working to preserve and strengthen local varieties of tef, wheat, and other crops. A Community-run seed and gene bank, supported by USC’s partner, Ethio-Organic Seed Action (EOSA), is helping meet seed supply needs year after year.
In Wollo region – the heart of Ethiopia’s ‘sorghum country’ – Ali couldn’t contain his excitement on seeing dozens of traditional sorghum varieties growing without the use of chemical inputs.
Cooperation now and in the future
Workshop participants greatly enjoyed the rich exchange with their peers, during field visits
and discussions on farming techniques, challenges, and ideas for the future. They pledged to continue sharing information, research, and advocacy work for food sovereignty and justice.
This gathering merely strengthened their belief that farmers must retain the ability to choose how they manage their food and agricultural systems, to the lasting benefit of their communities, and the planet as a whole.
These two weeks marked a defining moment for Ali in many ways. “I’ve been to farmers’ gatherings before,” he said, “but the difference this time is that I could actually take notes – I’m also a graduate of USC’s literacy program in Petaka!”
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USC Canada
was founded by
Dr Lotta Hitschmanova in 1945. Our award-winning Seeds of Survival program promotes vibrant family farms, strong rural communities, and healthy ecosystems around the world.
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