Minister for State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett will open a conference later this month on diversity in the food system.
Irish Seed Savers Association will host the 12th European Forum of the European Coordination of Let’s Liberate Diversity (EC-LLD) at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) from Thursday, October 26 to Saturday, October 28.
The EC-LLD is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing diversity back in the food system through the dynamic management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
The coordination has 20 members with a network of 170 national organisations operating across 19 European countries with a membership base exceeding 35,000.
Diversity in the food system
The three-day conference offers a unique opportunity for participants to come together, share ideas, and collectively explore the theme of cultivated diversity and dynamic seed management.
The aim is to encourage local actions to promote diversity within food systems.
To achieve this, EC-LLD connects the experiences and efforts of different individuals and groups, including farmers, gardeners, researchers, and small seed companies.
Elaine Bradley, executive director at Irish Seed Savers Association said: “In a time of climate crisis with all the implications for our food systems, this event presents a unique opportunity to bring together some of the key actors across Europe working towards sustainable food systems based on open pollinated seed.
“It is vital that this is more than just a conference – but a starting point for us to come together and find real solutions to the challenges to our food security that the climate crises represents.”
The diverse conference programme will include social events, workshops, participatory activities, and field visits, that include Mud Island urban community garden, a farmers’ market and the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.
The event aims to be a “crucial milestone” in advancing the cause of seed diversity and sustainable agriculture in Europe and around the world.
Irish Seed Savers Association
Irish Seed Savers Association is an environmental organisation and social enterprise.
It says its mission is to conserve, protect and utilise Ireland’s diverse genetic food crop heritage, safeguarding food crop biodiversity for present and future generations and to educate in the sustainable and ethical use of these precious resources.