We would to thank the following organisations for their critical support following the release of the film…
The A Team Foundation
The A Team Foundation funded the development and delivery of this wonderful website. In doing so, they recognised the importance of the film, and the value of providing audiences with a platform rich in information about these critical issues. The A Team Foundation encourages a better understanding of the relationship between food, its production and consumption, and its implications on health and social wellbeing. They fund and support initiatives which improve food access, quality, education, research and environmental stewardship. In doing so they seek to address the inequities and failings of our current prevailing food system.
Nutiva
Nutiva is an American organics company specializing in hemp, coconut and chai superfoods. Their Founding Director John Roulac spotted Seeds of Freedom and this led to Nutiva supporting the translation and further distribution of the film. With their support the film was translated into Spanish, French and Portuguese and reached a wider global audience. It also featured on the DVD of anti GM campaigner Jeffrey Smith’s film ‘Genetic Roulette’ and in November 2012 became part of the campaign ‘the Right to Know’, which sought to have foods containing GM labeled in California. Sadly the ballot lost, by a whisker, but they continue to fight for the right for the public to know what is in their food.
We would also like to extend a huge thanks to the following funders for supporting the film and our work to revive and protect local seed and farming practices across the world. Without you, none of this would have been possible.
Comic Relief
Comic Relief supports work with two of our partners, Biowatch South Africa and the Environmental Monitoring Group (South Africa), to support small farmers in agro-ecological and fair trade. Our advocacy and film production work, that links the global picture to the work with farmers in South Africa, is part of these projects and has supported the production of Seeds of Freedom.
The Christensen Fund
The Christensen Fund is a long-standing supporter of our work with partners and communities to revive traditional farming and cultural practices. Through dialogue and exchange, this work, which we call ‘Community Ecological Governance’, has supported the revival of traditional seed within many of African communities with whom we work. The Christensen Fund has supported the production of multi-media materials that complement our work with partners, raise public awareness and advocate at international policy level.
Norweign Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)
Norad partners with the African Biodiversity Network to fund its programmes, including its Community-Seed-Knowledge programme. This programme supports partners across Africa to work with communities to identify and revive their traditional local seed and the knowledge attached to it. Many of these communities are now establishing local communities seed exchange systems and have renewed their confidence to defend their right to traditional food.
The Roddick Foundation
The Roddick Foundation supports our advocacy and campaign work, including our Food Sovereignty campaign and Seeds of Freedom. The Roddick Foundation puts social and ecological justice at the heart of its work and recognises the threat that Genetically Modified seed poses to the global food system, the rights of small farmers, and the rich biodiversity which it threatens.
The Swift Foundation
Support from the Swift Foundation enables us to work with partners and communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa on the use of ec0-cultural calendars as a tool for building community cohesion and food sovereignty. This work is fundamental to providing an alternative to the industrial agricultural model, which we will profile in our follow up film, Seeds of Justice.
Swedbio
Swedbio is a long-standing funding partner of the African Biodiversity Network (ABN), its support has enabled the ABN and its partners to develop innovative methodologies that respond to the challenges African communities face. A core part of ABN methodology is to revive traditional seed and local food systems as a means of securing food sovereignty for African communities. Community dialogues and intergenerational learning have been some of the processes which have supported this and restored community confidence.
Last but by no means least, we thank you all for taking the time to watch and share the film, for buying the DVD, and for organising wonderful events in order to screen the film to wider audiences around the world. From festivals to village halls to conferences, the film is being shown far and wide, and that’s thanks to you. We’re pleased you agreed that ‘the true story of seed must be told’.
If you would like to discuss opportunities to support the film and future work please contact Rowan Phillimore on 0207 428 0055 or email rowan@gaianet.org