Indigenous and Heirloom Seeds: Stewardship, Sovereignty and Legal Protection

Date: Wednesday, April 10 - 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

Location: City High 37 E Pennington St, Tucson, AZ 85701

Intellectual property has been protecting plants and seed in the United States since the 1930s. Over the last century, the reach of intellectual property over seeds and plants has consistently expanded. At the same time, there have been a number of international initiatives that have attempted to regulate how plants and seeds are used and exchanged. The result is a complex and changing legal landscape that impacts the way seeds and plants are used as well as who gets to control and benefit from that use. This workshop will look at techniques used to ensure Indigenous intellectual property, traditional ecological knowledge and traditional crop varieties are protected. We will hear about the key features of intellectual property law and other plant protection and methods that exist in seed stewardship.

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Speakers:

Alexandra Zamecnik, Executive Director, Native Seeds/SEARCH
Collaboration, representation and transparency in heirloom seed stewardship: Examples from Native Seeds/SEARCH
Alexandra Zamecnik is the Executive Director of NS/S. She has a Masters in International Relations and has extensive experience working in conservation and natural resources management in Mexico and Central America. She is focused on strengthening NS/S’s policies and practices around seed stewardship and seed sharing.

Dr. Andrea Carter, Director of Agriculture & Education, Native Seeds/SEARCH
Challenges and Opportunities in Southwest Seed Stewardship
Dr. Andrea Carter is the Agriculture, Education & Outreach Director. She serves as a link between the NS/S seed bank and small-scale farmers across the Southwest. She received her PhD in Plant Science from the University of Arizona and focused her research on drought-adapted crops.

Bobby Stone, Board Member, Native Seeds/SEARCH
A life of Farming and Seed Saving in Gila River
Robert Stone is the former Lt. Governor for Gila River Indian Community. He is the vice chair of the NS/S Board of Directors. He is recognized as a spiritual leader, traditional singer, traditional farmer, artist, and indigenous seed and food advocate. Bobby attended Central Arizona College where he earned a degree in Agriculture Technology, and then continued at University of Arizona. Bobby has been a life-long farmer and he maintains a seed bank with an array of indigenous crops.

Dr. Brad Sherman, School of Law, University of Queensland
An Overview of Intellectual property protection for seed
Brad Sherman is UQ Laureate Professor and a member of the ARC Centre for Plant Success at the University of Queensland, Australia where he researches on intellectual property. He is currently working on a history of intellectual property in the citrus industry in California and Arizona.

Dr. Allison Fish, School of Law, University of Queensland
Using public databases to prevent biopiracy of seed
Allison Fish is a Senior Lecturer in Law and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Futures at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Allison's research focuses on the use of law and technology to manage of intangible cultural heritage in India and Australia.

More speakers to be announced