Seeds4All

Seeds are the very first input to be taken into account in order to achieve the food and agricultural transition towards systems that would better respect the planet and the people.

To date, and following more than sixty years of restrictive legislation on the marketing of seeds at the European level, a very limited number of “high-yielding” plant varieties and breeding materials are allowed to be placed on the market.

This situation has led to a growing dependence of farmers, market and amateur gardeners on the seed industry, threatening food security while causing a radical erosion of crop biodiversity in our fields and on our plates.

How to Cultivate Knowledge for Seed Autonomy? Part 2 – From Niche Knowledge to Collective Capacity

April 24, 2026 Adèle Pautrat

The loss of knowledge around seed diversity has become so pervasive that its very absence seems to go unnoticed. Yet seed stewardship has always been inherent to working with agriculture and food; reintroducing this concept is crucial in building capacity for agroecological seed systems at regional levels. In this second of a two-part series, we examine the tools and approaches that could strengthen the transmission of alternative seed knowledge and know-how, as well as the pitfalls to avoid in order to ensure their social and economic relevance. By Adèle Pautrat. […]

Inside Brussels’ Eleventh-Hour Battle Over New GMOs

April 22, 2026 Natasha Foote

In a few short weeks, the European Parliament will have the power to open Europe’s farmgates and plates to new genetic technologies, without the guardrails of labelling, monitoring, or liability. But in Brussels, an eleventh-hour battle is brewing. So is this game, set and match? Or is there still something to play for? Natasha Foote brings you the latest from Brussels. […]

Coming Up: Decision Day for the Future of Seeds and New GMOs

April 17, 2026 Natasha Foote

April 21st will be the next (and perhaps final) milestone meeting for negotiators trying to seal a deal on the overhaul of the EU’s seed legislation. On the very same day, the Council is to vote on the EU’s proposal to loosen the rules around new genetic technologies. For the Seeds4All project, Natasha Foote explains what’s at stake in these two crucial files. […]

How to Cultivate Knowledge for Seed Autonomy? Part 1 – Who Teaches the Seeds?

March 27, 2026 Adèle Pautrat

Seeds are rarely seen for what they truly are: the building blocks of agricultural systems that determine how our food is produced. This is no accident. It is the result of industry taking control, progressively turning seeds into just another input in service of a growth model built on privatisation, standardisation, and homogenisation—with seeds at the hub. Reintroducing this concept is crucial in building capacity for agroecological seed systems at regional levels. But how to challenge the dominant approach to seed practices, and bring alternative knowledge to a wider audience? First of a two-part series by Adèle Pautrat. […]

Letter From a …Forager! Third Landscapes and Edible Wild Plants

January 15, 2026 ARC

A small field not far from Brussels is home to Tiers-Paysage, where Cécile Gilquin grows and forages with an immense respect and gratitude for nature’s gifts. Her mission is to help eaters rediscover edible wild plants. In this letter from a forager, Cécile walks us through a world where the untended feeds us. […]

The Future of Seeds: The Power Play Between Patents and New GMOs

December 3, 2025 Natasha Foote

EU lawmakers have been locked in intense negotiations for months on loosening rules on the use of new genetic technologies in plant breeding. But talks are stalling on one particularly sticky issue. So why have patents become so central in this story, and what would it mean for farmers and breeders if lawmakers get their way on permitting patents? Natasha Foote digs in. […]

Whats Seeds for Tomorrow? A Podcast Mini-Series by Seeds4All and Seed Carriers

November 20, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

The Seeds4All project has long been working to understand how the EU regulatory framework on seeds and cultivated biodiversity impacts the daily reality of agroecological seed and food operators. Europe is now at a decisive turning point. The rules that govern our seeds are being rewritten as we speak, with powerful forces seeking to tighten their grip on seed and food production. Efforts must be accelerated to amplify what the European agroecological seed movement is bringing to the future of our food, and how it should be urgently supported by both EU and local decision makers. With that purpose in mind, Seeds4All joined forces with SEED CARRIERS to produce the mini audio series WHAT SEEDS FOR TOMORROW? […]

Where The Untended Feeds Us – Cécile Gilquin’s “Tiers-Paysage”

October 24, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

“All the places neglected by human beings”: this is the site of the Third Landscape (Tiers-Paysage) as defined by Gilles Clément in his Manifesto of the Third Landscape. Cécile Gilquin was drawn to this concept that celebrates the neglected — those plants that we too often forget to appreciate — as “biological diversity that has not yet been classified as richness”, while also showing that it is possible to interact with nature without seeking to dominate it. She was inspired to launch in 2020 her own Third Landscape (or Tiers-Paysage in her native French). Portrait of a forager by Adèle Pautrat. […]

Re-Sowing the Seeds of Connection in Switzerland, Part II – Healthy Interdependencies, Led By Farmers

September 2, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

In a global context marked by rising trade tensions, identity-based isolationism, and climate pressures, the Seeds4All project wanted to understand how Switzerland, landlocked at the heart of the European Union, approaches the challenges of food sovereignty and navigates its many borders. During recent fields visits, we met a variety of initiatives seeking to reconnect producers, processors, and consumers—fostering a renewed sense of control over food systems. Part two of a series of reflections by Adèle Pautrat. […]

Crafting the Collective – Tijs Boelens’ Vision for a Farmer-Led Grain Revival

July 4, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

If we want local food systems to thrive, every link in the chain must be nurtured: seeds must be saved, farmers must earn a fair price, processors must adapt their methods—and consumers must be able to afford to buy the final product. Crafting a story and connecting people are centrally important to successfully cultivating biodiversity, as Belgian farmer Tijs Boelens has found out in his work to integrate heritage grains into the supply chain. Portrait by Adèle Pautrat. […]

Re-Sowing the Seeds of Connection in Switzerland, Part I – Nurturing What We Have

July 3, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

The Seeds4All project emerges from a Swiss immersion with a two-part reflection on how seeds can become anchoring points for rebuilding connections and fostering healthy interdependencies in the pursuit of collective empowerment. In part one, we discover efforts to revive local fava bean varieties—as levers for reweaving ties between mountains and plains, and reclaiming traditional peasant skills. […]

The EU Has the Funds but Lacks Focus – This Farm Shows What’s Possible with Both

June 10, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

Organic farming has long been hailed as the poster child for sustainable agriculture. But as the EU organic sector becomes increasingly industrialised, cracks are beginning to appear. How can we weed out the weaknesses in the current model and transition to diversified, resilient systems? Seeds4All visited the Bergerie de Villarceaux, a pioneering farm through the decades, in the hope of gleaning lessons from the past for the organic farmers of tomorrow. By Adèle Pautrat and Natasha Foote. […]

The Power of Diversity & Community-Managed Natural Farming – The Future of Agriculture Comes From India

June 10, 2025 Benedikt Haerlin

Crop diversification to improve the soil microbiome is key to the approach of the Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) movement. After soil to bread in Portugal, the Seeds4All project continues its exploration of agronomic models rooted in interspecies cooperation as a path to sustainability, with a report from south-eastern India. In March a small Weltacker delegation visited Andhra Pradesh. Benny Haerlin reports. […]

Let’s Liberate Diversity Forum 2025 – Registration Now Open!

April 4, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

From September 4th to 6th, the European Coordination Let’s Liberate Diversity will host its 14th forum in Luxembourg. The Forum will focus on food sovereignty, seed autonomy, and agricultural resilience. Bringing together a dynamic network of farmers, seed savers, researchers, and activists, this international gathering will provide a platform for reflection on strategic opportunities and the exchange of ideas for collective action. […]

Portugal | Regenerative Heritage Grains – From Soil To Bread

April 2, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

Where to find heritage grains likely to thrive in a Portuguese climate and soil conditions? José da Camara Ruas tells us about his farming project in the Alentejo region in south Portugal, and his journey through diversification—from ancient grains and species mixtures to agroforestry and the introduction of animals. By Adèle Pautrat for the Seeds4All project. […]