Red de Semillas (Spain)

In April 1999, a small group of people involved in the organic agricultural, ecological and rural development movement in Spain organized a workshop in Madrid on agricultural biodiversity issues in which they laid the foundations of the organization. Later, in 2005, a non-profit association was established and nowadays, the Spanish seed network (Red de Semillas “Resembrando e Intercambiando”-RdS) is an informal federation that brings together 20-25 local seed networks that are distributed throughout Spain. The members of these local groups are farmers and farmer organizations, technicians, agricultural experts, supporters of responsible consumption, local action groups, university staff and students, activists in ecological movements, researchers and other groups and people interested in developing a different agri-food system. The main objectives of RdS are the reintroduction of local, traditional and farmers’ varieties in the framework of agro-ecological agri-food systems, the concept of food autonomy and the central role of family farming. The aim is to help coordinate activities and actions at national and international levels.