Biodiversity is the Foundation of our Future
This was the shared conclusion at the roundtable „Biodiversity as a Common Good,“ held this Sunday in Ostuni, Puglia, as part of the festival “Biodiversity in All its Senses.” Organized by X-Farm Agricoltura Prossima and hosted at Teatro La Luna nel Pozzo, the event brought together farmers, researchers, and local organizations to celebrate the region’s rich biodiversity.
English subtitles available
Navdanya International joined the event to offer our perspective and share over forty years of experience in protecting biodiversity, defending seed rights and freedom, and advocating for the commons. We highlighted our work on Seed Banks, the Seed Freedom movement, and our publication “The Law of the Seed.” During the roundtable, we presented our current initiatives in Italy, starting with research into the socio-ecological impacts of hazelnut monoculture and the Ferrero monopoly in the Tuscia and Lake Bracciano areas. We also introduced Terrae Vivae, our ongoing territorial regeneration project, which features the innovative Ecocolturae educational approach.
Our contribution sparked interest in systemic agroecology and the territorial regeneration model centered on seed freedom, agroecology, and education. This gathering offered valuable space to share how local challenges fit into a global context, building hope through the exchange of knowledge and best practices for fair and regenerative agriculture.
Throughout the day, local actions were connected to global movements, advancing many small but powerful steps towards food sovereignty and seed freedom—missions that Navdanya and Navdanya International have championed for more than forty years.
Stories of local success and challenges were shared, and together we discussed regenerative models for farming and food democracy. We spoke about our experience regenerating communities through place-based programs and the wisdom gained by working with grassroots movements around the world to find collective solutions for caring for the land and people through bottom-up approaches.
