Side Event

Launch of Seed Map.org – a web portal on Biodiversity, Seeds and Farmers Organized by: USC Canada and ETC Group

Organizer
USC Canada and ETC Group

Date and Time
15 October 2013 18:15 - 19:45

Meeting
Seventeenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice

The Seedmap.org portal, the first of its kind interactive website on biodiversity, will be launched in October 2013. It shows the state of global agro-biodiversity today, identifies key threats to the world’s seed and biodiversity systems, particularly the impact of climate change, and highlights regions where institutions and peoples’ movements are working to preserve agricultural biodiversity. By mapping the global Centres of Origin of commonly eaten foods, Seedmap.org also tells the story of where our food really came from, and is an engaging way to learn and share information about global agriculture and food security. The Seed Map started as a printed map in 2008, and has since been widely used for knowledge sharing among various communities of practice: Policy makers, biodiversity and food security practitioners, researchers, educators, students as well as the interested public. More than 8,000 copies of the map have circulated around the world, in 8 languages. The Launch of Seedmap.org will feature a live demonstration of this web portal, and participation by global biodiversity and farmer organizations. Discussion and refreshments will follow.