USA: Call for inputs for the Organic Seed Growers Conference

Organic Seed Alliance invites to help shape the 8th Organic Seed Growers Conference by providing proposals for content. This is an opportunity to share important research and ask timely questions related to organic seed. The conference will be held 4 – 6 February 2016, at the Oregon State University in Corvallis, and is the only event in the USA that brings together diverse members of the organic seed community in two days of presentations and networking events focused solely on organic seed, according to information of the organiser. Proposals for presentations, workshops, posters, panels, and roundtables are welcome.

Conference attendees receive hands-on instruction, results from cutting edge research, updates on seed policy and advocacy efforts, and inspiring stories from the field. The conference theme is Cultivating Resilience, a current assessment and roadmap for building organic seed systems that are ecologically, socially, and economically resilient. While a diversity of proposals are welcome, those that fit the following categories are encouraged:

• Advancements in organic plant breeding
• Breeding for resiliency and biodiversity, including to mitigate the impacts of climate change
• Farmer-led breeding projects
• New models for organic seed production, quality assurance, enterprise development, and commercialising new varieties (e.g., alternative approaches to intellectual property)
• Understanding the economics of seed production

Proposals must be submitted by 15 July 2015. Applicants will be notified by 1 September 2015. More information is available here.