Friends Of Action Group On Erosion Technology And Concentration Inc

THE MISSION OF FRIENDS OF ETC GROUP IS TO PROTECT BIODIVERSITY AND TO ADVANCE THE CREATION OF A JUST AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD SYSTEM FOR THE BENEFIT OF RURAL AREAS AND SOCIETIES.

THE ORGANIZATION WORKS TOWARD ITS GOALS OF PROMOTING BIODIVERSITY AND ADVANCING JUST AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS FOR THE BENFIT OF RURAL AREAS AND SOCIETIES LARGELY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND BY SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE ACTION GROUP ON EROSION, TECHNOLOGY AND CONCENTRATION (ETC GROUP), A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION HEADQUARTERED IN CANADA, AND BY SUPPORTING THE WORK OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ALIGNED WITH ITS EDUCATIONAL AIMS.DURING THE ?SCAL YEAR 2023/2024 THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED INCREASED IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT WITH ITS PARTNERS AND INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL FORA, WITH THE AIM TO ADVANCE ORGANIZING, EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY ON CRITICAL ISSUES RELATED TO FOOD SYSTEMS, CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUED ITS DOUBLE FOCUS THAT IS, FOCUSING ON ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE, SMALLHOLDER FOOD PRODUCTION ON THE ONE HAND; AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, ON EDUCATING THE PUBLIC AND POLICYMAKERS ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE POTENTIALLY DRAMATIC AND LARGE-SCALE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS (FOR EXAMPLE, SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, GENE DRIVES, GEOENGINEERING AND BIG DATA APPLICATIONS IN AGRICULTURE AND OTHER LIFE SCIENCES). IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN THESE AREAS, THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS IN COMMUNICATIONS, NARRATIVE STRATEGY AND ADVOCACY IN VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL FORA, INCLUDING THE UN CONVENTION ON BIODIVERSITY, THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, THE UN ENVIRONMENT ASSEMBLY AND THE UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION. THE NARRATIVE RESPONSE TEAM, ESTABLISHED TO SUPPORT GRASSROOTS AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS IN RESPONDING TO EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NARRATIVE REALM (MEDIA MOMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE), CONTINUES TO GROW AND DEEPEN, WITH NEW PARTNERSHIPS, DEEPER TRAINING AND GREATER COORDINATION. IN THE FY 2023/2024 THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED THE PUBLICATION OF SEVERAL GROUND-BREAKING REPORTS: ETC GROUPS BEHIND SUGAR AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE: THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF DIGITALIZATION (IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES), AND A NEW DISCUSSION PAPER, TROJAN HORSES ON THE FARM: CHALLENGING THE DIGITALIZATION OF THE AGRIFOOD CHAIN. ETC GROUPS THE SEAWEED DELUSION, A CRITIQUE OF INDUSTRIAL SEAWEED ECOSYSTEMS THAT CAN LEAD TO MORE CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE, NOT LESS; AND A BRIE?NG PAPER ON THE INTEGRATION OF ARTI?CIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, PREPARED JOINTLY BY THE AFRICAN CENTRE FOR BIODIVERSITY, ETC GROUP AND THIRD WORLD NETWORK, ENTITLED BLACK BOX BIOTECHNOLOGY; THESE REPORTS ACCOMPANY ORGANIZING, ADVOCACY AND MEDIA EFFORTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE FINDINGS, SHARE THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON FRONTLINE AND GLOBAL COMMUNITIES, EDUCATE AND INFORM NEGOTIATORS, AND INCREASE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT. THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED ETC GROUPS PARTICIPATION AT THE SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE GLOBAL DIGITAL COMPACT AT THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK, WITH THE DIGITAL RIGHTS COMMUNITY, AND THE NORTH AMERICAN DIGITAL AGRICULTURE WORKING GROUP IN CANADA. MEETINGS DURING FY 2023/24 FOCUSED ON PLANNING FOR A 2025 REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITALIZATION OF FOOD SYSTEMS WITH THE ALLIANCE FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN AFRICA. IN FY 2023/2024 THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE HANDS OFF MOTHER EARTH (HOME) CAMPAIGN AND THE NORTH AMERICA WORKING GROUP ON GEOENGINEERING TO HIGHLIGHT THE RISKS OF GEOENGINEERING AND TO PROMOTE DEMOCRATIC CONSTRAINTS AND FREE, PRIOR AND INFORMED CONSENT OVER ALL EARTH-SYSTEMS MODIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES. IN EARLY 2024, AT THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT ASSEMBLY (UNEA-6) IN NAIROBI, THE HOME CAMPAIGN ADVOCATED FOR A PRECAUTIONARY APPROACH TO GEOENGINEERING, AS ESTABLISHED BY THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) AND OTHER UN BODIES. THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUES TO DEEPEN ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE ALLIANCE FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN AFRICA AND LA VIA CAMPESINA, SPECIFICALLY TO DEVELOP AND SHARE STRONG NARRATIVES THAT EFFECTIVELY RESPOND TO THE CHANGING STRUCTURE OF INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE AND THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL AGRICULTURE, SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, AND CORPORATE CONCENTRATION. THE ORGANIZATION'S SUPPORT OF ETC GROUP ENABLED PREPARATIONS WITH PARTNERS FOR THE UPCOMING THIRD GLOBAL FORUM FOR FOOD SECURITY IN 2025. THE FORUM AIMS TO PROMOTE AGROECOLOGY AS A WAY OF LIFE AND AS A MEANS TO COUNTER CLIMATE CHANGE, AMPLIFYING THE VOICE AND PERSPECTIVES OF SMALL-SCALE FOOD PRODUCERS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, CONSUMERS AND OTHER GROUPS IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY MAKING SPACES. THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUED SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT PROCESSES IN MULTIPLE REGIONS, INCLUDING THE DIGITAL AGRICULTURE WORKING GROUP OF NORTH AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS THE NETWORK FOR THE SOCIAL EVALUATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN LATIN AMERICA (TECLA). WITH TECLA, WE SUPPORTED A PROJECT ON INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGIES. THE AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT PLATFORM (AFRITAP) ALSO INCREASED ITS FOCUS ON DIGITALIZATION TRENDS AND DATA IN FOOD SYSTEMS. ORGANIZATIONS IN MEXICO WITH WHICH FRIENDS OF ETC GROUP AND ETC GROUP HAVE COLLABORATED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE MEMBERS OF THE MAIZE NETWORK CONTINUED THEIR EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR. THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED PARTNERS TO ATTEND THE ALIANZA BODIVERSIDAD ASSEMBLY IN QUITO, AND 2024 PLANNING AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE NEXT IN DEFENSE OF MAIZE ASSEMBLY IN MEXICO.