ETC Group

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ETC Group is an international organization dedicated to "the conservation and sustainable advancement of cultural and ecological diversity and human rights." The full legal name is Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration. "ETC" is intended to be pronounced "et cetera."[1][2]

Contents

[edit] History

Known as RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International) until 1 September 2001, the ETC Group traces its history back to the National Sharecroppers Fund that was established in the 1930s by Eleanor Roosevelt (amongst others) to alleviate the plight of poor, mostly black tenant farmers in the U.S. In the early 1970s, Pat Mooney, Hope Shand, and Cary Fowler began working on the Seeds Issue through the Rural Advancement Foundation—and, in time, set up an international arm concerned with the rights of farmers in the global south.

RAFI pioneered civil society research, critiques and advocacy on farmers rights, seed monopoly laws, and opposes adoption of genetic engineering in agriculture, patents on life and biopiracy (a term that RAFI coined) and new life science technologies such as terminator technology, genomic technologies, and nanotechnology. RAFI played a key role is pushing for and shaping UN recognition of farmers' rights and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. By 2000, there was some confusion with the original Rural Advancement Foundation (now called RAFI-USA), so RAFI changed its name to ETC Group to reflect its wider scope of concern.

[edit] Patenting the Climate Genes And Capturing the Climate Agenda

In this Study, ETC Group found that giant biotech companies are privatising the world's protection against climate change by filing hundreds of monopoly patents on genes that help crops resist it. It has found that nine firms have filed at least 532 patents around the world on about 55 different genes offering protection against heat, drought and floods. If granted, the companies would be given control of crucial natural raw material needed to maintain food supplies in an increasingly hungry world. [3] [4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ About ETC Group
  2. ^ RAFI becomes ETC group
  3. ^ http://www.enn.com/sci-tech/article/37358
  4. ^ Patenting the Climate Genes And Capturing the Climate Agenda

[edit] External links