Seed Patents and Border Raids Squeeze Global Food Chains
June 26, 2026
From Iowa soybean fields to Moroccan land bureaus, a pincer movement of genomic deregulation and seed patenting is consolidating corporate control over the biological foundations of farming. While the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz eases maritime logistics, the domestic weaponization of immigration enforcement in Idaho and the displacement of pastoralist communities threaten the labor and land rights essential to resilient food sovereignty.
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ARI: The European Parliament has chosen the transnationals; we choose the peasants and the consumers.
On June 17, the European Parliament voted to give the “green light” to the deregulation of products derived from New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), approving a text that excludes these organisms—obtained by rewriting plant DNA—from the GMO regulations previously in force in the EU, which, for 26 years,…
- food sovereignty
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Nyéléni Newsletter | Pastoralism at the crossroads: between struggles and recognition
Pastoral ecosystems are found in areas with the most extreme agroecological conditions on the planet. There, since ancient times, pastoralist communities have adapted livestock husbandry to the cycles of nature, producing food, stewarding biodiversity, and sustaining life where others cannot. The po…
- food sovereignty
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Morocco: mobilization of agricultural workers against land corruption and for the defense of their rights
On Monday, June 22, starting at 11:00 a.m., more than 70 agricultural workers from the regions of Kénitra, Sidi Kacem, and Sidi Slimane gathered in front of the headquarters of the Agricultural Development Agency in Rabat. These workers are employed by the agricultural companies “SAAG,” “Amlak Amala…
- food sovereignty
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The Strait of Hormuz is finally reopening but Europe’s food chain suppliers cannot afford to be complacent
An interim peace deal between Iran and the United States signals the end of dire straits for one of the world’s most critical maritime route, but it could be months before traffic flows return to normal. Wikimedia, CC BY Our study of agri-food systems suggests that the most powerful resilience lever…
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How everyone pays the cost for patents on seeds, and private companies get rich from keeping them secret
Alan Montag, a third-generation Iowa farmer, and his son Aden load soybean seed into a planter on May 6, 2026. Scott Olson/Getty Images The United States is one of only a handful of countries that allows companies to hold patents on plant varieties. As a result, a small number of corporations can –…
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In deep-red Idaho, even Republicans break with Trump on farm labor
Farmworkers harvest corn in a field. Much of U.S. agriculture, including Idaho's dairy industry, relies on immigrant labor. Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Under the second Trump administration, the United States has seen mass deportations and a sharp escalation in immigration enf…
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