This year, our Global Bean seed festival was extra special. On 22nd April, Global Bean partners across Europe and beyond came together to celebrate the diversity of beans and exchange legume seeds. Seed festivals took place in Greece, Albania, Germany, Ethiopia, Kenya, Switzerland, France, Austria, and Spain.

Bean mandala picture credit: Biodiversidad Alimentaria. Contains traditional varieties, many of which are endangered and have been preserved through collaborative efforts with indigenous communities.

ONLINE EVENT

The online portion of the festival included contributions from a number of our participating partner organisations and was broadcast between 1-2:30 PM CEST. Read an article that looks back at highlights from the online programme.

You can find an updated slide presentation here

Discover stories of various varieties of beans and legumes from southern France 🇫🇷, Greece 🇬🇷, Ethiopia 🇪🇹, Austria 🇦🇹, Kenya 🇰🇪, Germany 🇩🇪, and Albania 🇦🇱. Listen to an address from Vandhana Shiva, the celebrated ecofeminist activist who created the organization Navdanya, advocating for organic farming, biodiversity preservation, and the rights of farmers 👩🏽‍🌾🍀🇮🇳 Hear the political tribune of French cook Xavier Hamon, calling for an awakening to regain power over our food, in particular through the re-cultivation of hundreds of varieties, the re-conquest of land, the political mandate and the massive support to all those who commit themselves, every day, to the living. Learn about the commitments of Global Bean partners to safeguard traditional varieties of beans and legumes that are forgotten, under-exploited, or threatened with extinction! 💪 🌱