locally grown Peruvian potatoes © Graham Freer/ Progressio

Since mid-October, Progressio has been working to stop Terminator seeds from destroying the lives of poor farmers in the developing world. Now, as the 'Say NO to Terminator seeds' campaign approaches its biggest hurdle - a high level meeting of governments in May - Environmental Advocacy Coordinator, Sol Oyuela, says we mustn't take our eye off the ball.

'Suicide seeds'. It sounds like an anomaly. A contradiction in terms. Yet this sinister oxymoron is at the root of a potentially catastrophic development for farming communities across the Majority World.

Confused? You needn't be. Suicide seeds - also known as Terminator seeds - are genetically modified to become sterile in the second generation. So while farmers can grow one plant, they can't use its seeds to grow another.

It is widely acknowledged that this technology could exacerbate world hunger by preventing 1.4 billion farmers in the Majority World from saving seeds each year to reuse in the following harvest.

Biotechnology seed corporations are behind the development of this seed technology. They claim that if all genetically modified (GM) seeds had a Terminator trait, it would prevent the contamination of organic and conventional crops with GM crops.

However, scientists have demonstrated that the Terminator gene could spread to other seeds making them infertile, with disastrous consequences for poor farmers and biodiversity.

Progressio is concerned that the real aim behind the development of this technology is to force farmers to buy new seeds each year - to increase the profits of seed corporations. In the words of Dr. Vandana Shiva, a world-renowned environmental leader and activist:

"A corporation is not a person. It doesn't think. People in it think and for them it is legitimate to create Terminator technology, so that farmers are not able to save their seeds. Seeds that will destroy themselves through a suicide gene. Seeds that are designed to only produce crops in one season. You really need to have a brutal mind. It's a war against evolution to even think in those terms."

As we approach the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in May - where, historically, major decisions about the use of Terminator technology have been taken - organisations like Progressio are gearing up for a fight. 

In 2000, the same convention temporarily banned Terminator seeds from entering the market due to concerns about the impact on poor farmers' lives and the environment. However, when the CBD met in Brazil just six years later, Canada, Australia and New Zealand attempted to reverse this decision. 

Civil society organisations present at that CBD meeting were instrumental in preventing this from happening; they mobilised against Terminator and helped ensure Terminator seeds remained illegal.

It is now feared that a similar backlash could take place at this year's CBD meeting in Bonn, Germany. Despite the fact that some poorer countries remain opposed to Terminator, such as Peru and Malawi, other delegations continue to argue for the use of Terminator.

Now is the time for action. By engaging in dialogue with government delegations, as Progressio's London based advocacy team did last month at a pre-CBD conference in Rome, we are raising awareness about the dangers posed by this seed technology to the lives of poor people living in the developing world. We should know - our partners working in 11 developing countries tell us just how catastrophic Terminator technology could be.

We also need to remain vigilant to help prevent potential widespread reduction in biodiversity if Terminator gets the go-ahead. Not to mention the likely loss of deep-rooted cultures and traditions.

Small-scale farmers around the world have an immense knowledge of plant breeding and have been responsible over the years for developing thousands of varieties. The practice of selecting, saving, sharing and replanting seeds from year to year has been fundamental to the continued existence of thousands of plant varieties specially adapted to local soils and climates and resistant to local pests.

There's a gender issue here, too. Women have played a vital part in the development of this agricultural diversity through their roles as farmers, cooks, gardeners, keepers of culinary traditions, seed custodians and healers. Their deep-rooted knowledge of agricultural management could be seriously undermined in a terminator technology world. In the words of Juana Remache from Azuay Province in Ecuador:

"It isn't really profitable to always buy seeds - we need to recover native seeds for economic reasons, but also because of our culture and traditions. We are losing practices and traditions with the seeds."

Progressio's advocacy team works to influence international institutions so that voices such as Juana's are heard at all levels of political negotiations. We also work to raise awareness of how policy and practice in the North can contribute to environmental degradation and poverty in the global South.

By making sure that the interests of the poor are taken into account in international decision-making processes such as the CBD, we can help bring positive change to the lives of those living in hardship. It is crucial that the current ban on Terminator technology is upheld. This is not about charity. This is about Justice.

Sol Oyuela is Progressio's Environmental Advocacy Coordinator based in London.