Responding to global grabs for patents on agricultural seeds, the University of Wisconsin has launched the Open Source Seed Initiative, aiming to keep certain seed varietals under a common-use license – similar to the ones used by certain open-source software or music formats. While the legal strength of this initiative is not yet clear, proponents still feel it’s an important step in educating farmers and the broader public about the importance of maintaining seeds as a shareable resource.
Resilience.org